Identification of nucleotide polymorphism within the NeuroD1 candidate gene and its association with type 1 diabetes susceptibility in Iranian people by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism.

Objectives Diabetes is a serious disease, and the number of affected individuals with diabetes is considerably high. The aim of this study is the identification of NeuroD1 Ala45Thr polymorphism and its association with type 1 diabetes susceptibility in Iranian people. Methods Clinical and biochemical characteristics for 146 people (76 diabetics and 70 nondiabetics) were measured, such as fasting blood sugar, triacylglycerol, total cholesterol, age, and weight in each individual. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism technique (MwoI restriction-enzyme) was used for genotyping of the NeuroD1 Ala45Thr polymorphism. Results In this study, the frequency of the A allele in diabetic patients in comparison with the healthy control group had a significantly higher percentage (p < 0.01), whereas diabetic patients had the AA genotype, approximately four times more than the healthy control group (p < 0.01). In addition, we observed that fasting blood sugar had a higher concentration in the AA genotype than in AG + GG genotypes (p < 0.01). Conclusions The A allele may be a risk factor for the expansion of type 1 diabetes in the Iranian population. However, the NeuroD1 Ala45Thr polymorphism and its role in type 1 diabetes in different populations are controversial.

Fatty acid composition of epicardial and subcutaneous human adipose tissue.

BACKGROUND: Epicardial adipose tissue has special properties that distinguish it from the more widely studied depots of adipose tissue. OBJECTIVES: We undertook this study to investigate regional differences between epicardial and subcutaneous adipose tissue fat composition, as well as associations between these measures and metabolic variables. METHODS: Epicardial and subcutaneous peripheral adipose tissue were collected during coronary artery bypass grafting from 42 patients (ages 37-65) with coronary artery disease (CAD). The fatty acid composition of adipose tissue was determined by gas liquid chromatography (GLC). RESULTS: The saturated fatty acids, including myristic acid (14:0), palmitic acid (16:0), and stearic acid (18:0), were higher, and the unsaturated fatty acids, including palmitoleic acid (16:1n-7), oleic acid (18:1n-9), linoleic acid (18:2n-6), and linolenic acid (18:3n-3), were lower than the subcutaneous adipose tissue. The presence of hypertension was positively correlated with the 16:1n-7 (r = 0.407, P = 0.032) and 18:1n-11(r = 0.370, P = 0.027), and negatively correlated with 18:1n-9 (r = -0.367, P = 0.036) and 18:2n-6 (r = -0.446, P = 0.006) contents of epicardial adipose tissue after adjustment for body mass index. CONCLUSIONS: Regional differences may be observed in fatty acid composition, suggesting a depot specific impact of stored fatty acids on adipocyte function and metabolism.