Context: Genetic lipodystrophies are rare disorders characterized by partial or complete loss of adipose tissue and predisposition to insulin resistance and its complications such as diabetes mellitus, hypertriglyceridemia, hepatic steatosis, acanthosis nigricans, and polycystic ovarian syndrome. Objective: The objective of the study was to report a novel autosomal recessive lipodystrophy syndrome. Results: We report the detailed phenotype of two males and one female patient, 26–34 yr old, belonging to two pedigrees with an autosomal recessive syndrome presenting with childhood-onset lipodystrophy, muscle atrophy, severe joint contractures, erythematous skin lesions, and microcytic anemia. Other variable clinical features include hypergammaglobulinemia, hepatosplenomegaly, generalized seizures, and basal ganglia calcification. None of the patients had diabetes mellitus or acanthosis nigricans. Two had mild hypertriglyceridemia and all had low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Skin biopsy of an erythematous nodular skin lesion from one of the patients revealed evidence of panniculitis. The lipodystrophy initially affected the upper body but later became generalized involving abdomen and lower extremities as well. Conclusions: We conclude that these patients represent a novel autoinflammatory syndrome resulting in joint contractures, muscle atrophy, microcytic anemia, and panniculitis-induced lipodystrophy. The molecular genetic basis of this disorder remains to be elucidated.

The two primary pathophysiological characteristics of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are insulin resistance (IR) and beta cell dysfunction. It has been proposed that the development of IR is secondary to the accumulation of triacylglycerols and fatty acids in the muscle and liver, which is in turn thought to be secondary to an enzymatic defect in mitochondrial beta-oxidation. The purpose of the present study was to analyze the molecules of intermediary metabolism to determine if an alteration in mitochondrial function exists in T2DM patients and, if so, to determine whether this alteration is caused by excess nutrients or an enzymatic defect. Seventy-seven subjects were recruited and divided into four groups (21 T2DM patients, 17 non-diabetic overweight/obese subjects, 20 offspring of T2DM patients, and 19 healthy subjects). Anthropometric parameters were determined by air plethysmography, and biochemical and metabolic parameters were measured, including 31 acylcarnitines (ACs) and 13 amino acids quantified by MS/MS and 67 organic acids measured by GC/MS. Patients with T2DM showed elevation of short-chain ACs (C2, C4), a glycogenic amino acid (valine), a glycogenic and ketogenic amino acid (tyrosine), and a ketogenic amino acid (leucine) as well as altered excretion of dicarboxylic acids. T2DM offspring with abnormal glucose tolerance test GTT showed increased levels of C16. Subjects in the obese group who were dysglycemic also showed altered urinary excretion of dicarboxylic acids and lower levels of a long-chain AC (C14:2). These results suggest that mitochondrial beta-oxidation is altered in T2DM patients and that the alteration is most likely caused by nutrient overload through a different pathway from that observed in obese subjects.

Psoriasis is a complex genetic disease, which has previously been associated with numerous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are implicated in various processes, including skin barrier functions and in the regulation of inflammatory and immune responses. The present study aimed to investigate the genotypic and allelic frequencies of 32 SNPs at 24 genetic loci, and their association with psoriasis in a Mexican population. These SNPs, which were associated with psoriasis in previous studies, included the following genes: Major histocompatibility complex class I-C (HLA-C), interleukin (IL)-12B, IL-23R, IL-23A, IL-28RA, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, ring finger protein-114 (RNF114), cyclin-dependent kinase 5 regulatory subunit-associated protein 1-like 1, late cornified envelope 3B/3C, signal transducer and activator of transcription 4, LINC01185, interferon induced with helicase C domain 1, IL-13, TNF-α-induced protein 3 (TNFAIP3), TNFAIP3 interacting protein 1, endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1, TNF receptor-associated factor interacting protein 2, Leptin, nuclear factor of kappa light polypeptide gene enhancer in B-cells inhibitor-alpha, F-box and leucine-rich repeat protein 19, nitric oxide synthase 2, cluster of differentiation 40, nuclear receptor coactivator 5, and ADAM metallopeptidase domain 33. A total of 32 male and 14 female subjects with a clinical diagnosis of chronic plaque psoriasis, as well as 103 control subjects, were analyzed. Molecular analyses were performed using TaqMan® assays in a TaqMan® OpenArray® Genotyping system. Results were analyzed using the Golden Helix SNP and Variation Suite 7 program. Of the 32 SNPs, six were associated with an increased risk of developing psoriasis, including: HLA-C rs10484554 [allele T: odds ratio (OR) 3.51], IL-12B rs3212227 (allele T: OR 1.88), IL-12B rs3213094 (allele C: OR 1.94), HLA complex group 27 rs1265181 (allele C: OR 2.83), annexin A6 rs17728338 (allele A: OR 2.41), and RNF114 rs6125829 (allele G: OR 1.98). Fisher's exact test detected statistical significance; however, following false discovery rate and Bonferroni correction, this association was no longer significant (threshold for genome-wide significance, P<1.56×10−3). SNPs that were associated with an increased risk of psoriasis in the present study have previously been associated with psoriasis in European, American, and Asian populations. In order to establish genome-wide significance, future studies must analyze a greater sample size. To the best of our knowledge, the present pilot study is the first to investigate the association between these 32 SNPs and psoriasis in a Mexican Mestizo population.