Association between major depression and cardiovascular risk: the role of antidepressant medication.

Rationale And Objectives: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Apart from biological and life style factors, the use of antidepressants and their potentially adverse effects might contribute to the increased CVD risk. Therefore, we compared cardiovascular risk profiles between relatively young depressed patients without CVD with and without antidepressant medication and healthy participants.

Effect of thermodisinfection on mechanic parameters of cancellous bone.

Revision surgery of joint replacements is increasing and raises the demand for allograft bone since restoration of bone stock is crucial for longevity of implants. Proceedings of bone grafts influence the biological and mechanic properties differently. This study examines the effect of thermodisinfection on mechanic properties of cancellous bone.

Branched-chain and aromatic amino acids, insulin resistance and liver specific ectopic fat storage in overweight to obese subjects.

Background & Aims: Amino acids may interfere with insulin action, particularly in obese individuals. We hypothesized that increased circulating branched-chain and aromatic amino acids herald insulin resistance and ectopic fat storage, particularly hepatic fat accumulation.

Methods And Results: We measured fasting branched-chain and aromatic amino acids (tryptophan, tyrosine, and phenylalanine) by mass spectrometry in 111 overweight to obese subjects.

Anti-Aspergillus immunoglobulin-G testing in serum of hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients.

Background: Pulmonary invasive aspergillosis (IA) is a major clinical problem in patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Acquisition of IA during allo-HSCT by inhalation of spores is the rationale for the widespread use of air filtration systems. Recent data suggest that activation of fungal growth in already colonized patients is a relevant factor, and a recent study found a positive correlation of serum immunoglobulin responses against purified recombinant Aspergillus fumigatus proteins before allo-HSCT with the incidence of IA after allo-HSCT.

The impact of iron deficiency and anaemia on exercise capacity and outcomes in patients with chronic heart failure. Results from the Studies Investigating Co-morbidities Aggravating Heart Failure.

Unlabelled: Anaemia and iron deficiency (ID) are important co-morbidities in patients with chronic heart failure (HF) and both may lead to reduced exercise capacity.

Methods: We enrolled 331 out-patients with stable chronic HF (mean age: 64 ± 11 years, 17% female, left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF] 35 ± 13%, body mass index [BMI] 28.5 ± 5.

Lipopolysaccharide responsiveness is an independent predictor of death in patients with chronic heart failure.

Background: The origin of pro-inflammatory activation in chronic heart failure (HF) remains a matter of debate. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) may enter the blood stream through the morphologically altered and leaky gut barrier. We hypothesized that lower LPS reactivity would be associated with worse survival as compared to normal or higher LPS reactivity.

Postnatal investigation of prenatally induced effects on the vertebral column of rats reduces the uncertainty of classification of anomalies.

Classification of substances as teratogenic is based on the observation of external, visceral and skeletal anomalies. Characterization of anomalies as variation or malformation is contingent upon their postnatal persistence and adversity to health. Lack of information thereof may result in inconsistent or incorrect classification.

Precautions surrounding blood transfusion in autoimmune haemolytic anaemias are overestimated.

Background: It is very evident that many precautions are taken regarding transfusion of red blood cells in patients with autoimmune haemolytic anaemia. Frequently, considerable efforts are made to examine the indication and serological compatibility prior to transfusion in such patients. However, at times, this may unnecessarily jeopardize patients who urgently require a red blood cell transfusion.

Glucocorticoids limit acute lung inflammation in concert with inflammatory stimuli by induction of SphK1.

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a severe inflammatory disease for which no specific treatment exists. As glucocorticoids have potent immunosuppressive effects, their application in ALI is currently being tested in clinical trials. However, the benefits of this type of regimen remain unclear.

Safety and efficacy of Temsirolimus in combination with Bendamustine and Rituximab in relapsed mantle cell and follicular lymphoma.

In this phase I/II study, we explored the combination of Temsirolimus with Bendamustine and Rituximab (BeRT) in patients with r/r follicular lymphoma (FL) or mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). Patients with 1-3 prior therapies received Bendamustine (90 mg/m(2), day 1+2) and Rituximab (375 mg/m(2), day 1) with Temsirolimus in doses from 25 to 75 mg added on day 1, 8, 15 of a 28-day cycle. Fifteen (11 MCL, 4 FL) patients were included in the phase I.

Stroke-related sarcopenia: specific characteristics.

Sarcopenia is characterized by muscle wasting and is primarily a disease of the elderly. A stroke-specific sarcopenia has been described recently. Stroke-related sarcopenia has a number of features that distinguish it from the age-related sarcopenia.

Two separable mechanisms are responsible for mental stress effects on high frequency heart rate variability: an intra-individual approach in a healthy and a diabetic sample.

Central withdrawal of parasympathetic cardiac control and increased respiratory frequency represent two important determinants of reduced respiratory-related heart rate variability (HRV). However, studies are missing to disentangle their relative contribution during mental stress. Healthy subjects (n=10) and type 2 diabetic patients (n=8), the latter with evidence of cardiac autonomic neuropathy, participated in this study.

Hair cortisol and cortisol awakening response are associated with criteria of the metabolic syndrome in opposite directions.

Findings on the association between hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity and metabolic risk are equivocal. Different methods of measuring HPA activity might indicate adverse vs. beneficial effects of HPA activity on metabolic risk thus contributing to heterogenous findings.

Effect of current and lifetime posttraumatic stress disorder on 24-h urinary catecholamines and cortisol: results from the Mind Your Heart Study.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and several other chronic illnesses. Alterations in the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in PTSD might contribute to these associations but findings regarding SNS and HPA activity in PTSD are heterogeneous. We measured 24-h urinary catecholamines and cortisol in a large cohort of adult outpatients recruited from 2 Veterans Affairs medical centers.

Evaluating sphingosine and its analogues as potential alternatives for aggressive lymphoma treatment.

Background: Ceramide (Cer) and sphingosine (Sph) interfere with critical cellular functions relevant for cancer progression and cell survival. While Cer has already been investigated as a potential drug target for lymphoma treatment, information about the potency of sphingosine is scarce. The aim of this study therefore was to evaluate Sph and its synthetic stereoisomer L-threo-sphingosine (Lt-Sph) as potential treatment options for aggressive lymphomas.

IL-21 is a central memory T cell-associated cytokine that inhibits the generation of pathogenic Th1/17 effector cells.

IL-21 promotes Th17 differentiation, and Th17 cells that upregulate T-bet, IFN-γ, and GM-CSF drive experimental autoimmune diseases in mice. Anti-IL-21 treatment of autoimmune patients is therefore a therapeutic option, but the role of IL-21 in human T cell differentiation is incompletely understood. IL-21 was produced at high levels by human CD4(+) central memory T cells, suggesting that it is associated with early T cell differentiation.

Antidepressants, autonomic function and mortality in patients with coronary heart disease: data from the Heart and Soul Study.

Background: Antidepressants reduce depressive symptoms in patients with coronary heart disease, but they may be associated with increased mortality. This study aimed to examine whether the use of tricyclic antidepressants (TCA) or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) is associated with mortality in patients with coronary heart disease, and to determine whether this association is mediated by autonomic function.

Method: A total of 956 patients with coronary heart disease were followed for a mean duration of 7.

Personality Pathology of Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder Without Accompanying Intellectual Impairment in Comparison to Adults With Personality Disorders.

Differentiating autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) without accompanying intellectual impairment from personality disorders is often challenging. Identifying personality traits and personality pathology specific to ASD might facilitate diagnostic procedure. We recruited a sample of 59 adults with ASD without accompanying intellectual impairment, 62 individuals with narcissistic personality disorder, 80 individuals with borderline personality disorder, and 106 nonclinical controls.

Enhanced emotional empathy after mineralocorticoid receptor stimulation in women with borderline personality disorder and healthy women.

The mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) is highly expressed in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. MR have an important role in appraisal processes and in modulating stress-associated emotional reactions but it is not known whether the MR affects empathy. Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is characterized by disturbed emotion regulation and alterations in empathy.

Molecular mechanisms and treatment targets of muscle wasting and cachexia in heart failure: an overview.

Purpose Of Review: This article aims to describe molecular pathways involved in the development of muscle wasting and cachexia, diagnostic possibilities, and potential treatments that have seen clinical testing in recent heart failure trials. An understanding of the specific changes that cause an anabolic-catabolic imbalance is an essential first step in the development of pharmaceutical intervention strategies aimed at blocking muscle wasting.

Recent Findings: Skeletal muscle mass and muscle strength are the most important determinants of exercise capacity in patients with heart failure.

Somatropin treatment of spinal muscular atrophy: a placebo-controlled, double-blind crossover pilot study.

In preclinical studies growth hormone and its primary mediator IGF-1 have shown potential to increase muscle mass and strength. A single patient with spinal muscular atrophy reported benefit after compassionate use of growth hormone. Therefore we evaluated the efficacy and safety of growth hormone treatment for spinal muscular atrophy in a multicenter, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover pilot trial.

Quantification of sphingosine-1-phosphate and related sphingolipids by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry.

Liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry has evolved as the method of choice for the detection of sphingolipid metabolites due to its high sensitivity and superior specificity compared to other methodological approaches. Here, we describe a simple and robust method for the detection and quantification of sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) and related sphingolipids in biological samples. Tissue homogenates, cells, supernatant, plasma, and whole blood are spiked with an internal standard to account for loss of material during sample handling.