Emerging therapeutic drug monitoring technologies: considerations and opportunities in precision medicine.

In recent years, the development of sensor and wearable technologies have led to their increased adoption in clinical and health monitoring settings. One area that is in early, but promising, stages of development is the use of biosensors for therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM). Traditionally, TDM could only be performed in certified laboratories and was used in specific scenarios to optimize drug dosage based on measurement of plasma/blood drug concentrations.

Does Modulation of an Epigenetic Clock Define a Geroprotector?

There is growing interest in the development of interventions (e.g., drugs, diets, dietary supplements, behavioral therapies, etc.

Psychometric Properties of a New Stress-Related Personality Scale: The Virtual Inventory of Behavior and Emotions (VIBE).

Background: Personality traits are important factors with regard to the tendency to experience and response to stress. This study introduces and tests a new stress-related personality scale called the Virtual Inventory of Behavior and Emotions (VIBE).

Methods: Two samples totaling 5512 individuals (with 66% between the ages of 18 and 34) completed the VIBE along with other measures of personality, stress, mood, and well-being.

Correction: Association Between Improvement in Baseline Mood and Long-Term Use of a Mindfulness and Meditation App: Observational Study.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.2196/12617.].

Characterizing Emotional State Transitions During Prolonged Use of a Mindfulness and Meditation App: Observational Study.

Background: The increasing demand for mental health care, a lack of mental health care providers, and unequal access to mental health care services have created a need for innovative approaches to mental health care. Digital device apps, including digital therapeutics, that provide recommendations and feedback for dealing with stress, depression, and other mental health issues can be used to adjust mood and ultimately show promise to help meet this demand. In addition, the recommendations delivered through such apps can also be tailored to an individual's needs (ie, personalized) and thereby potentially provide greater benefits than traditional "one-size-fits-all" recommendations.

Association Between Improvement in Baseline Mood and Long-Term Use of a Mindfulness and Meditation App: Observational Study.

Background: The use of smartphone apps to monitor and deliver health care guidance and interventions has received considerable attention recently, particularly with regard to behavioral disorders, stress relief, negative emotional state, and poor mood in general. Unfortunately, there is little research investigating the long-term and repeated effects of apps meant to impact mood and emotional state.

Objective: We aimed to investigate the effects of both immediate point-of-intervention and long-term use (ie, at least 10 engagements) of a guided meditation and mindfulness smartphone app on users' emotional states.

Parsing heterogeneity in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder using EEG-based subgroups.

Background: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a heterogeneous condition for which multiple efforts to characterize brain state differences are underway. The objective of this study was to identify distinct subgroups of resting electroencephalography (EEG) profiles among children with and without ADHD and subsequently provide extensive clinical characterization of the subgroups.

Methods: Latent class analysis was used with resting state EEG recorded from a large sample of 781 children with and without ADHD (N = 620 ADHD, N = 161 Control), aged 6-18 years old.

A parietal biomarker for ADHD liability: as predicted by the distributed effects perspective model of ADHD.

Background: We previously hypothesized that poor task-directed sensory information processing should be indexed by increased weighting of right hemisphere (RH) biased attention and visuo-perceptual brain functions during task operations and have demonstrated this phenotype in ADHD across multiple studies, using multiple methodologies. However, in our recent distributed effects model of ADHD, we surmised that this phenotype is not ADHD specific, but rather more broadly reflective of any circumstance that disrupts the induction and maintenance of an emergent task-directed neural architecture. Under this view, increased weighting of RH-biased attention and visuo-perceptual brain functions is expected to generally index neurocognitive sets that are not optimized for task-directed thought and action, and when durable expressed, liability for ADHD.

Novel splice-affecting variants in CYP27A1 gene in two Chilean patients with Cerebrotendinous Xanthomatosis.

Cerebrotendinous Xanthomatosis (CTX), a rare lipid storage disorder, is caused by recessive loss-of-function mutations of the 27-sterol hydroxylase (CYP27A1), producing an alteration of the synthesis of bile acids, with an accumulation of cholestanol. Clinical characteristics include juvenile cataracts, diarrhea, tendon xanthomas, cognitive impairment and other neurological manifestations. Early diagnosis is critical, because treatment with chenodeoxycholic acid may prevent neurological damage.

[Cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis: physiopathology, clinical manifestations and genetics].

Cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis (CTX) is a rare autosomal recessive disease, caused by genetic deficiency of the 27-hydroxylase enzyme (encoded by CYP27A1). It plays a key role in cholesterol metabolism, especially in bile acid synthesis and in the 25-hydroxylation of vitamin D3 in the liver. Its deficiency causes reduced bile acid synthesis and tissue accumulation of cholestanol.

Community-Based Mindfulness Program for Disease Prevention and Health Promotion: Targeting Stress Reduction.

Purpose: Poorly managed stress leads to detrimental physical and psychological consequences that have implications for individual and community health. Evidence indicates that U.S.

[Association between genetic polymorphisms of interleukin 6 (IL6), IL6R and IL18 with metabolic syndrome in obese Chilean children].

Background: Metabolic Syndrome (MS) is highly prevalent among obese children and adolescents and is considered a predictor for the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. Obesity is associated with an increase in circulating levels of interleukins 6 (IL6) and 18 (IL18), which in turn would depend on polymorphisms of IL6, IL6R and IL18 genes.

Aim: To evaluate the association between genetic polymorphisms of IL6 (rs1800795, rs1800796 and rs1800797), IL6R (rs2228145) and IL18 (rs360719, rs187238 and rs204355) and MS and/or its components in a sample of Chilean obese children.

Divergent metabolic phenotype between two sisters with congenital generalized lipodystrophy due to double AGPAT2 homozygous mutations. a clinical, genetic and in silico study.

Congenital generalized lipodystrophy (CGL) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by extreme reduction of white adipose tissue (WAT) mass. CGL type 1 is the most frequent form and is caused by mutations in AGPAT2. Genetic and clinical studies were performed in two affected sisters of a Chilean family.

Association of RNASEL and 8q24 variants with the presence and aggressiveness of hereditary and sporadic prostate cancer in a Hispanic population.

To study the association between the polymorphisms Arg462Gln and Asp541Glu from the RNASEL gene (1q25), and the polymorphisms rs620861, rs1447295, rs6983267, rs7837328 from the chromosome 8q24 with the risk of presenting prostate cancer (PCa) and its clinical characteristics in a Hispanic (Chilean) population. The study was performed on 21 control patients and 83 patients diagnosed with PCa. Polymorphisms were analysed from blood samples through real-time PCR by using TaqMan probes, and the genetic analysis was performed with the SNPStats program.

Randomised controlled pilot trial of mindfulness training for stress reduction during pregnancy.

This randomised controlled pilot trial tested a six-week mindfulness-based intervention in a sample of pregnant women experiencing high levels of perceived stress and pregnancy anxiety. Forty-seven women enrolled between 10 and 25 weeks gestation were randomly assigned to either a series of weekly Mindful Awareness Practices classes (n = 24) with home practice or to a reading control condition (n = 23). Hierarchical linear models of between-group differences in change over time demonstrated that participants in the mindfulness intervention experienced larger decreases from pre-to post-intervention in pregnancy-specific anxiety and pregnancy-related anxiety (PRA) than participants in the reading control condition.

Melanocortin-4 receptor polymorphism rs17782313: association with obesity and eating in the absence of hunger in Chilean children.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the association between melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) rs17782313 alleles with obesity and eating behavior scores in Chilean children.

Methods: A case-control study was conducted with 139 normal-weight and 238 obese children (ages 6-12 y). MC4R rs17782313 genotypes were determined by quantitative-polymerase chain reaction allelic-discrimination assays.

Characterization of the theta to beta ratio in ADHD: identifying potential sources of heterogeneity.

Objective: The goal of this study is to characterize the theta to beta ratio (THBR) obtained from electroencephalogram (EEG) measures, in a large sample of community and clinical participants with regard to (a) ADHD diagnosis and subtypes, (b) common psychiatric comorbidities, and (c) cognitive correlates.

Method: The sample includes 871 participants (595 youth and 276 adults) with and without ADHD. All participants underwent extensive assessment, including semistructured diagnostic interviews, cognitive testing, and EEG recording.

APOA5 Q97X mutation identified through homozygosity mapping causes severe hypertriglyceridemia in a Chilean consanguineous family.

Background: Severe hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) has been linked to defects in LPL, APOC2, APOA5, LMF1 and GBIHBP1 genes. However, a number of severe HTG cases are probably caused by as yet unidentified mutations. Very high triglyceride plasma levels (>112 mmol/L at diagnosis) were found in two sisters of a Chilean consanguineous family, which is strongly suggestive of a recessive highly penetrant mutation.

Sex-specific influence of DRD2 on ADHD-type temperament in a large population-based birth cohort.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a childhood-onset neurodevelopmental disorder with a significant public-health impact. Previously, we described a candidate gene study in a population-based birth cohort that demonstrated an association with ADHD-affected males and the dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2). The current study evaluates potential associations of dopamine receptor genes and Cloninger temperament traits within this same sample.

Genome-wide association study of intelligence: additive effects of novel brain expressed genes.

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to identify common genetic variants that are associated with human intelligence or general cognitive ability.

Method: We performed a genome-wide association analysis with a dense set of 1 million single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and quantitative intelligence scores within an ancestrally homogeneous family sample of 656 individuals with at least one child affected by attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Results: Haplotype trend regression analysis with sliding four-SNP windows identified haplotypes of genome-wide significance in genes involved in synaptic signaling (KIF16B; p = 1.

Genome-wide analysis of copy number variants in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: the role of rare variants and duplications at 15q13.3.

Objective: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common, highly heritable psychiatric disorder. Because of its multifactorial etiology, however, identifying the genes involved has been difficult. The authors followed up on recent findings suggesting that rare copy number variants (CNVs) may be important for ADHD etiology.

Genome-wide copy number variation study associates metabotropic glutamate receptor gene networks with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common, heritable neuropsychiatric disorder of unknown etiology. We performed a whole-genome copy number variation (CNV) study on 1,013 cases with ADHD and 4,105 healthy children of European ancestry using 550,000 SNPs. We evaluated statistically significant findings in multiple independent cohorts, with a total of 2,493 cases with ADHD and 9,222 controls of European ancestry, using matched platforms.

Brain growth rate abnormalities visualized in adolescents with autism.

Autism spectrum disorder is a heterogeneous disorder of brain development with wide ranging cognitive deficits. Typically diagnosed before age 3, autism spectrum disorder is behaviorally defined but patients are thought to have protracted alterations in brain maturation. With longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we mapped an anomalous developmental trajectory of the brains of autistic compared with those of typically developing children and adolescents.

Association between eating behavior scores and obesity in Chilean children.

Background: Inadequate eating behavior and physical inactivity contribute to the current epidemic of childhood obesity. The aim of this study was to assess the association between eating behavior scores and childhood obesity in Chilean children.

Design And Methods: We recruited 126 obese, 44 overweight and 124 normal-weight Chilean children (6-12 years-old; both genders) according to the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) criteria.