Publications by authors named "E Melissari"

Article Synopsis
  • Congenital heart malformations (CHMs) occur in 2-3% of births and are linked to the development of heart chambers influenced by bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs).
  • A study examined BMP2 and BMP4 genes in 52 heart biopsies with various CHMs compared to 10 normal hearts, finding no loss-of-function mutations but observing changes in mRNA expression profiles.
  • Despite similar protein levels in both affected and normal hearts, the study suggests that epigenetic, microRNA, or post-transcriptional factors might influence early heart malformation processes, indicating a complex interplay beyond just genetic mutations.
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Moral behavior has been a key topic of debate for philosophy and psychology for a long time. In recent years, thanks to the development of novel methodologies in cognitive sciences, the question of how we make moral choices has expanded to the study of neurobiological correlates that subtend the mental processes involved in moral behavior. For instance, brain imaging studies have shown that distinct patterns of brain neural activity, associated with emotional response and cognitive processes, are involved in moral judgment.

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Introduction: Systemic anticoagulation is necessary during cardiac surgery. To date, the only well established anticoagulation protocol involves the use of heparin. However, heparin can cause heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) a potentially life threatening immune-mediated thromboembolic syndrome.

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Dual aortic and ventricular thrombi are rare following myocardial infraction. We report the case of a 56-year-old man who initially denied primary percutaneous coronary intervention as a result of psychological phobia. Initial pharmacological management by thrombolysis and heparin was followed by multiple arterial thromboses including those of the left ventricle and right iliac artery with a subsequent diagnosis of heparin-induced thrombocytopaenia.

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Thrombocytopenia and thromboembolism(s) may develop in heparin immune-mediated thrombocytopenia (HIT) patients after reexposure to heparin. At the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center, 530 out of 17,000 patients requiring heart surgery over an 11-year period underwent preoperative HIT assessment by ELISA and a three-point heparin-induced platelet aggregation assay (HIPAG). The screening identified 110 patients with HIT-reactive antibodies, out of which 46 were also thrombocytopenic (true HIT).

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