Common genetic risk of major depression and nicotine dependence: The contribution of antisocial traits in a United States veteran male twin cohort

Many studies that found associations between depression and nicotine dependence have ignored possible shared genetic influences associated with antisocial traits. The present study examined the contribution of genetic and environmental effects associated with conduct disorder (CD) and antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) to the comorbidity of major depression (MD) and nicotine dependence (ND). A telephone diagnostic interview, the Diagnostic Interview Schedule-III-R, was administered to eligible twins from the Vietnam Era Twin (VET) Registry in 1992. Multivariate genetic models were fitted to 3360 middle-aged and predominantly white twin pairs (1868 monozygotic, 1492 dizygotic pairs) of which both members completed the pertinent diagnostic interview sections. Genetic influences on CD accounted for 100%, 68%, and 50% of the total genetic variance in risk for ASPD, MD and ND, respectively. After controlling for genetic influences on CD, the partial genetic correlation between MD and ND was no longer statistically significant. Nonshared environmental contributions to the comorbidity among these disorders were not significant. This study not only demonstrates that the comorbidity between ND and MD is influenced by common genetic risk factors, but also further suggests that the common genetic risk factors overlapped with those for antisocial traits such as CD and ASPD in men

Minimally Invasive Fixation in Osteoporotic Vertebral Fractures: A Review Article

There are several surgical strategies which have been proposed to treat the osteoporotic patient with vertebral fracture, ranging from vertebral body cement augmentation, percutaneous/mini-open short segment pedicle screw fixation, and cortical bone trajectory screw to kyphotic deformity correction surgery. Minimally invasive spine surgery has the potential benefits of faster recovery, reduced blood loss, less postoperative wound pain, lower infection risk, and shorter length of hospital stay. Novel surgical techniques such as percutaneous instrumentation fixation, cortical bone trajectory technique, screw cement augmentation, and vertebral body augmentation are developed. However, various complications have been reported, including pedicle fracture, instrumentation loosening, adjacent-level disc degeneration with herniation, and progressive junctional kyphosis. The purpose of this review was to outline various advancements in minimally invasive spinal surgery for patients with osteoporosis. Minimally invasive surgical techniques for fixation including percutaneous instrumentation, cortical bone trajectory technique, screw cement augmentation, and vertebral body augmentation have benefited patient with osteoporosis. Studies and discussions about short-segment pedicle screw fixation (one level above and below the fracture level) have shown that it provides enough stability for thoracolumbar burst fractures. There are also complications, including cement embolism, adjacent vertebral fracture, neuraxial anesthesia, and infection, which have been observed with the above technique. With the advancement of instrument and technique, the complication rate decreased in recent studies. Minimally invasive fixation still has many advantages for patients with osteoporosis. Many of these studies and strategies only have evidence from biomechanical and cadaveric studies and require further clinical trials to establish their clinical efficacy

Is There an Association between Advanced Paternal Age and Endophenotype Deficit Levels in Schizophrenia?

The children of older fathers have increased risks of developing schizophrenia spectrum disorders, and among those who develop these disorders, those with older fathers present with more severe clinical symptoms. However, the influence of advanced paternal age on other important domains related to schizophrenia, such as quantitative endophenotype deficit levels, remains unknown. This study investigated the associations between paternal age and level of endophenotypic impairment in a well-characterized family-based sample from the Consortium on the Genetics of Schizophrenia (COGS). All families included at least one affected subject and one unaffected sibling. Subjects met criteria for schizophrenia (probands; n = 293) or were unaffected first-degree siblings of those probands (n = 382). Paternal age at the time of subjects’ birth was documented. Subjects completed a comprehensive clinical assessment and a battery of tests that measured 16 endophenotypes. After controlling for covariates, potential paternal age–endophenotype associations were analyzed using one model that included probands alone and a second model that included both probands and unaffected siblings. Endophenotype deficits in the Identical Pairs version of the 4-digit Continuous Performance Test and in the Penn Computerized Neurocognitive Battery verbal memory test showed significant associations with paternal age. However, after correcting for multiple comparisons, no endophenotype was significantly associated with paternal age. These findings suggest that factors other than advanced paternal age at birth may account for endophenotypic deficit levels in schizophrenia