Comparative Expression Analysis of Human Endogenous Retrovirus Elements in Peripheral Blood of Children with Specific Language Impairment.

Specific language impairment (SLI) is a psychiatric condition with a complex etiology and a substantial genetic basis that affects children's verbal communication abilities. In this study, we examined the expression of five different human endogenous retrovirus elements (HERVs) in a cohort of 25 children with SLI and 25 healthy children in the control group. Human endogenous retrovirus elements, a diverse group of repetitive DNA sequences, can potentially cause considerable genetic heterogeneity.

Investigation of Circulating Serum MicroRNA-328-3p and MicroRNA-3135a Expression as Promising Novel Biomarkers for Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) are emerging as promising diagnostic biomarkers for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but their usefulness for detecting ASD remains unclear. Nowadays, development of promising biomarkers for ASD remains a challenge. Recently, dysregulation of the miRNAs expression in postmortem brain tissue, serum and peripheral blood, have been associated with ASD.

Investigation of fasciculation and elongation protein ζ-1 (FEZ1) in peripheral blood reveals differences in gene expression in patients with schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia (SZ) is a chronic neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by affective, neuromorphological and cognitive impairment, deteriorated social functioning and psychosis with underlying molecular abnormalities, including gene expression changes. Observations have suggested that fasciculation and elongation protein ζ-1 (FEZ1) may be implicated in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Nevertheless, our current knowledge of the expression of FEZ1 in peripheral blood of schizophrenia patients remains unclear.

Autism Spectrum Disorder - A Complex Genetic Disorder.

Autism spectrum disorder is an entity that reflects a scientific consensus that several previously separated disorders are actually a single spectrum disorder with different levels of symptom severity in two core domains - deficits in social communication and interaction, and restricted repetitive behaviors. Autism spectrum disorder is diagnosed in all racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups and because of its increased prevalence, reported worldwide through the last years, made it one of the most discussed child psychiatric disorders. In term of aetiology as several other complex diseases, Autism spectrum disorder is considered to have a strong genetic component.

Epigenetic aspects in schizophrenia etiology and pathogenesis.

Epidemiological evidence suggests that etiology of schizophrenia may involve both the influence of genetic factors specific for the individual and the impact of the environment. It is quite likely that a crucial role in the disease development is played by molecular mechanisms mediating the interaction between genes and environment. Modern research have shown that epigenetic mechanisms or chemical modifications of deoxyribonucleic acids (DNA) and histone proteins remain unstable throughout life and can be changed by environmental factors.