A telemedicine platform to improve clinical parameters in paranoid schizophrenia patients: Results of a one-year randomized study
Objective The study objective was to test a smartphone-based MONEO platform designed to improve the clinical condition of paranoid schizophrenia patients. Telemedicine treatment is considered to be as effective as traditional treatment in outpatient clinics. Method A total of 290 patients with paranoid schizophrenia in the symptomatic remission state were recruited to this 12-month multicenter, open-label randomized trial. A study group (n = 191) received a smartphone with the MONEO platform installed. Patients conducted cognitive training twice a week. Patients' mental state was assessed every month via teleconference. A placebo group (n = 99) received a platform with functionality limited…
Treatment Compliance in the Long-Term Paranoid Schizophrenia Telemedicine Study
Schizophrenia is a chronic disease with a relatively high relapse rate. Different methods are introduced to improve compliance of the patients treated by psychiatrists; among them, a new and promising attitude is telepsychiatry. The 12-month clinical study of the compliance in paranoid schizophrenia was performed on the group of 199 patients. Every patient in the study was given a smartphone with the preinstalled original telemedicine platform (Telemedicine MoneoPlatform). The telemedicine system recorded every confirmation of the drug intake, and according to that, the compliance was counted as the percent of the doses of medication confirmed in relation to the planned ones. In the first m…
Factors Affecting Sexual Function and Body Image of Early-Stage Breast Cancer Survivors in Poland: A Short-Term Observation
Abstract Introduction Knowing the important factors influencing sexual function and body image might facilitate the recovery process of breast cancer survivors. Surgery type, relationship quality, and partner support might be modified to create a space for psychosexual intervention. Patients and Methods This retrospective questionnaire-based study was performed on 128 women aged 18 to 65 years who were free of disease at time of study entry and who underwent surgical treatment for breast cancer. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders criteria were used to assessed female sexual dysfunction (FSD). Changes in Sexual Functioning Questionnaire (CSFQ) were used to measure sexual f…
Impact of pharmacological and psychological treatment methods of depressive and anxiety disorders on cognitive functioning
Anxiety and depressive disorders are characterized by a number of clinical symptoms like decreased mood, apathy, anhedonia and anxiety. An important element of the clinical picture is also neurocognitive impairment. The most common treatment methods for depression and anxiety are pharmacology, psychotherapy or a combination of both methods. The data from literature show that those treatment methods lead to an improvement of clinical symptoms, but they exert a possible impact on cognitive functions. However the study results referring both to the role of pharmacological treatment and psychotherapy in this domain are still inconsistent. There is an increasing number of accessible data confirm…
Amantadine in the Treatment of Sexual Inactivity in Schizophrenia Patients Taking Atypical Antipsychotics—The Pilot Case Series Study
Sexual dysfunctions in people with schizophrenia are more severe than in the general population and are an important element in the treatment of schizophrenia. The mechanism of sexual dysfunction in patients treated for schizophrenia may be related to the side effects of antipsychotic drugs (hyperprolactinemia, suppression of the reward system), but it may also be related to the pathogenesis of schizophrenia itself. The aim of the study was to present the possibility of using amantadine in the treatment of sexual dysfunction in schizophrenia without the concomitant hyperprolactinemia. In an open and naturalistic case series study, five men treated for schizophrenia in a stable mental state …
Enhancement in Phospholipase D Activity as a New Proposed Molecular Mechanism of Haloperidol-Induced Neurotoxicity
Membrane phospholipase D (PLD) is associated with numerous neuronal functions, such as axonal growth, synaptogenesis, formation of secretory vesicles, neurodegeneration, and apoptosis. PLD acts mainly on phosphatidylcholine, from which phosphatidic acid (PA) and choline are formed. In turn, PA is a key element of the PLD-dependent secondary messenger system. Changes in PLD activity are associated with the mechanism of action of olanzapine, an atypical antipsychotic. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of short-term administration of the first-generation antipsychotic drugs haloperidol, chlorpromazine, and fluphenazine on membrane PLD activity in the rat brain. Animals were…
The Effect of Smartphone-Based Cognitive Training on the Functional/Cognitive Markers of Schizophrenia: A One-Year Randomized Study
Background: Cognitive impairment is associated with long-term disability that results in the deterioration of both the social and professional status of individuals with schizophrenia. The impact of antipsychotic therapy on cognitive function is insufficient. Cognitive training is therefore proposed as a tool for cognitive rehabilitation in schizophrenia. In this study we investigated the effect of self-administered cognitive training using a smartphone-based application on the cognitive function of paranoid schizophrenia patients focusing on response time, correct answer rate, incorrect answer rate, and fatigability to check, if these functions can be functional markers of successful cogni…