Genetics of Smoking Addiction

Tobacco smoking is associated with many diseases causing 5 million deaths per year worldwide and is regarded as one of the leading causes of death. Addiction is of the most notorious tobacco-related syndrome and is mainly attributed to nicotine. The causes of tobacco smoking addiction were intensively investigated with several components. Epidemiologic, pharmacologic, neurobiological and genetic studies were main study topics. Genetic studies of smoking and nicotine dependence has been studied for 50 years. Twin, family and adoption studies show evidence for genetic effects on smoking and nicotine dependence. Molecular genetic analyses have identified genes associated with the amount smoked and nicotine dependence. The high heritability of addiction has stimulated much work aimed at identifying susceptibility genes using positional genetics. Candidate gene approaches are also being used for the genetic dissection of smoking addiction. These two approaches had a major impact on our understanding of disease pathophysiology in last 2 decades. Recent work indicates that epigenetic mechanisms or the chemical markings of the DNA and the surrounding histone proteins remain labile through the lifespan and can be altered by environmental factors. Thus, epigenetic mechanisms are an attractive molecular hypothesis for environmental contributions to tobacco smoking addiction. Genome wide association and copy number variation studies are new genetic techniques and they would probably provide us important information in the near future. In this report we aimed to review progress of genetic studies in smoking addiction from classical genetic studies to new epigenetic approaches

A multimodal 3d healthcare communication system

W e p r e s e n t a system that integrates gesture recognition and 3D talking head technologies for a patient communication a p p l i c a t i o n a t a hospital or healthcare setting for supporting patients treated in bed. As a multimodal user interface, we get the input from patients using hand gestures and provide feedback by using a 3D talking avatar. Index Terms — gesture recognition, multimodal user interfaces, 3D facial animation

Validity and Reliability of The Authentic Happiness Scale

Studies on the concept of happiness have led to questions about whether all symptoms of happiness correspond to a real and healthy emotional state. Therefore, in this research, a scale was developed to examine the concept of “authentic happiness” coined by Seligman. Firstly, literature that explains authentic happiness and defines its relationship to other psychological concepts was reviewed, and then a theoretical framework was developed based on this information and the psychometric characteristics of the scale were introduced. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the fit indices were compatible with twodimensional structure. These two dimensions have been entitled as “Authentic Happiness” and “Fluctuating Happiness”. Based on the findings of the present study, the Authentic Happiness Scale (AHS) is a reliable and valid scale to determine the authentic happiness levels of university students

Sibutramine associated depression with suicide preoccupation: Two case reports

Obesity which has medical morbidity and psychological components has an increasing prevalence rate. In recent years there is an increasing interest on pharmacological treatment of obesity. Sibutramine which was a -feniletilamine derivative had serotonergic, noradrenergic and weak dopaminergic reuptake inhibitor was approved by FDA in 1997 in treatment of obesity. In preclinical and clinical studies it was shown that sibutramine had antidepressant effects but this was beyond its antiobesity effects. In this presentation we present two cases of depression with suicidal ideation which was induced by a drug with antidepressant properties. We reviewed the psychiatric conditions due to sibutramine. It was aimed in this presentation to show relation between psychiatric symptoms and disorders with obesity and antiobesity drugs

Psychopharmacology of Addiction

Addiction is a primary, chronic, neurobiological disease, with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development. Developments in the psychopharmacology of addiction is much slower than the other disciplines of psychiatry. For a long time, social and behavioral therapeutic approaches are the only choices for the treatment of addictive disorders. Disulfiram was the only pharmacological agent approved for addiction treatment until the end of 20th century. Pharmacological treatment options available for treatment have grown along with our understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the development and persistence of addiction. Several new medications like naltrexone, acamprosate, methadone and buprenoprhine have been approved for the treatment of alcohol and opioid use disorders ever since. Based on ever-increasing information about neurotransmitter and receptors, many studies have been performed concerning craving and relapse prevention in recent years. Besides many other pharmacological agents have been focus of new researches for treatment of different types of addiction. The aim of this article is to briefly review the literature on psychopharmacology of addictive disorders and recent developments in this area

UTERINE MYOMA WITH CYSTIC DEGENERATION MIMICKING OVARIAN NEOPLASM: A CASE REPORT

WOS: 000408442000008Objective: Myomas are the most common uterine neoplasms. They usually have a characteristic appearance on ultrasound but the myomas that have undergone degeneration may have variable patterns. We are presenting a patient with the histologic diagnosis of uterine myoma with cystic degeneration, but preoperatively, we strongly suspected that the tumor was a primary ovarian tumor. Case report: A 41-year-old woman, presented with a history of abdominal distention and pelvic pain. Abdominal sonogram showed a large, complex and predominantly cystic mass, approximately 20 cm x 30 cm in size, occupying the whole abdomen and suggestive of a suspicious ovarian neoplasm. Magnetic Resonance Imaging scan showed a large, thin-walled and predominantly cystic mass. The tumor was in general cystic but solid components showed contrast enhancement after contrast injection. Tumor markers were slightly elevated. Primary ovarian tumor was the most likely diagnosis, because of its size, cystic nature and thin walls. At laparotomy, we found an enlarged, complex and predominantly cystic tumor arising from the uterus that filled the entire abdominal cavity. Total hysterectomy and bilateral salpingectomy was done. Frozen section diagnosis was degenerated uterine myoma. Postoperative period was uneventful and the patient was discharged 5 days after the operation. The final histologic diagnosis was uterine myoma with cystic and myxoid degeneration, no mitosis nor necrosis was present. Conclusion: An uterine myoma with extensive cystic degeneration may mimic an ovarian tumor on imaging modalities and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of an adnexial / pelvic mass

UTERINE MYOMA WITH CYSTIC DEGENERATION MIMICKING OVARIAN NEOPLASM: A CASE REPORT

Objective: Myomas are the most common uterine neoplasms. They usually have a characteristic appearance on ultrasound but the myomas that have undergone degeneration may have variable patterns. We are presenting a patient with the histologic diagnosis of uterine myoma with cystic degeneration, but preoperatively, we strongly suspected that the tumor was a primary ovarian tumor

EPITHELIAL OVARIAN CANCER WITH CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM METASTASIS - CASE REPORT

Epithelial ovarian cancer rarely metastasizes to central nervous system (CNS). We present a case of ovarian cancer with CNS metastasis