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Aim of the Study: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disorder causing demyelination in axons. Available therapies target different molecules, but not all have therapeutic effects on disease progression, and this effect can only be seen after a long-time administration. Interferon beta (IFN-β), an MS therapy for many years, slows down the disease progression and reduces disease symptoms by targeting T cells. Yet, a considerable portion of the patient has experienced no therapeutic response to IFN-β. It is necessary to determine disease-specific biomarkers which allow early diagnosis or treatment of MS. Here, it was aimed to determine the effects of interleukin 10 (IL10) and 23 (IL23A) as well as forkhead box P3 (FOXP3) genes on MS after IFN-β therapy. Materials & Methods: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were extracted to isolate CD4+ and CD25+ T cells. Cytotoxicity assays were performed on each cell type for determining optimum drug concentration. Then, cells were cultured and determined drug concentration was administered to the cells to measure gene expressions with RT-PCR. Results: It was found that the cytotoxic effect of IFN-β was more efficient as the exposure time was expanded regardless of drug concentration. Moreover, CD25+ T lymphocytes were more resistant to IFN-β. IL23A was down-regulated, whereas FOXP3 was up-regulated at 48h in CD4+ T cells. For CD25+ T cells, the graded increase of FOXP3 was obtained while IL10 expression was gradually decreased throughout the drug intake, significantly. Conclusion: Although considerable change in expression was obtained, the long-term IFN-β effect on both genes and cells should be determined by follow-up at least a year. Keywords: MS, IFN-β, IL23A, FOXP3, IL10, T cells

Objective: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a disorder characterized by partial or complete narrowing of the pharyngeal airway during sleep. In this study it was aimed to investigate the relation between OSAS and different variants of the ApoE gene, and to identify other risk factors that may affect the development of the disease. Materials and Methods: Fifty-two patients with OSAS and 50 healthy volunteers were enrolled into the study. After collecting the necessary information associated with OSAS from the individuals, DNA was isolated from blood. ε2, ε3 and ε4 variants of Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) gene were investigated using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results: When the groups were compared with each other, age, body mass index, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein, triglyceride, neck circumference, waist circumference, apnea hypopnea index, Epworth sleepiness scale, smoking, and daytime sleepiness were found statistically significant. The ε2 variant was found statistically high in the control group. Also, waist circumference, triglyceride and LDL levels were found statistically low in individuals with the ε2 genotype. In addition, triglyceride levels were found statistically high in individuals with the ε4 genotype. Conclusion: The presence of the ε2 variant in healthy individuals may have a protective effect against OSAS. In addition, the relation between different variants of ApoE with LDL and triglyceride levels demonstrates the overlap of genotype and phenotype data

Abstract. Observational studies performed in homogeneous groups to objectively investigate the cause and effect relationship between vitamin D deficiency and sleep disorders are scarce. In this study, it was aimed to analyze the relationship between the severity of OSAS and vitamin-D levels among the participants whose features affecting serum vit-D levels were minimised. Serum 25-OH vitamin-D levels in 121 OSAS Male patients diagnosed by polysomnography without any systemic disease or vitamin-D supplement that may effect the vitamin-D metabolism were measured. The study was conducted in winter (latitude: 41°). Anthropometric measures and biochemical tests were also performed. The distribution of vitamin-D levels was determined as severe deficiency, deficiency, insufficiency and sufficiency. Apnea-hypopne index (AHI)

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a highly prevalent disorder which results in markedly reduced (hypopnea) or absent (apnea) airflow at the nose/mouth. Since vitamin D deficiency has found in an association with some disorders it is thought to be related with OSAS progression. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between VDR, VDBP mutations, vitamin D level and some environmental risk factors with OSAS. Fifty individuals who were diagnosed as OSAS were selected as patients, 50 healthy volunteers without any disease were selected as controls. FokI (rs2228570) and BsmI (rs1544410) mutations in VDR; rs4588 and rs7041 mutations in VDBP were investigated with quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Other risk factors were also investigated. Results were evaluated statistically. Statistically significant differences were observed according to the baseline characteristics between the groups, When groups were compared with each other, CA genotype in rs4588, CC genotype in rs2228570 and AA genotype in rs1544410 mutations were found statistically significant in patients whereas TC genotype in rs2228570 and GA genotype in rs1544410 mutations were found statistically significant in controls. When the relation between risk factors and genotypes were investigated, statistically significant associations were detected for body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, Apnea–Hypopnea Index (AHI), excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), vitamin D and triglyceride levels. VDR and VDBP mutations were found highly related with OSAS. Possible tracking of these mutations and risk factors may help to understand the metabolism as well as the progression of the disease.