Association of Genetic polymorphisms of EDN1 gene and Endothelin-1 level in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in the Jordanian population.

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is one of the most potent vasoconstrictors, encoded by the endothelin-1 (EDN1) gene. It has been shown to play an important role in different diseases including Diabetes Mellitus (DM). Various single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the EDN1 gene are related to microvascular complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) such as retinopathy, neuropathy and nephropathy. This study aims to determine the association between two selected EDN1 gene polymorphisms (rs2071942 G > A, rs5370 G > T) and T2DM in the Jordanian population, also to measure the level of ET-1 in T2DM. The samples were collected from the National Center of Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Genetics- Amman, Jordan, including 97 patients with T2DM and 80 healthy individuals. PCR-RFLP was used for SNPs genotyping. ET-1 level was determined using IQELISA kits. The univariate analysis for both SNPs didn't show statistically significant differences in the genotype or allele frequencies among T2DM cases as well as in controls. The same results were obtained regarding ET-1 concentration. The subgroup analysis by sex showed that the genotype and allelic frequencies of rs5370, rs2071942 G/A polymorphisms were not significantly different in males and females. Multivariate Analysis adjusted for various confounders didn't express statistical significance difference for occurrences of both SNPs. However, height and gender showed to be significant risk factors for occurrences of heterozygote alleles in both SNPs. On the other hand, the duration of diabetes has appeared to be related to the recessive allele in rs5370.

Outpatient clinic-wide psychological screening for children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes in Qatar: An initiative for integrative healthcare in the Gulf region.

OBJECTIVE: To identify culturally appropriate psychological screening measures for children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes in Qatar, determine rates of depressive and anxiety symptoms in a clinical sample, and examine associations between screening measures, demographic variables, medical characteristics, and diabetes treatment outcomes, specifically HbA1c. METHODS: A total of 150 participants with type 1 diabetes aged 10-17 were recruited. Participants were Arabic or English speaking and of Qatari and non-Qatari nationality. Participants completed the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (child and parent proxy form), the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale, and the Pediatric Quality of Life, Diabetes version (child and parent proxy form). Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) on the date of the testing was recorded. RESULTS: Approximately ten percent (10.2%) of children and adolescents scored above the cutoff score of 27 indicating clinically significant depressive symptoms, and 12.8% of parents rated their child above the respective cutoff score of 21 for the parent proxy form. Further, 36% of the sample reported clinically significant anxiety symptoms, scoring above the cutoff score of 50. Parent report on their child's quality of life predicted HbA1c (F[6, 140] = 5.42, p = 0.000); B = -0.05, p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Rates of depressive and anxiety symptoms are comparable to those observed in western countries. Thus, systematic screening for depression and anxiety in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes should be implemented in Qatar. This will help inform decisions to refer to mental health services and thus provide more integrated care, possibly improving treatment outcomes.

Learning and memory performances in adolescent users of alcohol and marijuana: interactive effects.

OBJECTIVE: Lifetime alcohol hangover and withdrawal symptoms in youth have been shown to predict poorer recall of verbal and nonverbal information, as well as reduced visuospatial skills. Some evidence has suggested that negative effects of alcohol on the brain may be buffered in part by potential neuroprotective properties of cannabinoids. We hypothesized that a history of more alcohol hangover symptoms would predict worse performances on measures of verbal and visual memory, and that this relationship would be moderated by marijuana involvement. METHOD: Participants were 130 adolescents (65 with histories of heavy marijuana use, and 65 non-marijuana-using controls), ranging in age from 15.7 to 19.1 years. Neuropsychological tests for visual and verbal memory and interviews assessing lifetime and recent substance use, hangover/withdrawal symptoms, and abuse and dependence criteria were administered. RESULTS: Regression models revealed that greater alcohol hangover symptoms predicted worse verbal learning (p < .05) and memory (p < .05) (California Verbal Learning Test, Second Edition) scores for non-marijuana users, but alcohol hangover symptoms were not linked to performance among marijuana users. Alcohol hangover symptoms did not predict visual memory in either group. CONCLUSIONS: Results confirm previous studies linking adolescent heavy drinking to reduced verbal learning and memory performance. However, this relationship is not seen in adolescents with similar levels of alcohol involvement who also are heavy users of marijuana.