Immunosuppressant drug tacrolimus inhibits HUVEC angiogenesis and production of placental growth factor.

Background: Tacrolimus is a cornerstone of immunosuppression in solid organ transplants, but its use is linked with the development of endothelial dysfunction. Pregnant solid organ transplant recipients are four to six times more likely to develop preeclampsia, which is also associated with endothelial dysfunction. Therefore, this in vitro study investigated the acute effects of tacrolimus on the expression of common angiogenic factors related to preeclampsia, and effects on angiogeneis in primary human tissues.

[The Signature Biobank: History and perspectives of a longitudinal project investigating the biological, psychological, and social signatures of patients visiting the emergency of the Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal].

Objectives In 2008, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) published its strategic plan to structure future research aims and objectives including the development of a new method of classifying mental health disorders. This strategic plan gave rise to the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) project, a framework aimed at establishing major functional domains of the human psyche ranging from normal to pathological. The Signature Consortium was created in 2009 to develop a data bank capable of contributing to the development of RDoC by identifying profiles, or Signatures, of a psychiatric population, collecting biological, psychosocial, and clinical indicators at critical moments in the care and follow-up of patients visiting the care structures of the Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal (IUSMM).

Effects of antidepressant type on allostatic load of male and female psychiatric outpatients.

Sex differences and antidepressant use are not systematically accounted for in studies measuring physiological dysregulations associated with chronic stress and allostatic load (AL) in neuropsychiatry. Critically, assessing commonly prescribed antidepressant medications, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) could help monitor potential iatrogenic effects on AL and health that are associated with prolonged antidepressant use. The objective of this exploratory analysis was to investigate how male and female psychiatric outpatients using either SSRIs or SNRIs differ in their AL indices.

Digital health delivery in respiratory medicine: adjunct, replacement or cause for division?

Digital medicine is already well established in respiratory medicine through remote monitoring digital devices which are used in the day-to-day care of patients with asthma, COPD and sleep disorders. Image recognition software, deployed in thoracic radiology for many applications including lung cancer screening, is another application of digital medicine. Used as clinical decision support, this software will soon become part of day-to-day practice once concerns regarding generalisability have been addressed.