Pharmacokinetic characterisation of a valproate Autism Spectrum Disorder rat model in a context of co-exposure to α-Hexabromocyclododecane

Assessing the role of α-hexabromocyclododecane α-HBCDD as a factor of susceptibility for Autism Spectrum disorders by using valproic acid-exposed rat model (VPA) required characterizing VPA pharmacokinetic in the context of α-HBCDD-co-exposure in non-pregnant and pregnant rats. The animals were exposed to α-HBCDD by gavage (100 ng/kg/day) for 12 days. This was followed by a single intraperitoneal dose of VPA (500 mg/kg) or a daily oral dose of VPA (500 mg/kg) for 3 days. Exposure to α-HBCDD did not affect the pharmacokinetics of VPA in pregnant or non-pregnant rats. Surprisingly, VPA administration altered the pharmacokinetics of α-HBCDD. VPA also triggered higher foetal toxicity and lethality with the PO than IP route. α-HBCDD did not aggravate the embryotoxicity observed with VPA, regardless of the route of exposure. Based on this evidence, a single administration of 500 mg/kg IP is the most suitable VPA model to investigate α-HBCDD co-exposure.

Human genome meeting 2016 : Houston, TX, USA. 28 February - 2 March 2016

O1 The metabolomics approach to autism: identification of biomarkers for early detection of autism spectrum disorder A. K. Srivastava, Y. Wang, R. Huang, C. Skinner, T. Thompson, L. Pollard, T. Wood, F. Luo, R. Stevenson O2 Phenome-wide association study for smoking- and drinking-associated genes in 26,394 American women with African, Asian, European, and Hispanic descents R. Polimanti, J. Gelernter O3 Effects of prenatal environment, genotype and DNA methylation on birth weight and subsequent postnatal outcomes: findings from GUSTO, an Asian birth cohort X. Lin, I. Y. Lim, Y. Wu, A. L. Teh, L. Chen, I. M. Aris, S. E. Soh, M. T. Tint, J. L. MacIsaac, F. Yap, K. Kwek, S. M. Saw, M. S. Kobor, M. J. Meaney, K. M. Godfrey, Y. S. Chong, J. D. Holbrook, Y. S. Lee, P. D. Gluckman, N. Karnani, GUSTO study group O4 High-throughput identification of specific qt interval modulating enhancers at the SCN5A locus A. Kapoor, D. Lee, A. Chakravarti O5 Identification of extracellular matrix components inducing cancer cell migration in the supernatant of cultivated mesenchymal stem cells C. Maercker, F. Graf, M. Boutros O6 Single cell allele specific expression (ASE) IN T21 and common trisomies: a novel approach to understand DOWN syndrome and other aneuploidies G. Stamoulis, F. Santoni, P. Makrythanasis, A. Letourneau, M. Guipponi, N. Panousis, M. Garieri, P. Ribaux, E. Falconnet, C. Borel, S. E. Antonarakis O7 Role of microRNA in LCL to IPSC reprogramming S. Kumar, J. Curran, J. Blangero O8 Multiple enhancer variants disrupt gene regulatory network in Hirschsprung disease S. Chatterjee, A. Kapoor, J. Akiyama, D. Auer, C. Berrios, L. Pennacchio, A. Chakravarti O9 Metabolomic profiling for the diagnosis of neurometabolic disorders T. R. Donti, G. Cappuccio, M. Miller, P. Atwal, A. Kennedy, A. Cardon, C. Bacino, L. Emrick, J. Hertecant, F. Baumer, B. Porter, M. Bainbridge, P. Bonnen, B. Graham, R. Sutton, Q. Sun, S. Elsea O10 A novel causal methylation network approach to Alzheimer’s disease Z. Hu, P. Wang, Y. Zhu, J. Zhao, M. Xiong, David A Bennett O11 A microRNA signature identifies subtypes of triple-negative breast cancer and reveals MIR-342-3P as regulator of a lactate metabolic pathway A. Hidalgo-Miranda, S. Romero-Cordoba, S. Rodriguez-Cuevas, R. Rebollar-Vega, E. Tagliabue, M. Iorio, E. D’Ippolito, S. Baroni O12 Transcriptome analysis identifies genes, enhancer RNAs and repetitive elements that are recurrently deregulated across multiple cancer types B. Kaczkowski, Y. Tanaka, H. Kawaji, A. Sandelin, R. Andersson, M. Itoh, T. Lassmann, the FANTOM5 consortium, Y. Hayashizaki, P. Carninci, A. R. R. Forrest O13 Elevated mutation and widespread loss of constraint at regulatory and architectural binding sites across 11 tumour types C. A. Semple O14 Exome sequencing provides evidence of pathogenicity for genes implicated in colorectal cancer E. A. Rosenthal, B. Shirts, L. Amendola, C. Gallego, M. Horike-Pyne, A. Burt, P. Robertson, P. Beyers, C. Nefcy, D. Veenstra, F. Hisama, R. Bennett, M. Dorschner, D. Nickerson, J. Smith, K. Patterson, D. Crosslin, R. Nassir, N. Zubair, T. Harrison, U. Peters, G. Jarvik, NHLBI GO Exome Sequencing Project O15 The tandem duplicator phenotype as a distinct genomic configuration in cancer F. Menghi, K. Inaki, X. Woo, P. Kumar, K. Grzeda, A. Malhotra, H. Kim, D. Ucar, P. Shreckengast, K. Karuturi, J. Keck, J. Chuang, E. T. Liu O16 Modeling genetic interactions associated with molecular subtypes of breast cancer B. Ji, A. Tyler, G. Ananda, G. Carter O17 Recurrent somatic mutation in the MYC associated factor X in brain tumors H. Nikbakht, M. Montagne, M. Zeinieh, A. Harutyunyan, M. Mcconechy, N. Jabado, P. Lavigne, J. Majewski O18 Predictive biomarkers to metastatic pancreatic cancer treatment J. B. Goldstein, M. Overman, G. Varadhachary, R. Shroff, R. Wolff, M. Javle, A. Futreal, D. Fogelman O19 DDIT4 gene expression as a prognostic marker in several malignant tumors L. Bravo, W. Fajardo, H. Gomez, C. Castaneda, C. Rolfo, J. A. Pinto O20 Spatial organization of the genome and genomic alterations in human cancers K. C. Akdemir, L. Chin, A. Futreal, ICGC PCAWG Structural Alterations Group O21 Landscape of targeted therapies in solid tumors S. Patterson, C. Statz, S. Mockus O22 Genomic analysis reveals novel drivers and progression pathways in skin basal cell carcinoma S. N. Nikolaev, X. I. Bonilla, L. Parmentier, B. King, F. Bezrukov, G. Kaya, V. Zoete, V. Seplyarskiy, H. Sharpe, T. McKee, A. Letourneau, P. Ribaux, K. Popadin, N. Basset-Seguin, R. Ben Chaabene, F. Santoni, M. Andrianova, M. Guipponi, M. Garieri, C. Verdan, K. Grosdemange, O. Sumara, M. Eilers, I. Aifantis, O. Michielin, F. de Sauvage, S. Antonarakis O23 Identification of differential biomarkers of hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma via transcriptome microarray meta-analysis S. Likhitrattanapisal O24 Clinical validity and actionability of multigene tests for hereditary cancers in a large multi-center study S. Lincoln, A. Kurian, A. Desmond, S. Yang, Y. Kobayashi, J. Ford, L. Ellisen O25 Correlation with tumor ploidy status is essential for correct determination of genome-wide copy number changes by SNP array T. L. Peters, K. R. Alvarez, E. F. Hollingsworth, D. H. Lopez-Terrada O26 Nanochannel based next-generation mapping for interrogation of clinically relevant structural variation A. Hastie, Z. Dzakula, A. W. Pang, E. T. Lam, T. Anantharaman, M. Saghbini, H. Cao, BioNano Genomics O27 Mutation spectrum in a pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) cohort and identification of associated truncating mutations in TBX4 C. Gonzaga-Jauregui, L. Ma, A. King, E. Berman Rosenzweig, U. Krishnan, J. G. Reid, J. D. Overton, F. Dewey, W. K. Chung O28 NORTH CAROLINA macular dystrophy (MCDR1): mutations found affecting PRDM13 K. Small, A. DeLuca, F. Cremers, R. A. Lewis, V. Puech, B. Bakall, R. Silva-Garcia, K. Rohrschneider, M. Leys, F. S. Shaya, E. Stone O29 PhenoDB and genematcher, solving unsolved whole exome sequencing data N. L. Sobreira, F. Schiettecatte, H. Ling, E. Pugh, D. Witmer, K. Hetrick, P. Zhang, K. Doheny, D. Valle, A. Hamosh O30 Baylor-Johns Hopkins Center for Mendelian genomics: a four year review S. N. Jhangiani, Z. Coban Akdemir, M. N. Bainbridge, W. Charng, W. Wiszniewski, T. Gambin, E. Karaca, Y. Bayram, M. K. Eldomery, J. Posey, H. Doddapaneni, J. Hu, V. R. Sutton, D. M. Muzny, E. A. Boerwinkle, D. Valle, J. R. Lupski, R. A. Gibbs O31 Using read overlap assembly to accurately identify structural genetic differences in an ashkenazi jewish trio S. Shekar, W. Salerno, A. English, A. Mangubat, J. Bruestle O32 Legal interoperability: a sine qua non for international data sharing A. Thorogood, B. M. Knoppers, Global Alliance for Genomics and Health - Regulatory and Ethics Working Group O33 High throughput screening platform of competent sineups: that can enhance translation activities of therapeutic target H. Takahashi, K. R. Nitta, A. Kozhuharova, A. M. Suzuki, H. Sharma, D. Cotella, C. Santoro, S. Zucchelli, S. Gustincich, P. Carninci O34 The undiagnosed diseases network international (UDNI): clinical and laboratory research to meet patient needs J. J. Mulvihill, G. Baynam, W. Gahl, S. C. Groft, K. Kosaki, P. Lasko, B. Melegh, D. Taruscio O36 Performance of computational algorithms in pathogenicity predictions for activating variants in oncogenes versus loss of function mutations in tumor suppressor genes R. Ghosh, S. Plon O37 Identification and electronic health record incorporation of clinically actionable pharmacogenomic variants using prospective targeted sequencing S. Scherer, X. Qin, R. Sanghvi, K. Walker, T. Chiang, D. Muzny, L. Wang, J. Black, E. Boerwinkle, R. Weinshilboum, R. Gibbs O38 Melanoma reprogramming state correlates with response to CTLA-4 blockade in metastatic melanoma T. Karpinets, T. Calderone, K. Wani, X. Yu, C. Creasy, C. Haymaker, M. Forget, V. Nanda, J. Roszik, J. Wargo, L. Haydu, X. Song, A. Lazar, J. Gershenwald, M. Davies, C. Bernatchez, J. Zhang, A. Futreal, S. Woodman O39 Data-driven refinement of complex disease classification from integration of heterogeneous functional genomics data in GeneWeaver E. J. Chesler, T. Reynolds, J. A. Bubier, C. Phillips, M. A. Langston, E. J. Baker O40 A general statistic framework for genome-based disease risk prediction M. Xiong, L. Ma, N. Lin, C. Amos O41 Integrative large-scale causal network analysis of imaging and genomic data and its application in schizophrenia studies N. Lin, P. Wang, Y. Zhu, J. Zhao, V. Calhoun, M. Xiong O42 Big data and NGS data analysis: the cloud to the rescue O. Dobretsberger, M. Egger, F. Leimgruber O43 Cpipe: a convergent clinical exome pipeline specialised for targeted sequencing S. Sadedin, A. Oshlack, Melbourne Genomics Health Alliance O44 A Bayesian classification of biomedical images using feature extraction from deep neural networks implemented on lung cancer data V. A. A. Antonio, N. Ono, Clark Kendrick C. Go O45 MAV-SEQ: an interactive platform for the Management, Analysis, and Visualization of sequence data Z. Ahmed, M. Bolisetty, S. Zeeshan, E. Anguiano, D. Ucar O47 Allele specific enhancer in EPAS1 intronic regions may contribute to high altitude adaptation of Tibetans C. Zeng, J. Shao O48 Nanochannel based next-generation mapping for structural variation detection and comparison in trios and populations H. Cao, A. Hastie, A. W. Pang, E. T. Lam, T. Liang, K. Pham, M. Saghbini, Z. Dzakula O49 Archaic introgression in indigenous populations of Malaysia revealed by whole genome sequencing Y. Chee-Wei, L. Dongsheng, W. Lai-Ping, D. Lian, R. O. Twee Hee, Y. Yunus, F. Aghakhanian, S. S. Mokhtar, C. V. Lok-Yung, J. Bhak, M. Phipps, X. Shuhua, T. Yik-Ying, V. Kumar, H. Boon-Peng O50 Breast and ovarian cancer prevention: is it time for population-based mutation screening of high risk genes? I. Campbell, M.-A. Young, P. James, Lifepool O53 Comprehensive coverage from low DNA input using novel NGS library preparation methods for WGS and WGBS C. Schumacher, S. Sandhu, T. Harkins, V. Makarov O54 Methods for large scale construction of robust PCR-free libraries for sequencing on Illumina HiSeqX platform H. DoddapaneniR. Glenn, Z. Momin, B. Dilrukshi, H. Chao, Q. Meng, B. Gudenkauf, R. Kshitij, J. Jayaseelan, C. Nessner, S. Lee, K. Blankenberg, L. Lewis, J. Hu, Y. Han, H. Dinh, S. Jireh, K. Walker, E. Boerwinkle, D. Muzny, R. Gibbs O55 Rapid capture methods for clinical sequencing J. Hu, K. Walker, C. Buhay, X. Liu, Q. Wang, R. Sanghvi, H. Doddapaneni, Y. Ding, N. Veeraraghavan, Y. Yang, E. Boerwinkle, A. L. Beaudet, C. M. Eng, D. M. Muzny, R. A. Gibbs O56 A diploid personal human genome model for better genomes from diverse sequence data K. C. C. Worley, Y. Liu, D. S. T. Hughes, S. C. Murali, R. A. Harris, A. C. English, X. Qin, O. A. Hampton, P. Larsen, C. Beck, Y. Han, M. Wang, H. Doddapaneni, C. L. Kovar, W. J. Salerno, A. Yoder, S. Richards, J. Rogers, J. R. Lupski, D. M. Muzny, R. A. Gibbs O57 Development of PacBio long range capture for detection of pathogenic structural variants Q. Meng, M. Bainbridge, M. Wang, H. Doddapaneni, Y. Han, D. Muzny, R. Gibbs O58 Rhesus macaques exhibit more non-synonymous variation but greater impact of purifying selection than humans R. A. Harris, M. Raveenedran, C. Xue, M. Dahdouli, L. Cox, G. Fan, B. Ferguson, J. Hovarth, Z. Johnson, S. Kanthaswamy, M. Kubisch, M. Platt, D. Smith, E. Vallender, R. Wiseman, X. Liu, J. Below, D. Muzny, R. Gibbs, F. Yu, J. Rogers O59 Assessing RNA structure disruption induced by single-nucleotide variation J. Lin, Y. Zhang, Z. Ouyang P1 A meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies of mitochondrial dna copy number A. Moore, Z. Wang, J. Hofmann, M. Purdue, R. Stolzenberg-Solomon, S. Weinstein, D. Albanes, C.-S. Liu, W.-L. Cheng, T.-T. Lin, Q. Lan, N. Rothman, S. Berndt P2 Missense polymorphic genetic combinations underlying down syndrome susceptibility E. S. Chen P4 The evaluation of alteration of ELAM-1 expression in the endometriosis patients H. Bahrami, A. Khoshzaban, S. Heidari Keshal P5 Obesity and the incidence of apolipoprotein E polymorphisms in an assorted population from Saudi Arabia population K. K. R. Alharbi P6 Genome-associated personalized antithrombotical therapy for patients with high risk of thrombosis and bleeding M. Zhalbinova, A. Akilzhanova, S. Rakhimova, M. Bekbosynova, S. Myrzakhmetova P7 Frequency of Xmn1 polymorphism among sickle cell carrier cases in UAE population M. Matar P8 Differentiating inflammatory bowel diseases by using genomic data: dimension of the problem and network organization N. Mili, R. Molinari, Y. Ma, S. Guerrier P9 Vulnerability of genetic variants to the risk of autism among Saudi children N. Elhawary, M. Tayeb, N. Bogari, N. Qotb P10 Chromatin profiles from ex vivo purified dopaminergic neurons establish a promising model to support studies of neurological function and dysfunction S. A. McClymont, P. W. Hook, L. A. Goff, A. McCallion P11 Utilization of a sensitized chemical mutagenesis screen to identify genetic modifiers of retinal dysplasia in homozygous Nr2e3^rd7 mice Y. Kong, J. R. Charette, W. L. Hicks, J. K. Naggert, L. Zhao, P. M. Nishina P12 Ion torrent next generation sequencing of recessive polycystic kidney disease in Saudi patients B. M. Edrees, M. Athar, F. A. Al-Allaf, M. M. Taher, W. Khan, A. Bouazzaoui, N. A. Harbi, R. Safar, H. Al-Edressi, A. Anazi, N. Altayeb, M. A. Ahmed, K. Alansary, Z. Abduljaleel P13 Digital expression profiling of Purkinje neurons and dendrites in different subcellular compartments A. Kratz, P. Beguin, S. Poulain, M. Kaneko, C. Takahiko, A. Matsunaga, S. Kato, A. M. Suzuki, N. Bertin, T. Lassmann, R. Vigot, P. Carninci, C. Plessy, T. Launey P14 The evolution of imperfection and imperfection of evolution: the functional and functionless fractions of the human genome D. Graur P16 Species-independent identification of known and novel recurrent genomic entities in multiple cancer patients J. Friis-Nielsen, J. M. Izarzugaza, S. Brunak P18 Discovery of active gene modules which are densely conserved across multiple cancer types reveal their prognostic power and mutually exclusive mutation patterns B. S. Soibam P19 Whole exome sequencing of dysplastic leukoplakia tissue indicates sequential accumulation of somatic mutations from oral precancer to cancer D. Das, N. Biswas, S. Das, S. Sarkar, A. Maitra, C. Panda, P. Majumder P21 Epigenetic mechanisms of carcinogensis by hereditary breast cancer genes J. J. Gruber, N. Jaeger, M. Snyder P22 RNA direct: a novel RNA enrichment strategy applied to transcripts associated with solid tumors K. Patel, S. Bowman, T. Davis, D. Kraushaar, A. Emerman, S. Russello, N. Henig, C. Hendrickson P23 RNA sequencing identifies gene mutations for neuroblastoma K. Zhang P24 Participation of SFRP1 in the modulation of TMPRSS2-ERG fusion gene in prostate cancer cell lines M. Rodriguez-Dorantes, C. D. Cruz-Hernandez, C. D. P. Garcia-Tobilla, S. Solorzano-Rosales P25 Targeted Methylation Sequencing of Prostate Cancer N. Jäger, J. Chen, R. Haile, M. Hitchins, J. D. Brooks, M. Snyder P26 Mutant TPMT alleles in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia from México City and Yucatán, Mexico S. Jiménez-Morales, M. Ramírez, J. Nuñez, V. Bekker, Y. Leal, E. Jiménez, A. Medina, A. Hidalgo, J. Mejía P28 Genetic modifiers of Alström syndrome J. Naggert, G. B. Collin, K. DeMauro, R. Hanusek, P. M. Nishina P31 Association of genomic variants with the occurrence of angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitor (ACEI)-induced coughing among Filipinos E. M. Cutiongco De La Paz, R. Sy, J. Nevado, P. Reganit, L. Santos, J. D. Magno, F. E. Punzalan , D. Ona , E. Llanes, R. L. Santos-Cortes , R. Tiongco, J. Aherrera, L. Abrahan, P. Pagauitan-Alan; Philippine Cardiogenomics Study Group P32 The use of “humanized” mouse models to validate disease association of a de novo GARS variant and to test a novel gene therapy strategy for Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2D K. H. Morelli, J. S. Domire, N. Pyne, S. Harper, R. Burgess P34 Molecular regulation of chondrogenic human induced pluripotent stem cells M. A. Gari, A. Dallol, H. Alsehli, A. Gari, M. Gari, A. Abuzenadah P35 Molecular profiling of hematologic malignancies: implementation of a variant assessment algorithm for next generation sequencing data analysis and clinical reporting M. Thomas, M. Sukhai, S. Garg, M. Misyura, T. Zhang, A. Schuh, T. Stockley, S. Kamel-Reid P36 Accessing genomic evidence for clinical variants at NCBI S. Sherry, C. Xiao, D. Slotta, K. Rodarmer, M. Feolo, M. Kimelman, G. Godynskiy, C. O’Sullivan, E. Yaschenko P37 NGS-SWIFT: a cloud-based variant analysis framework using control-accessed sequencing data from DBGAP/SRA C. Xiao, E. Yaschenko, S. Sherry P38 Computational assessment of drug induced hepatotoxicity through gene expression profiling C. Rangel-Escareño, H. Rueda-Zarate P40 Flowr: robust and efficient pipelines using a simple language-agnostic approach;ultraseq; fast modular pipeline for somatic variation calling using flowr S. Seth, S. Amin, X. Song, X. Mao, H. Sun, R. G. Verhaak, A. Futreal, J. Zhang P41 Applying “Big data” technologies to the rapid analysis of heterogenous large cohort data S. J. Whiite, T. Chiang, A. English, J. Farek, Z. Kahn, W. Salerno, N. Veeraraghavan, E. Boerwinkle, R. Gibbs P42 FANTOM5 web resource for the large-scale genome-wide transcription start site activity profiles of wide-range of mammalian cells T. Kasukawa, M. Lizio, J. Harshbarger, S. Hisashi, J. Severin, A. Imad, S. Sahin, T. C. Freeman, K. Baillie, A. Sandelin, P. Carninci, A. R. R. Forrest, H. Kawaji, The FANTOM Consortium P43 Rapid and scalable typing of structural variants for disease cohorts W. Salerno, A. English, S. N. Shekar, A. Mangubat, J. Bruestle, E. Boerwinkle, R. A. Gibbs P44 Polymorphism of glutathione S-transferases and sulphotransferases genes in an Arab population A. H. Salem, M. Ali, A. Ibrahim, M. Ibrahim P46 Genetic divergence of CYP3A5*3 pharmacogenomic marker for native and admixed Mexican populations J. C. Fernandez-Lopez, V. Bonifaz-Peña, C. Rangel-Escareño, A. Hidalgo-Miranda, A. V. Contreras P47 Whole exome sequence meta-analysis of 13 white blood cell, red blood cell, and platelet traits L. Polfus, CHARGE and NHLBI Exome Sequence Project Working Groups P48 Association of adipoq gene with type 2 diabetes and related phenotypes in african american men and women: The jackson heart study S. Davis, R. Xu, S. Gebeab, P Riestra, A Gaye, R. Khan, J. Wilson, A. Bidulescu P49 Common variants in casr gene are associated with serum calcium levels in koreans S. H. Jung, N. Vinayagamoorthy, S. H. Yim, Y. J. Chung P50 Inference of multiple-wave population admixture by modeling decay of linkage disequilibrium with multiple exponential functions Y. Zhou, S. Xu P51 A Bayesian framework for generalized linear mixed models in genome-wide association studies X. Wang, V. Philip, G. Carter P52 Targeted sequencing approach for the identification of the genetic causes of hereditary hearing impairment A. A. Abuzenadah, M. Gari, R. Turki, A. Dallol P53 Identification of enhancer sequences by ATAC-seq open chromatin profiling A. Uyar, A. Kaygun, S. Zaman, E. Marquez, J. George, D. Ucar P54 Direct enrichment for the rapid preparation of targeted NGS libraries C. L. Hendrickson, A. Emerman, D. Kraushaar, S. Bowman, N. Henig, T. Davis, S. Russello, K. Patel P56 Performance of the Agilent D5000 and High Sensitivity D5000 ScreenTape assays for the Agilent 4200 Tapestation System R. Nitsche, L. Prieto-Lafuente P57 ClinVar: a multi-source archive for variant interpretation M. Landrum, J. Lee, W. Rubinstein, D. Maglott P59 Association of functional variants and protein physical interactions of human MUTY homolog linked with familial adenomatous polyposis and colorectal cancer syndrome Z. Abduljaleel, W. Khan, F. A. Al-Allaf, M. Athar , M. M. Taher, N. Shahzad P60 Modification of the microbiom constitution in the gut using chicken IgY antibodies resulted in a reduction of acute graft-versus-host disease after experimental bone marrow transplantation A. Bouazzaoui, E. Huber, A. Dan, F. A. Al-Allaf, W. Herr, G. Sprotte, J. Köstler, A. Hiergeist, A. Gessner, R. Andreesen, E. Holler P61 Compound heterozygous mutation in the LDLR gene in Saudi patients suffering severe hypercholesterolemia F. Al-Allaf, A. Alashwal, Z. Abduljaleel, M. Taher, A. Bouazzaoui, H. Abalkhail, A. Al-Allaf, R. Bamardadh, M. Athar

Introduction: the need for a multidimensional and multidisciplinary approach

This special issue combines contributions from several disciplines within the social sciences on how to understand long-term use or dependency on various kinds of psychotropics. It emphasizes the need for a multidisciplinary approach in order to understand the complexity of such long-term use. The papers in this issue will base their arguments on psychological, sociological, anthropological, clinical, and social pharmacy perspectives. Different disciplines focus specially on certain topics. For example, psychology can help us to understand what kind of mental processes that are involved in the development of long-term tranquillizer use. Sociology, anthropology and social pharmacy have a particular contribution to make in helping us, in different ways, to understand the social meanings of psychotropic drug use.

Mass media representations as drug information for patients: the prozac phenomenon

Results of a 20-year study of mass media representations of antidepressant medications and their use are presented. The recent Prozac phenomenon stands out as a primary example of media-generated drug information for patients. Various forms of mass media are important in providing perceptions of the effects, benefits, and safety of these new antidepressant drugs. Clinical research, however, suggests that the latest generation of antidepressant medications is no more effective in treating depressive symptoms than the first generation, tricyclic antidepressants. Yet, these new antidepressants have become the model drug not only for treating depression, but also for cosmetic psychopharmacology.

Characterization of the catalytic activities of the PhoQ histidine protein kinase of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium

Studies of Escherichia coli membranes that were highly enriched in the Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium PhoQ protein showed that the presence of ATP and divalent cations such as Mg2+, Mn2+, Ca2+, or Ba2+ resulted in PhoQ autophosphorylation. However, when Mg2) or Mn2+ was present at concentrations higher than 0.1 mM, the kinetics of PhoQ autophosphorylation were strongly biphasic, with a rapid autophosphorylation phase followed by a slower dephosphorylation phase. A fusion protein lacking the sensory and transmembrane domains retained the autokinase activity but could not be dephosphosphorylated when Mg2+ or Mn2+ was present at high concentrations. The instability of purified [32P]phospho-PhoP in the presence of PhoQ-containing membranes indicated that PhoQ also possesses a phosphatase activity. The PhoQ phosphatase activity was stimulated by increasing the Mg2+ concentration. These data are consistent with a model in which Mg2+ binding to the sensory domain of PhoQ coordinately regulates autokinase and phosphatase activities.

Characterization of non-peptide bradykinin B2 receptor agonist (FR 190997) and antagonist (FR 173657)

Pharmacologic parameters for a novel non-peptide bradykinin (BK)-B2 receptor agonist, 8-[2,6-dichloro-3-[N-[(E)-4-(N-methylcarbamoylcinnamidoacetyl]-N-+ ++methylano] benzyloxy]-2-methyl-4-(2-pyridylmethoxy)quinoline (FR 190997) (pEC50, ED50 values) and for the antagonist (E)-3-(6-acetamido-3-pyridyl)-[N-[2,4-dichloro-3-[(2-methyl-8-quinolinyl ) oxymethyl] phenyl]-N-methylaminocarbonylmethyl] acrylamide (FR 173657) (pIC50, ID50 values) were measured using conventional contractile B2 receptor bioassays from rabbit, guinea pig and rat tissues and by mean of animal blood pressure models performed on anesthetized animals in the same species. In vitro assays (on the rabbit jugular vein and the guinea pig ileum) demonstrated that both the onset and duration of action of FR 190997 are prolonged compared to BK. These in vitro effects of FR 190997 strongly desensitized upon repeated tissue applications. Similar pEC50 values (7.7) were measured on the rabbit and the guinea pig tissues. In vivo, when injected intraarterially, FR 190997 produced hypotensive responses in rabbits and guinea pigs with ED50 values of 3.7 +/- 0.5 and 8.9 +/- 3.6 nmol/kg, respectively. Both the contractile and the hypotensive effects of FR 190997 were abolished by pretreating tissues (1 microM) or animals (0.1-0.5 micromol/kg) with D-Arg-[Hyp3,Thi5,D-Tic7,Oic8]BK (HOE 140) or FR 173657. FR 173657 (pIC550 approximately 8.40), as well as other known antagonists (e.g., HOE 140, D-Arg-[Hyp3,D-Phe7,Leu8]BK), inhibited the in vitro myotropic effects of BK on the rabbit, guinea pig and rat tissues. FR 173657 also abrogated the in vivo hypotensive responses elicited by BK in the rabbit (ID50 57 +/- 9 nmol/kg), the guinea pig (ID50 215 +/- 56 nmol/kg) and the rat (ID50 187 +/- 50 nmol/kg). The in vivo duration of action of FR 173657 was significantly lower in the rabbit (= 20 min) than in the guinea pig and the rat (> 90 min). It is concluded that the non-peptides FR 190997 and FR 173657 enable efficient activation and antagonism of rabbit and guinea pig B2 receptors. These non-peptide molecules represent a marked progress in medicinal chemistry and may be useful to define the role played by the kallikrein/kinin system in vivo.

[Cutaneous sarcoidosis secondary to inhalation of wall insulating material particles]

BACKGROUND

Sarcoidosis is a systemic disease defined by multiple granulomas. We report a case of sarcoidosis which occur concomitantly or secondary to foreign body granuloma of the lung.

CASE REPORT

A 50-year-old women presented with Lofgren syndrome, subcutaneous granulomatous nodular lesions on the arms and legs. Computed tomography revealed a foreign body granuloma of the lung centered on particles of mural isolation material that the patient had inhaled accidentally. Analysis of the foreign body particles showed non crystalline silica, calcite monohydrate and phenol resin.

DISCUSSION

Recent studies support the hypothesis that sarcoidosis is an antigen-driven disease involving pulmonary T-cell activation. The antigen-mediated reaction may be caused by infectious agents, particularly mycobacteria, occupational and environmental agents (beryllium) or as in our observation following inhalation of mural isolation material particles.

[From the pharmacology of drugs to their use: formation of knowledge about psychotropic drugs]

Drug effects are complex events in drug users' lives. What do we know about the effects of major psychotropic drugs, and how have we arrived at this knowledge? An exercise is presented herein that assists the reader in assessing the state of her or his knowledge about the effects of certain psychotropic drugs. The exercise format allows the reader to explore how their and others' knowledge about psychotropic drugs are constructed, by examining cellular, organal, behavioral, and social levels of experience for specific drugs. Examples of effects for five specific drugs, identified from a variety of sources, are presented and described in the context of these different levels of experience.

Barriers to compliance with OBRA'90 regulations in community pharmacies

OBJECTIVE

To identify which barriers have been most significant to community pharmacists in their ability to comply with the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 (OBRA'90) regulations during its first year of implementation.

METHODS

Mailing of a two-page survey in April 1994.

SETTING

Four hundred randomly selected community pharmacies in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

PARTICIPANTS

Of 400 pharmacies surveyed, 156 surveys were completed and returned for analysis.

RESULTS

Barriers that were considered most significant to pharmacies surveyed in their ability to implement OBRA'90 regulations were excessive workload, lack of financial compensation, and patients' attitudes. Of least significance were inadequate knowledge about drugs, inadequate references, and store layout. Almost half the responding pharmacists indicated that OBRA'90 regulations had not affected or changed their practice, one-quarter of the pharmacists believed their practice was less rewarding after OBRA'90, and about one-fifth believed it was more rewarding.

CONCLUSIONS

Community pharmacists in Massachusetts are making an attempt to comply with OBRA'90, but there are specific barriers that are affecting their ability to do so. The OBRA'90 regulations appear to have had little impact on the practice of most community pharmacies. Community pharmacy management needs to examine (1) expanded roles of supportive personnel to give pharmacists more time to spend counseling patients, (2) reimbursement mechanisms for cognitive service, and (3) approaches to educating patients about these changes in the pharmacy profession.

Prevention of substance use problems: models, factors, and processes

The use of substances for medical or nonmedical reasons occurs in most cultures. Regardless of the reason for use, however, most types of substance use (or drug-taking behaviors) have their associated problem states. The prevention of substance use problems is an important issue and need in every society. In this review we present and discuss various models and factors that purport to describe and predict patterns of drug use, and we discuss various strategies to prevent the occurrence of substance use problems.

Drugs, music, and ideology: a social pharmacological interpretation of the Acid House Movement

During the summer of 1988, a musical concert experience called Acid House arrived on the cultural scene in many British cities. The media created a frenzy of misinformation in reporting about the latest drug craze. Acid House music was then banned from the pop music charts, radio and television, and retail outlets. Some psychoactive substances have been bought, sold, and consumed at Acid House events, but drug use does not appear to be extensive. At the physiological level, the nature of Acid House music, especially the drumming aspect, seems instrumental in providing altered states of consciousness. At the interpersonal and social level, the set and setting of Acid House events further enhances and reinforces the specific physiological and psychological responses. The degree of acceptance by various subcultural groups may depend greatly on the amount of media and societal exposure given to it, particularly if authoritarian attempts to suppress it enhance its political or ideological aspects.

The social epidemiology of international drug trafficking: comparison of source of supply and distribution networks

A variety of strategies have been implemented in an attempt to limit or prevent drug trafficking. Efforts have focused on reducing the supply of drugs, but they have not been very effective. There has been a shift recently to demand-reduction activities, but it is uncertain whether this approach will prove to be valuable. Most of the strategies that are employed are based upon the law enforcement approach. Alternative perspectives, based on principles of epidemiology and social network analysis, are presented and discussed in the context of studying drug trafficking on a global scale. More research and better sources of data and information are needed to delineate the relationship between availability and use, so that we might more effectively focus prevention activities.

Substance use as a correlate of violence in intimate lesbian relationships

This article examines the problem of domestic violence as related to substance abuse in lesbian relationships. One hundred and four self-identified lesbians responded to a 70-item mail survey. Thirty-nine reported a past or present abusive relationship. Sixty-four percent reported alcohol or drugs were involved prior to or during incidents of battering. Respondents' frequency of drinking significantly correlated with committing abusive acts as well as with being the victim of abusive acts. Efforts must be initiated to improve the delivery of human services to lesbian batterers and victims and to encourage cooperation and cross-fertilization between practitioners from the domestic violence and substance abuse fields.

Testing for drug use, Part 1: Analytical methods

Issues surrounding the screening and testing of individuals for drug use, including analytical and legal aspects of the procedures and social, political, and ethical problems and concerns, are reviewed. Historically, professional and societal debate regarding drug taking, drug-use problems, and the utility of drug testing programs occurs in cycles. Analytical methods commonly used to test for drug use include breath analysis for alcohol and urine drug assays. Blood alcohol concentrations are determined by laboratory assay methods or by portable devices used in the field. While poor laboratory procedures can invalidate test results for both breath and urine tests, urine screening test results can be further invalidated by improper handling of specimens or by tampering on the part of the subject. Also, test results are meaningful only if they are correlated with a clinical state. Legal issues have been raised concerning the validity of testing procedures used and the reliability of evidence obtained, especially in relation to pre-employment drug screening. From an ethical standpoint, drug testing tends to focus efforts to combat drug abuse on the drugs themselves instead of on the social context of the problem. With a recycled interest in drug-use testing and screening, primarily attributable to technological advances, little attention is being given to other approaches to controlling drug use. Additional research is needed to better describe the nature and extent of our drug-use problems and their impact on society.

The metaphorical nature of drugs and drug taking

An inquiry into the role metaphor plays in personal and societal conceptions of drugs and drug taking reveals that drug metaphors and symbols are quite pervasive in individual thinking, social discourse, and the cultural media. They appear to influence beliefs and attitudes regarding drugs, the nature and meaning of drug experiences, and the reasons behind drug-taking behaviors. Some drug metaphors are common to different cultures and historical periods, while others are specific and exclusive to particular individuals and groups or drug-taking situations. These metaphors can carry positive as well as negative connotations. Further study is needed to delineate the metaphorical structuring of our thinking about drugs, and the process whereby these metaphors are generated and spread throughout society.

Research and evaluation in health communication

The purpose of this review is to briefly summarize the nature and extent of research and evaluation in health communication, focusing primarily on the importance of interpersonal skills in practice settings and in the education of patients. The focus of research activities has varied from the socio-behavioral aspects of health and illness to patient outcomes and the results of providing care to the nature of interpersonal interactions in health settings. Evaluative research is more advanced, with the greatest emphasis being on the evaluation of clinical interviewing skills and the development of assessment scales. Future trends in health communication research and evaluation are noted, and some comments and suggestions are provided to assist in these efforts.

Marketing 'mind mechanics': decoding antidepressant drug advertisements

Advertisers have adopted the use of highly abstract visual metaphors and symbols in addressing physicians about antidepressant drugs. Campaigns built around an abstract visual aesthetics are designed to generate cognitive connections between named drug entities and the meaning of abstract visual images: these connections are called 'carry-over symbols'. In this study we critically dismantle and analyze the encoding practices used in two recent ad campaigns for antidepressants. In addition to asking what the ads mean, we ask how they mean it. This analysis is joined to a comparison of the information provided by these ads with the pharmacological and therapeutic properties of the drugs themselves. Our analysis suggests this style of drug advertising produces, as a social side-effect, a reified and medicalized account of psychiatric illness (depression). It also poses an obstacle to scientific discourse and understanding; privileges certain types of social knowledge concerning mental illness, psychiatric patients, and drug taking; and discourages professional d debate regarding therapeutic approaches to treating illness. These ads reflect a positivistic conceptualization of mental illness and doctoring as mind mechanics.

Toward an integrative framework for the comprehensive study of drug-taking behaviors and experiences

There are a variety of approaches to the study of drug-taking behaviors and experiences. Each approach usually examines only a particular aspect of drug taking, depending upon epistemological orientation, type of knowledge utilized, focus of inquiry, and a host of other factors. This can result in a number of problems and misconceptions, and the domination of an area of inquiry by a specific discipline. In an attempt to solve some of these problems and to strive for a more holistic approach, an integrative framework for the study of drug-taking phenomena is presented and discussed. Examples of the application and utility of the framework are considered, with suggestions for future activities in this area.

The development and evaluation of an interdisciplinary health training program: a pharmacy perspective

This program integrates training with the clinical interdisciplinary aspects of health care by directly involving pharmacy and other health professional students in an on-going team model of health care delivery. The training program model allows pharmacy students to learn the conceptual basis of team care and to experience directly how this concept is applied in an ambulatory health care setting. Learning strategies include specialty and team delivery of health care, participation in weekly interdisciplinary team training seminars, involvement in problem-solving and other skill building activities, and development of an interdisciplinary team project. Program evaluation results have indicated that students perceive that the interdisciplinary training increased their knowledge and positive attitudes towards interdisciplinary teams. The training also increased their sensitivity to patients, and enhanced the understanding of the problems of delivering health care to an urban community. The results have also shown that through this structured interdisciplinary experience, students reported having a better understanding of the roles of other health professionals and a greater awareness of how these different roles are integrated into a health care team.

A statewide decentralized public drug information system

A statewide drug information system designed to assist consumers and health professionals is described, with emphasis on the training of pharmacists in the system's satellites. The development of the system was initially funded by a 10-month, $12,500 grant from the Chemical Dependency Division of the State of Minnesota Department of Public Welfare. Twenty-one satellite drug information centers in community or hospital pharmacies are linked by a WATS telephone line to the library of the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy. Consumers' questions are handled through the satellites with the pharmacists there referring to the central information source as needed. All the pharmacists in the system are trained in a one and one-half day program that covers (1) consultation skills, (2) communication skills, (3) drug information retrieval and distribution, (4) practical applications, (5) promotion, and (6) resources and referrals. The average amount of time devoted to the service for all pharmacy sites is 15-20 minutes per day. Percentage of time that specific resources are used include one's own knowledge and experience, 64.8%; a fellow pharmacist, 5.7%; another resource individual, 5.1%; a standard pharmacy reference book, 13.4%; the central clearinghouse at the college, 6.2%; and another resource facility, 4.8%. The authors believe that their system can be easily adapted to other areas.