Characterization of N-acetyltransferase 1 and 2 polymorphisms and haplotype analysis for inflammatory bowel disease and sporadic colorectal carcinoma

Background  

N-acetyltransferase 1 (NAT1) and 2 (NAT2) are polymorphic isoenzymes responsible for the metabolism of numerous drugs and carcinogens. Acetylation catalyzed by NAT1 and NAT2 are important in metabolic activation of arylamines to electrophilic intermediates that initiate carcinogenesis. Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) consist of Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), both are associated with increased colorectal cancer (CRC) risk. We hypothesized that NAT1 and/or NAT2 polymorphisms contribute to the increased cancer evident in IBD.     

The cholinomimetic agent carbachol induces headache in healthy subjects

The parasympathetic nervous system is likely to be involved in migraine pathogenesis. We hypothesized that the cholinomimetic agonist carbachol would induce headache and vasodilation of cephalic and radial arteries. Carbachol (3 µg/kg) or placebo was randomly infused into 12 healthy subjects in a double-blind crossover study. Headache was scored on a verbal rating scale from 0–10. Velocity in the middle cerebral artery (V_MCA) and diameter of the superficial temporal artery (STA) and radial artery (RA) were recorded. Nine participants developed headache after carbachol compared with three after placebo. The area under the curve for headache was increased after carbachol compared with placebo both during infusion (0–30 min) ( P  = 0.042) and in the postinfusion period (30–90 min) ( P  = 0.027). Carbachol infusion caused a drop in V_MCA ( P  = 0.003) and an increase in STA diameter ( P  = 0.006), but no increase in the RA diameter ( P  = 0.200). In conclusion, the study demonstrated that carbachol caused headache and dilation of cephalic arteries in healthy subjects.     

Screening for posttraumatic stress disorder in a general psychiatric outpatient setting

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may affect survivors of a number of accidents and illnesses, in addition to violence victims and combat veterans. Prior research suggests that PTSD may be underdiagnosed when trauma is not the presenting problem. Thus, a PTSD screening scale might have utility in routine clinical settings. The authors evaluated the screening performance of the Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS) in a general psychiatric setting. Results indicated that the PDS performed as well in this setting as it did in the original trauma-focused validation studies, independent of PTSD status as a primary, versus secondary, reason for presenting. A simple cutoff score was adequate for case identification. There were no gender effects, and the scale performed equally well among patients with, versus without, a depressive diagnosis.     

Exploring the relationship between different psychosocial determinants of depression: a multidimensional scaling analysis

BACKGROUND: The psychological literature concerned with the aetiology and maintenance of depression has generally been considered too diverse to allow for integration of concepts into a single comprehensive review. Moreover, there is little understanding of the original theorists' conceptualisation of the key themes underlying psychosocial theories of depression. This study aims to create a single framework of psychosocial depression concepts based on the opinions of key original theorists. METHOD: A quantitative integration of depression factors was conducted. Ninety-nine factors were identified from 27 theories. Fourteen of the original theorists sorted the factors into groups using a card sort task. RESULTS: Three-way multidimensional scaling (MDS) produced a four-dimensional solution with high explained variance and low stress. Dimension one describes cognitions resulting in a lack of positive intrapersonal and interpersonal communication. Dimension two emphasises behaviours and the impact of environmental stressors. Dimension three describes the individual's pursuit of unrealistic goals and a perceived lack of control. Finally, Dimension four describes concepts relating to self-focus and self-reinforcement. LIMITATIONS: future research could examine clinicians and depressed individuals' understandings of the literature. CONCLUSIONS: the MDS solution identifies the original theorists' collective understanding of the literature. Clinicians could usefully employ the framework to identify the underlying psychosocial themes involved in depression. Moreover the study highlights the need for clinicians to consider the relationships between different conceptual areas in order to challenge the chronic nature of the depressive experience and the high rates of relapse.     

A survey of psychiatric outpatients on quality of care

Despite increased emphasis on the quality of health care and on the dissemination of information about quality to the public, expectations are equivocal about consumers' interest in such information. A total of 110 psychiatric outpatients were asked about how they selected their mental health provider and were surveyed about their views on the quality of mental health care. Most study participants believed that quality can vary by provider, viewed themselves as active consumers of health care, desired more information about quality, and stated that if they had information about quality they would use such information when selecting a provider. Nevertheless, few sought such information in finding their clinician. Lower educational level of the participant was associated with a lower rating of interest in clinician quality.     

An outbreak of food poisoning in a military establishment

Background: An outbreak of food poisoning in a military establishment mess was investigated and remedial measures suggested.