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Analysis of the (CAG)n Repeat at the IT15 Locus in a Population from Calabria (Southern Italy)

The defect causing Huntington’s disease (HD) has recently been discovered as an expanded CAG trinucleotide repeat located at the 5\u27 end of the IT 15 gene. This discovery allows the molecular diagnosis of HD by measuring the CAG repeat length. The normal and pathological repeat ranges in a population need to be established before a diagnostic test for HD can be performed. To determine the distribution of IT 15 alleles in a population from Calabria (southern Italy), we analyzed 102 normal subjects and 9 HD patients coming from a defined area of Calabria (province of Cosenza). Expanded alleles ranged from 44 to 76 repeats. Normal alleles varied from 8 to 27 repeats, which is one of the lowest values observed at the top of the normal range; the mean was significantly different from the value observed in six other populations. The allele distribution seemed to group mainly around the mode, and no intermediate alleles were present in our sample. These results suggest a particular stability of the CAG repeat at the IT 15 locus in the Calabrian group and confirm once again the peculiar genetic structure of this population

Relation of weight gain and weight loss on subsequent diabetes risk in overweight adults

STUDY OBJECTIVE—To determine whether long term weight gain and weight loss are associated with subsequent risk of type 2 diabetes in overweight, non-diabetic adults.
DESIGN—Prospective cohort. Baseline overweight was defined as BMI⩾27.3 for women and BMI⩾27.8 for men. Annual weight change (kg/year) over 10 years was calculated using measured weight at subjects' baseline and first follow up examinations. In the 10 years after measurement of weight change, incident cases of diabetes were ascertained by self report, hospital discharge records, and death certificates.
SETTING—Community.
PARTICIPANTS—1929 overweight, non-diabetic adults.
MAIN RESULTS—Incident diabetes was ascertained in 251 subjects. Age adjusted cumulative incidence increased from 9.6% for BMI<29 to 26.2% for BMI⩾37. Annual weight change over 10 years was higher in subjects who become diabetic compared with those who did not for all BMI<35. Relative to overweight people with stable weight, each kg of weight gained annually over 10 years was associated with a 49% increase in risk of developing diabetes in the subsequent 10 years. Each kg of weight lost annually over 10 years was associated with a 33% lower risk of diabetes in the subsequent 10( )years.
CONCLUSIONS—Weight gain was associated with substantially increased risk of diabetes among overweight adults, and even modest weight loss was associated with significantly reduced diabetes risk. Minor weight reductions may have major beneficial effects on subsequent diabetes risk in overweight adults at high risk of developing diabetes. 


Keywords: obesity; diabete

Excess type 2 diabetes in African-American women and men aged 40-74 and socioeconomic status: evidence from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

OBJECTIVE—To examine whether socioeconomic status (SES) explains differences in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes between African-American and non-Hispanic white women and men.
DESIGN—Cross sectional study of diabetes prevalence, SES, and other risk factors ascertained by physical examination and interview.
SETTING—Interviews were conducted in subjects' homes; physical examinations were conducted in mobile examination centres.
PARTICIPANTS—961 African-American women, 1641 non-Hispanic white women, 839 African-American men and 1537 non-Hispanic white men, aged 40 to 74 years, examined in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III), a representative sample of the non-institutionalised civilian population of the United States, 1988-1994.
MAIN RESULTS—Among women, African-American race/ethnicity was associated with an age adjusted odds ratio of 1.76 (95% confidence intervals 1.21, 2.57), which was reduced to 1.42 (95% confidence intervals 0.95, 2.13) when poverty income ratio was controlled. Controlling for education or occupational status had minimal effects on this association. When other risk factors were controlled, race/ethnicity was not significantly associated with type 2 diabetes prevalence. Among men, the age adjusted odds ratio associated with African-American race/ethnicity was 1.43 (95% confidence intervals 1.03, 1.99). Controlling for SES variables only modestly affected the odds ratio for African/American race/ethnicity among men, while adjusting for other risk factors increased the racial/ethnic differences.
CONCLUSIONS—Economic disadvantage may explain much of the excess prevalence of type 2 diabetes among African-American women, but not among men.


Keywords: diabetes mellitus; ethnic groups; socioeconomic factor