Specific proinflammatory alleles are associated with higher risk of Alzheimer disease (AD) in different onset age. The homozygosis for the A allele of −1082 polymorphism (G/A) of interleukin-10 (IL-10) promotes a higher risk of AD and reduced IL-10 generation in peripheral cells after amyloid stimulation. In this paper we analysed genotype and allele frequencies of this polymorphism in 138 subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) diagnosed, respectively, as amnestic (a-MCI) and multiple impaired cognitive domains (mcd-MCI). The genotype frequencies were similar in a-MCI and AD subjects, whereas in mcd-MCI comparable to controls (AA genotype: 50% in a-MCI, 49.2% in AD, 28.7% in mcd-MCI and 31.8% in controls). Consequently, both allele and genotype distributions were significantly different between a-MCI and mcd-MCI (allele: P = .02, genotype: P < .05). These results support the theory that polymorphisms of cytokine genes can affect neurodegeneration and its clinical progression. IL-10 may partly explain the conversion of a-MCI to AD or be a genetic marker of susceptibility.

Forty-two schizophrenic patients and their close relatives took part in an Italian replication study of expressed emotion (EE). The patients were selected from the psychiatric ward of a general hospital in Milan and were subsequently followed up for nine months. All patients attended a community service clinic as out-patients, and all but one were prescribed neuroleptics for the duration of the study. Relatives were assigned to the high-EE group if they scored 4 or 5 on the emotional overinvolvement (EOI) scale, or showed hostility, or made six or more critical comments. On this basis, 18 (42%) families were rated as low EE and 24 (57%) as high EE. At follow-up, the admission rate for the 9-month period was significantly higher for the high-EE group (P less than 0.05). Furthermore, significantly fewer patients were readmitted from families showing high warmth (P less than 0.05). The presence of high warmth appeared to be associated with a lower admission rate, even in high-EE families.

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Although family psychoeducation has been tested in a wide range of Anglo-Saxon settings, there remains need to assess outcomes more internationally. Effective family interventions for people with schizophrenia probably require continued administration of key-elements or ongoing informal support to deal with the vicissitudes of illnesses.