Male Carriers (male + carrier)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Influence of the leptin G-2548A polymorphism on leptin levels and anthropometric measurements in healthy Spanish adolescents,

ANNALS OF HUMAN GENETICS, Issue 4 2010
Pia Riestra
Summary Polymorphisms in the leptin gene (LEP) have been associated with leptin levels and obesity in some studies in adults though this link has scarcely been investigated in children. In our study, we examined the relationship of the LEP G-2548A polymorphism with leptin levels, anthropometric variables and body composition in a population-based sample of pubescent children. Our study included 880 healthy schoolchildren (419 males and 461 females), 12,16 years of age. Plasma leptin levels were determined by ELISA. The LEP polymorphism was determined by allelic discrimination TaqMan® assay. Male carriers of the AA genotype had significantly lower plasma leptin levels than GA (p < 0.008) and GG (p < 0.001) carriers and significantly lower mean hip circumference (HC) values than GG carriers (p = 0.04). In girls, leptin levels were also lower in A-allele carriers than in GG carriers, and BMI and HC were significantly lower in AA carriers as compared with GG carriers. In addition, the frequency of the A allele was significantly lower (,2: 4.58, p = 0.032) in the OW-obese than in the NW group. In conclusion, the LEP G-2548A polymorphism is associated with variations in leptin levels, BMI and HC in Spanish pubertal children, and evidence suggests a link between the G allele and presence of overweight in girls. [source]


The relation between two polymorphisms in the glucocorticoid receptor gene and body mass index, blood pressure and cholesterol in obese patients

CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGY, Issue 1 2003
Anna Maria Di Blasio
Summary objective ,We have recently reported that, in healthy elderly Dutch individuals, a N363S polymorphism in the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) gene is associated with higher sensitivity to low-dose dexamethasone (0·25 mg), evaluated as both cortisol suppression and insulin response, and with an increased body mass index (BMI). In the present study we investigated the role of the N363S polymorphism, and a BclI restriction site polymorphism in a group of Italian patients with severe obesity. design Two hundred and seventy-nine patients (mean BMI 45·9 ± 0·9 kg/m2) were genotyped using both PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis and Taqman Sequence Detection System. Determination of several metabolic and antropometric parameters was also performed in order to correlate them to the genotype. results In this group of obese patients, 13 subjects (eight female, five males) were heterozygous for the N363S variant (allelic frequency 2·3%) and had significantly higher BMI (P < 0·04), resting energy expenditure (P < 0·03) and food intake (P < 0·01) when compared to wild-type homozygotes. When the data were analysed according to sex, female heterozygotes for the N363S allele had significantly higher BMI (P = 0·04), resting energy expenditure (P = 0·03) and food intake (P = 0·008) than obese women with the wild-type 363 GR gene. Male carriers of this variant also had higher values for these variables although the differences did not reach statistical significance. A case,control study with homozygous wild-type obese subjects which were age-, sex- and BMI-matched, revealed no difference in resting energy expenditure and food intake. The allele frequency of the BclI variant was 27% (89 females and 41 males out of 269 subjects). No differences in anthropometric and metabolic parameters were found between subjects heterozygous or homozygous for this variant GR in this obese population. However, when we studied the effect of the presence of the BclI polymorphism and the N363S variant in the same individual, we found that the subjects who carried both polymorphisms had a tendency towards higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure and significantly higher total and LDL-cholesterol levels (P = 0·005 and P = 0·05, respectively). discussion Taking the results of this study and those obtained in the Dutch population, we speculate that heterozygous carriers of the N363S variant who develop obesity, may become even more obese, possibly because they have a hypersensitive insulin response and thus, via activation of lipogenesis, store fat more efficiently. Furthermore, these data suggest that N363S carriers who carry the BclI polymorphism as well, tend to have a slightly unfavourable cardiovascular profile. [source]


Human leukocyte antigen-DRB1*1101 correlates with less severe hepatitis in Taiwanese male carriers of hepatitis B virus,

JOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY, Issue 4 2009
Yi-Wen Huang
Abstract Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II molecules are associated with host immune responses against hepatitis B virus infection. Male gender is the apparent host factor when someone encounters with the severity of hepatitis. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of the most polymorphic HLA class II allele, human leukocyte antigen,DRB1, with the severity of hepatitis in male carriers of hepatitis B virus. In this prospective cohort study, a total of 204 carriers of hepatitis B virus (131 men and 73 women) who have been followed-up for more than 1 year at the outpatient clinic of a university hospital were collected consecutively. Fifty carriers of hepatitis B virus (group I) with alanine aminotransferase <2× upper limit of normal (mean follow-up 83.6 months) were compared with 154 chronic hepatitis B patients (group II) with alanine aminotransferase ,2× upper limit of normal (mean follow-up 81.3 months). Alleles of HLA-DRB1 were typed by the polymerase chain reaction,sequence specific oligonucleotide probe hybridization and genotypes of hepatitis B virus by melting curve analysis. HLA-DRB1*1101 was found in 18% of group I versus 8% of group II in male carriers (OR 0.23, P,=,0.020, after adjustment for age) and 4% versus 9.4% in female carriers (P,=,0.094). In male carriers harboring DRB1*1101, the distribution of hepatitis B viral genotype was comparable between the two groups. HLA-DRB1*1101 correlates with less severe hepatitis in Taiwanese male carriers of hepatitis B virus. J. Med. Virol. 81:588,593, 2009 © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Screen for expanded FMR1 alleles in patients with essential tremor

MOVEMENT DISORDERS, Issue 8 2004
Dolores Garcia Arocena MS
Abstract Fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS), a neurodegenerative disorder, was described recently among male carriers of expanded alleles (55,200 CGG repeats; premutation range) of the fragile X mental retardation 1 (FMR1) gene. Major features of the syndrome include intention tremor, gait ataxia, and parkinsonism in men over 50 years of age. This disorder is believed to be relatively common, possibly affecting 1 in 3,000 men over the age of 50 years in the general population. This raises the possibility that some patients presenting with essential tremor (ET) may harbor expanded FMR1 alleles. We screened 81 ET patients (40 males, 41 females) for expanded FMR1 alleles to determine whether ET is associated with such alleles. None of the ET cases had the premutation genotype. CGG repeat sizes ranged from 5 to 47 repeats within this study population, suggesting that expanded FMR1 alleles are uncommon among patients with ET. Screening of movement disorder patients with other clinical features of FXTAS (e.g., ataxia and parkinsonism) may be more likely to yield expanded FMR1 alleles. © 2004 Movement Disorder Society [source]


TEM, FISH and molecular studies in infertile men with pericentric inversion of chromosome 9

ANDROLOGIA, Issue 4 2006
G. Collodel
Summary Pericentric inversions involving the secondary constriction (qh) region of chromosome 9 are considered to be normal variants of human karyotype. A number of investigators have suggested that chromosomal anomalies can contribute to human infertility causing spermatogenetic derangement. The present study was aimed at verifying the influence of chromosome 9 inversion on human spermatogenesis. Semen samples of 18 male carriers of chromosome 9 inversion, analysed by light microscopy, revealed that five patients were azoospermic. PCR analysis demonstrated that two of them also had Y microdeletions. The other 13 showed generally normal sperm concentrations and reduced motility. The morphological characteristics of sperm were studied by TEM and the data were elaborated by a mathematical formula. Sperm pathologies resulted more frequently in the studied group compared to controls, particularly apoptosis. Partial sequences of the A-kinase anchoring protein (Akap) 4 and 3 genes were performed in all patients, as a previous study by our group highlighted Dysplasia of Fibrous Sheath (DFS) defect in two men with inv 9 investigations. The possible effect of chromosome 9 inversion on meiotic chromosome segregation was investigated by FISH, which showed an increased incidence of diploidy. We hypothesized that this inversion could have variable effects on spermatogenesis, from azoospermia to severely altered sperm morphology, motility and meiotic segregation. [source]