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β-Thalassemia (β-thal) is an inherited blood disorder caused by reduced or absent synthesis of β-globin chains leading to imbalance of globin chain synthesis. β 0 -Thalassemia (β 0 -thal), refers to the complete absence of β-globin chain production on the affected allele. β + -Thalassemia (β + -thal) refers to alleles with some residual production of β-globin chain. We studied the correlation of genotype/phenotype of β-thal disease in Syrian patients. A cross-sectional study was carried out on 260 patients with β-thal. Genotyping was determined by a DNA sequencing technique. Routine investigations were performed to assess the complete blood count (CBC), serum ferritin, Hb A 2 and Hb F levels. We found that the β 0 /β 0 genotype was the most common in our patients followed by β + /β + and β 0 /β + . Patients with β 0 /β 0 received transfusions at an earlier age and more frequently when compared to those with β 0 /β + and β + /β + genotypes. Moreover, patients with β 0 /β 0 had higher levels of Hb F and lower levels of Hb A 2 compared to those with β 0 /β + and β + /β + genotypes. All patients with β-thal intermedia (β-TI) carry the β + /β + genotype, while all patients with β 0 /β 0 and β 0 /β + genotypes presented with transfusion-dependent β-thal major (β-TM).

β-Thalassemia (β-thal) is a hereditary and heterogeneous group of disorders caused by mutations on the β-globin gene that result in the reduced or non production of β-globin chains. We report a rare β-globin mutation, IVS-II-848 (C>A) ( HBB : c.316-3C>A), which was found in a female Syrian patient. This mutation was associated with the IVS-I-1 (G>A) ( HBB : c.92+1G>A) mutation, and the genotype is a compound heterozygote for IVS-I-1(G>A)/IVS-II-848(C>A). This combination was found for the first time in Syria.

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus is believed to be a polygenic disorder that develops as a result of a complex interaction between multiple genes and environmental factors. KCNJ11 gene encodes a Kir6.2 protein which forms the inner section of the potassium channels in pancreatic beta cells. Several studies found that KCNJ11 polymorphism increases T2DM risk. Our study aimed to investigate the association between rs5219 polymorphism of the KCNJ11 gene and T2DM in Syrian patients., Methods: This case-control study involved 75 T2DM patients and 63 healthy controls. The KCNJ11 rs5219 polymorphism was genotyped by Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP)., Results: The frequency of the risk allele K was similar between the two groups (38.7% vs. 38.1%, P = 0.132). The frequency of the KK genotype was higher among the patients' group (16% vs. 4.8%), and the frequency of the EK genotype was higher among the control group (45.3% vs. 66.6%); however, the differences were statistically insignificant. The KK genotype was significantly associated with T2DM in the recessive model with an OR of 3.81 (95% CI 1.024-14.17, P = 0.035)., Conclusions: This study showed that rs5219 polymorphism of the KCNJ11 gene is an important risk factor for type 2 diabetes mellitus in a sample of the Syrian population.

Objective: Congenital Heart Defects (CHD) may be related to nutritional deficiencies affecting the methylation cycle. We aimed to study the metabolic markers of the betaine homocysteine methyl transferase (BHMT) pathway in children with CHD and their mothers compared to children without CHD and their mothers., Materials and Methods: Children with CHD (n=105, age < 3 years) and mothers of 80 of the affected children were studied. The controls were non-CHDs children of comparable age as the CHD group (n=52) and their mothers (n=50). We measured serum or plasma concentrations of the metabolites of the methylation cycle homocysteine (HCY), methylmalonic acid (MMA), cystathionine, S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH), betaine, choline, and dimethylglycine (DMG)., Results: Children with CHD had higher plasma SAM (131 vs. 100 nmol/L) and DMG (8.7 vs. 6.0 μmol/L) and lower betaine/DMG ratio (7.5 vs. 10.2) compared to the controls. Mothers of CHD children showed also higher DMG (6.1 vs. 4.1 µmol/L) and lower betaine/DMG ratio compared with the mothers of the controls. Higher SAM levels were related to higher cystathionine, MMA, betaine, choline, and DMG. MMA elevation in the patients was related to higher HCY, SAM, betaine and DMG., Conclusions: Elevated DMG in CHD children and their mothers compared to the controls can indicate upregulation of the BHMT pathway in this disease group. Nutritional factors are related to metabolic imbalance during pregnancy that may be related to worse birth outcome., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Protein kinase CK2 was originally identified by analyzing carbohydrate metabolism. Now it is clear that life without CK2 is impossible. Moreover, CK2 activity was found elevated in rapidly proliferating cells when compared to slowly proliferating or resting cells. Proliferating cells have an elevated need for energy which is generated from an elevated carbohydrate metabolism. From early observations and the emerging role of CK2 in cellular regulation, it is not surprising that CK2 plays a role in hormonal regulation of carbohydrate metabolism as well as modulating activities of enzymes directly involved in carbohydrate storage and metabolism. The aim of the present review is to summarize the knowledge about the role of CK2 in the regulation of the carbohydrate metabolism., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The duodenal homeobox-1 protein Pdx-1 is one of the regulators for the transcription of the insulin gene. Pdx-1 is a phosphoprotein, and there is increasing evidence for the regulation of some of its functions by phosphorylation. Here, we asked whether protein kinase CK2 might phosphorylate Pdx-1 and how this phosphorylation could be implicated in the functional regulation of Pdx-1. We used fragments of Pdx-1 as well as phosphorylation mutants for experiments with protein kinase CK2. Transactivation was measured by reporter assays using the insulin promoter. Our data showed that Pdx-1 is phosphorylated by protein kinase CK2 at amino acids thr(231) and ser(232), and this phosphorylation was implicated in the regulation of the transcription factor activity of Pdx-1. Furthermore, inhibition of protein kinase CK2 by specific inhibitors led to an elevated release of insulin from pancreatic beta-cells. Thus, these findings identify CK2 as a novel mediator of the insulin metabolism.

The homeobox domain transcription factor PDX-1 is essential for pancreatic development and for the maintenance of beta-cell function. The participation of pancreatic duodenal homeobox factor-1 (PDX-1) in the transcription of several genes which are essential for glucose sensing and insulin synthesis underlines its key role in beta-cells of the pancreas. PDX-1 binds to the promoter of insulin, glucose transporter 2, and glucokinase and regulates their expression. By protein-protein interaction, PDX-1 acts in concert with other transcription factors or coactivators at the level of the insulin promoter. Ectopic expression of PDX-1 together with other cofactors can re-program cells to behave like beta-cells and produce insulin. This property of PDX-1 opens new strategies for the treatment of diabetes. Little is known about its regulation at the posttranslational level. Here, we report on its DNA-binding activity, the nuclear import and on post-translational modifications such as phosphorylation, glycosylation and sumoylation. Modulation of these post-translational modifications may be an alternate strategy for treating diabetes.

The spectrum of the beta-thalassemia mutations of Thailand, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Mauritius and Syria has been further characterized by a multi-center study of 1,235 transfusion-dependent patients, and the mutations discovered used to assess the fidelity of a simple diagnostic strategy. A total of 44 beta-thalassemia mutations were identified either by allele-specific oligonucleotide hybridization, amplification with allele-specific primers, or DNA sequencing of amplified product. The results confirm and extend earlier findings for Thailand, Pakistan, India, Mauritius and Syria. This is the first detailed report of the spectrum of mutations for Sri Lanka. Two novel mutations were identified, codon 55 (-A) and IVS-I-129 (A-->C), both found in Sri Lankan patients. Two beta-thalassemia mutations were found to coexist in one beta-globin gene: Sri Lankan patients homozygous for the beta0 codon 16 (-C) frameshift were also homozygous for the beta+ codon 10 (C-->A) mutation. Studies of Sri Lankan, Pakistani, and Indian carriers suggest the codon 10 (C-->A) mutation is just a rare polymorphism on an ancestral allele, on which the beta0 codon 16 (-C) mutation has arisen. Each country was found to have only a few common mutations accounting for 70% or more of the beta-thalassemia alleles. A panel of primers to diagnose the majority of the mutations by the amplification refractory mutation system was developed, enabling a simple molecular diagnostic strategy to be introduced for each country participating in the multi-center study.

Objective: Catalase is an enzyme present in most of the aerobic cells, it protects them from oxidative stress by catalyzing the rapid decomposition of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in two types of reactions depending on its peroxidatic and catalatic activities. The aim of this study was to measure the erythrocytes catalase activity by a reliable method in normal subjects with different age categories, and patients whom suffer from different diseases associated with oxidative stress (inflammatory, tumor, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, anemia and Wilson's disease)., Methods: Erythrocytes catalase activity was measured, by peroxidatic method (Johansson-Borg method), in 210 apparently healthy subjects, (117 males and 93 females). The range of their ages was from 7 months to 65 years, and in 454 patients their ages ranged from 3 months to 74 years, whom suffer from the above mentioned diseases which resulted in oxidative stress. The comparison had been made between the Johansson-Borg and the UV catalase methods., Results: Strong correlation was found between the two methods, peroxidatic and catalatic (r=0.99, P<0.0001), but the catalase solutions were unstable when the temperature was raised. The normal range of catalase was found to be 2869+1039 u/g Hb. It was found that the catalase activity increased in the studied morbidity groups (eg. 188% in oxidative anemia). An accepted decrease 50% was noted in catalase activity when Vitamin E was administered to anemic patients suffering from oxidative stress., Conclusion: There was an increase in catalase activity in all studied patients suffering from oxidative stress (cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, tumor, inflammation, dermatological diseases, anemia and Wilson's disease). The catalase activity was not affected by age, sex or the anticoagulant agent, which was used to collect the blood samples. It was found that the Vitamin E supplement decreased the catalase activity and improved the state of anemic oxidative stress patients.

This study concerns the determination of beta-thalassemia alleles and other hemoglobin variants in 82 patients from Syria. We have characterized 146 chromosomes and found 17 different beta-thalassemia mutations, and one beta-globin chain variant that gives rise to the abnormal Hb S. The eight most common beta-thalassemia mutations were the IVS-I-110 (G-->A), IVS-I-1 (G-->A), codon 5 (-CT), -30 (T-->A), codon 39 (C-->T), IVS-I-6 (T-->C), IVS-II-1 (G-->A), and codon 15 (TGG-->TAG). These mutations accounted for almost 75% of the total beta-thalassemia chromosomes. We identified 34 different genotypes with a high level of homozygosity. The various beta-thalassemia mutations were characterized using gene amplification with specific oligonucleotide primers, restriction enzyme analysis, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and direct sequencing. By combining these three approaches we were able to detect mutations in almost 90% of the chromosomes studied. Our findings provide a sound foundation on which to base a preventive program for thalassemia and we believe that the data that we present will facilitate the improvement of medical services such as carrier screening, genetic counseling, and prenatal diagnosis. Furthermore a detailed knowledge of the molecular pathology of beta-thalassemia will strongly improve the prenatal diagnosis services in Syria.

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