More than 10% of the general population regularly experience paranoid thoughts. Persecutory delusions occur in one third of psychiatric patients in the United Kingdom and are associated with severe clinical and social impairment. Furthermore, individuals with elevated vulnerability to paranoia interpret ambiguous environmental information more negatively than those with low vulnerability, a cognitive phenomenon called interpretation bias. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between interpretation bias and paranoia. Twenty studies were included, and our meta-analysis indicated that a negative interpretation bias was associated with paranoia both in clinical (standardized mean difference, or SMD = 1.01; 95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.51, 1.52], p < .001) and nonclinical populations ( SMD = 1.06; 95% CI = [0.28, 1.85], p = .008). Our results also showed that higher negative interpretation bias was positively correlated with the severity of paranoia, and results were consistent in nonclinical ( r = .32; 95% CI = [.21, .43], p < .001) and clinical samples ( r = .38; 95% CI = [.27, .48], p < .001). These findings might orient prevention strategies and psychological interventions for paranoia.
Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is a group of connective tissue disorders that can result in a range of complications during pregnancy. Pregnant EDS patients generally have a favourable outcome, but those with vascular EDS are more likely to suffer from severe maternal complications. Early diagnosis of EDS and subtype characterization can aid in pre-pregnancy counselling, planning of antenatal care, risk assessment of obstetric and neonatal complications, and influence both obstetric and anaesthetic management of these patients. This piece aims to outline the obstetric implications of classical, hypermobile, and vascular EDS, and review the current literature regarding their optimal obstetric management.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a significant disruption in society and healthcare. In hospitals, doctors, nurses, students, and healthcare professionals alike were recruited and redeployed to assist with the response. In this piece, the authors aim to reflect on their experiences of working in a local hospital as a healthcare assistant during the COVID-19 pandemic and discuss the benefits of this experience in relation to interprofessional education. It is recommended that interprofessional education in medical schools centre around practical placements, based on the authors' experiences and the current literature.
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