Association between G2677T/A polymorphism in ABCB1 gene and the risk of drug resistance epilepsy: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: Epilepsy is a common serious brain condition characterized by the abnormal electrical activity of neurons. In most cases, epileptic patients respond to antiepileptic drugs. Approximately, one-third of patients prove medically intractable. The ABCB1 gene is a superfamily of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters that encode a drug-transport protein, lead to cells and organs protects and eliminates toxic agents. We performed this meta-analysis to assess the association between G2677T/A in the ABCB1 gene and the risk of drug resistance in epileptic patients. METHODS: Two online libraries (PubMed and Scopus) were used to identify studies that report the relationship between G2677T/A polymorphism in the MDR1 gene and the risk of antiepileptic drug resistance. The meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.3 software. The pooled odds ratios and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a random or fixed effects model according to the heterogeneity between studies. RESULTS: A total of 33 eligible studies were included in this meta-analysis which 4192 patients were drug-resistant and 5079 patients were drug-responsive. As a result, a significant association was observed in overall population for the genetic model GG+GA vs AA (OR with 95 % CI = 0,56 [0.34,0.93]; P = 0.02). The subgroup ethnicity analysis showed a significant decrease in the risk of AEDs resistance in the Caucasian population. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, our analysis demonstrates that G2677T/A polymorphism in the ABCB1 gene decreases the risk of drug resistance. More studies are needed in the different ethnic groups to clarify the role of polymorphism in AEDs resistance.

Virus-associated human cancers in Moroccan population: From epidemiology to prospective research.

Eight human viruses have been classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as carcinogenic or probably carcinogenic for humans. Infection with high risk human papillomaviruses, hepatitis B and C viruses, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), human T-Cell Lymphotropic Virus Type 1 (HTLV-1), Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8), Merkel cell polyomavirus and human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV1) alone or in combination with other agents are the main etiologic factors of many cancers. This review highlights some aspects of virus-associated human cancers, potentially responsible for >14,000 malignancies per year in Morocco. Given that not all individuals infected with these viruses develop cancer, somatic alterations, genetic predisposition, and lifestyle or environmental factors obviously play potentializing roles modulating viral activity. These viral, host genetic signatures and lifestyle interactions may represent a reservoir of biomarkers for early detection, prevention of cancer and rationale-based therapy.