Eurofit test battery in patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder: reliability and clinical correlates.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the reproducibility of the Eurofit physical fitness test battery in patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Secondary aims were to assess clinical and demographic characteristics that correlate with the performance on the Eurofit and evaluation of the feasibility of the test. METHODS: Fifty patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (mean age of 32.9±9.5 years) with a mean body mass index (BMI) of 26.1±6.0 kg/m(2) performed two Eurofit tests administered within 3 days. RESULTS: All Eurofit items showed good reproducibility with intraclass correlation coefficients ranging from 0.72 for flamingo balance to 0.98 for standing broad jump test. All participants could perform five of the seven test items without problems. The whole body balance and abdominal muscle endurance test could be executed by 74 and 90%, respectively. Significant correlations were found with age, BMI, waist circumference, dose of antipsychotic medication and extrapyramidal, negative and cognitive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The Eurofit test showed good reproducibility and can be recommended for evaluating physical fitness parameters in patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Physical fitness measures were related to both physical and mental health parameters.

Ba4Si3Br2: a double salt of barium bromide and barium silicide containing a novel cyclotrisilicide unit.

A new compound of the composition Ba4Si3Br2 was obtained by reacting BaSi with a melt of BaBr2. Ba4Si3Br2 may be described as a double salt between a Zintl phase and a halide. The structure was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction (P21c, a= 1504.1(2), b = 884.5(1), c = 880.2(1) pm, beta = 101.93(2) degrees, R = 0.041 Rw = 0.079). The crystal structure contains isolated barium cations and bromide anions as well as novel singly bonded cyclotrisilicid units. The electronic structure has been studied by linear Muffin tin orbital (LMTO) band structure calculations, which reveal semiconducting behavior with a band gap of about 0.1 eV, and by an analysis of the electron localization function.

[(Zr6B)Cl11-xI2+x] (0< or = x < or = 6): a new mixed-halide structure with zigzag cains of clusters in multiply twinned crystals.

The new [(Zr6B)Cl11-xI2+x] phase (with 0 < or = x < or = 6) is obtained from reactions of ZrI4, ZrCl4, and elemental Zr and B for 2-4 weeks in sealed Ta tubing at 800-850 degrees C. Single crystals of [(Zr6B)Cl6.44(7)I6.56] have been characterized by X-ray diffraction at room temperature (orthorhombic Pbcn, Z = 4, a = 12.365(2) A, b = 15.485(3) A, c = 13.405(2) A). This structure contains zigzag chains of boron-centered (Zr6B) octahedra that are interconnected by Cl(i-i) halides. Further three-dimensional connectivity is achieved by I(a-a-a) bridges. The noncluster interconnecting two-bonded X(i) sites are occupied statistically by a mixture of Cl and I. For each site both positions were resolved. This structure forms within a phase width of 0 < or = x < or = 6 at temperatures between 800 and 850 degrees C. Crystals of this phase appear to be always multiply twinned.