Vitamin D Status, VDR, and TLR Polymorphisms and Pulmonary Tuberculosis Epidemiology in Kazakhstan.

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) and vitamin D deficiency remain major public health problems in Kazakhstan. Due to the high incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis in the country and based on the importance of vitamin D in the modulation of the immune response and the association of its deficiency with many health conditions, the aim of our research was to study the vitamin D status, VDR and TLR gene polymorphisms, and pulmonary tuberculosis epidemiology in Kazakhstan. METHODS: A case-control study included 411 individuals diagnosed with pulmonary TB and 686 controls with no family history of pulmonary tuberculosis. Concentrations of serum vitamin D (25-(OH)D) levels were measured by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. The gene polymorphisms were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) allelic discrimination assay using TaqMan probes. The association between the risk of pulmonary TB and polymorphisms was evaluated using multimodal logistic regression and assessed with the ORs, corresponding to 95% Cis, and the significance level was determined as p < 0.05. RESULTS: 1097 individuals were recruited from 3 different regions of Kazakhstan. Biochemical data showed vitamin D deficiency (25-(OH)D < 20 ng/mL) was present in both groups, with the case group accounting for almost 95% and 43.7% in controls. Epidemiological data revealed that socioeconomic factors such as BMI < 25 kg/m2 (p < 0.001), employment (p < 0.001), diabetes (p < 0.001), and vitamin D deficiency (p < 0.001) were statistically different between case and control groups. Logistic regression analysis, adjusted by sex, age, BMI, residence, employment, smoking, alcohol consumption, and diabetes, showed that T/T polymorphism of the VDR gene (rs1544410, OR = 1.97, 95% CI: 1.04-3.72, p = 0.03) and A/A polymorphism of the TLR8 gene (rs3764880, OR = 2.44, 95% CI: 1.20-4.98, p = 0.01) were associated with a high risk of developing pulmonary tuberculosis. CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D deficiency remains prevalent in our study cohort and is associated with TB progression. Socioeconomic determinants such as unemployment, BMI under 25 kg/m2, and diabetes are the main risk factors for the development of pulmonary TB in our study. A/A polymorphism of TLR8 (rs3764880) and T/T polymorphism (BsmI, rs1544410) of VDR genes may act as biomarkers for pulmonary tuberculosis in the Kazakh population.

Role of Genetic Polymorphisms in the Development of Complications in Patients with Implanted Left Ventricular Assist Devices: HeartWare, HeartMate II, and HeartMate 3.

Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation is one of the mechanical circulatory support (MCS) treatments for advanced heart failure (HF) patients. MCS has emerged as a lifesaving therapy that improves patients' quality of life. However, MCS remains limited by a paradoxical coagulopathy accompanied by thrombosis and bleeding. The mechanisms of MCS thrombosis are increasingly being defined, but MCS-related bleeding, which is related to shear-mediated alteration of platelet function, remains poorly understood. Complications might develop due to the high non-physiological shear stress in the device and as a consequence of individual variability in response to the antithrombotic therapy. Thromboelastography (TEG) and genotyping of gene polymorphisms that are involved in the coagulation cascade and in the metabolism of the antithrombotic therapy might be valuable sources of information for the reduction of complication development. The aim of the study was to identify genetic factors related to the development of device complications according to the implanted LVAD type. We compared the clinical and genetic data of HF patients (n = 98) with/without complications with three types of implanted devices: HeartWare HVAD (HW), HeartMate II (HMII), and HeartMate 3 (HM3). rs9923231 in VKORC1 (95%CI -6.28-0.22, p = 0.04) and rs5918 in ITGB3 genes (95%CI 0.003-4.36, p = 0.05) showed significant association with the TEG coagulation index parameter, which identified hyper- and hypo-coagulation states. The wild genotype of rs5918 in the ITGB3 gene prevailed in patients implanted with HM3 devices, which developed fewer complications than with HMII (p = 0.04). Individual genetic information could be useful in the management of patients with HF and the implantation of MCS to reduce the development of complications.

Cardiological Functional Assessment of National Olympic Team of Kazakhstan.

Athletes carry an increased risk of cardiovascular (CV) conditions. Due to the relatively high loads and intensity of the training process, athletes' CV systems undergo various adaptations, which can combine in the future and provoke unexpected outcomes. Most CV screening protocols have several successive steps. The aim of our study was to perform a cardiological functional assessment of the National Olympic Team of Kazakhstan via several noninvasive protocols to close the gaps between the approaches and collect solid data for the prevention of sudden cardiac death (SCD) incidence among Kazakhstani athletes. METHODS: The methods used in this study were 12-lead resting electrocardiography (ECG), echocardiography, cardiointervalography, cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET), and HyperQ stress testing. RESULTS: One case was detected via 12-lead resting ECG. Another case of the slowdown of the heart rate (HR) recovery was detected via cardiointervalography with no clinical signs and normal ECG. The HyperQ stress testing of the women's basketball team detected a positive result in four leads in one athlete. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that the CV systems of athletes require the implementation of several diagnostic methods in rest and stress conditions for more precise evaluation, with each of the methods fulfilling the whole picture for the prevention of such tragic events as sudden cardiac death and sudden cardiac arrest.