Stress Cardiomyopathy (Takotsubo syndrome) Following Accidental Methadone Poisoning; Report of Two Pediatric Cases

Methadone poisoning has become more common in the pediatric population due to extensive use of methadone maintenance therapy (MMT). It is associated with decreased level of consciousness, coma, respiratory distress and cardiac intoxication. The cardiac complications have been reported to be QT prolongation, torsade de pointes, coronary artery disease, arrhythmia, stress cardiomyopathy and death. We herein report two pediatric patients with accidental methadone poisoning who developed stress cardiomyopathy and cardiac failure. The first case was a 4-yaer-old girl and the second one was an 18-month-old girl both being accidentally poisoned with methadone syrup and were brought with decreased level of consciousness. Both were diagnosed to suffer from congestive heart failure based on echocardiography. However, the first case passed away despite appropriate treatment, while the second one survived the condition and was discharged with good condition and was symptom free at 6-month follow-up

CCND1 Overexpression in Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy: A Promising Biomarker?

Cardiomyopathy, a disorder of electrical or heart muscle function, represents a type of cardiac muscle failure and culminates in severe heart conditions. The prevalence of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is higher than that of other types (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and restrictive cardiomyopathy) and causes many deaths. Idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDCM) is a type of DCM with an unknown underlying cause. This study aims to analyze the gene network of IDCM patients to identify disease biomarkers. Data were first extracted from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) dataset and normalized based on the RMA algorithm (Bioconductor package), and differentially expressed genes were identified. The gene network was mapped on the STRING website, and the data were transferred to Cytoscape software to determine the top 100 genes. In the following, several genes, including VEGFA, IGF1, APP, STAT1, CCND1, MYH10, and MYH11, were selected for clinical studies. Peripheral blood samples were taken from 14 identified IDCM patients and 14 controls. The RT-PCR results revealed no significant differences in the expression of the genes APP, MYH10, and MYH11 between the two groups. By contrast, the STAT1, IGF1, CCND1, and VEGFA genes were overexpressed in patients more than in controls. The highest expression was found for VEGFA, followed by CCND1 (p < 0.001). Overexpression of these genes may contribute to disease progression in patients with IDCM. However, more patients and genes need to be analyzed in order to achieve more robust results

Effect of Olanzapine on Pituitary –Gonad Axis and Spermatogenesis in Adult Male Rats

Bakground & Objective: Since Olanzapine is used in the treatment of psychosis and schizophrenia, the aim of this investigation was to assess the effect of Olanzapine on the pituitary –gonad axis and spermatogenesis in adult male rats.   Materials & Methods: In the present research, 50 male Wistar rats were divided into 5 groups of 10, including control, sham, and experimental groups I, II, and III, which orally received 5, 10, and 20 mg/kg Olanzapine solution for 28 days, respectively. Twenty-four hours after the last treatment, all the rats were weighed and anesthetized. Blood samples were obtained from the heart and were centrifuged; the sera were thereafter evaluated for concentrations of LH, FSH, testosterone, and prolactin via the RIA method.   Results: The results show that there was a significant increase in the body weight of the group receiving 20 mg/kg Olanzapine solution. In addition, the results of hormone assay demonstrated that the serum concentrations of LH and FSH were comparable between the experimental groups, while there was a significant increase in prolactin and significant decrease in testosterone in the group receiving 20 mg/kg Olanzapine solution.   Conclusion: The changes observed in the subjects were due to the presence of compounds in the Olanzapine solution, especially Benzodiazepine, which affected the body weight and serum concentration of prolactin and testosterone in the groups receiving 20 mg/kg Olanzapine solution