Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) at rs 1501299 (SNP+276 G>T) of the adiponectin gene and plasma adiponectin levels in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients in Myanmar. Methodology: One hundred T2DM patients and 104 non-diabetic subjects were included in this cross-sectional analytical study. Genotype frequencies were determined by polymerase chain reaction - restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. Plasma adiponectin level was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Result: Genotype frequencies (GG, GT, TT) of SNP+276 in diabetic patients were 39%, 48% and 13%, respectively. The GT and TT genotypes were more frequent in T2DM patients (OR 1.98, 95% CI, 1.10-3.55; p=0.02 and OR 4.07, 95% CI, 1.34-12.3; p=0.01), respectively. The T allele of SNP+276 was significantly associated with T2DM (OR 1.96, 95% CI, 1.27-3.01; p=0.002). Mean plasma adiponectin level was significantly lower than in T2DM patients (27.41±16.7 μg/mL) compared to non-diabetic subjects (37.19±26.77 μg/mL) (p=0.002) Conclusion SNP+276 at rs 1501299 of the adiponectin gene was associated with type 2 diabetes and low plasma adiponectin levels in this Myanmar population.
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2

Objectives: To investigate the association between the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs7903146 in the transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2) gene and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and to examine the impact of this variant on pancreatic beta-cell function in the Myanmar population. Methodology: A case-control study was undertaken in 100 subjects with T2DM and 113 controls. The SNP rs7903146 was genotyped using the allele-specific polymerase chain reaction method. Plasma glucose and serum insulin levels were determined using the enzymatic colorimetric method and ELISA respectively. Beta-cell function was calculated by the HOMA-β formula. Results: The frequencies of carrier genotypes (CT and TT) were higher in subjects with T2DM than in controls. The minor T alleles of rs7903146 were found to statistically increase type 2 diabetes risk than the C allele with an allelic odds ratio of 2.07 (95% CI 1.39-3.09, p=0.0004). The mean HOMA-β level of the group with non-carrier genotype (CC) was significantly higher than that of the groups with carrier genotypes (CT and TT) in subjects with T2DM and controls with a p-value of 0.0003 and less than 0.0001, respectively. Conclusion The rs7903146 variant of the TCF7L2 gene was found to be associated with T2DM and low β-cell function among Myanmar subjects.
TCF7L2 ; Myanmar

BACKGROUND: Airborne particulate pollution is more critical in the developing world than in the developed countries in which industrialization and urbanization are rapidly increased. Yangon, a second capital of Myanmar, is a highly congested and densely populated city. Yet, there is limited study which assesses particulate matter (PM) in Yangon currently. Few previous local studies were performed to assess particulate air pollution but most results were concerned PM alone using fixed monitoring. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess distribution of PM in different townships of Yangon, Myanmar. This is the first study to quantify the regional distribution of PM in Yangon City. METHODS: The concentration of PM was measured using Pocket PM Sensor (Yaguchi Electric Co., Ltd., Miyagi, Japan) three times (7:00 h, 13:00 h, 19:00 h) for 15 min per day for 5 days from January 25 to 29 in seven townships. Detailed information of eight tracks for PM pollution status in different areas with different conditions within Kamayut Township were also collected. RESULTS: The results showed that in all townships, the highest PM concentrations in the morning followed by the evening and the lowest concentrations in the afternoon were observed. Among the seven townships, Hlaingtharyar Township had the highest concentrations (164 ± 52 μg/m) in the morning and (100 ± 35 μg/m) in the evening. Data from eight tracks in Kamayut Township also indicated that PM concentrations varied between different areas and conditions of the same township at the same time. CONCLUSION Myanmar is one of the few countries that still have to establish national air quality standards. The results obtained from this study are useful for the better understanding of the nature of air pollution linked to PM. Moreover, the sensor which was used in this study can provide real-time exposure, and this could give more accurate exposure data of the population especially those subpopulations that are highly exposed than fixed station monitoring.
Air Pollutants ; analysis ; Cities ; Environmental Monitoring ; Myanmar ; Particulate Matter ; analysis