Metabolic Abnormalities, Inflammatory Markers and Endothelial Dysfunction in Hyperprolactinemia due to Prolactinoma before and after Normalization of Serum Prolactin: A Prospective Case Control Study.

Background: Hyperprolactinemia is associated with obesity, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and low-grade inflammation which may promote endothelial dysfunction (EnD). Limited work has been done on EnD in prolactinomas and we, therefore, studied serum markers of inflammation and EnD in patients with prolactinomas before and after treatment with dopamine agonists. Methodology: Fifty-six treatment naïve patients with prolactinomas and fifty-three (apparently healthy age and sex-matched) controls were enrolled in the study and subjected to clinical assessment and laboratory investigations including blood glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, urea, creatinine, uric acid, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and markers of EnD i.e., intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1). Patients were treated with a dopamine agonist (cabergoline) and parameters (like ESR, hsCRP, ICAM-1, and VCAM-1) were measured at 12 weeks. Results: The majority of the patients (84%) were female, more than half (52%) had metabolic syndrome and over a third (36%) were obese. Blood glucose fasting, HbA1c, lipid fractions, ESR, hsCRP, ICAM-1, and VCAM-1 were significantly higher in patients than in controls. Median ICAM-1 was 1331.95 ng/ml (IQR 803.43-1825.99) in patients vs 753.04 ng/ml (IQR 402.04-871.55) in controls, P < 0.001 and median VCAM-1in patients was 971.35 ng/ml (IQR 695.03-1285.23) as against 634.56 ng/ml (IQR 177.49-946.50) in controls, p0.001. Serum ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 correlated positively with hsCRP. On multivariate regression analysis, serum hsCRP was the only significant predictor of change in ICAM-1 and VCAM-1. Normalization of serum PRL with CAB resulted in a significant decrease in metabolic parameters, ESR, hsCRP, ICAM-1, and VCAM-1. Conclusion: Hyperprolactinemia because of prolactinoma is associated with EnD secondary to systemic inflammation and metabolic abnormalities which improve after treatment with DA.

Evaluation of SOCS5 mRNA and its association with serum IL-12 levels and rs41379147 SNP in various subsets of allergic disorders: A case control study.

BACKGROUND: The SOCS proteins act as suppressors of cytokine signaling by impeding certain signaling pathways. SOCS5, a constituent of the SOCS family, has been associated with the management of allergic reactions, primarily by impeding the signaling of interleukin-4 (IL-4), which is known to have a cardinal function in accelerating the development of an allergic reaction. The key goal of our research was to explore the probable ramifications of the SOCS5 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) namely rs41379147 on the expression of SOCS5 mRNA and serum IL-12 levels, as well as to analyze the interaction between SOCS5 genotypes and various clinicopathological parameters in atopic diseases. METHODS: The study involved the enrollment of 314 subjects comprising 154 atopic individuals and 160 healthy controls. PCR-RFLP was employed to conduct SNP analysis. Real-Time PCR was employed to quantify SOCS5 mRNA. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique was used for the quantification of interleukin-12 and total IgE levels in the serum while as chemiluminescence was used to determine Vitamin D levels. RESULTS: The PCR-RFLP analysis indicated a lack of statistically significant variation in genotypic and allelic frequencies between the cases and controls (p > 0.05) for - 9147 C/T SNP either in total atopy (OR-0.70, 95% CI=0.43-1.12, p =0.15), and on subgroup stratifications of chronic urticaria (OR-0.81, 95 % CI = 0.42-1.59, p = 0.61), allergic rhinitis (OR-0.63, 95 % CI = 0.33-1.19, p = 0.16) and bronchial asthma (OR-0.66,95% CI = 0.29-1.4, p=0.32). There was reduced mRNA expression of SOCS5 in total atopic cases, allergic rhinitis, bronchial asthma and chronic urticaria in comparison to controls which advocates the fact that SOCS5 has a protective role in allergic disease development. Despite the reduced amounts of IL-12 in total atopic cases and different allergic disorders in comparison to controls, IL-12 showed significant positive correlation with SOCS5 mRNA expression (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: SOCS5 SNP rs41379147(C/T) does not pose any significant risk towards the development of any allergic disorder and has no impact on the expression of SOCS5 and IL-12. Our study has shown the reduced mRNA expression of SOCS5 among individuals diagnosed with chronic urticaria, allergic rhinitis and bronchial asthma and the expression of SOCS5 showed complete dependence on the cytokine milieu of IL12. The modulation of SOCS5 and IL-12 may represent potential curative targets for treating the menace of allergic diseases and present promising avenues for future investigation.

Pre-polycystic ovary syndrome and polymenorrhoea as new facets of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): Evidences from a single centre data set.

OBJECTIVE: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex disorder with diverse metabolic implications. Diagnosis typically relies on oligo-amenorrhoea (OA), hyperandrogenism (HA), and polycystic ovarian morphology (PCOM). However, the role of polymenorrhoea in PCOS remains understudied. Additionally, limited information exists regarding metabolic disturbances in women with partial PCOS phenotypes that do not meet diagnostic criteria. This extensive database aims to provide substantial evidence on the metabolic implications of polymenorrhoea and partial PCOS phenotypes. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. PATIENTS AND MEASUREMENTS: In this single-centre study, 6463 women with PCOS-like characteristics and 3142 age-matched healthy women were included. The study compared clinical (anthropometry, modified Ferriman Gallwey [mFG] score), hormonal (serum testosterone), and metabolic (plasma glucose, serum lipids, insulin) characteristics between women diagnosed with PCOS, those with partial PCOS phenotypes, and the healthy control group RESULTS: In all, 5174 women met Rotterdam criteria for PCOS diagnosis, while 737 were classified as Pre-PCOS, including HA (n = 538), OA (n = 121), or PCOM (n = 78). Common clinical features included oligomenorrhoea (75.5%), hirsutism (82.9%), obesity (27.2%), hypertension (1.6%), metabolic syndrome (19.6%), and diabetes mellitus (5.6%). Women diagnosed with PCOS, HA only, and OA only exhibited higher average body mass index, plasma glucose levels (both fasting and 2 h after the oral glucose tolerance test), and lipid fractions in comparison to those with PCOM and the healthy controls. However, indices of insulin resistance were similar among women with PCOS, HA, PCOM, and OA, albeit higher than in the healthy controls. The polymenorrhoea subgroup (5.9%) had lower BMI and serum testosterone, but similar mFG score, plasma glucose, insulin, and lipid levels as the oligomenorrhoea subgroup. CONCLUSION: The metabolic disturbances observed in Pre-PCOS women highlight the need to reassess diagnostic criteria. Including the polymenorrhoea subcategory in PCOS criteria is recommended due to similar metabolic dysfunctions as the oligomenorrhoea group.

Gene variants and mRNA expression analysis of SOCS3 and its association with serum IL-4 levels in atopic diseases.

BACKGROUND: The suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) are a class of negative regulators for several aspects of cytokine signaling that have been attributed to the pathophysiology of inflammatory disorders. Given the role of the SOCS3 gene in regulating Th2 cell proliferation, our study aimed to analyze two SOCS3 SNPs viz. rs8074003 and rs7222391, and their potential influence on IL-4 levels and SOCS3 mRNA expression besides analyzing the interaction of the SOCS3 genotypes with the various clinicopathological parameters. METHODS: A total of 314 subjects including 154 atopic cases and 160 healthy controls were genotyped for SOCS3 polymorphisms by PCR-RFLP. SOCS3 mRNA was quantified by Real-Time PCR. The serum IL-4 and total IgE levels were determined by ELISA and Vitamin-D levels were quantified by chemiluminescence. RESULTS: The CC genotype of rs8074003 was more frequent in atopic cases and posed a 3- fold risk of atopy (p = 0.001) whereas CG and GG genotypes were widespread in the controls (p = 0.1). For the other SNP rs7222391, there was no difference in genotypic and allelic distribution. The SOCS3 mRNA expression and serum IL-4 levels were substantially increased in the atopic cases with a significant positive correlation between them (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: SOCS3 SNP rs8074003 poses a convincing risk of atopic disease development. The SOCS3 expression and IL-4 levels were up-regulated in total atopy and in its different presentations. It seems plausible to target SOCS3 and IL-4 as a potential target for the diagnosis of atopy and for the development of reliable personalized therapeutic strategies to control atopic conditions.

Comparative study of TNF-α and vitamin D reveals a significant role of TNF-α in NSCLC in an ethnically conserved vitamin D deficient population.

Growing evidence has implicated tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) as an important regulator of the tumor microenvironment. Moreover, various molecular epidemiological studies have proposed vitamin D deficiency to be a mediator of cancer progression. Here we comparatively analyzed the role of TNF-α and vitamin D in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in an ethnically conserved vitamin D deficient population. Confirmed NSCLC cases (n = 190) matchedfor age, gender, dwelling, and smoking against cancer-free healthy controls ((n = 200) were genotyped for TNF-α promoter polymorphisms (rs361525 and rs1800629) by PCR-RFLP. 48 NSCLC tumor and adjacent normal tissues were quantified for TNF-α mRNA expression by RT-qPCR. 48 NSCLC cases and 60 healthy controls were analyzed for TNF-α and vitamin D serum levels by ELISA and chemiluminescence respectively. Our study indicates thatrs361525 and rs1800629 bear a significant risk towards NSCLC. Both mutant genotype and mutant allele of rs361525 elicit a likelihood of NSCLC reflected by their odds ratio (OR) of 3.16 and 1.81 respectively. In case of rs1800629, the heterogeneous genotype (GA) showed two fold higher risk for NSCLC (OR-2.07, P = 0.006), which could be attributed to the presence of the mutant allele as reflected by overall frequency of mutant A allele vs wild G allele (OR-1.92, P = 0.01). A combined effect of genotypes for rs361525 and rs1800629 revealed a 3.7 fold higher risk towards NSCLC for the presence of heterozygous genotype at both loci. Our preliminary expression results showed significant increase of TNF-α mRNA expression in tumor tissues of NSCLC as compared to adjacent normal tissues [cases- 8.56 ± 3.90vs controls-4.88 ± 2.96, P < 0.0001)] which was further affirmed by extrapolation of TNF-α expression in serum (Cases- 55.75 ± 22.50vs controls- 21.46 ± 27.75, P < 0.0001). Multivariate regression analyses revealed TNF-α mRNA expression to be significantly associated with NSCLC cases less than 50 years of age (P < 0.05). In comparison to the putative role of TNF-α in NSCLC as suggested by the results observed, vitamin D showed no significance towards any of the analyzed parameters or with the risk of NSCLC. This study suggests that TNF-α could be a potential mediator of NSCLC which bears important clinical implications and could be an important therapeutic marker in NSCLC.

Genetic Susceptibility of DCC Gene in Gallbladder Cancer in Kashmir and Meta-Analysis.

Deleted in colorectal carcinoma (DCC) A > G (rs714) is the most widely studied SNP of tumor suppressor DCC gene found to be associated with increased risk of various cancers. Therefore, the aim of present case control study was to investigate the role of DCC A > G (rs714) in gallbladder cancer (GBC) in Kashmir and to conduct a meta-analysis of DCC A > G (rs714) polymorphism to demonstrate the more accurate strength of these associations. Genotyping was done by PCR/RFLP and confirmed by sequencing in 100 GBC cases, and 150 controls. We also performed a comprehensive meta-analysis of 2223 subjects (1118 cases and 1105 controls) to evaluate the association between DCC A > G (rs714) polymorphisms and cancer. In present case control study DCC A > G (rs714) genotypes did not modulate the GBC cancer risk. Meta-analysis results showed that DCC A > G (rs714) is associated with increased overall cancer risk. DCC A > G (rs714) polymorphism conferred significant risk for cancer in dominant model but in recessive model P-value was at borderline. DCC A > G (rs714) genotype was associated with increased risk of cancer in Asians and Kashmiri population whereas no such association was observed in Europeans. The evidence in this meta-analysis supports a modest involvement of DCC A > G (rs714) tumoursupressor pathway genes in cancer susceptibility.

Prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes in tribal population of Kashmir: Lessons for the future.

AIMS: Considering a surge in the incidence of Diabetes mellitus (DM) across all ethnic groups and lack of any representative data from the tribal communities of Jammu and Kashmir, the present study aimed to assess the prevalence of DM and prediabetes in them. METHODS: Subjects were recruited from five districts of Kashmir valley using multistage cluster sampling by probability proportional to size (PPS) technique. Data collection included recording of socio-demographic, medical facts, assessment of anthropometric parameters and biochemical evaluation HbA1c and random blood glucose measurements as per the American Diabetes Association (ADA) criteria were used for diagnosis of DM. RESULTS: A total of 6808 subjects were recruited in this study including 2872 (42%) men and 3936 (58%) women with mean age of 39.60 ± 20.19 years and 35.17 ± 16.70 years, respectively. Around 8.60% subjects were obese, 38.9% were found to be hypertensive, 73% had dyslipidemia and 3.75% had metabolic syndrome. About 1.26% (0.5% males and 0.9% females) had DM and 11.64% had prediabetes based on HbA1c cut offs. Increasing age, body mass index and family history portend significant risk factors while smoking and sedentary lifestyle increased the risk marginally. CONCLUSIONS: Although the prevalence of DM among tribals of Kashmir valley is lower than general population, the higher prediabetes to DM ratio may indicate a future trend of increasing DM prevalence in this disadvantageous subpopulation.

Role of Glutathione-S-Transferases in Gallbladder Cancer and Cholelithiasis Susceptibility and Meta-Analysis.

Glutathione-S-transferase T1 (GSTT1) and glutathione-S-transferase M1 (GSTM1) genes are associated with increase susceptibility to developing different types of cancers. The aim of present study was to investigate the role of genetic variants of GSTM1 and GSTT1 in gallbladder cancer (GBC) and cholelithiasis in Kashmir valley. Genotyping was done by multiplex polymerase chain reaction in 100 GBC, 100 cholelithiasis, and 150 controls adjusted by age and sex. We also performed a meta-analysis of published studies on GSTM1 and GSTT1 to evaluate the association between the GSTM1 and GSTT1 polymorphisms and GBC. Pooled odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using random- or fixed-effects model. In the present study, no association was observed between GSTM1 null and GSTT1 null genotypes and GBC and cholelithiasis. Meta-analysis results showed that GSTM1 null genotype was associated with GBC risk (P = 0.042). Subgroup analysis by ethnicity showed that GSTM1 null (P = 0.024) and GSTT1 null genotype (P = 0.037) were significantly associated with risk of GBC in Asians. This is the first study to investigate the role of genetic variants of GSTM1 and GSTT1 in GBC in Kashmir valley and cholelithiasis in the world.

Intraoperative Parathyroid Hormone Monitoring in Guiding Adequate Parathyroidectomy.

BACKGROUND: Parathyroidectomy has been traditionally performed through bilateral neck exploration (BNE). However, with the use of intraoperative parathyroid hormone (IOPTH) assay along with preoperative localization studies, focused parathyroidectomy can be performed with good surgical success rate, multiglandular disease can be predicted, and hence recurrence and surgical failure can be prevented. Furthermore, it predicts eucalcemia in the postoperative period. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of IOPTH assay in guiding adequate parathyroidectomy in patients of primary hyperparathyroidism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between year 2015 and 2017, 45 patients of primary hyperparathyroidism underwent parathyroidectomy with IOPTH assay employed as an intraoperative tool to guide the surgical procedure. Blood samples were collected: (1) at preincision time, (2) preexcision of gland, (3) 5-min postexcision of gland, and (4) 10-min postexcision of gland. On the basis of the Irvin criterion, an intraoperative PTH drop >50% from the highest either preincision or preexcision level after parathyroid excision was considered a surgical success. Otherwise, BNE was performed and search for other parathyroid glands done. RESULTS: Ten-min postexcision PTH levels dropped >50% in 34 (75.6%) patients. True positive among them were 31 (68.8%), true negative 8 (17.7%), false positive 3 (6.6%), and false negative 3 (6.6%). We performed focused exploration at the outset in 40 (88.9%) patients and bilateral exploration for five patients as guided by preoperative localizing studies. Hence, IOPTH was helpful in guiding further exploration in 8 (17.7%) patients and prevented further exploration in 32 (71.1%) patients and also was able to predict eucalcemia in 97.7% patients at 6 months. Thus, IOPTH was able to obviate or to ask for additional procedure in 88.8% of patients. However, in three (6.6%) patients, IOPTH would guide unnecessary exploration and in equally, that is, three (6.6%) patients may require reoperation for unidentified parathyroids. CONCLUSION: IOPTH in adjunct with other localizing studies is very helpful for carrying out successful parathyroidectomy in uniglandular disease and predicting postoperative eucalcemia. However, more importantly, its role is valuable in equivocal imaging, in such cases, it prevents unnecessary exploration or helps in adequate parathyroidectomy.

Clinical profile in arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy and a recessive plakophilin-2 gene mutation.

OBJECTIVE: Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is not an uncommon cause of cardiac morbidity in Kashmir valley. This study was designed to document various clinical features and to sequence exons 11 and 12 of plakophilin 2 (PKP2) gene in these patients. METHODS: ACM patients who attended cardiology outpatient department of our institute from January 2014 to April 2015 were included in the study. Their records were reviewed. Controls were randomly selected, who had no history or family history of cardiac illness and had a normal cardiac examination. A blood sample was also taken from both the groups for sequencing of exon 11 and 12 of PKP2 gene. ACM patients were followed up until July 2016. RESULTS: Eleven ACM patients and seven controls were included in the study. Most common mode of presentation was ventricular tachycardia (VT). Two patients had left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction. One patient had a splice site mutation in exon 12 of PKP2 gene and one patient died during follow-up. One of the controls had an intronic variation that has no pathogenic significance vis-à-vis ACM. CONCLUSION: Our study describes various clinical parameters in ACM patients and a recessive plakophilin 2 mutation after a limited PKP2 gene sequencing.

High prevalence of factor V Leiden and prothrombin G20101A mutations in Kashmiri patients with venous thromboembolism.

AIM: The genetic variants of the factor V (G1691A), prothrombin (G20210A) and MTHFR (C677T) genes have been widely implicated as inherited risk factors for developing venous thrombosis. This study was undertaken to reveal the frequency of these mutations in Kashmiri patients with venous thromboembolism. METHODOLOGY: A case-control study was designed with 250 VTE patients and 250 healthy controls. The mutations were analysed using ARMS-PCR and PCR-RFLP approach. RESULT: The factor V Leiden G1691A mutation was found in 17/250 (6.8%) VTE patients and prothrombin G20210A mutation was found in 7/250 (2.8%) VTE patients while no mutation was found in any of the healthy controls. Both the mutations were found to be significantly associated with the increased risk of VTE (p = 0.0001 and 0.0150 respectively) while no association of VTE risk with MTHFR C677T polymorphism was found (p = 0.53). CONCLUSION: The increased frequency of factor V Leiden G1691A and prothrombin G20210A mutation in VTE patients indicates a significant role of these mutations in the development of VTE in our population. We therefore suggest the routine screening of these two mutations as thrombophilic markers in Kashmiri patients with venous thromboembolism.

Prevalence and pattern of growth abnormalities in children with extrahepatic portal vein obstruction: Response to shunt surgery.

OBJECTIVE: Growth retardation is common in children with extrahepatic portal vein obstruction (EHPVO) and growth hormone (GH) resistance may play a dominant role. The aim of this study was to ascertain growth parameters and growth-related hormones in children with EHPVO, comparing with controls and to study the response of shunt surgery on growth parameters. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The auxological and growth-related hormone profile (GH; insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 [IGFBP-3] and IGF-1) of thirty children with EHPVO were compared with controls. The effect of shunt surgery on growth parameters in 12 children was also studied. RESULTS: The mean height standard deviation score (HSDS) of cases (-1.797 ± 1.146) was significantly lower than that of controls (-0.036 ± 0.796); the mean weight SDS of cases (-1.258 ± 0.743) was also lower than that of controls (-0.004 ± 0.533). The mean GH level of cases (5.00 ± 6.46 ng/ml) was significantly higher than that of controls (1.78 ± 2.04 ng/ml). The mean IGF-1 level of cases (100.25 ± 35.93 ng/ml) was significantly lower as compared to controls (233.53 ± 115.06 ng/ml) as was the mean IGFBP-3 level (2976.53 ± 1212.82 ng/ml in cases and 5183.28 ± 1531.28 ng/ml in controls). In 12 patients who underwent shunt surgery, growth parameters significantly improved. CONCLUSIONS: Marked decrease in weight and height SDSs associated with GH resistance is seen in children with EHPVO, which improves with shunt surgery.

Association of Low Levels of Vitamin D with Chronic Stable Angina: A Prospective Case-Control Study.

BACKGROUND: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a major cause of death and disability in developed countries. Chronic stable angina is the initial manifestation of CAD in approximately 50% of the patients. Recent evidence suggests that vitamin D is crucial for cardiovascular health. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in our region is 83%. A low level of vitamin D is associated with chronic stable angina. AIM: This study was aimed at supporting or refuting this hypothesis in our population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was a prospective case-control study. We studied 100 cases of chronic stable angina and compared them with 100 matched controls. Vitamin D deficiency was defined as <20 ng/mL, vitamin D insufficiency as 20-30 ng/mL and normal vitamin D level as 31-150 ng/mL. RESULTS: The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among cases and controls was 75% and 10%, respectively. 75% of the cases were vitamin D-deficient (<20 ng/mL); 12% were vitamin D-insufficient (20-30 ng/mL), and 13% had normal vitamin D levels (31-150 ng/mL). None had a toxic level of vitamin D. Among the controls, 10% were vitamin D-deficient, 33% were vitamin D-insufficient, and 57% had normal vitamin D levels. The mean vitamin level among cases and controls was 15.53 ng/mL and 40.95 ng/mL, respectively, with the difference being statistically significant (P ≤ 0.0001). There was no statistically significant relation between the disease severities, i.e., on coronary angiography (CAG) with vitamin D level. Among the cases, we found that an increasing age was inversely related to vitamin D levels (P = 0.027). CONCLUSION: Our study indicates a correlation between vitamin D deficiency and chronic stable angina. Low levels may be an independent, potentially modifiable cardiovascular risk factor.

Association of ACE Gene I/D polymorphism with migraine in Kashmiri population.

INTRODUCTION: Migraine is a complex, recurrent headache disorder that is one of the most common complaints in neurology practice. The role of various genes in its pathogenesis is being studied. We did this study to see whether an association exists between ACE gene I/D polymorphism and migraine in our region. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 100 patients diagnosed with migraine and 121 healthy controls. The study subject were age and gender matched. The analysis was based on Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and included following steps: DNA extraction from blood, PCR and Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP). RESULTS: Out of 100 cases, 69 were females and 31 were males. Fifty-seven were having migraine without aura and 43 had migraine with aura. 45 of the cases had II polymorphism, 40 had ID polymorphism and 15 had DD polymorphism in ACE gene. CONCLUSION: We were not able to find a statistically significant association between ACE gene I/D polymorphism with migraine. The reason for difference in results between our study and other studies could be because of different ethnicity in study populations. So a continuous research is needed in this regard in order to find the genes and different polymorphism that increase the susceptibility of Kashmiri population to migraine.

Role of +405C>G and +936C>T polymorphisms of the vascular endothelial growth factor gene and risk of esophageal cancer in the Kashmiri population.

BACKGROUND: The gene for the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which promotes angiogenesis and permeability, is polymorphic. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between +936C>T and +404C>G polymorphism of VEGF with risk of esophageal cancer in the Kashmiri population in India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 150 esophageal cancer patients and 150 unrelated healthy controls were genotyped for two VGEF SNPs (+405C/G, and +936C/T) using DNA extracted from prospectively collected blood samples by the PCR-RFLP method. RESULTS: For the VEGF +936C>T polymorphism a significant association of CT and combined CT+TT genotypes was observed with increased risk of esophageal cancer (p=0.021; 0.024). For the +405C>G polymorphism we observed significantly increased frequency of GG genotype in cases as compared to controls and also the +405 GG Genotype was observed to have a two fold risk(OR=2.7356; 95%CI=1.1409- 6.5593; p=0.020). The combined genotypes of GG-CC and GG-CT of +405C>G and +936C>T were found to be significantly associated with increased risk of esophageal cancer (p=0.0376; 0.0099). CONCLUSIONS: From the results of the present study a significant association of +936C>T and +405C>G polymorphisms with increased esophageal cancer risk exists in the Kashmiri population.

Rheumatoid arthritis and genetic variations in cytokine genes: a population-based study in Kashmir Valley.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to determine the genetic associations between polymorphisms of the IL1ß gene (-511C/T and +3953C/T) and IL6 gene (-174G/C) with disease susceptibility and severity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in ethnic Kashmiri population. METHODS: Allele and genotype frequencies of IL1ß -511 C/T, IL1ß +3953 C/T and IL6 -174 G/C polymorphisms were compared between 150 RA patients and 200 healthy controls by using PCR-RFLP method. RESULTS: We did not find any significant association between IL1b +3953 C/T and IL6 -174 G/C polymorphism and Rheumatoid Arthritis risk (p>0.05), but IL1ß +3953 CT genotype was associated significantly with increased SJC and ESR and IL6 -174 GG genotype was associated significantly with increased ESR. However IL1b -511C/T polymorphism was significantly associated with rheumatoid arthritis risk and the carriers of IL1ß -511 'C' allele (CC and TC genotypes) appeared to have lower risk for RA development. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the IL1b -511 'C' allele has a protective role from disease development. Furthermore our results suggest a possible role of IL1b +3953 CT and IL6 -174 GG genotypes as disease activity markers of rheumatoid arthritis.

Association of interleukin 1 beta (IL-1ß) polymorphism with mRNA expression and risk of non small cell lung cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Interleukin 1 beta (IL- 1ß), a key proinflammatory cytokine encoded by the interleukin 1 beta gene, has been associated with chronic inflammation and plays an important role in lung inflammatory diseases including lung cancer. Elevated levels of Interleukin 1proteins, in particular interleukin 1 beta greatly enhance the intensity of the inflammatory response. AIM: To study the role of interleukin 1 beta-31C > T and -511 T > C polymorphism in the pathogenesis of non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and ninety non small cell lung cancer patients and 200 healthy age, sex, smoking and dwelling matched controls were used for polymorphic analysis by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) followed by sequencing. Normal tissues of 48 histopathologically confirmed non small cell lung cancer patients were taken for mRNA expression analysis. Quantitation of interleukin 1 beta was carried out by quantitative real time PCR. RESULT: The T/T genotype of interleukin 1 beta-31 gene was significantly associated with increased risk of NSCLC [(P = 0.001, OR - 2.8 (95%CI 1.52-5.26)]. The interleukin 1 beta - 511 T > C does not show any difference between the NSCLC and control group (P = 0.3, OR - 0.72 (95%CI 0.41-1.28). Quantitative analysis of mRNA showed significant association with interleukin 1 beta T allele as compared to the interleukin 1 beta-31C allele (P = 0.006). CONCLUSION: We conclude that lung cancer risk genotype interleukin 1 beta-31TT results in increased expression of interleukin 1 beta mRNA in lung cancer patients. Our data suggest that this genotype (IL1ß -31TT) in the interleukin 1 beta regulatory region provide a microenvironment with elevated inflammatory stimuli and thus increasing the risk for lung cancer.

Lack of association of a common polymorphism in the 3' -UTR of interleukin 8 with non small cell lung cancer in Kashmir.

BACKGROUND: Chronic inflammation is considered as an important factor in the pathogenesis of lung cancer. The presence of inflammatory cells and higher levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the tumor microenvironment and their surrounding tissues is gaining much importance in research. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred ninety NSCLC cases and 200 age, smoking and sex matched controls were evaluated for association of IL-8 -251 (rs4073) and IL-8 -845 (rs2227532) in our population. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) was used followed by direct sequencing for the detection of SNPs. RESULTS: The IL-8 -845 polymorphism was not found in our population. No significant association was observed between the IL-8 -251 AT genotypes and IL-8 -25 AA genotypes and NSCLC (p=0.05) in our population. The IL-8 -251 A allele was also non-significant (p=0.05) in NSCLC patients. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, this report reveals lack of association between IL-8 - 251 A/T polymorphism and NSCLC in our Kashmir Valley population.

Role of vitamin D receptor (VDR) polymorphisms in susceptibility to multiple myeloma in ethnic Kashmiri population.

BACKGROUND: Vitamin D regulates many biological processes including bone metabolism, innate immune response, and cell proliferation and differentiation by binding to its receptor VDR. Vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene polymorphisms have been associated with many cancers like breast, colorectal, prostate, and skin. The main aim of this study was to determine whether VDR polymorphisms (ApaI, BsmI and FokI) are associated with increased risk of multiple myeloma. METHODS: We designed a case control study where 75 multiple myeloma cases were studied for VDR polymorphisms (ApaI, BsmI and FokI) against 150 controls taken from general population. The polymorphisms of VDR gene were investigated using PCR-RFLP method. RESULTS: We did not find any significant association between ApaI and BsmI polymorphisms and multiple myeloma risk (P>0.05), but FokI polymorphism was significantly associated with increased risk for multiple myeloma. We also found a significant association between the ff variant genotype with creatinine levels, albumin levels, and Durie-Salmon stage III. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the FokI polymorphism is involved in the increased susceptibility to development and progression in multiple myeloma in the ethnic Kashmiri population. Furthermore these results suggest that ff genotype is associated with higher risk for developing multiple myeloma.

GSTP1 gene Ile105Val polymorphism causes an elevated risk for bladder carcinogenesis in smokers.

BACKGROUND: The glutathione S transferase (GST) family of enzymes plays a vital role in the phase II biotransformation of environmental carcinogens, pollutants, drugs and other xenobiotics. GSTs are polymorphic and polymorphisms in GST genes have been associated with cancer susceptibility and prognosis. GSTP1 is associated with risk of various cancers including bladder cancer. A case control study was conducted to determine the genotype distribution of GSTP1 A>G SNP, to elucidate the possible role of this SNP as a risk factor in urinary bladder cancer (UBC) development and to examine its correlation with clinico-pathologic variables inUBC cases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR- RFLP) approach, we tested the genotype distribution of 180 bladder cancer patients in comparison with 210 cancer-free controls from the same geographical region with matched frequency in age and gender. RESULTS: We did not observe significant genotype differences between the control and bladder cancer patients overall with an odds ratio (OR)=1.23 (p>0.05). The rare allele (AG+GG) was found to be present more in cases (28.3%) than in controls (24%), though the association was not significant (p<0.05). However, a significant risk of more than 2-fold was found for the variant allele (AG+GG) with smokers in cases as compared to controls (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Thus, it is evident from our study that GSTP1 SNP is not implicated overall in bladder cancer, but that the rare, valine-related allele is connected with higher susceptibility to bladder cancer in smokers and also males.