Showing papers by "Moinak Banerjee published in 2012"

Antipsychotic drug dosage and therapeutic response in schizophrenia is influenced by ABCB1 genotypes: a study from a south Indian perspective.

Abstract: Aim: The conventional practice of using trial and error mode to select antipsychotic drugs in treatment of schizophrenia can result in symptom exacerbations, relapse and severe side effects, resulting in higher costs of treatment. P-glycoprotein (ABCB1) is known to regulate the concentration of antipsychotic drugs in the brain. Variable expressivity based on polymorphism in the gene ABCB1 may reflect on the drug response and its relationship to dosage. Materials & methods: All antipsychotic dosages administered to patients were converted to common chlorpromazine equivalents. Response to antipsychotics was based on 50% cutoff in Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale ratings after 1-year of follow-up. Using a case–control study design, ABCB1 polymorphisms were screened in 192 individuals grouped into responders and nonresponders. Results: A strong allelic, genotypic and haplotypic association, was observed, which was predictive of good response to antipsychotics. Individuals carrying the favorable homozygous genot...

Evidence for transforming growth factor-beta 3 gene polymorphism in non-syndromic cleft lip and palate patients from Indian sub-continent.

Abstract: Objectives: Orofacial clefts are major human birth defects with complex etiology. Previous studies have proposed Transforming growth factor - beta 3 (TGF-β3) gene as a key player in contributing to non-syndromic cleft lip and palate, however none of the studies have yet included Indian population. Hence this study was designed to detect TGF-β3 gene polymorphism in nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate patients from Indian population which is genetically distinct from previously studied populations. Study Design: Peripheral blood samples of forty non-syndromic cleft lip and palate patients and forty unaffected individuals were collected for a case – control study design. Ethical clearance from the institutional review board and informed consent from all subjects was obtained. DNA extracted from the cases and controls was amplified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with TGF-β3 specific primers. The obtained fragments were sequenced and TGF-β3 gene polymorphisms were assessed based on the number of CA repeats. Results: Chi –square test was used to compare the case and control groups. Results showed a significant difference in the number of CA repeats between the case and the control groups (p=0.01). Conclusion: This study confirms the crucial role of TGF-β3 in the fusion of palatal shelves during development and further, provides novel evidence of TGF-β3 gene polymorphism in the etiology of nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate in Indian subpopulation. Key words: Orofacial clefts, nonsyndromic cleft lip with/without cleft palate, TGF-β3, Polymerase chain reaction, gene polymorphism.