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Spina bifida and folate-related genes: a study of gene-gene interactions
Raffaella de Franchis1, Lorenzo D Botto, Gianfranco Sebastio
1Department of Pediatrics, Federico II University, Napoli, Italy.
Purpose:
To assess whether interactions of common alleles of two folate genes contribute to spina bifida risk.
Methods:
Case-control study, comparing 203 children with spina bifida to 583 controls.
Results:
Homozygosity for the 677C-T allele of 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) alone was associated with an odds ratio for spina bifida of 1.57 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02-2.38). For the 844ins68 allele of cystathionine-beta-synthase alone, the odds ratio was 0.83 (95% CI, 0.39-1.64). For the joint genotype, the odds ratio was 3.69 (95% CI, 1.04-13.50).
Conclusions:
Interactions between common alleles of folate genes might contribute to the risk for spina bifida.