[What can genetic research teach us about the overlap and differences between psychiatric disorders?] / Wat kan genetisch onderzoek ons leren over de overeenkomsten en verschillen tussen psychiatrische aandoeningen?

BACKGROUND: Genetic research has made continuous progress in the past years, as a results of the rapidly growing sample sizes and development of novel analytical tools.
AIM: To present the latest developments in research into the genetic overlap and differences between psychiatric disorders.
METHOD: Description of findings from recent literature.
RESULTS: First of all, psychiatric disorders differ in their heritability, and consequently impact of environmental factors. Second, some disorders show high concordance in direction of genetic effects, while other disorders have rather different effects. Using these genetic (dis)similarities, subgroups of psychiatric disorders can also be defined.
CONCLUSION: Genetic research is developing at rapid pace, and much more will be learned about the genetic overlap and differences between psychiatric disorders in the next years. The big promise -and challenge- will be to integrate genetic research with research of environmental factors, other biological measures and more detailed phenotypic information.
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Transfusion of red cells after autologous bone marrow harvest in patients with acute leukemia and malignant lymphoma.

Bone marrow was harvested for the purpose of autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT) in 21 patients previously treated with chemotherapy and in complete remission from acute leukemia or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The volume required to obtain 2 x 10(8) nucleated cells per kg was less than 15 mL per kg in 13 patients and more than 15 mL per kg in 8 patients. The blood admixture was proportional to the aspirated volume (p less than 0.0001). The number of granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming units (CFU-GM) harvested in the groups was 8.4 +/- 2.2 and 3.4 +/- 1.4 x 10(4) per kg, respectively (p less than 0.0001). Autologous red cells were transfused into 16 of 21 patients, who did not require further homologous transfusions. The mean drop in hemoglobin from the preoperative level was 1.0 +/- 0.2 g per dL. No adverse effects were noted. It is concluded that large single-volume bone marrow harvests are possible and may reduce the need for a second harvest, and that, through the transfusion of autologous red cells obtained during marrow harvest, homologous blood transfusion can be avoided in most patients.