Serotonin Transporter Gene Polymorphism and Myocardial Infarction - Etude Cas-te'moins de L'Infarctus du Myocarde (ECTIM)

Background— Depression is a risk factor for myocardial infarction (MI). Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors reduce this risk. The site of action is the serotonin transporter (SLC6A4), which is expressed in brain and blood cells. A functional polymorphism in the promoter region of the SLC6A4 gene has been described. This polymorphism may be associated with the risk of MI. Methods and Results— The SLC6A4 polymorphism has been investigated by polymerase chain reaction in 671 male patients with MI and in 688 controls from the Etude Cas-Témoins de l’Infarctus du Myocarde (ECTIM) multicentric study. Percentages for LL, LS, and SS genotypes were 35.5%, 45.4%, and 19.1%, respectively, for cases versus 28.1%, 49.1%, and 22.8%, respectively, for controls. S allele frequency was 41.8% and 47.4% for cases and controls, respectively. After adjustment for age and center by using multivariable logistic regression, the odds ratio for MI associated with the LL genotype was 1.40 (95% CI 1.11 to 1.76, P=0.0047). Conclusions— The LL genotype of the SLC6A4 polymorphism is associated with a higher risk of MI. This could be attributable to the effect of the polymorphism on serotonin-mediated platelet activation or smooth muscle cell proliferation or on other risk factors, such as depression or response to stress

Islands of pain in a sea of change: Behaviour analysis and bereavement,

The paper Bereavement: A behavioural process (Dillenburger & Keenan, 1994) was first published within a vacuum of behaviour analytic thinking or research in this field. The paper was meant to be a first step in stimulating others to contribute to the understanding of one of the most complex, yet most universal, human behavioural processes. The only behaviour analyst addressing the issues directly was Calkin (1990). Recently, after reading our original 1994 paper, Beth Sulzer-Azaroff suggested that we should solicit comments directly from the behaviour analytic community. This we did with the help of Erik Arntzen and now the reprint and the commentaries in this edition of the European Journal of Behaviour Analysis (EJBA) fully embrace and extend the contribution of behaviour analysis to the understanding of the behavioural process that is bereavement.