Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor κ-Β Ligand/Osteoprotegerin Axis in Adults with Hb S/ß-Thalassemia and ß-Thalassemia Trait.

There is not enough data about osteoporosis and the role of receptor activator of nuclear factor κ-Β ligand (RANKL)/serum osteoprotegerin (OPG) system in patients with double heterozygosity for sickle cell disease and ß-thalassemia [Hb S (HBB: c.20A>T)/ß-thal] and ß-thal trait. Aim of the study was to investigate bone mineral densities (BMD) and the role of RANKL/OPG system in these cases. We studied 58 adults with Hb S/ß-thal, 52 adults with ß-thal trait, 34 healthy subjects as a control group. The BMD was determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Biochemical markers of bone metabolism (serum calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin) parameters that affect bone metabolism (serum parathyroid hormone, thyroid-stimulating hormone, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, OPG, soluble RANKL [sRANKL]) were studied. Femoral neck Z-scores of 93.2% for ß-thal trait, 83.0% for Hb S/ß-thal patients were within the expected range. Lumbar spine Z-scores of 89.1% for ß-thal, 90.2% for Hb S/ß-thal patients were above -2.0 SD. Z-scores of the control group were within the expected range. Median serum sRANKL level was 2.80, 4.52, 5.79 pmol/L in Hb S/ß-thal, ß-thal trait, control groups, respectively (p = 0.010). Median serum OPG level was 1.07, 0.86, 0.86 pmol/L in Hb S/ß-thal, ß-thal trait, control groups, respectively (p < 0.001). ß-Thalassemia trait alone is not a risk factor for osteopenia/osteoporosis and osteoporosis does not develop in premenopausal women and men younger than 50 years with Hb S/ß-thal. However, as we determined lower levels of osteocalcin, compensatory decrease of sRANKL with compensatory increase of OPG, more severe osteoporosis may develop in advanced ages in these patient populations.

The role of certain gene polymorphisms involved in the apoptotic pathways in polycythemia vera and essential thrombocytosis.

BACKGROUND: Polycythemia vera (PV) and essential thrombocytosis (ET) are hematological disorders characterized by excessive production of mature and functional blood cells. These cellular disorders are thought to be associated with impaired apoptosis, which is one of the major cellular death mechanisms in hematopoietic cells. OBJECTIVES: In this study, our objective was to examine the association between potential polymorphisms of the Bcl 2, Bax, Fas and Fas Ligand genes involved in apoptosis and the occurrence of PV and ET. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 93 patients diagnosed with PV (n = 38) or ET (n = 55) at the Department of Hematology were included in this study, and 93 healthy individuals served as controls. DNA isolation was performed in blood samples obtained from both groups of subjects to determine the Bcl 2, Bax, Fas, and Fas L genotypes using the real-time PCR method. RESULTS: No statistically significant differences between controls and patients were found in terms of Fas -670 G > A (rs1800682), Fas -1377 G > A (rs2234767), Fas L IVS2 -124 A > G (rs5030772), Bax -248 G > A (rs4645878) and Bcl 2 -938 C > A (rs2279115) polymorphisms, genotypes, and allele frequency (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results show that polymorphisms in the Bcl 2, Bax, Fas, and Fas Ligand genes involved in the apoptotic pathways may not play a role in the pathogenesis of PV and ET.

Regulating the Regulators in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Genetic Association Study of microRNA Biogenesis Pathways.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most prevalent complex psychiatric disorders in children as well as adults. ADHD impacts not only the affected individuals but also their families and social and professional networks. The clinical and diagnostic criteria for ADHD remain imprecise, in part, due to lack of robust biomarkers. ADHD comprises multiple subsets of diseases that present a shared set of downstream clinical findings, while displaying extensive molecular heterogeneity. This calls for innovation in diagnostic strategies that can help establish an ADHD diagnosis unequivocally as well as guiding precision medicine in this common mental health disorder. No study has examined, to the best of our knowledge, the upstream regulation of miRNAs that impact the downstream final ADHD phenotype. The latter focus on putative genetic biomarkers that regulate the regulators and can be tested empirically, for example, through genetic association analyses of the biogenesis pathways for miRNAs that impact the ADHD phenotype. Hence, we report here polymorphic variation in 10 miRNA biogenesis pathway candidate genes, including RNASEN, DGCR8, XPO5, RAN, DICER1, TARBP2, AGO1, AGO2, GEMIN3, and GEMIN4, in a large sample from the Eastern Mediterranean region (N = 355; 191 cases and 164 controls). We found that AGO1 rs595961 was significantly associated with ADHD susceptibility (p < 0.05). While polymorphic variation in other miRNA biogenesis pathway genes did not display a significant association in the present sample, the observations reported herein on miRNA biogenesis variation offer a new avenue of research for innovation in biomarker discovery concerning ADHD and other complex psychiatric diseases with major global health burden.