CFTR Gene Mutations and Asthma in Indian Children: A Case–Control Study

Cystic Fibrosis Trans membrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene is an asthma susceptibility gene. In the present study we investigated the possible association of CFTR gene mutations in Indian asthmatic children as compared to controls. The study included 250 asthmatics and 250 age and sex matched controls. Case to control ratio for sample size was 1:1. Genotyping was performed for 24 CFTR gene mutations by ARMS-PCR and PCR–RFLP method. Among 24 CFTR gene mutations, heterozygous allele of R553X mutation was found in 4 (1.6 %) asthmatic cases and 2 (0.8 %) controls. Value of FVC and FEV1/FVC ratio were significantly lower in heterozygous individuals (p value <0.05). No significant difference was observed in the genotype and allele frequency of R553X mutation (OR = 1.339, 95 % CI = 0.755–2.374, p value = 0.685). Furthermore, all wild type homozygous alleles were observed in remaining 23 CFTR gene mutations. Our data concludes that R553X mutation was not significantly associated in Indian asthmatic children.     

Secondary symptoms of dyslexia: a comparison of self-esteem and anxiety profiles of children with and without dyslexia

The secondary symptoms of individuals with dyslexia, such as high anxiety and low self-esteem, have aroused various debates not only in the educational, but also in the clinical context. Since pro and contra arguments are supported by a more or less equal number of empirical findings, no final conclusion could be drawn for this specific phenomenon. The current study aims to contribute more data in this respect and offers a possible explanation for both sides that either support or reject the relationship between dyslexia and its secondary symptoms. The main investigation of this study is the comparison of anxiety and self-esteem profiles of children with and without dyslexia. Participants are 124 school children aged between eight and 11 years. Their IQ as well as their reading and writing ability were also measured and used as control variables. All data were collected and analysed using a quantitative approach. Effect sizes are also provided in order to facilitate meta-analysis in the future and to confirm the results of a significant test. The results indicate that children with dyslexia have anxiety and self-esteem issues in the specific context or domain. However, their general anxiety and self-esteem were not impaired. A discussion regarding the possibility and/or the necessity of the secondary symptoms of dyslexia is also provided.     

Hypoadiponectinemia in Obesity: Association with Insulin Resistance

Obesity is risk factor for insulin resistance, diabetes, and other chronic diseases. Adiponectin, an adipose-specific protein with antiatherogenic and antiinflammatory effects, were found to be associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes, and insulin resistance. Our aim to identify possible relationships between circulating adiponectin and obesity as well as obesity related phenotypes. A total of 642, obese and non-obese individuals were included in this cross-sectional study. Hormone and glucose levels were estimated using standard protocols. The adiponectin levels showed a significant decrease with increasing quartiles of insulin resistance index. Subjects in lowest quartile of adiponectin level had a significantly higher risk than those in the highest quartile, with higher body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure, percentage body fat, fat mass, fasting insulin, insulin resistance index, total cholesterol (p < 0.001), low density lipoprotein–cholesterol (p = 0.001), very low density lipoprotein–cholesterol (p = 0.002), and Triglyceride (p = 0.002). The present study indicates that adiponectin is significantly associated with obesity, insulin resistance and other obesity related phenotypes.     

Cytokine Gene Polymorphism in Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome Children

The pathogenesis of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome is not completely understood. We postulate that cytokine gene polymorphisms may influence susceptibility or clinical course in Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome. Polymorphisms of IL-4, IL-6, and TNF-α cytokines were investigated in 150 children with Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome and 569 healthy controls by using polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism. On comparing patient with controls strong association were found for IL-6, TNF-α and IL-4 at allelic level (IL-6-G174C (G vs. C): P = <0.001; OR = 6.33, TNF-α-G308A (G vs. A): P = <0.001; OR = 1.99, IL-4-C590T (C vs. T): P = 0.048; OR = 1.38). Further when SR group was compared with SS group significant association was found at genotypic level in all the studied genetic polymorphisms. Studied cytokine gene polymorphisms may influence susceptibility to idiopathic nephrotic syndrome and might affect steroid response in INS patients.     

Reading comprehension of monolingual and bilingual children in primary school: the role of linguistic abilities and phonological processing skills

European Journal of Psychology of Education - Reading comprehension in bilingual children depends on the extent to which each language is used in daily life. To date, most bilingual studies have...