Association of Genetic Variants with Hyperhomocysteinemia in Indian Patients with Thrombosis

Optimizing health and nutrition status of migrant construction workers consuming multiple micronutrient fortified rice in Singapore

INTRODUCTION

A well-nourished workforce is instrumental in eradicating hunger, alleviating poverty, and spurring economic growth. A fifth of the total workforce in high-income countries are migrant workers. Despite the accessibility of nutritious foods in high-income countries, migrant workers often rely on nutrient-poor diets largely consisting of empty calories, which in turn leads to vitamin and mineral deficiency, also called hidden hunger, and resultant productivity loss. Here, we study the magnitude of hidden hunger in male migrant construction workers in Singapore and investigate the impact of consuming fortified rice for 6 consecutive months on the nutrition and health status of these workers.

METHODS

140 male migrant workers aged 20-51 years of either Bangladeshi or Indian ethnicity from a single dormitory in Singapore volunteered to participate in the study. In total, 133 blood samples were taken at the start of the study and were used to assess vitamin B12, hemoglobin, ferritin, folate, and zinc levels; a sub-sample underwent for homocysteine testing. Anthropometric measurements and vital signs, such as blood pressure, were recorded before and after the intervention.

RESULTS

The results show that vitamin and mineral deficiency was present, especially folate (59% of workers deficient) and vitamin B12 (7% deficient, 31% marginally deficient). The consumption of fortified rice significantly improved the vitamin, iron and zinc level in the workers and significantly reduced the systolic blood pressure amongst the Bangladeshi migrant workers, specifically.

CONCLUSION

Our study demonstrates that fortified rice may have a positive impact on male migrant construction worker health and nutrition status at the workplace.

Genes predisposing tunneled catheter thrombosis in hemodialysis patients

Background

This study aims to investigate the association of genes predisposing thrombophilia with tunneled catheter thrombosis in hemodialysis patients.

Methods

Between October 2018 and December 2020, we compared the frequencies of genetic polymorphisms causing thrombophilia, including prothrombin G20210A, factor V Leiden, methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T, MTHFR A1298C, plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI), factor XIII V34L and clinical characteristics of 52 patients with a history of 2 tunneled2 tunneled catheter thrombosis occlusions within a year (Group 1; 24 males, 28 females; mean age: 62±8.9 years; range, 45 to 77 years), 52 patients who underwent their first tunneled catheter thrombosis insertion (Group 2; 29 males, 23 females; mean age: 63±15.2 years; range, 22 to 87 years), and 51 healthy controls (Group 3; 26 males, 25 females; mean age: 34±9.2 years; range, 19 to 54 years).

Results

Groups 1 and 2 carried the MTHFR A1298C (p=0.048) and compound heterozygous MTHFR A1298C and C677T (p=0.048) polymorphisms more frequently than Group 3. However, subgroup analysis results were not statistically significant. The other polymorphisms were distributed similarly in all three groups. The MTHFR polymorphisms had a weak effect on tunneled hemodialysis catheter thrombosis in neural network analysis.

Conclusion

Our study results indicated that there was a concomitance of MTHFR polymorphisms with hemodialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease. The MTHFR A1298C and compound heterozygous MTHFR polymorphisms may be associated with tunneled hemodialysis catheter thrombosis. Thrombophilia gene screening may be recommended in hemodialysis patients undergoing tunneled hemodialysis catheter thrombosis at least twice in a year.

Cysteine metabolism and hydrogen sulfide signaling in Huntington's disease

The semi-essential amino acid, cysteine, plays important roles in both essential cellular processes as well as in modulation of signaling cascades. Cysteine is obtained both from the diet as well as generated endogenously via the transsulfuration pathway. Cysteine is further utilized in protein synthesis and biosynthesis of various sulfur containing molecules. One of the products of cysteine catabolism, hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), is a gaseous signaling molecule, which regulates a multitude of cellular processes. Cysteine metabolism is dysregulated in several neurodegenerative diseases and during aging. This minireview focuses on aberrant cysteine and H₂S metabolism in Huntington's disease, a neurodegenerative disease caused by expansion of polyglutamine encoding repeats in the gene huntingtin, which leads to motor and cognitive deficits.

Associations of MCM8 rs3761873 and rs16991617 variants with abnormal uterine bleeding induced by copper intrauterine device

AIM

Intrauterine device (IUD) is a commonly used contraceptive method worldwide. Abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) is one of the most common side effects of Cu-IUDs. Since AUB varies among Cu-IUD users, changes in the bleeding-related genetic factors may contribute to AUB. This study aimed to determine the genetic risk factors of AUB after Cu-IUD insertion.

METHODS

We conducted a case-control study on women who experienced AUB after Cu-IUD insertion (case:control = 62:59). Six candidate variants were genotyped using the Sequenom MassARRAY. Genotype and allele frequencies were analyzed using SHEsisPlus. We performed Pearson's Chi-squared test to analyze categorical data, and ESEfinder to predict the impact on splicing regulation.

RESULTS

MCM8 coding sequence variants: rs3761873-A>C was in Exon 7 and rs16991617 A>G was in Exon 12 of all 19 exons, both of which were significantly different between cases and controls (p_allele  = 0.039 and p_genotype  = 0.092). rs6022 and rs6029 in F5 gene and rs3761873 and rs16991617 in the MCM8 gene showed strong linkage disequilibrium (R²  > 0.8). ESEfinder indicated that the variants of MCM8 may affect the splicing regulation.

CONCLUSIONS

MCM8 rs376187 and rs16991617 were associated with AUB in Cu-IUDs users. MCM8 may play a role in AUB by regulating functions of reproductive organs and primary ovarian insufficiency. Our findings may improve the understanding of the genetic basis of AUB caused by Cu-IUDs.

Effect of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene polymorphisms and oxidative stress in silent brain infarction

Ischemic infarctions occur under the influence of genetic and environmental factors. In our study, the role of ischemia-modified albumin and thiol balance, which are new markers in determining oxidative damage together with MTHFR gene polymorphisms and homocysteine levels, in the development of SBI was investigated. White matter lesions in the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) results of the patients were evaluated according to the Fazekas scale and divided into groups (Grade 0, 1, 2, and 3). Homocysteine, folate, B12, IMA, total thiol, and native thiol were measured by biochemical methods. The polymorphisms in MTHFR genes were investigated by the RT-PCR method. According to our results, a significant difference was found between the groups in age, homocysteine, folate, IMA, total thiol, and native thiol parameters (p < 0.05). When we compared the groups in terms of genotypes of the C677T gene, we found a significant difference in TT genotype between grades 0/3 and 1/3 (p < 0.05). We determined that homocysteine and IMA levels increased and folate levels decreased in CC/TT and CT/TT genotypes in the C677T gene (p < 0.05). Considering our results, the observation of homocysteine and IMA changes at the genotype level of the MTHFR C677T gene and between the groups, and the deterioration of thiol balance between the groups suggested that these markers can be used in the diagnosis of silent brain infarction.

The Connotation of Variances in the Risk Predictors, Medications, Homocysteine, and Homocysteine Pathway Gene Polymorphisms with CVA/Stroke

Cerebrovascular accidents (CVAs) are vascular multifactorial, multigenic ailments with intricate genetic, environmental risk influences. The present study aimed to establish affiliation of CVAs/stroke with blood parameters, differences in prescribed drugs consumption, and with differences in homocysteine pathway genes polymorphisms. The participants in study included controls n  = 251, transient ischemic attack (TIA) patients n  = 16, and stroke cases n  = 122, respectively, (total participants, n  = 389). The analyzed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) included C677T(rs1801133), A1298C(rs1801131) of methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase ( MTHFR ), A2756G(rs1805087) of methyl tetrahydrofolate homocysteine methyltransferase/methionine synthase ( MS ), and the A192G(rs662) of paraoxonase 1( PON1 ) genes, all validated by tetra-primer allele refractory mutation system polymerase chain reaction (T-ARMS-PCR). The insertion deletion (I/D; rs4646994) polymorphism in angiotensin converting enzyme ( ACE ) gene was analyzed using routine PCR. All studied traits were scrutinized through analysis of variance (ANOVA), and later through regression analysis. Through ANOVA and multiple comparison, there was association of CVA with serum homocysteine, cholesterol, and with diastolic blood pressure readings. When data was subjected to regression, serum homocysteine and diastolic blood pressure (significant through ANOVA), as well as two additional traits, high-density lipoproteins (HDL), and rs1801133 MTHFR SNP sustained statistical significance and noteworthy odds in relation to CVA and stroke. The ailments affecting cerebral vasculature are mutifactorial, whereby genes, proteins, and environmental cues all exert cumulative effects enhancing CVA risk. The current study emphasizes that SNPs and variation in circulating biomarkers can be used for screening purposes and for reviewing their effects in stroke/CVA-linked risk progression.