DNA methylation as a new tool for the differential diagnosis between T-LBL and lymphocyte-rich thymoma.

T-lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-LBL) and thymoma are two rare primary tumors of the thymus deriving either from T-cell precursors or from thymic epithelial cells, respectively. Some thymoma subtypes (AB, B1, and B2) display numerous reactive terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-positive (TdT) T-cell precursors masking epithelial tumor cells. Therefore, the differential diagnosis between T-LBL and TdT T-lymphocyte-rich thymoma could be challenging, especially in the case of needle biopsy.

Two polygenic mouse models of major depressive disorders identify TMEM161B as a potential biomarker of disease in humans.

Treatments are only partially effective in major depressive disorders (MDD) but no biomarker exists to predict symptom improvement in patients. Animal models are essential tools in the development of antidepressant medications, but while recent genetic studies have demonstrated the polygenic contribution to MDD, current models are limited to either mimic the effect of a single gene or environmental factor. We developed in the past a model of depressive-like behaviors in mice (H/Rouen), using selective breeding based on behavioral reaction after an acute mild stress in the tail suspension test.

Risperidone response in patients with schizophrenia drives DNA methylation changes in immune and neuronal systems.

The choice of efficient antipsychotic therapy for schizophrenia relies on a time-consuming trial-and-error approach, whereas the social and economic burdens of the disease call for faster alternatives. In a search for predictive biomarkers of antipsychotic response, blood methylomes of 28 patients were analyzed before and 4 weeks into risperidone therapy. Several CpGs exhibiting response-specific temporal dynamics were identified in otherwise temporally stable methylomes and noticeable global response-related differences were observed between good and bad responders.

CADPS functional mutations in patients with bipolar disorder increase the sensitivity to stress.

Bipolar disorder is a severe and chronic psychiatric disease resulting from a combination of genetic and environmental risk factors. Here, we identified a significant higher mutation rate in a gene encoding the calcium-dependent activator protein for secretion (CADPS) in 132 individuals with bipolar disorder, when compared to 184 unaffected controls or to 21,070 non-psychiatric and non-Finnish European subjects from the Exome Aggregation Consortium. We found that most of these variants resulted either in a lower abundance or a partial impairment in one of the basic functions of CADPS in regulating neuronal exocytosis, synaptic plasticity and vesicular transporter-dependent uptake of catecholamines.

Dense mapping of the region of insulin gene VNTR in polycystic ovary syndrome in a population of women from Central Europe.

Introduction: Insulin gene VNTR was associated with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in some studies but not in others. This couldb be due to the heterogeneity of the definition of PCOS and/or the use of inappropriate gene mapping strategies.

Material And Methods: In this investigation, the association of VNTR with PCOS was explored in a population of women from Central Europe (377 cases and 105 controls) in whom PCOS was diagnosed according to Rotterdam criteria.