ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The high incidence and relatively good prognosis of breast cancer has made it the most prevalent cancer in the world today. A large number of distinct mutations and polymorphisms in the p53 gene have been reported worldwide, but there is no report regarding the role of this inherited susceptibility gene in breast cancer risk among the Bengalee Hindu Caste females of West Bengal, India. AIM OF THE STUDY: We investigated the distribution and the nature of p53 gene mutations and polymorphisms in exons 5-7 in a cohort of 110 Bengalee Hindu breast cancer patients and 127 age, sex and caste matched controls by direct sequencing. RESULTS: We did not observe any mutations and polymorphisms in our studied individuals. CONCLUSION: We therefore conclude that mutations in exons 5-7 of p53 gene are rare causes of breast cancer among Bengalee Hindu caste females, and therefore of little help for genetic counseling and diagnostic purposes.
Subject(s)
Breast Neoplasms/genetics , Carcinoma/genetics , Mutation , Polymorphism, Genetic , Tumor Suppressor Protein p53/genetics , Breast Neoplasms/ethnology , Carcinoma/ethnology , Case-Control Studies , Exons , Female , Genetic Predisposition to Disease , Humans , India , Social ClassABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: It has been observed that menstrual characteristics are generally influenced by lifestyle, socio-cultural and biological factors. AIM: The present study examines: (a) variation in menstrual characteristics between rural and urban adolescents; and (b) whether these characteristics can be predicted from various socio-economic variables related to place of residence. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The sample of the present study constituted 715 adolescent girls from rural (325) and urban (390) areas of West Bengal, a State of India. These girls belong to a Bengali-speaking Hindu ethnic group. Data on socio-economic variables and menstrual characteristics were collected using pretested questionnaires. RESULTS: Rural and urban adolescents differed significantly (p < or = 0.05) with respect to age at menarche, skipped and irregular cycles, premenstrual syndrome, duration of menstrual discharge, mean number of days of peak discharge and problems related to menstrual discharge. Place of residence was found to be a significant predictor of age at menarche (beta = 0.27, p < 0.01). Significant association was observed between some of the socio-economic variables and various menstrual characteristics among the study participants. CONCLUSIONS: Menstrual characteristics differ significantly between rural and urban adolescents. Moreover, various socio-economic variables pertaining to place of residence significantly affect the menstrual characteristics among adolescents.
