Targeting Neuroinflammation in Difficult-to-Treat Depression: From Anti-Inflammatory Agents to Multi-Target Immunopsychiatric Interventions

BackgroundYoung adulthood is a key developmental period for understanding outcomes of childhood onset attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism. Measurement of functional impairment and quality of life (QoL) can provide important information on the real‐life challenges associated with these conditions. Event‐related potential (ERP) measures from the continuous performance task (CPT) have long been identified as altered in ADHD and autism but the role of these functions in the aetiological pathway to the disorders and associated impact on quality of life in young adulthood is unknown.MethodWe investigated the relationships between ADHD and autism, functional impairment, quality of life, and ERP measures from the cued CPT (CPT‐OX) in a young adult twin sample (566 participants aged 22.43 ± 0.96 years old).ResultsWe observed significant phenotypic correlations between ADHD/autism and lower quality of life with specific genetic overlap between ADHD and physical health, psychological, and environmental aspects. We found significant phenotypic and genetic correlations between ADHD and functional impairment in all domains, as well as between autism and impairment in social functioning and lower impairment in risk‐taking. Both ADHD and autism were associated with attenuated amplitude of inhibitory and proactive control ERPs, with large genetic contributions to the overlap. We also found significant phenotypic correlations between these ERP measures and Weiss Functional Impairment Rating Scale (WFIRS) and QoL.ConclusionThis is the first study to investigate the phenotypic and genetic relationships between ADHD and autism, functional impairment, quality of life and ERP measures in young adulthood. Our findings could represent a step towards identifying ERP measures that are related to behaviour in the absence of overt symptoms.

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a commonly implemented elective surgical treatment for end-stage osteoarthritis of the knee, demonstrating high success rates when assessed by objective medical outcomes. However, a considerable proportion of TKA patients report significant dissatisfaction postoperatively, related to enduring pain, functional limitations, and diminished quality of life. In this conceptual analysis, we highlight the importance of assessing patient-centered outcomes routinely in clinical practice, as these measures provide important information regarding whether surgery and postoperative rehabilitation interventions have effectively remediated patients’ real-world “quality of life” experiences. We propose a novel precision medicine approach to improving patient-centered TKA outcomes through the development of a multivariate machine-learning model. The primary aim of this model is to predict individual postoperative recovery trajectories. Uniquely, this model will be developed using an interdisciplinary methodology involving non-linear analysis of the unique contributions of a range of preoperative risk and resilience factors to patient-centered TKA outcomes. Of particular importance to the model’s predictive power is the inclusion of a comprehensive assessment of modifiable psychological risk and resilience factors that have demonstrated relationships with TKA and other conditions in some studies. Despite the potential for patient psychological factors to limit recovery, they are typically not routinely assessed preoperatively in this patient group, and thus can be overlooked in rehabilitative referral and intervention decision-making. This represents a research-to-practice gap that may contribute to adverse patient-centered outcomes. Incorporating psychological risk and resilience factors into a multivariate prediction model could improve the detection of patients at risk of sub-optimal outcomes following TKA. This could provide surgeons and rehabilitation providers with a simplified tool to inform postoperative referral and intervention decision-making related to a range of interdisciplinary domains outside their usual purview. The proposed approach could facilitate the development and provision of more targeted rehabilitative interventions on the basis of identified individual needs. The roles of several modifiable psychological risk and resilience factors in recovery are summarized, and intervention options are briefly presented. While focusing on rehabilitation following TKA, we advocate for the broader utilization of multivariate prediction models to inform individually tailored interventions targeting a range of health conditions.

BackgroundEffective communication is a cornerstone of quality healthcare. Communication helps providers bond with patients, forming therapeutic relationships that benefit patient-centred outcomes. The information exchanged between the provider and patient can help in medical decision-making, such as better self-management. This rapid review investigated the effects of quality and effective communication on patient-centred outcomes among older patients.MethodsGoogle Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, and PsycINFO were searched using keywords like “effective communication,“ “elderly,“ and “well-being.“ Studies published between 2000 and 2023 describing or investigating communication strategies between older patients (65 years and above) and providers in various healthcare settings were considered for selection. The quality of selected studies was assessed using the GRADE Tool.ResultsThe search strategy yielded seven studies. Five studies were qualitative (two phenomenological study, one ethnography, and two grounded theory studies), one was a cross-sectional observational study, and one was an experimental study. The studies investigated the effects of verbal and nonverbal communication strategies between patients and providers on various patient-centred outcomes, such as patient satisfaction, quality of care, quality of life, and physical and mental health. All the studies reported that various verbal and non-verbal communication strategies positively impacted all patient-centred outcomes.ConclusionAlthough the selected studies supported the positive impact of effective communication with older adults on patient-centred outcomes, they had various methodological setbacks that need to be bridged in the future. Future studies should utilize experimental approaches, generalizable samples, and specific effect size estimates.

PurposeThis study (a) assessed quality of life (QoL) in a patient sample with severe mental illness in an integrated psychiatric care (IC) programme in selected regions in Germany, (b) compared QoL among diagnostic groups and (c) identified socio-demographic, psychiatric anamnestic and clinical characteristics associated with QoL.MethodsThis cross-sectional study included severely mentally ill outpatients with substantial impairments in social functioning. Separate dimensions of QoL were assessed with the World Health Organisation’s generic 26-item quality of life (WHOQOL-BREF) instrument. Descriptive analyses and analyses of variance (ANOVAs) were conducted for the overall sample as well as for diagnostic group.ResultsA total of 953 patients fully completed the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire. QoL in this sample was lower than in the general population (mean 34.1; 95% confidence interval (CI) 32.8 to 35.5), with the lowest QoL in unipolar depression patients (mean 30.5; 95% CI 28.9 to 32.2) and the highest in dementia patients (mean 53.0; 95% CI 47.5 to 58.5). Main psychiatric diagnosis, living situation (alone, partner/relatives, assisted), number of disease episodes, source of income, age and clinical global impression (CGI) scores were identified as potential predictors of QoL, but explained only a small part of the variation.ConclusionAspects of health care that increase QoL despite the presence of a mental disorder are essential for severely mentally ill patients, as complete freedom from the disorder cannot be expected. QoL as a patient-centred outcome should be used as only one component among the recovery measures evaluating treatment outcomes in mental health care.

Correlation Between the International Consensus Definition of the Cancer Anorexia-Cachexia Syndrome (CACS) and Patient-Centered Outcomes in Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the community in multiple health, economic, social and cultural aspects and the impact was stronger among the over-65s. PASSI d'Argento (PdA) surveillance system monitors the effects on physical activity, partecipation in social life and healthcare renunciation due to fear of Covid contagion or services interruption. Methods Since 2016, PdA has been continuously collecting information on health, behavioural risk factors, quality of life and the care and assistance needs of eldely people. Data is collected through an anonymous and standardised questionnaire. Physical activity is assessed with the Physical Activity Scale for Elderly, an internationally validated instrument that considers all types of activities commonly performed by elderly. High PASE values correspond to high levels of physical activity. Results The percentage of physically active elderly decreased significantly during the pandemic, from 39% (CI95% 38.3-39.8) in 2016-2019 to 35% (CI95% 33.7-36.4) in 2020-2021. The decline is greater among people with economic difficulties (44.4% to 37.5), women (from 36.7% to 33.5%), among those with chronic deseases (from 37% to 31%) or sensory impairment (from 31.3% to 27.5%). Participation in social life declines significantly from 23.1% (95% CI 22.5.1-23.8) in the pre-covid period to 142 (95% CI 13.2-15.1) in 2020-2021. The pandemic develops in a context where inequalities in prevention and care already exist; 32% of elderly declared difficulties in accessing health services in 2016-2019. During pandemic period 28% of the over-65s gave up at least one medical or diagnostic examination with a risk of delayed in diagnosis and treatment. Conclusions PdA shows the importance of monitoring the strong impact of emergency on several aspects of elderly population to riorganize the local health system organization, implement targeted interventions and improve the health services’ offers to reduce inequalities. Key messages • Riorganize the local health system is crucial to improve targeted interventions and reduce inequalities in care and prevention for elderly population. • Early diagnosis and adequate therapy are crucial in old age.

To examine change in non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) frequency, quality of life, and functional impairment from admission to discharge in patients enrolled in partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programmes (PHP/IOP) designed to treat NSSI. Demographic, clinical, and treatment-related predictors of changes were also examined. Data were collected as part of routine clinical assessment procedures at admission and discharge from patients enrolled in a PHP/IOP programme designed to treat NSSI. The clinical assessment included measures examining quality of life, functional impairment, and NSSI behaviour. Paired t-tests were used to examine change in NSSI frequency, quality of life, and functional impairment. Reliable clinical change analyses were used to identify clinically significant change in quality of life and functional impairment. Multilevel mixed-effects regression was used to examine predictors of change for quality of life and functional impairment. Negative binomial regression was used to examine predictors of change for NSSI frequency. From admission to discharge, NSSI frequency significantly decreased and quality of life and functional impairment evidenced clinically significant change. Age, race/ethnicity, and insurance type predicted change in functional impairment, while gender predicted change in quality of life. Urge to self-injure predicted change in NSSI frequency. Borderline symptoms predicted change across all outcome variables. Patients who completed a day treatment programme for NSSI evidenced significant change in NSSI frequency, functional impairment, and quality of life at discharge; however, several demographic and clinical variables were associated with change. Patients who engage in NSSI show significant change from admission to discharge in a day treatment programme dedicated to the treatment of NSSI. Quality of life and functional impairment are important outcome variables to consider and evaluate in higher levels of care. It is important to consider demographic and clinical variables when creating a treatment plan for NSSI. Although BPD symptoms may be important to consider in day treatment for NSSI, interpersonal dysfunction, depressive symptoms, and mood lability may also affect change in symptoms.

ObjectivePsychiatric disorders are associated with impairments in quality of life (QOL) and functioning. What remained to be investigated was the comparison of these constructs across psychiatric disorders in treatment‐seeking adults. It was hypothesized that mood disorder patients would endorse worse QOL and functioning at entry into psychiatric outpatient treatment compared to patients with other disorders, and that regardless of diagnosis, severe impairments in QOL and functioning would be endorsed by the majority of the sample (>70%).MethodsData were collected for 2114 adults. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders diagnoses were obtained using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Patients completed measures of QOL (Q‐LES‐Q), functioning (Work and Social Adjustment Scale [WSAS], Sheehan Disability Scale, Endicott Work Productivity Scale), and depression (Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology‐Self Report).ResultsOverall, 70.6% of patients with psychiatric disorders reported severe impairment in QOL and 59.6% of patients reported severe impairment in functioning (per the WSAS). Patients with mood disorders were more likely to report severe impairments in QOL and functioning, compared to patients with other psychiatric disorders. Analysis of variance revealed patients with mood disorders reported significantly lower QOL, worse functioning, and greater depressive symptom severity compared to patients without mood disorders (all p values <0.05).ConclusionsPatients with psychiatric conditions overwhelmingly reported severely impaired QOL and functioning at entry to outpatient treatment. Patients with mood disorders were disproportionately more likely to endorse severely impaired QOL and functioning, particularly those with Major Depressive Disorder, recurrent, and Bipolar Disorder I, depressive episode. Findings suggest that future treatment efforts should focus on interventions that restore QOL and functioning in psychiatric patients, particularly among those with mood disorders.

The importance of quality of life issues in health care practice and research is steadily growing. This growing interest fits into the definition of health as proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1948 (1). The WHO defines health as 'a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity'. The attention to health-related quality of life is reflected in the increase in the use of quality-of-life evaluation as a technique of clinical research since 1973, when only five articles listed 'quality of life' as a reference key word in the Medline data base; during the subsequent five-year periods there were 195, 273, 490, and 1252 such articles (2). Also in the field of allergy it has been recognized that allergic disease comprise more than the classical signs and symptoms being part of physical disorders such as allergic rhinitis, asthma and the atopic eczema/dermatitis syndrome (AEDS) (3). In the last decades an increasing effort has been made to understand the socioeconomic burden of atopic disease in terms of effects on health-related quality of life (HRQL) and healthcare costs. It has been acknowledged in several consensus reports that rhinitis and asthma are associated with impairments in the patients' functioning in day-to-day life at home, at work and at school 4-8). With the introduction of questionnaires designed to measure asthma- 9-11) and rhinitis-associated impairments of quality of life (12) it is clear that patients may be bothered by sleep disorders, emotional problems, impairment in activities and social functioning. Also, in general terms, patients with asthma (13) and allergic rhinitis (14) are impaired in their physical and mental functioning, including vitality and the perception of general health. From daily medical practice it can be easily understood that AEDS has a major impact on HRQL. In a way, the use of questionnaires focused on skin disease 15-17) formally confirms this association. Quality of life, QOL, has divergent meanings for different people. Also, HRQL may be considered as ill-defined. More agreement has been reached about the four domains of QOL which are considered to be important: 1) physical status and functional abilities; 2) psychological status and well-being; 3) social functioning; 4) economic and/or vocational status and factors ( 18 ). As the true quality of life value cannot be measured directly, researchers and clinicians have to resort to series of questions (items) to measure this construct indirectly. Combinations of items yield scores referring to physical, mental and social domains. An HRQL instrument must meet several criteria. It should address each component (symptom, condition) that is important to the patient. Attributes of an instrument are described in Table 1. It will be clear that the construction of quality of life questionnaires is a complex task, drawing from the fields of clinimetrics, psychometrics and clinical decision-making (2). Differences in approach, for instance item selection using factor analysis vs the impact method which select items that are most frequently perceived as important by patients -- yields different questionnaires (19). In general two types of instruments, generic and specific, have been used in allergy research. Generic questionnaires measure physical, psychological and social domains in all health conditions irrespective of the underlying disease. A frequently used generic instrument is the Medical Outcomes Survey Short Form 36 (SF-36) (20). The SF-36 was developed as part of the Medical Outcomes Study and analyzes health status using 36 questions to measure nine different health dimensions. It has been used to characterize patients with asthma. Bousquet (13) compared the FEV1 and a clinical score of asthma severity for 252 asthmatic patients. There was a significant positive correlation between all nine quality of life domains of the SF-36 and the clinical score of Aas. Eight of the nine domains also correlated with the FEV1. Also in perennial rhinitis there was a significant impairment in eight of nine QOL dimensions in patients compared with healthy subjects (14). Furthermore, the SF-36 is used to evaluate the effects of a nonsedating antihistamine on quality of life. In this study all of the nine quality of life dimensions improved significantly after one and six weeks of cetirizine treatment compared with placebo (21). Other generic instruments that have been used in allergy research are the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP) (22) and the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) (23). The 136 items in 12 categories of the SIP describe activities of everyday living. This instrument has been used to evaluate the effect of salmeterol on asthma (24). Salmeterol led to significant improvements over salbutamol on virtually all clinical outcomes. Although all four quality of life instruments used in this study showed the same trend in favor of salmeterol, only the disease-specific Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ) and the Rating Scale utilities showed significantly greater improvement on salmeterol than on salbutamol. In severe AEDS it was shown, using the SIP, that cyclosporin improves quality of life significantly (25). In particular, the SIP has been used for comparison with disease-specific instruments (24, 26-28). The NHP, the only generic instrument derived entirely from lay people, has been used to validate a disease-specific instrument for patients with dermatitis and psoriasis (29). In asthma the NHP was not able to capture clinical improvement by treatment with pulmonary steroids (30). The latter observations underline the disadvantage that the generic instruments miss depth and therefore may not be responsive enough to detect changes in general health states in spite of important changes in disease-related problems (26). The advantage of generic instruments, however, is that the burden of illness across different disorders and patient populations can be compared. In a comparison between asthma and epilepsy the major finding was that children with epilepsy had a relatively more compromised quality of life in the psychological, social, and school domains (31. In contrast, children with asthma had a more compromised quality of life in the physical domain. These findings suggested that attention simply to seizure control in the clinical setting will not address the full range of quality of life problems in children with epilepsy. Specific instruments have been designed by asking patients what kind of problems they experience from their disease. Both the frequency and the importance of impairments are measured by means of the questionnaires. These instruments have the advantage that they describe the disease-associated problems of the patients. As stated above, they seem to be more responsive to changes in HRQL than do the generic instruments. Several instruments for patients with asthma have been developed. The Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire of Juniper is focused on symptoms, emotions, exposure to environmental stimuli, and activity limitation (32). Modifications of this questionnaire have been published recently (33, 34). When using HRQL outcome in clinical trials, the question arises whether a change in HRQL is of clinical importance. For the AQLQ, which uses a seven-point scale, the minimal important difference of quality of life score per item is considered to be very close to 0.5 (35). A change of 1.0 in the score represents a moderate change and a change in score of greater than 2.0 represents a large change in HRQL. The minimal important difference as described by Juniper is based upon patient opinions. Measures such as the standardized response mean or the effect size can be used to standardize changes. These measures are based solely upon the distribution of the observed data, in particular upon the variance (36). Recently, it has been shown that both the SF-36 and AQLQ were able to characterize a group of patients with moderate asthma very well, whereas the AQLQ domains were found to have the best discriminative properties (37. The Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire of Marks captures breathlessness, physical restrictions, mood disturbance and concerns for health (38). St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (11) is designed for patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder COPD. It can be applied in both reversible and fixed airway obstruction. In contrast to other questionnaires, the Living with Asthma Questionnaire (10) does not include impairments experienced as a direct consequence of asthma symptomatology. Other instruments are presented in Table 2. The properties of the most frequently used questionnaire are described in Table 3. Specific instruments have been developed for children and caregivers (Table 2). In addition, questionnaires have been constructed for different age-groups of patients with rhinitis (12, 39-41). A simple practical questionnaire technique for routine clinical use, the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) has been introduced to characterize patients with skin disorders (15). This instrument has been used to compare patients with psoriasis and dermatitis (42). Also versions for children are available: the Children's Dermatology Life Quality Index (CDLQI) and the Infant's Dermatology Life Quality Index (IDLQI) (16). Other questionnaires are the Skindex (43) the Dermatology-Specific Quality of Life (DSQL) (17) and the patient-generated Dermatology Quality of Life Scales (DQOLS) (44). Recently, a questionnaire has been developed to measure HRQL in patients with allergy to insect stings. Subsequently, this instrument has been used in the evaluation of venom immunotherapy (45). It appeared that venom immunotherapy resulted in a statistically and clinically significant improvement in HRQL. Both in clinical practice and in research physicians and investigators rely on physiological and objective measures, whenever possible. However in asthma an increase in FEV1 or a decrease in PC20 histamine or methacholine may occur without any improvement experienced by the patient. Medical intervention may improve physiologic measures, whereas for instance side-effects of drugs or the cumbersome aspects of subcutaneous immunotherapy may unfavorably influence day-to-day life and compliance with treatment. It has been put forward that the classical outcome variables may only partially characterize the disease of the patient. From that point of view it has been advocated to measure HRQL along with the conventional clinical indices (46). In line with this reasoning is the weak association between classical asthma measures and the outcome of HRQL questionnaires. Comparison between de AQLQ of Marks with asthma symptoms and lung function variables revealed that a change in AQLQ score was weakly correlated with change in symptom score (r = 0.37, 95% CI 0.04–0.64) and change in BHR (r = 0.38, 95% CI 0.06–0.64). The association with change in peak flow variability was weak (r = 0.12, 95% CI 0.26–0.47) (27). Similar observations have been reported by others 47-50). An interesting study shows that the mere presence of respiratory symptoms or a (gradually) reduced lung function is insufficient reason for patients to seek medical help. Subjects are more likely to consult their general practitioner once their quality of everyday life is affected or they experience variability in lung function (51). Also, rhinitis related quality of life appears to be moderately correlated to the more classical outcome variables used in clinical trials, such as daily symptom scores and nasal hyperreactivity (52). Another argument to use quality of life instruments lies in the headstart with respect to the knowledge of their validation, reliability and responsiveness compared to the common symptom scores or visual analogue scores (VAS) scales used at clinical trials. In the field of nasal allergy, validation or standardization of symptom scores has rarely been the subject of research. In asthma, even quite recently introduced measures, such as the number of symptom-free days, merit more attention in terms of standardization and validation (53). Other reasons to assess quality of life are conceivable. Measurement of quality of life can also be useful for screening purposes or for evaluation of therapy. Quality of life may be a determinant of effectiveness or efficacy of treatment. Moreover, its assessment might be relevant to striving for optimal decision-making. As the perception of patients is clearly important in the management of disease and patient compliance (Fig. 1), measurement of this 'dimension' by HRQL questionnaires in clinical trials may be justified. The emphasis on quality of life has sometimes resulted in a routine inclusion of HRQL questionnaires in clinical trials. The inclusion of such an instrument is valuable only if the changes can be interpreted by clinicians and contributes to optimal medical decision-making. In an editorial, criticism has been directed to the routine inclusion of such instruments when the structure of the evaluation and its rationale appears ill-defined (54). A model representing the relationships between clinical aspects of therapy, HRQL and factors influencing HRQL (adapted from Cramer and Spilker (17)). Generally in clinical trials the effect of treatment or intervention on HRQL runs parallel with the effect on conventional medical outcome measures. However, in some studies differences can be found. In a study evaluating the combined effect of steroids and antihistamines no differences were demonstrated between patients treated with antihistamine and steroids vs steroids alone in terms of quality of life, whereas for some patient-rated symptoms the combination turned out to be superior (55). In a large multicenter study comparing budesonide and fluticasone it was found that both drugs were equally effective in suppressing symptoms (56), although budesonide had a better effect on general quality of life (57). This might indicate that patients perceive differences not captured by conventional symptom scores. The reverse situation, i.e. significant effects on classical outcomes (symptom scores, medication use, peak flow or FEV1) without important change in two generic and two specific HRQL measures has been described in a study on the effect of formoterol, a long-acting α2-agonist, in mild to moderate asthmatic patients (58). The latter discrepancies can be explained by a limited performance of HRQL measures in mild asthmatic patients. Alternatively, it is possible that the minor changes in symptom scores and lung function due to the intervention are not perceived by patients as relevant. Moreover, patients with a chronic condition may adapt themselves to their disease. The strength of HRQL questionnaires, that is the patient-centred approach, is also one of its weaknesses. Perceptions of quality of life experienced by persons may shift in time. It is easy to understand that a dramatic personal accident or a serious disease will not only cause deterioration in quality of life but will eventually also influence the patient's values and internal standards. For instance, in a study of quality of life after radiotherapy for laryngeal cancer, a temporary deterioration of physical functioning and symptoms was reported, mostly caused by side-effects of treatment. Despite physical deterioration, there was an improvement of emotional functioning and mood after treatment, probably as a result of psychological adaptation and coping processes (59). It is possible also that in less dramatic circumstances, disease and treatments will induce shifts in perception due to changes in the patient's values. Such subjective changes in patients' perception are known as response shift. Socioeconomic status is an additional important independent factor influencing HRQL. In a recent study with asthmatic patients it was shown that socioeconomic status attributes to HRQL. More importantly, in this study it was difficult to separate out the unique effects of socioeconomic status and race/ethnicity (60). Recently, a significant relationship between the mental health of children with asthma and family functioning has been shown (61). These findings suggest that the domains comprising the HRQL of children with asthma are related to both disease and non-disease factors. Psychological functioning influences the burden of a specific disease. A study designed to assess the effects of depressive symptoms on asthma patients' reports of functional status and health-related quality of life revealed that asthma patients with more depressive symptoms reported worse health-related quality of life than asthma patients with similar disease activity, but fewer depressive symptoms (62). Interestingly, these findings were seen not only in generic (SF-36) but also in specific (AQLQ) instruments. This means that a disease-specific instrument may be also influenced by phenomena such as fear and depression. Finally, patients may either intentionally or unconsciously mask their symptoms or trivialize their diseases. They may tend to ignore or discount those problems which they believe are unrelated to their illness. Others may tend to give socially desirable answers. Response shifts and illusory mental health (63) are not easily captured with HRQL instruments, but they will certainly influence the outcome of a clinical trial, when HRQL is chosen as the primary endpoint. In summary, one has to realize that the translation of clinical effects of treatment into perceived and reported changes in quality of life finds a place at the integration level of the patient and this is, in a way, a black box which is not easy to assess (Fig. 1). For these reasons it is strongly recommended to use HRQL outcome measures in parallel with conventional physiological outcome measures. Asthma, allergic rhinitis and AEDS often coexist. The question to what extent concomitant allergic disease affects quality of life has infrequently been addressed. In a recent study the SF-36 questionnaire from 850 subjects recruited in two French centers participating in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey was evaluated. Both asthma and allergic rhinitis were associated with impairment in quality of life. However, 78% of asthmatics also had allergic rhinitis. Subjects with allergic rhinitis but not asthma were more likely to report problems with social activities, difficulties with daily activities as a result of emotional problems, and low mental well-being than subjects with neither asthma nor rhinitis. Patients with both asthma and allergic rhinitis experienced more physical limitations than patients with allergic rhinitis alone, but no difference was found between these two groups for concepts related to social/mental health (64). In another study focusing on asthma, rhinitis and AEDS, comprising 325 subjects allergic to house dust mites, it was found that patients did show impaired quality of life compared to irrespective of the of the atopic Patients with the of asthma did out in terms of physical In addition, asthma symptoms with a visual had a major effect on social functioning, emotional functioning and disorders, in patients with AEDS, appeared to be associated with physical functioning, social functioning, mental health and general health It is not only concomitant atopic disease that has an impact on quality of life. such as and and nasal may patients with rhinitis and asthma. the SF-36 and a quality of life measure it has been shown that HRQL is impaired and that may improve quality of life for patients that is a other specific instruments such as the Index and the have been The impact of on social life in children during the four of life is not easily can be by use of a specific which measures the quality of life is a chronic disease of the respiratory which is frequently associated with respiratory compared the HRQL in patients with nasal with those of patients with perennial rhinitis and healthy It appeared that nasal impaired HRQL more than perennial allergic rhinitis The impairment of HRQL was greater when nasal was associated with asthma In addition, of nasal symptoms, and pulmonary function were after the evaluation in patients with nasal These demonstrated that nasal treatment either with nasal steroids or significantly improved both nasal symptoms and QOL without significant changes in pulmonary may a if the or is in one particular disease. 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In a way, HRQL outcome measures of the from the with which clinicians are in their day-to-day The of these in the HRQL questionnaires it possible to include the patient in clinical trials and the in this field will improve medical decision-making and management of disease. of these outcome measures in the evaluation and management of patients be the However, HRQL questionnaires are in the of being in terms of and introduction of of instruments of QOL data is based on the that there are no measurement in the of is an technique for and which measurement into An important of is that it of whether a model fits the observed With this it has been shown that some changes in the of the SF-36 are when it is applied to evaluation of QOL for patients with or disease and with experienced criticism has been the of instruments and the to the measurement of quality of life It has been that attention has to be to better for of and of measures, these instruments will be for use in clinical practice and for use as primary in clinical trials Also, in the field of allergy the number of outcome measures is growing. 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Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurological disease, it reaches mainly young adults. A modified immunological response creates a demyelination in Central Nervous System (CNS) resulting in an ample variety of signals and neurological symptoms. The great disability, functional and mental impairment influences directly in the social life and wellbeing of the MS patients meaning a great impact in quality of life. The aim of this study was evaluate the influence of profile in quality of life in patients with MS. Thirty five patients from Sao Paulo and surroundings were recruited, the profile was evaluated by a structuralized questionnaire, the quality of life by Functional Assessment of Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life. Social and economic profile demonstrated little influence in quality of life which was more affected by functional impairment and severity of the symptoms.

Quality of life is a multidimensional concept that includes both positive and negative aspects of well-being and life, as well as social, psychological and physical health. It is related to health and refers to the optimal level of mental, physical and social functioning.The aim of the research was to examine the effects of vortioxetine on the quality of life in patients with schizophrenia. Overall 120 stable patients with schizophrenia were randomly divided into two groups (treatment and control). All subjects were on antipsychotic therapy (olanzapine or risperidone or aripiprazole). Vortioxetine was given to subjects in the treatment group at a dose of 10 mg. The study lasted twelve weeks. The quality of life was measured by the The World Health Organisation Quality of Life Assessment measuring scale (WHOQOL-BREF). Patients treated with additional therapy with vortioxetine showed a statistically significantly higher assessment of all aspects of quality of life compared to control group. Mild effects of vortioxetine on general life satisfaction, health satisfaction, social and environmental domains, and moderate effects of vortioxetine on physical and mental quality of life domains were demonstrated. Patients taking olanzapine and vortioxetine showed the largest increase in quality of life in the treatment group. Patients treated with risperidone or aripiprazole with vortioxetine showed equal improvements in the quality of life. Given that quality of life is an important target for the treatment of schizophrenia, our results encourage future studies on the comparison between vortioxetine and other antidepressants on this patient-centered outcome. Given that quality of life is an important target for the treatment of schizophrenia, our results encourage future studies on the comparison between vortioxetine and other antidepressants on this patient-centered outcome.

Background: Chronic wounds pose a significant global health challenge, profoundly impacting patients' quality of life. While traditional care focuses on biological healing, there is growing emphasis on patient-centered outcomes (PROs). Non-pharmacological interventions are increasingly recognized as essential components of comprehensive care, yet a comprehensive synthesis of their effects on PROs is needed. Objective: This narrative review aims to identify and synthesize the evidence on the effects of various non-pharmacological interventions on PROs in adults with chronic wounds. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and CNKI from inception until October 18, 2025. Studies involving adults with chronic wounds that evaluated non-pharmacological, non-surgical interventions and measured at least one PRO were included. Results: The review included 14 studies. The interventions were categorized into four types: 1) Physical and Energy-Based Therapies, which showed benefits in reducing procedural pain and improving comfort; 2) Psychological and Behavioral Interventions, which demonstrated positive effects on emotional distress and disease-specific quality of life; 3) Advanced Wound Dressings, associated with reduced pain and accelerated healing; and 4) Innovative Care Models, which consistently improved multiple PROs, including pain, self-efficacy, and general quality of life. Conclusion: A diverse range of non-pharmacological interventions can significantly improve PROs in chronic wound management, addressing critical aspects of patient well-being such as pain, psychological state, and self-efficacy. Integrating these interventions into a multifaceted, patient-centered care approach is recommended. Future research should focus on larger, high-quality trials with standardized outcome measures to strengthen the evidence base.

Background:Outcomes after traumatic major lower extremity amputation (MLEA) have focused on surgical complications, despite the life-altering impact on patients. With advances in the surgical management of MLEA, a heightened need for consistent reporting of patient-centered outcomes (PCO) remains. This meta-analysis assesses articles for the prevalence and methods of PCO reporting among traumatic MLEA studies.Methods:An electronic database search was completed using Ovid MEDLINE for studies published between 2000 and 2020. Studies were included that reported any outcome of traumatic MLEA. Weighted means of outcomes were calculated when data were available. The prevalence of PCO was assessed in the categories of physical function, quality of life (QOL), psychosocial, and pain. Trends in PCO reporting were analyzed using Pearson’s chi-squared test and analysis of variance when appropriate.Results:In total, 7001 studies were screened, yielding 156 articles for inclusion. PCO were evaluated in 94 (60.3%) studies; 83 (53.2%) reported physical function and mobility outcomes, 33 (21.2%) reported QOL and satisfaction measures, 38 (24.4%) reported psychosocial data, and 43 (27.6%) reported pain outcomes. There was no change in prevalence of PCO reporting when comparing 5-year intervals between 2000 and 2020 (P = 0.557).Conclusions:Optimization of function and QOL following traumatic MLEA has become a cornerstone of surgical success; however, only 60% of studies report PCO, with no trend over the last two decades suggesting improvement. As healthcare progresses toward patient-centered care, this inconsistent means of reporting PCO calls for improved inclusion and standardization of instruments to assess function, QOL, and other patient-focused measures.

Usage of Patient-Centered Outcomes in the Management of Anemia: A Systematic Review

Research on quality of life has gained attention globally. There is however dearth of this research in Nigeria. The present study therefore investigated the influence of perceived social support, life satisfaction, and functional impairment on quality of life among retirees in Ido Osi LGA in Ekiti State, Nigeria. The disengagement theory of quality of life served as the framework for this study. Using descriptive survey research design, 102 participants were conveniently selected from Ido Osi LGA in Ekiti State (mean age = 63.34. SD = 7.39) Validated scales were used for data collection. Pearson product moment correlation, t-test and multiple regression analysis were conducted on two hypotheses in the study. Result indicated that there is significant negative relationship between functional impairment and quality of life; r = -.29; P&lt;.01. Life satisfaction also has a significant relationship with quality of life: r = .347; P &lt; .01. Perceived social support has a significant positive relationship with quality of life: r = .228; P &lt; .01. The result also revealed that perceived social support, functional impairment and life satisfaction significantly and jointly predicted Quality of life among retirees (R=.401; R2 = .161, F (3,232) = 14.840, p&lt;.01). Furthermore, the findings of this study showed that reveals that socio-demographic variables had no significant joint or independent influence on quality of life among retirees. (R= 1.46 R2 = .161, F (6,231) = .841, p&gt;.05); this implies that age, religion, marital status, ethnicity, educational qualification and gender does not jointly or independently predict quality of life among retirees. In conclusion perceived social support, life satisfaction, and functional impairment had significant influence on quality of life. The authorities of Ido Osi LGA in Ekiti State should give due consideration to the presents finding in the management of quality-of-life constructs/issues raised in this study.