F1000ResearchPub Date : 2024-09-20eCollection Date: 2024-01-01DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.151912.2
Zheng Liu
{"title":"Life should be redefined: Any molecule with the ability to self-replicate should be considered life.","authors":"Zheng Liu","doi":"10.12688/f1000research.151912.2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.151912.2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Understanding the nature of life and its propensity for reproduction has long been a question that humans aspire to answer. Reproduction, a defining characteristic of life, fundamentally involves the replication of genetic material, be it DNA or RNA. The driving force behind this replication process has always intrigued scientists. In recent years, theories involving selfish genes, the RNA world, and entropic forces have been proposed by some scholars. These theories seem to suggest that life, as we know it, exists solely in Earth's environment and is based on a single type of genetic material, either DNA or RNA. However, if we broaden our definition of life to include any replicable molecules, we might be able to transcend traditional thought. This could potentially enhance our understanding of the impetus behind DNA replication and provide deeper insights into the essence of life.</p>","PeriodicalId":12260,"journal":{"name":"F1000Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11467646/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142461540","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
F1000ResearchPub Date : 2024-09-20eCollection Date: 2024-01-01DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.154614.1
Saida Hidouri, Hela Kamoun, Sana Salah, Anis Jellad, Helmi Ben Saad
{"title":"Key Guidelines for Responding to Reviewers.","authors":"Saida Hidouri, Hela Kamoun, Sana Salah, Anis Jellad, Helmi Ben Saad","doi":"10.12688/f1000research.154614.1","DOIUrl":"10.12688/f1000research.154614.1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The process of preparing a scientific manuscript is intricate, encompassing several critical stages, including pre-writing, research development, drafting, peer review, editing, publication, dissemination, and access. Among these, the peer review process (PRP) stands out as a pivotal component requiring seamless collaboration among editors, reviewers, and authors. Reviewers play a crucial role in assessing the manuscript's quality and providing constructive feedback, which authors must adeptly navigate to enhance their work and meet journal standards. This process can often appear daunting and time-consuming, as authors are required to address numerous comments and requested changes. Authors are encouraged to perceive reviewers as consultants rather than adversaries, viewing their critiques as opportunities for improvement rather than personal attacks.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Opinion article.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>To equip authors with practical strategies for engaging effectively in the PRP and improving their publication acceptance rates.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Key guidelines include thoroughly understanding and prioritizing feedback, maintaining professionalism, and systematically addressing each comment. In cases of significant disagreement or misunderstanding, authors have the option to refer the issue to the editor. Crafting a well-organized and scientific \"response to reviews\" along with the revised manuscript can substantially increase the likelihood of acceptance. Best practices for writing an effective response to reviews include expressing gratitude, addressing major revisions first, seeking opinions from co-authors and colleagues, and adhering strictly to journal guidelines. Emphasizing the importance of planning responses, highlighting changes in the revised manuscript, and conducting a final review ensures all corrections are properly documented.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>By following these guidelines, authors can enhance their manuscripts' quality, foster positive relationships with reviewers, and ultimately contribute to scholarly advancement.</p>","PeriodicalId":12260,"journal":{"name":"F1000Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11377928/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142153544","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
F1000ResearchPub Date : 2024-09-19eCollection Date: 2024-01-01DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.143642.3
Yin Allison Liu, Orwa Aboud, Lina A Dahabiyeh, Orin Bloch, Oliver Fiehn
{"title":"Metabolomic characterization of human glioblastomas and patient plasma: a pilot study.","authors":"Yin Allison Liu, Orwa Aboud, Lina A Dahabiyeh, Orin Bloch, Oliver Fiehn","doi":"10.12688/f1000research.143642.3","DOIUrl":"10.12688/f1000research.143642.3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Glioblastoma (GBM) is a clinically challenging primary brain tumor with poor survival outcome despite surgical resection and intensive chemoradiation. The metabolic heterogeneity of GBM can become biomarkers for treatment response, resistance, and outcome prediction. The aim of the study is to investigate metabolic distinctions between primary and recurrent GBM tissue and patient plasma to establish feasibility for metabolic profiling.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A single-center cohort study analyzed tissue and blood samples from 15 patients with GBM using untargeted metabolomic/lipidomic assays. Metabolomic, lipidomic, and biogenic amine analyses were conducted on GBM tissue and patient plasma at diagnosis and recurrence using untargeted mass spectrometry. The study utilized a small but longitudinally collected cohort to evaluate alteration in metabolites, lipids, and biogenic amines between specimens at diagnosis and recurrence.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Exploratory analysis revealed significant alteration in metabolites, lipids, and biogenic amines between diagnostic and recurrent states in both tumor and plasma specimens. Notable metabolites differed at recurrence, including N-alpha-methylhistamine, glycerol-3-phosphate, phosphocholine, and succinic acid in tissue, and indole-3-acetate, and urea in plasma. Principal component analysis revealed distinct metabolomic profiles between tumor tissue and patient plasma. Distinct metabolic profiles were observed in GBM tissue and patient plasma at recurrence, demonstrating the feasibility of using metabolomic methodologies for longitudinal studies. One patient exhibited a unique tumor resistance signature at diagnosis, possibly indicating a high-risk metabolomic phenotype.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>In this small cohort, the findings suggest the potential of metabolomic signatures of GBM tissue and patient plasma for risk stratification, outcome prediction, and the development of novel adjuvant metabolic-targeting therapies. The findings suggest metabolic discrepancies at diagnosis and recurrence in tissue and plasma, highlighting potential implications for evaluation of clinical response. The identification of significant changes in metabolite abundance emphasizes the need for larger studies using targeted metabolomics to validate and further explore these profiles.</p>","PeriodicalId":12260,"journal":{"name":"F1000Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11452765/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142380424","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
F1000ResearchPub Date : 2024-09-18eCollection Date: 2021-01-01DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.72896.3
Wan Xin Boon, Boon Zhan Sia, Chong Han Ng
{"title":"Prediction of the effects of the top 10 synonymous mutations from 26645 SARS-CoV-2 genomes of early pandemic phase.","authors":"Wan Xin Boon, Boon Zhan Sia, Chong Han Ng","doi":"10.12688/f1000research.72896.3","DOIUrl":"10.12688/f1000research.72896.3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) had led to a global pandemic since December 2019. SARS-CoV-2 is a single-stranded RNA virus, which mutates at a higher rate. Multiple works had been done to study nonsynonymous mutations, which change protein sequences. However, there is little study on the effects of SARS-CoV-2 synonymous mutations, which may affect viral fitness. This study aims to predict the effect of synonymous mutations on the SARS-CoV-2 genome.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A total of 26645 SARS-CoV-2 genomic sequences retrieved from Global Initiative on Sharing all Influenza Data (GISAID) database were aligned using MAFFT. Then, the mutations and their respective frequency were identified. Multiple RNA secondary structures prediction tools, namely RNAfold, IPknot++ and MXfold2 were applied to predict the effect of the mutations on RNA secondary structure and their base pair probabilities was estimated using MutaRNA. Relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU) analysis was also performed to measure the codon usage bias (CUB) of SARS-CoV-2.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 150 synonymous mutations were identified. The synonymous mutation identified with the highest frequency is C3037U mutation in the nsp3 of ORF1a. Of these top 10 highest frequency synonymous mutations, C913U, C3037U, U16176C and C18877U mutants show pronounced changes between wild type and mutant in all 3 RNA secondary structure prediction tools, suggesting these mutations may have some biological impact on viral fitness. These four mutations show changes in base pair probabilities. All mutations except U16176C change the codon to a more preferred codon, which may result in higher translation efficiency.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Synonymous mutations in SARS-CoV-2 genome may affect RNA secondary structure, changing base pair probabilities and possibly resulting in a higher translation rate. However, lab experiments are required to validate the results obtained from prediction analysis.</p>","PeriodicalId":12260,"journal":{"name":"F1000Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11391198/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142282749","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
F1000ResearchPub Date : 2024-09-17eCollection Date: 2023-01-01DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.127772.2
Sonny E Zaluchu
{"title":"A <i>Fondrakö</i> text: Cultural religious tradition and social integration of community.","authors":"Sonny E Zaluchu","doi":"10.12688/f1000research.127772.2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.127772.2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Fondrakö is the local wisdom of the Nias ethnic community and has two functions. First are the oral religious holy book teaching ancestors' values and philosophy. Second is the highest consensus institution of the traditional society formulating and making decisions on the socio-religious law to guarantee the order of the community. This paper explains that social differentiation has happened in the modern era; philosophical values of <i>fondrakö</i> remain to live up to this day and experience the proliferation of rites. The argumentation built through this paper is that primitive culture will not simply disappear in the modern community just because it experiences accommodation and the decrease of emotional intensity into new forms. Social laws of primitive religion are not always contradictory and can run parallel with civilization.</p>","PeriodicalId":12260,"journal":{"name":"F1000Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11393527/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142282719","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
F1000ResearchPub Date : 2024-09-17eCollection Date: 2024-01-01DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.151422.1
Nigel A Shaw
{"title":"The gamma-band activity model of the near-death experience: a critique and a reinterpretation.","authors":"Nigel A Shaw","doi":"10.12688/f1000research.151422.1","DOIUrl":"10.12688/f1000research.151422.1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Near-death experience (NDE) is a transcendent mental event of uncertain etiology that arises on the cusp of biological death. Since the discovery of NDE in the mid-1970s, multiple neuroscientific theories have been developed in an attempt to account for it in strictly materialistic or reductionistic terms. Therefore, in this conception, NDE is at most an extraordinary hallucination without any otherworldly, spiritual, or supernatural denotations. During the last decade or so, a number of animal and clinical studies have emerged which reported that about the time of death, there may be a surge of high frequency electroencephalogram (EEG) at a time when cortical electrical activity is otherwise at a very low ebb. This oscillatory rhythm falls within the range of the enigmatic brain wave-labelled gamma-band activity (GBA). Therefore, it has been proposed that this brief, paradoxical, and perimortem burst of the GBA may represent the neural foundation of the NDE. This study examines three separate but related questions concerning this phenomenon. The first problem pertains to the electrogenesis of standard GBA and the extent to which authentic cerebral activity has been contaminated by myogenic artifacts. The second problem involves the question of whether agents that can mimic NDE are also underlain by GBA. The third question concerns the electrogenesis of the surge in GBA itself. It has been contended that this is neither cortical nor myogenic in origin. Rather, it arises in a subcortical (amygdaloid) location but is recorded at the cortex via volume conduction, thereby mimicking standard GBA. Although this surge of GBA contains genuine electrophysiological activity and is an intriguing and provocative finding, there is little evidence to suggest that it could act as a kind of neurobiological skeleton for a phenomenon such as NDE.</p>","PeriodicalId":12260,"journal":{"name":"F1000Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11375408/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142139700","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Incentivizing green building technology: A financial perspective on sustainable development in India.","authors":"Rakesh Kumar, Rajesh Singh, Richa Goel, Tilottama Singh, Neeraj Priyadarshi, Bhekisipho Twala","doi":"10.12688/f1000research.154056.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.154056.1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Future viability depends on ensuring a sustainable society because green energy methods may efficiently reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Nevertheless, stakeholders, consumers, and developers continue to be notably ignorant of the financial incentives connected to green technology. Moreover, there is still a dearth of studies on the range of financial incentives offered by different authorities in India. Monetary incentives, such as tax breaks, indirect tax exemptions, and refunds, are crucial in encouraging the use of green technology in the modern world. This study explores the importance of financial incentives for green building technologies in India, which also looks at the wide range of incentives provided by federal, state, and local governments. Furthermore, the study highlights various state government programs such as goods subsidies, exemptions from local taxes, and fee waivers. Notably, several incentives aimed at consumers, developers, and other stakeholders have been implemented by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC). This review study emphasizes the effectiveness of financial incentives in green construction projects and draws attention to a clear knowledge gap regarding the adoption of green technology. This study also provides insights into potential future directions. Studies and research results emphasize the importance of spreading the word about financial incentives as a key factor in determining the adoption of green technologies. Many parties, including governmental organizations, municipal governments, developers, and clients engaged in green building technology projects, stand to gain increased awareness.</p>","PeriodicalId":12260,"journal":{"name":"F1000Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11393528/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142282773","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
F1000ResearchPub Date : 2024-09-16eCollection Date: 2022-01-01DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.73536.2
Noor Ashikin Mohd Rom, Nurbani Md Hassan, Al-Mansor Abu Said, Burhanuddin Bachik
{"title":"Desired support system to eradicate urban homelessness: an exploratory descriptive study.","authors":"Noor Ashikin Mohd Rom, Nurbani Md Hassan, Al-Mansor Abu Said, Burhanuddin Bachik","doi":"10.12688/f1000research.73536.2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.73536.2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Background - The new increasing homeless lately consist of women, children, youth, the elderly and marginalized ethnic or migrant groups. Some of them are working and earn salaries, however, the income is not sufficient to live modestly. Purpose - The purpose of this research is to establish a desired support system to eradicate urban homelessness in the country. Design/methodology/approach - This is an exploratory descriptive method study which employed quantitative techniques. The study employed a social ecological model to investigate behavior of homeless via multiple levels of influences including intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational, community and public policy. Surveys have been conducted on sixty-five homeless individuals. Findings - It was found that support systems and structures should be derived from the whole streams from families, communities, organizations and government. Employment opportunities, long-term shelters within the community places and highly demanded skills are needed to improve their living condition. Research limitations - This study is only focused on the socio-economic structures of the homeless in a capital city. Originality/value - This is an empirical research using a social ecological model for the homeless in the Kuala Lumpur area. Research on homeless study has received little attention and has yet to be fully explored.</p>","PeriodicalId":12260,"journal":{"name":"F1000Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11425782/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142344439","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
F1000ResearchPub Date : 2024-09-16eCollection Date: 2024-01-01DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.146517.2
Marwan El-Deyarbi, Luai Ahmed, Jeffrey King, Syed Abubackar, Ahmed Al Juboori, Nirmin A Mansour, Salahdein Aburuz
{"title":"The effects of multifactorial pharmacist-led intervention protocol on medication optimisation and adherence among patients with type 2 diabetes: A randomised control trial.","authors":"Marwan El-Deyarbi, Luai Ahmed, Jeffrey King, Syed Abubackar, Ahmed Al Juboori, Nirmin A Mansour, Salahdein Aburuz","doi":"10.12688/f1000research.146517.2","DOIUrl":"10.12688/f1000research.146517.2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Patient-related factors and limited medication adherence in patients with chronic diseases, are associated with poor clinical outcomes, long-term complications, and increased overall disease costs. Many methods have been tested with mixed results, and innovative approaches are needed to encourage patients to adhere to their prescribed drug regimens.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This randomised controlled trial examined a new multifactorial pharmacist-led intervention protocol (MPIP), including a medication therapy management (MTM) program with face-to-face counselling, patient-specific medication booklets, and a mobile application, from July 2021 to September 2022 in the Oud Al Touba diagnostic and screening ambulatory centre in 192 patients with type 2 diabetes in the United Arab Emirates. Medication adherence was assessed using the fixed medication possession ratio of medication refills and the medication adherence questionnaire.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>At 12 months follow-up, participants in the MPIP showed significant improvement in overall medication adherence with total (composite) medication possession ratio (MPRt) of mean (±SD) 0.95 (±0.09) compared to 0.92 (± 0.09) in the control group with mean difference of 0.03 (95%, CI 0.01-0.06), P =0.02. In addition, improvement trend was evident in the MPIP group for all medication regimens with P value <0.01. Comparable results were noticeable in adherence questionnaire scores at the end of the study, with 66 participants in the intervention group scored zero on the questionnaire, suggesting high adherence to medication compared to the control group (48 participants only). The MTM program performed 41 clinical interventions on drug-related problems, compared to six interventions in the control group, and the use of mobile application and medication booklet have increased to 45.7% compared to 21.4% before study exit.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The pharmacy intervention protocol effectively improved medication adherence and optimised medication regimens in diabetic patients with chronic medication regimens in an ambulatory healthcare centre.</p>","PeriodicalId":12260,"journal":{"name":"F1000Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11421608/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142344445","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
F1000ResearchPub Date : 2024-09-16eCollection Date: 2024-01-01DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.152191.1
Lena Feber, Georgia Salanti, Mathias Harrer, Nurul Husna Salahuddin, Wulf-Peter Hansen, Josef Priller, Irene Bighelli, Stefan Leucht
{"title":"Psychological interventions for early-phase schizophrenia: protocol for a systematic review and network meta-analysis.","authors":"Lena Feber, Georgia Salanti, Mathias Harrer, Nurul Husna Salahuddin, Wulf-Peter Hansen, Josef Priller, Irene Bighelli, Stefan Leucht","doi":"10.12688/f1000research.152191.1","DOIUrl":"10.12688/f1000research.152191.1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Treating the early phase of schizophrenia is crucial for preventing further episodes and improving quality of life, functioning, and social inclusion. Pharmacotherapies are first-line treatments, but have limitations. There is consensus on the need for non-pharmacological interventions for individuals in the early phase of schizophrenia. Several psychological interventions have shown promising effects; however, their comparative effectiveness remains largely unknown. To address this issue, a network meta-analysis will be performed. We aim to develop a hierarchy of existing psychological treatments concerning their efficacy and tolerability, which will inform treatment guidelines.</p><p><strong>Protocol: </strong>Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating psychological interventions for first-episode psychosis, first-episode schizophrenia, or early phase schizophrenia will be included. The primary outcome will be overall schizophrenia symptoms (measured up to 6 and 12 months, and at the longest follow-up) and relapse as a co-primary outcome. Secondary outcomes are premature discontinuation; change in positive, negative, and depressive symptoms of schizophrenia; response; quality of life; overall functioning; satisfaction with care; adherence; adverse events; and mortality. The study selection and data extraction are performed by two independent reviewers. We will assess the risk of bias of each study using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool 2 and evaluate the confidence in the results using Confidence in Network Meta-Analysis (CINeMA). Subgroup and sensitivity analyses will be conducted to explore heterogeneity and assess the robustness of our findings.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>This systematic review and network meta-analysis aims to compare multiple existing psychological interventions, establishing which are best for symptom reduction, relapse prevention, and other important outcomes in early phase schizophrenia. Our results may provide practical guidance concerning the most effective psychological intervention to reduce symptom severity and the societal burden associated with the disorder.</p>","PeriodicalId":12260,"journal":{"name":"F1000Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11375411/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142139698","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}