Prevalence and clinical correlates of vitamin D inadequacy among patients with chronic pain.

Objective: Vitamin D inadequacy is associated with medication refractory musculoskeletal pain and neuromuscular dysfunction. This vitamin deficiency could subsist as an unrecognized comorbid condition among patients with chronic pain. The primary objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and clinical correlates of vitamin D inadequacy in patients seeking treatment for chronic pain.

Web-based learning versus standardized patients for teaching clinical diagnosis: a randomized, controlled, crossover trial.

Background: Little evidence exists to guide the selection of methods for teaching clinical diagnosis.

Purpose: To compare the efficacy, student preference, and cost of a Web-based (WB) program versus a standardized patient (SP) encounter for teaching clinical diagnosis skills to 2nd-year medical students.

Methods: Randomized, controlled, crossover study comparing WB versus SP-based teaching for the clinical diagnosis of abdominal pain and headache.

Principal component analysis of nonlinear chromatography.

Principal component analysis (PCA) has been used for the modeling of nonlinear chromatography under overload conditions. A 10-fold range of crude erythromycin samples were loaded onto columns with different stationary-phase chemistries (2 polystyrene, 1 methacrylate) in direct proportion to the bed volumes. The elution profiles indicated slightly concave isotherms for the polystyrene supports and a convex Langmuirian isotherm for the methacrylic support used.

Mechanical stability of immobilized biocatalysts (CLECs) in dilute agitated suspensions.

Cross-linked enzyme crystals (CLECs) are a novel form of immobilized biocatalyst designed for application in industrial biotransformation processes. In this work we have investigated the mechanical stability of agitated CLEC suspensions in relation to the design and scale-up of bioconversions carried out in stirred-tank reactors. By careful control of the crystallization conditions yeast alcohol dehydrogenase I (YADHI) microcrystals of different size were first prepared having either an hexagonal (approximately 12 microm) or rod-shaped (approximately 4.