Using immunohistochemical staining for GFAP, Webster et al76 did

Using immunohistochemical staining for GFAP, Webster et al76 did not find significant differences in cortical astrocytes between controls, and MDD or BD cases. Other click here studies also did not find differences in GFAP between mood disorder cases and controls.66 Factors that may conceivably contribute

to a loss of Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical oligodendroglia in mood disorders include the elevated glucocorticoid secretion and glutamatergic transmission evident during depression and mania. Glucocorticoids affect glia as well as neurons,77 and elevated glucocorticoid levels decrease the proliferation of oligodendrocyte precursors.78 Moreover, oligodendrocytes express α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate (AMPA) and kainatetype glutamate Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical receptors, and are sensitive to excitotoxic damage from excess glutamate as well as to oxidative stress.1 These vulnerabilities putatively contribute to oligodendrocyte degeneration in ischemic brain injury and demyelinating diseases,79,80 although no data exist to establish

a similar role in mood disorders. The targeted nature of the reductions in gray matter volume and glial cells to specific areas of the limbic-cortical circuits that show increased glucose metabolism during depressive episodes is noteworthy given the evidence reviewed Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical below that the glucose metabolic signal is dominated by glutamatergic transmission. The hypothesis that glutamate transmission is elevated in these areas in depression was also supported by a postmortem study

in depressed suicide victims.81 Elevations of glutamate transmission Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical and Cortisol secretion in mood disorders may also contribute to reductions in gray matter volume and synaptic markers by inducing dendritic atrophy in some brain structures. In the medial PFC and parts of the hippocampus and amygdala Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical of adult rodents, the dendritic arbors undergo atrophy or debranching in response to specific types of repeated or chronic stress.82 The effects of MRIP stress on dendritic arborization depend both upon the type of stress applied and anatomical location. For example, chronic unpredictable stress produces dendritic atrophy in the basolateral amygdala, whereas chronic immobilization stress increased dendritic branching in pyramidal and stellate neurons within the basolateral amygdala, but did not affect dendritic arborization in the central nucleus of the amygdala.83,84 These dendritic reshaping processes depend upon interactions between N-methyl-D-aspartate (NM’DA) glutamatergic receptor stimulation and glucocorticoid secretion associated with repeated stress.82 The depressives with BD and FPDD who show regional reductions in gray matter volume also show evidence of having increased Cortisol secretion and glutamate transmission.

Footnotes Funding: This research received no specific grant from

Footnotes Funding: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Conflict of interest statement: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. Contributor Information Judith Bosman, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Isala Clinics, Dr. van Heesweg 2, Zwolle, The Netherlands. Peter G.J. ter Horst, Department of Clinical Chemistry, Isala Clinics, Zwolle, The Netherlands. Jan Pieter Smit, Department of Psychiatry, Isala Clinics, Zwolle, The Netherlands. Jeroen R. Dijkstra, Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Isala Clinics, Zwolle, The Netherlands. Hans R. Beekhuis, Department of Gynaecology Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical and Obstetrics, Isala Clinics, Zwolle, The Netherlands. Robbert J. Slingersland, Department Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical of Clinical Chemistry, Isala Clinics, Zwolle, The Netherlands. Wobbe Hospes, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Isala Clinics, Zwolle, The Netherlands.
Major depressive disorders (MDDs) and bipolar affective disorders (BPADs) are frequently persistent, disabling psychiatric illnesses [Baune et al. 2007; Kessler et al. 2006]. Lifetime prevalence

of MDDs stands at approximately 16% [Kessler et al. 2003], and BPADs at 1–4% [Grant et al. 2005; Merikangas et al. 2007]: although diagnosed by the presence of pathological highs, depressive episodes (so-called bipolar depression) constitute the majority of illness in Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical BPADs [Lloyd et al. 2011]. Our recent review [Penn and Tracy, 2012] highlighted the limited efficacy of traditional antidepressants and the lack of a robust evidence base to guide the management Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical of patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). There is a considerable need to develop novel and efficacious antidepressants. Hallucinogenic drugs produce alterations in consciousness,

perception, thought and emotion and have been used recreationally and entheogenically for millennia. So-called ‘classical’ psychedelic drugs such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), psilocybin, dimethyltryptamine Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical (DMT) and mescaline are thought to exert their effects through agonism at the 5-HT2A receptors [Nichols, 2004]. Dissociative hallucinogens including ketamine, phencyclidine (PCP) and dextromethorphan (DXM) act primarily as N-methyl-D-aspartate Astemizole (NMDA) glutamate (Glu) receptor antagonists [Krystal et al. 1994]. There has been growing interest in the observation that ketamine has a rapid positive effect on depressive symptoms. Ketamine is used in medicine for inducing and maintaining anaesthesia, and illicitly for its hallucinogenic and dissociative effects. The fact that ketamine does not work through the ‘conventional’ antidepressant monoaminergic targets of serotonin and PD98059 mouse noradrenaline has provoked excitement: understanding its effects could provide novel insights into the pathophysiology of depression and open up a new class of medications.

coli, yeast and humans support [54] that indirect protein interac

coli, yeast and humans support [54] that indirect protein interactions between related enzymes achieve metabolic channeling. Interestingly, protein complexes include nonenzymatic mediator proteins, sometimes related to signal transduction, to form channeling modules. In E. coli reactions, possessing such interactions show higher flux. Channeling could lead to more cross-talk. However, Pérez-Bercoff et al. [54] find that scaffolding proteins limit this,

keeping protein complexes in separate places. Furthermore, there are interesting differences in the channeling of Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical glucose towards gluconate and other catabolic end-products like pyruvate and acetate, with respect to phosphate status for different Pseudomonas strains (Pseudomonas aeruginosa versus P. fluorescens) [55]. Enzyme activities including glucose dehydrogenase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and pyruvate carboxylase change in a coordinated fashion in response to changes in growth, glucose utilization or gluconic

Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical acid secretion. This includes a shift of glucose towards a direct oxidative pathway under phosphate deficiency which may perhaps also be implied in the different abilities of the two strains to produce gluconic acid. Comparison of enzyme–enzyme interactions in metabolic networks of E. coli and S. cerevisiae shows evidence for direct metabolic channeling [56]. Enzyme–enzyme interactions occur more often for pathway Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical neighbors with at least one shared metabolite. Non-neighbouring interactions are often regulatory. Molecular crowding: Crowding effects do change prokaryotic enzymes, metabolism and promote protein complexes in prokaryotes. Where metabolic channeling is a specific effect between metabolic proteins (enzymes

and protein mediators) in a complex, molecular crowding is instead a more Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical general, unspecific effect by the combined variety of biomolecules (see more Figure 3b), including nucleic acids, proteins, polysaccharides, as well as other soluble and insoluble components and metabolites (total concentration 400 g/L). The reason for the crowding effect is thus that Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical together these biomolecules occupy a significant proportion (20–40%) of the total cellular volume in cytoplasm and nucleus, respectively [57]. Biophysical effects from crowding differ thus in different compartments of cells. Many nuclear processes such as gene transcription, hnRNA splicing and DNA replication, SB-3CT assemble large protein–nucleic acid complexes. Macromolecular crowding provides a cooperative momentum for these [58], boosting functionally important nuclear activities. In cell membranes, membrane proteins occupy approximately 30% of the total surface area leading to crowding effects on the surface as well as unique effects for the even more movement restricted integral membrane [58]. Thus Wang et al. [59] directly monitored the effect of strong crowding on pressure-induced reduction of unfolding of a protein (staphylococcal nuclease) by tryptophan fluorescence.

20 Further analysis by Simon et al showed that among those assign

20 Further analysis by Simon et al showed that among those assigned to CGT,

those concurrently on antidepressant medication showed a 61% response rate using a Clinical Global Improvement Scale (CGI)21 score of 1 (very much improved) or 2 (much improved ) vs 41% of those who were not receiving concomitant antidepressant medication.20 Conclusion The utility of the concept of CG helps to differentiate those whose grief appears to be stuck, and whose suffering and Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical debilitation is unremitting for extended periods of time, even decades. Agreeing on a final set of diagnostic criteria for complicated grief for inclusion in DSM-5 is the first step for broadening this distinction for wider application. With the aging of the babyboomer generation, there will be an increase in the proportion Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical of grievers, a subset of whom will meet criteria for CG and thus require specialized treatment to be able to return to premorbid levels of function. CGT has shown promise toward the goal of restoration in one RCT comparing it with IPT, and we await the results of an Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical ongoing larger RCT to further our knowledge regarding

the interplay of CGT, Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical antidepressant medication (citalopram), and their combination. The experience gained in this multisite study is also an opportunity to continue to refine the complicated grief therapy techniques and learn more about who will benefit most from them. Lastly, teaching Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical paradigms will need to be developed for disseminating the finalized version of CGT as an effective treatment strategy for relieving the debilitating symptoms of CG. Acknowledgments Administrative assistance: Denise

Korzon; manuscript review: Bonnie Gorsczak PhD; Katherine Shear MD, personal communication. Brief Grief Questionaire for screening for Complicated Grief: This copyrighted instrument is reprinted with permission from Katherine Shear, MD.
Nearly 1 million people die by suicide globally each year.1 Suicide is one of the top ten leading causes of death across all age groups. Worldwide, Digestive enzyme suicide ranks among the three leading causes of death among adolescents and young adults. During 2008-2009, 8.3 million people over age 18 in the United States (3.7% of the adult US population) reported having suicidal thoughts in the last year, and approximately 1 million people (0.5% of the adult US population) reported having made a suicide beta-catenin inhibitor attempt in the last year.

” Later, other authors (eg,ref 2) proposed additional criteria t

” Later, other authors (eg,ref 2) proposed additional criteria that animal models need to fulfill. Suitable research models ought to display clear face validity (isomorphism), predictive validity (pharmacological correlation), and construct validity(homology

and similarity in the underlying neurobiological mechanisms). Currently, the third criterion is regarded as having heuristic value because the central nervous processes that lead to anxiety/depression still have to be elucidated; therefore this criterion Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical is regarded as desirable, but not essential.3 Thus, in an ideal and perfect model one would like to have causative conditions, symptom profiles, and treatment responses identical to those seen in the human disease state. Any animal model of depression, or of antidepressant activity, must account for the considerable symptom overlap between major depressive disorder (MDD) and anxiety disorders, eg, sleep disturbances, agitation, restlessness, Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical irritability, difficulty concentrating, loss of control, fatigue, fear, distress and, of course, anxiety. Enzastaurin Indeed, comorbidity of anxiety disorders and MDD is the rule rather than the exception (eg, refs 4-6)with more than 80% of adults with depression also having significant symptoms of anxiety.7 Furthermore, most of the existing antidepressants successfully Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical ameliorate anxiety as a component of depression (eg, ref 8). In this article we will discuss

relevant animal models that have been developed and are used to enhance our understanding of the pathophysiology of the most common psychiatric disorders, depression and anxiety, and to guide the development Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical of novel and more effective treatments. Animal

models of Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical depression The diagnosis of depressive illness and anxiety relies almost exclusively on observation of behavior and interpersonal relations, and on reported feelings and beliefs of the patient.9 Therefore, several recent reviews claim that it is difficult to develop a true animal model of depressive disorders because mental illness may be a uniquely human condition. In Unoprostone particular, typical symptoms in depressed patients, such as recurring thoughts of suicide or death, or excessive thoughts of guilt, are impossible to model in animals. The creation of reasonably valid animal models of psychiatric diseases has been difficult, mainly due to both the verbal and personal nature of the symptoms to be modeled, eg, sadness or delusions, as well as the lack of clear etiological factors which can be used to design valid models. Moreover, unlike the situation with other neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s disease, we still have only a vague idea about the pathophysiological processes that underlie depression. The earliest models of depressive states in animals were based on maternal separation experiments in infant nonhuman primates.

In short, relying on heuristics as a tool for medical decision ma

In short, relying on heuristics as a tool for medical decision making can help practitioners to make accurate, transparent, and quick

decisions, often while depending on little technology and few financial resources. Less information, complexity, time, and technology can be more efficient, even when it comes to medical decision making. Why heuristics work One reason for the surprising performance of heuristics is that they ignore information. As we have explained above, this makes them quicker to execute, easier to understand, and easier to communicate. Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical Importantly, as can be shown by means of mathematical analysis and computer simulations,36-53 it is also this feature that drives part of the predictive power of heuristics. Let us illustrate this

with a simplifying, fictional story. Imagine two Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical doctors. One doctor, let’s call him Professor Complexicus (PhD), is known for his scrutiny — he takes all information about a patient into account, including the most minute details. His philosophy is that all information is potentially relevant, and that Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical considering as much information as possible benefits decisions. The other physician, Doctor Heuristicus, in contrast, relies only on a few pieces of information, perhaps those that she deems to be the most relevant ones. We can think of the two doctors’ decision strategies as integration models. One of Professor Complexicus’ models might read like this: y = w1x1a1 + w2x2a2 + w3x3a3 + w4x4a4 + w5x5a5 + wixiai + z. A simpler model of Doctor Heuristicus could throw away some of the free parameters, wiai and z, as well as some of the predictor variables, xi, Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical such that w1x1 + z. The criterion both doctors wish to infer could be the number of days different

patients will need to recover from a medical condition, y. The predictor Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical variables, xi, could be the type of condition the patients suffer from, the patients’ overall physical constitution or age, or the number of times loving family members have visited the patients in the hospital thus far. In a formal, statistical analysis, a comparative evaluation of these two models would entail computing R2 or some other goodness-of-fit index between the models’ estimations and the observed number of days it took the patients to recover. Such measures below are based on the distance between a model’s estimate and the criterion y. And indeed, fitting Professor Complexicus’ strategy of paying attention to more variables and weighting them in an optimal way (ie, minimizing least squares) to observations about past patients (ie, the ones where one already knows how many days they click here needed to recover), will always lead to a larger R2 than fitting Doctor Heuristicus* simpler strategy to these observations.

Drugs Alcohol solution for oral self-administration was prepared

Drugs Alcohol solution for oral self-administration was prepared by diluting 95% ethanol in tap water. U50,488, nor-BNI, and yohimbine HCl were dissolved in distilled water, while antalarmin was suspended in 10% cremophor in saline; drugs were injected i.p. in a volume of 1 mL/kg. Nor-BNI, U50,488, and antalarmin were obtained from the NIDA Drug Supply Program (Baltimore, MD) and yohimbine was obtained from Sigma-Aldrich (St. Louis, MO). The doses of yohimbine and antalarmin and their pretreatment times were based on our published studies

(Le et al. 2005, 2009; Marinelli et Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical al. 2007a) and those for U50,488 and nor-BNI were based on previous reports (Redila and Chavkin 2008; VX-680 datasheet Schank et al. 2012). Statistical analysis Statistical analyses were performed separately on the numbers of responses made on the previously active and inactive levers during the reinstatement tests. Data Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical were analyzed with analysis of variances (ANOVAs) and significant interactions (P < 0.05) were followed by Newman-Keuls post hoc tests. Experiment

1: Effects of U50,488 on reinstatement Twelve rats were trained to self-administer alcohol and received extinction sessions as described above. A within design was used with U50,488 dose (vehicle, 2.5 and 5.0 mg/kg, i.p.) as Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical the factor. Once the extinction criterion was reached, rats received Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical vehicle (water) or one of the doses of U50,488, 30 min before 1-h reinstatement test sessions conducted in the operant chambers, in counterbalanced order with at least 2 days between each test. On the days between the drug tests, rats were injected i.p. with water and received drug-free extinction sessions. Experiment 2: Effect of nor-BNI on reinstatement of alcohol seeking induced by U50,488 Twenty-three rats (n = 7–8 per group) were trained to self-administer Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical alcohol and received extinction sessions. In this and in the following experiments, rats were assigned to matched groups based on alcohol intake

and extinction responding. A mixed design was used with the between factor of nor-BNI pretreatment condition (vehicle, nor-BNI 2 h, nor-BNI 24 h) and within factor of U50,488 pretreatment condition (vehicle, 5 mg/kg, i.p.). crotamiton One group of animals received injections of nor-BNI vehicle or nor-BNI (10 mg/kg, i.p.) 2 h before the U50,488 vehicle or U50,488 injections. The other group received nor-BNI 24 h prior to U50,488 vehicle or U50,488 injections. Thirty minutes after the U50,488 vehicle or U50,488 injections, rats were placed in the operant chambers for the 1-h reinstatement test session. In order to minimize the use of animals in Experiments 2 and 3, we did not include a 24 h nor-BNI vehicle condition; we have found that baseline extinction responding is extremely stable from day to day once the extinction criterion is reached.

61 However, a more general method for identifying the medications

61 However, a more general method for identifying the medications that may cause depression may be through studies of the associations between medication use and observations or records of psychiatric symptoms, subsequent prescription of psychotherapeutic medications, or use of mental health services. One beneficial effect of the increasing organization of health care systems may be the development of additional sources of data for such studies. However, beyond the Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical initial identification of agents that may cause depression, it will be necessary to control for potential

confounding factors and to estimate effect sizes before it is possible to use pharmacoepidemiological findings either to guide clinical practice or to provide insight into pathogenic mechanisms. Hormonal and cytokine-mediated mechanisms There is an extensive literature suggesting associations between even mild or subclinical hypothyroidism and the pathogenesis of depression and decreased responses to Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical antidepressant medications.62,63 Recently, Seidman and Walsh have reviewed evidence that decreased testosterone activity in hypogonadal men may lead to depressive symptoms.64 This,

together with earlier findings suggesting that decreases in testosterone in aged men were most marked in those with chronic disease and disability,65 Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical suggests that decreased androgen levels may mediate Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical some of the behavioral and affective changes associated with medical illness in late life. There has also been interest in the possibility that depression and related symptoms in patients with medical illness may be

mediated via the neuropharmacological http://www.selleckchem.com/products/Adrucil(Fluorouracil).html effects of inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin -1β, tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), and interleukin-6. At present, however, knowledge in this area is relatively rudimentary. Current research on Alzheimer’s disease is investigating the possibility that intracerebral inflammation may play a role in initiating or maintaining Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical the process of ncurodcgencration.66,67 Although some studies have found measures of inflammatory activity or increases in the activity of proinflammatory cytokines in the periphery, the pathological processes associated with the progression of Alzheimer’s disease Sodium butyrate are presumed to be operative within the brain. Theories of inflammatory processes in Alzheimer’s disease have stimulated research on the possible therapeutic or preventive effects of corticosteroids and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, including recently developed cyclooxygenase (COX) 2 inhibitors. Hypotheses about depression are less developed, and more divergent. Macs has proposed that dysrcgulation of immune and inflammatory processes may be basic components of the pathophysiology of depressive disorders.

Assessment methods The following clinical assessments were perfor

Assessment methods The Tofacitinib clinical trial following clinical assessments were performed at baseline and 2 hours after IM administration by the psychiatrist who was providing the actual therapy. Therefore, the evaluator was not blind to the patient’s treatment. There were no reliability tests for those who applied PANSS-EC [Kay and Sevy, 1990], the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) [Kay et al. 1987], the Agitation Calmness Evaluation Scale (ACES), a single-item, 9-point scale (e.g. 1 = marked agitation, 4 = normal behavior, 9 = unarousable) (Copyright © 1998, Eli Lilly and Company; all rights reserved),

the Abnormal Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS) [Rush, 2000], the Barnes Akathisia Rating Scale (BARS) [Barnes, 1989] and the Drug-Induced Extrapyramidal Symptoms Scale (DIEPSS) [Inada, 1996; Inada et al. 1996]. However, assessor Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical training was provided to ensure a certain degree of reliability. The efficacy outcome was the change in the PANSS score and the change in the ACES score. Meanwhile, AIMS, BARS, DIEPSS, vital signs (pulse and blood pressure) and glucose level were used to investigate safety. Statistical analysis Three Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical types of statistical analysis were

performed: Comparison of baseline demographics: Fisher’s exact tests and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Change in symptoms over time (within groups): paired t-tests. If the data did not show a normal distribution, Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical then the Wilcoxon’s signed rank sum test was used instead. Change in symptoms over time (between groups): repeated measures ANOVA of group by time interaction (at baseline and 2 hours after IM administration). The categorical variable is between Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical groups and the compact variable

is time interaction of each rating scale. The significance level was p < 0.05 in all analyses. Results There was no difference in background characteristics between the IM olanzapine injection group and the IM haloperidol injection group (Table 1). Table 1. Subject characteristics The mean reduction from baseline on the PANSS-EC total score, the PANSS total score and the ACES score were significantly greater in the IM olanzapine injection group than in the IM haloperidol injection group (Table 2, Figure 1). The PANSS positive score decreased significantly others from baseline in both the IM olanzapine injection group and the IM haloperidol injection group, but no significant differences were seen between the two groups (Table 2, Figure 1). Table 2. Efficacy and safety. Figure 1. Efficacy and safety. The mean changes from baseline on the AIMS score, the BARS score and the DIEPSS total score were significantly better in the IM olanzapine injection group than in the IM haloperidol injection group (Table 2, Figure 1).

However, the acute life-threatening situation of severely injured

However, the acute life-threatening situation of severely injured trauma

patients hinders a considered decision. Neither a legal guardian nor a legal representative of the patient can make a decision because of the time pressure or because they simply do not arrive in time. A temporary waiver of informed LY2603618 consent during randomization and the consecutive diagnostic phase during trauma survey was approved by the Medical Ethical Committee of the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam. In all cases informed consent Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical will be asked afterwards from the patient or the legal guardian/representative of the patient, as soon as reasonably possible. Discussion The need for prospective studies to measure the effect of Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical immediate total-body

CT scanning in trauma care has been stressed recently by several authors [8,22,23,25,29]. Retrospective studies have shown the possible benefits in time and outcome of immediate total-body CT scanning in trauma patients. The next step is to compare its usage to the current best imaging strategy according to ATLS guidelines in a prospective trial. The primary question that needs to be answered is whether immediate total-body CT scanning in severely injured trauma patients decreases mortality and significant morbidity Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical when compared to conventional imaging strategies supplemented with CT. Therefore, randomization is within the hospital, ensuring that a comparison between imaging protocols is made per hospital instead of between hospitals. The design of the trial is multi-centered, with participating centers in The Netherlands, Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical Switzerland and North America. This design assures that differences in trauma populations, trauma mechanisms and workflow in different parts of the world are taken into account as well. This is important to make sure that if an effect on outcome is seen that this can solely be attributed to the usage of a total-body CT scan. The in- and exclusion criteria assure that only potentially

severely injured trauma patients are included and over triage is minimized. Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical Especially severely injured patients aminophylline are thought to benefit the most from fast and detailed information that becomes available with total-body CT scanning. Selecting the right patients for immediate total-body CT scanning is therefore crucial. Since the excluded trauma patients will be registered as well, final analysis will show whether the chosen inclusion criteria led to an appropriate selection of patients. Furthermore, severely injured patients are those patients in whom the radiation dose may be justifiable since their possible life-threatening injuries require accurate treatment as fast as possible. Trauma patients are exposed to a great amount of radiation and it is well known that CT scanning is a significant contributor to iatrogenic radiation exposure [31].