ABSTRACT
Cis-acting regulatory variants in biologically relevant pathways and target tissues are a common source of phenotypic variations and individual disease susceptibility. In the skin, vitamin D receptor (VDR) is a master regulator of epidermal barrier function, inflammation, stem cell proliferation and microbial defense; therefore, we tested whether VDR 3'-regulatory haplotypes, a portion of which affect VDR transcriptional efficiency, allelic symmetry and mRNA turnover, were associated with psoriasis vulgaris. For this purpose, three VDR tag polymorphisms that capture most of the variability of the VDR 3'-regulatory element (rs1544410, rs7975232 and rs731236) were genotyped by the polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism method in 180 Caucasian patients with chronic plaque psoriasis and 366 ethnically matched, healthy controls of the Croatian origin. We found no evidence of association for any of the selected polymorphisms. Similarly, none of the 3'-VDR restriction haplotypes were associated with the risk for development of psoriasis in Croatian patients. These results show that neither VDR 3'-restriction polymorphisms nor common 3'-regulatory haplotypes contribute to psoriasis risk in the Croatian population.
Subject(s)
Psoriasis/genetics , Receptors, Calcitriol/genetics , 3' Flanking Region , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Croatia , Female , Haplotypes , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide , Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid , Young AdultABSTRACT
The aim of the study was to establish the seroprevalence of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) among sexually active adults from East Croatia and to evaluate its correlates with demographic and behavioural risk factors. This cross-sectional study was conducted from the 1st June until the 30th September 2005 at the Department of Transfusion Medicine, Osijek University Hospital Center. The study included 423 blood donors composed of 366 (86.5%) men and 57 (13.5%) women. Demographic data and data on the risky sexual behaviour during the lifetime were collected with usage of an anonymous questionnaire consisting of 15 questions. Western blot testing revealed that 3.3% (14/423) subjects were positive for the presence of IgG antibodies to herpes simplex virus 2, i.e. 10 (2.7%) men and 4 (7.0%) women. A higher HSV-2 seroprevalence was associated with female sex, older age, marital status (with single subjects been under the greater risk), irregular condom use on sexual intercourses with new partners and with higher number (five or more) of sexual partners during lifetime. Among determined risk factors in the study population, only the connection between the HSV-2 positivity and the older age was statistically significant. The study has showed that the demographic rather than the behavioural risk factors are associated with higher prevalence of HSV-2 antibodies in the observed population.
Subject(s)
Herpes Simplex/epidemiology , Herpesvirus 2, Human , Adult , Antibodies, Viral/blood , Croatia/epidemiology , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Herpes Simplex/blood , Herpes Simplex/virology , Humans , Immunoglobulin G/blood , Male , Middle Aged , Prevalence , Risk Factors , Seroepidemiologic StudiesABSTRACT
Superficial lymphangioma is a microcytic lymphatic malformation that is usually present already at birth. Women are more commonly affected than men are. It occurs because of the deep lymphatic circulation obstruction. Superficial lymphangioma is most commonly found in the mouth, especially the tongue, on the shoulders, neck, limbs, armpits and groin. It appears as a cluster of small firm blisters filled with clear or hemorrhagic lymph fluid, resembling frogspawn. We are presenting an unusual case of superficial lymphangioma of the right foot in an adult female patient.
