Association of vitamin D receptor gene BsmI [A>G] and FokI [C>T] polymorphism in gestational diabetes among Saudi Women

Objective: Vitamin D receptor [VDR] gene polymorphism have a role in diabetes mellitus pathogenesis. Present study was conducted to determine VDR gene variants among Saudi gestational diabetics [GDM] in Madina, KSA

Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted on 112 GDM patients and 218 normal healthy control. Age, body mass index and blood pressure levels were recorded. Serum triglycerides [mg/dl], total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, fasting blood glucose FBG and post-prandial blood glucose PPBG were estimated. Extracted DNA template was amplified by PCR reaction and genotyped for single nucleotide polymorphism of BsmI and FokI by restriction fragment length polymorphism-PCR [RFLP-PCR] analysis

Results: FBG and PPBG levels in GDM patients were significantly elevated by +48.6% and +50%, respectively [P=0.005]. Serum triglycerides, total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol [mg/dl] levels in GDM patients were elevated significantly by +40.5% [P=0.005], +16% [P=0.01] and +30.8% [P=0.005], respectively. Serum HDL-cholesterol [mg/dl] showed significant decline by -10.5%. FokI VDR genotypes showed association with PPBG [P=0.05] among GDM patients. The Ff, FF and ff genotype percentage among GDM patients was 48.2%, 30.4% and 21.4%, respectively. FokI [F and f] and BsmI [B and b] alleles frequency showed no significant difference between GDM patients and control. Percentage BsmI and FokI total homozygous and heterozygous variants among GDM was 45.5% and 81.4%, respectively

Conclusion: VDR BsmI and FokI polymorphic marker not associated with Saudi GDM

Thyroid autoimmunity and dysfunction among chronic hepatitis C patients

Forty patients with untreated chronic hepatitis C virus [HCV] infection [22 males and 18 males, their mean age was 40.6 +/- 7.9 with a range of 26-42 years] were studied. Anti-thyroperoxidase [TPO- Ab] and antithyroglobulin [TG-Ab] antibodies were assessed together with the measurement of free T3, T4 and TSH. Fine needle aspirate from thyroid gland was performed for patients with positive thyroid autoantibodies. The study concluded that a considerable number of patients with HCV infection harbored thyroid TPO-Ab and TG-Ab antibodies and had an abnormal thyroid function. The histological evidence of subacute thyroiditis could partly explain the mechanism of thyroid dysfunction in such patients. Thyroid functions should be assessed in patients with HCV infection, even in the absence of thyroid autoantibodies, especially before the initiation of treatment with interferon