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One of the most common psychiatric disorders during childhood is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, which affects 5-6% of children worldwide. Symptoms include attention deficit, hyperactivity, forgetfulness and weak impulse control. The exact mechanism behind the development of the disease is unknown. However, current data suggest that a strong genetic background is responsible, which explains the frequent occurrence within a family. Literature data show that copy number variations are very common in patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The authors present a patient with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder who proved to have two approximately 400 kb heterozygous microduplications at 6p25.2 and 15q13.3 chromosomal regions detected by comparative genomic hybridization methods. Both duplications affect genes (6p25.2: SLC22A23; 15q13.3: CHRNA7) which may play a role in the development of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. This case serves as an example of the wide spectrum of indication of the array comparative genome hybridization method.Az egyik leggyakrabban előforduló, gyermekkorban megjelenő pszichiátriai betegség a figyelemhiányos hiperaktivitás, amely a gyermekek 5-6%-át érinti világszerte. Tünetei közé a figyelemzavar, a hiperaktivitás, a feledékenység és a gyenge impulzuskontroll tartozik. A betegség kialakulásának pontos mechanizmusa még nem ismert, azonban az eddig megismert adatok alapján erős genetikai meghatározottság valószínűsíthető, amelyet alátámaszt a gyakori családon belüli előfordulás is. A szakirodalom a figyelemhiányos hiperaktivitásban szenvedőkben a kópiaszám-variációk gyakoribb előfordulását jelzi. A szerzők a bemutatott esetükben komparatív genomhibridizációs módszer segítségével két, megközelítőleg 400 kb méretű mikroduplikációt detektáltak heterozigóta formában a 6p25.2 és a 15q13.3 kromoszómarégiókban. Mindkét duplikáció egy-egy olyan gént (6p25.2: SLC22A23; 15q13.3: CHRNA7) is érint, amelyek szerepet játszhatnak a figyelemhiányos hiperaktivitás kialakulásában. Az esetismertetéssel a szerzők a legújabb molekuláris citogenetikai módszer, a komparatív genomikus hibridizáció rendkívül széles indikációs körét kívánják alátámasztani. Orv. Hetil., 2014, 155(40), 1598–1601.

Bevezetés: A genomiális megbetegedések vizsgálata az utóbbi évtizedben egyre nagyobb figyelmet kapott. Az array komparatív genomhibridizáció jól bevált diagnosztikai módszer a genomiális betegségek kutatásában, amely széles körben elterjedt. A Pécsi Tudományegyetem Orvosi Genetikai Intézetében 2012-ben megkezdődött a módszer beállítása. Célkitűzés: A molekuláris citogenetikai módszer alkalmazásának első célcsoportja olyan komplex fejlődési rendellenességben szenvedő betegek vizsgálata volt, akiknél hagyományos citogenetikai vizsgálatokkal nem sikerült alátámasztani a fenotípus genetikai hátterét. Módszer: A tradicionális diagnosztikai vizsgálatokat a Magyarországon még rutindiagnosztikában nem alkalmazott array komparatív genomhibridizációs módszerrel egészítettük ki. Eredmények: Az új eljárás segítségével 18 komplex fejlődési rendellenességben szenvedő betegből 7-nél sikerült eltéréseket kimutatnunk. Hétből 6 esetben találtunk de novo eltérést, amely feltételezhetően a kóros fenotípus hátterében állhat, míg egy esetben familiáris eltérést detektáltunk. A módszer segítségével sikerült meghatároznunk a betegek genomiális eltérésének pontos töréspontját, amellyel így pontosabb képet kaphatunk az érintett génekről és azok fenotípusban közrejátszott szerepéről. Következtetések: Jelen közlemény a szerzők intézetében elérhető új generációs diagnosztikai vizsgálat eredményességére hívja fel a figyelmet. Orv. Hetil., 2014, 155(9), 358–361.

In the present study we explored glutathione S-transferase (GST) polymorphisms in selected patients who experienced accelerated myocardial injury following open heart surgery and compared these to a control group of patients without postoperative complications. 758 Patients were enrolled from which 132 patients were selected to genotype analysis according to exclusion criteria. Patients were divided into the following groups: Group I: control patients (n = 78) without and Group II.: study patients (n = 54) with evidence of perioperative myocardial infarction. Genotyping for GSTP1 A (Ile105Ile/Ala113Ala), B (Ile105Val/Ala113Ala) and C (Ile105Val/Ala113Val) alleles was performed by using real-time-PCR. The heterozygous AC allele was nearly three times elevated (18.5 vs. 7.7 %) in the patients who suffered postoperative myocardial infarction compared to controls. Contrary, we found allele frequency of 14.1 % for homozygous BB allele in the control group whereas no such allele combination was present in the study group. These preliminary results may suggest the protective role for the B and C alleles during myocardial oxidative stress whereas the A allele may represent predisposing risk for cellular injury in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

Patients treated successfully for pediatric Hodgkin’s lymphoma are known to develop secondary malignancies; care is already taken in treatment to prevent this adverse effect. Recent GWAS study identified rs4946728 and rs1040411 noncoding SNPs located between PRDM1 and ATG1 genes on chromosome 6q21 as risk factors for secondary malignancies in patients formerly treated with radiotherapy for pediatric Hodgkin disease. We investigated the allele frequencies of these two SNPs in biobanked, randomly selected DNA of average, apparently healthy Hungarians (n = 277) and in samples of Roma (n = 279) population living Hungary. The risk allele frequency for rs4946728 was 79.4 % in Hungarian and 83.5 % in Roma samples, while for rs1040411 it was 56.4 % in Hungarian and 55.8 % in Roma samples. These values are quite similar in the two populations, and are rather high. The values are higher than those frequencies observed in the controls (rs4946728: 59.1 % and rs1040411: 39.6 %, p < 0.05), and are in the range of the cases (86 % and 68.2 %, respectively) of the above original GWAS study. Our findings suggest, that beside the already taken precautions, genetic characterization of Hungarian pediatric Hodgkin patients seems to be advantageous prior to the treatment of their disease.

Group A rotaviruses (RVA) are an important enteric pathogen in humans and livestock animals. Transmission of animal RVA strains to humans has been documented on several occasions. A reverse route of transmission of RVA under natural circumstances is anticipated, although evidence is scarce. However, experimental studies indicated that animals can be infected with human RVAs. By screening the stool samples collected from 157 cattle during 2011 in two Cameroonian villages, four samples (2.5%) were found positive for RVA. Upon sequence analysis of a 410 bp fragment of the VP7 gene, the RVA strains shared up to 100% nt identity to each other and to G12 RVAs identified in human patients living in the same geographic regions. This finding provides evidence for a human-to-animal transmission of an epidemic human rotavirus strain.

Haplotype tagging SNPs of interleukin-23 receptor gene rs1004819, rs7517847, rs7530511, rs2201841, rs1343151 and rs10889677 were determined in 396 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, 190 patients with Crohn's disease, 206 patients with ankylosing spondylitis and 182 controls. Using regression analysis models the rs1004819, rs2201841, and rs10889677 SNPs were found to confer risk for Crohn's disease and ankylosing spondylitis, while rs1343151 had a protective effect in both of these diseases, and the rs2201841 and rs10889677 SNPs showed susceptibility nature for rheumatoid arthritis. Using these SNPs we could study the susceptibility haplotype profiles in these diseases with special attention to the rheumatoid arthritis, first in the literature. Seven different haplotypes could be differentiated. We found that the SNPs exert their susceptibility character in specific haplotype blocks: thus, for rheumatoid arthritis the rs1343151 SNP was risk factor only in a specific haplotype surrounding; this can explain the controversial results published so far about this variant. More importantly, we observed, that while a specific haplotype can confer risk for rheumatoid arthritis, the same haplotype tended to protect against the development of the other two diseases. The data presented here serve evidence for the need of haplotype analysis instead of just single standing SNP analysis when susceptibility to or protection against a certain disease are interpreted.

Mutations of the frataxin gene give the most common underlying genetic background of recessively inheritable type ataxias in Europe. In our department, we have been establishing the molecular genetic diagnosis of Friedreich’s ataxia since 2001. We analyzed a total of 221 blood samples from the whole country. Methods: After fragment analysis we performed direct exon sequencing. Results: This study summarizes the retrospective analysis of these genetic test results. Pathological alteration was identified in altogether 26 cases. 2 expanded alleles were found in intron 1 in all 26 genetically confirmed patients; which is not more than 12% of the total analyzed samples. We did exon sequencing in the case of patients having one expanded allele and found no point mutation in any of the cases. Conclusions: In our setting, we could not verify the diagnosis by genetic analysis in a remarkable number of patients, which on one hand underlines the importance of clinical neurologic and clinical genetic analyses before performing tests, and on the other hand, it raises the need to examine the patients for other ataxia types. Orv. Hetil., 2012, 153, 852–855.

Objective Recently, the association of the natural variants rs1260326 and rs780094 of the glucokinase regulatory protein ( GCKR ) gene with increased fasting triglycerides and decreased fasting plasma glucose in diabetic adults was reported; the minor alleles were also found to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. The present study examined the possible associations of these variants with triglycerides and glucose levels, their allele distribution and their possible effects on childhood obesity. Methods and results A total of 221 obese children and 115 healthy normal-weight children as controls were genotyped using PCR–RFLP methods. Both functional GCKR variants were found in association with elevated serum triglycerides and lower fasting plasma glucose levels. Results of logistic regression revealed that, despite higher triglyceride levels, the carriers of the GCKR variants were more protected against the development of obesity; the adjusted models confirmed the lower risk of obesity for both variants (rs1260326: OR, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.25–0.83; rs780094: OR, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.23–0.74). Conclusion Our findings confirm the inverse modulating effect of functional GCKR variants on triglycerides and glucose levels in obese paediatric patients and healthy normal-weight controls. The results of our study strongly suggest that the minor alleles confer protection against the development of obesity in children. The findings also suggest that the minor alleles of functional GCKR may protect against diabetes and the metabolic syndrome in adults.

Apolipoprotein A5 (ApoA5) gene and its protein product play a central role in the complex regulation of circulating triglyceride levels in humans. Naturally occurring variants of the apolipoprotein A5 gene have been associated with increased triglyceride levels and have been found to confer risk for cardiovascular diseases. In our study, four polymorphisms, the T-1131C, IVS3+G476A, T1259C, and C56G alleles of APOA5 were analyzed in a total of 436 patients by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism methods. The randomly selected patients were classified into four quartile (q) groups based on triglyceride levels (q1: TG1.31 mmol/l; q2: 1.31-2.90 mmol/l; q3: 2.91-4.85 mmol/l; q4: TG4.85 mmol/l). We observed significant stepwise increasing association between the four APOA5 minor allele carrier frequencies and plasma triglyceride quartiles: -1131C (q1: 4.44%; q2: 8.95%; q3: 12.9%; q4: 20.6%), IVS3 + 476A (q1: 4.44%; q2: 5.79%; q3: 11.1%; q4: 19.7%), 1259C (q1: 4.44%; q2: 6.84%; q3: 11.1%; q4: 20.6%) and 56G (q1: 5.64%; q2: 6.31%; q3: 11.16%; q4: 11.9%). The serum total cholesterol and high density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels also showed allele-dependent differences in the quartiles. The findings presented here revealed a special arrangement of APOA5 minor alleles in patients with different serum triglyceride ranges in Hungarians.

Rotavirus-associated enteritis has been reported in pheasants, but there is no information on the genetic/antigenic features of pheasant rotaviruses. In this study, we sequenced the VP7-encoding genome segment of three pheasant rotavirus strains detected during 2008 in Hungary. The full-length genome segment was 1,070 bp long, while the open reading frame was predicted to encode a 330-aa-long protein. The nucleotide sequence identities among the three pheasant rotavirus strains were high (or =94%), whereas the range of nucleotide sequence identities to other avian and mammalian rotavirus VP7 genes fell between 68 and 73% and between 60 and 66%, respectively. Our findings indicate that these Hungarian pheasant rotaviruses need to be considered representatives of a new VP7 genotype specificity, designated G23.

A beteg nyolc hónapos életkorban került vizsgálatra pár napja észlelt étvágytalanság és mérsékelt elesettség miatt. Laboratóriumi eredményei súlyos hypokalaemiát, hyponatraemiát és hypochloraemiás alkalosist mutattak. Mivel az alacsony szérumelektrolit-értékeknek megfelelően alacsony vizeletelektrolit-ürítés és emelkedett renin-, aldoszteronszint volt észlelhető, az állapot pszeudo-Bartter-szindrómának felelt meg. Felvetődött a mucoviscidosis diagnózisa, ezt az emelkedett verejtékkloridszint igazolta. A cisztás fibrosis transzmembrán regulátor gén 27 exonjának szekvenálása során a szerzők két, ritkán előforduló mutációt detektáltak kevert heterozigóta formában, az egyik a 10. exonban talált C1529G-, a másik a 20. exonban azonosított G3978A-mutáció. Ezek a cserék a mutáció helyén stopkodon létrejöttéhez vezetnek mindkét allélon (S466X és W1282X). A mutációk közül az első hordozását az egyébként tünetmentes anyában, az utóbbiét a szintén panaszmentes apában sikerült kimutatni. A gyermekben és az anyában a fentiek mellett a 17-es exonban még egy G3341A-mutációt is találtak, ami elméletileg R1070Q-aminosav-cserével is jár. A gyakorlatban azonban ez nem következhet be a gyermekben a C1529G-mutációval társuló stopkodon kialakulása miatt, így következménnyel sem kell számolni. Ezek az eltérések ΔF508-mutációval kombinálva eltérő súlyosságú tüneteket okoznak a különböző betegekben; együttes előfordulásukról azonban a szerzőknek nincs ismeretük. A beteg másfél éves nyomon követése során a kórlefolyás benignusnak tűnt.

Background T-1131C, T1259C and IVS3+G476A are naturally occurring variants of the apolipoprotein A5 (APOA5) gene and their possible impact on the development of ischemic stroke was investigated in the present study. Methods and Results PCR-RFLP assays were used to determine the distributions of the APOA5 alleles in small-vessel, large-vessel and mixed subgroups of 378 patients and in 131 stroke-free control subjects. Increased triglyceride levels were found in subjects carrying -1131C, 1259C, IVS3+476A alleles in all stroke groups and in the controls. The -1131C and IVS3+476A alleles, but not the T1259C variant, showed significant accumulation in all stroke subgroups. Logistic regression analysis adjusted for age, gender, body mass index, total cholesterol level, ischemic heart disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, smoking-and drinking habits revealed that the IVS3+476A allele represents independent susceptibility factor for stroke (odds ratio for small-vessel: 4.748; large-vessel: 3.905; mixed: 2.926; overall: 3.644 at 95% confidence interval; p

The -1131C is a naturally occurring variant of the apolipoprotein A5 (ApoA5) gene, which has been shown to associate with increased triglyceride levels. This variant has also been shown to confer risk for development of ischemic heart disease and stroke. The gene is in linkage disequilibrium with factors known to correlate with impaired glucose homeostasis. These observations prompted us to study the prevalence of the ApoA5 -1131C allele in patients with metabolic syndrome. A total of 201 metabolic syndrome patients and 210 controls were studied. In both groups the triglyceride levels of patients with -1131C allele were significantly increased compared to the subjects with -1131T allele (3.22+/-0.43 mmol/l vs. 2.24+/-0.12 mmol/l, p0.01 in the metabolic syndrome patients; 2.10+/-0.19 mmol/l vs. 1.22+/-0.05 mmol/l, p0.01 in the controls). In metabolic syndrome patients the prevalence of the ApoA5 -1131C variant was increased compared to the healthy controls (11% vs. 6.20%). Multiplex regression analysis model adjusted for age, gender, serum total cholesterol levels, acute myocardial infarction and stroke events revealed that the examined ApoA5 variant confers risk for the development of metabolic syndrome: the odds ratio at 95% confidence interval was 3.622 (1.200-10.936), p=0.02. Our findings strongly suggest that this variant is a risk factor for the development of hypertriglyceridemia and metabolic syndrome.

Hereditary spastic paraplegia is the overall term for clinically and genetically diverse disorders characterized with progressive and variable severe lower extremity spasticity. The most common causes of autosomal dominantly inherited hereditary spastic paraplegias are different mutations of the spastin gene with variable incidence in different ethnic groups, ranging between 15-40%. Mutations in the spastin gene lead to loss of spastins function, causing progressive neuronal failure, which results in axon degeneration finally.The molecular testing of spastin gene is available in the institution of the authors since January, 2014. The experience gained with the examination of the first eleven patients is described in this article.After polymerase chain reaction, Sanger sequencing was performed to examine the 17 exons of the spastin gene. Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification was performed to detect greater rearrangements in the spastin gene. Eight of the patients were examined in the genetic counseling clinic of the authors and after detailed phenotype assessment spastin gene testing was obtained. The other three patients were referred to the laboratory from different outpatient clinics.Out of the 11 examined patients, four different pathogenic mutations were found in 5 patients.The first Hungarian data, gained with the examination of spastin gene are presented in this article. The five patients, in whom mutations were detected, represent 45.5% of all tested patients with hereditary spastic paraplegia, which is similar to those published in the international literature. Molecular testing and subsequent detailed genotype-phenotype correlations of the Hungarian patients may serve valuable new information about the disease, which later on may influence our therapeutic possibilities and decisions.Bevezetés: A herediter spasticus paraplegia progresszív, változó súlyosságú alsó végtagi spasticitással járó, klinikailag és genetikailag is eltérő kórképek összefoglaló neve. Az autoszomális domináns öröklésmenetet mutató herediter spasticus paraplegiák leggyakoribb okai a spastin gén különböző mutációi, incidenciája különböző etnikai csoportokban változó, 15–40%-ra tehető. A génmutáció következtében kialakuló spastin-funkcióvesztés progresszív neuronalis zavarhoz vezet, ami végül axondegenerációt hoz létre. Célkitűzés: A szerzők intézetében 2014 óta elérhető a spastin gén vizsgálata. Közleményükben a szerzők ismertetik az első 11 beteg vizsgálata során nyert tapasztalataikat. Módszer: A spastin gén 17 exonjának vizsgálata során, polimeráz láncreakciót követően, a termékeket Sanger-féle direkt szekvenálással analizálták. A spastin gén nagyobb átrendeződéseinek vizsgálatát multiplex ligatiofüggő próbaamplifikáció-technikával végezték el. A vizsgálatokra beérkezett vérminták nagy részét az intézet genetikai tanácsadójában részletes fenotípuselemzésen átesett betegek (8 beteg) mintái képezték, kisebb részt a minták külső intézetekből érkeztek a laboratóriumba. Eredmények: A 11 beteg molekuláris genetikai vizsgálata során 5 betegben 4 különböző, feltételezhetően patogén mutációt azonosítottak, ebből 1 az irodalomban is ismert. Következtetések: Jelen közleményben a szerzők beszámolnak az első hazai adatokról, amit 11 beteg vizsgálatával szereztek. Öt betegnél mutattak ki mutációt a spastin génben, ez 45,5% gyakoriságot mutat, ami a nemzetközi adatoknak megfelel. A hazai herediter spasticus paraplegiás betegek molekuláris genetikai vizsgálatával és ezt követően a genotípus-fenotípus részletes összehasonlításával értékes, új információk szerezhetők, amelyek a későbbiekben esetleg befolyásolhatják a terápiás lehetőségeinket, illetve döntéseinket. Orv. Hetil., 2015, 156(3), 113–117.

Background Previous studies have shown that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in IL28B and IL10R are associated with sustained virological response (SVR) in chronic hepatitis C patients treated with pegilated interferon plus ribavirin (P/R). The present study extends our earlier investigations on a large East-Central European cohort. The allele frequencies of IL28B and IL10R in genotype 1 HCV infection were compared with that of healthy controls for the purpose of examining the relationship between the polymorphisms and the SVR to P/R treatment. Methods A total of 748 chronic HCV1 infected patients (365 male, 383 female; 18–82 years) and 105 voluntary blood donors as controls were enrolled. Four hundred and twenty HCV patients were treated with P/R for 24–72 weeks, out of them 195 (46.4%) achieved SVR. The IL28 rs12979860 SNP was determined using Custom Taqman SNP Genotyping Assays. The IL10R −1087 (also known as IL10R −1082 (rs1800896) promoter region SNP was determined by RT-PCR and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Results The IL28B CC genotype occurred with lower frequency in HCV patients than in controls (26.1% vs 51.4%, p

Introduction Histamine N-methyltransferase (HNMT) is the main metabolizing enzyme of histamine. Histamine modulates immune responses and plays a role in the pathogenesis of autoimmune disorders. Methods The non-synonymous HNMT C314T polymorphism and the A939G single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) influencing HNMT mRNA stability were genotyped in 213 patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) and 342 healthy controls. Results The carrier frequency of the A allele of the A939G SNP was over-represented among patients with anti-AchR and anti-Titin antibodies (P = 0.05 and P = 0.004, respectively); the presence of the minor G allele was protective against anti-AchR and anti-Titin positive MG (OR = 0.67 and OR = 0.54, respectively). The combination of the G allele carrier status with wild-type C314C homozygosity was also protective against MG (OR = 0.55, P = 0.008) and against the development of anti-AchR antibodies (OR = 0.37, P = 0.01). Discussion The A939G HNMT polymorphism is associated with autoimmune MG, while no association with C314T SNP was found.

Larsen-syndrome is a rare genetic skeletal dysplasia belonging to the group of actin-binding filamin B associated diseases. The features include congenital dislocations of the large joints, scoliosis and cervical kyphosis, short, broad, spatulate distal phalanges, and distinctive craniofacies. Diagnosis is based on clinical and radiographic findings and confirmed by molecular genetic testing. The authors have performed filamin B molecular genetic analysis since 2005 and have found several cases with unusual phenotypes since. This case report presents the diagnostic difficulties of a 30-year-old woman, who was operated several times with congenital hip dislocations and foot deformities. The craniofacial features, short, broad, spatulate fingers, scoliosis and cervical kyphosis directed diagnosis towards Larsen-syndrome and molecular genetic analysis confirmed a previously-described heterozygous missense mutation (c.G679A). They conclude that genetic analysis performed in time would prevent additional superfluous long diagnostic procedures in patients with rare diseases and would ensure adequate supportive therapy and management of the symptoms. Orv. Hetil., 2013, 154, 143–146.

The common functional variants of the apolipoprotein A5 (APOA5) and the glucokinase regulatory protein genes (GCKR) have been shown to associate with increased fasting triglyceride (TG) levels. Albeit the basic association has been extensively investigated in several populations of different origin, less is known about quantitative traits of them. In our study accumulation rates of four APOA5 (T-1131, IVS3 + G476A, T1259C and C56G) and two GCKR (C1337T and rs780094) functional SNPs were analyzed in patients stratified into four TG quartile groups. Randomly selected 325 metabolic syndrome patients were separated into four quartile (q) groups based on the TG levels as follows q1: TG1.38 mmol/l; q2: 1.38-1.93 mmol/l; q3: 1.94-2.83 mmol/l; and q4: TG2.83 mmol/l. We observed significant stepwise increase of prevalence rates of minor allele frequencies in the four plasma TG quartiles for three APOA5 SNPs: -1131C (q1: 4.94%; q2: 8.64%; q3: 11.6%; q4: 12.3%), IVS3 + 476A (q1: 4.32%; q2: 7.4%; q3: 10.36%; q4: 11.1%), and 1259C (q1: 4.94%; q2: 7.41%; q3: 10.4%; q4: 11.7%). The haplotype analysis revealed, that the frequency of APOA5*2 haplotype gradually increased in q2, q3 and q4 (q1: 9.87%; q2: 14.8%; q3: 18.3%; q4: 21%). The distribution of the homozygotes of the two analyzed GCKR variants resembled to the APOA5 pattern. Contrary to the hypothetically predictable linear association coming from the current knowledge about the APOA5 and GCKR functions, the findings presented here revealed a unique, TG raise dependent gradual accumulation of the functional variants of in MS patients. Thus, the findings of the current study serve indirect evidence for the existence of rare APOA5 and GCKR haplotypes in metabolic syndrome patients with higher TG levels, which contribute to the complex lipid metabolism alteration in this disease.

Dobrava (DOBV) hantaviruses belong to the genus Hantavirus, family Bunyaviridae, and are carried by yellow-necked and striped field mice. The goal of this study was to detect DOBV using serological and genetic methods in Apodemus rodents in Hungary and in northern Croatia. During the study period, a total of 125 Apodemus sp. (67 A. agrarius, 58 A. flavicollis) were tested for the presence of hantaviruses, and 21 rodents (17%) were positive by rRT-PCR and/or ELISA. We conclude that the prevalence of DOBV is much higher than previously anticipated. The simultaneous use of molecular and serological techniques provides a highly reliable way to detect hantavirus infections.

Background: Non-enzymatic glycation is a process, which leads to the formation of advanced glycation endproducts. These compounds are involved in the development of diabetic microvascular complications. Fructosamine-3-kinase (FN3K) is an intracellular enzyme that phosphorylates fructosamines resulting in fructosamine-3-phosphate, which subsequently decomposes to inorganic phosphate, 3-deoxyglucasone and the unmodified amine. Recently, the G900C (rs1056534) single nucleotide polymorpism (SNP) of the FN3K gene was found to be associated with the enzyme activity. Objective/Design: The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of the SNP on clinical and biochemical features and microvascular complications of type 2 diabetes. Patients: A total of 859 type 2 diabetic subjects and 265 healthy controls were enrolled in the study and were genotyped with PCR-RFLP method. Results: Genotype frequencies were as follows, CC: 5%, GC: 54%, GG: 41 % in subjects with type 2 diabetes and CC: 6 %, GC: 51 %, GG: 43 % in the controls. Diabetic subjects with the CC variant had lower HbA 1c levels compared with the others (CC: 6.48 ± 0.05%; GC: 7.66±0.09% ; GG: 7.68 ± 0.09%; p

Both the natural variants of the apolipoprotein A5 (APOA5) and the glucokinase regulatory protein gene (GCKR) have been shown to associate with increased fasting triglyceride levels. Here, we investigated the possible association of the functional variants of these two genes with non-fasting triglyceride levels and their susceptibility nature in ischemic stroke. A total of 513 stroke patients and 172 healthy controls were genotyped. All the APOA5 variants (T-1131C, IVS3 + G476A, C56G, and T1259C) were associated with increased triglyceride levels in all stroke patients and controls; except for T1259C, they all conferred risk for the disease. No such association was found for the examined GCKR rs1260326 (C1337T) variant. Furthermore, we examined the effects of specific combinations of the GCKR rs1260326 and APOA5 polymorphisms. Our findings confirmed the previous results regarding the association of APOA5 variants with triglyceride-level increase and stroke susceptibility of these alleles. By contrast, we could not detect any association of the studied GCKR allele with triglyceride levels or with the susceptibility of stroke in the same cohort of patients. In addition, the effect of APOA5 did not change significantly when specific combinations of the two genes were present.

EuroRotaNet was launched to monitor rotavirus strain prevalence during and after introduction of rotavirus vaccines in Europe. In early 2007, we detected P[6],G9 rotaviruses to appear in Hungary, representing the first documented occurrence of this strain in our surveillance area. Epidemiologic data suggested that this strain was introduced from India.

The incidence and type distribution of enteric human adenoviruses (HAds) among diarrheic children in south-western Hungary was investigated from 2003 through 2006. Laboratory studies were conducted using commercial antigen detection tests (latex agglutination or immunochromatography), polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification, single-strand conformation polymorphism, and sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of a conservative region of the HAd hexon gene. The overall rate of HAd infection in childhood gastroenteritis cases during the 4-year study was 8.1%, with a gradual decrease in detection rates from 11.7% in 2003 to 5.7% in 2006. Molecular studies of a subset of HAd-positive samples found that enteric HAd type 40 strains were identified only in 2003 and 2004, while HAd type 41 strains were identified throughout the 4-year study. Higher detection rates of non-enteric HAds was documented during the first half of the study period when latex agglutination was used in our laboratory for detection. Our study suggests that the choice of diagnostic method may profoundly influence the epidemiologic picture and disease burden attributed to enteric HAd infections.

Background Metabolic syndrome consists of multiple risk factors that are increasing the cardiovascular mortality. The T-1131C variant of the apolipoprotein A5 gene, associated with increased triglycerides, has been found to confer risk for cardiovascular diseases and metabolic syndrome. Because other naturally occurring variants of the gene also correlate with elevated triglycerides, the possible role of 2 common variants, the IVS3+G476A and T1259C, with metabolic syndrome was investigated. Methods and Results A total of 213 metabolic syndrome patients and 142 healthy controls were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Serum triglycerides were increased in carriers compared with non-carriers in both groups (p