Real-life functioning in women with schizophrenia living in residential facilities: Gender-based comparison.

Introduction: Despite many patients with schizophrenia being able to achieve good functional outcomes, the number of patients with poor functional outcome estimates at over 25 percent. One of the wider constructs, reflecting functional outcomes in schizophrenia, is real-life functioning, whose key domains include ability to live relatively autonomously, productive activity and social interaction. Negative symptoms are seen among independent predictors of real-life functioning. As most researchers agree that schizophrenia is a disease with gender differences in terms of both clinical and functional outcomes, the goal of our observational study was to examine real-life functioning of women with schizophrenia, living in residential care facilities, and study the relationship between daily functioning and negative symptoms. Methods: Using the Standardized Protocol of Clinical Interview and observation for 1 or more weeks, we examined 46 females with schizophrenia, living in psychiatric residential facilities and compared them with 54 males with schizophrenia, living in the same facilities. In a pilot study 21 subjects with schizophrenia (13 females and 8 males), were evaluated by the Russian version of the Brief Negative Symptom Scale (BNSS). Results: To the results, more females with schizophrenia, compared to males with schizophrenia, remained active and took initiative in their physical care, vocational activities, involvement in cultural events, and maintained friendly relationships with other inmates. We have identified a group of inmates, in which females prevailed, with less pronounced negative symptoms and a higher level of social functioning, who did not need residential social care in the institutions. Discussion: Limitations of residential social care in the institutions for psychiatric patients are discussed.

Geochemistry and therapeutic properties of Caucasian mineral waters: a review.

The Caucasian mineral water (CMW) region is a unique area where mineral waters differ by their chemical composition and balneological properties. The presence of a wide range of mineral waters with various ions and gas components and different genesis and their therapeutic properties in the restricted area is explained by complicated geological and tectonic settings. The dominant type of mineral water in the CMW region is CO2-bearing water with H2SiO3 and H3BO3 as the specific components. According to ion composition, gas phases' content into groundwater, total dissolved solids, and balneological characteristics, we would distinguish 9 groups and 16 types of these mineral waters, with each water type being of particular therapeutic interest. The CMW region includes four spa cities with a different therapeutic profile: Zheleznovodsk, Kislovodsk, Pyatigorsk, and Essentuki. Spa treatment is based on the use of different types of mineral waters, therapeutic muds within the region's diverse landscapes, and climatic conditions. Mineral waters are utilized in the form of baths, swimming pools, showers, various irrigations, inhalation, as well as drinking therapy. Therapeutic mineral waters are used to treat gastrointestinal problems, metabolic and nervous system disorders, as well as various diseases of liver, kidney, urinary tract, circulatory system, respiratory organs, and skin.

Characterization of lymphocyte surface markers in patients with vitiligo.

It was demonstrated that all vitiligo patients, independently of the disease stage, have a significant decrease in the total number of T cells and an elevated level of peripheral blood lymphocytes and activated natural killers (CD56). The low level of T lymphocytes is associated with the increase in the number of CD3(+)4(+)8(+) cells, which are characterized by a faster apoptosis induction. The elevated level of B lymphocytes in peripheral blood in vitiligo is due to the significant increase in the number of B cells of all the stages of differentiation, suggesting a general activation of the whole B-cell immunity. Perhaps, it is associated with the continuous stimulations of B cells by the type 2 helper lymphocytes. The Th2 lymphocyte mediators, including IL-4, do not only stimulate of B-cell immunity, but also regulate maturation of NK cells. It is typical for vitiligo that the level of mature B cells responsible for Ig synthesis (CD38(+), mIgM(+), mIgG(+)) stays elevated even in remission. Moreover, a considerable increase in the number of peripheral blood lymphocytes expressing the adhesion receptor CD54 is observed, which most likely reflects that the blood lymphocytes are highly prepared for tissue migration.