Investigation of the expression levels of CPEB4, APC, TRIP13, EIF2S3, EIF4A1, IFNg, PIK3CA and CTNNB1 genes in different stage colorectal tumors

Background/aim: The aim of the study is to assess expression levels of CPEB4, APC, TRIP13, EIF2S3, EIF4A1, IFNg, PIK3CA and CTNNB1 genes in tumors and peripheral bloods of colorectal cancer patients in stages I–IV. Materials and methods: The mRNA levels of the genes were determined in tumor tissues and peripheral blood samples of 45 colorectal cancer patients and colon tissues and peripheral blood samples of 5 healthy individuals. Real-time polymerase chain reaction method was used for the analysis. Results: The mRNA level of the CPEB4 gene was significantly downregulated in colorectal tumor tissues and was upregulated in the peripheral blood of colorectal cancer patients relative to the controls (P < 0.05). APC mRNA level was significantly downregulated in tissues and upregulated in the peripheral blood (P < 0.05). TRIP13 mRNA level was upregulated in peripheral blood and also significantly upregulated in colorectal tumor tissues (P < 0.05). EIF2S3 mRNA level was upregulated in tissues and also significantly upregulated in peripheral blood (P < 0.05). PIK3CA mRNA level was downregulated in tissues and upregulated in peripheral blood. EIF4A1 mRNA level was downregulated in tissues and significantly upregulated in peripheral blood (P < 0.05). CTNNB1 mRNA level was downregulated in tissues and upregulated in peripheral blood. IFNg mRNA level was upregulated in both colorectal cancer tumor tissues and peripheral blood. Conclusion: TRIP13 and CPEB4 mRNA up regulation in the peripheral blood of patients with colorectal cancer may be a potential target for early stage diagnosis. In addition to this evaluation, although there is not much study on EIF2S3 and EIF4A1 mRNA changes in cases with colorectal cancer, upregulation in peripheral blood draws attention in our study. These data will shed light on the new comprehensive studies

PHYSIOLOGICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL MARKERS OF SALINITY TOLERANCE IN PLANTS

Salt stress limits plant productivity in arid and semi arid regions. Salt stress causes decrease in plant growth by adversely affecting physiological processes, especially photosynthesis. Salinity tolerance is defined as the ability of plant to maintain normal rowth and development under salt conditions. Salt stress results in accumulation of low molecular weight compounds, termed compatible solutes, which do not interfere with the normal biochemical reactions. These compatible solutes such as carbohydrates, polyols, amino acids and amides, quaternary ammonium compounds, polyamines andsoluble proteins may play a crucial role in osmotic adjustment, protection of macromolecules, maintenance of cellular pH and detoxification of free radicals. On the other hand, plants subjected to environmental stresses such as salinity produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) and these ROS are efficiently eliminated by antioxidant enzyme systems. In plant breeding studies, the use of some physiological and biochemical markers for improving the salt tolerance in plants is crucial. In this review, the possibility of using some physiological and biochemical markers as selection criteria for salt tolerance is discussed

Genotyping for Cx26 and Cx30 mutations in cases with congenital hearing loss

Hearing loss is the most frequent sensory defect in human being. The 13q11-q12 region contains the GJB2 and GJB6 genes, which code connexin 26 (CX26) and connexin 30 (CX30) proteins, respectively. The 35delG, 167delT, and 235delC mutations in the Cx26 gene are the main cause for sporadic nonsyndromic hearing loss (NSHL) in many populations. The 342-kb deletion [del(GJB6-D13S1830)] of the Cx30 gene is the second most common connexin mutation after the 35delG mutation in some NSHL populations. In our study 47 hearing-impaired students were included. The Cx26 gene and the Cx30 gene were analyzed for presence of the 35delG, 167delT, and 342-kb deletion [del(GJB6-D13S1830)]. Genotyping were performed for detecting 35delG, 167delT, and del(GJB6-D13S1830) mutations using the PCR-ELISA techniques. According to the results obtained from 47 cases, the 35delG mutation was detected in 7 cases (similar to 14.9%). Four of these mutations were determined as homozygote mutant (similar to 8.5%), and three were determined as heterozygote mutant (similar to 6.4%). However, 167delT and del(GJB6-D13S1830) mutations were not detected in the study group. These results support the overwhelming majority of 35delG in our study group from deafness school in our study. In conclusion, the 35delG mutation was determined as the most frequently shown mutation that leads to congenital hearing loss as in previous studies from Turkey

Knowledge, perspectives and attitudes about allergen-specific immunotherapy for respiratory allergic disease among paediatricians in Turkey

Background: Allergen-specific immunotherapy (ASI) is the only effective treatment for allergic respiratory diseases which has the potential to change the natural course of the disease. In this present study we aimed to evaluate the paediatricians' knowledge, perspectives and attitudes about ASI for allergic respiratory diseases

Effect of gene polymorphisms in transmembrane protein 18 (TMEM18) and neuronal growth regulator 1 (NEGR1) on body mass index in obese subjects

Obesity is a complex disorder with nearly epidemic proportions in many parts of the world. Genome-wide association studies have demonstrated high heritability for obesity and body mass, with associations of certain candidate genes and their variations with respect to race, geographical location/country of origin. However, the functional mechanisms and different ethnic data of these loci are still poorly understood. In this case-control study, we investigated two single nucleotide polymorphisms, rs2815752 in the neuronal growth regulator 1 (NEGR1) gene and rs6548238 in the transmembrane protein 18 (TMEM18) gene, for association in a group of obese residents of Afyonkarahisar province (Turkey). Polymorphisms were genotyped in 172 obese subjects and 77 healthy controls. The results showed no significant differences between the obese subjects and the controls in terms of the allele and genotype frequencies of the NEGR1 gene rs2815752 and the TMEM18 gene rs6548238 polymorphisms. There were no significant associations of the rs2815752 polymorphism in obese subjects and controls with regard to anthropometric measurements and body composition parameters. However, several significant associations were found for the rs6548238 polymorphism with regard to anthropometric measurements and body composition. Consequently, there were no significant differences between the genotype and allele frequencies of NEGR1 gene rs2815752 and TMEM18 gene rs6548238 polymorphisms in the obese group and the controls. There were significant associations for the rs6548238 polymorphism, but not the rs2815752 polymorphism, with the anthropometric measurements and body composition parameters in the group of obese subjects

Role of Food Allergy in Children with Chronic Constipation

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the role of food allergies in the etiology of constipation in children who presented with chronic constipation. We investigated the effects of the allergens on constipation by eliminating the relevant allergen from diet in cases with positive food allergy testing in the study