Medical Bulletin 24/October/2022 - Video
Overview
Post-traumatic stress disorder can develop following severe trauma and is an enormous public health problem for both veterans and civilians. However, the extent to which genetic and environmental factors contribute to individual clinical outcomes remains unknown. In a recent study, published in Nature Neuroscience, induced pluripotent stem cell models were used to study PTSD. Stem cell-derived neurons from combat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) react differently to a stress hormone than those from veterans without PTSD, a finding that could provide insights into how genetics can make someone more susceptible to developing PTSD following trauma exposure.
To mimic the stress response that triggers PTSD, the scientists exposed the induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons to the stress hormone hydrocortisone, a synthetic version of the body's own cortisol that is used as part of the "fight-or-flight" response.
Reference:
Rachel Yehuda et al,Modeling gene × environment interactions in PTSD using human neurons reveals diagnosis-specific glucocorticoid-induced gene expression,Nature Neuroscience, DOI10.1038/s41593-022-01161-y
Dyslexia is known to run in families - partly because of genetic factors - but, until now, little was known about the specific genes that relate to the risk of it developing. Scientists have for the first time pinpointed a large number of genes that are reliably associated with dyslexia. Around a third of the 42 genetic variants identified have been previously linked to general cognitive ability and educational attainment.
The researchers say their findings, published in Nature Genetics journal, aid our understanding of the biology behind why some children struggle to read or spell. This latest study involved more than 50,000 adults who have been diagnosed with dyslexia and more than one million adults who have not.
Researchers tested the association between millions of genetic variants with dyslexia status and found 42 significant variants. Some of these are associated with other neurodevelopment conditions, such as language delay, and with thinking skills and academic achievement. Many, however, are novel and could represent genes that more specifically associate with processes essential for learning to read.
Reference:
Michelle Luciano et al,JOURNAL
Nature Genetics
Single stranded suture threads reduces pregnancy infection complications: C-STICH trial
Women at risk of pregnancy loss who need a specialist surgical procedure could benefit from a single-stranded suture thread to reduce risk of infection, based on findings from the C-STICH clinical trial found.
The trial was the largest of its type and is published in The Lancet. It involved more than 2000 expectant mothers who needed a procedure called a cerclage, where a purse string suture is placed around the neck of the womb (the cervix) during their pregnancy. Women were randomly allocated to have the surgical procedure performed using either a single stranded thread or a braided thread.
Reference:
Dr Vicky Hodgetts-Morton et al,Monofilament suture versus braided suture thread to improve pregnancy outcomes after vaginal cervical cerclage (C-STICH): a pragmatic randomised, controlled, phase 3, superiority trial,The Lancet,DOI 10.1016/S0140-6736(22)01808-6
Speakers
Isra Zaman
B.Sc Life Sciences, M.Sc Biotechnology, B.Ed