Aim of the report was the study of the clinical features of neurosyphilis in the last 40 years (1965-2005). The investigation was based on the retrospective review of patients with neurosyphilis hospitalized in our hospital from 1965 to 2005 (period A: 1965-1984 and B: 1985-2005). Eighty one patients with neurosyphilis were studied. Typical forms represent 68.6% of cases of neurosyphilis in period A. In period B, 85.7% of the cases are presented with atypical clinical patterns. Typical forms of the disease were no longer common, while atypical and masked clinical patterns prevailed. Neuropsychiatric symptoms were the most common manifestations of the disease.

Anxiety and self-reported stressful events may in fact be two measures of the same underlying emotional factor, which plays an important role on the course of the disease, in addition to episodes of infection.

Ambulatory women with relapsing-remitting MS who experience cumulative SLEs may be at a greater risk for relapse. Duration is the only stress attribute that seems to increase the risk for relapsing in contrast to stress type and stress severity that were not found to interact with MS exacerbation.

The study suggests that clinical features of schizophrenia influence distress levels in caregivers of patients with chronic schizophrenia. The stronger predictors of distress appear to be female caregiver's gender, duration of illness as well as positive and negative symptomatology.

No abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine the association of plasma lipid concentrations with changes in cognitive function and depressive states in elderly Greek individuals. The study population consisted of 3 groups: A) 37 subjects with dementia, B) 33 subjects with depression, and C) 33 controls. All individuals were screened with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), and an evaluation of their psychiatric state. Lipid profile was assessed in all subjects, and the results were statistically evaluated at P < .05 level of significance. Groups A and B had significantly lower levels of total plasma cholesterol and HDL cholesterol than group C (P < .01). Triglyceride levels did not differ significantly between groups A and C, although they were significantly higher in group B. The results of this study suggest that an association does exist between the plasma concentration of cholesterol and HDL-C and depression and/or cognitive impairment. Further studies are required to explore the significance of these observations and establish if lipid levels could serve as markers for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.

No abstract

There is growing body of evidence that support an association between stressful life events and an increased risk for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) exacerbations. However, the nature of this relationship remains unclear, because of the lack of agreement about the definition of stress and/or because of research design problems. This article summarizes the psychological and biological mechanisms by which stress may impact MS progression. Findings indicate a number of factors, including stressor chronicity, frequency, severity and type, depression, anxiety, health locus of control, optimism, perceived social support, and coping strategies. Applied implications are discussed, concentrating on the need for multidisciplinary care interventions that target patients' disease symptoms.