Absence of apolipoprotein B3500 mutation in type 2a hyperlipoproteinemia patients and in the general population from southern Italy

Prevalence of prothrombotic polymorphisms in Greece

The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of several polymorphisms in genes that are involved in several pathways such as hemostasis, fibrinolysis, platelet membrane receptor activity, endothelial integrity and function, lipid metabolism, and regulation of blood pressure in healthy subjects of Greek origin. Most of these polymorphisms are mainly associated with conditions such as venous thromboembolism and atherothrombosis, and their prevalence has not been studied yet in Greece. We tested 140 healthy individuals for factor V (FV)1691G/A, FV4070G/A, FII 20210G/A, factor XIII (FXIII) exon 2G/T, fibrinogen beta-455G/A, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1)-675 4G/5G, human platelet antigens 1 (HPA1) a/b, apolipoprotein B (ApoB) 10708 G/A, apolipoprotein E (ApoE) E2, E3, and E4, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) D/I, 5,10 methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) 677C/T, and MTHFR 1298A/C polymorphisms using a PCR and reverse hybridization technique that detects all of them simultaneously. The allele frequencies observed are in accordance with those reported in other Caucasian populations and almost identical to those of East Mediterranean populations. This first report from Greece may serve as a baseline for planning further investigations of these polymorphisms in association with several clinical entities and for launching guidelines for patient testing of various disease settings in this population.

ApoB-100 R3500Q mutation in the Lebanese population: Prevalence and historical review of the literature

An interesting mutation affecting the Apo-B gene, R3500Q, is known to display variable geographical distribution in the world and is mostly implicated in the pathogenesis of Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH). The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of this mutation in the Lebanese population and compare it to the available international literature. DNA from 160 unrelated healthy donors from our HLA-bank was used and the ApoB genotype was determined using the CardioVascular Disease (CVD) StripAssay (this assay is based on a Polymerase Chain Reaction-Reverse Hybridization technique). The R3500Q mutation was not observed in the general Lebanese population. Since the mutation frequency is elevated in Central Europe and tends to decrease as one moves east and south, it disappears completely in the Mediterranean regions such as Spain, Turkey and Israel; therefore, it is rather expected to be absent in Lebanon as well. Our report adds a valuable piece of information regarding this mutation in an Arab country and paves the way for future research involving patients diagnosed with FH in order to assess the role of the R3500Q mutation in the development of this clinical entity.