Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 22, 2026

Collecting Hair Samples for Hair Cortisol Analysis in African Americans
Published on: June 10, 2018
Serum miR-17 levels are downregulated in obese, African American women with elevated HbA1c
Ariel Williams1,2, Dara Mc Dougal1, Willysha Jenkins1
11Julius l. Chambers Biomedical/ Biotechnology Research Institute, North Carolina Central University, 1801 Fayetteville St., 207 BBRI, Durham, NC 27707 USA.
Purpose:
Type 2 diabetes is heterogeneous disease characterized by several conditions including hyperglycemia. It is estimated that over 350 million people worldwide are suffering from type 2 diabetes and this number is expected to rise. According to the CDC, African Americans were observed to have a 40% higher incidence of diabetes compared to European Americans. Epigenetic modulating mechanisms such as microRNAs (miRNAs), have recently been established as a massive regulatory machine in metabolic syndrome, obesity and type 2 diabetes. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the serum levels of circulating miRNA 17 (miR-17) of obese, African American women with elevated HbA1c.
Methods:
We investigated miR-17 serum levels using qPCR. Then we used Pairwise Pearson Correlation Test to determine the relationship between clinical metabolic parameters and miR-17 serum levels.
Results:
The results indicated that participants with elevated HbA1c exhibited a down regulation of serum miR-17 levels compared to participants with normal HbA1c. MiR-17 was also correlated with serum calcium in participants with normal HbA1c.
Conclusions:
The results suggest that serum miR-17 is involved in the regulation of glucose and calcium homeostasis, which may contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes.
Related Concept Videos
Receptor Downregulation in MVBs
The EGFR can initiate signaling pathways that lead to cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation. Overexpression of EGFR stimulates cells to proliferate. Excessive EGFR...
Freezing Point Depression and Boiling Point Elevation
The boiling point of a liquid is the temperature at which its vapor pressure is equal to ambient atmospheric pressure. Since the vapor pressure of a solution is lowered due to the presence of nonvolatile solutes, it stands to reason that the solution’s boiling point will subsequently be increased. Vapor pressure increases with temperature, and so a solution will require a higher temperature than will pure solvent to achieve any given vapor pressure, including one...
Obesity
Elevation of Intermediate Points on Vertical Curves
Drug Dosing: Obese Patients
High-Level and Low-Level Awareness

