RESUMEN
For decades, sulfonylureas (SUs) have been important drugs in the antidiabetic therapeutic armamentarium. They have been used as monotherapy as well as combination therapy. Focus on newer drugs and concerns about the risk of severe hypoglycemia and weight gain with some SUs have led to discussion on their safety and utility. It has to be borne in mind that the adverse events associated with SUs should not be ascribed to the whole class, as many modern SUs, such as glimepiride and gliclazide modified release, are associated with better safety profiles. Furthermore, individualization of treatment, using SUs in combination with other drugs, backed with careful monitoring and patient education, ensures maximum benefits with minimal side effects. The current guidelines, developed by experts from Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, promote the safe and smart use of SUs in combination with other glucose-lowering drugs.
RESUMEN
To fulfill labeling and traceability requirement of genetically modified (GM) maize for trade and regulation, it is essential to develop an event-specific detection method for monitoring the presence of transgenes. In pursuit of this purpose, we systematically optimized and established a combined event- and construct-specific multiplex polymerase chain reaction (mPCR) technique for simultaneous detection of 8 GM maize lines. Altogether 9 sets of primers were designed, including six that were event-specific for Event176, Bt11, TC1507, NK603, MON863, and Mon810; two that were construct-specific for T25 and GA21, and one for an endogenous zein gene. The transgene in each GM maize line and the endogenous zein gene could be clearly detected and distinguished according to the different sizes of PCR amplicons. The limit of detection (LOD) was approximately 0.25% (v/v), although the detection can be as sensitive as 0.1% as demonstrated by the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) proficiency test. This study further improves the current PCR-based detection method for GM maize. The method can be used in an easy, sensitive, and cost and time effective way for the identification and quality screening of a specific GM maize line.
