The ABCA1 gene polymorphisms rs1800977 and rs2230806 are differentially associated with the risk for myocardial infarction in Slovenian subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Background: The adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) is closely linked to various aspects of the regulation of whole-body cholesterol metabolism and atherosclerosis formation. The object of the study was to investigate the association between rs1800977 and rs2230806 polymorphisms in the ABCA1 gene and myocardial infarction (MI) in Slovenian subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Methods: 1590 T2DM patients (484 subjects with MI and 1106 controls) were included in this retrospective cross-sectional case-control study.

The GG genotype of erythropoietin rs1617640 polymorphism affects the risk of proliferative diabetic retinopathy in Slovenian subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus: enemy or ally?

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between erythropoietin rs1617640 polymorphism and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) in Slovenian subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The second aim was to find whether erythropoietin expression in fibrovascular membranes varies among individuals carrying different genotypes of the rs1617640.

Methods: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study based on 797 unrelated Slovenian (Caucasian) participants with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

The C allele of the reactive oxygen species modulator 1 (ROMO1) polymorphism rs6060566 is a biomarker predicting coronary artery stenosis in Slovenian subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Background: We aimed to examine the role of the rs6060566 polymorphism of the reactive oxygen species modulator 1 (ROMO1) gene in the development of myocardial infarction (MI) in Caucasians with type 2 diabetes (T2DM).

Methods: A total of 1072 subjects with T2DM were enrolled in this cross-sectional case-control study: 335 subjects with MI and 737 subjects without clinical signs of coronary artery disease (CAD). The genetic analysis of the rs6060566 polymorphism was performed in all subjects.

Genetic Variations and Subclinical Markers of Carotid Atherosclerosis in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Atherosclerosis and its cardiovascular complications are the main cause of death in diabetic patients. Patients with diabetes mellitus have a greater than 10-fold risk of cardiovascular disease in their lifetime. The carotid Intima-Media Thickness (cIMT), a surrogate marker for the presence and progression of atherosclerosis, predicts future cardiovascular events in asymptomatic subjects with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM).

Polymorphism rs2073618 of the osteoprotegerin gene as a potential marker of subclinical carotid atherosclerosis in Caucasians with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Background: The OPG/RANKL/RANK (osteoprotegerin/receptor-activator of nuclear factor κB ligand/receptor-activator of nuclear factor κB) axis has been recently linked to the development of atherosclerosis and plaque destabilization. We have investigated whether polymorphism rs2073618 of the OPG gene is associated with subclinical markers of carotid atherosclerosis in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Patients And Methods: 595 subjects with T2DM were enrolled in the cross-sectional study.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the Trx2/TXNIP and TrxR2 genes of the mitochondrial thioredoxin antioxidant system and the risk of diabetic retinopathy in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Background: Oxidative stress plays an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetes and its complications. The aim of this study was to examine the possible association between seven single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the Trx2/TXNIP and TrxR2 genes encoding proteins involved in the thioredoxin antioxidant defence system and the risk of diabetic retinopthy (DR).

Design: Cross-sectional case-control study.

SNP rs2073618 of the osteoprotegerin gene is associated with diabetic retinopathy in Slovenian patients with type 2 diabetes.

Recent studies indicate that osteoprotegerin (OPG) acts as an important regulatory molecule in the vasculature. Also, a strong association was observed between circulation OPG and microvascular complication. By considering the possible role of OPG in diabetic retinopathy (DR) we examined two of the most studied polymorphisms of the OPG genes rs2073618 (located in exon I) and rs3134069 (located in the promoter region) and their relation to DR in Slovenian patients with type 2 diabetes.