No abstract

No abstract

Several environmental and genetic factors are believed to influence the onset of diabetes and its complications. It has also been established that cytokines play a key role in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. Previous studies have revealed that the polymorphism at the stromal-derived factor 1β (SDF-1β) 3'A regulates the expression of SDF-1 (CXCL12). This study was aimed to explore this polymorphism in parallel with SDF-1 serum levels in type 2 diabetic patients. In this assessment, peripheral blood samples were collected from 200 type 2 diabetic patients and 200 healthy controls. DNA was extracted, and a PCR-RFLP screening was applied to examine the SDF-1β 3'A polymorphism. We also applied the ELISA technique to measure serum levels of SDF-1. Our results showed that there were no significant correlations between SDF-1β 3'Α polymorphism in type 2 diabetic patients when compared to controls. However, our results showed that the serum levels of SDF-1 were significantly increased in the patients when compared to controls. Based on the results of this study, we concluded that SDF-1β 3'Α polymorphism does not play a role in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes but that elevated serum levels of SDF-1 may be important for the etiology of type 2 diabetes but are unrelated to the SDF-1β 3'Α polymorphism.

The impact of several environmental and genetic factors on diabetes and its complications is well documented. It has also been established that cytokines play a key role in the regulation of immune responses which have been shown to be important in the pathogenesis of diabetes. Studies showed that single-nucleotide polymorphisms within the -592 region of interleukin-10 (IL-10) are associated with the regulation of its expression. In this study, we aimed to find polymorphisms of this region that may be associated to type 2 diabetic (T2D) patients with and without nephropathy. In this study, peripheral blood samples were collected from 100 T2D patients without nephropathy, 100 T2D patients with nephropathy, and 100 healthy controls. DNA was extracted, and a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism technique was performed to examine the polymorphisms within the -592 region of the IL-10 gene. Our results showed a significant difference between the genotypes and alleles of the -592 region of IL-10 in nephropathic and non-nephropathic patients in comparison to the healthy controls. The differences between the two patient groups in relation to genotypes and alleles were not significant. Results of this study suggest that the functional gene polymorphism of IL-10 reported here may play an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetes, but it seems that these polymorphisms do not have an effect on the nephropathic complications of the disease.

Thalassemia and hemodialysis patients are at risk of blood-transmitted infections due to their long-term need for blood transfusion. Nowadays, control of viral infections, including HCV infections, is one of the main tasks of blood transfusion services worldwide. Therefore, the aim of this research was to investigate the prevalence of HCV infection in thalassemia and hemodialysis patients in Kerman, in southeastern Iran. In this cross-sectional experimental study, 384 (203 hemodialysis and 181 thalassemia) patients were examined for HCV infection. Demographic data were also collected by questionnaire, and HCV infection was screened by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and confirmed by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Data were analyzed by chi-square and t-test. Our results showed that 81 (44.7%) thalassemia and 64 (31.5%) hemodialysis patients were infected with HCV. There was a significant relationship between HCV positivity and the frequency of blood transfusion and the duration of dialysis in thalassemia and hemodialysis patients, respectively. Based on our results, the prevalence of HCV infection in thalassemia and hemodialysis patients in the southeastern part of Iran is higher than the other parts. Therefore, it is suggested that clinical and health authorities in southeastern Iran should pay more attention to preventing the transmission of HCV through blood and blood components.