End-of-dose withdrawal from lamotrigine is a clinically significant adverse effect that can hamper Successful treatment with this medication. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.”
“BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: In Switzerland, as in most developed

countries, there has been a growing prevalence of excess weight in recent decades. However, within the country there may be regional variations. We investigated whether the trends in excess weight prevalence in the largest urban region differed from that in the rest of German Switzerland (GS).

METHODS: We used individual data from four nationally representative Swiss Health Surveys (1992-2007) and from one survey conducted in the Canton of Zurich (ZH) learn more in 2009. All studies used self-reported height and weight (18-74 years, N = 41 628). Prevalence rates of excess weight (BMI = 25 kg/m(2))

were age standardised and population weighted. Odds ratios (OR: normal vs. excess weight) were obtained with weighted multivariable logistic regression.

RESULTS: The prevalence of excess weight was lower in ZH than in GS, with increasing differences over time. In GS, OR increased in men (p find more trend 1992-2007 < 0.001) and stagnated in women. In contrast, in ZH, OR stagnated in men and decreased in women (p trend 1997-2009 = 0.005). Within ZH, compared to the capital city, OR were higher in men in the less privileged part of the Metropolitan Area (p = 0.046) and in women not living in the Zurich Metropolitan Area AZ 628 supplier (p = 0.049).

CONCLUSION: In ZH, the prevalence of excess weight stagnated in men and decreased after having reached a peak in 1997 in women. This is the first study showing a decrease in Swiss adults, a population with internationally low excess weight prevalence. There is room for speculation whether ZH is a harbinger of the future situation in other regions of Switzerland and possibly other developed countries.”
“To validate the Chinese Mandarin version of the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey (MOS-SSS-CM) using a model of ordinal unidimensional measurement known as Mokken scaling.

We

administered in face-to-face interviews the MOS-SSS-CM to 200 patients with coronary heart disease. Data were analysed using Mokken scaling.

The MOS-SSS-CM contains a set of items which meet the criteria of a reliable (Rho = 0.87) moderate Mokken scale (H = 0.40) with weak invariant item ordering (H = 0.39).

The MOS-SSS-CM has a hierarchy of items which can be interpreted in terms of concerns with the physical aspects of social support through the need for companionship to items related to more personal worries.”
“Study Design. Case description.

Objectives. To describe a rare case of traumatic lumbar disc rupture into the dural sac associated with a mild vertebral body compression fracture and review the pertinent medical literature.

Summary of Background Data.