Clinical utility of biomarkers of the hand in the diagnosis of schizophrenia.

A number of biomarkers were assessed in photos and prints of the hands of 95 patients with a variety of mental disorders to determine whether patients with schizophrenia could be distinguished from the others. Patients were recruited as consecutive admissions from an outpatient psychiatric day hospital population. Fourteen patients were diagnosed with schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder and 81 were diagnosed with other mental disorders.

Do biometric parameters of the hand differentiate schizophrenia from other psychiatric disorders? A comparative evaluation using three mental health modules.

The link between schizophrenia and anomalies in the distal upper limb is well documented. Preliminary studies have identified a number of biometric parameters of the hand by which schizophrenics can be distinguished from matched controls. The current study seeks to determine whether patients with schizophrenia can be singled out from a disparate group of other mental disorders by using the same parameters.

Biometric parameters of the hand as an index of schizophrenia--a preliminary study.

Since abnormalities in distal upper limb development are among the minor physical anomalies associated with schizophrenia we attempted to determine whether patients with schizophrenia can be identified on the basis of specific morphologic and dermatoglyphic features of the hand. Photographs and prints of the hands of 38 patients with schizophrenia and those of 42 control subjects were evaluated and graded on 13 biometric parameters. Results were statistically evaluated.

[Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) in adolescents with morbid obesity].

Background: Morbid obesity has become a significant health problem for the pediatric population. The medical impact of obesity in youth is determinant. Conservative methods for weight loss are disappointing and therefore, bariatric surgery should be considered.

Screening criteria for diagnosis of infantile feeding disorders as a cause of poor feeding or food refusal.

Objectives: Infantile feeding disorders (IFDs) are a common cause of food refusal, failure to thrive, and vomiting, but they may be difficult to diagnose. We have previously identified certain patterns of pathological feeding and behaviors as high-risk characteristics for IFDs and subsequently developed the diagnostic Wolfson criteria. Here, we evaluate these high-risk behaviors and prospectively compare the Wolfson criteria with 2 existing classifications of IFD, the Chatoor and that in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV).

Diagnostic clues for identification of nonorganic vs organic causes of food refusal and poor feeding.

Objectives: Food refusal, poor feeding, and somatic symptoms such as vomiting, gagging, irritability and failure to thrive (FTT) are commonly found in both infantile feeding disorders (IFD) and common treatable medical conditions. Present diagnostic classifications for diagnosing IFD are complex and difficult to apply in daily practice, leading to underdiagnosis and delay in diagnosis of IFD. We attempted to identify parental and infantile behaviour patterns or symptoms that could help distinguish between organic or behavioural causes for these symptoms.

ACE2 expression and activity are enhanced during pregnancy.

In the current study, we investigated the expression and activity of ACE2 during pregnancy in normotensive and hypertensive rats, focusing on the relative contribution of the uterus and the placentas, the kidney serving as a reference. We used the Sabra rat model of salt-sensitive hypertension. We confirmed a systemic vasodilatory state during the third trimester of pregnancy, as evidenced by a reduction in blood pressure, both in normotensive and hypertensive rats.

Yeast linker histone Hho1p is required for efficient RNA polymerase I processivity and transcriptional silencing at the ribosomal DNA.

Nucleosome core particles in eukaryotes are linked by a stretch of DNA that is usually associated with a linker histone. Here, we show in yeast, that the presence of yeast linker histone Hho1p represses expression of a pol II transcribed gene (MET15) embedded in the rDNA. In vivo deletions of Hho1p sequences showed that the second globular domain is sufficient for that repression, whereas the presence of the N terminus is required for its derepression.