Study of association between interleukin 20 polymorphism [Rs1518108] and chronic hepatitis C infection

Chronic hepatitis C is a major concern for global health as it causes liver problems, cirrhosis and liver cancer. Immune factors have a determinant role in susceptibility to chronic infection or clearance of infection in body. As a defensive agent, cytokines are important factors of immune system, since they can activate immune response or inhibit virus replication directly. The aim of this study is the evaluation of interleukin 20 polymorphism [rs1518108] in hepatitis C patients. This survey was a case-control study. By using PCR-RFLP method, 105 patients and 135 controls were studied randomly. We used SPSS-16 software for statistical analysis. A 10Tsignificant association was found between polymorphism [rs1518108] of interleukin 20 and hepatitis C patients [p=0.035] [OR=2.283]. The incidence of hepatitics C in males was observed five times more than that one females [p=0.01] [OR=5.18]. In addition, no significant association between polymorphism of genotypes and liver harms [chronic and cirrhosis] was found in this study [p=0.362]. Our findings show that variants of interleukin 20 polymorphism [rs1518108] in the population of the study are important factors for being affected by hepatitis C. The incidence of heterozygote allele CT was more than of homozygote genotype TT

[Association of the insulin gene polymorphism and colorectal cancer]

Some studies have determined that polymorphism in insulin gene are associated with increased insulin level and resistant to insulin and also cause to increase risk of colorectal cancer [CRC]. The goal of this study was to evaluate incidence of the insulin gene polymorphism [rs689] in an Iranian population and to investigate the role of this polymorphism in increased risk of CRC. Genotyping of the insulin gene were determined in a series of 110 colorectal cancer patients and 110 controls by using polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism genotyping assays [PCR-RFLP]. P value for genotype AT compared with AA, was 0.052 [OR=1.88, CI=0.99-3.5] and TT versus AA was 0.57 [OR=1.33 CI=0.48- 3.6]. The results showed that the insulin gene polymorphism [rs689] is not a predisposing factor to increased risk to CRC [P=0.14]. Incidence of mutant allele between patients and controls had no significant differences [OR=1.53 95% CI=0.98- 2.39, Pe=0.057]. These findings suggest that the insulin gene polymorphism [rs689] is not associated with increased risk of CRC