Exploring social cognition in schizophrenia.

The aim of the study was to compare social cognition between groups of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and healthy controls and to replicate two previous studies using tests of social cognition that may be particularly sensitive to social cognitive deficits in schizophrenia. Thirty-eight first-admitted patients with schizophrenia and 38 healthy controls solved 11 "imaginary conversation (i.e., theory of mind)" items, 10 "psychological understanding" items, and 10 "practical understanding" items. Statistical tests were made of unadjusted and adjusted group differences in models adjusting for intelligence and neuropsychological test performance. Healthy controls performed better than patients on all types of social cognitive tests, particularly on "psychological understanding." However, after adjusting for intelligence and neuropsychological test performance, all group differences became nonsignificant. When intelligence and global cognitive functioning is taken into account, schizophrenia patients and healthy controls perform similarly on social cognitive tests.

'Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum' Titers in and Infection Effects on Potato Tuber Chemistry of Promising Germplasm Exhibiting Tolerance to Zebra Chip Disease.

Long-term sustainable management of zebra chip (ZC) disease of potato requires development of tolerant or resistant germplasm. To this end, 283 potato varieties and breeding clones were infected with the ZC putative causal agent 'Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum' (Lso) by potato psyllid vector inoculations in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013. Potato germplasm was then examined for development of fresh and fried ZC symptoms. Over multiple years 29 breeding clones exhibited little to no symptoms in freshly cut tuber slices, and five exhibited little to no symptoms in fried slices. These five presumed tolerant breeding clones were chosen for further screening to determine whether the lack of physiological responses to Lso infection was the cause of observed tolerance. To this end, tuber amino acid, sugar, and phenolic levels were compared between noninfected and Lso-infected plants. The five putative tolerant clones had less dramatic shifts in host physiology following Lso infection than the susceptible Atlantic cultivar. This suggested lack of host responses to Lso infection that result in major changes in tuber biochemistry is a potential mechanism of ZC resistance. However, the susceptible Atlantic cultivar did have consistently greater Lso titers compared with two of the tolerant entries, so for these reductions in Lso pathogen progression also might be a factor. Regardless, lack of host responses could still remain one trait that could be used to aid in selection of ZC-resistant potato varieties, as other tolerant lines had infection levels consistent with susceptible Atlantic cultivar. These results also suggest that germplasm derived from relatives of cultivated potato plants are viable sources of ZC disease resistance.

Excess mortality and suicide risk in treatment-seeking individuals with schizotypal disorder: A population-based study using Swedish national registers.

This study investigates the excess mortality, both all-cause and due to suicide, among individuals with schizotypal disorder (SD) compared to the general population. Using individual-level data from the Swedish National Patient Register and the Cause of Death Register, we analyzed mortality in 998 patients diagnosed with SD from 2006 to 2017. Our primary outcomes were all-cause mortality and suicide mortality, with baseline variables including sex, age, and psychiatric comorbidities. Results indicated significantly elevated mortality rates for both all-cause mortality (Standardized Mortality Ratio (SMR) 5.2) and suicide (SMR 23.4). Substance use disorders, personality disorders, and ADHD were identified as significant predictors of increased all-cause mortality. Notably, having a personality disorder in conjunction with schizotypal disorder resulted in a markedly increased risk of suicide. The study underscores the urgent need for targeted interventions and improved diagnostic precision to reduce premature mortality in this vulnerable population. Additionally, the relatively low prevalence of SD diagnoses in Sweden highlights a potential underdiagnosis or misclassification issue. These findings have critical implications for clinical practice and public health efforts, emphasizing the necessity for comprehensive care strategies and suicide prevention interventions to improve outcomes for individuals with schizotypal disorder.

Temporal persistence of anomalous self-experience: A 5years follow-up.

BACKGROUND: The concept of self-disorders in schizophrenia has gained substantial interest and it has now been established empirically that self-disorders aggregate in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders but not in other mental disorders or in healthy controls. Yet, the issue of temporal persistence has not been addressed. AIM: The aim of this study is to examine the temporal persistence of self-disorders. METHODS: 96 first admission patients were thoroughly assessed for psychopathology including SD at baseline and again 5years later. We created a 25-item self-disorder scale which was used both at baseline and follow-up to assess self-disorders. The scale was a pre-cursor of the later published EASE-scale. Additionally, we examined the development of positive and negative syndromes and of the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF). RESULTS: There was a high correlation between self-disorders at baseline and at follow-up, and the majority of the items in self-disorders scale showed equal proportions between baseline and follow-up. CONCLUSION: Self-disturbances showed a high level of persistence at 5-year follow-up.

Influence of submucous septal resection on facial growth in the rat.

Submucous septal resections in young rats caused severe retardation of growth in the upper facial skeleton. These growth disturbances occurred regardless of whether the resections included both the cartilaginous septum and the corresponding mucoperichondrium, or only the cartilaginous septum. The degree of growth disturbance depends on the age when the resections are done.

Persistent sensory disturbances and diplopia following fractures of the zygoma.

In a follow-up study of 124 patients with fractures of the zygoma, 100 of whom had undergone surgery, sensory disturbances of the intraorbital nerve, mostly to a very moderate degree, were found in 46% of those operated on. Slight imperfections of the fracture reduction had no influence on the results, and no substantial difference in outcome was found between the different surgical methods employed. The diplopia that persisted in five patients was due to reduced motility of the globe, without any displacement or sign of loss of orbital contents.

The use of collagen film (Cutycol) as a dressing for donor areas in split skin grafting.

In this investigation sterile collagen film has been used as a dressing for 55 donor areas. The two aims of our study were to find out whether this film could be used as a dressing and whether the film which was applied at the time of surgery could be used as the only dressing before complete healing was achieved. The results were good in 56% of the cases and fair in 20%. It was noted that local pre-treatment with epinephrine gave better results. If only small or medium sized donor areas were included the results were even better. This is probably because the film in larger donor areas could slip away leaving the donor site more or less exposed. The results are encouraging in two important aspects: The donor sites were not painful and the nursing staff could reduce or eliminate time-consuming work with frequent dressings.

Comparison of total hinged and total nonhinged implants for the lesser digits.

The purpose of this paper is to present preliminary findings of an ongoing prospective study of the effectiveness of total digital implants. Forty hinged implants and 22 nonhinged implants have been evaluated to compare the two implants and establish preoperative criteria for their use. Our findings indicate better results for toe purchase and stability with the nonhinged implant and marginally better joint range of movement with the hinged implant. Preoperative dorsal contracture at the metatarsophalangeal joint leads to the most consistent postoperative complications.