Amelioration of Cytogenotoxic Damage in Drug Abusers Supplemented with Folic Acid.

BACKGROUND: Cytogenotoxic damage caused by the consumption of legal and illegal drugs in drug abusers has been demonstrated, primarily due to alterations in their antioxidant capacity, cellular repair mechanisms, and increased production of free radicals. Folic acid shows antioxidant activity by acting as a reducing agent, neutralizing present free radicals, and reducing genomic damage. METHODS: The intervention involved administering 15 mg of folic acid, divided into three doses per day, to a group of 44 drug abusers. The frequency of nuclear abnormalities (NAs) was determined; micronuclei (MNs), nuclear buds (NBUDs), binucleated cells (BNs), abnormally condensed chromatin (CC), karyorrhexis (KX), pyknotic nuclei (PNs), and karyolysis (KL) were determined at different pre-treatment (baseline) and post-treatment time points at 15 and 30 days. Additionally, a group of 44 healthy individuals was used as the control group. RESULTS: We observed a statistically significant decrease in the frequency of NAs in the drug abuser group (28.45 ± 17.74 before supplementation vs. 11.18 ± 7.42 at 15 days and 9.11 ± 10.9 at 30 days of supplementation). Specifically, it decreased the frequency of NBUDs, BNs, CC, KX, and PNs (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates a clear improvement in cytogenotoxic damage in drug abusers supplemented with folic acid.

mtDNA Single-Nucleotide Variants Associated with Type 2 Diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a chronic systemic disease with a complex etiology, characterized by insulin resistance and mitochondrial dysfunction in various cell tissues. To explore this relationship, we conducted a secondary analysis of complete mtDNA sequences from 1261 T2D patients and 1105 control individuals. Our findings revealed significant associations between certain single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and T2D. Notably, the variants m.1438A>G (rs2001030) (controls: 32 [27.6%], T2D: 84 [72.4%]; OR: 2.46; 95%CI: 1.64-3.78; p < 0.001), m.14766C>T (rs193302980) (controls: 498 [36.9%], T2D: 853 [63.1%]; OR: 2.57, 95%CI: 2.18-3.04, p < 0.001), and m.16519T>C (rs3937033) (controls: 363 [43.4%], T2D: 474 [56.6%]; OR: 1.24, 95%CI: 1.05-1.47, p = 0.012) were significantly associated with the likelihood of developing diabetes. The variant m.16189T>C (rs28693675), which has been previously documented in several studies across diverse populations, showed no association with T2D in our analysis (controls: 148 [13.39] T2D: 171 [13.56%]; OR: 1.03; 95%CI: 0.815-1.31; p = 0.83). These results provide evidence suggesting a link between specific mtDNA polymorphisms and T2D, possibly related to association rules, topological patterns, and three-dimensional conformations associated with regions where changes occur, rather than specific point mutations in the sequence.

Mitochondrial Control Region Variants Related to Breast Cancer.

Breast cancer has an important incidence in the worldwide female population. Although alterations in the mitochondrial genome probably play an important role in carcinogenesis, the actual evidence is ambiguous and inconclusive. Our purpose was to explore differences in mitochondrial sequences of cases with breast cancer compared with control samples from different origins. We identified 124 mtDNA sequences associated with breast cancer cases, of which 86 were complete and 38 were partial sequences. Of these 86 complete sequences, 52 belonged to patients with a confirmed diagnosis of breast cancer, and 34 sequences were obtained from healthy mammary tissue of the same patients used as controls. From the mtDNA analysis, two polymorphisms with significant statistical differences were found: m.310del (rs869289246) in 34.6% (27/78) of breast cancer cases and 61.7% (21/34) in the controls; and m.315dup (rs369786048) in 60.2% (47/78) of breast cancer cases and 38.2% (13/34) in the controls. In addition, the variant m.16519T>C (rs3937033) was found in 59% of the control sequences and 52% of the breast cancer sequences with a significant statistical difference. Polymorphic changes are evolutionarily related to the haplogroup H of Indo-European and Euro-Asiatic origins; however, they were found in all non-European breast cancers.

Class I MHC Polymorphisms Associated with Type 2 Diabetes in the Mexican Population.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) has been linked to the expression of Human Leukocyte Antigens, principally to the Major Histocompatibility Complex Class II, with only scarce reports of Major Histocompatibility Complex Class I in specific populations. The objective of the present work was to explore the presence of polymorphisms in the MHC Class I related to T2D in the Mexican population using the Genome-Wide Association Studies Slim Initiative in Genomic Medicine of the Americas (GWAS SIGMA) database. This database contains information on 3848 Mexican individuals with T2D and 4366 control individuals from the same population without a clinical or hereditary history of the disease. The searching criteria considered a p-value of <0.005 and an odds ratio (OR) of >1.0. Ten novel, statistically significant nucleotide variants were identified: four polymorphisms associated with HLA-A (A*03:01:01:01) and six with HLA-C (C*01:02:01:01). These alleles have a high prevalence in Latin American populations and could potentially be associated with autoimmunity mechanisms related to the development of T2D complications.

Comparison of prevalence of diabetes complications in Brazilian and Mexican adults: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes is more frequent in Latin American people than in non-Hispanic whites due to a combination of genetic and lifestyle risk factors. Brazil and Mexico are the most populous countries in Latin America. The present study aimed to compare the results of the National Health Survey "PNS" in Brazil and the National Survey Health and Nutrition "ENSANUT" in Mexico regarding the prevalence, complications and healthcare issues of diabetes in both countries. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with data from the National Health Survey (PNS) of 2013 in Brazil and the National Survey of Health and Nutrition (ENSANUT) of 2018 in Mexico. The prevalence of diabetes, complications and risk factors related to developing diabetes were considered. RESULTS: The respondents included 3636 individuals in Brazil and 4555 individuals in Mexico. There were significant differences in age and time living with diabetes between the two countries. Mexican people had twice as likely as Brazilian people to have a complication (p < 0.0001). The principal risk factor (OR 2.47; p ≤ 0.0001) for developing any diabetic complication was living with diabetes for more than 15 years. Visual impairment was the most frequent complication in both countries, but it was more prevalent in Mexico (p ≤ 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Diabetes complications are important health problems in Brazil and Mexico. Visual impairment was the principal complication in both countries. Several factors, such as access to and type of health system, living in a rural area, treatment, BMI and performing preventive actions, affected the risk of developing a complication. However, living with diabetes for more than 15 years was the principal risk factor. National health surveys have added significant information on the impact of diabetes in these Latin American populations. This comparison of data could provide valuable information to guide national policies and program decisions in both countries.

Efficacy of clindamycin compared with amoxicillin-metronidazole after a 7-day regimen in the treatment of periodontitis in patients with diabetes: a randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of clindamycin compared with amoxicillin-metronidazole after a 7-day regimen during nonsurgical treatment of periodontitis in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: In this double-blind, randomized clinical trial, a total of 42 patients with chronic periodontitis and type 2 diabetes were included. Patients were randomly assigned to treatment with either clindamycin or amoxicillin-metronidazole three times a day during 7 days. Clinical determinations (probing depth, bleeding on probe, and plaque index) were performed to determine the extent and severity of periodontitis before and after the pharmacological treatment. RESULTS: After 7 days of administration of clindamycin or amoxicillin-metronidazole, no differences were observed between the clinical determinations, probing depth (0.44 vs 0.50 mm, p=0.624), plaque index (17.62 vs 15.88%, p=0.910), and bleeding on probing (16.12 vs 22.17%, p=0.163), respectively. There were no adverse events in either group. CONCLUSION: The administration during 7 days of clindamycin or amoxicillin/metronidazole showed the same efficacy for the reduction of probing depth, plaque index, and bleeding on probing in patients with periodontitis and type 2 diabetes.