Oxidative stress (OS) plays an important role in atherogenesis and since glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) provide protection against OS, we have tested the hypothesis that deletion polymorphisms in two GSTs (GSTM1 and GSTT1) may affect the risk of developing atherosclerosis. A total of 382 individuals (200 patients with atherosclerosis and 182 healthy controls) were included in this association study. Genomic DNA was isolated from peripheral blood cells or from buccal epithelial cells and genotyping was performed using multiplex-PCR or real-time PCR methods. GSTM1 null genotype was significantly more frequent in atherosclerotic patients than in controls (52.0% vs 34.1%) and individuals with the GSTM1 null genotype had an approximately 2-fold increase in atherosclerosis risk (OR: 2.1, 95%CI=1.39-3.17, P=0.0004). GSTT1 null genotype alone did not show a statistically significant effect on atherosclerosis risk modulation, but the association approached significance (OR: 1.57, 95%CI=0.94-2.64, P=0.08). The combined analysis showed that the presence of both genes had a protective effect against atherosclerosis (OR=0.55, 95%CI=0.37-0.83, P=0.005) while double null genotypes led to a robust atherosclerosis risk increase (OR: 8.14, 95%CI= 2.41-27.51, P < 0.0001). This study demonstrated that the GSTM1 null and combined GSTM1/GSTT1 null genotypes are susceptibility factors for development of atherosclerosis in a Serbian population.

Introduction: There is a known connection between periodontitis and atherosclerosis and the presence of periopathogens in blood vessels. However, changes of the oral microflora related to the aging process and its possible effects on atherosclerosis, have yet to be analyzed. The aim of this study was to assess temporal changes in the frequency of periodontal bacteria in the subgingival plaque and in atherosclerotic blood vessels of patients with atherosclerosis. Methodology:The study included 100 patients with atherosclerosis and periodontitis, divided into two groups, below and over 60 years of age. Clinical examinations were performedand subgingival plaque specimens were collected as well as biopsy specimens from the following arteries: coronary (34), carotid (29), abdominal (10), femoral (10), mammary (13) and iliac (4). Subgingival and artery specimens were subjected to PCR detection of 5 major periodontal pathogens: Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg), Prevotella intermedia (Pi), Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aa), Tannerella forsythensis (Tf) and Treponema denticola (Td). Results:Tf was the most and Td the least frequent bacteria in both age groups and in both types of samples. The frequencies of bacteria in subgingival versus atherosclerotic samples were: Tf (76%:53%), Pi (71%:31%), Pg (60%:38%), Aa (39%:14%) and Td (21%:6%). Only Aa and Pi showed a significant difference of prevalence between younger and older patients. The most colonized artery was a. coronaria, followed by a. carotis, a. abdominalis, a. mammaria, and a. femoralis. Conclusions: Patient’s age and the distance of a given blood vessel from the oral cavity influenced microbiological findings in the atherotic plaque.

One of the characteristics of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is the state of persistent oxidative stress (OS) that has been implicated in the pathogenesis of diseases such is atherosclerosis mainly through chronic hyperglycemia that stimulates production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and increases OS. Glutathione S-transferase P1 (GSTP1) is a member of the cytosolic GST superfamily. It plays an important role in neutralizing OS as an enzyme. Also, it participates in regulation of stress signaling and protects cells against apoptosis via its noncatalytic ligand-binding activity. GSTP1 Ile105Val functional polymorphism influences protein catalytic activity and stability and the aim of this study was to determine whether this gene variation influences susceptibility to atherogenesis in T2DM patients. A total of 240 individuals (140 patients with T2DM, accompanied with clinical manifestations of atherosclerosis, and 100 healthy controls) were included in this study. Genomic DNA was isolated from peripheral blood cells and genotyping was performed using polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis. We obtained no statistically significant differences in the distribution of alleles and genotypes between cases and controls (P>0.05) but association between Ile/Val (OR=0.6, 95%CI=0.35-1.05, P=0.08) and Val/Val (OR=0.45, 95%CI=0.18-1.11, P=0.08) genotypes and disease approached significance (P=0.08). Our results indicated that a larger study group is needed to establish the true relationship between potentialiy protective allele Val and the disease, and to determine the influence of other GSTP1 polymorphisms on atherogenesis in T2DM patients. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 175075

BackgroundAvellino corneal dystrophy (ACD) is an autosomal dominant disorder, characterized by the presence of deposits in the anterior stroma, and results from a specific mutation (R124H) in the transforming growth factor beta-induced gene (TGFBI). This report presents corneal dystrophy of the Bowman layer as a rare phenotypic appearance of ACD and a high intra-familial variability of phenotype in patients with ACD.Case presentationA 56 year-old Caucasian woman with recurrent corneal erosions was diagnosed with corneal dystrophy of the Bowman layer after a clinical examination. Optical coherence tomography of the anterior segment (AS-OCT) mainly demonstrated deposits in the Bowman layer and a few deposits in the superficial stroma. Her son, a 36 year-old man, has a typical clinical presentation of ACD with all the deposits arranged in stromal layers. In his case, the opacities resemble snowflakes between the granular deposits, and AS-OCT shows large, snowflake-like deposits in the superficial and deep stroma without accumulation in the Bowman layer. Genetic screening in both cases shows the heterozygous R124H mutation in the TGFBI gene.ConclusionThe clinical finding of the granular-lattice corneal dystrophy in which deposits are located in the Bowman layer may be an atypical presentation of ACD. This paper demonstrates a high degree of variability in the quantity and form of deposits between ACD heterozygotes. This is the first description of Avellino corneal dystrophy in the Balkans and in Serbia.

These polymorphisms cannot be considered risk factors of atherosclerosis in Serbian population. A larger study is required in order to establish possible contribution of pon1 variants to atherosclerosis-related cardiovascular diseases.