Association studies of candidate genes in bipolar disorders

The aim of the investigation was to test genes for predisposition to bipolar affective disorder. Therefore, we studied candidate genes in a sample of unrelated patients (n = 102) and healthy controls (n = 79) of Austrian origin, searching for a possible association between polymorphic DNA markers of 5 candidate genes (serotonin transporter, 5-HTT; serotonin 2a receptor, 5-HT2a; dopamine D2 receptor, DRD2; dopamine D3 receptor, DRD3; dopamine transporter, DAT1) and bipolar disorder. There was an association between allelic and genotypic frequencies of 5-HTT and affection status (p = 0.014 and p = 0.017, respectively). However, after correction for multiple comparisons (Bonferroni), these results did not remain significant. Nevertheless, the findings might suggest that alterations in the structure of 5-HTT are involved in the pathogenesis of bipolar disorder, which could have major implications in treatment. No association between 5-HT2a, DRD2, DRD3, DAT1 and bipolar disorder was found.

Cervical carcinoma: optimized local staging with intravaginal contrast-enhanced MR imaging--preliminary results

Ten patients suspected of having cervical carcinoma underwent magnetic resonance (MR) imaging before and after opacification of the vagina with a mixture of barium, water, and maltodextrin/calcium lactate. Use of vaginal contrast medium resulted in improved visualization of the vaginal wall, lumen, and fornices in all patients and in a change in local tumor stage in two patients (20%). This technique may contribute to improved noninvasive staging of cervical carcinoma.