?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Adc&rft.relation=http%3A%2F%2Fd-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu%2F8070%2F&rft.title=Polymorphisms+in+the+IL-12+and+IL-12R+Genes%3A+Altering+Plasmodium+Falciparum+Disease+Outcome&rft.creator=Strong%2C+LaToya+Michelle&rft.description=Malaria+is+a+major+public+health+concern+as+greater+than+40%25+of+the+world's+population+is+at+risk.+Globally+and+annually%2C+there+are+approximately+300-500+million+incident+cases+a+year+resulting+in+between+1+and+2+million+deaths%3B+the+majority+of+these+deaths+occur+in+children+under+the+age+of+5+and+in+pregnant+women.+There+are+several+disease+complications+that+can+arise+from+malaria%2C+two+of+which+are+high+density+parasitemia+(HDP)+and+severe+malaria+anemia+(SMA).+Not+everyone+who+gets+malaria+gets+HDP+or+SMA%2C+and+the+underlying+reason+for+this+is+unknown%2C+however%2C+research+has+shown+that+innate+immune+mediators%2C+including+Interleukin-12+(IL-12)%2C+play+an+important+role.+Currently+there+is+no+vaccine+for+malaria+and+drug+resistance+is+a+major+issue.+This+study+is+of+public+health+significance+because+it+can+give+insight+into+the+difference+between+those+individuals+who+progress+to+severe+disease+complications+and+those+that+do+not%3B+potentially+giving+rise+to+novel+drug+and+vaccine+development.+The+severity+and+occurrences+of+these+complications+vary+by+age%2C+region%2C+and+level+of+malaria+endemicity.+Previous+studies+have+indicated+a+role+for+not+only+circulating+levels+of+IL-12%2C+but+also+for+polymorphisms+in+the+IL-12+and+Interleukin-12+Receptor+(IL-12R)+genes.+To+gain+a+better+understanding+of+the+role+that+polymorphisms+in+the+IL-12+and+IL-12R+genes+may+have+we+conducted+a+case-control+study+to+compare+phenotypic+data+to+genotypic+data.+We+investigated+four+Single+Nucleotide+Polymorphisms+(SNPs)+-+rs2243113%2C+rs2243140%2C+rs383483+and+rs429774+-+in+the+IL-12+and+IL-12R+genes+to+determine+if+a+correlation+existed+between+disease+status+and+genotype.+We+found+that+for+all+four+SNPs%2C+there+was+not+a+correlation+between+disease+status+and+genotype.+We+also+investigated+the+distribution+of+these+four+SNPs+across+populations+with+varying+malaria+endemicity.+We+also+found+that+in+all+of+the+populations+except+for+the+Kenyan+population+there+is+a+higher+frequency+of+homozygous+wildtype+alleles+for+both+rs2243113+and+rs2243140+and+a+higher+frequency+of+heterozygotes+for+rs383483.&rft.date=2009-09-29&rft.type=University+of+Pittsburgh+ETD&rft.type=PeerReviewed&rft.format=application%2Fpdf&rft.language=en&rft.identifier=http%3A%2F%2Fd-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu%2F8070%2F1%2Flmstrong_etd_2009.pdf&rft.identifier=++Strong%2C+LaToya+Michelle++(2009)+Polymorphisms+in+the+IL-12+and+IL-12R+Genes%3A+Altering+Plasmodium+Falciparum+Disease+Outcome.++Master's+Thesis%2C+University+of+Pittsburgh.++++(Unpublished)++