Background: The aim of the study was to investigate any associations between benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the VDR gene (FokI, BsmI, ApaI and TaqαI loci) and the CYP17 gene (MspA1I locus), as well as TA repeat polymorphism in SRD5A2 gene among Lebanese men. Materials and Methods: DNA extracted from blood of 68 subjects with confirmed BPH and 79 age-matched controls was subjected to PCR/PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. The odds ra=tio (OR) of having a genotype and the relative risk (RR) of developing BPH for having the genotype were calculated and the alleles were designated risk-bearing or protective. Results: Our data indicated that the A and B alleles of the VDR ApaI and BsmI SNPs were highly associated with increased risk of BPH (p=0.0168 and 0.0002, respectively). Moreover, 63% of the controls compared to 43% of the subjects with BPH were homozygous for none of the risk-bearing alleles (p=0.0123) whereas 60% of the controls and 28% of the subjects with BPH were homozygous for two or more protective alleles (p<0.0001). Conclusions: For the first time, our study demonstrated that ApaI and BsmI of the VDR gene are associated with risk of BPH among Lebanese men. Our study also indicated that overall polymorphism profile of all the genes involved in prostate physiology could be a better predictor of BPH risk.
She has published two scholarly books on the development of women leaders and has authored/co-authored nearly 60 peer-reviewed articles primarily in the areas of leadership, individual change, work-life integration, and academic servicelearning. Susan is currently continuing her research on the lifetime development of women leaders in the United Arab Emirates, China, and the U.S. She is also an independent leadership and change consultant and is the founder and chair of the ILA Women and Leadership Affinity Group (WLAG) and other state, national, and international groups related to developing women leaders.
The energy drink consumption habits of nurses working in clinical settings is unknown. Utilizing a descriptive-comparison design, researchers examined the caffeine and energy drink habits of clinical nurses and relationships or differences that existed with their sleep quantity, sleep quality, and perceived stress levels. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Significant relationships existed between energy drink consumption and sleep quality, sleep quantity, and perceived stress levels. Nurses who consumed energy drinks had poorer sleep quality and fewer sleep hours compared with caffeine-only consumers and noncaffeine consumers. Nurses who consumed energy drinks also had increased levels of perceived stress than noncaffeine consumers. Educating nurses regarding energy drink ingredients and relationships that exist between energy drink consumption, sleep, and perceived stress could be beneficial. Future studies are needed to examine motivational factors related to energy drink consumption as well as any health or safety implications that might be associated.
Background. Angiotensin I converting enzyme (ACE) insertion (I) and 287 bp Alu repeat DNA fragment deletion (D) polymorphisms have been indicated in various cancers. Here, we investigated I/D polymorphisms in prostate cancer (PCa) and benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) among Lebanese men. Methods. Blood DNA extracted from 69 control subjects, 69 subjects with clinically confirmed PCa, and 69 subjects with clinical BPH, all the subjects were aged 50 years or older, was subjected to the polymerase chain reaction. The PCR products were resolved in polyacrylamide gels to determine II, ID, and DD genotypes. The odds ratios (OR), 95% confidence intervals (CI), and p values of the allele frequencies and genotype ratios were calculated for establishing possible association of the alleles and/or genotypes and PCa and/or BPH. Results. The proportions of II, ID, and DD genotypes were significantly different from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium for BPH and PCa groups (but not the control group), mostly due to overabundance of the ID genotypes. There was no significant difference in the I and D allele frequencies between the control groups and the affected groups. The ratio of (DD + ID)/II is significantly lower among the control group compared to the BPH group (RR = 8.92, p=0.042), and the ratio of ID/(DD + II) is significantly lower among the control group compared to the affected groups (RR = 1.99, p=0.021). Conclusions. Our data indicate that the D allele of the I/D polymorphisms of the ACE gene is associated with increased risk of BPH, and the ID genotype is a risk factor for both BPH and PCa among Lebanese males.
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