Folic acid, dietary habits, and homocysteine levels in relation to neural tube defects: A case-control study in North India.

Purpose: The present study attempts to understand the complex contribution of biochemical (plasma homocysteine) and nutritional parameters (dietary pattern and folate supplementation) to the neural tube defects (NTDs) affected pregnancies and controls in North Indian population.

Methods: Case-control study design was adopted to assess the role of folic acid, dietary habits, and homocysteine in relation to NTD births. The subjects comprised of 130 mothers of affected children (cases) and 233 mothers of healthy children (controls), who were either carrying NTD fetus or gave birth to NTD child.

Pro-inflammatory cytokine gene polymorphisms and threat for coronary heart disease in a North Indian Agrawal population.

The association of IFN-γ (+874 A/T; rs2430561), TNF-α (-308 G/A; rs1800629) and TNF-β (+252 A/G; rs909253) with Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) has not been rigorously tested in Indian population. In the present study we sought to examine the role of these cytokines in the causation of CHD and their association with conventional CHD risk factors. A total of 138 case and 187 unrelated healthy controls aged 35 to 80years, matched on ethnicity and geography were collected from North Indian Agrawal population.

Differences in conventional cardiovascular risk factors in two ethnic groups in India.

Background: Studies have been carried out at national and international levels to assess ethnic variations in the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and their risk factors. However, ethnic variations in the contribution of various risk factors to complex diseases have been scarcely studied.

Objectives: Our study examined such variations in two ethnic groups in India, namely, Meiteis of Manipur (northeast India) and Aggarwals of Delhi (north India).

Folate supplementation, MTHFR gene polymorphism and neural tube defects: a community based case control study in North India.

The present study analyses the potential role of MTHFR gene polymorphism, folate supplementation and dietary pattern among the mothers of NTD neonates and controls in heterogeneous populations of North India, with the special focus on their ethnic labels. Results indicated significant increased risk for neural tube defects with respect to low folic acid supplementation and vegetarian diet in univariate and multivariate analyses. There was no significant difference in the genotypic or allelic distribution of MTHFR C677T polymorphism, however, high frequency of CT genotype, as observed, among controls suggests heterozygous advantage probably due to supplementary folate.

Haplotype diversity and linkage disequilibrium at DRD2 locus--a study on four population groups of Andhra Pradesh, India.

Dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2) is expressed in the central nervous system and has a high affinity for many antipsychotic drugs. Besides several epidemiological investigations on association of DRD2 locus polymorphism(s) with neuropsychiatric problems and addictive behavior, a few polymorphisms in this locus have also been used to understand genomic diversity and population migratory histories globally. The present study attempts to understand the genomic diversity/affinity among four endogamous groups of Andhra Pradesh (India) against the backdrop of diversity studies from other parts of India and the rest of the world, with special reference to DRD2 locus.