No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

ObjectivesThe aims of the study were to describe the case of a 73-year-old woman with bipolar disorder who developed Pisa syndrome (PS) after starting clozapine and to present a review of this particular type of dystonia.MethodsAfter a brief introduction to the PS, we conduct a detailed description of the case and review, after a search on the PubMed database, the known risk factors, drugs associated with the onset of this syndrome, and the management of PS.ResultsPisa syndrome is a rare type of dystonia first described in 1972 as an adverse effect of neuroleptic agents. Clozapine is known for its small potential for inducing extrapyramidal symptoms, and it is often preferred as an alternative when extrapyramidal symptoms develop over the course of treatment with other agents. Many drugs have been associated with this kind of dystonia; however, we only found 5 previous reports of clozapine-induced PS. Tardive syndromes secondary to antipsychotic medication are better treated with the reduction or interruption of the causative agent, which was effective in this case.ConclusionsThe occurrence of clozapine-associated PS is rare and should be reported to further understand this phenomenon as well as the underlying risk factors.

No abstract

Introduction: We aimed to understand how loneliness and empathy relate to home confinement/quarantine and to explore the relation between loneliness, anxiety traits and empathy. Methods: This is an observational cross‑sectional cohort study including 364 participants. We delivered an online questionnaire composed by UCLA Loneliness scale (assessing loneliness), STAI‑Y (assessing trait anxiety), and IRI (assessing empathy). For the statistical analysis we performed  descriptive and inferential statistics. When not‑otherwise specified, two‑tailed p<0.05 was considered significant. Results: The mean for IRI was 60.46 (SD: 10.88), for UCLA Loneliness scale was 32.70 (SD: 8.11) and for STAI‑Y was 42.01 (SD: 12.29). We found no statistically significant correlation between empathy and loneliness (p>0.05). Nonetheless, loneliness and anxiety traits were positively correlated (p<0.05), and psychiatric comorbidity was associated with higher levels of loneliness and anxiety traits (p<0.05). Conclusion: Our results suggest social cohesion, solidarity and continuous online contact may have played a significant role on preservation of empathy and feelings of loneliness. The fact that loneliness may be felt in a positive way (such tightening household relationships) can explain the non‑correlationbetween the last and empathy. Ultimately, the positive correlation between anxiety traits and loneliness underlines the vulnerability of previously anxious subjects, enhancing the importance of promoting mental health during the pandemic.

One of the main problems to be solved in design-by-features is to preserve the semantic correctness of feature-based models. Currently, feature-based parametric design (FbPD) is being used as one of the most powerful approaches for solving this problem. In this paper, a fundamental principle of this approach is introduced. Three aspects stated, are: FbPD deals with functional design primitives, it solves the automatic generation of model variations, and it offers the basis for the development of a mechanism to check the semantic correctness of feature-based models. Several concepts for the definition of semantic constraints are presented. They instigate the classification of semantic constraints in four different categories, based on the constraint evaluation-time, purpose, behaviour, and representation. Sinfonia, a system for feature-based parametric design, is presented as a testbed environment for design-by-features applications. One of its modules, the Consistency Handler, uses the constraint concepts introduced in order to preserve the semantic consistency of the models. Several examples illustrate the different types of constraints. In addition, an algorithm applied for the process of a consistent feature modification is presented.

IntroductionThe presence of psychotic symptoms is highest during acute episodes of bipolar mania. There is no evidence base regarding the implications of psychosis in the prognosis of bipolar disorder, despite common assumption that their occurrence reflects greater disease severity.ObjectivesWe aim to compare sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of inpatients admitted for bipolar mania with and without psychotic features.MethodsRetrospective observational study of inpatients admitted between January 1st 2017 and 31 October 2020 in a psychiatry inpatient unit of a tertiary hospital. Descriptive analysis of the results was performed using the SPSS software, version 26.0.ResultsBetween 2017 and October 2020 there were 103 admissions due to mania bipolar I disorder, 53.4% (n=55) with psychotic symptoms. When compared with mania without psychosis, psychotic mania was associated to male gender (71.1% to 39.7%; c2(1, N = 103) = 10,06; p = 0.02) and younger age (t(103) = -2.43; p = 0.017). The proportion of compulsory admissions and average length of stay were similar between mania with psychosis and mania without psychosis. Also, having a manic bipolar episode with psychotic symptoms was not associated to being prescribed a long-acting injectable antipsychotic.ConclusionsThe presence of psychotic symptoms in bipolar manic episodes were associated to male gender and younger age but not to indirect measures of illness severity.DisclosureNo significant relationships.