eConsults and Learning Between Primary Care Providers and Specialists.

Background And Objectives: Patients in many countries face poor access to specialist care. Electronic consultation (eConsult) improves access by allowing primary care providers (PCPs) and specialists to communicate electronically. As more countries adopt eConsult services, there has been growing interest in leveraging them as educational tools.

Common Variants in the Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin (SHBG) Gene Influence SHBG Levels in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

Background: Decreased sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels were associated with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). SHBG polymorphisms associated with reduced SHBG production were tested for their association with PCOS, but with inconclusive results. We tested whether altered SHBG levels and SHBG variants were associated with PCOS.

Protein Z variants associated with protein Z plasma levels and with risk of idiopathic recurrent miscarriage.

Protein Z (PZ) deficiency due to anti-PZ autoantibodies and/or mutations in PZgene was linked with adverse pregnancy outcomes, including idiopathic recurrent miscarriage (IRM). We investigated the association of rs3024718, rs3024719, rs3024731, rs3024778, rs3024772, and rs3024735 (G79A) PZ variants and changes in PZ levels in 287 women with IRM, and 308 control women. Of the 6 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) analyzed, higher minor allele frequency of rs3024735 (G79A) and rs3024731 were seen in IRM cases than in control women.

The relation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene polymorphisms on VEGF levels and the risk of vasoocclusive crisis in sickle cell disease.

Objective: The association of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGFA) variants and VEGF secretion with sickle cell disease (SCD) vasoocclusive crisis (VOC) was investigated in 210 VOC patients and 114 pain-free control patients.

Methods: VEGFA -2578C/A (rs699947), -460T/C (rs833061), -1154G/A (rs15703060), -634G/C (rs2010963), 398G/A (rs833068), 497G/A (rs833070), -583T/C (rs3025020), and 936C/T (rs3025039) were carried out by real-time PCR.

Results: Higher frequency of rs2010963 C-allele, rs833068 A-allele, and rs3025020 C-allele and significant differences in rs2010963, rs833068, and rs3025020 genotype distribution were seen in VOC than steady-state patients.

Protein Z polymorphisms associated with vaso-occlusive crisis in young sickle cell disease patients.

We investigated the association of protein Z (PZ) promoter (rs3024718, rs3024719, and rs3024731) and intron (rs3024735; G79A) SNPs with sickle cell disease (SCD) vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC). Study subjects included 239 SCD patients with VOC and 138 pain-free SCD control patients. PZ genotyping was done by allelic discrimination (real-time PCR) assays.

Anti-phosphatidylserine, anti-cardiolipin, anti-β2 glycoprotein I and anti-prothrombin antibodies in recurrent miscarriage at 8-12 gestational weeks.

Objective: To investigate the association of antibodies to β2-glycoprotein I (anti-β2GPI), cardiolipin (ACA), phosphatidylserine (anti-PS) and prothrombin (anti-PT) with recurrent spontaneous miscarriage (RSM).

Study Design: Case-control study involving 277 RSM cases and 288 controls: autoantibody levels were measured by ELISA. Differences between cases and controls were analyzed by nonparametric Mann-Whitney test, and logistic regression was used in analyzing the association of autoantibodies with RSM.