A Viral Exposure Signature Defines Early Onset of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an aggressive malignancy with its global incidence and mortality rate continuing to rise, although early detection and surveillance are suboptimal. We performed serological profiling of the viral infection history in 899 individuals from an NCI-UMD case-control study using a synthetic human virome, VirScan. We developed a viral exposure signature and validated the results in a longitudinal cohort with 173 at-risk patients who had long-term follow-up for HCC development. Our viral exposure signature significantly associated with HCC status among at-risk individuals in the validation cohort (area under the curve: 0.91 [95% CI 0.87-0.96] at baseline and 0.98 [95% CI 0.97-1] at diagnosis). The signature identified cancer patients prior to a clinical diagnosis and was superior to alpha-fetoprotein. In summary, we established a viral exposure signature that can predict HCC among at-risk patients prior to a clinical diagnosis, which may be useful in HCC surveillance.

Adaptation and Validation of the Subjective Risk Intelligence Scale for Italian Adolescents (SRIS-A).

Subjective Risk Intelligence (SRI) is the ability to consider risky and uncertain situations as opportunities rather than threats. SRI is constituted by four dimensions: attitude toward uncertainty, imaginative capability, problem solving self-efficacy and stress management. Adolescence is a period in life in which individuals face crucial life-tasks, that nowadays become complex due to uncertainty about future life and career. The present study aims to adapt the Subjective Risk Intelligence Scale (SRIS-A) for use with adolescences and examine its factor structure, psychometric properties, and relationships with related constructs (coping strategies, problem solving self-efficacy and courage). Participants were 641 Italian adolescents, balanced by gender. The results of the study showed that the suggested four-dimension scale structure adequately explained item correlations. Further, adequate reliability, construct validity and measurement invariance by gender were supported, suggesting that SRIS-A has adequate concurrent and convergent validity. Suggestions for further studies of SRI during adolescence using the SRIS-A are discussed.

Children Learn to Read: How Visual Analysis and Mental Imagery Contribute to the Reading Performances at Different Stages of Reading Acquisition.

Reading in alphabetic orthography requires analysis and recognition of specific attributes of visual stimuli, and generation, reactivation, and use of mental images of letters and words. This study evaluated the role of visual analysis and mental imagery in reading performances of students at different stages of reading acquisition. Reading "comprehension," "accuracy," and "speed," were analyzed. Participants were 90 children who attended primary school. Children were assessed in the first and third grade. The results highlighted that mental imagery and visual analysis influenced reading acquisition. These abilities are differently involved in the three dimensions of reading skill. The issues of this study have practical and educational applications. The early assessment of visual analysis and mental imagery skills and specific training on these abilities could contribute to facilitate reading acquisition. Strategies of intervention centered on visual imagery could increase reading performances in typically developing children and children at risk of learning difficulties.

A classifier integrating plasma biomarkers and radiological characteristics for distinguishing malignant from benign pulmonary nodules.

Lung cancer is primarily caused by cigarette smoking and the leading cancer killer in the USA and across the world. Early detection of lung cancer by low-dose CT (LDCT) can reduce the mortality. However, LDCT dramatically increases the number of indeterminate pulmonary nodules (PNs), leading to overdiagnosis. Having a definitive preoperative diagnosis of malignant PNs is clinically important. Using microarray and droplet digital PCR to directly profile plasma miRNA expressions of 135 patients with PNs, we identified 11 plasma miRNAs that displayed a significant difference between patients with malignant versus benign PNs. Using multivariate logistic regression analysis of the molecular results and clinical/radiological characteristics, we developed an integrated classifier comprising two miRNA biomarkers and one radiological characteristic for distinguishing malignant from benign PNs. The classifier had 89.9% sensitivity and 90.9% specificity, being significantly higher compared with the biomarkers or clinical/radiological characteristics alone (all p < 0.05). The classifier was validated in two independent sets of patients. We have for the first time shown that the integration of plasma biomarkers and radiological characteristics could more accurately identify lung cancer among indeterminate PNs. Future use of the classifier could spare individuals with benign growths from the harmful diagnostic procedures, while allowing effective treatments to be immediately initiated for lung cancer, thereby reduces the mortality and cost. Nevertheless, further prospective validation of this classifier is warranted.

Small non-coding RNA biomarkers in sputum for lung cancer diagnosis.

The early detection of lung cancer can reduce the mortality. However, there is no effective means in clinical settings for noninvasively detecting lung cancer. We previously developed 3 sputum miRNA biomarkers and 2 sputum small nucleolar RNA (snoRNA) biomarkers that can potentially be used for noninvasively diagnosing lung cancer. Here we evaluate the individual and combined applications of the two types of biomarkers in different sets of lung cancer patients and controls. Combined analysis of the miRNAs and snoRNAs has a synergistic effect with 89 % sensitivity and 89 % specificity, and may provide a useful tool for lung cancer early detection.

Genome-wide small nucleolar RNA expression analysis of lung cancer by next-generation deep sequencing.

Emerging evidence indicates that small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs), a class of small noncoding RNAs, may play important function in tumorigenesis. Nonsmall-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the number one cancer killer for men and women. Systematically characterizing snoRNAs in NSCLC will develop biomarkers for its early detection and prognostication. We used next-generation deep sequencing to comprehensively characterize snoRNA profiles in 12 NSCLC tissues. We used quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) to verify the findings in 40 surgical Stage I NSCLC specimens and 126 frozen NSCLC tissues of different stages. The 126 NSCLC tissues were divided into a training set and a testing set. Deep sequencing identified 458 snoRNAs, of which, 29 had a ≥3.0-fold expression level change in Stage I NSCLC tissues versus normal tissues. qRT-PCR analysis showed that 16 of 29 snoRNAs exhibited consistent changes with deep sequencing data. The 16 snoRNAs exhibited 0.75-0.94 area under receiver-operator characteristic curve values in distinguishing lung tumor from normal lung tissues (all ≤0.0001) with 70.0-95.0% sensitivity and 70.0-95.0% specificity. Six genes (snoRA47, snoRA68, snoRA78, snoRA21, snoRD28 and snoRD66) were identified whose expressions were associated with overall survival of the NSCLC patients. A prediction model consisting of three genes (snoRA47, snoRA68 and snoRA78) was developed in the training set of 77 cases, which could significantly predict overall survival of the NSCLC patients (p < 0.0001). The prognostic performance of the prediction model was confirmed in the testing set of 49 NSCLC patients. The identified snoRNA signatures may provide potential biomarkers for the early detection and prognostication of NSCLC.

Vividness and transformation of mental images in karate and ballet.

While imagery research has become popular in recent years, little research has specifically investigated differences in imagery ability between open- and closed-skill sport activities. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the type of task, open or closed, affects vividness and controllability differently. Thirty female classic dancers (closed skill), 30 female karate athletes (open skill), and 30 female non-athlete students, between 14 and 20 years of age (M = 17.0, SD = 1.6), participated. They completed the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire, the Vividness of Movement Imagery Questionnaire, and the Subtraction of Parts Task. There was no difference in imagery ability between open- and closed-skill sport groups. Furthermore, dancers and karatekas had higher mean scores on imagery ability than the non-athlete group. A positive correlation was observed between the two questionnaires, supporting findings on the componential basis of imagery. This study contributed to increase the research in the specific area of open- and closed-skill sports and imagery ability.

On the Construct of Subjective Risk Intelligence and Its Relationships with Personality, Emotional Intelligence and Coping Strategies: A Comparison between Adolescents and Adults.

The complexity of today's scenario has made it necessary to investigate the need for individuals to make choices that entail increasing exposure to risk and uncertainty. Among the individual resources that could help people to cope with situations of uncertainty, the new construct of subjective risk intelligence (SRI), known as a person's ability to effectively weigh the pros and cons of a decision in situations where not all the outcomes are foreseen, would seem to play a prominent role. Considering that personality and coping strategies have been shown to be significantly related in previous research, the present study investigates the relationships between subjective risk intelligence, emotional intelligence, personality traits and coping strategies in both adults and adolescents. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 1390 Italian people, divided into two subsamples of 641 adolescents and 749 adults. The results showed that SRI mediated the roles that personality traits and emotional intelligence have in coping strategies differently in the adult sample, in which the mediating role of SRI was found for avoidance coping, and in the adolescent sample, in which SRI influenced all of the antecedents analysed in the study for almost all of the identified coping strategies. In light of these findings, subjective risk intelligence could be activated to deal with uncertain and risky situations, influencing the choice of effective or ineffective strategies in both adults and adolescents.

Rotation and generation of mental imagery in children with specific language impairment.

AIM: To investigate the relationship between mental imagery and specific language impairment (SLI) and explore the assumption that children with SLI are less able to generate mental images and/or convert them, when compared to typical development (TD) children of the same age. METHODS: Twenty-four children, aged six to eight, took part in two tests to see how well they generated and rotated mental images. The participants were 12 SLI children (six boys and six girls) and 12 TD children (six boys and six girls), matched by age and gender. RESULTS: The statistical analysis showed a significant difference between the two groups when it came to generating mental imagery. However, there were no significant differences with regard to rotating mental imagery. CONCLUSION: The results suggest imagery deficit in language-impaired children is not caused by mental rotation, but by other aspects of image processing, such as generation, maintenance and interpretation of visual images.

Relational Competence, School Adjustment and Emotional Skills: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Group of Junior and High School Students of the Sicilian Hinterland.

Research has demonstrated the influence of emotional adjustment on the manifestation of problematic behaviors in adolescence, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the present research is to investigate the role of self-esteem and relational skills on school performance in a group of middle and high school students during the COVID-19 period. The research involved 392 students, aged between 11 and 20 (M = 13.78; S.D. = 2.56). Participants completed the following instruments: an anamnestic constructed ad hoc questionnaire; the Interpersonal Relationships Test, in order to evaluate the perception of adolescents concerning the quality of their relationships in social, family and school contexts; and the Multidimensional Test of Self-Esteem, structured in six scales, which coincide with the dimensions considered constitutive of self-esteem. The preliminary data have shown how the older girls, attending the high school, tend to manifest a higher level of social competence with peer group and teachers. Furthermore, the perception of a reduced emotional self-efficacy but an elevated environmental control and good interpersonal skills seem to predict the school adjustment. Understanding adolescents' perceptions of difficulties and their social support networks can offer some insight into how major social changes can be associated with individual well-being, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Work Engagement as a Moderating Factor between Positive Attitude toward Smart Working and Job and Life Satisfaction.

Attitude toward smart working reflects feelings of favorableness towards this object; attitudes influence intentions, which in turn guide behaviors. Recent research confirms the positive influence that attitude toward smart working has on expected usage of it. Despite a direct influence, other factors could interact in the context of opportunities for ICT usage for teleworkers; among these factors, work engagement stands out. In turn, work engagement influences the perception of job satisfaction and life satisfaction. Considering that literature suggests that among the antecedents of work engagement are attitudes, the present study analyzes the role of positive attitude towards smart working on work engagement, and consequently on job satisfaction and on life satisfaction, hypothesizing that work engagement could mediate between positive attitude towards smart working and job and life satisfaction. The participants were 342 workers (115 males and 227 females) in private and public organizations, aged 24 to 66 years. The results showed that a positive attitude towards smart working, along with work engagement as a mediator, positively influences job satisfaction and life satisfaction. This means that employers and human resources managers (HRM) can organize training sessions to enhance the positive attitude toward smart working and this can help workers feel more engaged and satisfied.

Plasma microRNAs as potential biomarkers for non-small-cell lung cancer.

Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the leading cause of cancer-related death. Developing minimally invasive techniques that can diagnose NSCLC, particularly at an early stage, may improve its outcome. Using microarray platforms, we previously identified 12 microRNAs (miRNAs) the aberrant expressions of which in primary lung tumors are associated with early-stage NSCLC. Here, we extend our previous research by investigating whether the miRNAs could be used as potential plasma biomarkers for NSCLC. We initially validated expressions of the miRNAs in paired lung tumor tissues and plasma specimens from 28 stage I NSCLC patients by real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR, and then evaluated diagnostic value of the plasma miRNAs in a cohort of 58 NSCLC patients and 29 healthy individuals. The altered miRNA expressions were reproducibly confirmed in the tumor tissues. The miRNAs were stably present and reliably measurable in plasma. Of the 12 miRNAs, five displayed significant concordance of the expression levels in plasma and the corresponding tumor tissues (all r>0.850, all P<0.05). A logistic regression model with the best prediction was defined on the basis of the four genes (miRNA-21, -126, -210, and 486-5p), yielding 86.22% sensitivity and 96.55% specificity in distinguishing NSCLC patients from the healthy controls. Furthermore, the panel of miRNAs produced 73.33% sensitivity and 96.55% specificity in identifying stage I NSCLC patients. In addition, the genes have higher sensitivity (91.67%) in diagnosis of lung adenocarcinomas compared with squamous cell carcinomas (82.35%) (P<0.05). Altered expressions of the miRNAs in plasma would provide potential blood-based biomarkers for NSCLC.

Diagnosis of lung cancer in individuals with solitary pulmonary nodules by plasma microRNA biomarkers.

BACKGROUND: Making a definitive preoperative diagnosis of solitary pulmonary nodules (SPNs) found by CT has been a clinical challenge. We previously demonstrated that microRNAs (miRNAs) could be used as biomarkers for lung cancer diagnosis. Here we investigate whether plasma microRNAs are useful in identifying lung cancer among individuals with CT-detected SPNs. METHODS: By using quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR analysis, we first determine plasma expressions of five miRNAs in a training set of 32 patients with malignant SPNs, 33 subjects with benign SPNs, and 29 healthy smokers to define a panel of miRNAs that has high diagnostic efficiency for lung cancer. We then validate the miRNA panel in a testing set of 76 patients with malignant SPNs and 80 patients with benign SPNs. RESULTS: In the training set, miR-21 and miR-210 display higher plasma expression levels, whereas miR-486-5p has lower expression level in patients with malignant SPNs, as compared to subjects with benign SPNs and healthy controls (all P ≤ 0.001). A logistic regression model with the best prediction was built on the basis of miR-21, miR-210, and miR-486-5p. The three miRNAs used in combination produced the area under receiver operating characteristic curve at 0.86 in distinguishing lung tumors from benign SPNs with 75.00% sensitivity and 84.95% specificity. Validation of the miRNA panel in the testing set confirms their diagnostic value that yields significant improvement over any single one. CONCLUSIONS: The plasma miRNAs provide potential circulating biomarkers for noninvasively diagnosing lung cancer among individuals with SPNs, and could be further evaluated in clinical trials.

The Influence of Self-Efficacy and Locus of Control on Body Image: A Path-Analysis in Aspiring Fashion Models, Athletes and Students.

It is widely documented that negative body image is a significant public health concern due to its association with symptoms of disordered eating and worse psychological well-being. The purpose of the study was to develop a path model of intrapersonal dimensions (self-efficacy and internal locus of control) as antecedents of perceived stress toward females' body dissatisfaction and eating attitude disorders. A total of 300 females, including 100 aspiring fashion models, 100 athletes and 100 students (controls), between 15 and 24 years of age (M = 19.6, SD = 1.85) participated in the study. Measures included level of psychological stress, self-efficacy and locus of control dimensions, body dissatisfaction and eating attitude disorder indices. A path analysis confirmed our research hypothesis. Comparing the three subsamples, we found better fit indexes in the two subgroups with elevated investment on their body image with respect the control group. More specifically, the model in the group of aspiring fashion models showed the best fit index. These results indicated that aspiring fashion models have a strong desire to maintain their low body mass or to become thinner. For this reason, a suitable involvement of expert health workers in the nutritional and psychological field could be extremely essential in the fashion world to maintain a healthier well-being.

Genetic susceptibility to hepatocellular carcinoma in chromosome 22q13.31, findings of a genome-wide association study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, long-term alcohol use, cigarette smoking, and obesity are the major risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the United States, but the disease risk varies substantially among individuals with these factors, suggesting host susceptibility to and gene-environment interactions in HCC. To address genetic susceptibility to HCC, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS). METHODS: Two case-control studies on HCC were conducted in the United States. DNA samples were genotyped using the Illumian microarray chip with over 710 000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). We compared these SNPs between 705 HCC cases and 1455 population controls for their associations with HCC and verified our findings in additional studies. RESULTS: In this GWAS, we found that two SNPs were associated with HCC at P < 5E-8 and six SNPs at P < 5E-6 after adjusting for age, sex, and the top three principal components (PCs). Five of the SNPs in chromosome 22q13.31, three in PNPLA3 (rs2281135, rs2896019, and rs4823173) and two in SAMM50 (rs3761472, rs3827385), were replicated in a small US case-control study and a cohort study in Singapore. The associations remained significant after adjusting for body mass index and HCV infection. Meta-analysis of multiple datasets indicated that these SNPs were significantly associated with HCC. CONCLUSIONS: SNPs in PNPLA3 and SAMM50 are known risk loci for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and are suspected to be associated with HCC. Our GWAS demonstrated the associations of these SNPs with HCC in a US population. Biological mechanisms underlying the relationship remain to be elucidated.

Small nucleolar RNA signatures as biomarkers for non-small-cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the leading cause of cancer death. Early detection of NSCLC will improve its outcome. The current techniques for NSCLC early detection are either invasive or have low accuracy. Molecular analyses of clinical specimens present promising diagnostic approaches. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) play an important role in tumorigenesis and could be developed as biomarkers for cancer. Here we aimed to develop small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs), a common class of ncRNAs, as biomarkers for NSCLC early detection. The study comprised three phases: (1) profiling snoRNA signatures in 22 NSCLC tissues and matched noncancerous lung tissues by GeneChip Array, (2) validating expressions of the signatures by RT-qPCR in the tissues, and (3) evaluating plasma expressions of the snoRNAs in 37 NSCLC patients, 26 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and 22 healthy subjects. RESULTS: In the surgical tissues, six snoRNAs were identified, which were overexpressed in all tumour tissues compared with their normal counterparts. The overexpressions of the genes in tumors were confirmed by RT-qPCR. The snoRNAs were stably present and reliably detectable in plasma. Of the six genes, three (SNORD33, SNORD66 and SNORD76) displayed higher plasma expressions in NSCLC patients compared with the cancer-free individuals (All < 0.01). The use of the three genes produced 81.1% sensitivity and 95.8% specificity in distinguishing NSCLC patients from both normal and COPD subjects. The plasma snoRNA expressions were not associated with stages and histological types of NSCLC (All > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The identified snoRNAs provide potential markers for NSCLC early detection.

Effects of basic human values on host community acculturation orientations.

Although literature provides evidence for the relationship between values and acculturation, the relationship between host community acculturation orientations has not yet been investigated. In this study we tested the effects of four high-order values (openness to change, self-transcendence, conservation, and self-enhancement, devised according to Schwartz's model) on host community acculturation orientations towards immigrants (devised according the interactive acculturation model) in the public domain of employment and the private domain of endogamy/exogamy. Participants were 264 Italian University students, who completed a questionnaire containing the Portrait Values Questionnaire, a measure of personal values, and the Host Community Acculturation Scale, aimed at measuring Italian acculturation strategies towards three groups of immigrants: Immigrants (the general category), Chinese (the valued immigrant group), and Albanians (the devalued immigrant group). Results showed that personal values are related to the adoption of acculturation orientations: In particular, the values that mostly impacted on acculturation orientations were self-transcendence and conservation. Values concerning self-transcendence encourage the adoption of integrationism, integrationism-transformation, and individualism and reduce the adoption of assimilationism, segregationism, and exclusionism. Values concerning conservation encourage the adoption of assimilation, segregation and exclusion orientations and reduce the adoption of both types of integrationism and individualism. Minor effects were found regarding self-enhancement and openness to change.

Mental Imagery Skills in Competitive Young Athletes and Non-athletes.

Mental imagery is a fully immersive multi-sensory procedure that associates as numerous senses to create a mental image and process it without the presence of external stimuli. In the sport situation, imagery has been designated as the state in which people imagine themselves while effecting abilities to deal with the forthcoming duty or improve performance. Methodical analyses have revealed that imagery increases performance in motor tasks. This study aims at observing not the vividness of image but the cognitive abilities useful for the inspection, maintenance, generation, and manipulation of dissimilar classes of images, investigating modifications in mental imagery skills in competitive athletes and non-athletes. Participants were competitive athletes (n = 48) and non-athletes (n = 48) between the ages of 8 and 13 years (M age = 10.50, SD = 1.73). The athletes had a minimum of 5 years of training skill in the sport. They completed the Mental Imagery Test (MIT). Competitive athletes showed higher scores on mental imagery skills than non-athletes. The study contributed to increase the exploration in the definite area of mental imagery, supplying an added support for the pluridimensional nature of mental imagery and for its practicality in motor and sport sciences.

Effects of social distancing on psychological state and physical activity routines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has affected the entire world. Since the reporting of the first cases, Italy has quickly become the country hit second firmest in the world by the coronavirus. Governments' immediate protective restrictions modified the habit of the individuals and included full lockdowns of cities, travel, restricted social congregations, and suspended schools. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to survey the general community in Italy to better recognize their levels of psychological impact, emotional responses and maintaining their daily exercise or physical activity routines during the initial stage of the COVID-19 outbreak. METHODS: 670 adults were invited to complete an online survey collecting information on demographic data, physical and emotional symptoms in the past 14 days, contact history with COVID-19, and keeping regular physical activity. Data analysis was conducted through mixed qualitative and quantitative methods. RESULTS: During the initial phase of the COVID-19 outbreak in Italy, more than half of the respondents reported a significant psychological and physical impact. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic is bringing significant challenges to people, families, and countries. For further studies, these findings can be used to advance psychological interventions to reduce the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Clinical and Neurocognitive Predictors of Functional Outcome in Depressed Patients with Partial Response to Treatment: One Year Follow-Up Study.

BACKGROUND: Cognitive dysfunction represents a distinct biological and clinical dimension in major depression disorders (MDD) and cognitive performance strongly affects psychosocial functioning in patients diagnosed with MDD. OBJECTIVE: To assess which neurocognitive variables at baseline predict the functional outcome of MDD patients in a 1-year follow-up study as assessed by Functioning Assessment Short Test (FAST) and whether the improvement observed on affective and cognitive symptoms in our 12 week-prospective observational study after treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and selective noradrenalin reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) can affect the following long-term psychosocial functional outcome at 1 year in the same MDD patients. METHODS: We recruited a total of 31 patients (8 males; 23 females) with MDD who had previously completed a pharmacological treatment with SSRIs (n = 22) or SNRIs (n = 9) for 12 weeks, and then continued the same pharmacological treatment for 1 year. After an average 1-year follow-up, they were interviewed with the FAST to assess functional outcome. Multivariate analyses were applied to identify clinical and neurocognitive predictors of functional outcome. RESULTS: Total Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Digit Span forward (Span F) and backward (Span B), and 15 Rey words immediate recall (Rey I) scores significantly correlated with FAST. However, after performing regression models only Rey immediate recall score was useful to predict long-term functional outcome (Pearson correlation coefficient R= -0.68, p < 0.001) in four specific subdomains of FAST. When considering changes in affective and cognitive symptoms at the end of the 12 weeks of pharmacological treatment with SSRI or SNRIs (T1-T0) by multiple regression analysis, we found that Span F-test predicted scores in the FAST leisure domain, whereas, changes in Span F, Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB) and Rey I predicted psychosocial functioning in the specific "cognitive" subdomains of FAST. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that long-term psychosocial functioning can be influenced by neurocognitive performance at baseline, with verbal memory playing a key role in overall functioning. Furthermore, improvement in verbal memory can predict functional outcome at one year in MDD patients with a recent history of partial response to antidepressants.