Influence of gender on cytokine induced depression and treatment: Gender aspects of IFN-α-induced depression.

Background: Cytokine treatment with Interferon-alpha (IFN-α) represents a clinical model of immune associated depression, but it remains unclear if it is of the same entity as major depressive disorder (MDD). The study focuses on possible gender differences in IFN-α induced depression and effects of a pre-emptive antidepressant treatment.

Methods: Data from 181 patients with chronic hepatitis C infection (cHC) without history of mental illnesses undergoing treatment with IFN-α 2a and ribavirin were re-analyzed for gender effects.

Photosynthetic acclimation responses of maize seedlings grown under artificial laboratory light gradients mimicking natural canopy conditions.

In this study we assessed the ability of the C4 plant maize to perform long-term photosynthetic acclimation in an artificial light quality system previously used for analyzing short-term and long-term acclimation responses (LTR) in C3 plants. We aimed to test if this light system could be used as a tool for analyzing redox-regulated acclimation processes in maize seedlings. Photosynthetic parameters obtained from maize samples harvested in the field were used as control.

Escitalopram for the prevention of peginterferon-α2a-associated depression in hepatitis C virus-infected patients without previous psychiatric disease: a randomized trial.

Background: Depression is a major complication during treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection with interferon-α (IFN-α). It is unclear whether antidepressants can prevent IFN-induced depression in patients without psychiatric risk factors.

Objective: To examine whether preemptive antidepressant treatment with escitalopram can decrease the incidence or severity of depression associated with pegylated IFN-α in HCV-infected patients without a history of psychiatric disorders.

Long-term outcome of endoscopic and/or percutaneous transhepatic therapy in patients with biliary stricture after orthotopic liver transplantation.

Background: Biliary strictures are a serious complication after liver transplantation. Endoscopic and percutaneous transhepatic procedures have gained an increasing potential for the management of this problem.

Objective: Long-term follow-up of endoscopic and/or percutaneous transhepatic therapy of biliary strictures after liver transplantation was evaluated.

[A 17 year old adolescent with chronic neutropenia, recurrent infections, severe dysphagia and peroneus palsy].

A 17-year-old German adolescent with a four year history of neutropenia and repeated infections presented with severe dysphagia and progressive right-sided peroneus palsy. In the past four years, extensive medical workup had been performed, and despite conspicuous findings, no diagnosis was made. Finally we diagnosed HIV related CMV esophagitis and HIV associated polyneuropathy.