The Association Between FokI Vitamin D Receptor Polymorphisms With Metabolic Syndrome Among Pregnant Arab Women

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a serious health condition that is becoming extremely threatening in Saudi Arabia. The link between vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene polymorphisms and maternal MetS has been observed in several ethnic groups, but is yet to be clarified in the Arabian population. This study aims to investigate the relationship between the FokI VDR genotype and the risk of MetS and its components in pregnant Saudi women. A cross-sectional study was conducted using 368 pregnant Saudi women on first trimester screened for MetS (44 with MetS and 324 without MetS). Measurements included anthropometrics, glycemic and lipid profile and 25(OH)D. TaqMan genotyping assay was used to determine Fokl VDR genotype of participants. Vitamin D deficiency (25(OH)D <50nmol/l) was seen in 85% of the participants. An estimated 12% of participants had MetS. In the MetS group, the FokI VDR genotyping frequencies for FF, Ff, and ff genotypes were 50%, 36.4% and 13.6%, respectively. In controls, the frequencies were 62.7%, 31.4% and 5.9%, respectively. No significant association between the individual MetS components and FokI VDR genotypes were observed. Nevertheless, carriers of the ff allele had a significant risk for full maternal MetS [Odds Ratio 4.2 (95% Confidence Interval 1.4-12.2; adjusted p=0.009). The study suggests that the ff FokI VDR genotype is a genetic marker of maternal MetS in pregnant Arabian women. Prospective studies that include neonatal outcomes may confirm present findings

Genetic Variants of <em>HNF4A</em>, <em>WFS1</em>, <em>DUSP9</em>, <em>FTO</em>, and <em>ZFAND6</em> Genes Are Associated with Prediabetes Susceptibility and Inflammatory Markers in the Saudi Arabian Population

Prediabetes is a reversible, intermediate stage of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Lifestyle changes that include healthy diet and exercise can substantially reduce progression to T2DM. The present study explored the association of 37 T2DM- and obesity-linked single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with prediabetes risk in a homogenous Saudi Arabian population. A total of 1129 Saudi adults [332 with prediabetes (29%) and 797 normoglycemic controls] were randomly selected and genotyped using the KASPar SNP genotyping method. Anthropometric and various serological parameters were measured following standard procedures. Heterozygous GA of HNF4A-rs4812829 (0.64; 95% CI 0.47–0.86; p WFS1-rs1801214 (0.60; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.44–0.80; p DUSP9-rs5945326 (0.60; 95% CI 0.39–0.92; p = 0.01), heterozygous GA of ZFAND6-rs11634397 (0.75; 95% CI 0.56–1.01; p = 0.05), and homozygous AA of FTO-rs11642841 (1.50; 95% CI 0.8–1.45; p = 0.03) were significantly associated with prediabetes, independent of age and body mass index (BMI). Additionally, C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in rs11634397 (AA) with a median of 5389.0 (2767.4–7412.8) were significantly higher than in the heterozygous GA genotype with a median of 1736.3 (1024.4–4452.0) (p HNF4A-rs4812829, WFS1-rs1801214, DUSP9-rs5945326, ZFAND6-rs11634397, FTO-rs11642841] were associated with prediabetes susceptibility. Prospective studies are needed to confirm the potential clinical value of the studied genetic variants of interest

New Insights into Listeria monocytogenes Antimicrobial Resistance, Virulence Attributes and Their Prospective Correlation

Listeriosis is one of the most common foodborne diseases caused by Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes). A poor prognosis has been recorded for the invasive listeriosis, especially neurolisteriosis. In several countries throughout the world, foodborne infections with L. monocytogenes exceeded the legal safety limits in animal sourced foods. Therefore, we decided to investigate the variability, virulence and antimicrobial resistance profiles of this pathogen. Both phenotypic and genotypic methods were used for identifying L. monocytogenes isolates and confirming their virulence profiles. The antimicrobial resistances and their correlation analysis with the existence of virulence genes were detected. Additionally, sequencing and phylogenetic analysis based on L. monocytogenes inlA and inlB genes were undertaken. The prevalence rate (11.9%) and the resistance profiles of L. monocytogenes were shocking. The multi-drug resistance (MDR) phenotypes were common among our isolates (64.9%). Fortunately, the resistance phenotypes were always associated with low virulence arrays and the MDR strains possessed low virulence fitness. Herein, the high genotypic and phenotypic diversity of L. monocytogenes isolates and their weak clonality and adaptability highlighted the difficulty in controlling and managing this pathogen. Therefore, it is important to add more restriction guidelines from national authorities on the consumption of ready to eat foods