Designing a Simple Electrochemical Genosensor for the Detection of Urinary PCA3, a Prostate Cancer Biomarker

This study investigates the feasibility of a simple electrochemical detection of Prostate Cancer Antigen 3 (PCA3) fragments extracted from patients' urine, using a thiolated single-strand DNA probe immobilized on a gold surface without using a redox probe. To enhance the PCA3 recognition process, we conducted a comparative analysis of the hybridization location using two thiolated DNA probes: Probe 1 targets the first 40 bases, while Probe 2 targets the fragment from bases 47 to 86. Hybridization with PCA3 followed, using square wave voltammetry. The limit of detection of the designed genosenors were of the order of (2.2 ng/mL), and (1.6 ng/mL) for Probes 1 and 2, respectively, and the subsequent sensitivities were of the order of (0.09 ± 0.01) µA-1 · µg-1 · mL and (0.10 ± 0.01) µA-1 · µg-1 · mL. Specificity tests were then conducted with the sensor functionalized with Probe 2, as it presents better analytical performances. The electrochemical results indicate that the designed sensor can clearly discriminate a complementary target from a non-complementary one. A further modeling of the calibration curves with the Power Law/Hill model indicates that the dissociation constant increases by one order of magnitude, confirming the ability of the designed sensor to perfectly discriminate complementary targets from non-complementary ones.

The pharmacogenetics of tacrolimus in renal transplant patients: association with tremors, new-onset diabetes and other clinical events

Our study is the first study to investigate the effect of SNPs in CYP3A5, CYP3A4, ABCB1 and POR genes on the incidence of tremors, nephrotoxicity, and diabetes mellitus. A total of 223 renal transplant patients receiving tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) were recruited. Both adults and children patients participated in the study. Genotyping was performed using PROFLEX-PCR followed by RFLP. MPA and tacrolimus plasma concentrations were measured by immunoassay. The AUC0-12h of MMF was estimated by a Bayesian method. We found a statistically significant association between the CYP3A5*3 and CYP3A4*1B genotypes and the tacrolimus exposure. We found a lower occurrence of nephrotoxicity (p = 0.03), tremor (p = 0.01), and new-onset diabetes (p = 0.002) associated with CYP3A5*1 allele. The CYP3A4*1B allele was significantly associated with a lower occurrence of new-onset diabetes (p = 0.026). The CYP3A5*1 allele was significantly associated with an increased risk of acute and chronic rejection (p = 0.03 and p < 0.001, respectively). Our results support the usefulness of tacrolimus pharmacokinetics in pre-kidney transplant assessments.

Serum Inflammatory and Oxidative Stress Markers in Patients with Vitiligo

BACKGROUND

Vitiligo is a common chronic hypomelanotic skin disorder. An intricate pool of markers associated with a complex combination of biological and environmental factors is thought to be implicated in etiology. This study aims to investigate the most important markers associated with vitiligo pathogenesis, including redox status, inflammation, and immune profile, in patients with vitiligo.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study included a total of 96 subjects: 30 patients with active non-segmental vitiligo, 30 patients with stable non-segmental vitiligo, and 36 controls. The vitiligo area severity index (VASI) and vitiligo disease activity score (VIDA) were determined. The following serum parameters were assessed: antioxidant status (TAS), superoxide dismutase activity (SOD), catalase activity (CAT), glutathione peroxidase activity (GPx), glutathione-S-transferase activity (GST), malondialdehyde (MDA), advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP), C reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-15 (IL-15), and chemokines (CXCL9, CXCL10).

RESULTS

The VASI score was not significantly different between active and stable vitiligo patients, as it was approximately 0.1. TAS, CAT, GPx, and GST were significantly lower in vitiligo patients compared to controls (p < 0.05). They were also significantly lower in active vitiligo when compared to stable vitiligo (p < 0.05). However, SOD levels were significantly higher in vitiligo patients than in controls and in the active vitiligo group than in the stable vitiligo group (p < 0.05). MDA and AOPP levels were significantly higher in patients with active and stable vitiligo compared to controls (p < 0.05). However, they did not significantly differ between active and stable vitiligo patients (p < 0.05). In both active and stable vitiligo, CRP and IL-15 were significantly higher than controls (p < 0.05). Whereas CRP was significantly higher in active (range = 2.0-7.2, mean = 4.46 ± 1.09) than in stable vitiligo (range = 1.6-6.7, mean = 3.75 ± 1.08) (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in IL-15 levels between active and stable vitiligo. In both active and stable vitiligo, CXCL9 and CXCL10 were significantly higher than controls (p < 0.05), and they were significantly higher in active than stable vitiligo (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

In vitiligo, oxidative damage induces an increase in pro-inflammatory IL-15, which in turn promotes IFN-γ-inducible chemokines such as CXCL9 and CXCL10. Further, there seems to be a link between the VASI score and IL-15 levels. These data imply that inhibiting IL-15 could be a promising method for developing a potentially targeted treatment that suppresses the early interplay between oxidant stress and IL-15 keratinocyte production, as well as between resident and recirculating memory T cells.

DPYD and TYMS polymorphisms as predictors of 5 fluorouracil toxicity in colorectal cancer patients

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer death. 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is an essential component of systemic chemotherapy for CRC. Our objective was to determine the genotypic frequency of polymorphisms affecting dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPYD) and thymidylate synthetase (TYMS) genes and to correlate the genetic profile with the toxicity due to 5-FU, also considering nongenetic factors. This is a prospective study that involved 66 patients. We extracted DNA by salting out methods. We carried out the genotyping of the different polymorphisms by simple PCR for the TYMS 5'UTR and by PCR-RFLP for DPYD: 1905 + 1 G > A, 85 T > C, 496 A > G, 1679 T > G, c.483 + 18G > A and the TYMS: 5'UTR VNTR, 5'UTR G > C and 3'UTR. The study of the association of DPYD and TYMS polymorphisms with the various signs of toxicity under 5-FU revealed that the polymorphisms 496 A > G were significantly associated with hepatotoxicity: OR = 3.85 (p = 0.04). In addition, 85 T > C was significantly associated with mucositis and neurotoxicity: OR = 4.35 (p = 0.03), OR = 3.79 (p = 0.02). For TYMS, the only significant association we observed for 5'UTR with vomiting: OR = 3.34 (p = 0.04). The incidence of adverse reactions related to 5-FU appears to be influenced in patients with CRC by the identified DPYD and TYMS gene polymorphisms in the Tunisian population.

The pharmacogenetics of mycophenolate mofetil in Tunisian renal transplant patients

Aim: The effects of variants in IMPDH, UGT1A9, UGT1A8, UGT2B7 and SLCO1B1 genes on the efficacy and safety of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) in the Tunisian population were investigated. Materials & methods: A total of 245 kidney transplant patients being treated with MMF were recruited and cotreated with cyclosporine or tacrolimus. Genotyping was performed using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method. MMF, cyclosporine and tacrolimus trough levels were measured by immunoassay. The AUC (AUC_0-12hMPA) was estimated by a Bayesian method. Results: In the tacrolimus-treated group, anemia and diarrhea were associated with the UGT1A9-98C and UGT1A9-275T alleles, respectively (p < 0.05). In the cyclosporine-treated group, leukopenia was associated with the SLCO1B1-521T allele (p < 0.05). Both groups had an increased risk of rejection (p < 0.05) associated with the variant alleles of IMPDH2-3757T>C, UGT1A9-2152C>T and UGT1A9-275C>A and the common allele of SLCO1B1-388A>G. However, no significant association was found between the studied genotypes and AUC_0-12hMPA or cotreatment levels. Conclusion: The results constitute preliminary evidence for the inclusion of the pharmacogenetics of MMF in kidney pretransplantation evaluations.