, "A potential role for adjunctive vitamin D therapy in the management of weight gain and metabolic side effects of second-generation antipsychotics" (2011 AbstractSecond-generation antipsychotic (SGA) medications introduced about 20 years ago are increasingly used to treat psychiatric illnesses in children and adolescents. There has been a fi ve-fold increase in the use of these medications in U.S. children and adolescents in the past decade. However, there has also been a parallel rise in the incidence of side effects associated with these medications, such as obesity, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and diabetes mellitus. Despite the severity of these complications and their fi nancial impact on the national healthcare budget, there is neither a clear understanding of the mechanisms contributing to these side effects nor the best ways to address them. Studies that examined lifestyle modifi cation and pharmaceutical agents have yielded mixed results. Therefore, clinical studies using agents, such as vitamin D, which are inexpensive, readily available, with low side effects profi le, and have mechanisms to counteract the metabolic side effects of SGA agents, are warranted. Vitamin D is a prohormone with skeletal and extraskeletal properties that could potentially reduce the severity of these metabolic side effects. Its role as an adjunctive therapy for the management of metabolic side effects of SGA agents has not been adequately studied. Effective strategies to curb these side effects will improve the overall health of youths with psychiatric illnesses who receive SGAs. Herein we present a pilot study on the use of vitamin D in patients on treatment with SGAs.

Summary: High performance liquid chiomatography (HPLC) was used to monitor the purity of the Substrates and to establish the patterns of hydrolysis of ortho-andpanz-nitrophenylmaltooligosaccharides (2-7 glucose residues) catalysed by human pancreatic and salivary -amylase. Separation of the reaction products from the remaining Substrate was performed on a TSK-G-2000 PW or a RP18 column. By measuring the quantitative distribution of products, and assuming a 5-subsite model for the active site of -amylase, differential activities for the hydrolysis of the different glycosidic bonds in the 2 series of Substrates were deduced. A highly sensitive coupled continüous assay System is based on the formation of phenyloligosaccharides with 1-4 glucose residues by the action of the amylase unter test, coupled to hydrolysis of these products by yeast -glucpsidase. The most suitable test Substrates were shown to be pflra-nitrophenyl-a-/^maltotetraoside and -pentaoside. Direct production of nitrophenol from ortho-nitiophenyl-oi-Z)-maltotrioside is recommended for the measurement of the -amylase activity of pancreatic and salivary gland secretions and extracts. Wirkungsmuster von menschlicher Pankreas· und Speichelamylase bei der Hydrolyse von l ,4-OL-D-Nitrophenylmaltooligosacchariden l y 4-OL-D-Nitrophenylmaltooligosaccharideals Substrate der OL-Amylase, LZusammenfassung: Es wurde die Methode der Hochpräzisionschromatographie (HPLC) zur Kontrolle der Reinheit der Substrate sowie zur Ermittlung der Spaltungsmuster menschlicher Pankreas^ und Speichelamylase angewendet. Als Substrate wurden 2-und 4-Nitrophenylmaltooligosaccharide mit 2-7 Glucoseresten benutzt. Die Trennung der Reaktionsprodukte von dem restlichen Substrat erfolgte unter Verwendung von TSK-G-2000 PW oder RP 18-Säulen. Aufgrund der quantitativen Produktverteilung einerseits und einem 5-Ünterbindungsstellen-Modell des aktiven Zentrums der -Amylase andererseits, konnten differenzierte Aktivitäten für die Hydrolyse der verschiedenen Glucosidbimdungen in den beiden genannten Serien von Substraten bestimmt werden. Auf Basis der katalytischen Aktivität von Hefe-a-Glucosidase für die Hydrolyse von Nitrophenyloligosacchariden mit 1-4 Glucoseresten und der Geschwindigkeit von deren Bildung durch -Amylase aus den ursprünglichen Substraten werden 4-Nitrophenyl-a-Z)-maltotetraosid und -pentaosid als am besten geeignete Substrate für ein hochempfindliches gekoppeltes kontinuierliches Testsystem empfohlen. Die direkte Bildung von Nitrophenol aus 2-Nitrophenyl-a-£>-maltotriosid wird für die kontinuierliche Messung der Amyläseaktivität von Pankreas-und Speicheldrüsensekreten und -extrakten empfohJen.

A 66-year-old woman presented with a recurrent psychotic disorder with central manifestations that initially suggested a delusional disorder. Peripheral stiffness was at first attributed to a dystonic reaction secondary to neuroleptic treatment. The atypical presentation led to suspicion of collagen vascular disease. Both the psychotic disorder and peripheral involvement responded to cortisone. Findings are discussed in light of recent information on the pathogenesis and neuropsychiatric manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus, progressive systemic scleroderma and limited scleroderma variants (CREST, unclassifiable connective tissue disease) with positive anticentromere titers, including a discussion of the vasculitis hypothesis of collagen vascular cerebral involvement.