SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: Functional constipation is the most common form of constipation, and its exact aetiology is still unclear. However, it is known that deficiencies in hormonal factors cause constipation by changing physiological mechanisms. Motilin, ghrelin, serotonin acetylcholine, nitric oxide, and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide are factors that play a role in colon motility. There are a limited number of studies in the literature where hormone levels and gene polymorphisms of serotonin and motilin are examined. Our study aimed to investigate the role of motilin, ghrelin, and serotonin gene/receptor/transporter polymorphisms in constipation pathogenesis in patients diagnosed with functional constipation according to the Rome 4 criteria. METHODS: Sociodemographic data, symptom duration, accompanying findings, the presence of constipation in the family, Rome 4 criteria, and clinical findings according to Bristol scale of 200 cases (100 constipated patients and 100 healthy control) who applied to Istanbul Haseki Training and Research Hospital, Pediatric Gastroenterology Outpatient Clinic, between March and September 2019 (6-month period) were recorded. Polymorphisms of motilin-MLN (rs2281820), serotonin receptor-HTR3A (rs1062613), serotonin transporter-5-HTT (rs1042173), ghrelin-GHRL (rs27647), and ghrelin receptor-GHSR (rs572169) were detected by real-time PCR. RESULTS: There was no difference between the two groups in terms of sociodemographic characteristics. Notably, 40% of the constipated group had a family history of constipation. The number of patients who started to have constipation under 24 months was 78, and the number of patients who started to have constipation after 24 months was 22. There was no significant difference between constipation and control groups in terms of genotype and allele frequencies in MLN, HTR3A, 5-HTT, GHRL, and GHSR polymorphisms (p<0.05). Considering only the constipated group, the rates of gene polymorphism were similar among those with/without a positive family history of constipation, constipation onset age, those with/without fissures, those with/without skin tag, and those with type 1/type 2 stool types according to the Bristol stool scale. CONCLUSION: Our study results showed that gene polymorphisms of these three hormones may not be related to constipation in children.

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease characterized by an abnormal immune response occurring in the small intestine linked to consumption of food containing gluten in individuals with a genetic predisposition. Dysregulation of Wnt signal transduction plays a role in the pathogenesis of many diseases including autoimmune diseases like celiac disease. In this study, the correlation of Wnt pathway gene expressions with each other and the correlation with clinical data were researched in pediatric celiac disease cases grouped according to the Marsh classification. METHODS: Gene expression levels of FZD8, DVL2, LRP5, RHOA, CCND2, CXADR, and NFATC1, which are involved in the Wnt pathway, were determined using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction in 40 celiac disease and 30 healthy individuals. RESULTS: All cases with the short height symptom were observed to be in Marsh 3b\3c groups (p=0.03). The gene expressions of DVL2, CCND2, and NFATC1 were high in the Marsh 3b group, and these genes showed positive correlation with each other (p=0.002). LRP5 and CXADR gene expressions were lower in the Marsh 3b group compared to other Marsh groups, and these genes showed a positive correlation with each other (p=0.003). CCND2 gene expression was associated with Marsh 3b group, diarrhea, and vomiting symptoms. DVL2 gene expression was correlated with Marsh 2 group and constipation symptom (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Wnt signaling in the early stages of the disease of Marsh 1–2 involves high expression of LRP5 and CXADR genes, while expression of these two genes reduces, and DVL2, CCND2, and NFATC1 gene expressions clearly increase with a transduction variation observed from Marsh 3a stage when villous atrophy begins to form. It appears that the Wnt pathway may contribute to disease progression through expression changes.

Objective: Recently, epigenetic mechanisms related to histone modifications including histone deacetylation (HDAC) have been emphasized in psychiatric diseases. Few studies have investigated the relationship of HDAC gene variations to psychiatric diseases, but these gene variations have never been studied in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The present case-control study aimed to compare symptomatology with HDAC gene variations in patients with OCD. Methods: Illumina next-generation sequencing of six HDAC genes (HDAC2,3,4,9,10,11) was performed on DNA samples isolated from 200 Turkish subjects recruited from routine clinical practice. Twenty-seven single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) in six HDAC genes were scanned with the LightSNiP method. Results: New variants, all previously unreported in the literature, were identified in the HDAC4, HDAC10, and HDAC11 genes. When control and OCD patient groups were compared, a statistically significant difference was found in HDAC2 rs13212283, HDAC4 rs1063639, and HDAC10 rs1555048 in terms of genotype distribution (p < 0.05). In addition, in the OCD group, a statistically significant relationship was found between some obsessions/compulsions and HDAC2, HDAC3, and HDAC4 polymorphisms (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Our study shows that the HDAC2, HDAC3, HDAC4, and HDAC10 genes may play a role in the pathogenesis of OCD.