Many forms of mental disorders, especially psychotic disorders are characterized also by a worsening of sexual functioning. Sexual dysfunction has been shown to significantly correlate with a longer duration of untreated psychosis and with heavier psychotic symptomatology.

The aim of this study is to validate the Italian version of the Arizona Sexual Experience (ASEX), a very handy and reliable tool to assess sexual dysfunction, in a population of people suffering from psychotic spectrum disorders.

Seventy-three psychiatric patients were recruited and assessed for mental illness and sexual functioning. We administered the Italian version of ASEX, adequately translated by two expert bilinguals. After 15 days we administered once again the test for test-retest reliability.

Validation of ASEX revealed Cronbach’s coefficients >0.70 in both single items as in the total score. In addition, the test-retest reliability revealed Pearson’s coefficients >0.50 in the various domains. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed good fit indexes for the two factors model of ASEX (SRMR=0.54; CFI=0.974; RMSEA=0.135).

This study represents the first validation in the Italian psychiatric context of a very useful specific tool for the sexual assessment in people suffering from mental illness. Our analysis revealed good psychometric characteristics in terms of confirmatory factor analysis, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability.

No significant relationships.

Public health investigations require rapid assessment, response, and initiation of control measures. In 2012, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services used digital pens to rapidly acquire epidemiologic data during a gastrointestinal illness outbreak.

Menus were obtained and a standard questionnaire was administered to exposed persons using digital pens. Questionnaire data were downloaded into an electronic file for analysis.

Sixty-nine (74%) of 93 exposed persons completed a questionnaire. Of 6389 data entries made on digital paper, 218 (3%) required correction; of these, 201 (92%) involved a free-form variable and 17 (8%) involved a check-box variable. Digital pens saved an estimated 5 to 6 hours of data-entry time.

This outbreak provided an opportunity to assess the value of digital pens for decreasing data-entry burden and allowing more timely data analysis in an emergent setting. Depending on the size of the outbreak and complexity of the survey, there is likely a threshold when use of digital pens would provide a clear benefit to outbreak response. As new technology becomes available for use in emergency preparedness settings, public health agencies must continuously review and update response plans and evaluate investigation tools to ensure timely disease control and response activities. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2015;9:349–353)

Endoscopic endonasal transphenoidal surgery has been recently proposed as a minimally invasive procedure for the treatment of pituitary adenomas. The main objective of the anaesthesiologist is to induce sufficient haemodynamic control together with rapid recovery at the end of surgery. The aim of this study was to examine recovery profile, surgical operative conditions and haemodynamic differences using remifentanil infusion with either propofol target controlled infusion system or sevoflurane.

Forty-four adult patients were enrolled in a prospective, randomized, single-blind, two-group study: Group P received propofol target controlled infusion system and remifentanil; Group S received sevoflurane and remifentanil for maintenance of anaesthesia.

No statistically significant differences between the two groups with regards to the haemodynamic changes, operative conditions as assessed by a four-step bleeding score (0–3), were obtained. Recovery times were considerably shorter after remifentanil–sevoflurane in comparison with remifentanil–propofol target controlled infusion system group (7.4 vs. 12.8 min, P < 0.01).

This study demonstrates that sevoflurane–remifentanil gives a faster recovery and equivalent intraoperative status compared with propofol target controlled infusion system with remifentanil for the endoscopic endonasal transphenoidal approach.