Elisa Schiavi

Temperamental traits of women applying for a type of job that has been characterized historically by male identity: the military career as case study.

BACKGROUND Over the past fifty years in the Western world the professions and activities that were once practised only by males, are now available to females, too. Affective temperaments, in line with their adaptive function, influence career choices. In general, males and females have proved to have different temperamental profiles. In this study we inquire into the question whether gender differences in temperament have continued unchanged in a field, such as the military career, that has been historically characterized by a male identity. METHODS 1426 males and 122 females wishing to become a cadet in the Italian Air Force were tested using TEMPS-A[P] (the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego self-questionnaire, Pisan version). RESULTS Univariate and multivariate analyses failed to distinguish males from females. Both males and females tend to have a high score on the hyperthymic scale (generally, a typical male temperament) and a very low one on the cyclothymic scale (generally, a typical female temperament), with low scores on the depressive and the irritable scales. CONCLUSIONS This study supports the idea that different gender-related temperaments are functional to differences in the roles played by males and females during the biological and social evolutionary process.

Depressive symptoms in Parkinson's disease

OBJECTIVE We aimed to investigate the relationship between the presence and severity of depression and the degree of motor and functional disability in Parkinsons disease (PD). METHODS One hundred twenty-two outpatients with PD were enrolled in a neurology department: 65 satisfied the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder, Fourth Edition criteria for major depression, and 57 did not (PD-C). Depressive symptoms were assessed by means of the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD), and the PD severity was assessed according to the Hoehn and Yahr System. Activities of daily living and motor symptoms were measured by the Unified PD Rating Scale (UPDRS), parts II and III. RESULTS Twenty-nine patients had a mild depression (HRSD total score ranging between 8 and 17), 30 had a moderate depression (HRSD total score ranging between 18 and 24), and 6 had a severe depression (HRSD total score, ≥25). By comparing the 3 groups of patients, it emerged that those with a severe depression showed significantly higher scores at the UPDRS II, UPDRS III, and HY scales than did PD-C or patients with a mild depression. Moreover, patients with a moderate depression scored significantly higher on the UPDRS II, UPDRS III, and HY scales than did PD-C or those with a mild depression. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that depression and motor symptoms/well-being are highly intertwined in patients with PD.

Plasma fluvoxamine levels and OCD symptoms/response in adult patients

In this study, we explored the possible relationships between plasma fluvoxamine levels and clinical features and/or response in adult obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) patients treated with this drug for 6 months.