Aims: Our purpose was to make an experimental assessment of the elements of creativity and the features of schizotypy in patients with bipolar disorder, compared with healthy control subjects and to investigate the effect of an acute affective episode (depressed or manic) and the features of schizotypy on the measurements of creativity. Methods: Forty patients with bipolar disorder, and 48 age- and gender-matched control subjects were studied. For the assessment of creativity the Revised Art Scale and the ‘inventiveness’ part of the Berlin Intelligence Structure Test (BIS) were used. The Oxford-Liverpool Inventory of Feelings and Experiences was applied for estimation of schizotypy. Results: The bipolar patients did not differ on the RAS scale from the control subjects but obtained significantly higher scores on the BIS-total as well as on the verbal part of the test. Their scores on the BIS scale during depression were significantly lower than in remission. The bipolar patients obtained significantly higher scores on all dimensions of schizotypy compared with the controls. Conclusions: These results confirm previous data showing higher scores on some creativity scales in bipolar patients compared with healthy subjects. They also corroborate a relationship between the features of schizotypy and creativity scores in bipolar patients.

Patient: Female, 62-year-old Final Diagnosis: Takotsubo syndrome Symptoms: Chest pain Medication: — Clinical Procedure: Coronarography Specialty: Cardiology • Oncology Objective: Unknown ethiology Background: The main causes for takotsubo syndrome (TS) in oncological patients are stress related to cancer diagnosis and treatment, pain in the course of the disease, treatment complications, and paraneoplastic syndromes. Case Report: An obese 62-year-old female patient, with a 3-day history of chest pain, was admitted to the hospital with a suspected acute coronary event. She had been diagnosed with high-grade bladder cancer 6 months before. After the transurethral electroresection of the tumor 5 months before and subsequent chemotherapy (gemcitabine and cisplatin), the patient was qualified for the next cancer surgery. On admission, the patient remained without chest pain. The ECG record demonstrated inverted T waves in the leads from above the anterior and lateral wall. The coronarography demonstrated minor atherosclerotic changes in the coronary arteries. The left ventriculography presented akinesis of the apex and the apical and mid-segment of the anterior wall, and the ejection fraction (EF) was 38%. Takotsubo syndrome was diagnosed. Laboratory testing revealed elevated concentration of troponin and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide. The subsequent ECG records demonstrated deeply inverted T waves and numerous ventricular premature beats and increased QTc (528 ms). A control echocardiography showed improved left ventricular contractive function (EF – 47%). On the 4 th day of hospitalization, the patient was discharged and referred for further oncological treatment. Conclusions: The diagnosis of TS in oncology patients is difficult, especially in the presence of atherosclerotic lesions in coronary arteries. Takotsubo syndrome in cancer patients delays the next stages of oncological treatment, which worsens the prognosis of these patients.

A 130&m pilot-version of the QoL instrument in schizophrenia (QLIS) was analysed in 203 schizophrenics. Items were selected according to psychometric properties and content. In a validation study the resulting questionnaire was completed by n=l36 schizophrenic patients along with the WHOQOL-Bref, SWN-K and the German Version of the LQLR and by n=49 in a test-retest design. Reliability coefficients for the 10 subscales were satisfactory to good (median of retest-coefficients: 1=.80, median of internal consistencies: a =.75). Validity coefficients show that QLIS-scales differ empirically from present QoL instruments. QLIS, therefore, offers an opportunity for specific, comprehensive and reliable self-reported evaluation of QoL in schizophrenia.