Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC1) gene variant (rs2302615) is associated with gastric cancer independently of Helicobacter pylori CagA serostatus.

The primary cause of gastric cancer is chronic infection with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), particularly the high-risk genotype cagA, and risk modification by human genetic variants. We studied 94 variants in 54 genes for association with gastric cancer, including rs2302615 in ornithine decarboxylase (ODC1), which may affect response to chemoprevention with the ODC inhibitor, eflornithine (difluoromethylornithine; DFMO).

CLEC4E (Mincle) genetic variation associates with pulmonary tuberculosis in Guinea-Bissau (West Africa).

Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent. According to the WHO, 85% of cases in 2018 were pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB), making it the most prevalent form of the disease. Although the bacillus responsible for disease, Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), is estimated to infect 1.

Geospatial analyses identify regional hot spots of diffuse gastric cancer in rural Central America.

Background: Geospatial technology has facilitated the discovery of disease distributions and etiology and helped target prevention programs. Globally, gastric cancer is the leading infection-associated cancer, and third leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide, with marked geographic variation. Central and South America have a significant burden, particularly in the mountainous regions.

Tipping the Scale Toward Gastric Disease: A Host-Pathogen Genomic Mismatch?

Purpose Of Review: Chronic infection with infection is necessary but not sufficient to initiate development of intestinal-type gastric adenocarcinoma. It is not clear what additional factors tip the scale from commensal bacteria towards a pathogen that facilitates development of gastric cancer. Genetic variants in both the pathogen and host have been implicated, but neither alone explains a substantial portion of disease risk.

Non-additive effects of ACVR2A in preeclampsia in a Philippine population.

Background: Multiple interrelated pathways contribute to the pathogenesis of preeclampsia, and variants in susceptibility genes may play a role among Filipinos, an ethnically distinct group with high prevalence of the disease. The objective of this study was to examine the association between variants in maternal candidate genes and the development of preeclampsia in a Philippine population.

Methods: A case-control study involving 29 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 21 candidate genes was conducted in 150 patients with preeclampsia (cases) and 175 women with uncomplicated normal pregnancies (controls).

Müllerian Agenesis Masquerading as Secondary Amenorrhea.

The most common cause of primary amenorrhea is congenital malformation of the Müllerian ducts, including Müllerian agenesis, also known as Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome (MRKH). Most general gynecologists and primary care physicians who see female adolescents will encounter MRKH in their careers. We present the case of an adolescent with MRKH who reported secondary, instead of primary amenorrhea.

Prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum anti-malarial resistance-associated polymorphisms in pfcrt, pfmdr1 and pfnhe1 in Muheza, Tanzania, prior to introduction of artemisinin combination therapy.

Background: A report of the chloroquine and amodiaquine resistance pfcrt-SVMNT haplotype in Tanzania raises concern about high-level resistance to the artesunate-amodiaquine combination treatment widely employed in Africa. Mutations in the pfmdr1 multi-drug resistance gene may also be associated with resistance, and a highly polymorphic microsatellite (ms-4760) of the pfnhe1 gene involved in quinine susceptibility has not been surveyed in Tanzania.

Methods: A total of 234 samples collected between 2003 - 2006 from an observational birth cohort of young children in Muheza, Tanzania were analysed.

First Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM) Neglected Diseases and Innovation Symposium.

Universities Allied for Essential Medicines organized its first Neglected Diseases and Innovation Symposium to address expanding roles of public sector research institutions in innovation in research and development of biomedical technologies for treatment of diseases, particularly neglected tropical diseases. Universities and other public research institutions are increasingly integrated into the pharmaceutical innovation system. Academic entities now routinely undertake robust high-throughput screening and medicinal chemistry research programs to identify lead compounds for small molecule drugs and novel drug targets.