Neurocognitive dysfunction post-cardiac surgery and the neuroprotective effects of erythropoietin.

Neurocognitive dysfunction is a common postoperative complication exacerbated by cardiopulmonary bypass triggering a systemic inflammatory response. This clinical column focuses on the up-regulation of endogenous erythropoietin related to neurological inflammation and the use of recombinant erythropoietin as a neuroprotective pharmacotherapeutic agent.

New chromosome 11p15 epigenotypes identified in male monozygotic twins with Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome.

Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS) is an overgrowth syndrome demonstrating heterogeneous molecular alterations of two imprinted domains on chromosome 11p15. The most common molecular alterations include loss of methylation at the proximal imprinting center, IC2, paternal uniparental disomy (UPD) of chromosome 11p15 and hypermethylation at the distal imprinting center, IC1. An increased incidence of female monozygotic twins discordant for BWS has been reported.