Assessment of interleukin 15 [il-15] gene polymorphism in adult patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

From its beginnings two decades ago with the analysis of chromosomal translocation break points, research into the molecular pathogenesis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia [ALL] has now progressed to the large scale sequencing of candidate genes that might be linked to the pathogenesis of leukemia. Interleukon-15 [IL-15] gene has gained the interest of many oncologist with five single nucleotide polymorphisms [SNPs] proved to be associated with childhood ALL. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between IL-15 gene polymorphisms and the risk for adult ALL and whether these polymorphisms are related to the immunophenotype of the disease. This study included 60 subjects classified into 2 groups: 30 patients with adult ALL [ALL group] and 30 healthy subjects of matched age and sex as control group. All subjects were genotyped for rs 10519613 and rs35964658 polymorphisms of IL-15 gene using PCR-RFLP technique.Results revealed that there was no statistical difference between ALL group and control group regarding the distribution of the genotypes of both for rs 10519613 and rs35964658 polymorphisms however there was 2.1 fold increased risk for ALL in C-allele carriers of rs 10519613 polymorphism [OR:2.1 95% CI: 0.45 - 9.84]. Concerning immunophenotype of the disease, there was no statistical difference between B-cell type and T-cell type regarding the distribution of the genotypes of the two polymorphisms, however there is 1.2 fold increased risk for B-cell type in G-allele carriers of rs35964658 polymorphism [OR: 1.2 95% CI: 0.07 - 19.63]. It wasconcluded that there was no association between both rs 10519613 and rs35964658 polymorphisms and neither the risk of ALL nor the immune-phenotype of the disease

Prediction of preeclampsia by early pregnancy maternal homocysteine measurement

To study whether maternal early pregnancy homocysteine level can be used as a screening test for occurrence of subsequent preeclampsia. A prospective randomized study including 16 women [patients] and 22 pregnant women [controls]. Blood samples were taken to measure the plasma total homocysteine [tHcy] level at 8 and 32 weeks of gestation. Neonatal weight was also determined. Geometric means [ +/- standard error of the mean 'SEM'] of the tHcy concentrations at 8 w of gestation for the patients and controls groups are 7.73 +/- 0.03 and 5.72 +/- 0.01 micromol/L respectively. Geometric means +/- SEM of the tHcy concentrations at 32 w of gestation for the patients and controls groups are 5.48 +/- 0.11 and 5.21 +/- 0.17 micromol/L respectively. Geometric means +/- SEM of the newborn weight for the patients and controls groups are 2890 +/- 29.9 and 3342 +/- 25.8 gm respectively. When comparing tHcy concentrations of the patients group at 8 and 32 gestational weeks, there is a highly significant increase of the tHcy at 8 w [p< 0.0001] with 95% confidence interval [1.75- 2.93] with correlation coefficient [r] [0.16] and R squared 0.82. early maternal homocysteine measurement could be used as a predictor test for preeclampsia. Neonates of mothers with high early pregnancy [tHcy] have a significant loss of weight