Clozapine is associated with secondary antibody deficiency.

Background: Schizophrenia affects 1% of the population. Clozapine is the only medication licensed for treatment-resistant schizophrenia and is intensively monitored to prevent harm from neutropenia. Clozapine is also associated with increased risk of pneumonia although the mechanism is poorly understood.

Relation of Coronary Artery Diameters With Cardiorespiratory Fitness.

Cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with reduced cardiovascular morbidity and mortality when adjusted for traditional risk factors. Mechanisms by which fitness reduces risk have been studied but remain incompletely understood. We hypothesize that higher fitness is associated with larger coronary artery diameters independent of its effect on traditional risk factors.

Low 25-OH vitamin D levels are not associated with coronary artery calcium or obstructive stenoses.

Background: It is unclear whether low vitamin D is a significant risk factor for the presence of either calcific atherosclerosis or obstructive coronary artery stenoses.

Design: In this study, we measured the 25-OH vitamin D levels of 1131 consecutive individuals who underwent coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring and coronary computed tomographic angiography at our institution.

Participants And Methods: We looked for any association of 25-OH vitamin D levels with CAC scores.

NEOSCOPE: a randomised Phase II study of induction chemotherapy followed by either oxaliplatin/capecitabine or paclitaxel/carboplatin based chemoradiation as pre-operative regimen for resectable oesophageal adenocarcinoma.

Background: Both oxaliplatin/capecitabine-based chemoradiation (OXCAP-RT) and carboplatin-paclitaxel based radiation (CarPac-RT) are active regimens in oesophageal adenocarcinoma, but no randomised study has compared their efficacy and toxicity. This randomised phase II "pick a winner" trial will identify the optimum regimen to take forward to a future phase III trial against neo-adjuvant chemotherapy, the current standard in the UK.

Methods/design: Patients with resectable adenocarcinoma of the oesophagus or Siewert Type 1-2 gastro-oesophageal junction (GOJ), ≥T3 and/or ≥ N1 are eligible for the study.

Catholic mass and its healing implications for the addicted person.

A convenience sample of 12 recovering alcoholics/addicts were interviewed, using open-ended interviews, during 2009 regarding their experience of Catholic Mass in relation to their recovery. Half of the participants had been raised Catholic, whereas the other half had converted. All have participated in Alcoholics Anonymous and lived in various areas in California.

Utility of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein versus coronary artery calcium for the detection of obstructive stenoses in stable patients.

The inflammatory biomarker high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) has emerged as a predictor of future cardiovascular events. Screening for coronary artery calcium (CAC) is an alternative method for stratifying subjects by their cardiovascular risk. It is unclear, however, how hs-CRP compares with CAC scoring for the detection of obstructive coronary artery stenoses.

Computed tomography detection of carotid calcium and subclinical carotid atherosclerosis.

Computed tomography (CT) detection of coronary calcium has become a popular technique for assessing coronary atherosclerosis. Whether CT detection of carotid calcium could similarly assess carotid atherosclerosis is unknown. We thus performed a study evaluating the feasibility of carotid calcium scoring by CT.

Effect of increasing body mass index on image quality and positive predictive value of 100-kV coronary computed tomographic angiography.

Lowering the voltage to 100 kV is an effective method of reducing the radiation of coronary computed tomographic angiography (CTA). It is unknown, however, whether one could use a 100-kV CTA protocol with overweight or obese patients. We, thus, evaluated the effect of increasing body mass index (BMI) on various image quality parameters of 100-kV CTA.

Relation of a coronary artery calcium score higher than 400 to coronary stenoses detected using multidetector computed tomography and to traditional cardiovascular risk factors.

Coronary artery calcium (CAC) is an excellent surrogate for atherosclerosis. However, this calcium is nonspecific for obstructive heart disease. This study sought to determine (1) the frequency of significant computed tomographic (CT) angiographic stenoses as a function of CAC scores, and (2) whether high CAC scores were associated with these stenoses independent of traditional risk factors.

Resilience in children of substance users: in their own words.

Understanding what children of alcoholics and other substance users experience has dominated the scientific literature and popular press for the past several decades. To date, the empirical studies have relied primarily on quantitative data to understand the individual and environmental factors associated with the lives, the developmental trajectories, and the growth of children of alcoholics and other substance users. Many of these studies focus on their risks, and very few of them focus on their strengths.

Proteolytic yeasts isolated from raw, ripe tomatoes and metabiotic association of Geotrichum candidum with Salmonella.

Metabiotic associations between food-borne fungi and bacteria capable of causing human diseases are a public health concern. A survey of decayed and damaged, uncooked, ripe tomatoes was done to determine the presence and prevalence of yeasts capable of increasing the pH pulp tissue, thus creating a more favorable environment for survival and growth of enteric pathogens. Sixty-two of the 371 (16.

Association between genetic polymorphisms in the prostate-specific antigen gene promoter and serum prostate-specific antigen levels.

Background: Recent evidence suggests that genetic variation in the promoter of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) gene may contribute to individual variation in serum PSA levels. However, polymorphisms associated with variations in PSA levels have not been identified.

Methods: We used the polymerase chain reaction to amplify the promoter region of the PSA genes (nucleotide positions -3873 to -5749 with respect to the start of transcription) of 409 healthy white men at risk for lung disease.

Proteolytic fungi isolated from decayed and damaged raw tomatoes and implications associated with changes in pericarp pH favorable for survival and growth of foodborne pathogens.

Raw and minimally processed high-acid fruits and vegetables are considered to be at low or no risk for supporting growth of foodborne pathogens. The potential increase in the pH of tissues as a result of fungal growth, however, may enhance the potential for survival and growth. We examined 77 decayed and 138 damaged, raw, ripe tomatoes for the presence of yeasts and molds that produce proteolytic enzymes and other metabolites that can potentially increase the pH of pulp tissue.

Effectiveness of cognitive therapy for depression in a community mental health center: a benchmarking study.

The current study examined the feasibility and effectiveness of transporting an empirically supported treatment for depression, cognitive therapy (CT), to a community mental health center setting. CT was delivered to 192 adult outpatients with major depression, and a benchmarking strategy compared results with those of 2 randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The 3 samples were largely similar in terms of initial severity of depression, and CT was as effective in reducing depressive symptoms in the current sample as in the RCTs.

Genistein and vitamin D synergistically inhibit human prostatic epithelial cell growth.

We performed studies to test synergism between the growth inhibitory effects of genistein and vitamin D compounds on prostatic epithelial cells. Isobolographic analysis demonstrated that genistein, in combination with the hormonally active form of cholecalciferol, 1alpha,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol, synergistically inhibited the growth of primary human prostatic epithelial cells (HPEC) and prostate cancer cells. Synergistic growth inhibition of HPEC was also observed between genistein and the low-calcemic vitamin D compound 25-hydroxycholecalciferol.

p27Kip1 is essential for the antiproliferative action of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 in primary, but not immortalized, mouse embryonic fibroblasts.

1alpha,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D(3) (1,25(OH)(2)D(3)) inhibits the growth of numerous cancer cell types. The intracellular proteins that mediate 1,25(OH)(2)D(3)-induced growth inhibition are poorly defined, although it is speculated that p21 and p27 are involved. We tested the requirement of p21 and p27 by treating primary wild-type, p21(-/-), and p27(-/-) mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) with 100 nm 1,25(OH)(2)D(3).