The attitude of blood donors towards the use of their samples and information in biomedical research

Adnan I Al-Hindi,1 Omar F Khabour,2 Karem H Alzoubi,3 Nour A Al-Sawalha3 1Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Islamic University of Gaza, Gaza, Palestine; 2Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan; 3Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan Introduction: Blood donation is important for saving human life as blood is used in surgeries, blood transfusion and for clinical use. The mission of blood banks can be extended to include medical research. The objective of the study was to determine and assess the attitude of blood donors in Gaza towards the use of their blood samples and medical data for biomedical research and the associated ethical issues. Methods: The study is cross-sectional and questionnaire-based and involved 616 blood donors from the Gaza Strip. Results: The majority of participants (86%) showed a positive attitude towards donating blood for medical research, including genetic studies. About two-thirds of participants agreed that informed consent should be taken before conducting medical research on the donated blood. A similar percentage also accepted linking of their health information to the donated blood samples. On the other hand, about 38% of participants disapproved of sharing of their data with third parties such as health insurance companies and health authorities. Finally, 10% of participants stated that their future blood donation decision would be affected if they knew that part of their donated blood was to be used in research without taking their permission. Conclusion: Blood donors in Gaza Strip have a positive attitude toward using their donated blood for medical research. More awareness is required with respect to the importance of informed consent and access to biomedical information. Keywords: ethics, Gaza, blood, donation, research, attitud

Association of genetic variants with level of asthma control in the Arab population

Basima A Almomani,1 Laith N AL-Eitan,2,3 Nour A Al-Sawalha,1 Shaher M Samrah,4,5 Mohammed N Al-Quasmi6 1Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan; 2Department of Applied Biological Sciences, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan; 3Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan; 4Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan; 5Department of Internal Medicine, King Abdullah University Hospital, Irbid, Jordan; 6Hematology Laboratory, Department of Medical Laboratory, King Abdullah University Hospital, Irbid, Jordan Background: Rates of asthma in Jordan have been doubled in the past decade, but this increased prevalence was not met with improved asthma control protocols. The aim of the present study was to assess whether there was any significant association between the level of asthma control and certain single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in five genes: (ADRB2; rs1042713 and rs1042714), (CRHR1; rs1876828, rs242939, and rs242941), (STIP1; rs2236647), (ADH5, rs1154400), and (ARG1; rs2781659). These SNPs were selected based on their involvement in enzymes and receptors that are related to asthma pathways and subsequent response to medication and based on a high degree of linkage disequilibrium.Patients and methods: A cross-sectional genetic association study was conducted from June 2016 to June 2017 in the two major hospitals in Jordan. The present study involved sampling from adult asthmatic patients of Arab descent who were selected from two phenotypic groups, ie, controlled and uncontrolled asthma. The blood samples and medical data were collected from the participants. DNA samples were extracted, quantified, and genotyped according to standard operating procedure. Allelic and haplotypic analyses were performed using the Haploview®.Results: A total of 245 Arab asthmatic patients were enrolled in this study. Genotyping analysis revealed that the two SNPs (rs1042713 and rs1042714) in ADRB2 gene, along with their related haplotypes, were nominally significantly associated with asthma control in the Jordanian population. The A-allele of rs1042713 and the C-allele of rs1042714 were more common in the uncontrolled asthma group than in the controlled asthma group (P=0.048 and P=0.017, respectively).Conclusion: This was the first study that identified the nominal significant association between the level of asthma control and genetic variants in ADRB2 gene in Arab population. Further studies in other Arab region with larger sample size are recommended to confirm the relationship. Keywords: ADRB2, Arab, asthma control, genetic association, Jordan, SNP

From RFLP to DArT: molecular tools for wheat (Triticum spp.) diversity analysis

Wheat (Triticum spp.) is a universally lucrative agricultural crop. An increase in wheat production has been shown through selection by the farmers which can increase the grain profitability. The determination of genetic associations among domestic cultivars is facilitated by molecular markers. Data on genetic polymorphism is valuable for the germplasm association and regarding the developing management strategies. The information would be supportive for potential genome mapping programs and for the relevance of intellectual property rights of wheat breeders. Present review is an effort for providing support information to wheat breeders to develop varieties with varied genetic environment to attain continuity in large-scale wheat production. In this review, we have tried to provide a collective depiction of relevant information about the usage of some commonly used markers in wheat. It may help researchers to find out the frequentness and application of different markers and compare their results. The manuscript may serve as a platform helping the intellectuals for the selection and modification of their marker system in wheat diversity analysis. The heart of this review is the emphasis on the performance of various molecular genetic markers in diversity studies in relation to definite approaches that are in practice since several years allied with the multifaceted wheat molecular breeding and its polyploid nature