Running in the FAMILY: understanding and predicting the intergenerational transmission of mental illness

Over 50% of children with a parent with severe mental illness will develop mental illness by early adulthood. However, intergenerational transmission of risk for mental illness in one's children is insufficiently considered in clinical practice, nor is it sufficiently utilised into diagnostics and care for children of ill parents. This leads to delays in diagnosing young offspring and missed opportunities for protective actions and resilience strengthening. Prior twin, family, and adoption studies suggest that the aetiology of mental illness is governed by a complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors, potentially mediated by changes in epigenetic programming and brain development. However, how these factors ultimately materialise into mental disorders remains unclear. Here, we present the FAMILY consortium, an interdisciplinary, multimodal (e.g., (epi)genetics, neuroimaging, environment, behaviour), multilevel (e.g., individual-level, family-level), and multisite study funded by a European Union Horizon-Staying-Healthy-2021 grant. FAMILY focuses on understanding and prediction of intergenerational transmission of mental illness, using genetically informed causal inference, multimodal normative prediction, and animal modelling. Moreover, FAMILY applies methods from social sciences to map social and ethical consequences of risk prediction to prepare clinical practice for future implementation. FAMILY aims to deliver: (i) new discoveries clarifying the aetiology of mental illness and the process of resilience, thereby providing new targets for prevention and intervention studies; (ii) a risk prediction model within a normative modelling framework to predict who is at risk for developing mental illness; and (iii) insight into social and ethical issues related to risk prediction to inform clinical guidelines.

Measurement of absolute epicardial coronary artery flow and flow reserve with breath-hold cine phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging

BACKGROUND

Noninvasive measurement of absolute coronary arterial flow and coronary flow reserve would be of considerable use in the diagnosis and management of patients with coronary artery disease. Phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been used to measure flow in a variety of vessels. The goal of the present study was to determine if MRI measurements of coronary artery flow in a single breath-hold can be used to determine flow reserve and the severity of pericardial stenosis.

METHODS AND RESULTS

In eight mongrel dogs, a closed chest model of partial left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) occlusion was created. Coronary flows in the left circumflex artery (LCx) and LAD were measured at rest and during adenosine infusion using velocity-encoded, breath-hold MRI and perivascular ultrasound (US) flowmeters. MRI measurements of absolute coronary flow and coronary flow reserve were highly correlated with US (r = .96 and .94, respectively). Flow reserve measured in the constricted LAD was significantly lower than that in the unconstricted LCx by both US (P = .002) and MRI (P = .011).

CONCLUSIONS

MRI measurements of coronary flow and flow reserve were in good agreement with US measurements. In addition, MRI measurements of coronary flow reserve successfully discriminated stenotic from normal vessels. These results indicate that MRI is a useful method for the noninvasive assessment of coronary flow and stenosis.

Alternating hemiplegia in childhood: a cross-sectional study

Six patients with alternating hemiplegia in childhood (AHC) were followed, some of them up to childhood. Progressive intellectual deterioration and disturbance of pyramidal, extrapyramidal and cerebellar functions were found in all of them. Multimodal evoked potential abnormalities, changes of sleep structure and HMPAO-SPECT results were correlated with increasing clinical handicap. In older patients increases in the plasma level of lactate, as well as in the lactate: pyruvate ratio, were revealed, accompanied by elevated inorganic phosphate (Pi) values on 31P MR spectroscopy. These findings support the hypothesis of a possible secondary mitochondrial deficit in AHC. However, no specific bioptic changes (muscle, skin, or buccal mucous membrane) were found, and thus the etiology of AHC remains unclear.

[Application of dipeptidylpeptidase IV in formation of the peptide bond]

According to the increasing importance of enzyme catalysed peptide synthesis the capability of the protease dipeptidyl peptidase IV is shown to form the peptide bond. To our best knowledge, it's the first time that has been used successfully proline as one of the amino acids. The formation of the peptide bond is kinetically controlled. Free amino acids have been used as nucleophiles. The reaction media contain 50 vol.-% glycerol. A first approach to a kinetic treatment is shown.

Paroxysmal hemipareses in childhood

The authors report three patients suffering since infancy from transient attacks of paresis. The flaccid pareses most frequently affect the extremities in a hemiplegic fashion, but occasionally there is monoparesis or quadriparesis. The laterality and degree of the paresis are variable. Conciousness is always preserved, and in two cases attacks were preceded by ocular motor disturbances (skew deviation, nystagmoid jerks and conjugate deviations). Exceptionally, the transient hemiparesis may be preceded by a grand mal epileptic fit, though they are more likely to appear sporadically and independently of the paretic changes. In the interparoxysmal periods the children showed pronounced hypotonia, hyperkinetic extrapyramidal features and oligophrenia. Neuroradiological procedures have excluded brain anomalies of vascular or other aetiology and simple biochemical analyses were negative. EMG during paretic periods have revealed central motor neuron lesions, while EEG demonstrated non-specific paroxysmal features. A brain-stem dysfunction in the aetiology is postulated.

[Pacemaker's twiddler syndrome (author's transl)]

This report demonstrates the results of five observation of the Pacemaker's-twiddler-syndrome, which will not necessarily end in the complete malfunction of the pacemaker unit. Therefore we classify the Pacemaker's-twiddler-syndrome as a partial and a complete form. The partial form is characterized by still effective cardiac stimulation, whereas the complete form can not stimulate the heart muscle because of the retracted electrode. Also methods of early detection and prevention of the Pacemaker's-twiddler-syndrome are discussed.

Inhibition of human colonic adenylate cyclase by RMI 12330 A

RMI 12330 A, a compound of the lactamamide series, is a potent inhibitor of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide(VIP)- and prostaglandin (PG)-stimulated colonic secretion in the rat. This substance was tested on the adenylate cyclase system in human colonic mucosa. RMI 12330 A inhibited PGE2-, 16,16-dimethyl-PGE2- as well as VIP-sensitive adenylate cyclases in a dose-related manner. Half-maximal inhibition of hormone-stimulated enzyme activities occurred at a lactamimide concentration of about 0.15 mM. Lactamimide inhibition was non-competitive. Our results are compatible with the concept of RMI 12330 A acting as an inhibitor of colonic secretion via inhibition of hormone-sensitive adenylate cyclase. Since basal, NaF- and guanylyl-imidodiphosphate-stimulated enzyme activities were also affected by this compound, we may conclude that RMI 12330 A is a non-specific inhibitor of the human colonic adenylate cyclase system.

Hormone-sensitive adenylate cyclase in human colonic mucosa

Human colonic adenylate cyclase has been shown to be sensitive to vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) and prostaglandins of the E- and F-type. Maximal activation of enzyme activity averaged 200% for VIP and 300-350% for the E-prostaglandins. Both classes of hormones had an additive effect on enzyme activity indicating the existence of two distinct hormone-sensitive adenylate cyclases in human colonic mucosa.

[Acquired isolated ventricular septal defects]

Among the acquired defects of ventricular septum the rupture of the septum are known to occur as a rare complication following penetrating and non-penetrating injuries of the chest and more common as sequel of myocardial infarction. A left to right shunt usually follows the acute rupture of the interventricular septum, and is usually lethal. Only a few patients survive for several months under conventional therapy. Early diagnostic procedures using heart catheterization are crucial to determine whether surgical maneuvers are necessary. We present patients who experienced acute rupture of the ventricular septum. We discuss their pathological and clinical findings as well as the problems related to prognosis and therapy.