Leila Rouabah

CD36 AA genotype is associated with decreased lipid taste perception in young obese, but not lean, children.

Background/objective:Obesity is an alarming threat for all age groups, including children. Fat overconsumption is one of the factors that directly influences this pathology. Recent studies have suggested that a common variant in the CD36 gene, that is, single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs1761667-A allele, that reduces CD36 expression, associates with high oral fat detection thresholds in some obese subjects. The objective was to assess fatty acid sensitivity in relation to CD36 SNP in young lean and obese children.Subjects/methods:We studied lingual detection thresholds for emulsions, containing oleic acid, in Algerian children (n=116, age=8±0.5 years) who were divided into two groups: obese (n=57; body mass index (BMI) z-score=2.513±0.490) and lean children (n=59; BMI z-score=−0.138±0.601) by alternative-forced choice method. To correlate the lipid taste perception thresholds with CD36 SNP, the children were genotyped for A/G SNP rs1761667 in 5′UTR region of CD36 by using PCR and restriction fragment length polymorphism.Results:We noticed significantly higher CD36 A-allele frequency (P=0.036) in young obese children compared with leans. CD36 A-allele was associated with higher lipid taste perception thresholds than G-allele in obese children, but not in lean controls. Moreover, waist circumference was positively correlated with reduced fat taste sensitivity in these children.Conclusions:CD36 SNP A-allele, being present both in young lean and in obese children, is associated with high threshold for fatty acid taste sensitivity only in obese children.

Oral Fat Sensing and CD36 Gene Polymorphism in Algerian Lean and Obese Teenagers.

Growing number of evidences have suggested that oral fat sensing, mediated by a glycoprotein CD36 (cluster of differentiation 36), plays a significant role in the development of obesity. Indeed, a decreased expression of CD36 in some obese subjects is associated with high dietary fat intake. In the present study, we examined whether an increase in body mass index (BMI) is associated with altered oleic acid lingual detection thresholds and blood lipid profile in young Algerian teenagers (n = 165). The obese teenagers (n = 83; 14.01 ± 0.19 years; BMI z-score 2.67 ± 0.29) exhibited higher lingual detection threshold for oleic acid than lean participants (n = 82, 13.92 ± 0.23 years; BMI z-score 0.03 ± 0.0001). We also studied the association between rs1761667 polymorphism of CD36 gene and obesity. The AA and AG genotypes were more frequent in obese teenagers, whereas GG genotype was more common in lean participants. The A-allele frequency was higher in obese teenagers than that in lean children. We report that rs1761667 polymorphism of CD36 gene and oro-gustatory thresholds for fat might play a significant role in the development of obesity in young teenagers.

Mutations of the aurora kinase C gene causing macrozoospermia are the most frequent genetic cause of male infertility in Algerian men

Klinefelter syndrome and Y-chromosomal microdeletion analyses were once the only two genetic tests offered to infertile men. Analyses of aurora kinase C (AURKC) and DPY19L2 are now recommended for patients presenting macrozoospermia and globozoospermia, respectively, two rare forms of teratozoospermia particularly frequent among North African men. We carried out genetic analyses on Algerian patients, to evaluate the prevalence of these syndromes in this population and to compare it with the expected frequency of Klinefelter syndrome and Y-microdeletions. We carried out a retrospective study on 599 consecutive patients consulting for couple infertility at the assisted reproduction unit of the Ibn Rochd Clinique, Constantine, Algeria. Abnormal sperm parameters were observed in 404 men. Fourteen and seven men had typical macrozoospermia and globozoospermia profiles, respectively. Molecular diagnosis was carried out for these patients, for the AURKC and DPY19L2 genes. Eleven men with macrozoospermia had a homozygous AURKC mutation (79%), corresponding to 2.7% of all patients with abnormal spermograms. All the men with globozoospermia studied (n = 5), corresponding to 1.2% of all infertile men, presented a homozygous DPY19L2 deletion. By comparison, we would expect 1.6% of the patients in this cohort to have Klinefelter syndrome and 0.23% to have Y-microdeletion. Our findings thus indicate that AURKC mutations are more frequent than Klinefelter syndrome and constitute the leading genetic cause of infertility in North African men. Furthermore, we estimate that AURKC and DPY19L2 molecular defects are 10 and 5 times more frequent, respectively, than Y-microdeletions.

Relationships between metabolic profile, hypertension and uric acid with cardiometabolic risk in adolescents with abdominal obesity: impact of geodemographic factors on the prevalence of abdominal obesity

Abstract Background Association of hyperuricemia, dyslipidemia and high blood pressure (BP) among adolescents with high waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) remains not fully addressed and could represent a new way to diagnose adolescents early with cardiometabolic risk. Objective We aimed to determine abdominal obesity (AO) prevalence and investigate relations between AO, uric acid (UA), lipid profiles, BP and geographical patterns in adolescents. Subjects 577 and 204 Algerian students aged between 10 and 19 years were included in our epidemiological and biochemical studies, respectively. Methods Height, weight, waist circumference (Wc) and hip circumferences, body mass index (BMI) and BP were measured. Fasting blood sampling was performed to measure glycemia, lipid profile, uricemia, insulinemia and leptinemia. The WHtR ≥0.50 was applied for the diagnosis of AO and geodemographics was evaluated. Results The prevalence of AO was 12.13% among all students, 19.17% and 16.39% among students living in urban and plain areas, respectively. The risk of AO may be reduced in rural and mountainous areas. Lipid parameters, UA, insulin and leptin serum concentrations were significantly increased in adolescents with WHtR ≥0.50 compared to those with WHtR <0.50. Cardiometabolic risk was increased with WHtR ≥0.50 and BMI >26. Means of BMI, Wc, BP, and lipid parameters were significantly increased in the fourth quartiles compared to the first quartile of UA. Conclusion Urban areas and plains represent factors contributing to AO and WHtR ≥0.50 may be used as a cut-off point to define risks of high BP, lipid abnormalities and UA serum level in Algerian adolescents.