Influence of +299G>A and +62G˃A resistin gene promoter variants on cardiovascular risk in Egyptian women with systemic lupus erythematosus

Study on the correlation between gene polymorphisms of adiponectin and resistin levels and abdominal aortic aneurysm

OBJECTIVES

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) is a complex disease with both genetic and environmental risk factors. This study aimed to examine the potential association of the +276G/T and -420C>G polymorphisms in the resistin gene with AAA susceptibility and progression.

METHOD

We performed a retrospective study involving AAA patients and healthy controls, assessing the distribution of the +276G/T and -420C>G genotypes in both groups. Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was assessed for both polymorphisms. Logistic regression was used to explore the influence of these genotypes on AAA occurrence and progression, adjusting for relevant confounders.

RESULTS

The distribution of +276G/T polymorphism did not significantly differ between AAA patients and controls. Conversely, a significant difference was observed in the genotype distribution of -420C>G polymorphism between the two groups. The CC genotype and CC/CG genotypes of -420C>G polymorphism were found to be associated with an increased risk and progression of AAA.

CONCLUSIONS

The -420C>G polymorphism, particularly the CC genotype and CC/CG genotypes, might play a substantial role in AAA susceptibility and progression. The present findings underscore the need for further investigations to confirm these associations and fully elucidate the role of the resistin gene in AAA.

Genetic Markers of Insulin Resistance and Atherosclerosis in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is characterized by impaired insulin secretion on a background of insulin resistance (IR). IR and T2DM are associated with atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (CAD). The mechanisms of IR and atherosclerosis are known to share similar genetic and environmental roots. Endothelial dysfunction (ED) detected at the earliest stages of IR might be the origin of atherosclerosis progression. ED influences the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines and their encoding genes. The genes and their single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) act as potential genetic markers of IR and atherosclerosis. This review focuses on the link between IR, T2DM, atherosclerosis, CAD, and the potential genetic markers CHI3L1, CD36, LEPR, RETN, IL-18, RBP-4, and RARRES2 genes.

Obesity, Diabetes, and Cardiovascular Risk Burden in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Current Approaches and Knowledge Gaps-A Rapid Scoping Review

Obesity, diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular risk are real challenges in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) clinical practice and research. The evidence of the burden of these health problems in SLE patients is determined by the methods used to assess them. Therefore, the aim of this scoping review is to map current approaches in assessing obesity, diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular risk burden in SLE patients and to identify existing knowledge gaps in this field. This rapid scoping review was conducted according to the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and identified 274 articles, of which 73 were included. Most studies were conducted at European institutions and patients were recruited from specialist hospital clinics, the majority of whom were women. The burden of obesity and diabetes mellitus for SLE patients was assessed mainly in terms of prevalence, impact on disease activity, and cardiometabolic risk. The burden of cardiovascular risk was assessed using multiple approaches, mainly imaging and laboratory methods, and risk factor-based scores, although there is great heterogeneity and uncertainty between the methods used. This review highlights the importance of improving and standardizing the approach to obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular risk in SLE patients through a holistic assessment that includes lifestyle, clinical, biological, and social aspects.

Transcriptomic analysis of immune cells in a multi-ethnic cohort of systemic lupus erythematosus patients identifies ethnicity- and disease-specific expression signatures

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease in which outcomes vary among different racial groups. We leverage cell-sorted RNA-seq data (CD14+ monocytes, B cells, CD4+ T cells, and NK cells) from 120 SLE patients (63 Asian and 57 White individuals) and apply a four-tier approach including unsupervised clustering, differential expression analyses, gene co-expression analyses, and machine learning to identify SLE subgroups within this multiethnic cohort. K-means clustering on each cell-type resulted in three clusters for CD4 and CD14, and two for B and NK cells. To understand the identified clusters, correlation analysis revealed significant positive associations between the clusters and clinical parameters including disease activity as well as ethnicity. We then explored differentially expressed genes between Asian and White groups for each cell-type. The shared differentially expressed genes across cells were involved in SLE or other autoimmune-related pathways. Co-expression analysis identified similarly regulated genes across samples and grouped these genes into modules. Finally, random forest classification of disease activity in the White and Asian cohorts showed the best classification in CD4+ T cells in White individuals. The results from these analyses will help stratify patients based on their gene expression signatures to enable SLE precision medicine.

Insulin resistance and serum levels of adipokines in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

We aimed to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies assessing the homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) values, serum adiponectin, leptin and resistin levels in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

METHOD

Online databases were searched on 31 March 2019 in order to identify studies comparing HOMA-IR, serum adiponectin, leptin and resistin levels between patients with SLE and controls. A random-effects model was adopted.

RESULTS

Fifty-six studies involving a total of 4460 patients with SLE were included. Patients with SLE had significantly higher HOMA-IR values (standardized mean difference (SMD)=0.425; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.156-0.693; I²=93.8%) than the control group. The serum levels of adiponectin (SMD=0.547; 95% CI 0.219-0.874; I²=90.1%), leptin (SMD=0.843; 95% CI 0.454-1.231; I²=94.4%) and resistin (SMD=0.856; 95% CI 0.199-1.513; I²=96.6%) were all higher among patients with SLE than controls. A meta-regression analysis revealed that the serum resistin level was positively correlated with disease activity (coefficient 0.123; 95% CI 0.051-0.195; p<0.001).

CONCLUSION

Patients with SLE have higher HOMA-IR values and serum levels of adiponectin, leptin and resistin than individuals without SLE. The serum level of resistin correlates with SLE disease activity.