Celia Sánchez-Domínguez

Frequency of S and Z alleles for alpha-1-antitrypsin and tumor necrosis factor alpha 308 promoter polymorphism in northeastern Mexico

Diseases characterized by airway inflammation, excessive secretion, and obstruction affect a substantial proportion of the population. Studies for understanding the mechanisms underlying these processes are focused on the initiation and maintenance of inflammation. Polymorphisms on DNA sequence of response mediators such as alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha have the capacity to influence presentation of diseases, affecting protein amount and/or functionality, and can be analyzed as disease modulators. The purpose of this study was to analyze AAT S and Z alleles and -308G/A TNF-alpha polymorphism on the northeast Mexico mestizo population to compare the influence of these genes in several diseases. DNA samples from 103 volunteers (healthy group) were tested for modifier gene variants by polymerase chain reaction-RFLP as follows: AAT gene for S and Z alleles and TNF-alpha promoter -308G/A (TNF1/TNF2) alleles. Allele frequency for S and TNF2 alleles were 1.5 and 2.4%, respectively, whereas the Z allele was not detected. This study shows low frequencies of the AAT S and TNF2 alleles, and the Z allele was not found. Correlation studies in the future will allow to determine if these alleles have some influence in the clinical presentation of diverse diseases in this group of people.

Protein tyrosine phosphatase PTPN22 +1858C/T polymorphism is associated with active vitiligo

Vitiligo is characterized by a skin depigmentation disorder resulting from an autoimmune response targeting melanocytes. Within the genetic factors involved in the development of the vitiligo immune response, various genes in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) and non-MHC loci have been considered to be risk factors. The PTPN22 gene encodes for a lymphoid protein tyrosine phosphatase, a regulator of the activation and development of T-cells. The +1858C/T polymorphism has been associated to autoimmune disease susceptibility in different populations and could be implicated in the onset of vitiligo. To assess the possible association between the presence of PTPN22 +1858C/T and vitiligo, 187 patients with vitiligo and 223 control subjects were analyzed in the study. Genomic DNA was isolated using the salting-out method and samples were subjected to polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism in order to detect the PTPN22 +1858C/T polymorphism. Causal associations were determined by χ2 test and their respective odds ratio (OR) was assessed in a 2×2 contingency table. The results showed an association between active vitiligo and the allele T load [P=0.0418; OR, 2.5706; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.0040–6.5816], and active vitiligo-CT genotype (P=0.0389, OR, 2.6548; 95% CI, 1.0191–6.9156). In conclusion, the present data indicates a possible association between the PTPN22 +1858C/T genotype and a significant susceptibility of developing an active form of vitiligo.

Nanoparticles vs Cancer: A Multifuncional Tool

Nanotechnology is revolutionizing the development of different branches of science. The investigation of nanomaterials in the battle against cancer is not an exception. The main goal of this contribution is to bring an overview about the types of organic and inorganic nanomaterials that are under investigation for its applications in different aspects of cancer therapy: detection, diagnosis, contrast agents, controlled drug delivery, and hyperthermia. This review also includes fundamental aspects such as basic properties and synthesis of nanoparticles, with an emphasis on the use of selfassembed systems such as micelles, microemulsions, nanoemulsions, and liposomes.

The Tumor Necrosis Factor α (-308 A/G) Polymorphism Is Associated with Cystic Fibrosis in Mexican Patients

Environmental and genetic factors may modify or contribute to the phenotypic differences observed in multigenic and monogenic diseases, such as cystic fibrosis (CF). An analysis of modifier genes can be helpful for estimating patient prognosis and directing preventive care. The aim of this study is to determine the association between seven genetic variants of four modifier genes and CF by comparing their corresponding allelic and genotypic frequencies in CF patients (n = 81) and control subjects (n = 104). Genetic variants of MBL2 exon 1 (A, B, C and D), the IL-8 promoter (−251 A/T), the TNFα promoter (TNF1/TNF2), and SERPINA1 (PI*Z and PI*S) were tested in CF patients and control subjects from northeastern Mexico by PCR-RFLP. Results The TNF2 allele (P = 0.012, OR 3.43, 95% CI 1.25–9.38) was significantly associated with CF under the dominant and additive models but was not associated with CF under the recessive model. This association remained statistically significant after adjusting for multiple tests using the Bonferroni correction (P = 0.0482). The other tested variants and genotypes did not show any association with the disease. Conclusion An analysis of seven genetic variants of four modifier genes showed that one variant, the TNF2 allele, appears to be significantly associated with CF in Mexican patients.

ACE, APOA5, and MTP Gene Polymorphisms Analysis in Relation to Triglyceride and Insulin Levels in Pediatric Patients

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Obesity is a complex, chronic, and multifactorial disease that has become a major, and worldwide, public health problem contributing to an increased number of pathologies, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hyperlipidemia, and metabolic syndrome, thus suggesting a commolon origin. A diet high in sugar and fats coupled with a sedentary lifestyle has a major role in the development of obesity. However, the genetic background has also been associated with body fat accumulation. The aim of this study was to assess the effect ofACE-rs4646994, APOA5-rs662799, and MTP-rs1800591 gene polymorphisms on clinical and biochemical parameters and to evaluate the association with body phenotypes in children and adolescent population of Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico. METHODS Anthropometric, clinical, biochemical parameters and BMI were obtained from 405 children and adolescents. The BMI was used to determine the body phenotype. The rs4646994 gene polymorphism was determined by PCR, whereas rs662799 and rs1800591 were determined by PCR-RFLP. The obtained results were analyzed to determine their association of these single nucleotide polymorphisms with body phenotype and biochemical parameters. RESULTS TT genotype for APOA5-rs662799 was associated with increased levels of HDL-C in the analyzed population (p <0.05). The ACErs4646994gene polymorphism is associated with high Insulin levels, HOMAIR index, and triglyceride levels, mainly when presenting a I/I genotype (p <0.05). CONCLUSION The polymorphic allele of the ACE gene is capable of modulating triglyceride levels, insulin levels and HOMA-IR index in the evaluated population; it must be highlighted that this has not been reported in other studied populations elsewhere.

Beta-2 Microglobulin in Whole Unstimulated Saliva Can Effectively Distinguish Between Sjögren’s Syndrome and Non-Autoimmune Sicca Symptoms

Objectives This study aims to describe salivary beta-2 microglobulin (sB2M) levels in our setting and to assess the performance of sB2M for the diagnosis of Sjögrens syndrome (SS). Patients and methods This cross-sectional, comparative study included 192 SS patients (2 males, 190 females; mean age 53.1 years; range 23 to 84 years) and 64 healthy controls (1 male, 63 females; mean age 46.9 years; range 21 to 82 years). Patients were divided into three groups as those with primary SS, secondary SS, and sicca non-Sjögrens syndrome (snSS). sB2M was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in whole unstimulated saliva (ng/mL). Differences in sB2M were evaluated using the Kruskal-Wallis test. Receiver operating curves were generated to determine the performance of sB2M for distinguishing between SS and non-autoimmune snSS groups, and between SS group and healthy controls. Results The primary SS and secondary SS groups had a significantly higher concentration of sB2M than the other two groups. There was no significant difference in the concentration of sB2M between primary SS and secondary SS groups, and neither between snSS group and healthy controls. The receiver operating curve analysis for distinguishing SS and snSS showed an area under the curve of 0.661 (95% confidence interval 0.590-0.728, p=0.0001) with an optimal cutoff value of 0.582 ng/mL. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 68.7%, 59.3%, 20.2%, and 92.7%, respectively. The reported prevalence of SS in Mexico was considered when calculating the last two values. Conclusion In our setting, sB2M effectively distinguished between SS patients and non-autoimmune sicca symptoms. Including sB2M in our conventional diagnostic arsenal may assist in the evaluation of patients in whom SS is suspected; however, further studies are needed to clarify this hypothesis.

Analysis of interleukin-8, alpha1-antitrypsin, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha as biomarkers of breast cancer in women of northeastern Mexico.

18 Background: Genetic polymorphisms of cytokine-encoding genes are known to predispose to malignant disease and variations of protein values in plasma. Interleukin (IL)-8, alpha 1-antitrypsin (AAT) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha) have been related to carcinogenesis in breast tissue. Whether polymorphisms of the genes and protein values also influence breast cancer risk is unclear. The objective was to analyze the levels and polymorphisms of biomarkers in breast cancer patients for diagnostic purposes. METHODS In this cases-controls study a total of 30 patients with breast cancer confirmed by histopathology and 21 healthy individuals were studied, both groups were of three generations born in the Northeast of Mexico. Two polymorphisms of the AAT gene (Alleles Z and S), a polymorphism of IL-8 (-251 A/T polymorphism of the IL-8 promoter), and the polymorphism of TNF-alpha [-308 G/A (TNF1/TNF2) polymorphism of the TNF-alpha promoter gene] were analyzed using PCR-RFLP. Additionally, the plasma protein values of the biomarkers were measured by ELISA. RESULTS The IL-8 (-251T) and TNF-alpha (-308G) polymorphisms were significantly associated with breast cancer. Odds ratios for women with one high-risk allele versus women homozygous for the low-risk allele were 4.06 for -308G TNF-alpha (95% confidence interval, 1.298-13.678; P = 0.006) and 2.44 for -251T IL-8 (95% confidence interval, 1.277-4.7; P = 0.003). Significant differences between protein values of patients and controls were observed (ATT U=63, Z=4.81, p (2) <0.0001; IL-8 U=112.5, Z=3.87 p (2) =0.0001; TNF-α U=135.5, Z=3.43, p (2) =0.0006), AAT and IL-8 were over-expressed in patients with breast cancer. The presence of the polymorphism does not influence the protein values (TNF rs=0.1203, IL-8 rs=0.2246), apparently. No association between presences of the polymorphism. CONCLUSIONS In this study, the presence of the IL-8 (-251T) and TNF-alpha (-308G) alleles may increase the risk of breast cancer in these Mexican women. Over-expression of IL-8 and AAT may directly correlate to the pathogenesis of breast cancer. Both biomarkers may be combined with other markers for presumptive diagnosis.