Predicting Weight Gain in Patients Treated With Clozapine: The Role of Sex, Body Mass Index, and Smoking.

Objectives: Weight gain on clozapine is highly variable and poorly predictable. Its mechanisms are not well understood. This study explores the factors that predict weight gain between 3 and 12 months of clozapine therapy in community-dwelling patients.

Religiosity, spirituality in relation to disordered eating and body image concerns: A systematic review.

Objective: This systematic review aims to critically examine the existing literature that has reported on the links between aspects of religiosity, spirituality and disordered eating, psychopathology and body image concerns.

Method: A systematic search of online databases (PsycINFO, Medline, Embase and Web of Science) was conducted in December 2014. A search protocol was designed to identify relevant articles that quantitatively explored the relationship between various aspects of religiosity and/or spirituality and disordered eating, psychopathology and/or body image concerns in non-clinical samples of women and men.

The nature of death, coping response and intensity of bereavement following death in the critical care environment.

Introduction: Bereavement, defined as the situation of having recently lost a significant other, is recognised as one of life's greatest stressors and may lead to decrements in health status, psychological morbidity and excess risk of mortality.

Aim: The aim of this study was firstly to describe the relationships between the nature of death and bereavement intensity following death in the adult critical care environment and secondly to examine the modifying effects of coping responses on intensity of bereavement reaction.

Method: Prospective evaluation of the impact of the nature of death and coping responses on bereavement intensity.

The complexities of recruiting bereaved family members into a research study in the critical care environment: a discussion paper.

Research on the effects of stressful events on human health and wellbeing has progressed in recent years. One such stress, bereavement, is considered one of life's greatest stresses, requiring significant readjustment. The Cardiovascular Risk in Bereavement study (CARBER) investigated in detail cardiovascular risk factors during the first weeks following the death of a partner or adult child in the critical care environment.

Developing a model of associations between chronic pain, depressive mood, chronic fatigue, and self-efficacy in people with spinal cord injury.

Unlabelled: Chronic pain, chronic fatigue, and depressive mood are prevalent conditions in people with spinal cord injury (SCI). The objective of this research was to investigate the relationship between these conditions in adults with SCI. Multivariate analysis of variance, contingency analyses, and hierarchical regression were used to determine the nature of the relationship, as well as the contribution to this relationship of self-efficacy, a potential mediator variable.

Effect of early bereavement on heart rate and heart rate variability.

Early bereavement is associated with increased cardiovascular events. The mechanism, however, has not been well studied. We assessed whether bereavement is associated with an increased heart rate (HR) and decreased heart rate variability that might contribute to increased cardiovascular risk.

Physiological correlates of bereavement and the impact of bereavement interventions.

The death of a loved one is recognized as one of life's greatest stresses, with reports of increased mortality and morbidity for the surviving spouse or parent, especially in the early months of bereavement. The aim of this paper is to review the evidence to date to identify physiological changes in the early bereaved period, and evaluate the impact of bereavement interventions on such physiological responses, where they exist. Research to date suggests that bereavement is associated with neuroendocrine activation (cortisol response), altered sleep (electroencephalography changes), immune imbalance (reduced T-lymphocyte proliferation), inflammatory cell mobilization (neutrophils), and prothrombotic response (platelet activation and increased vWF-ag) as well as hemodynamic changes (heart rate and blood pressure), especially in the early months following loss.

Inflammatory and thrombotic changes in early bereavement: a prospective evaluation.

Aims: Although there is an increased cardiovascular risk in the immediate weeks following bereavement, the mechanism is not well understood. The aim of this study was to determine whether inflammatory and thrombotic changes were present in acute bereavement.

Methods And Results: Eighty bereaved spouses or parents were prospectively studied within 2 weeks of bereavement (acute) and at 6 months, and compared to 80 non-bereaved participants.

Concordance between Sources of Morbidity Reports: Self-Reports and Medical Records.

As part of a 10-year follow-up study of morbidity following spouse bereavement, concordance between subject reports of their illness experience and that given by their doctors' and other medical records has been assessed. Enumeration from medical records involved extensive and careful perusal of general practitioner, specialist, and hospital records while subject reports were aided by a structured questionnaire which helped to prompt subjects' memories. The findings showed generally poor concordance between these two sources of morbidity data.

Haemodynamic changes during early bereavement: potential contribution to increased cardiovascular risk.

Background: bereavement is associated with increased cardiovascular risk, particularly in surviving spouses and parents, however the mechanism is not well understood due to limited studies. The purpose of this study was to evaluate haemodynamic changes (blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR)), that may contribute to increased cardiac risk in early bereavement.

Methods: we enrolled 80 bereaved individuals and 80 non-bereaved as a reference group.

The long-term impact of bereavement upon spouse health: a 10-year follow-up.

Unlabelled: Jones MP, Bartrop RW, Forcier L, Penny R. The long-term impact of bereavement upon spouse health: a 10-year follow-up.

Objectives: This study is the first to examine the effect of bereavement of a first-degree family member on subsequent morbidity over a 10-year follow-up period.

Smoking cessation through a novel behavior modification technique.

Smoking remains a major public health problem. Experiencing a myocardial infarction (MI) can be a teachable moment that results in smoking cessation when previous efforts have failed. We tested the feasibility of providing a simulated and personalized experience of an MI to facilitate quitting smoking.

The effect of music on brain wave functioning during an acute psychotic episode: a pilot study.

This pilot study compared the differences in the quantified electroencephalogram (qEEG) between two conditions; eyes closed resting and eyes closed listening to music of 15 subjects currently experiencing an acute psychotic episode. The results showed a significant decrease in delta, alpha and beta waves when listening to music compared to resting condition.

Cardiovascular risk in early bereavement: a literature review and proposed mechanisms.

Objectives: The purpose of this review was to examine the evidence of cardiovascular risk in early bereavement to identify potential risk factors and possible mechanisms for risk that may inform future research directions.

Design: A comprehensive search of electronic databases PubMed Medline, CINAHL and PsycINFO, bereavement related textbooks and reviewed reference lists was undertaken on literature related to evidence of increased risk in bereavement. No limits were set on the searches in terms of date or publication type, but only English language articles were selected.

Pubertal process and green-sickness in Renaissance drama: a form fruste of anorexia nervosa?

Objective: The aim of this paper is to investigate the relationship between puberty and the onset of green-sickness in early modern popular culture with findings on puberty and the onset of anorexia nervosa.

Method: Four plays from the late 16th and early 17th centuries dealing with 14-15-year-old girls were analysed for information on puberty and for precipitating factors for the onset of green-sickness. These were then contrasted with the literature on anorexia nervosa where puberty has been proposed as a potential risk factor for the development of the disorder.

Immunological disturbance and infectious disease in anorexia nervosa: a review.

Objective: Severely malnourished patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) are reported to show fewer symptomatic viral infections and a poorer response to bacterial infection than controls. They are also reported to show mild immune system changes, although the relevance of these to altered infection disease presentation in AN and AN pathophysiology is unknown. Thus, in this paper, we suggest a range of immune system changes that might underpin these altered responses to common pathogens, and review a number of recent infectious disease findings for their utility in explaining the pathophysiology of AN.

Bacterial infections in anorexia nervosa: delayed recognition increases complications.

Objective: We compared the natural history of bacterial infection in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) with controls, and assessed which of a range of patient characteristics were associated with infection, fever response, and the rate of infectious complications in AN patients.

Method: The charts of 311 consecutive hospital admissions of AN patients were reviewed. Patients who had a bacterial infection while in the hospital were compared with the AN patients who did not have an infection, with respect to a range of demographic and disease variables.

Time course and regional distribution of cortical changes during acute alcohol ingestion.

Behavioral effects of alcohol are known to be greater when the blood alcohol is rising, known as the Mellanby effect; however, research investigating the cortical changes during this period is scarce. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of consumption of alcohol on cortical activity measured by the electroencephalogram (EEG) during the absorption or rising phase of alcohol. EEG signals were recorded using the entire 10/20 montage system.

Reduced febrile response to bacterial infection in anorexia nervosa patients.

Objective: To report a reduced febrile response to bacterial infections in anorexia nervosa (AN) patients.

Method: Four cases were obtained from a retrospective review of charts from the St. Paul's Hospital Eating Disorders Program (Vancouver, Canada).