Association between polymorphisms in the Toll-like receptor 4,CD14,and CARD15/NOD2and inflammatory bowel disease in the Greek population

AIM: Crohn's disease(CD)and ulcerative colitis(UC)are multifactorial diseases with a significant genetic background.Apart from CARD15/NOD2 gene, evidence is accumulating that molecules related to the innate immune response such as CD14 or Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), are involved in their pathogenesis. In further exploring the genetic background of these diseases, we investigated the variations in the CARD15/NOD2 gene (Arg702Trp,Gly908Arg and Leu1007fsinsC), and polymorphisms in the TLR4 gene (Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile) as well as in the promoter of the CD14 gene (T/C at position -159) in Greek patients with CD and UC.METHODS: DNA was obtained from 120 patients with CD,85 with UC and 100 healthy individuals. Genotyping was performed by allele specific PCR or by PCR-RFLP analysis.RESULTS: The 299Gly allele frequency of the TLR4 gene and the T allele and TT genotype frequendes of the CD14 promoter were significantly higher in CD patients only compared to healthy individuals (P = 0.026＜0.05; P = 0.0048＜0.01 and P= 0.047＜0.05 respectively). Concerning the NOD2/CARD15mutations the overall presence in CD patients was significantly higher than that in UC patients or in controls.Additionally, 51.67% of the CD patients were carriers of a TLR4 and/or CD14 polymorphic allele and at least one variant of the NOD2/CARD15, compared to 27% of the UC patients. It should be pointed out that both frequencies significantly increased as compared with the 10% frequency of multiple carriers found in healthy controls. A possible interaction of the NOD2/CARD15 with TLR4 and especially CD14, increased the risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that co-existence of a mutation in either the TLR4 or CD14 gene, and in NOD2/CARD15is associated with an increased susceptibility to developing CD compared to UC, and to developing either CD or UC compared to healthy individuals.

Relationship between Crohn’s disease, infection with Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis and SLC11A1 gene polymorphisms in Sardinian patients

AIM： To study the association between Crohn＇s disease （CD）, Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratubercuolsis （MAP）, and genetic factors by examining the role of natural resistance-associated macrophage protein 1 （NRAMP1） gene polymorphisms （now SLCllA1） in Sardinian patients with CD and controls. METHODS： Thirty-seven CD patients and 34 controls with no inflammatory bowel disease （IBD） were recruited at the University of Sassari after giving written consent. Six SCL11A1 polymorphisms previously reported to be the most significantly associated with IBD were searched. M, pafatubefculosis was identified by IS900 PCR and sequencing. Logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios （OR） for the associations among CD, presence of MAP, and 6 loci described above.＇ RESULTS： For the first time, a strong association was observed between polymorphisms at NRAMP1 locus 823C/T and CD. While CD was strongly associated with both NRAMP1 and MAP, NRAMP1 polymorphisms and MAP themselves were not correlated. CONCLUSION： Combined with previous work on the NOD2/CARD15 gene, it is clear that the interplay of genetic, infectious, and immunologic factors in the etiology of CD is complex.

The Effects of Distance and Duration of Exposure to Electromagnetic Radiation of Hair Dryer on Rat Sperm Parameters

Background: As a part of modern life, using electromagnetic field exposure has increased. EMFs might produce a variety of adverse effects on different parts of human body including the reproductive system. The consequences of exposure to the emitted EMFs from a hair dryer on sperm parameters were the major concerns of the present study. Materials and Methods: Fifty four adult Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to 9 groups. Samples from all experimental groups received exposure with two different modes: switch on (hot wind) and switch off (cold wind). Samples of group 1 (control) maintained under experimental conditions without any exposure. The exposure protocol for samples in groups 2 to 9 were 10 cm at 10 min—on, 10 cm at 10 min—off, 10 cm at 20 min—on, 10 cm at 20 min—off, 20 cm at 10 min—on, 20 cm at 10 min—off, 20 cm at 20 min—on, 20 cm at 20 min—off. After exposure sperm motility was analyzed with a light microscope as a blind experiment. Nonparametric tests were used to detect statistically significant differences between different groups. Results: Findings of our study indicated no significant changes in the frequency of sluggish and non-motile sperms of rats in the control group compared to all treatment groups and showed statistically significant differences between the relative frequency of progressive sperms in control group rats compared to all treatment groups except groups 2 and 7. There were no statically significant changes between groups with different time and distance. Sperm count and morphology were not affected by microwave emitted from hair dryer. Conclusion: Exposure to the hair dryer microwaves affects sperm motility, which is amongst the key parameters determining the chance of conceiving.