Retrotransposons and Diabetes Mellitus.

Retrotransposons are invasive genetic elements, which replicate by copying and pasting themselves throughout the genome in a process called retrotransposition. The most abundant retrotransposons by number in the human genome are Alu and LINE-1 elements, which comprise approximately 40% of the human genome. The ability of retrotransposons to expand and colonize eukaryotic genomes has rendered them evolutionarily successful and is responsible for creating genetic alterations leading to significant impacts on their hosts.

Alu Methylation Patterns in Type 1 Diabetes: A Case-Control Study.

Evidence suggests that genome-wide hypomethylation may promote genomic instability and cellular senescence, leading to chronic complications in people with diabetes mellitus. Limited data are however available on the Alu methylation status in patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D). : We investigated DNA methylation levels and patterns of Alu methylation in the peripheral blood of 36 patients with T1D and 29 healthy controls, matched for age and sex, by using the COmbined Bisulfite Restriction Analysis method (COBRA).

A Case of Human Infection by Rickettsia slovaca in Greece.

Although tick-borne rickettsiosis is endemic in Greece, until recently, human samples arriving at the National Reference Centre under suspicion of rickettsial infection were routinely tested only for Rickettsia typhi and R. conorii. However, identification of additional rickettsia species in ticks prompted revision of the protocol in 2010.