Vitamin D is getting more attention everyday due to its importance in maintaining bone and calcium homeostasis, cellular proliferation, differentiation and immune response. Vitamin D is derived from diet or elicited in the skin by the activation of 7-dehydrocholesterol, which is an inert molecule that must be activated by ultraviolet light to form pre-vitamin D3. Recent studies connected the gene encoding for vitamin D (VDR) to the genetic control of bone mass and other diseases. As VDR SNPs have been associated with several disorders and diseases, it's important to investigate the allelic and genotypic distribution among populations. The aim of this study is to determine the frequency of rs731236 (Taq1) and rs2228570 (Fok1) variants in healthy Emirati individuals and compare their genotype and allele distribution with other populations. In this study 282 (female, 187; male, 95) unrelated healthy UAE nationals were involved. Two hundreds and eight two DNA samples been collected to genotype rs731236 (Taq1) and rs2228570 (Fok1) VDR SNPs. Our results indicate that the distribution of the alleles and genotypes of rs731236 (Taq1) and rs2228570 (Fok1) vary considerably in different populations. In the Emirati population the distribution of rs731236 (Taq1) and rs2228570 (Fok1) were AA 38%, AG 42%, GG 20% and AA 27%, AG 42%, GG 31% respectively. The Emirati population genotype and allele distribution of rs731236 (Taq1) and rs2228570 (Fok1) had no difference with Caucasians from USA and France. However, there was significant difference with Asian populations.

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Renal transplantation is the treatment of choice for ESRD in children. It is associated with better quality of life, growth of children, and improved long‐term survival. The aim of the study was to evaluate the outcomes of pediatric renal transplantation at a tertiary care center in UAE. A retrospective chart review was undertaken for all the pediatric renal transplants performed at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, Abu Dhabi, UAE, over the past 9 years. The study evaluated the demographic data, outcomes, and complications of pediatric renal transplantation. The post‐transplantation outcomes including surgical complications, documented infections, graft rejection, graft and patient survival, effect on growth, and eGFR were reviewed. Between 2010 and 2018, 30 pediatric patients underwent renal transplantation. The follow‐up period ranged from 1 to 9 years with a mean of 3.3 years. The mean age of the patients at the time of transplant was 9.8 years, and 56.7% were males. Prior to the transplantation, the majority of the recipients were on peritoneal dialysis (70.0%). Main source of renal donation at our center was from LRD, chiefly from parents. Patient survival at 1 and 5 years was 100% and 96.7%, respectively. Graft survival at 1 and 5 years was 96.7% and 83.3%, respectively. During the 9‐year follow‐up period, 5 (16.7%) recipients experienced rejection episode. This study demonstrates that during 5‐year period, pediatric kidney transplantation program has achieved optimal patient (96.7%) and graft (83.3%) survival rates and is comparable to well‐established centers.