Inherited variation in the xenobiotic response system in inflammatory bowel disease

THESIS 8131The aim of this study was to further the understanding regarding the genetic background of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). IBD patients can be classified into two major phenotypes, Crohn?s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), both of which are thought to result from the complex interplay of multiple genetic and environmental factors in genetically predisposed individuals. Evidence from several studies suggests that the xenobiotic metabolism system may play a role in IBD. We therefore investigated the inheritance of polymorphisms in genes involved in the xenobiotic response system in a population of IBD patients and healthy controls. To this aim, the association of functional polymorphisms of the nuclear receptors, PXR, CAR, FXR and RXRa, and the xenobiotic metabolising enzymes, MDR1 and MRP3, with disease in IBD populations was examined

Emergency Department Visits for Heat-Related Emergency Conditions in the United States from 2008–2020

Exposure to high temperatures is detrimental to human health. As climate change is expected to increase the frequency of extreme heat events, and raise ambient temperatures, an investigation into the trend of heat-related emergency department (ED) visits over the past decade is necessary to assess the human health impact of this growing public health crisis. ED visits were examined using the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample. Visits were included if the diagnostic field contained an ICD-9-CM or ICD-10-CM code specific to heat-related emergency conditions. Weighted counts were generated using the study design and weighting variables, to estimate the national burden of heat-related ED visits. A total of 1,078,432 weighted visits were included in this study. The annual incidence rate per 100,000 population increased by an average of 2.85% per year, ranging from 18.21 in 2009, to 32.34 in 2018. The total visit burden was greatest in the South (51.55%), with visits increasing to the greatest degree in the Midwest (8.52%). ED visit volume was greatest in July (29.79%), with visits increasing to the greatest degree in July (15.59%) and March (13.18%). An overall increase in heat-related ED visits for heat-related emergency conditions was found during the past decade across the United States, affecting patients in all regions and during all seasons

A variant in the CD209 promoter is associated with the severity of liver disease in chronic Hepatitis C virus infection

ABSTRACT CD209, a c-type lectin expressed by dendritic cells (DCs) acts as a pathogen recognition receptor. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the promoter region of CD209 (-336 A/G; rs4804803) affects transcription and is associated with the severity of Tuberculosis and Dengue fever. As CD209 binds Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) glycoprotein-E2, we investigated this SNP in the context of chronic HCV infection. 131 Irish women who had received HCV contaminated Anti-D immunoglobulin and 79 healthy controls were genotyped. We found no association between rs4804803 and the risk of HCV chronicity. However, of those with chronic infection, possession of at least one g-allele was associated with more advanced liver disease, with significantly higher liver fibrosis scores and levels of alanine transaminase (ALT) observed. We conclude that rs4804803, a SNP in the CD209 promoter contributes to the severity of liver disease in chronic HCV infection