RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Apolipoprotein E (APOE), which its ε4 allele has been reported as a risk factor in late onset Alzheimer's disease (AD), is the main cholesterol carrier in the brain. ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) gene on chromosome 9, which has been known by genome-wide AD linkage study, has an important role in cellular cholesterol efflux. This study determines the association between sporadic AD and the human ABCA1 and APOE gene polymorphisms in Iranian population. METHODS: 154 AD cases and 162 control subjects from Iranian population were genotyped for APOE genotypes and ABCA1 polymorphism (R219K). RESULTS: The frequency of ε2ε3 genotype was higher in control subjects comparing AD patients but was not significant (13% versus 5.8%) and ε3ε4 genotype frequency was significantly higher in AD cases comparing with control subjects. APOE-ε2 allele frequency in cases was lower than control subjects but this difference was not significant (4.5% versus 8%). Individuals carrying ε4 allele, developed AD 6.5 times more than non-carriers (OR=6.52, 95%CI=2.63-16.17). There was no significant association between ABCA1 polymorphism and AD. CONCLUSION: Unlike other studies, R219K polymorphism was not dependent on gender and APOE-ε4 allele and there was no association between APOE and ABCA1 in AD patients compared to controls.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease as a neurodegenerative disorder is the commonest type of dementia. A growing number of genes have been reported as the risk factors, which increase the susceptibility to Alzheimer's disease. Apolipoprotein E (APOE), which its ε4 allele has been reported as a risk factor in late onset Alzheimer's disease (AD), is the main cholesterol carrier in the brain. The main goal of this study was to assess the role of APOE genotypes and alleles in AD in Iranian population. METHODS: This study was performed in Tehran, Iran from 2007 to 2008. Totally, 154 AD cases and 162 control subjects from Iranian population were genotyped for APOE using PCR method. Genotype and alleles frequencies for APOE were calculated and compared between AD case and control subjects by χ2 or Fisher's exact test. Type one error assumed less than 0.05. RESULTS: The frequency of ε2ε3 genotype was significantly higher in control subjects than AD patients was (13.5% versus 5.2%, P< 0.05) and ε3ε4 genotype frequency was significantly higher in AD cases compared with control subjects. APOE -ε2 allele frequency in cases was lower than that of control subjects but this difference was not significant (4.2% versus 7.7%). CONCLUSION: It seems that individuals carrying ε4 allele, develop AD 6.5 times more than non-carriers do (OR= 6.566, 95% CI= 2.89-14.92). It has been reported that ε4 allele acts in dose- age-dependent manner but we have shown that the risk of developing AD in male APOE -ε4 allele carriers is higher than that of female ε4 carriers.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to compare the effects of 'face-to-face education' and 'educational movies' on 'knowledge' and 'practice' of women of child-bearing-age, in terms of health-care during pregnancy and during infancy in a suburban region near Tehran City, Iran. METHODS: In this quasi-experimental study, the sample included 873 married women. Questionnaires for knowledge and practice assessment were designed. The women were assigned to three groups: control (group I), face-to-face education (group II), and educational movie (group III). Knowledge questionnaires were completed before and immediately after intervention. Practice questionnaires were completed before and three months after intervention. Both questionnaires consisted of two types of questions: type A (concerning infant care issues) and type B (concerning prenatal health care). RESULTS: There was a significant difference in post-test knowledge between groups I and II and between groups I and III, but not between groups II and III. In terms of post-test practice, the changes were determined for every individual question, and significantly, better results were seen in group II, especially concerning type B questions. CONCLUSION: Face to face education lead to better practice than educational movies. In addition, significantly better practice occurred regarding child health care issues rather than prenatal issues in both groups. Realistic and tangible issues, those easy to practice, and with little or no economical burden imposed on the family, progressed from the knowledge state to the practice state more successfully in both groups.
