Polymorphisms in Turkish population

BACKGROUND: The aims of the present study were: (1) to investigate mannose-binding lectin (MBL) gene exon-1 polymorphisms in Turkish subjects with chronic periodontitis (CP), (2) to assess the association between these polymorphisms and plasma MBL levels, (3) to determine the effects of MBL genotypes on the outcomes of non-surgical periodontal therapy. METHODS: A total of 172 subjects were included in the present study. Genomic DNA was obtained from the peripheral blood of 83 CP patients and 89 periodontally healthy subjects. The MBL levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The MBL gene exon-1 polymorphisms were genotyped by the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. RESULTS: Subjects homozygous for the frequent allele A had higher MBL plasma levels compared with rare allele B carriers. This difference in MBL plasma levels was statistically significant both in CP patients and healthy subjects. The distribution of MBL gene codon 54 genotypes and allele frequencies did not differ significantly between study groups. All study subjects were the MBL gene codon 52 and 57 frequent allele A carriers. Codon 54 B allele carriers had similar clinical periodontal parameters compared with AA genotypes after non-surgical periodontal therapy. CONCLUSIONS: The present study failed to find any significant association between the MBL gene codon 54 polymorphisms and severe CP in a Turkish population. MBL gene rare allele carriers had lower MBL plasma levels in both study groups. It seems that MBL gene codon 54 B allele carriage may not influence the outcome of periodontal therapy. Copyright © 2010. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

OBJECTIVE: Endometriosis is a chronic gynecological disease characterized by the growth of hormonally responsive, endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity. The present study aims to analyze two vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) polymorphisms (-460 C/T and +405 C/G) in Turkish women with and without endometriosis. STUDY DESIGN: A case-control study was undertaken at the Infertility Department of Zekai Tahir Burak Women’s Health Care Education and Research Hospital. The single nucleotide polymorphisms, -460 C/T and +405 C/G, in the 5′-untranslated region of the VEGF gene were tested in 98 affected women and 94 women with no laparoscopic evidence of disease. Endometriosis was also confirmed histologically. Following genomic extraction of genomic DNA, genotyping of the -460 C/T and +405 C/G polymorphisms of the VEGF gene were performed by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism assay. Nominal data were evaluated by Pearson Chi-square or Fisher’s Exact test, where applicable. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were also calculated. A P value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Demographic data were similar among groups. The genotype and allele frequencies of the -460 C/T polymorphism did not differ significantly between cases and controls. In contrast, the genotype (P < 0.001) and allele frequencies (P < 0.001) of +405 C/G polymorphism showed a significant difference between cases and controls. Regardless of the early or advanced stage, women with endometriosis showed a higher incidence of the +405 GC genotype and +405G allele when compared with the controls. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that VEGF +405 GC genotype and +405G allele may be associated with the risk of developing early and advanced stage endometriosis in the Turkish population.