Genetic variation in cholinergic muscarinic-2 receptor gene modulates M2 receptor binding in vivo and accounts for reduced binding in bipolar disorder.

Genetic variation in the cholinergic muscarinic-2 (M(2)) receptor gene (CHRM2) has been associated with the risk for developing depression. We previously reported that M(2)-receptor distribution volume (V(T)) was reduced in depressed subjects with bipolar disorder (BD) relative to depressed subjects with major depressive disorder (MDD) and healthy controls (HCs). In this study, we investigated the effects of six single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for CHRM2 on M(2)-receptor binding to test the hypotheses that genetic variation in CHRM2 influences M(2)-receptor binding and that a CHRM2 polymorphism underlies the deficits in M(2)-receptor V(T) observed in BD. The M(2)-receptor V(T) was measured using positron emission tomography and [(18)F]FP-TZTP in unmedicated, depressed subjects with BD (n=16) or MDD (n=24) and HCs (n=25), and the effect of genotype on V(T) was assessed. In the controls, one SNP (with identifier rs324650, in which the ancestral allele adenine (A) is replaced with one or two copies of thymine (T), showed a significant allelic effect on V(T) in the pregenual and subgenual anterior cingulate cortices in the direction AA

[Pneumococcal endocarditis in children]. / Endocarditis por Streptococcus pneumoniae en un escolar sano.

Endocarditis caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae in children is an infrecuent disease, corresponding to 3-7 % of all cases reported. Pneumococcal endocarditis is a serious condition with a rapidly destructive nature and high fatality rate, demanding prompt medical and surgical treatment. We report a case an infant eleven years old who was admitted with endocarditis by S. pneumoniae, who presented with hearth failure and required surgery. A review of the literature of endocarditis caused by S. pneumoniae is presented.