Spatiotemporal DNA methylome dynamics of the developing mouse fetus

Cytosine DNA methylation is essential for mammalian development but understanding of its spatiotemporal distribution in the developing embryo remains limited. Here, as part of the mouse Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) project, we profiled 168 methylomes from 12 mouse tissues or organs at 9 developmental stages from embryogenesis to adulthood. We identified 1,808,810 genomic regions that showed variations in CG methylation by comparing the methylomes of different tissues or organs from different developmental stages. These DNA elements predominantly lose CG methylation during fetal development, whereas the trend is reversed after birth. During late stages of fetal development, non-CG methylation accumulated within the bodies of key developmental transcription factor genes, coinciding with their transcriptional repression. Integration of genome-wide DNA methylation, histone modification and chromatin accessibility data enabled us to predict 461,141 putative developmental tissue-specific enhancers, the human orthologues of which were enriched for disease-associated genetic variants. These spatiotemporal epigenome maps provide a resource for studies of gene regulation during tissue or organ progression, and a starting point for investigating regulatory elements that are involved in human developmental disorders

The emerging modern face of mood disorders: a didactic editorial with a detailed presentation of data and definitions

The present work represents a detailed description of our current understanding and knowledge of the epidemiology, etiopathogenesis and clinical manifestations of mood disorders, their comorbidity and overlap, and the effect of variables such as gender and age. This review article is largely based on the 'Mood disorders' chapter of the Wikibooks Textbook of Psychiatry http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Textbook_of_Psychiatry/Mood_Disorders

Impact of family structure on long-term survivors of osteosarcoma.

GOALS OF WORK: Long-term outcomes of osteosarcoma have dramatically improved with the use of modern combination therapies. Such aggressive treatments, however, entail chronic complications. In the present study, we assessed the functional, psychological, and familial status of long-term survivors of osteosarcoma treated at our institution. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifteen long-term survivors of osteosarcoma were evaluated for functional and psychological sequelae. Functional assessment was based on a method described by Enneking et al. Psychological assessment was based on General Health Questionnaire 28, Inventory Scale for Traumatic Neurosis, and Family System Test. MAIN RESULTS: Ten patients showed mild functional impairments; only five patients were handicapped more seriously. Depressive symptoms were diagnosed in four patients. A total of six patients revealed unbalanced family structures, including three of the four patients with depressive symptoms, all four patients with symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, and five of seven patients who showed poor emotional acceptance. CONCLUSIONS: Osteosarcoma survivors will generally recover good functional performance. Only a minority of them remain seriously impaired. One third of the patients present depressive symptoms and posttraumatic stress disorder. Poor coping is closely associated with unbalanced family structures. Therefore, the psychological and familial situation of patients with newly diagnosed osteosarcoma should be carefully assessed