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BACKGROUND: India currently accounts for a majority of global suicide deaths. Research in European ancestry has established that suicide mortality has a significant genetic component, and suggests that inflammation may play a crucial role in the pathophysiology of suicide. Inflammation is also highly relevant in regions of increased pollution exposure, such as the megacities of India. To address the existing gaps in genetic research on suicide and possible association with inflammatory biomarkers, we examined genetic polymorphism and clinical risk phenotypes in a population-based suicide-death cohort, India. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Genotyping of IL-1ß(rs16944) & (rs1143627), IL-4(rs2070874), IL-6(rs1800795) and IL-10(rs1800896) was done in 234 post-mortem suicide-death cases and 256 post-mortem controls (N = 490) using PCR RFLP method. RESULTS: Our analyses identified three significant (p < 0.001) associations of cytokine variants with suicide death, including IL-1ß(rs16944), OR = 0.627; IL-4(rs2070874), OR = 0.524; and IL-6(rs1800795), OR = 2.509. Cases were more likely female and were more likely to have a history of psychiatric illness, though rate of psychiatric illness was low in suicide cases(9%). CONCLUSION: Our genetic results are generally consistent with previous research on risk for depression and suicidal behaviour, and both genetic and phenotypic results provide new insights into risk factors that may contribute to suicide in India.
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Background: Suicide is a preventable but escalating global health crisis. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) studies to date have been limited, and some are underpowered. In this study, we aimed to perform the PsychArray-based GWAS study to identify single nucleotide variations associated with suicide in the Indian population. Methods: We recruited unrelated subjects who died by suicide as cases (N = 313) and the non-suicidal deaths as controls (N = 294). The 607 samples were genotyped, including cases and controls using the Illumina Infinium PsychArray-24 BeadChip v1.3 Results: In our study, four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) crossed the threshold of significance level <1 × 10−5. One of them is intronic at Chromosome2:rs1901851 and three are intergenic at Chromosome12:rs3847911, Chromosome8:rs2941489, Chromosome8:rs1464092. At a significance level of 5 × 10−5, we found a few more SNPs, with the majority of them being intergenic variants. The associated genes were associated with various important functions ranging from cell signaling, GTP binding, GPCR binding, and transcription factor binding. Conclusions: The SNPs identified in our study were not reported earlier. To our best knowledge, this study is one of the first GWAS for suicide in the Indian population. The results indicate few novel SNPs that may be associated with suicide and require further investigation. Their clinical significance is to be studied in the future.
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Identifying missing persons and unidentified dead bodies is a well-documented global problem in recent years. To curb this issue, countries such as the USA, UK, and Australia already have well-established DNA databases. Considering the alarming number of unidentified/unclaimed dead bodies reported in India every year, it is evident that the current practices are not sufficient to establish their identities. Forensic medicine professionals are ethically, morally, and dutybound to collect information about missing and unidentified persons and work with the government agencies to determine their identity. Concerning the social and public interest, we have developed the first-ever identification portal and DNA database of unidentified dead bodies autopsied at the Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, AIIMS, New Delhi, India. After the investigation officer's informed consent, biological samples from unidentified dead bodies and a detailed phenotypic description, anthropological data and other visual characteristics of the deceased are recorded at the time of autopsy. This information is uploaded on our database which is available for public access, and the genotypic information generated through STR analysis is only available for internal usage.Claimants (biological relatives) may browse through the URL (https://umid-aiims.icmr.org.in/), and if they wish to claim an unidentified dead body, they may approach as per the given guidelines. The DNA profiles generated include a total of 16 STRs (15 autosomal tetranucleotide microsatellite STRs and 1 Sex Chromosome Specific STR). The claimant's STR profile is run through the questioned database to look for a potential match. If positive, the investigating officer of that particular case is informed for further necessary action. Until December 2020, our database consisted the information of 255 individuals and two unidentified cadavers were identified. This project's success can also lead to a pioneering National DNA database of unidentified and missing persons in India.