Association of Factor V Leiden and Prothrombin G20210A Polymorphisms in Women with Recurrent Pregnancy Loss in Isfahan Province, Iran

Background: Maternal thrombophilia has been identified as a risk factor for recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL). The aim of this study was to investigate the association between prothrombin G20210A and factor V Leiden (FVL) polymorphisms in women with RPL and a control group of parous women in Isfahan province of Iran. Methods: We studied 250 women with idiopathic RPL and 116 control cases. Prothrombin and FVL different genotypes were determined using polymerase chain reaction and reverse hybridization technique. Results: The frequencies of heterozygous mutation prothrombin G20210A were 6% and 0.9%, respectively (P = 0.025), in cases compared to the control group. The frequencies of homozygous mutation prothrombin G20210A were 0.4% and 0%, respectively, in cases compared to controls (P = 0.02). The prothrombin mutation was significantly higher in cases compared to the control group (odds ratio 8.81; 95% confidence interval: 1.16–66.62). There was no significant difference between the FVL mutation and pregnancy loss. Conclusions: The results indicated a significant higher frequency of prothrombin G20210A in women with RPL in comparison with controls. Our data suggest that the prothrombin G20210A mutation, but not the FVL mutation, may be an unrecognized cause of RPL in our population

OX40 Gene and Serum Protein Expression Profiles in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease

Objective: Inflammation of the immune system and the central nervous system has been known as an important predisposing factor for Parkinson’s disease (PD). Increased expression of OX40 protein (CD134) is a known factor for increased inflammation and initiation of NF-kappa-B signaling pathway in different diseases. We aimed to investigate the expression of OX40 at the transcript and serum protein levels. Materials and Methods: Twenty individuals with PD and 20 healthy individuals, as controls, were enrolled in this casecontrol study. Expression of OX40 at the transcript level and serum protein levels were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays respectively. Results: The mean expression level of OX40 was increased in patients but not at a significant level (P>0.05). Consistently, the mean serum concentration of OX40 showed a mild, but non-significant, increase in the patients (P>0.05). Conclusion: We conclude that OX40 expression at either the transcript or protein level has no diagnostic utility in asymptomatic PD. This shows the need for clinical, cellular and interventional research to detect new robust biomarkers