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Background: Previous research highlights the significance of a functional polymorphism located in the promoter region (5-HTTLPR) of the serotonin transporter gene in emotional behaviour. This study examined the effect of the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism on emotion processing in a large number of healthy preschoolers. Methods: The 5-HTTLPR genotype was classified in 605 children as homozygous for the short allele (SS), homozygous for the long allele (LL), or heterozygous (LS). Emotion-processing was assessed using age-appropriate computer tasks where children matched happy, sad, angry, and fearful facial expressions preceded by a shape-matching task to assess basic matching ability. Results: We found that young children could differentiate between emotion categories (F = 12.1, p < .001). The effect of 5-HTTLPR genotype depended on the emotion category presented (F = 2.3, p = .031). This effect was explained by the finding that SS children were less accurate at recognising fearful faces than LL or LS children (F = 5.3, p = .005). We did not find any significant differences as a result of 5-HTTLPR genotype for happy, sad or angry expressions (p > .05). Conclusions: Results indicate that 5-HTTLPR allele status selectively impacts the processing of fearful but not other facial expressions. This pattern is already apparent in very young typically developing children. Results may signal an early vulnerability for affective problems before disorders emerge.

The retroperitoneal bronchogenic cyst is an extremely rare anomaly. During the examination of an 18-year-old female patient due to her extreme thinness, the abdominal ultrasound and later the CT indicated as an accidental finding--a left side adrenal/suprarenal adenoma, which turned out to be hormonally inactive. But while we were doing a laparoscopic surgical intervention we found a 6-8-cm cyst in the retroperitoneum, between the greater curvature and the spleen. It contained light grey, mucinous liquid. The left suprarenal gland had normal size and appearance. During the microscopic examination the removed terime showed cystic structures, which were covered inside with multilayer ciliated columnar epithelium, mucous excretory glands, a whole layer of connective/interstitial and smooth muscle tissue. Neither cartilage, nor gastrointestinal epithelium was found. Only a few publications have reported about retroperitoneal bronchogenic cyst so far. These lesions occur very rarely at the greater curvature. Although this alteration is really unusual, bronchogenic cysts have to be expected in the differential diagnostics of the retroperitoneal tumors.

Vo abstract available. Image: Honeycomb appearance of the ductal cells from a case of chronic pancreatitis., JOP. Journal of the Pancreas, Vol 1, N° 3S (2000): September (Suppl.) - p. 69-177