Emotional intelligence: a comparison between patients after first episode mania and those suffering from chronic bipolar disorder type I

Background Deficits in emotional intelligence (EI) were detected in patients with bipolar disorder (BD), but little is known about whether these deficits are already present in patients after presenting a first episode mania (FEM). We sought (i) to compare EI in patients after a FEM, chronic BD and healthy controls (HC); (ii) to examine the effect exerted on EI by socio-demographic, clinical and neurocognitive variables in FEM patients. Methods The Emotional Intelligence Quotient (EIQ) was calculated with the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT). Performance on MSCEIT was compared among the three groups using generalized linear models. In patients after a FEM, the influence of socio-demographic, clinical and neurocognitive variables on the EIQ was examined using a linear regression model. Results In total, 184 subjects were included (FEM n = 48, euthymic chronic BD type I n = 75, HC n = 61). BD patients performed significantly worse than HC on the EIQ [mean difference (MD) = 10.09, standard error (s.e.) = 3.14, p = 0.004] and on the understanding emotions branch (MD = 7.46, s.e. = 2.53, p = 0.010). FEM patients did not differ from HC and BD on other measures of MSCEIT. In patients after a FEM, EIQ was positively associated with female sex (β = −0.293, p = 0.034) and verbal memory performance (β = 0.374, p = 0.008). FEM patients performed worse than HC but better than BD on few neurocognitive domains. Conclusions Patients after a FEM showed preserved EI, while patients in later stages of BD presented lower EIQ, suggesting that impairments in EI might result from the burden of disease and neurocognitive decline, associated with the chronicity of the illness.

Dispensing patterns of drugs used for neuropathic pain and adherence to NeuPSIG guideline: an observational study

Background Neuropathic pain is a common chronic ailment that can be challenging to treat because of the heterogeneity of its etiologies, symptoms, and underlying mechanisms. Drugs to treat neuropathic pain are highly prescribed; however, limited data exist on the rates and patterns of dispensing in Lebanon. This study was conducted to assess the patterns of dispensing neuropathic pain drugs and adherence to NeuPSIG guideline in the Lebanese adult population. An observational study was conducted at 30 community pharmacies over 10 months. Adults presenting to the community pharmacy with a prescription of at least one pain medication and diagnosed with a neuropathic pain disorder were interviewed using a questionnaire that included demographic characteristics of patients, comorbidities, neuropathic pain disorder type, physicians’ specialty, and the class and number of prescribed medications. Results A total of 360 patients diagnosed with painful neuropathy were enrolled in our study. The mean patients’ age was 50.2 years. Guideline-recommended first-line agents (serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants, and gabapentinoids) were prescribed to 278 patients (77.2%), with pregabalin being the most used drug (60.5%), nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (46.8%), opioids (15.8%), and topical agents (5.5%). Combination treatment for neuropathic pain was prescribed to 78.3% of patients. Conclusions In Lebanon, neuropathic pain management comply with the international NeuPSIG guideline. Pregabalin is the most commonly used drug, and combination treatments are usually needed to alleviate neuropathic pain.

CLINICAL AND PROGNOSTIC CRITERIA FOR THE COMPLICATED COURSE OF NEW CORONAVIRUS INFECTION (COVID-19).

Relevance. The pandemic of new coronavirus infection COVID-19 is the main topic and problem of modern medicine associated with the necessity of rapid diagnostics and medical care rendered to such patients Nowadays, individual pathogenetic mechanisms of infection COVID-19 are determined, however, clinical and epidemiological particularities of the disease are being intensively investigated, and new agents for prevention and treatment of infection COVID-19 are being developed. The determination of predictors of the severe disease course and exposure methods is definitely important. The studies have shown that the presence of various concurrent comorbid diseases in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 negatively affects the disease course and its prognosis. Study objective: the analysis of the observation results and clinical outcomes of clinical course (clinical masks) of new coronavirus infection COVID-19 with the distribution by age, gender and incidence of somatic diseases, identification of the pattern of visceral organ damages in coronavirus infection caused by virus SARS-CoV-2. Materials and methods: 110 patients with virus pneumonia caused by COVID-19 were enrolled to the study. The presence of risk factors of the severe disease course variants and intensity of the somatic disorder in necropsy of patients died were evaluated. Study results: The found analysis data suggest that the most significant predictors of the severe course of COVID-19 are arterial hypertension with a high and very high cardiovascular risk, followed by a renal disorder, type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, hepatic and heart failure. Conclusion. The found analysis data suggest that the most significant predictors of the severe course of COVID-19 are arterial hypertension with a high and very high cardiovascular risk, followed by a renal disorder, type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, hepatic and heart failure.