Nikitas A. Arnaoutoglou

Introduction: Psychiatric trainees lack psychotherapy training. In 2018, the European Psychiatric Association (EPA) offered a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), “Introduction to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy”. We will present an overview of the course participants and engagement metrics, and propose improvements for future courses. Methods: Non-identifiable participant information was collected through a welcome survey. Additional data were internally extracted, including demographic information, interests, educational background, learning objectives, completion and satisfaction rate. Engagement strategy questionnaires were distributed and screen time calculated. Results: There were 7.116 enrollments, 1.504 completed the welcome survey and 954 (13%) the overall course. The three most represented countries were: Greece (18%), France (8%) and the UK (7%). Psychologists and psychology students represented 41% of the initial participants, psychiatrists and psychiatry trainees 33%. Conclusion: The MOOC achieved its primary goals and received a wide acceptance. The dropout rate was lower than similar online courses. Improvements and amendments are suggested.

A better training in psychotherapy is needed for psychiatry trainees. Online Cognitive Behavioural Therapies (CBT) could be a good solution. Free and wide audience course like Massive Open Online course (MOOCs) increase dissemination and accessibility of the training. However, the engagement needs to be improved. A hybrid approach seems relevant with the MOOC as an incentive. Beyond the promotion of the topic, a MOOC can be a promotion tool for the provider. The economic model of the MOOC needed to be taken into account to allow sustainability. To explore these elements, we take into account a survey taken during the 1st European Psychiatric Association MOOC about CBT.

Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is the underlying aetiology of 10–15% of all cases of dementia and as such is a clinically important diagnosis. In the past few years, substantial advances have been made in understanding the genetics and pathology of this condition. For example, research has expanded our knowledge of the proteinaceous inclusions that characterize the disease, has provided an appreciation of the role of disease-associated processes such as inflammation and has revealed an association between DLB and genes such as GBA. These insights might have broader relevance to other neurodegenerative conditions and are beginning to be translated into clinical trials. In this Review, we provide clinical insights for the basic scientist and a basic science foundation for the clinician. We discuss the history of the condition; the definition of DLB; the relationship between DLB and other neurodegenerative conditions; current understanding of the pathology, genetics, clinical presentation and diagnosis of DLB; options for treatment; and potential future directions for research.

Introduction: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is regarded as a prodrome to dementia. Various cognitive tests can help with diagnosis; meta‐analysis of diagnostic accuracy studies would assist clinicians in choosing optimal tests. Methods: We searched online databases for “mild cognitive impairment” and “diagnosis” or “screening” from 01/01/1999 to 01/07/2017. Articles assessing the diagnostic accuracy of a cognitive test compared with standard diagnostic criteria were extracted. Risk of bias was assessed. Bivariate random‐effects meta‐analysis was used to evaluate sensitivity and specificity. Results: Eight cognitive tests (ACE‐R, CERAD, CDT‐Sunderland, IQCODE, Memory Alteration Test, MMSE, MoCA, and Qmci) were considered for meta‐analysis. ACE‐R, CERAD, MoCA, and Qmci were found to have similar diagnostic accuracy, while the MMSE had lower sensitivity. Memory Alteration Test had the highest sensitivity and equivalent specificity to the other tests. Discussion: Multiple cognitive tests have comparable diagnostic accuracy. The Memory Alteration Test is short and has the highest sensitivity. New cognitive tests for MCI diagnosis should not be compared with the MMSE.

The thalassemias are the most common single gene disorder in the world. Nowadays, the average life expectancy of patients in developed countries has increased significantly, while, there was an increase of complications. We aimed to investigate peripheral neuropathy and myopathy in this patient group using a neurophysiological study. We performed nerve conduction studies and electromyography of upper and lower extremities on 36 beta-thalassemia major (β-thal) patients. The electrophysiological findings were correlated with demographic data and laboratory parameters of the disease. Patients with β-thal present polyneuropathy or myopathy at (50%). Polyneuropathy was detected in (38.9%) and myopathy in (27.8%), while polyneuropathy and myopathy were present at (16.7%) with an overlap of the diseases in 1/3 of the patients. There was not a statistically significant correlation of polyneuropathy and myopathy with age, sex, splenectomy, nor with respect to laboratory parameters, hemoglobin, and ferritin. However, there was a statistically significant correlation of polyneuropathy and myopathy with iron overload, as recorded by the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the heart and the liver. Our findings suggest that iron overload plays a key role in the pathogenesis of polyneuropathy and myopathy in β-thal patients, and performing heart and liver MRI for the prediction of such lesions in an annual basis is warranted.