title: The TNF-alpha -308G/A polymorphism is associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus: an updated meta-analysis.
abstract: The tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha -308G/A polymorphism has long been suspected of being a gene variant that is associated with type 2 diabetes, but studies have reported conflicting outcomes. An updated meta-analysis was performed to investigate whether the TNF-alpha -308A variant is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. Statistical analyses were performed using Revman 5.0 and STATA 10.0 software. A total of 38 case-control studies in 38 articles were included. Statistical analyses of the results suggested that the TNF-alpha -308G/A polymorphism was associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (OR = 1.21, 95 % CI 1.06-1.37, P = 0.003) in a dominant model, particularly for Asian carriers of the A mutation (GA+AA), who were shown to have a 39 % increased risk of type 2 diabetes (OR = 1.39, 95 % CI 1.11-1.74, P = 0.004) compared with wild-type (GG) subjects. However, no significant difference in diabetes risk was found between the mutant and wild-type genotypes in Caucasian subjects (OR = 1.08, 95 % CI 0.98-1.18, P = 0.12). This meta-analysis indicates that the TNF-alpha -308A variant could be a risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes, particularly in Asian subjects. However, this association was not statistically significant in Caucasian subjects. More specified ethnical studies are required to reveal the detailed physiological characteristics of the TNF-alpha -308 G/A polymorphism.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nephrology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China.
authors.forename: Yuliang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Zheng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yonggang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yingying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fu
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000235:genetics*; D005787:Gene Frequency; D056726:Genetic Association Studies; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D016017:Odds Ratio; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D012307:Risk Factors; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: C439524:TNF protein, human; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha