Tardive Dyskinesia: analysis of outpatients with schizophrenia from Africa and the Middle East, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, and Latin America.

The point prevalence of Tardive Dyskinesia (TD) in schizophrenia outpatients (n=6981) participating in a study of health outcomes was 8.9%. Duration of diagnosis, age, and prior use of typical antipsychotics were diagnostic indicators of TD in this population, with male sex further increasing risk.

Dietary carbohydrate, fibre, glycaemic index, glycaemic load and the risk of postmenopausal breast cancer.

Evidence that the insulin pathway may be involved in breast carcinogenesis has increased the interest in dietary factors that influence insulin secretion and resistance. We investigated dietary carbohydrate, fibre, glycaemic index (GI) and glycaemic load (GL) in a prospective study of 324 breast cancers diagnosed in 12,273 post-menopausal women. Although an increase of 1 standard deviation in carbohydrate was marginally associated with risk of breast cancer, relative risk (RR) 1.

Plastic plants and patchy soils.

Soil nutrients are distributed in a non-uniform or 'patchy' manner. It is well established that the modular nature of root systems allows them to show both morphological and/or physiological plasticity upon encountering nutrient-rich patches. These plastic responses are widely believed to be foraging mechanisms by the plant to enhance nutrient resource capture.

Evaluation of brief dietary questions to estimate vegetable and fruit consumption - using serum carotenoids and red-cell folate.

Objective: To evaluate responses to self-administered brief questions regarding consumption of vegetables and fruit by comparison with blood levels of serum carotenoids and red-cell folate.

Design: A cross-sectional study in which participants reported their usual intake of fruit and vegetables in servings per day, and serum levels of five carotenoids (alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lutein/zeaxanthin and lycopene) and red-cell folate were measured. Serum carotenoid levels were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography, and red-cell folate by an automated immunoassay system.

Kangaroo versus freestyle stentless bioprostheses in a juvenile sheep model: hemodynamic performance and calcification behavior.

Background: Glutaraldehyde-preserved bioprosthetic heart valve substitutes have limited performance and longevity due to tissue degeneration and calcification. The Freestyle valve (Medtronic Heart Valves, Inc, Minneapolis, MN) combines zero fixation pressure and proportional, variant-amino oleic acid (AOA) as antidegeneration and antimineralization measures. The aim of this study was to compare the calcification behavior of glutaraldehyde-preserved kangaroo aortic valves with Freestyle stentless bioprostheses in a juvenile sheep model.

Prevalence of sexual dysfunction in patients with schizophrenia: international variation and underestimation.

The prevalence of sexual dysfunction in schizophrenia patients was investigated as part of this large (n = 7655), prospective, international (27 countries) study. Based on patient reports, sexual dysfunction affected approx. 50% of patients and the prevalence of complaints varied significantly between regions (p < 0.

Glycemic index and dietary fiber and the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Objective: To examine associations between type 2 diabetes and fiber, glycemic load (GL), dietary glycemic index (GI), and fiber-rich foods.

Research Design And Methods: This was a prospective study of 36,787 men and women aged 40-69 years without diabetes. For all self-reported cases of diabetes at 4-year follow-up, confirmation of diagnosis was sought from medical practitioners.

Socio-demographic inequalities in the diets of mid-aged Australian women.

Objectives: This study reports on the distributions of food and nutrient intakes by socio-demographic factors for a large population sample of mid-aged Australian women participating in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health.

Design: This cross-sectional population-based study used the Cancer Council of Victoria food frequency questionnaires to derive estimates of food and nutrient intakes.

Setting: Nationwide community-based survey.

Increased diabetes incidence in Greek and Italian migrants to Australia: how much can be explained by known risk factors?

Objective: The aims of the study were to determine whether Greek or Italian migrants to Australia have an elevated incidence of type 2 diabetes compared with Australian-born individuals and to what extent any differences can be explained by known risk factors.

Research Design And Methods: This was a prospective study of 34,097 men and women aged 40-69 years born in Greece, Italy, Australia, or New Zealand who were free from diabetes at baseline. For all self-reported cases of diabetes at the 4-year follow-up, a confirmation of diagnosis was sought from medical practitioners.

Red meat, chicken, and fish consumption and risk of colorectal cancer.

Background: Red meat and processed meat consumption have been associated with increased risk of colorectal cancer in some, but not all, relevant cohort studies. Evidence on the relationship between risk of colorectal cancer and poultry and fish consumption is inconsistent.

Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study of 37,112 residents of Melbourne, Australia recruited from 1990 to 1994.

Plant and mycorrhizal regulation of rhizodeposition.

The loss of carbon from roots (rhizodeposition) and the consequent proliferation of microorganisms in the surrounding soil, coupled with the physical presence of a root and processes associated with nutrient uptake, gives rise to a unique zone of soil called the rhizosphere. In this review, we bring together evidence to show that roots can directly regulate most aspects of rhizosphere C flow either by regulating the exudation process itself or by directly regulating the recapture of exudates from soil. Root exudates have been hypothesized to be involved in the enhanced mobilization and acquisition of many nutrients from soil or the external detoxification of metals.

ADAPT-treated porcine valve tissue (cusp and wall) versus Medtronic Freestyle and Prima Plus: crosslink stability and calcification behavior in the subcutaneous rat model.

Background And Aim Of The Study: The study aim was to compare the crosslink stability and calcification behavior of porcine tissue (cusp and wall), treated with a new antimineralization process (ADAPT) with that of commercially prepared Freestyle and Prima Plus bioprosthetic tissues.

Methods: Porcine aortic roots were divided into two groups: (i) tissue zero pressure-fixed with 0.625% glutaraldehyde (GA) for seven days and stored in 0.

Evaluation of stentless kangaroo aortic valves in the mitral position of juvenile sheep.

Background And Aim Of The Study: The performance and longevity of bioprosthetic heart valves are limited by tissue calcification and degeneration after implantation. Experimental valve replacement in large animal models forms an important component of the preclinical evaluation of these bioprosthetic heart valves. The study aim was to assess the feasibility of a mitral model for stentless valves and to evaluate the calcification behavior of stentless glutaraldehyde-preserved kangaroo heart valves in the mitral position of a sheep model.

Beyond insulin resistance in NASH: TNF-alpha or adiponectin?

Adiponectin has antilipogenic and anti-inflammatory effects, while tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) reduces insulin sensitivity and has proinflammatory effects. We examined (1) the extent to which hypoadiponectinemia and TNF-alpha activation are features of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and (2) whether serum levels of these markers correlate with the severity of histological changes in 109 subjects with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), including 80 with NASH and 29 with simple steatosis. By multivariate analysis, subjects with NASH had reduced adiponectin level and increased TNF-alpha and soluble TNF receptor 2 (sTNFR2)-but not leptin levels, compared with controls matched by age, sex, and body mass index; these differences were independent of the increased insulin resistance (by homeostasis model [HOMA-IR]) in NASH.

How well do Australian women comply with dietary guidelines?

Objective: To investigate the proportion of middle-aged Australian women meeting national dietary recommendations and its variation according to selected sociodemographic and behavioural characteristics.

Design: This cross-sectional population-based study used a food-frequency questionnaire to investigate dietary patterns and compliance with 13 commonly promoted dietary guidelines among a cohort of middle-aged women participating in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health.

Setting: Nation-wide community-based survey.

HLA class II typing in newborns reveals a low frequency of the DRB1*04 allele and a high frequency of DRB1*11 allele in three regions of continental Italy.

As part of a longitudinal study aimed at defining the natural history of prediabetic autoimmunity and predicting the risk of future cases of type 1 diabetes, 3607 newborns from three regions of continental Italy (Lombardia, Liguria, and Lazio) were subjected to genetic testing to determine human leukocyte antigen-DRB1 (HLA-DRB1) and -DQB1 allele and phenotype frequencies. Polymerase chain reaction and immobilized sequence-specific oligonucleotide probe assays were used to identify ten DRB1 allele lineages and three DQB1 alleles. No major inter-regional differences emerged in the allelic distribution indicating homogeneous distribution of the HLA DRB1-DQB1 alleles among the three regions analyzed.

Effectiveness of antipsychotic treatments for schizophrenia: interim 6-month analysis from a prospective observational study (IC-SOHO) comparing olanzapine, quetiapine, risperidone, and haloperidol.

Background: The Intercontinental Schizophrenia Outpatient Health Outcomes (IC-SOHO) study was designed to provide information regarding use and outcome of antipsychotic treatments in a large, diverse population in real practice settings.

Method: Outpatients with schizophrenia (ICD-10 or DSM-IV) who initiated or changed to a new antipsychotic entered this 3-year, naturalistic, prospective observational study. Four monotherapy treatment groups were defined according to the antipsychotic prescribed at baseline, namely olanzapine, risperidone, quetiapine, and haloperidol.

Foods, nutrients and prostate cancer.

Objective: To examine the risk of prostate cancer associated with foods and nutrients, including individual fatty acids and carotenoids.

Methods: Population-based case-control study of 858 men aged <70 years at diagnosis with histologically confirmed prostate cancer of Gleason Grade 5 or greater, and 905 age-frequency-matched men, selected at random from the electoral rolls. Dietary intakes were assessed with a 121-item food frequency questionnaire.

Closed head injury in elderly and nonelderly patients.

Aim: To investigate differences in clinical presentation between elderly and nonelderly patients with traumatic closed head injury (CHI).

Methods: A retrospective chart review was used to compare the initial presentation of elderly versus nonelderly adult patients evaluated at two trauma centers with a final diagnosis of CHI confirmed by computed tomography (CT).

Results: Of 171 patients who met inclusion criteria, 114 (67%) were placed in the nonelderly group and 57 (33%) in the elderly group.

Body mass index, height and cumulative menstrual cycles at the time of diagnosis are not risk factors for poor outcome in breast cancer.

Obesity, height and age at menarche have been shown to be risk factors for the development of primary breast cancer. However, their prognostic influence on breast cancer once it has presented is uncertain. The present study analysed 448 patients with primary breast cancer to determine whether or not body mass index (BMI), height and cumulative menstrual cycles at diagnosis are independent prognostic variables.

The impact of adjacent level disc degeneration on health status outcomes following lumbar fusion.

Study Design: A retrospective review of patient outcomes after lumbar spinal fusion.

Objective: To determine whether patients with a fusion ending adjacent to a "degenerated disc" (DDD group) had worse clinical outcomes than patients with fusions ending adjacent to "normal" discs (NL group).

Summary Of Background Data: Although it has been suggested that creating a rigid motion segment adjacent to a degenerated segment may negatively impact clinical outcomes after lumbar fusion, this question has not been addressed to our knowledge in the English literature.

N capture by Plantago lanceolata and Brassica napus from organic material: the influence of spatial dispersion, plant competition and an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus.

This study investigated N capture by Plantago lanceolata L. and Brassica napus L. from complex organic material (dual-labelled with 15N/13C) added either as a thin concentrated layer (discrete patch treatment) or dispersed uniformly with the background sand:soil mix in a 10 cm band (dispersed treatment) when grown in monoculture or in interspecific competition and in the presence or absence of a mycorrhizal inoculum (Glomus mosseae).

Glutaraldehyde-fixed kangaroo aortic wall tissue: histology, crosslink stability and calcification potential.

Stentless aortic heart valve substitutes, manufactured from biological tissues, are fixed with glutaraldehyde to cross-link collagen, reduce antigenicity, and sterilize the tissue. Despite improved cross linking, reduced antigenicity, and various anticalcification measures, the aortic wall tissue present in these prostheses tends to calcify. The aim of this study was to assess the morphology, collagen cross-link stability, and calcification potential of glutaraldehyde-preserved kangaroo aortic wall tissue as opposed to porcine aortic wall tissue.