Pilot intervention study of a low-salt diet with monomagnesium di-L-glutamate as an umami seasoning in psychiatric inpatients.

BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia patients have an elevated prevalence of stroke and cardiovascular risk factors, such as elevated body mass index, hypertension, and hyperlipidaemia. This pilot study investigated the influence of a low-sodium diet using umami seasoning on food intake and clinical parameters in schizophrenia patients. METHODS: A single-blind crossover intervention study was conducted in 15 clinical schizophrenia patients given a low-sodium diet with or without umami seasoning, monomagnesium di-L-glutamate, for 2 weeks. After the initial 2-week intervention, there was a 2-week washout period, and then the interventions were switched. Daily body weight, body mass index, abdominal circumference, blood pressure, and nutrient intake for each subject were determined. RESULTS: The results showed that subjects given monomagnesium di-L-glutamate had an approximately 25.9% reduction in dietary sodium. Furthermore, daily energy intake did not decrease, and no significant changes in body weight, body mass index, abdominal circumference, blood pressure, and nutrient intake were observed. CONCLUSIONS: The use of umami seasonings, such as monomagnesium di-L-glutamate, might be an effective long-term strategy for psychiatric patients requiring restricted sodium intake.

[Annual incidence of human group A rotavirus G-serotypes detected in a Japanese University Hospital between 2003 and 2007].

Group A rotavirus G-serotyping by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using university hospital subject samples in September 2003 to August 2004, September 2004 to August 2005, September 2005 to August 2006, and September 2006 to August 2007 showed the most common serotypes G1 and G3, detected in 27 and 33 subjects, compared to 4 subjects in whom serotype G4 was detected. Between 2003 and 2004, serotypes G1 accounted for 50% and G3 for 38%, contrasting with serotype G3 at 79% between 2004 and 2005, serotype G1 at 91% between 2005 and 2006, and serotype G1 and G3 at 37% and 63% between 2006 and 2007, respectively. Serotypes G2 and G9 were not detected at all during any of our time periods. No correlation was seen between subject age and G serotype, although subjects younger than two years old accounted for 73% of subjects. This infection caused combined fever, diarrhea, and vomiting in 48% of subjects but showed no correlation with G serotype. These findings under-score the importance of G-serotyping in understanding rotavirus infection epidemiology at different times and in different locales.

Temperament and character as predictors of recurrence in remitted patients with major depression: a 4-year prospective follow-up study.

The aim of the present study was to examine whether the specific personality traits, Harm-Avoidance (HA) and Self-Directedness (SD) as measured by the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), were predictive for subsequent depressive episodes in remitted patients with major depressive disorders (MDDs) over a 4-year follow-up. A total of 109 inpatients with MDD participated in this study. The subjects completed the TCI when they were assessed to be in remission. They were divided into high or low HA groups and high or low SD groups, as discriminated by the quartile value. A total of 69 patients were followed-up over a 4-year period or until recurrence. Both Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox׳s proportional hazards regression analysis indicated that patients with a low SD score had a significantly shorter time to recurrence from remission than patients with a high SD score even when some prognostic predictors were controlled for. In contrast, HA was not found to be a predictor of recurrence for future depressive episodes. A part of MDD patients with low scores in Self-Directedness are likely to develop depression over a subsequent period of time. Interventions that improve SD may help to delay recurrence of depression in MDD patients.

To reduce catheter-related bloodstream infections: is the subclavian route better than the jugular route for central venous catheterization?

The most important targets of hospital-acquired infection control are to reduce the incidence of surgical-site, catheter-related, and ventilator-associated infections. In this report, we address previously presented infection-control strategies for central venous (CV) line catheterization, using a CV catheter-related infection surveillance system. Data concerning CV catheter insertion were collected from all facilities in our 650-bed hospital, excluding the operating and hemodialysis wards. Collected data included the insertion method, purpose, length of catheter inserted, duration of catheterization, infection rate, and complication rate. Catheter-related infection was diagnosed based on bacteriological examinations from blood cultures. The total number of catheterizations was 806 a year, and average duration of catheterization was 9.8 days. The purpose of catheterization was nutritional support in 210 cases, hemodialysis in 96 cases, cardiac support in 174 cases, and other treatments in 260 cases. In 66 cases, the purpose of CV catheter was not specified. The rate of positive cultures was 7.1%, and complications other than infection occurred in 0.5%. The main causative organisms were methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in 38.6%, coagulase-negative Staphylococcus epidermidis (CNS) in 33.3%, and S. aureus in 12.3% of infections. Infection rates were 3.8 per 1000 catheter-days in subclavian, 6.1 in jugular, and 15.7 in femoral vein catheterization. In high-risk departments (intensive care unit [ICU] and emergency departments) the infection rate was 5.4 for subclavian and 10.2 for jugular catheterization, whereas it was 3.6 for subclavian and 4.6 for jugular catheterization in noncritical-care departments. Considering complications such as pneumothorax, CV catheterization of the jugular vein is recommended in certain situations.