Significant association between methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase 677T allele and hyperuricemia among adult Japanese subjects.

It is well known that high serum uric acid (SUA) is the cause of gout and a risk factor of cardiovascular diseases. Although SUA is thought to have an association with folate metabolism through elevated production and/or damaged renal excretion, studies on functional polymorphisms of folate metabolizing are still limited, showing inconsistent findings. We hypothesized that hyperuricemia would be associated with methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T and thymidylate synthase (TS) 28-bp tandem repeat polymorphism.

No associations of Helicobacter pylori infection and gastric atrophy with plasma total homocysteine in Japanese.

Recent studies have suggested that Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection might be a risk factor for atherosclerosis. Since the bacterium has not been isolated from atherosclerotic lesions, a direct role in atherogenesis is not plausible.