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Quality of life (QOL) has been considered an important outcome measure in psychiatric research and determinants of QOL have been widely investigated. We aimed at detecting predictors of QOL at baseline and at testing the longitudinal interrelations of the baseline predictors with QOL scores at a 1-year follow-up in a sample of patients living in Residential Facilities (RFs). Logistic regression models were adopted to evaluate the association between WHOQoL-Bref scores and potential determinants of QOL. In addition, all variables significantly associated with QOL domains in the final logistic regression model were included by using the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). We included 139 patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia spectrum. In the final logistic regression model level of activity, social support, age, service satisfaction, spiritual well-being and symptoms' severity were identified as predictors of QOL scores at baseline. Longitudinal analyses carried out by SEM showed that 40% of QOL follow-up variability was explained by QOL at baseline, and significant indirect effects toward QOL at follow-up were found for satisfaction with services and for social support. Rehabilitation plans for people with schizophrenia living in RFs should also consider mediators of change in subjective QOL such as satisfaction with mental health services.

Objective To determine whether the prescription of aripiprazole, compared with olanzapine and haloperidol, was associated with a lower frequency of metabolic syndrome (MS) and treatment discontinuation at 1 year. Method Patients were randomly assigned to be treated open-label and according to usual clinical practice with either aripiprazole, olanzapine, or haloperidol and followed up for 1 year. Results Three hundred out-patients with persistent schizophrenia were recruited in 35 mental health services. The intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis found no significant differences in the rate of MS between aripiprazole (37%), olanzapine (47%), and haloperidol (42%). Treatment discontinuation for any cause was higher for aripiprazole (52%) than for olanzapine (33%; OR, 0.41; P = 0.004), or haloperidol (37%; OR, 0.51; P = 0.030). No significant difference was found between olanzapine and haloperidol. Time to discontinuation for any cause was longer for olanzapine than for aripiprazole (HR, 0.55; P

La integridad de la membrana, medida por la Conductividad Eléctrica (CE), se considera un indicador del vigor de muchas especies de semillas. El objetivo de este estudio se dividió en dos partes. La primera consistió en validar un modelo matemático empleado previamente en semillas de soja (Glycine max L. Merrill) para evaluar curvas de CE en el tiempo y valorar así distintos materiales. La segunda radicó en determinar el método de operación del equipo para cariopsis de trigo (Triticum aestivum L.). Se usaron 8 muestras de soja expuestas a distintos ambientes controlados de invernadero y de lotes de producción, que fueron cosechados tanto manual como mecánicamente entre 2010 y 2012 en la provincia de Santa Fe, Argentina. Además, se usaron 18 muestras de trigo expuestas también a condiciones ambientales controladas de invernadero y lotes de producción, provenientes del mismo período y la misma provincia. Todas las muestras se ajustaron a una humedad entre 10 y 14 % y se conservaron en bolsas de papel madera a 4 °C hasta su uso. Se midieron las curvas de CE para 100 semillas y cariopsis individuales de cada muestra durante 20 horas de inmersión a intervalos de 3 minutos, usando el analizador automático de semillas SAD 9000S. El comportamiento de todas las muestras de semillas de soja se ajustó favorablemente al modelo previamente propuesto. Además, las muestras de cariopsis presentaron curvas de acumulación de electrolitos lixiviados en el tiempo que se ajustaron de manera propicia a las condiciones sugeridas para el caso de soja. El método de evaluación del vigor a través de la medición de la CE individual permitió validar el modelo matemático de las curvas de CE en semillas de distintos cultivares de soja y de cariopsis de trigo. Este método fue eficiente además, para identificar muestras que presenten diferencias de potencialidad de emergencia a campo. The membrane integrity, measured as electrical conductivity (EC), is considered an indicator of the strength of many species of seeds. The objective of this study was divided into two parts. The first one was to validate a mathematical model previously employed in soybean seeds to evaluate EC curves in time and thus assess different materials. The second consisted in determining the equipment operation method in wheat cariopsis of 8 samples of soybean, all of them exposed to greenhouse and field environments, and both manually and mechanically harvested in 2010 and 2012 in Santa Fe province, Argentina. Additionally, 18 samples of wheat also exposed to different greenhouse and environmental conditions from the same province were used. All samples were adjusted to a humidity between 10 and 14% and stored in paper bags at 4°C until use. CE curves for 100 individual seeds and caryopses of each sample were measured for 20 hours immersion in 3 minute intervals using automatic seed analyzer SAD 9000S. The behaviour of all soybean samples favourably adjusted to the model previously proposed. In addition, caryopses samples showed time accumulation electrolytes leaching curves that adjusted the suggested conditions for the case of soybean. The vigour evaluation method through measurement of individual EC allowed to validate the mathematical model of EC curves in seeds from different soybean and wheat cultivars. The method was also efficient to identify samples with differences in potential emergency in the field. Fil: Peruzzo, Alejandra María. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Pioli, R.. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; Argentina Fil: Salinas, A.. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; Argentina

Purpose: To evaluate adolescents’ attitudes toward people with psychosis. Methods: Students in two high schools in a northern Italian town were surveyed using a 6-item questionnaire. Students were selected based on availability and interest of teachers towards psychosis. Approval of each headmaster of both schools was achieved. Teachers administered the questionnaire during class time. Results: A total of 408 students were surveyed (57.8% male and 42.2% female). Negative opinions were highest for treatability items (8.6% believed that effective therapies exist for the treatment of people with psychosis; 16.4% believed that most people with psychosis could recover or improve; and 61.3% reported that people with psychosis should be treated in hospitals with lengthy admissions). Conclusions: Students had negative attitudes towards people with psychosis, particularly in regard to their treatment and recovery. Implications: It is important to promote public health actions designed to increase students’ knowledge about models of community-based care and recovery.

Introduction More and more evidences show that people suffering from mental disorders are addressed to the treatment some years after the onset of early signs of illness. This delay represents one of the most important factors that causing a bad prognosis. It seems to depend, both to the lack of knowledge on mental health and to the absence of specific programs for the prevention, early treatment and promotion of mental health. Methodology Students and teachers were enrolled in a project composed by information/sensitization meetings, using experiential and interactive techniques, with the aims to identify and to increase the knowledge about mental disorders and to decrease false beliefs and stereotypes. To evaluate the effectiveness of the project, we used instruments created ad hoc for students and teachers. Results 115 students and 33 teachers were involved. These results concern the preliminary data on the students target group only. Most of the students are able to recognize the name of mental disorders. After the meetings, decrease the number of students who think that people with psychosis are dangerous and increase the number of those who think that exist effective therapies for the treatment of people suffering from psychosis. However, there are still many students who believe that only few people with psychosis can be treated. In all three times, only half of students also believes that people suffering from psychosis should be able to have a job. Conclusion we think that a widespread information in specific target groups and the engagement in a training where students and teachers are active protagonists represent the key to reduce prejudice and to approach people to mental health services, when needed.

SUMMARYAims– To highlight the major discrepancies that emerged between evidence and routine practice in the framework of the SIEP-DIRECT's Project (DIscrepancy betweenRoutine practice andEvidence in psychiatricCommunityTreatments onSchizophrenia). The Project was conducted in 19 Italian mental health services (MHS), with the aims of: a) evaluating the appropriateness of the NICE Guidelines for Schizophrenia in the Italian context, b) developing and testing a set of 103 indicators that operationalised preferred clinical practice requirements according to the NICE Guidelines, and c) evaluating their actual application in Italian MHSs.Methods– The indicators investigated five different areas: common elements in all phases of schizophrenia; first episode treatment; crisis treatment; promoting recovery; the aggressive behaviour management.Results– The NICE recommendations examined were judged in most instances to be appropriate to the Italian MHS context, and the indicators fairly easy to use. The more severe and frequently encountered evidence-practice discrepancies were: lack of written material, guidelines, and information to be systematically provided to users; lack of intervention monitoring and evaluation; difficulty in implementingspecific and structured forms of intervention; difficulty in considering patients' family members as figures requiring targeted support themselves and who should also be regularly involved in the patient care process.Conclusions– The key actions to be undertaken to favour implementation of evidence-based routine practices are: focussing on mental illness onset and family support/involvement in care; planning training activities aimed at achieving specific treatment goals; encouraging MHS participation in evaluation activities; identifying thresholds for guideline application and promoting specific guideline implementation actions; and activating decision making and resource allocationprocesses that rely more strictly on evidence and epidemiological assessment. These considerations are of value for rethinking the model of community psychiatry in Italy as well as in other countries.Declaration of Interest: None.