Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) share common pathophysiological features, including β-cell dysfunction and insulin resistance. In this study, we investigated the association between GDM and five recently identified T2D susceptibility loci, in a Greek population. We studied 148 women with GDM and 107 non-diabetic unrelated pregnant Greek women, for polymorphisms in the TCF7L2 gene (rs7903146 C/T), the PPARG gene (Pro12Ala), the KCNJ11 gene (E23K), the IRS1 gene (G972R) and in the FOXC2 gene (-512C>T). The T-allele of the TCF7L2 rs7903146 (C/T) polymorphism was found to be significantly associated with an increased risk of GDM [p = 0.0003; odds ratio (OR) 2.04 (95%CI 1.38-3.00)]. Additionally, CT and TT genotypes were significantly overrepresented in women with GDM compared to controls (p = 0.0003 and p = 0.0148, respectively). Analysis of the IRS1 G972R polymorphism showed that the R-allele frequency was increased in women with GDM [(p = 0.009; OR 1.67 (95%CI 1.14-2.47)]. The genotypes and allele frequencies of the other polymorphisms studied did not statistically differ between the GDM and the control women. Thus, our data suggest that the common T2D susceptibility polymorphism of TCF7L2 (rs7903146 C/T) gene, and the G972R polymorphism of the IRS1 gene, seem to predispose to GDM in Greek women.
The use of interphase fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) has shown that a large number of human embryos exhibit chromosomal abnormalities in vitro. The most common abnormality is mosaicism which is seen in up to 50% of preimplantation embryos at all stages of development. In this study, comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) was used to analyse 1-2 cells biopsied on Day 3 of development while the rest of the embryo was cultured until Day 5. Embryos were spread on Day 5 and analysed by FISH using probe combinations that varied depending on the CGH result, to investigate the progress of any abnormalities detected on Day 3. A total of 37 frozen-thawed embryos were analysed in this study. One gave no CGH or FISH results and was excluded from analysis. Six embryos failed to give any FISH result as they were degenerating on Day 5. Thirty embryos provided results from both techniques. According to the CGH results, the embryos were divided into two groups; Group 1 had a normal CGH result (13 embryos) and Group 2 an abnormal CGH result (17 embryos). For Group 1, three embryos showed normal CGH and FISH results, while 10 embryos were mosaic after FISH analysis, with various levels of abnormalities. For Group 2, FISH showed that all embryos were mosaic or completely chaotic. The combination of CGH and FISH enabled the thorough investigation of the evolution of mosaicism and of the mechanisms by which it is generated. The main two mechanisms identified were whole or partial chromosome loss and gain. These were observed in embryos examined on both Day 3 and 5.
There is at present no evidence that NIR spectroscopy of spent embryo culture media in its current form can be used in daily practice to improve live birth rates.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.