-
Cureus Feb 2024We analyzed multimodal retinal and choroidal imaging, including optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography (OCTA), to assess differences and characterize...
We analyzed multimodal retinal and choroidal imaging, including optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography (OCTA), to assess differences and characterize variations in the retinal and choroidal structure and microvasculature between healthy monozygotic twins without ocular or systemic pathology over a five-year period. Retinal imaging of both subjects revealed normal age-related changes. There was up to an 11% difference in OCT and OCTA variables within the subjects, both at baseline and at five years, and there was up to an 18% difference in OCT and OCTA parameters between the subjects for both time points. Larger changes in subfoveal choroidal thickness and foveal avascular zone area were observed. Our observations suggest that the parafoveal superficial capillary plexus, choroidal vascularity index, central subfield thickness, retinal nerve fiber layer thickness, and ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer thickness may be more heavily influenced by genetic, rather than environmental, factors. In contrast, subfoveal choroidal thickness and the foveal avascular zone area may be more heavily influenced by environmental factors. The environmental impact on retinal and choroidal structure and microvasculature is increasingly important to characterize, as such imaging parameters are being explored as potential biomarkers of systemic disease. These differences, as seen in these identical twin subjects, may be important considerations in supporting the security of biometric identifiers.
PubMed: 38516463
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.54557 -
Fa Yi Xue Za Zhi Feb 2024
Topics: Humans; Male; Genetic Markers; Twins, Monozygotic; Fathers
PubMed: 38500475
DOI: 10.12116/j.issn.1004-5619.2023.530702 -
BioRxiv : the Preprint Server For... Mar 2024Clonal hematopoiesis becomes increasingly common with age, but its cause is enigmatic because driver mutations are often absent. Serial observations infer weak selection...
Clonal hematopoiesis becomes increasingly common with age, but its cause is enigmatic because driver mutations are often absent. Serial observations infer weak selection indicating variants are acquired much earlier in life with unexplained initial growth spurts. Here we use fluctuating CpG methylation as a lineage marker to track stem cell clonal dynamics of hematopoiesis. We show, via the shared prenatal circulation of monozygotic twins, that weak selection conferred by stem cell variation created before birth can reliably yield clonal hematopoiesis later in life. Theory indicates weak selection will lead to dominance given enough time and large enough population sizes. Human hematopoiesis satisfies both these conditions. Stochastic loss of weakly selected variants is naturally prevented by the expansion of stem cell lineages during development. The dominance of stem cell clones created before birth is supported by blood fluctuating CpG methylation patterns that exhibit low correlation between unrelated individuals but are highly correlated between many elderly monozygotic twins. Therefore, clonal hematopoiesis driven by weak selection in later life appears to reflect variation created before birth.
PubMed: 38496542
DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.02.583106 -
Autopsy & Case Reports 2024Twin reversed arterial perfusion (TRAP) sequence is a rare complication of monochorionic twinning whereby a donor twin perfuses an acardiac twin via aberrant vascular...
Twin reversed arterial perfusion (TRAP) sequence is a rare complication of monochorionic twinning whereby a donor twin perfuses an acardiac twin via aberrant vascular anastomoses. The resulting paradoxical retrograde blood flow supplying the acardiac twin is oxygen-poor, leading to some of the most severe malformations encountered in humans. Though the first descriptions of acardiac twins date back to at least the 16 century, the pathophysiologic processes which underpin the development of TRAP sequence are still being elucidated. Theories on the pathogenesis of TRAP sequence include deficiencies intrinsic to the embryo and primary abnormalities of the placental vasculature. Autopsy studies continue to provide clues to the underlying pathogenesis of TRAP sequence, and the characterization of the spectrum of manifestations that can be observed in acardiac twins. Herein, we present the clinical, autopsy, and molecular findings in a unique case of TRAP sequence. Novel findings include a primitive cloaca-like structure and chromosomal aberrations involving 6q11.1 and 15q25.1.
PubMed: 38487033
DOI: 10.4322/acr.2024.477 -
JCPP Advances Mar 2024In this study we compare results obtained when applying the monozygotic twin difference cross-lagged panel model (MZD-CLPM) and a random intercept cross-lagged panel...
Comparing findings from the random-intercept cross-lagged panel model and the monozygotic twin difference cross-lagged panel model: Maladaptive parenting and offspring emotional and behavioural problems.
BACKGROUND
In this study we compare results obtained when applying the monozygotic twin difference cross-lagged panel model (MZD-CLPM) and a random intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM) to the same data. Each of these models is designed to strengthen researchers' ability to draw causal inference from cross-lagged associations. We explore differences and similarities in how each model does this, and in the results each model produces. Specifically, we examine associations between maladaptive parenting and child emotional and behavioural problems in identical twins aged 9, 12 and 16.
METHOD
Child reports of 5698 identical twins from the Twins Early Development Study (TEDS) were analysed. We ran a regular CLPM to anchor our findings within the current literature, then applied the MZD-CLPM and the RI-CLPM.
RESULTS
The RI-CLPM and MZD-CLPM each enable researchers to evaluate the direction of effects between correlated variables, after accounting for unmeasured sources of potential confounding. Our interpretation of these models therefore focusses primarily on the magnitude and significance of cross-lagged associations. In both the MZD-CLPM and the RI-CLPM behavioural problems at age 9 resulted in higher levels of maladaptive parenting at age 12. Other effects were not consistently significant across the two models, although the majority of estimates pointed in the same direction.
CONCLUSION
In light of the triangulated methods, differences in the results obtained using the MZD-CLPM and the RI-CLPM underline the importance of careful consideration of what sources of unmeasured confounding different models control for and that nuance is required when interpreting findings using such models. We provide an overview of what the CLPM, RI-CLPM and MZD-CLPM can and cannot control for in this respect and the conclusions that can be drawn from each model.
PubMed: 38486957
DOI: 10.1002/jcv2.12203 -
Obstetrical & Gynecological Survey Mar 2024Multiple pregnancy is relatively common in many countries and is associated with various pregnancy complications, including preterm birth, low birth weight, and... (Review)
Review
IMPORTANCE
Multiple pregnancy is relatively common in many countries and is associated with various pregnancy complications, including preterm birth, low birth weight, and congenital anomalies. In particular, a poorer prognosis has been reported when congenital anomalies overlap with other pregnancy complications in multiple pregnancy compared with singleton pregnancy.
OBJECTIVE
This study reviews the characteristics of congenital anomalies that occur in multiple gestations as compared with singleton pregnancies.
EVIDENCE ACQUISITION
An extensive manual search of major electronic databases was conducted in June 2023. This literature review provides a comprehensive coverage of the congenital anomalies in multiple pregnancy.
RESULTS
Most studies have shown that multiple gestations are associated with an increased risk of congenital anomalies compared with singleton pregnancies. In addition, higher rates of congenital anomalies and concordance have been observed in monozygotic versus dizygotic twins. The effect of assisted reproductive therapies on the risk of congenital anomalies appears to be smaller in multiple gestations than in singleton pregnancies.
CONCLUSIONS
Multiple pregnancy is significantly associated with an increased risk of congenital anomalies.
RELEVANCE
This review provides obstetrical providers with the requisite knowledge to offer appropriate antenatal care and prenatal anomaly screening to patients with multiple pregnancies.
Topics: Pregnancy; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Female; Premature Birth; Pregnancy, Multiple; Prenatal Diagnosis; Prenatal Care; Pregnancy Complications
PubMed: 38482746
DOI: 10.1097/OGX.0000000000001251 -
Translational Psychiatry Mar 2024Flow is a phenomenon where one experiences optimal challenge, marked by an intense, effortless, and rewarding concentration on a task. Past research shows that flow...
Flow is a phenomenon where one experiences optimal challenge, marked by an intense, effortless, and rewarding concentration on a task. Past research shows that flow proneness is associated with good mental and cardiovascular health. However, this research has been primarily cross-sectional, based on self-report data, and has not controlled for potential confounding effects of neuroticism. In a large, longitudinal twin sample (N = 9361), we used nationwide patient registry data to test whether flow proneness predicted registry-based diagnoses of depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, stress-related disorders, or cardiovascular diseases. We used survival analyses taking time to diagnosis into account to test if (a) there is a relationship between flow proneness and health diagnoses over time, (b) neuroticism confounds this relationship, and (c) the relationship remains present within discordant monozygotic twin pairs (N = 952), thereby controlling for genetic and shared environmental confounding. Individuals with higher flow proneness had a decreased risk of receiving diagnoses for depression (16%; CI [14%, 18%]), anxiety (16%; CI [13%, 18%]), schizophrenia (15%; CI [4%, 25%]), bipolar (12%; CI [6%, 18%]), stress-related (9%; CI [9%, 12%]), and cardiovascular disorders (4%; CI [1%, 8%]). When controlling for neuroticism, higher flow proneness still decreased the risk of depression (6%; CI [3%, 9%]) and anxiety diagnoses (5%; CI [1%, 8%]). Monozygotic twins who experienced more flow than their co-twin had a lower risk for depression (16%; CI [5%, 26%]) and anxiety (13%; CI [1%, 24%]), though only the association with depression remained significant when also controlling for neuroticism (13%; CI [1%, 24%]). Findings are in line with a causal protective role of flow experiences on depression and potentially anxiety and highlight that neuroticism and familial factors are notable confounding factors in observed associations between flow proneness and health outcomes.
Topics: Humans; Cross-Sectional Studies; Prospective Studies; Twins, Dizygotic; Anxiety; Anxiety Disorders; Twins, Monozygotic
PubMed: 38480692
DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-02855-6 -
BMJ Case Reports Mar 2024Median arcuate ligament syndrome (MALS) is a rare clinical entity arising from the extrinsic compression of the coeliac axis by the median arcuate ligament. In this...
Median arcuate ligament syndrome (MALS) is a rare clinical entity arising from the extrinsic compression of the coeliac axis by the median arcuate ligament. In this report, we detail a unique presentation involving monozygotic twins, both of whom demonstrated anatomical extrinsic compression of the coeliac axis by the median arcuate ligament. Intriguingly, only one twin manifested clinical symptoms consistent with MALS, despite comparable anatomical compression of the coeliac axis observed in both. This case highlights the potential interplay of a genetic or anatomical predisposition to coeliac axis compression and secondary, possibly environmental, factors that lead to the development of clinical symptoms. In this report, we explore various determinants potentially influencing symptomatology in MALS and advocate for the publication of similar case studies to further elucidate this rare condition.
Topics: Humans; Celiac Artery; Constriction, Pathologic; Ligaments; Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome; Twins, Monozygotic
PubMed: 38471709
DOI: 10.1136/bcr-2024-259684