Reasons for adherence and nonadherence: a pilot study comparing first- and multi-episode schizophrenia patients.

Rationale: Most first-episode schizophrenia patients will stop their medication after their acute symptoms improve. Understanding the salient motivations and attitudes that drive adherence--as well as nonadherence--is an important part of developing strategies to prevent or delay nonadherence during the early phases of the illness.

Methods: Self-reported reasons for adherence and nonadherence among first-episode and multi-episode patients with schizophrenia were obtained from cross-sectional adherence interviews from two prospective adherence studies: one composed of a first-episode sample (n=33) and the other with recently relapsing multi-episode patients (n=16).

Immunological activity of larch arabinogalactan and Echinacea: a preliminary, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Unlabelled: The immunomodulating effects of two Echinacea species, E. purpurea and E. angustifolia and larch arabinogalactan extracted from Larix occidentalis were examined in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, prospective four-week clinical trial at a naturopathic medical school research center.

Immunopathology of renal disease.

The reviewed information implicates immune mechanisms in a variety of renal glomerular and tubulointerstitial diseases. Antibodies reactive with intrinsic structural or planted endogenous or exogenous antigens, and with circulating endogenous or exogenous antigens can initiate inflammatory capillary injury by localization in glomerular capillary tufts or along tubular basement membranes. This results in activation of mediator systems, including complement, neutrophils and other leukocytes, amines, peptides, and proteases, which result in vascular and tissue alterations.