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“Background. Although low 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) is prevalent among older adults and is associated with poor physical function, longitudinal studies examining vitamin D status and physical function are lacking. We examined the association between 25(OH)D, parathyroid hormone (PTH), and the onset of mobility

limitation and disability over 6 years of follow-up selleck chemical in community-dwelling, initially well-functioning older adults participating in the Health, Aging and Body Composition study (n = 2,099).

Methods. Serum 25(OH)D and PTH were measured at the 12-month follow-up visit (1998-1999). Mobility limitation and disability (any/severe difficulty walking 1/4 mile or climbing 10 steps) was assessed semiannually over 6 years of follow-up. The association between 25(OH)D, PTH, and mobility CBL0137 concentration limitation and disability was examined using Cox proportional hazard regression models adjusted for demographics, season, behavioral characteristics, and chronic conditions.

Results. At baseline, 28.9% of the participants had 25(OH)D <50 nmol/L and 36.1% had 25(OH)D of 50 to <75 nmol/L. Participants with 25(OH)D <50 and 50 to <75 nmol/L were at greater risk of developing mobility limitation

(HR (95% Cl): 1.29 (1.04-1.61) and 1.27 (1.05-1.53), respectively) and mobility disability (HR (95% Cl): 1.93 (1.32-2.81) and 1.30 (0.92-1.83), respectively) over 6 years of follow-up compared with participants with 25(OH)D >= 75 nmol/L. Elevated PTH, however, was not significantly associated with developing mobility limitation or disability.

Conclusions. Low 25(OH)D was associated with an increased risk of mobility limitation and disability

in community-dwelling, initially well-functioning black and white older adults. Prevention or treatment of low 25(OH)D may provide a pathway for reducing the burden of mobility lambrolizumab disability in older adults.”
“We aimed to determine the number and characteristics of psychiatric patients receiving electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) who had subsequently died by suicide. Data were collected on an 8-year (1999-2006) sample of suicide cases in England who had been in recent contact with mental health services. Of 9752 suicides, 71 (1%) were being treated with ECT at the time of death. Although the number of patients who received ECT had fallen substantially over time, the rate of suicide in these individuals showed no clear decrease and averaged 9 deaths per year, or a rate of 10.8 per 10,000 patients treated. These suicide cases were typically older, with high rates of affective disorder and previous self-harm. They were more likely to be an in-patient at the time of death than other suicide cases. Nearly half of the community cases who had received ECT had died within 3 months of discharge. Our results demonstrated that the fall in the use of ECT has not affected suicide rates in patients receiving this treatment.