AIMS Presence of the null FS63TER allele of the rs1800169 polymorphism in the gene encoding the ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) may increase the risk of schizophrenia. This study prospectively evaluated the CNTF rs1800169 genotype (G/G vs non-G/G) effects on response to iloperidone. PATIENTS & METHODS Iloperidone 24 mg/day was evaluated in a study of patients with schizophrenia. Efficacy m...

............................................................................... 4 Zusammenfassung.................................................................. 6 Introduction........................................................................... 8 Reference List........................................................................ 17 First article: Should the PANSS be rescaled?..........

Age (years) 32.26 (5.58) 27.19 (5.17) −2.99 .005⁎ Education (years) 12.63 (1.61) 14.60 (2.21) 3.19 .003⁎⁎ Estimated FSIQ 102.24 (14.81) 112.10 (10.22) 2.33 .03⁎ Social EQ 5.11 (3.40) 7.79 (2.27) 2.96 .001⁎ Cognitive EQ 9.89 (6.33) 15.63 (9.89) 3.01 b .001⁎⁎ Emotional EQ 8.89 (4.15) 14.00 (4.19) 3.77 .001⁎⁎ Total EQ 35.47 (11.88) 51.21 (13.06) 3.89 b .001⁎⁎ QIDS 11.37 (5.71) 4.23 (2.65) −4.75 b ...

Despite increased religious tolerance in China over the past few decades, persecution of Christians persists. Small churches or Christians who clandestinely meet in small groups may avoid a certain degree of conflict; few studies consider how their larger, less conspicuous counterparts fare. An indigenous resource framework and content analysis of interview, secondary, and participant observati...

BACKGROUND Despite the wide use of the Excited Component of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS-EC) in a clinical setting to assess agitated patients, a validation study to evaluate its psychometric properties was missing. METHODS Data from the observational NATURA study were used. This research describes trends in the use of treatments in patients with acute psychotic episodes an...

A quantitative systems pharmacology model that combines in vitro/preclinical neurophysiology data, human imaging data, and patient disease information was used to blindly predict steady-state clinical efficacy of vabicaserin, a 5-HT2C full agonist, in monotherapy and, subsequently, to assess adjunctive therapy in schizophrenia. The model predicted a concentration-dependent improvement of positi...

To test underlying latent syndromes within schizophrenic syndromes assessed by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), a sample of 100 DSM-III-R schizophrenia patients was obtained through a semistructured interview for schizophrenia. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate the underlying symptomatological dimensions. The positive and negative construct was not confirmed by ...

It is unclear whether N-acetylaspartate (NAA) depletions documented in schizophrenia patients might be due to the disease progression or medications. Here we investigated longitudinal NAA changes in drug-naïve first-episode patients (FEP) who are relatively free from chronicity. Forty-two drug-naïve FEP and 38 controls were enrolled in this study to explore the effect of 8-week risperidone mono...

BACKGROUND Early improvement with treatment is thought to be important in patients with first-episode schizophrenia, yet a valid definition is still outstanding. AIMS To develop a valid definition of early improvement and test its predictive validity regarding response and remission. METHOD We examined 188 in-patients with first-episode schizophrenia. Early improvement was defined as improv...