Background There is a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in the critically ill patient population. Several intensive care unit studies have demonstrated an association between vitamin D deficiency [25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) < 20 ng/mL] and increased hospital length of stay (LOS), readmission rate, sepsis and mortality. Material and Methods Pilot, double blind randomized control trial conducted on mechanically ventilated adult ICU patients. Subjects were administered either placebo, 50,000 IU vitamin D3 or 100,000 IU vitamin D3 daily for 5 consecutive days enterally (total vitamin D3 dose = 250,000 IU or 500,000 IU, respectively). The primary outcome was plasma 25(OH)D concentration 7 days after oral administration of study drug. Secondary outcomes were plasma levels of the antimicrobial peptide cathelicidin (LL37), hospital LOS, SOFA score, duration of mechanical ventilation, hospital mortality, mortality at 12 weeks, and hospital acquired infection. Results A total of 31 subjects were enrolled with 13 (43%) being vitamin D deficient at entry (25(OH)D levels < 20 ng/mL). The 250,000 IU and 500,000 IU vitamin D3 regimens each resulted in a significant increase in mean plasma 25(OH)D concentrations from baseline to day 7; values rose to 45.7±19.6 ng/mL and 55.2 ± 14.4 ng/mL, respectively, compared to essentially no change in the placebo group (21±11.2 ng/mL), p<0.001. There was a significant decrease in hospital length of stay over time in the 250,000 IU and the 500,000 IU vitamin D3 group, compared to the placebo group (25 ± 14 and 18 ± 11 days compared to 36 ± 19 days, respectively; p=0.03). There was no statically significant change in plasma LL-37 concentrations or other clinical outcomes by group over time. Conclusions In this pilot study, high-dose vitamin D3 safely increased plasma 25(OH)D concentrations into the sufficient range and was associated with decreased hospital length of stay without altering other clinical outcomes. Clinical Trial Registration www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01372995)

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This study examined effects of two different types of anti-tobacco advertisements (realistic fear ads us. vulgar humor ads). Results indicate that rebellious participants who watched the realistic fear ads reported higher levels of interest than those who watched the vulgar humor ads. As expected, there was a strong negative correlation between participant rebelliousness and intention to quit smoking after watching realistic fear ads, a correlation not present among those who watched vulgar humor ads. Impulsive participants reported more interest in the realistic fear ads than in the vulgar humor ads, but their intentions to change smoking behavior were not afected by the different types of messages.According to the Harvard College Alcohol Survey, approximately 33 percent of college students use tobacco regularly.' The fact that tobacco use among college students is common, increasing? and not limited to cigarettes3 alarms many parents, teachers, and public health practitioners.Public service announcements (PSAs) and paid advertising are among the tools to alert young people to the dangers of smoking. Two types of advertisement messages were investigated in this study! The first are messages designed to frighten young people by using realistic portrayals of consequences (labeled realistic fear strategy) and the second approach uses vulgar or crude humor to gain attention (called the vulgar humor strategy here).The success of the realistic fear strategy depends on young people's being rational information processors. It is generally believed that fear will cause arousal and the arousal will lead to interest and subsequently to better information pro~essing.~ Eventually, fear will help young people think about the negative consequences of risky behavior and thus reach the intended decision-making outcomes. Therefore, when young people are shown the devastating health consequences of smoking, they may abstain from or give up tobacco habits.On the other hand, with the vulgar humor strategy, showing tobacco as being vulgar or unpleasant in a humorous way may also gain Moon 1.