No abstract

Positive symptoms of schizophrenia may be related to distortions in time perception. To examine this issue, we conducted a meta-analysis to determine whether positive symptoms are associated with deficits in time processing performance. MEDLINE and Web of Science were searched from January 1980 through March 2017, and all related articles and their references were scrutinized to find relevant studies. Studies were selected if they included participants with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, and reported data from behavioral measures of interval timing (e.g. duration discrimination and temporal order judgement). The results indicated that positive symptoms of schizophrenia are related with overestimation of interval timing (i.e., acceleration of the “internal clock”), and suggest that time perception may be associated with psychosis.

Backgrounds: Social cognition deficits are a core feature of schizophrenia and deteriorate functionality of patients. However, evidence is sparse for the treatment effect on social cognition impairments in the early stage of psychosis. Here, we provide a systematic review of the literature on social cognitive impairment in early psychosis in relation to its intervention. Methods: A literature search was conducted on English articles identified by Web of Science and PubMed databases, according to the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) statement. Results: Five papers met the inclusion criteria. Results from two studies of cognitive training and one study of modafinil indicate positive results regarding social cognition outcomes in patients with early psychosis. On the other hand, two studies with oxytocin and modafinil did not suggest such effects. Conclusions: Further research is warranted to explore the benefit of early intervention into disturbances of social cognition in psychoses.

Gastric choriocarcinoma is a rare tumor and attracts interest because of its controversial pathogenesis. The present study reports a choriocarcinomatous change with immunocytochemically hCG-positive cells in the gastric carcinoma. The patients were males, one was 41 years old and the other 42 years old. The tumor of both cases consists of adenocarcinoma and choriocarcinoma. A sequential process of morphological transition of the adenocarcinoma to the choriocarcinoma can be traced. Indirect immunoperoxidase stain (PAP method) for human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) demonstrates the localization of hCG in the syncytiotrophoblasts. Small number of cytotrophoblasts are weakly positive. None of the components of adenocarcinoma of both cases is positive for hCG. Human placental lactogen is not demonstrated in both cases. Stain for pregnancy specific beta-1 glycoprotein is weakly positive in the adenocarcinoma of one case but not in the choriocarcinoma. In one case, the concentration of hCG was 19.9 mIU/ml in the preoperative serum and decreased to 1.2 mIU/ml after gastrectomy. HCG production by gastric carcinoma was discussed with regard to possible pathogenesis of gastric choriocarcinoma.

SUMMARYA 69-year-old female suffering from third-degree atrioventricular block with syncope underwent permanent pacemaker implantation. However, she developed shortness of breath 2 months after the implantation. Blood tests revealed elevated levels of LDH, CRP, BNP, and SIL-2R. Transthoracic echocardiography showed thickened left and right atrial walls with mild pericardial effusion. A diagnosis was made based on a CT scan and histology. Although most primary cardiac malignant lymphomas are associated with a poor prognosis, the patient was treated successfully with chemotherapy. (Int Heart J 2005; 46: 927-931)