Real-world effectiveness of long acting aripiprazole: Treatment persistence and its correlates in the Italian clinical practice.

OBJECTIVES: To identify the variables that are associated with persistence to Aripiprazole-Long Acting (A-LAI), in adult patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: Observational, retrospective, non-interventional study involving 261 patients with schizophrenia. RESULTS: Eighty-six percent of study subjects were persistent for at least 6 months. All subjects with baseline CGI-S of 1 or 2, 95% of subjects with CGI-S of 3, 86% with CGI-S of 4, 82% of subjects with CGI-S of 5, 73% of subjects with CGI of 6 and 90% of subjects with CGI of 7 were persistent. A-LAI treatment continuation rate was higher in patients with: 1) baseline CGI score ≤ 4; 2) schizophrenia dimension (LDPS) mania score ≤ 5; 3) psychotic spectrum schizoid score ≤ 11. CONCLUSIONS: A relatively high number of patients (n = 225, 86%) were persistent to A-LAI for at least 6 months. Not surprisingly, very severe patients were more unlikely to be persistent. However, it is noteworthy that a large number of subjects with high CGI score at the time when A-LAI was started (82% of subjects with CGI-S of 5, 73% of subjects with CGI of 6 and 90% of subjects with CGI of 7) were persistent. Larger, controlled, prospective and longer studies are warranted.

Possible role of perineal ultrasound in the diagnosis of cystocele.

OBJECTIVE: Perineal ultrasound has not yet been adequately evaluated in relation to the diagnosis of anatomical descensus of pelvic organs. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to assess whether it is possible to carry out a topographical comparison between bladders in normal seat and prolapsed ones and to quantify the extent of descensus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The authors selected 140 women, divided into three groups (two control groups and one case group). All patients underwent urogynaecological examination, according to the Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification (POP-Q), and perineal ultrasound to evaluate pubo-bladder distance. RESULTS: Considering the data recorded in the two control groups, the authors established the physiological pubo-bladder distance between 27-33 mm at rest and 25-30 mm under stress. In the group with cystocele, the pubo-bladder distance was significantly lower: 20 mm at rest and three mm under stress (mean value). The authors also performed a classification of ultrasound cystocele in four stages, in accordance with clinical staging. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the present data show the excellent potential role of perineal ultrasound in the diagnosis of cystocele, but it is necessary to perform randomized studies to standardize the method.

Cytokine profiles in drug-naive schizophrenic patients.

A large body of evidence concerning immunological abnormalities in schizophrenic patients seems to suggest a role of the immune system in the multifactorial pathogenesis of schizophrenia. We investigated the production of various cytokines [interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, IL-10, interferon (INF)-gamma] in drug-free (n=26) and drug-naive (n=7) schizophrenic patients and in healthy controls (n=33). Production of IL-2 and INF-gamma was significantly higher (respectively P=0.021 and P=0.001) in patients than in controls. These findings provide further evidence that immunological abnormalities are present in some schizophrenic patients.

Investigation of soot by two-colour four-wave mixing.

A novel technique has been used for the temporally resolved investigation of the interaction of laser radiation and soot in a flame. Based on established soot vaporisation models we developed a framework to calculate the two-colour four-wave mixing signal obtained in an acetylene/air diffusion flame at atmospheric pressure. The signal comprises a contribution due to soot and, depending on the wavelength of the probe laser, a contribution because of C2, which is generated by vaporising soot. For both parts of the signal we found a good agreement between measured and calculated power dependency. Furthermore, we measured spatial profiles of the signal in a Wolfhard-Parker slot burner. By analysing the different signal contributions we found that depending on the location within the flame there are particles with different C2 yield.

Temperature and flow-velocity measurements by use of laser-induced electrostrictive gratings.

Light scattering from laser-induced electrostrictive gratings has been used for simultaneous, instantaneous, nonintrusive, and remote measurements of temperature and velocity in a submerged air jet. We accomplished phase-sensitive detection of scattered light by superimposing two signal beams whose frequencies were Doppler shifted by the movement of the grating. Temperatures in the range 295-600 K and flow velocities in the range 10-100 m/s were measured.