The application of new methodologies to determine quantitative changes in melanocytes elicited by specific causative inflammatory agents has implications to prevent PIH, add to knowledge about disease duration, to develop better treatments for PIH, and to aid our understanding of the biology

of the melanocyte.”
“Background and objective: The management of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is dependent on the extent of pulmonary artery obstruction, which is usually evaluated by planar perfusion scanning and CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA). We previously HDAC activity assay reported that SPECT perfusion scanning is more sensitive than planar scanning for detecting vascular obstruction in CTEPH. The purpose of this study is to compare SPECT with CTPA for detecting segmental pulmonary artery obstruction FGFR inhibitor in CTEPH.

Methods: SPECT and CTPA were carried out before pulmonary endarterectomy in 12 CTEPH patients. Field experts

documented the anatomical distribution of perfusion defects disclosed by SPECT, the anatomical distribution of pulmonary arterial filling defects disclosed by CTPA and the segmental anatomy of the vascular obstructions based on a review of clinical and pathology records, without knowledge of scan results.

Results: Clinical/pathological evaluation disclosed 140 obstructed (15.5 +/- 2.5 per patient) and 40 unobstructed lung segments. SPECT scanning identified 87/140 (62%) of the obstructed and 29/40 (72%) of the unobstructed segments. By comparison, CTPA identified 67/140 (47.8%) of the obstructed and 32/40 (80%) of the unobstructed segments. Sensitivity for detecting obstructed segments was significantly higher for SPECT compared with CTPA (62 +/- 4.1% vs 47.8 +/- 2.9%, respectively;

P = 0.03).

Conclusions: SPECT is more sensitive than CTPA for identifying obstructed segments in this small sample of CTEPH patients. However, even SPECT underrepresents the extent of vascular obstruction from this disease.”
“The importance of medication adherence in EPZ-6438 sustaining control of schizophrenic symptoms has generated a great deal of interest in comparing levels of treatment adherence with different antipsychotic agents. However, the bulk of the research has yielded results that are often inconsistent. In this prospective, observational study, we assessed the measurement properties of 3 commonly used, pharmacy-based measures of treatment adherence with antipsychotic agents in schizophrenia using data from the Veterans Health Administration during 2000 to 2005. Patients were selected if they were on antipsychotics and diagnosed with schizophrenia (N = 18,425). A gap of >= 30 days (with no filled index medication) was used to define discontinuation of treatment as well as medication “”episodes,”" or the number of times a patient returned to the same index agent after discontinuation of treatment within a 1-year period.