IGHV Mutational Status in a Cohort of Bulgarian CLL Patients: High Unmutated CLL Prevalence in North-East Bulgaria.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most common leukemia in adults. One of the best established CLL prognostic markers is the somatic hypermutational status of the gene which is a part of the immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region. Technology for IGHV genotyping has been optimized and has been applied in routine diagnostics for the first time in Bulgaria.

Identifying Mechanisms of Resistance by Circulating Tumor DNA in EVOLVE, a Phase II Trial of Cediranib Plus Olaparib for Ovarian Cancer at Time of PARP Inhibitor Progression.

Purpose: To evaluate the use of blood cell-free DNA (cfDNA) to identify emerging mechanisms of resistance to PARP inhibitors (PARPi) in high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC).

Experimental Design: We used targeted sequencing (TS) to analyze 78 longitudinal cfDNA samples collected from 30 patients with HGSOC enrolled in a phase II clinical trial evaluating cediranib (VEGF inhibitor) plus olaparib (PARPi) after progression on PARPi alone. cfDNA was collected at baseline, before treatment cycle 2, and at end of treatment.

The globalizability of temporal discounting.

Economic inequality is associated with preferences for smaller, immediate gains over larger, delayed ones. Such temporal discounting may feed into rising global inequality, yet it is unclear whether it is a function of choice preferences or norms, or rather the absence of sufficient resources for immediate needs. It is also not clear whether these reflect true differences in choice patterns between income groups.

Data sharing in the age of predictive psychiatry: an adolescent perspective.

Background: Advances in genetics and digital phenotyping in psychiatry have given rise to testing services targeting young people, which claim to predict psychiatric outcomes before difficulties emerge. These services raise several ethical challenges surrounding data sharing and information privacy.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate young people's interest in predictive testing for mental health challenges and their attitudes towards sharing biological, psychosocial and digital data for such purpose.

The general fault in our fault lines.

Pervading global narratives suggest that political polarization is increasing, yet the accuracy of such group meta-perceptions has been drawn into question. A recent US study suggests that these beliefs are inaccurate and drive polarized beliefs about out-groups. However, it also found that informing people of inaccuracies reduces those negative beliefs.

Replicating patterns of prospect theory for decision under risk.

Prospect theory is among the most influential frameworks in behavioural science, specifically in research on decision-making under risk. Kahneman and Tversky's 1979 study tested financial choices under risk, concluding that such judgements deviate significantly from the assumptions of expected utility theory, which had remarkable impacts on science, policy and industry. Though substantial evidence supports prospect theory, many presumed canonical theories have drawn scrutiny for recent replication failures.

Genome-wide association study on bipolar disorder in the Bulgarian population.

Bipolar disorder is a severe psychiatric disorder influenced by environmental and genetic factors. Genetic studies have implicated many variants in the disease's etiology but only few have been successfully replicated. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on bipolar disorder in the Bulgarian population followed by a replication study of the top 100 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) showing the smallest P values.

Case-control association study of 65 candidate genes revealed a possible association of a SNP of HTR5A to be a factor susceptible to bipolar disease in Bulgarian population.

Background: Bipolar affective disorder (BAD) is a psychiatric illness characterized by episodes of mania and depression. Although the etiology is not clear, epidemiological studies suggest it is a result of an interaction of genetic and environmental factors. Despite of enormous efforts and abundant studies conducted, none has yet been identified definitively a gene susceptible to bipolar disorder.

Tissue microarray analysis of EGFR gene amplification and gain in Bulgarian patients with colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common neoplastic diseases and a leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Overexpression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is commonly associated with this cancer. The aim of our study was to determine the frequency of epidermal growth factor receptor gene amplification and gain in a large number of colorectal carcinomas, arranged in a tissue microarray, in order to assess their role in colorectal cancer development.

Association of 20q13.2 copy number changes with the advanced stage of ovarian cancer-tissue microarray analysis.

Overrepresentations in 20q have been reported in a number of ovarian cancers by comparative genomic hybridization. In order to study the relation of the increased copy number of 20q13.2 with tumor phenotype in ovarian cancer, we applied FISH on a tissue microarray.