Bovine tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium bovis remains a significant disease of farmed cattle in many countries despite ongoing tuberculosis eradication programs. Molecular typing methods such as restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis and spoligotyping have been used to identify related herd breakdowns in an attempt to identify more precisely the route of infection into cat...

To the Editor: In her recent letter to BLOOD, Dr Lynas reports the development of a ‘‘cheaper and more rapid polymerase chain reaction (PCR) restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) technique’’1 for detection of mutations in HFE,2 the candidate gene for hemochromatosis. The PCR-RFLP method discussed by Dr Lynas uses Rsa I and Bcl I to cleave products amplified using primers designed by F...

A preliminary investigation of the genetic biodiversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex strains in Cameroon, a country with a high prevalence of tuberculosis, described a group of closely related M. tuberculosis strains (the Cameroon family) currently responsible for more than 40% of smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis cases. Here, we used various molecular methods to study the genetic ...

AIM Substantial data indicate that oxidative stress is involved in the development of diabetic retinopathy (DR). The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the genetic polymorphisms: polymorphic deletions of glutathione S-transferases M1 (GSTM1) and T1 (GSTT1) and Ile105Val of the GSTP1 are associated with DR in Slovenian patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS In this cross secti...

Objective This study aimed to explore the association of insulin-like growth factor 1 gene (IGF1) polymorphisms with diabetic retinopathy (DR) in a Chinese Han population. Methods Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was used for genotyping. Genotype frequencies were compared by chi-square test. Odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was ...

OBJECTIVE Endothelial dysfunction which is induced by serum saturated fatty acids increasing is one of pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy (DR). The intestinal fatty acid binding protein-2 (FABP2) Ala54Thr polymorphism results in serum saturated fatty acids elevating. In the present study, we assessed the association of FABP2 gene polymorphism (Ala54Thr) with DR in Chinese population. MATERI...

PURPOSE Persistent inflammation and impaired neovascularization in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients may lead to development of macro- and microvascular complications. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the secondary microvascular complications of T2DM. Improper activation of the innate immune system may be an important contributor in the pathophysiology of DR. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR...

Class-II histocompatibility genes are associated with predisposition to autoimmune diseases in many mammal species. We have developed a technique using reverse transcriptase and nested-PCR for amplification from blood samples of expressed sequences encoded by canine DLA-DRB1 loci. In the first polymerase chain reaction (PCR), we utilize primers DR-SP and DR-STOP as developed by Sarmiento et al....

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is a major public health problem because treatment is complicated, cure rates are well below those for drug susceptible tuberculosis (TB), and patients may remain infectious for months or years despite receiving the best available therapy. To gain a better understanding of MDR-TB, we characterized isolates recovered from 69 patients with MDR-TB, by use ...