Search

Excessive and persistent aggressiveness is the most common behavioral problem that leads to psychiatric referrals among children. While half of the variance in childhood aggression is attributed to genetic factors, the biological mechanism and the interplay between genes and environment that results in aggression remains elusive. The purpose of this systematic review is to provide an overview of studies examining the genetics of childhood aggression irrespective of psychiatric diagnosis. PubMed, PsycINFO, and MEDLINE databases were searched using predefined search terms for aggression, genes and the specific age group. From the 652 initially yielded studies, eighty-seven studies were systematically extracted for full-text review and for further quality assessment analyses. Findings show that (i) investigation of candidate genes, especially of MAOA (17 studies), DRD4 (13 studies), and COMT (12 studies) continue to dominate the field, although studies using other research designs and methods including genome-wide association and epigenetic studies are increasing, (ii) the published articles tend to be moderate in sizes, with variable methods of assessing aggressive behavior and inconsistent categorizations of tandem repeat variants, resulting in inconclusive findings of genetic main effects, gene-gene, and gene-environment interactions, (iii) the majority of studies are conducted on European, male-only or male-female mixed, participants. To our knowledge, this is the first study to systematically review the effects of genes on youth aggression. To understand the genetic underpinnings of childhood aggression, more research is required with larger, more diverse sample sets, consistent and reliable assessments and standardized definition of the aggression phenotypes. The search for the biological mechanisms underlying child aggression will also benefit from more varied research methods, including epigenetic studies, transcriptomic studies, gene system and genome-wide studies, longitudinal studies that track changes in risk/ameliorating factors and aggression-related outcomes, and studies examining causal mechanisms., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The need for precise determination of heavy metals, anions, biomolecules, pesticides, drugs, and other substances is vital across clinical, environmental, and food safety domains. Recent years have seen significant progress in portable colorimetric chemical sensing devices, revolutionizing on-the-spot analysis. This review offers a comprehensive overview of these advancements, covering handheld colorimetry, RGB-based colorimetry, paper-based colorimetry, and wearable colorimetry devices. It explores the underlying principles, functional materials (chromophoric reagents/dyes and nanoparticles), detection mechanisms, and their applications in environmental monitoring, clinical care, and food safety. Noble metal nanoparticles (NPs) have arisen as promising substitutes in the realm of sensing materials. They display notable advantages, including heightened sensitivity, the ability to fine-tune their plasmonic characteristics for improved selectivity, and the capacity to induce visible color changes, and simplifying detection. Integration of NPs fabricated paper device with smartphones and wearables facilitates reagent-free, cost-effective, and portable colorimetric sensing, enabling real-time analysis and remote monitoring.

Since ancient times, Azadirachta indica , or Neem, has been a well-known species of plant that produces a broad range of bioactive terpenoid chemicals that are involved in a variety of biological functions. Understanding the molecular mechanisms that are responsible for the biosynthesis and control of terpenoid synthesis is majorly dependent on successfully identifying the genes that are involved in their production. This review provides an overview of the recent developments concerning the identification of genes in A. indica that are responsible for the production of terpenoids. Numerous candidate genes encoding enzymes that are involved in the terpenoid biosynthesis pathway have been found through the use of transcriptomic and genomic techniques. These candidate genes include those that are responsible for the precursor synthesis, cyclization, and modification of terpenoid molecules. In addition, cutting-edge omics technologies, such as metabolomics and proteomics, have helped to shed light on the intricate regulatory networks that govern terpenoid biosynthesis. These networks are responsible for the production of terpenoids. The identification and characterization of genes involved in terpenoid biosynthesis in A. indica presents potential opportunities for genetic engineering and metabolic engineering strategies targeted at boosting terpenoid production as well as discovering novel bioactive chemicals., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Dave, Iqbal, Patel, Kant, Yadav, Sahoo and Patel.)

Early adolescence is a crucial time for understanding and detecting the risk factors that may influence youth externalizing/disruptive behaviors and disorders. Previous literature reported evidence that risk factors for disruptive behaviors include catechol-O-methyltransferase ( COMT) Val158Met (rs4680) polymorphism and environmental influences. An unanswered question is whether there is a change in these risk factors over stages of youth development. This longitudinal study examines the interaction effect of Val158Met and stressful life events (SLE) on youth externalizing behaviors from ages 9-11. Participants were 2363 children of European ancestry recruited as part of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study. Repeated measures linear mixed models were used to examine the effect of the interaction between Val158Met and SLE (G × E) on disruptive behaviors over development. Externalizing behaviors were analyzed at both baseline and two-year follow-up. Both Val158Met genotype and SLE scores demonstrated significant main effects on disruptive behaviors in youth, and those effects were consistent at both time points. G × E was not associated with externalizing behaviors. Youth who carried the Val allele and/or were exposed to higher SLE consistently had increased externalizing behavior scores. To our knowledge, this is the first study to longitudinally examine the interaction effects of Val158Met and SLE on externalizing behaviors in youth. The results highlight the importance of understanding the genetic and environmental factors underlying externalizing behaviors for better detection of at-risk youth, helping further with early prevention efforts. The findings propose that COMT Val158Met genotype may act as a biomarker for development of novel treatment strategies for disruptive behaviors., Competing Interests: The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests:J.L.K. is an unpaid member of the Scientific Advisory Board of Myriad Neurosciences Inc. J.L.K. and C.C.Z. are authors on patents for pharmacogenetic interventions and suicide markers., (© 2023 The Authors.)

Here, we report an inkjet-printed graphene paper electrode (IP-GPE) for the electrochemical analysis of mercuric ions (Hg(ii)) in industrial wastewater samples. Graphene (Gr) fabricated on a paper substrate was prepared by a facile solution-phase exfoliation method in which ethyl cellulose (EC) behaves as a stabilizing agent. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were utilized to determine the shape and multiple layers of Gr. The crystalline structure and ordered lattice carbon of Gr were confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy. The nano-ink of Gr-EC was fabricated on the paper substance via an inkjet printer (HP-1112) and IP-GPE was exploited as a working electrode in linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) for the electrochemical detection of Hg(ii). The electrochemical detection is found to be diffusion-controlled illustrated by obtaining a correlation coefficient of 0.95 in CV. The present method exhibits a better linear range of 2-100 μM with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.862 μM for the determination of Hg(ii). The application of IP-GPE in electrochemical analysis shows a user-friendly, facile, and economical method for the quantitative determination of Hg(ii) in municipal wastewater samples., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Psychopathic traits can lead to violence, making it a serious public health concern. Genetic factors contribute to the aetiology of psychopathy. We examined whether monoamine oxidase A (MAOA-uVNTR) was associated with psychopathic traits measured quantitatively from controls through clinically aggressive youth (n = 336). Subjects were sub-categorized into at or above, and below age 13 years. Results reveal that males below age 13 were more likely to display psychopathic traits with the MAOA long variant, whereas males above age 13 years were more likely to display with the short variant. This suggests that developmental factors may be crucial for understanding the role of the MAOA polymorphism in psychopathic traits in males., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany.)

Psychopathic traits in youth may lead to adult criminal behaviors/psychopathy. The Val158Met polymorphism of catechol-O-methyltransferase ( COMT ) may influence the risk for psychopathy-related behaviors, while acting as a biomarker for predicting treatment response to dopaminergic medications. The literature shows inconsistent findings, making the interpretation of COMT 's role difficult. The aims of this article are (i) to conduct a systematic review to analyze the effects of COMT Val158Met on psychopathic traits in children and adolescents, and (ii) to present new evidence on the developmental trajectory of the association of Val158Met and youth psychopathic traits. For the systematic review, a literature search was conducted using PubMed, EMBASE, OVID Medline and PsychINFO with the search terms for psychopathic traits, Val158Met and age of interest. In our genotype study, the COMT Val158Met genotype of 293 youth with European ancestry was analyzed in association with the psychopathy-related behavior scores from the Child Behavior Checklist and the Psychopathy Screening Device. To examine the potential influence of developmental changes, the sample was split into at or above and below age 13, and analyses were performed in males and females separately. The literature search yielded twenty-eight articles to be included in the systematic review, which demonstrated mixed results on the association depending on environmental factors, sex ratios, age groups and behavioral disorder diagnoses. The results from our genotype study revealed that Met homozygous youth in the below age 13 group and conversely Val carrier youth in the above age 13 group were more likely to display psychopathic traits. To our knowledge, this is the first study to systematically review the effects of COMT Val158Met on psychopathic traits in childhood and adolescence, and to provide new evidence on the changing effects of Val158Met on psychopathy-related behaviors with development. Elucidating the role of the COMT genotype in conjunction with the child versus adolescent stage of development for psychopathic traits may help predict treatment response, and may lead to early intervention and prevention strategies.