MTHFR C677T polymorphism among Meiteis of Manipur (India).

BACKGROUND: The enzyme MTHFR catalyses the irreversible conversion of 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate to 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, which serves as a methyl donor in the reaction converting homocysteine to methionine. Mutation at MTHFR gene (C677T) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of common complex diseases such as thrombosis, hypertension, stroke, myocardial infarction, and recurrent pregnancy loss across world populations. OBJECTIVE: We wanted to explore C677T mutation among Meiteis of Manipur to generate baseline data and to gain information that could be used in disease prevention programs. METHODS: A total of 1142 (625 males and 517 females) unrelated individuals aged 35 to 75 years were involved in the study. 1098 samples could be genotyped for MTHFR C677T polymorphism. RESULTS: MTHFR C677T was found to be polymorphic in the Meitei population studied. Around 30% of individuals are carrying the mutant allele either in heterozygous or homozygous condition with T allele frequency of .16. CONCLUSION: Among study participants, those with T allele frequency of .16 may be predisposed to complex diseases, if their active lifestyles are shifted to sedentary lifestyles. Relatively lower frequency of T allele among individuals of younger age (though not significant) is indicative of selective disadvantage of this allele in the recent years.

Prevalence of MTHFR, Factor V, ACE and APOE gene polymorphisms among Muslims of Manipur, India.

BACKGROUND: Chronic metabolic disorders such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes have become an emerging public health problem in India, in both rural and urban settings. Genetic markers like MTHFR, FV, ACE and APOE are important candidates involved in the development of these disorders. AIM: The present study aims to understand the distribution of allele frequencies of the SNPs in the above-mentioned genes in Manipuri Muslims, an endogamous religious community constituting ~8% of the Manipur population. SAMPLE AND METHODS: Blood samples were collected from 107 unrelated healthy individuals. Genotyping were done by PCR (for ACE I/D and MTHFR A1298C) followed by restriction digestion (for MTHFR C677T, FV G1691A and APOE). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: All four SNPs, with the exception of FVL, were found to be polymorphic, with allele frequencies of 15.1%, 17%, 36.1% and 7.7% for MTHFR 677T, MTHFR 1298C, ACE D and APOE E4, respectively. The D allele of ACE I/D polymorphism was found to be significantly higher among males and also among the young age group compared with females and the old age groups, respectively. This study has highlighted the necessity of looking at the clinical implications of these SNPs in future studies of Manipuri Muslims.

The association of non-HDL cholesterol with the presence of metabolic syndrome in North Indian subjects with and without CAD.

AIM: The present study aims to identify which lipid parameter is significantly associated with Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) and also to find out the association of non-HDL cholesterol (non-HDL-C) with the presence of MetS in North Indian subjects with and without CAD. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: One hundred and thirteen CAD and 140 non-CAD (controls) aged 35-75 years were recruited for the study, matched for ethnicity and geography after obtaining their written informed consent. The CAD patients were identified based on their medical diagnostic history. Height, weight, waist and hip circumferences, blood pressures (systolic and diastolic) and lipid profile were measured for all the subjects. RESULTS: Sixty-nine out of 113 (61.06%) of CAD and 52/140 (37.1%) of non-CAD had MetS. Age standardized prevalence of MetS was 23.2% and 16.1% in CAD and non-CAD individuals, respectively. Age standardized prevalence of metabolic abnormalities in the CAD group was in the order of abdominal obesity>non-HDL-C>systolic blood pressure (SBP) > triglyceride (TG) > total cholesterol (TC) > diastolic blood pressure (DBP) > Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (LDL-C) > High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (HDL-C). Non-HDL-C, TG and HDL-C were found to be significantly associated with MetS. CONCLUSIONS: TG and HDL-C are established risk components included in the characterization of MetS; but significant association of non-HDL-C with MetS in the present study is a key finding. The study focuses on the use of non-HDL-C as a simple screening tool to identify individuals with clustering metabolic abnormalities which increase the propensity for CAD.

Differences in conventional cardiovascular risk factors in two ethnic groups in India.

BACKGROUND: Studies have been carried out at national and international levels to assess ethnic variations in the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and their risk factors. However, ethnic variations in the contribution of various risk factors to complex diseases have been scarcely studied. OBJECTIVES: Our study examined such variations in two ethnic groups in India, namely, Meiteis of Manipur (northeast India) and Aggarwals of Delhi (north India). METHODS: Through random sampling, we selected 635 participants from the Meitei community and 181 Aggarwals from the Aggarwal Dharmarth Hospital, Delhi. Patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and hypertension were identified based on their recent medical diagnostic history. Anthropometric parameters such as height, weight, waist and hip circumferences along with physiological parameters (blood pressures, both systolic and diastolic) and biochemical parameter (lipid profile) were measured for all study participants. Patient parameters were available from the medical reports recorded when patients were first diagnosed. RESULTS: Among CAD individuals, the Aggarwals showed higher mean values of weight, body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TC), low density lipoprotein (LDL), and very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) but had lower high density lipoprotein (HDL) levels than the Meiteis. The same trend for weight, BMI and lipid parameters could be seen among hypertensive individuals. In step-wise regression analysis, SBP, LDL and TG were found to significantly contribute to the risk for CAD in the Aggarwals; whereas in the Meiteis, SBP, VLDL, HDL, TC and LDL were found to significantly contribute to the risk for CAD. In hypertensive Aggarwal participants, SBP, DBP and waist-to-hip ratio were significant contributors for hypertension; whereas SBP, DBP, and height contributed significantly to risk for hypertension among the Meiteis. CONCLUSION: We found marked differences in conventional risk factors between the two ethnic groups. In India, as found elsewhere, the presence of substructuring of groups and hence, genetic isolation is high. More research is needed within this context to unveil the conventional risk factors for complex diseases.