Meta-analysis of <Emphasis Type="Italic">C242T</Emphasis> polymorphism in <Emphasis Type="Italic">CYBA</Emphasis> genes: risk of acute coronary syndrome is lower in Asians but not in Caucasians

Background

A lot of studies have demonstrated that C242T polymorphism in CYBA genes may play an important role in the pathological process of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). However, the results are not consistent. To further evaluate this debate, we performed a meta-analysis to determine the relationship between C242T polymorphism and ACS.

Methods and results

We screened PubMed/MEDLINE, EBSCIO, and EMBASE research reports until Mar. 2014 and extracted data from 10 studies involving 6102 ACS patients and 8669 controls. Subgroup analysis by ethnicity documented a significant decreased risk of ACS for C242T polymorphism in the Asian population under allelic comparison (odd ratio (OR) 0.73; 95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.64–0.83), dominant model (OR 0.71; 95% CI 0.62–0.82), and homozygote comparison (OR 0.57; 95% CI 0.35–0.92). However, in the overall population and especially with Caucasians, no significant association was uncovered. Further meta-regression analysis revealed that the heterogeneity among studies was largely attributed to ethnicity. No publication bias was detected through a funnel plot and an Egger’s linear regression test.

Conclusions

Taken together, our results suggest that the C242T polymorphism might be a protective factor against developing ACS in the Asian population. Further researches will be needed to identify the confounding factors which modified the protective effect of T allele among Caucasians.

     

两个Ramsey数R(m,n,l)和R(m,n,l,s)的含参数的上界

Ｉｎ 1935 ,Ｐ .Ｅｒｄ¨ｏｓａｎｄＧＳｚｅｋｅｒｅｓｏｂｔａｉｎｅｄｔｈｅｃｌａｓｓｉｃａｌｉｎｅｑｕａｌｉｔｙＲ (ｍ ,ｎ)≤Ｒ (ｍ - 1,ｎ) Ｒ(ｍ ,ｎ - 1) .　Ｉｎ 196 8,Ｋ .ＷａｌｋｅｒｐｒｏｖｅｄｔｈａｔＲ(ｎ ,ｎ)≤ 4Ｒ(ｎ- 2 ,ｎ) 2 .　Ｉｎ 1998,ＨｕａｎｇＹ .Ｒ .ａｎｄＺｈａｎｇＫ .Ｍ .[1,2 ] ｐｒｏｖｅｄｔｈａｔＲ(ｍ ,ｎ)≤ 12 (β 3γ 5 ) 　　12 γ(4α 2 β - 3γ 6 ) (β 1) 2　Ｉｎｔｈｉｓｐａｐｅｒ ,ｗｅｏｂｔａｉｎｓｏｍｅｎｅｗｕｐｐｅｒｂｏｕｎｄｓｆｏｒＲ(ｍ ,ｎ ,ｌ)ａｎｄＲ(ｍ …     

Seymour Benzer and T4 <Emphasis Type="Italic">r</Emphasis>II

One of the goals of genetics is to understand genes in as much detail as possible. For instance, with respect to a given gene, one would like to know its chromosomal location, its physical and genetic size, its neighbours, the number of mutations/alleles defining the gene, the order of mutations, the genetic/physical distance between them, etc. Thus, rather than focusing on the whole genome, one focuses on the finer details of a given genetic segment. The exercise of probing such details is called ‘fine structure genetic analysis’. There are several pioneers who have contributed enormously to this area in many bacterial and phage systems. Two stalwarts, Seymour Benzer and Charles Yanofsky, stand preeminent among them. In the following pages I present briefly Benzer’s outstanding work on the fine structure of the rII region of bacteriopage T4. These path-breaking studies contributed significantly to our understanding of the structure, organization and function of genes. R Jayaraman is an Emeritus Professor of Molecular Biology at the School of Biological Sciences, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, where he taught and carried out research in the area of microbial genetics for three decades.     

A comparative study of conventional and supercritical fluid extraction methods for the recovery of secondary metabolites from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Syzygium campanulatum</Emphasis> Korth

Syzygium campanulatum Korth is a plant, which is a rich source of secondary metabolites (especially flavanones, chalcone, and triterpenoids). In our present study, three conventional solvent extraction (CSE) techniques and supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) techniques were performed to achieve a maximum recovery of two flavanones, chalcone, and two triterpenoids from S. campanulatum leaves. Furthermore, a Box-Behnken design was constructed for the SFE technique using pressure, temperature, and particle size as independent variables, and yields of crude extract, individual and total secondary metabolites as the dependent variables. In the CSE procedure, twenty extracts were produced using ten different solvents and three techniques (maceration, soxhletion, and reflux). An enriched extract of five secondary metabolites was collected using n-hexane:methanol (1:1) soxhletion. Using food-grade ethanol as a modifier, the SFE methods produced a higher recovery (25.5%?84.9%) of selected secondary metabolites as compared to the CSE techniques (0.92%?66.00%).     

Nicotinamide <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-methyltransferase protein expression in renal cell cancer

Objective: To understand the function of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT) protein as tumor biomarker in renal carcinoma. Methods: Recombinant NNMT protein was used to prepare monoclonal antibodies by hybridoma technique. The diagnostic and prognostic function of NNMT protein in renal carcinoma was evaluated by analyzing 74 renal cancer tissues through immunohistochemical staining for NNMT by using the prepared antibodies. Results: Two hybridomas named 2F8 and 1E7 stably secreting the monoclonal antib...     

Study of serum<Emphasis Type="Italic">Helicobacter pylori</Emphasis> soluble antigen

Objective: to explore a new serological method for detectingHelicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. Methods: Serum soluble antigen ofH. pylori was detected by using avidin-biotin ELISA technique to evaluate the status ofH. pylori infection and for comparison with rapid urease test (RUT), histologic examination and serology. Results: The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 77.46%, 91.07%, 91.67% and 76.12%, respectively. The prevalence rate of serumH. pylori soluble antigen in 138 patients undergoing endoscopy was similar to the rate obtained by¹⁴C-UBT methods (P>0.05). Conclusions: The detection of serumH. pylori soluble antigen(HpSAg) could be used as a new serological method which is accurate, and convenient, not affected by the memorizing reaction of serum antibody; is more sensitive, more specific and suitable for clinical diagnosis, and evaluation of eradication and for follow-up ofH. pylori as well as for detection in children and pregnant women. Project supported by Zhejiang Provincial Health Bureau (No. 2000A118), China     

Determination of the genus-specific antigens in outer membrane proteins from the strains of<Emphasis Type="Italic">Leptospira interrogans</Emphasis> and<Emphasis Type="Italic">Leptospira biflexa</Emphasis> with different virulence

Objective: To determine the existence of genus-specific antigens in outer membrane proteins (OMPs) ofleptospira with different virulence. Methods: Microscope agglutination test (MAT) was applied to detect the agglutination between commercial rabbit antiserum against leptospiral genus-specific TR/Patoc I antigen and 17 strains ofLeptospira interrongans belonging to 15 serogroups and 2 strains ofLeptospira biflexa belonging to 2 serogroups. The outer envelopes (OEs) ofLinterrogans serogroupIcterohaemorrhagiae serovarlai strainlai (56601) with strong virulence and serogroupPomona serovarpomona strainLuo (56608) with low virulence, andL. biflexa serogroupSemaranga serovarpatoc strainPatoc I without virulence were prepared by using the method reported in Auranet al. (1972). OMPs in the OEs were obtained by treatment with sodium deoxycholate. SDS-PAGE and western blot were used for analyzing the features of the OMPs on electrophoretic pattern and the immunoreactivity to the antiserum against TR/Patoc I antigen, respectively. Results: All the tested strains belonging to different leptospiral serogroups agglutinated to the antiserum against leptospiral genus-specific TR/Patoc I antigen with agglutination titers ranging from 1:256–1:512. A similar SDS-PAGE pattern of the OMPs from the three strains ofleptospira with different virulence was shown and the molecular weight of a major protein fragment in the OMPs was found to be approximately 60 Kda. A positive protein fragment with approximately 32 KDa confirmed by Western blot, was able to react with the antiserum against leptospiral genus-specific TR/Patoc I antigen, and was found in each the OMPs of the three stains ofleptospira. Conclusion: There are genus-specific antigens on the surface ofL.interrogans andL.biflexa. The OMP with molecular weight of 32 KDa may be one of the genus-specific protein antigens ofleptospira. Project (No. 39970678) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China     

Improved production of spiramycin by mutant<Emphasis Type="Italic">Streptomyces ambofaciens</Emphasis>

Strain improvement and medium optimization to increase the productivity of spiramycin were carried out. Of oil tolerant mutant strains screened, one mutant,Streptomyces ambofaciens XC 2–37, produced 9% more spiramycin than the parent strainS. ambofaciens XC 1–29. The effects of soybean oil and propyl alcohol on spiramycin production withS. ambofaciens XC 2–37 were studied. The potency ofS. ambofaciens XC 2–37 was improved by 61.8% with addition of 2% soybean oil in the fermentation medium and 0.4% propyl alcohol at 24 hours after incubation. The suitable time for feeding propyl alcohol is at 24 hours after incubation in flask fermentation and at 20 hours after incubation in fermentor fermentation. The new process withS. ambofaciens XC 2–37 was scaled up for industrial scale production of spiramycin in a 60 m³ fermentor in Xinchang Pharmaceutical Factory, Zhejiang Medicine Company, Ltd., China, and the potency and productivity of fermentation were improved by 42.9%.     

Mutagenic effects of chromium trioxide on root tip cells of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Vicia faba</Emphasis>

In this study on the mutagenic effects of different concentrations of chromium trioxide (CrO₃) on Vicia faba root tip, micronucleus assay and chromosome aberration assay were used to determine the mitotic indexes, micronucleus rate and chromosome aberration rate of Vicia faba root tip cells. The results showed that the effects of CrO₃ concentration on the mitotic indexes were complicated. CrO₃ increases the micronucleus rate of Vicia faba root tip cells. It was found that within certain range of CrO₃ concentration the micronucleus rate increased systematically with increased concentration of CrO₃, but that the micronucleus rate decreased at higher level of CrO₃ and that CrO₃ also caused various types of chromosome aberration at a rate which increased systematically with increased concentration of CrO₃. We concluded that CrO₃ has significant mutagenic effect on Vicia faba root tip cells. Project supported by Wenzhou Technology Bureau (No. S2002A015) and Wenzhou “551” Talented People Fund of China     

Nonlinear Riemann Problem for Nonlinear Elliptic Systems in Sobolev Space W1，p（ D ）

The nonlinear Riemann problems were converted into nonlinear singular integral equations and the existence of the solution for the problem was proved by means of contract principle.     

Institutionalizing <Emphasis Type="Italic">The Outsiders</Emphasis>: YA Literature,Social Class,and the American Faith in Education

The Outsiders if often credited with marking the emergence of YA literature. It was written by a teenager and was intended to represent honestly the difficult lives of other young adults. Despite the novel’s audience and purpose and its potentially provocative acknowledgment of the problems of social class, The Outsiders was readily institutionalized as part of school reading lists and educational curricula throughout the United States. Its institutionalization can be accounted for in part by the way it offers a palliative to the problems it depicts. The protagonist, Ponyboy, represents the novel itself as an intervention into those problems, but it works to reaffirm a notion of rugged individualism and a faith in American education. Such lessons ultimately disarm the novel’s class critique and render it safe for educational institutions.

Enhancing rice resistance to fungal pathogens by transformation with cell wall degrading enzyme genes from<Emphasis Type="Italic">Trichoderma atroviride</Emphasis>

Three genes encoding for fungal cell wall degrading enzymes (CWDEs),ech42, nag70 andglu78 from the biocontrol fungusTrichoderma atroviride were inserted into the binary vector pCAMBIA1305.2 singly and in all possible combinations and transformed to rice plants. More than 1800 independently regenerated plantlets in seven different populations (for each of the three genes and each of the four gene combinations) were obtained. Theech42 gene encoding for an endochitinase increased resistance to sheath blight caused byRhizoctonia solani, while the exochitinase-encoding gene,nag70, had lesser effect. The expression level of endochitinase but exochitinase was correlated with disease resistance. Nevertheless, exochitinase enhanced the effect of endochitinase on disease resistance when the two genes co-expressed in transgenics. Resistance toMagnaporthe grisea was found in all kinds of regenerated plants including that with singlegluc78. A few lines expressing eitherech42 ornag70 gene were immune to the disease. Transgenic plants are being tested to further evaluate disease resistance at field level. This is the first report of multiple of expression of genes encoding CWDEs fromTrichoderma atroviride that result in resistance to blast and sheath blight in rice. Project (No. 3997002) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China     

Cloning and characterization of a glucose 6-phosphate/phosphate translocator from<Emphasis Type="Italic">Oryza sativa</Emphasis>

Plastids of nongreen tissues import carbon as a source of biosynthetic pathways and energy, and glucose 6-phosphate is the preferred hexose phosphate taken up by nongreen plastids. A cDNA clone encoding glucose 6-phosphate/phosphate translocator (GPT) was isolated from a cDNA library of immature seeds of rice and named asOsGPT. The cDNA has one uninterrupted open reading frame encoding a 42 kDa polypeptide possessing transit peptide consisting of 70 amino acid residues. TheOsGPT gene maps on chromosome 8 of rice and is linked to the quantitative trait locus for 1000-grain weight. The expression ofOsGPT is mainly restricted to heterotrophic tissues. These results suggest that glucose 6-phosphate imported viaGPT can be used for starch biosynthesis in rice nongreen plastids. Project supported by National Natural Scienc Foundation of China (No.39830250) and Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province (No.2A0106), China. The nucleotide sequence data will appear in the GenBank under accession number AF375053.     

Effect of vertebrate hormones and prostaglandins on growth,silk quality and metabolic activities of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bombyx mori</Emphasis> L

The economic importance of silkworm has moved biologists to explore various intricate mechanisms of the action of vertebrate hormones. The dietary administration of several vertebrate hormones and prostaglandins enhanced both developmental and metabolic processes of silkworm, Bombyx mori L. The main objective of sericulture research is to apply the results to achieve superior quality silk and greater output, to apply lab findings to achieve desirable ecenomic results.     

Analysis of digenic epistatic effects and<Emphasis Type="Italic">QE</Emphasis> interaction effects QTL controlling grain weight in rice

Immortalized F₂ population of rice (Oryza sativa L.) was developed by randomly mating F₁ among recombinant inbred (RI) lines derived from (Zhenshan 97B × Minghui 63), which allowed replications within and across environments. OTL (quantitative trait loci) mapping analysis on kilo-grain weight of immortalized F₂ population was performed by using newly developed software for QTL mapping, QTLMapper 2.0. Eleven distinctly digenic epistatic loci included a total of 15 QTL were located on eight chromosome. QTL main effects of additive, domainance, and additive × additive, additive × domainance, and dominance × dominance interactions were estimated. Interaction effects between QTL main effects and environments (QE) were predicted. Less than 40% of single effects, most of which were additive effects, for identified QTL were significant at 5% level. The directional difference for QTL main effects suggested that these QTL were distributed in parents in the repulsion phase. This should make it feasible to improve kilo-grain weight of both parents by selecting apprents in the repulsion phase. This should make it feasible to improve kilo-grain weight of both parents by selecting appropriate new recombinants. Only few of theQE interaction effects were significant. Application prospect for QTL mapping achievements in genetic breeding was discussed. Project (No. 39893354) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China     

Influence of nitrogen and sulfur fertilization on quality of canola (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Brassica napus</Emphasis> L.) under rainfed conditions

Field experiments were conducted at Cereal Crops Research Institute, Pirsabak, Nowshera, Pakistan, during winter 2003~2004 and 2004~2005 to evaluate the effect of nitrogen and sulfur levels and methods of nitrogen application on canola (Brassica napus L. cv. Bulbul-98) under rainfed conditions. Four levels of S (0, 10, 20, and 30 kg/ha) and three levels of N (40, 60, and 80 kg/ha) and a control treatment with both nutrients at zero level were included in the experiments. Sulfur levels were applied at sowing while N levels were applied by three methods (100% soil application, 90% soil 10% foliar application, and 80% soil 20% foliar application). The experiments were laid out in randomized complete block (RCB) design having four replications. Oil content increased significantly up to 20 kg S/ha but further increase in S level did not enhance oil content. Glucosinolate content increased from 13.6 to 24.6 μmol/g as S rate was increased from 0 to 30 kg/ha. Protein content increased from 22.4% to 23.2% as S rate was increased from 0 to 20 kg/ha. Oil content responded negatively to the increasing N levels. The highest N level resulted in the highest values for protein (23.5%) and glucosinolate (19.9 μmol/g) contents. Methods of N application had no significant impact on any parameters under study.