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This article presents reasons for undertaking "The Comparative Study of the Prevention of Crime and Violence by Mentally Ill Persons" and reasons for decisions regarding the study design and choice of measures. A brief portrait of the forensic patients that have been recruited is also presented. Community treatment programs could offer long-term cost-effective care for offenders with major mental disorders (MMDs). The study aims to identify the necessary ingredients of an effective program. Sites are selected in four countries where identification of most, if not all, persons with MMD who commit crimes within the catchment area was possible. Within each site, two samples of patients with MMD are recruited, one from a forensic hospital and one from a general psychiatric hospital. Assessments are completed prior to discharge. Participants are followed during a 5-year period. Comparisons of the forensic patients recruited in the four sites indicate many more similarities than differences. © 2007 American Association for Correctional and Forensic Psychology.

Udgivelsesdato: 2008-Sep, Diet may both increase and decrease oxidative stress in the body. We compared the effects of four strictly controlled isocaloric diets with different intakes of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA, 11 or 3% of energy) and vegetables and fruit (total amount of vegetables and fruit 516 or 1059 g/10 MJ) on markers associated with oxidative stress in 77 healthy volunteers (19-52 years). Plasma protein carbonyls (2-aminoadipic semialdehyde residues) and whole-body DNA and nucleotide oxidation (urinary 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine excretion) tended to decrease in all treatment groups with no differences between the diets. The diets did not differ in their effects on red blood cell antioxidative enzyme activities, either. The results suggest that in healthy volunteers with adequate nutrient intakes, 6-week diets differing markedly in the amount of PUFA or vegetables and fruit do not differ in their effects on markers associated with oxidative stress.

Anthocyanins are thought to protect against cardiovascular diseases. Watanabe heritable hyperlipidemic (WHHL) rabbits are hypercholesterolemic and used as a model of the development of atherosclerosis. To compare the uptake and excretion of anthocyanins in humans and WHHL rabbits, single-dose black currant anthocyanin studies were performed. Procedures for workup and analyses of urine and plasma samples containing anthocyanins were developed with high recoveries (99 and 81%, respectively) and low limits of quantification (greater than or equal to 6.6 and greater than or equal to 1.1 nM, respectively). The excretion and absorption of anthocyanins from black currant juice were found to be within the same order of magnitude in the two species regarding urinary excretion within the first 4 h (rabbits, 0.035%; humans, 0.072%) and t(ma)x (rabbits, similar to30 min; humans, similar to45 min). A food matrix effect was detected in rabbits, resulting in the absorption of a higher proportion of the anthocyanins from black currant juice than from an aqueous citric acid matrix. In humans the absorption and urinary excretion of anthocyanins from black currant juice were found to be proportional with dose and not influenced by the ingestion of a rice cake. In both species a larger proportion of the anthocyanin rutinosides than of the glucosides was absorbed, whereas the structure of the aglycon had no influence on the absorption and excretion. The anthocyanins had no effect in rabbits on the antioxidant capacity of plasma measured as Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity and ferruc reducing ability of plasma.

A rapid and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic mass spectrometric (HPLC-MS) method is described for the determination and quantification of 12 dietary flavonoid glycosides and aglycons in human urine samples. Chromatographic separation of the analytes of interest was achieved by column-switching, using the first column (a Zorbax 300SB C-3 column) for sample cleanup and eluting the heart-cut flavonoid fraction onto the second column (a Zorbax SE C-18 column) for separation and detection by ultraviolet and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization MS using single ion monitoring in negative mode. The fragmentor voltage was optimized with regard to maximum abundance of the molecular ion and qualifier ions of the analytes. Calibration graphs were prepared for urine, and good linearity was achieved over a dynamic range of 2.5-1000 ng/mL, The inter- and intraassay coefficients of variation for the analysis of the 12 different flavonoids in quality control urine samples were 12.3% on average (range 11.0-13.7%, n = 24, reproducibility) and the repeatability of the assay were 5.0% (mean, range 0.1-14.8%, it = 12). A subset of 10 urine samples from a human dietary intervention study with high and low flavonoid content was analyzed, and the results are reported.

Background: Green tea contains polyphenolic catechins which can act as antioxidants and thus decrease the risk for cardiovascular diseases. Aim of the study: To investigate whether green tea extract differs from placebo in its effects on markers of antiox, Addresses: Freese R, Univ Helsinki, Div Nutr, POB 27, Latokartanonkaari 7, FIN-00014 Helsinki, Finland. Univ Helsinki, Div Nutr, FIN-00014 Helsinki, Finland. Univ Uppsala, Dept Genet, S-75125 Uppsala, Sweden. Univ Turku, Dept Clin Physiol, FIN-20520 Turku