Calcitonin determination by a fast and highly sensitive enzyme amplified immunoassay

A colorimetric enzyme amplification system was used to develop an immunoassay for human calcitonin (hCT) with a sensitivity of 6 pmol/l, and intra- and inter-assay CVs of 12% and 11.8% respectively for the low pool, and 10% and 11.2% for the high pool. The mean recovery of added synthetic hCT (58.5 pmol) from the plasma of 10 patients was 110% (64.4 pmol). The correlation coefficient between radioimmunoassay (RIA) and amplified enzymo-immunoassay was found to be 0.96 (p 0.001). The assay was successfully applied to the measurement of elevated calcitonin levels in plasma from patients with medullary carcinoma of the thyroid (MCT). AEIA offered a reliable and sensitive alternative to RIA for calcitonin determination with the added advantage of convenience as the label employed was much more stable.     

Treatment Options in Severe Psychotic Depression

In our sample of 15 hospitalized patients with severe psychotic depression, six responded to therapy with tricyclic antidepressants combined with neuroleptics. Of the nine nonresponders, eight showed an excellent clinical response to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). The clinical outcome after 6 months of treatment was similar in both groups. We recommend that protracted, complicated trials of pharmacotherapy be reevaluated in psychotic depression. A prospective comparative study of ECT and pharmacotherapy is needed to define the optimal treatment for psychotic depression.     

Discrimination Trends and Mental Health Among Native- and Foreign-Born Latinos: Results from National Surveys in 2004 and 2013

Prevention Science - We examined national trends and mental health correlates of discrimination among Latinos in the USA. We used data from two nationally representative surveys based on the...