Genetically-Driven Enhancement of Dopaminergic Transmission Affects Moral Acceptability in Females but Not in Males: A Pilot Study.

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.

Acute intraoperative heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) and thrombosis during coronary artery bypass grafting: Two case reports providing evidence for the role of preoperative LMWH in triggering sensitization.

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.

Trans-aortic endoscopic ventricular thrombectomy in a patient with HIT and concomitant Aortic and ventricular thromboses.

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.

Perioperative use of iloprost in cardiac surgery patients diagnosed with heparin-induced thrombocytopenia-reactive antibodies or with true HIT (HIT-reactive antibodies plus thrombocytopenia): An 11-year experience.

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).

Expression status of candidate genes in mesothelioma tissues and cell lines.

In order to broaden knowledge on the pathogenesis of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), we reviewed studies on the MPM-transcriptome and identified 119 deregulated genes. However, there was poor consistency among the studies. Thus, the expression of these genes was further investigated in the present work using reverse transcriptase-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) in 15 MPM and 20 non-MPM tissue samples.

Modulation of gene expression by 3-iodothyronamine: genetic evidence for a lipolytic pattern.

3-Iodothyronamine (T1AM) is an endogenous biogenic amine, structurally related to thyroid hormone, which is regarded as a novel chemical messenger. The molecular mechanisms underlying T1AM effects are not known, but it is possible to envisage changes in gene expression, since delayed and long-lasting phenotypic effects have been reported, particularly with regard to the modulation of lipid metabolism and body weight. To test this hypothesis we analysed gene expression profiles in adipose tissue and liver of eight rats chronically treated with T1AM (10 mg/Kg twice a day for five days) as compared with eight untreated rats.

Serotonin transporter gene: a new polymorphism may affect response to antidepressant treatments in major depressive disorder.

Background And Objectives: Several gene variants have been related to major depressive disorder (MDD) treatment outcomes; however, few studies have investigated a possible different effect on pharmacotherapy and brief psychotherapy response.

Methods: A total of 137 MDD patients were randomized to either interpersonal counseling (IPC; n = 40) or antidepressant pharmacological treatment (n = 97). Outcomes were remission, response, and symptom improvement at week 8.

Interpreting the gene expression microarray results: a user-based experience.

In recent years many tools have been developed to cope with the interpretation of gene expression results from microarray experiments. The effectiveness of these tools largely depends on their ease of use by biomedical researchers. Tools based on effective computational methods, indeed, cannot be fully exploited by users if they are not supported by an intuitive interface, a large set of utilities and effective outputs.

Effects on human transcriptome of mutated BRCA1 BRCT domain: a microarray study.

Background: BRCA1 (breast cancer 1, early onset) missense mutations have been detected in familial breast and ovarian cancers, but the role of these variants in cancer predisposition is often difficult to ascertain. In this work, the molecular mechanisms affected in human cells by two BRCA1 missense variants, M1775R and A1789T, both located in the second BRCT (BRCA1 C Terminus) domain, have been investigated. Both these variants were isolated from familial breast cancer patients and the study of their effect on yeast cell transcriptome has previously provided interesting clues to their possible role in the pathogenesis of breast cancer.

A review of transcriptome studies combined with data mining reveals novel potential markers of malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), a cancer of the serosal pleural cavities, is one of the most aggressive human tumors. In order to identify genes crucial for the onset and progression of MPM, we performed an extensive literature review focused on transcriptome studies (RTS). In this kind of studies a great number of transcripts are analyzed without formulating any a priori hypothesis, thus preventing any bias coming from previously established knowledge that could lead to an over-representation of specific genes.

Rosiglitazone reverses salbutamol-induced β(2) -adrenoceptor tolerance in airway smooth muscle.

Background And Purpose: β₂-Adrenoceptor agonists are important therapeutic agents in the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The regular use of these drugs has been associated with proasthmatic-like changes that limit their efficacy and increase the risk of severe adverse reactions. We investigated whether the peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)γ agonist rosiglitazone modulated salbutamol-induced β₂-adrenoceptor desensitization in vivo and in vitro.

Effect of prolonged phenytoin administration on rat brain gene expression assessed by DNA microarrays.

Preliminary clinical trials have recently shown that phenytoin, an antiepileptic drug, may also be beneficial for treatment of bipolar disorder. To examine molecular mechanisms of action of phenytoin as a potential mood stabilizer, DNA microarrays were used to study the effect of phenytoin on gene expression in the hippocampus and frontal cortex of Sprague-Dawley rats. While our particular interest is in bipolar disorder, this is the first DNA microarray study on the effect of phenytoin in brain tissue, in general.

Decreased annexin A5 mRNA placental expression in pregnancies complicated by fetal growth restriction.

Background: The placental anticoagulant protein Annexin A5 (ANXA5) is highly expressed on the apical surfaces of syncytiotrophoblasts and plays an important role in maintaining blood fluidity in the placental circulation. We investigated the mRNA and protein expression of ANXA5 in placentas from pregnancies complicated by fetal growth restriction (FGR) compared with uncomplicated pregnancies.

Materials And Methods: Placental tissue was collected from 18 pregnancies complicated by FGR and 16 pregnancies with a normal outcome.

Heart transplantation in a low-organ-donation environment: a single center experience.

Objective: Heart transplantation is the "gold standard" for treating patients in end-stage heart failure who satisfy strict selection criteria. However, infrequent transplant performance, eg, less than nine per year, may be associated with suboptimal results.

Methods: We reviewed our 13-year clinical experience (1996-2008) with 73 orthotopic heart transplants performed under strict selection criteria and followed closely thereafter at the only accredited center in Greece, a country with an annual rate of only seven donors per million population.

Development of a real-time PCR detection method for a FCGR2A polymorphism in the LightCycler and application in the heparin-induced thrombocytopenia syndrome.

Objective: The FcgammaRIIa receptor is responsible for the activation of platelets by antibodies in heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). The c.497G>A polymorphism in the corresponding FCG2RA gene (H131R) has been implicated in the HIT syndrome and we aimed at its rapid and reliable determination.

Characterisation of gene expression profiles of yeast cells expressing BRCA1 missense variants.

Germline mutations in breast cancer susceptibility gene 1 (BRCA1) confer high risk of developing breast and ovarian cancers. Even though most BRCA1 cancer-predisposing mutations produce a non-functional truncated protein, 5-10% of them cause single amino acid substitutions. This second type of mutations represents a useful tool for examining BRCA1 molecular functions.

Orthotopic heart transplantation: ten years' clinical experience.

Introduction: Heart transplantation is the "gold standard" in the treatment of patients with end-stage heart failure who satisfy strict selection criteria.

Methods: We reviewed ten years' clinical experience (1996-2006) from 53 orthotopic transplants in our centre.

Results: Low perioperative (3.

SNPs in neurotrophin system genes and Alzheimer's disease in an Italian population.

Increasing evidence suggests a role for nerve growth factor (NGFB), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and their receptors, nerve growth factor receptor (NGFR), and neurotrophin tyrosine kinase receptors 1 and 2 (NTRK1 and NTRK2), in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, genetic association between the neurotrophin system genes and AD has been poorly investigated. We genotyped 21 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within these genes in a population of Italian AD patients and healthy controls.

Effect of exogenous nitric oxide during cardiopulmonary bypass on lung postperfusion histology.

We tested the hypothesis that nitric oxide (NO) administered during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) would preserve platelets and prevent postperfusion lung changes. Ten anesthetized Yorkshire pigs were put on normothermic CPB (right atrium to aorta) with a roller pump and membrane oxygenator for 1 hour. In the study group (n = 5), NO was delivered in the oxygenator's gas inflow line with a MiniNO system at 5-10 ppm throughout CPB.

Design and synthesis of novel biologically active thrombin receptor non-peptide mimetics based on the pharmacophoric cluster Phe/Arg/NH2 of the Ser42-Phe-Leu-Leu-Arg46 motif sequence: platelet aggregation and relaxant activities.

The identification of the thrombin receptor has promoted the interest for the development of new therapeutic agents capable of selectively inhibiting unwanted biological effects of thrombin on various cell types. In this study we have designed and synthesized two series of new thrombin receptor antagonists based on the thrombin receptor motif sequence S42FLLR46, one possessing two (Phe/Arg) pharmacophoric groups and the other possessing three (Phe/Arg/NH2). N-(6-Guanidohexanoyl)-N'-(phenylacetyl)piperazine (1), N-(phenylacetyl)-4-(6-guanidohexanoylamidomethyl)piperidine (2), and N-(phenylacetyl)-3-(6-guanidohexanoylamido)pyrrolidine (3) (group A) carry the two pharmacophoric side chains of Phe and Arg residues incorporated on three different templates (piperazine, 4-aminomethylpiperidine, and 3-aminopyrrolidine).

Preoperative detection and management of immune heparin-induced thrombocytopenia in patients undergoing heart surgery with iloprost.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate our protocol for the identification and management of patients with immune heparin-induced thrombocytopenia undergoing cardiac surgery.

Methods: Among 1518 patients who underwent cardiac surgery between June 1998 and May 2001, 32 (2.1%) presented with platelet counts less than 150,000/mm3 preoperatively or a history of prolonged (>3 days) intravenous exposure to heparin or both.

A prospective, double-blind study on the efficacy of the bioline surface-heparinized extracorporeal perfusion circuit.

Background: We evaluated the newly introduced Bioline heparin coating and tested the hypothesis that surface heparinization limited to the oxygenator and the arterial filter will ameliorate systemic inflammation and preserve platelets during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB).

Methods: In a prospective double-blind study, 159 patients underwent coronary revascularization using closed-system CPB with systemic heparinization, mild hypothermia (33 degrees C), a hollow-fiber oxygenator, and an arterial filter. The patients were randomly divided in three groups.