The knockdown resistance (kdr) mutation in the voltage-gated sodium channel gene (VGSCG), an important resistance mechanism against pyrethroids, was studied in Anopheles sacharovi Favre. It was found that the specific primers Agd1 and Agd2 used for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of Anopheles gambiae Giles VGSCG also amplified this genomic region in An. sacharovi. Comparison of the IIs4-IIs6 domain segments of the gene indicated 70% nucleotides common to both species and a genetic distance of 0.255 between them. Four different samples of pyrethroid-resistant An. sacharovi produced three types of amino acid, serine (TCG),leucine (TTG),and phenylalanine (TTT) at the kdr mutation point, whereas only two kdr mutations, leucine to phenylalanine and leucine to serine, occur in An. gambiae.

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OBJECTIVES:Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections (PANDAS) is a newly defined disease in neuropsychiatry and occurs with an autoimmune mechanism after Group A Beta Hemolytic Streptococcus (GABHS) infection. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF), encoded by TNF-α gene has an important role in the apoptotic mechanisms of autoimmune diseases. Recently, TNF-α polymorphisms and autoimmune/psychiatric disorders have been reported to be related. In this regard, we focused on to investigate a possible relation between the TNF-α gene promoter region−308 G/A and − 850 C/T polymorphisms and PANDAS.MATERIALS AND METHODS:In this study, ages of PANDAS patient and control groups were ranging from 4 years to 12-year-old. Patient group includes childhood onset PANDAS patients (n = 42) and control group includes healthy children (n = 58). Diagnoses have been carried out according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder (DSM-IV) criteria with Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Present and Lifetime (KSAD-S-PL) and Children Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale Moreover, PANDAS criteria established by the American National Psychiatry Institute have been employed for diagnoses. For identifying polymorphisms; Polymerase Chain Reaction, Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism and Polyacrylamid Gel Electrophoresis were used.RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:For −308 polymorphism, 37 of 42 PANDAS patients’ results and for −850 C/T polymorphism, 38 of 42 PANDAS patients’ results were obtained. According to our statistical analysis there is a positive relationship between PANDAS patients for −308 G/A polymorphism but not for −850 C/T polymorphism. There is no positive relationship between −308 G/A polymorphism and antistrep-tolysin O (ASO) titers and no relationship between −850 C/T polymorphism and ASO titers. We found, however, positive relationship between genders of patients (boys) and the disease. According to our results, we propose that the AA polymorphism of −308 G/A polymorphism can be used as a molecular indicator for PANDAS.

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a neurobiological disease characterized with obsessions and compulsions. Obsessive compulsive disorder occurs with an autoimmune mechanism after Group A β hemolytic streptococcus (GABHS) infection. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is an important cytokine, as well as having an important role in the apoptosis mechanism of autoimmune diseases. It is expressed by the TNF-α gene. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between the TNF-α gene promoter region −308 (G>A) and −850 (C>T) polymorphisms and OCD. In this study, ages of the OCD patients and the control group ranged between 4 and 12 years. We studied two patient groups, one included childhood onset OCD patients (n = 49) and the control group was composed of healthy children (n = 58). Patients were diagnosed according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder (DSM-IV) criteria and with Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Present and Lifetime (KSAD-S-PL) version. For identifying the polymorphisms, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) methods were used.For the −308 polymorphism, 45 of 49 OCD patients’ results were completed, and for the −850 polymorphism, 47 of 49 OCD patients’ results were completed. According to our statistical results, there is a positive relationship between OCD and the −308 polymorphism (p <0.001) but no association between OCD and the −850 polymorphism (p = 0.053). There is no positive relationship between antistreptolysin O (ASO) titers and the −308 polymorphism (p = 0.953) but there is an important significance between the −850 polymorphism and ASO (p = 0.010). There is no positive relationship between gender of patients and OCD (p = 0.180) and no positive association between ASO and gender (p = 0.467). According to our results, we hypothesize that we can propose the mutant AA genotype for the −308 polymorphism, and that the mutant CT genotype for the −850 polymorphism may be used as molecular indicators for OCD.