Objective To establish a PCR-RFLP method for detection of CD26 mutation of hemoglobin E(HbE)gene.Methods The genome DNA from the family members who were suspected of having HbE combined with beta-thalassemia was amplified using PCR.The PCR products were digested by restriction endonuclease Mnl I,and then separated on PAGE.The electrophoretical patterns were finally analyzed to confirm if CD26 mutation was present or not.Results Four cases with CD26 mutation in two families were successfully screened out.Conclusion Although the incident frequency of CD26 mutation in Sichuan population is not high,it must not be neglected since it may present alone or combined with other type of thalassemia.PCR-RFLP method described in this study is available in screening mutated HbE gene and treating the disease owing to its simplicity,rapidity and specificity.

The ecosystem characteristics of soil microorganism and the nutrient uptake of irrigated rice were investigated in a split-block experiment with different fertilization treatments, including control (no fertilizer application), PK, NK, NP, NPK fertilization, in the main block, and conventional rice and hybrid rice comparison, in the sub block. Average data of five treatments in five years indicated that the indigenous N supply (INS) capacity ranged from 32.72 to 93.21 kg/ha; that indigenous P supply (IPS)capacity ranged from 7.42 to 32.25 kg/ha; and that indigenous K supply (IKS) capacity ranged from 16.24 to 140.51 kg/ha, which showed that soil available nutrient pool depletion might occur very fast and that P, K deficiency has become a constraint to increasing yields of consecutive crops grown without fertilizer application. It was found that soil nutrient deficiency and unbalanced fertilization to rice crop had negative effect on the diversity of the microbial community and total microbial biomass in the soil.The long-term fertilizer experiment (LTFE) also showed that balanced application of N, P and K promoted microbial biomass growth and improvement of community composition. Unbalanced fertilization reduced microbial N and increased C/N ratio of the microbial biomass. Compared with inbred rice, hybrid rice behavior is characterized by physiological advantage in nutrient uptake and lower internal K use efficiency.

Objective To explore the prevalence and clinical and echocardiography features of the basal septal hypertrophy(BSH).Methods Clinical and echocardiography data of 1 056 elderly population in an urban community of Beijing were analyzed.BSH was defined as the thickness of basal interventricular septum ≥1.4 cm and basal septal/mid septal ≥1.3.Data were compared between BSH and non-BSH,and the risk factors of BSH were evaluated.Results The prevalence of BSH in this population was 7.39%(95%CI:5.8%-9.0%).BSH was not associated with current cardiovascular diseases (P >0.05).Its correlates in logistic analysis included male,diabetes mellitus,small end diastolic left ventricular dimension and abnormal left ventricular diastolic function (P <0.05),with OR 0.49(0.29,0.83),1.99(1.18,3.37),2.24 (1.35,3.72),0.39(0.26,0.59),and 1.96(1.01,3.81),respectively.Conclusions BSH is common in elderly community population and not associated with cardiovascular diseases.Its risk factors included male, obesity,diabetes mellitus,small end diastolic left ventricular dimension and abnormal left ventricular diastolic function.

Objective:To explore the relationship between the severity of cardiovascular disease with the expression of apolipoprotein(a) [apo(a)] and apolipoprotein B(apoB) in peripheral blood and their location in peripheral blood cells.Methods: In this report,we selected 4 patients with angiography which indicated that three coronary arteries were narrowed and 5 control patients with normal angiography.Arterial blood was collected and analyzed for lipid parameters in plasma.The mRNA expression of apo(a) and apoB in peripheral white blood cells and platelets were determined by RT-PCR and their protein expression by western blot.Moreover,the expression and location of apo(a) and apoB in white blood cells were determined by confocal microscopy and computer 3D analysis.Results: In plasma,levels of high density lipo-protein-cholesterol(HDL-C) and apolipoprotein A-Ⅰ(apoA-Ⅰ) in cardiovascular disease(CVD) patients were significantly less than those in the control patients[(0.62?0.05) mmol/L,(0.78?0.08) mmol/L vs(0.81?0.15) mmol/L,(0.9?0.07) mmol/L,P0.05).Studies with confocal microscopy indicated that proteins of apo(a) and apoB were co-expressed by a few cells of leukocytes and the ratio of apoB/apo(a) in cardiovascular disease patients was significantly less than that in the control patients(optical density value 1.60?0.12 vs 4.40?0.35,P

Objective To evaluate the relationship of left atrial (LA) size and phasic function in hypertension (HT).Methods Data of 589 HT patients in an urban community of Beijing was analyzed.LA global longitudinal strain in late diastole (Sa),early diastole (Se),and total strain (Stot =Sa + Se),strain rate in late diastole (SRa),systole (SRs),and early diastole (SRe) were measured using off-line speckletracking echocardiography analyzing software,and were compared among groups (normal,mild,moderate and severe enlargement) divided by LA volume index.Results LA reservoir parameters[Stot:(21.4 ± 5.8)％,(20.8±5.4)％,(19.7±4.5％),(17.8±7.4)％,P =0.012;SRs:(1.1±0.3)s-1,(1.0±0.3)s-1,(1.0 ±0.2)s-1,(0.9 ±0.3)s-1,P =0.001] and contraction parameters[Sa:(11.7±4.0)％,(11.1 ± 3.3)％,(9.9±2.6)％,(8.9±4.5)％,P＜0.001;SRa:(1.6±0.6)s-1,(1.4±0.4)s 1,(1.3±0.4)s-1,(1.1 ± 0.6)s 1,P ＜ 0.001] deteriorated from normal to severe enlarged LA groups,while conduit parameters (Se and SRe) had no difference (P ＞0.05).Conclusions LA enlargement in HT associated with deteriorated reservoir and contraction function and unaffected conduit function.

Objective:To investigate the correlation between anthropometric indices and arteriosclerosis detection indicators in the middle-aged and the elderly .Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was made of 1 626 individuals ( diabetics patients 23.37%, hypertensive subjects 39.48% and healthy individuals 37.15%), aged 45 to 90 years [mean age:(61.60 ±10.22) years)] in Shijingshan Dis-trict, Beijing.Their measurements:body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and waist to height ratio ( WHtR ) .Arterial stiffness was assessed according to brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), intima-media thickness (IMT), augmentation index (AI) and ankle-brachial index (ABI), which were measured by noninvasive detectors and equipment .The correlations between the various indi-cators were analyzed .Results:The percentages of the hypertensive and diabetic groups of central obesity ( male WC>85 cm, female WC >80 cm or WHtR>0.5 ) and of general obesity ( BMI>28 kg/m2 ) were significantly higher than those of the healthy group ( P<0 .01 ) .The difference between the two disease groups was not significant ( P>0 .05 ) .There was a moderate positive correlation between the measures of abdominal obesity (WHtR and WC) and the general obesity indicators (BMI) (r=0.710 and 0.716) .In the healthy group , WC and WHtR showed positive correlation with baPWV , IMT and ABI, and negative correlation with AI 75 .BMI showed positive correlation with IMT and negative correla-tion with AI75 , and no correlation with baPWV and ABI .There was negative correlation between BMI and baPWV in the diabetic group .In the hypertension group , we found negative correlation between BMI and baPWV, maximum IMT, AI75 , and also between WC and AI 75 .The simple regression straight line of baPWV versus the anthropometric parameters showed that the regression equations were y =0 .949 +1.379 x (baPWV vs.WHtR, R2 =0.046, P<0.001) and y=1.133+0.006x (baPWV vs.WC, R2 =0.027, P<0.001), respectively.baPWV and BMI did not have a linear relationship (P =0.62). Conclusion:WHtR and WC are superior to BMI indices in predicting arteriosclerosis .Anthropometric measurements for central obesity are good predictors of cardiovascular risk .

Objective To assess the effect of combined hypertension (HT) and aging on left atrial (LA) size and phasic function.Methods This evaluation was based on the data from a cross-sectional study including 738 subjects with high risk for cardiovascular disease from an urban community in Beijing.Subjects were divided into 3 groups according to age (41-59,60-69 and ≥70 years) and further into HT and non-HT sub-groups.LA volume index were calculated and LA global longitudinal strain in late diastole (Sa),early diastole (Se),and total strain (Stot =Sa + Se),and strain rate in late diastole (SRa),systole (SRs),and early diastole (SRe) were measured using off-line speckle-tracking echocardiography.Results LA volume index increased significantly in HT groups with aging,whereas no changes could be viewed in non-HT subjects among all age groups.LA conduit index (Se and SRe) decreased with aging in both HT and non-HT subjects with more sever in HT subjects than in non-HT subjects in all age groups.The LA conduit index in 41-59 year-HT,and in 60-69 year-HT subjects were comparable with that in 60-69 year-non-HT subjects [Se (11.0 ±4.4)％ vs (11.6 ±4.7)％,SRe (1.0 ±0.4) s-1 vs (1.0 ±-0.3) s-1],and in ≥70 year-non-HT subjects [Se(10.1 ±4.0)％ vs (9.5 ±5.4)％,SRe (0.9 ±0.3)s-1 vs (0.8 ± 0.4) s-1],respectively.LA reservoir (Stot and SRs) and contraction (Sa and SRa) index also decreased with aging in HT but not in non-HT subjects.Conclusions Aging along does not lead to LA enlargement in subjctes,but it does when combined HT.There is synergistic effect of HT and aging on LA volume and phasic function.

Objective:To study the effects of pioglitazone on atherosclerosis on ApoE-/-mice,and to investigate the roles of adiponectin and its receptors.Methods:ApoE-/-mice were fed with high-fat chow for the induction of atherosclerosis and were divided into three subgroups:placebo(n=10),low-dose[10 mg/(kg?d),n=10] pioglitazone therapy,and high-dose[20 mg/(kg?d),n=10] pioglitazone therapy.C57BL/6J wild type mice(n=9) were used as control.Aortic atherosclerosis and intima-media thickness(intima-media thickness,IMT) of abdominal aorta were monitored,and plasma adiponectin was also measured.Expression levels of the adiponectin receptor 1(AdipoR1)and adiponectin receptor 2(AdipoR2) in vessels were analyzed(RT-PCR).Results:(1) Aortic atherosclerotic lesions were observed in ApoE-/-mice but not in wild type mice.Interestingly,these lesions were significantly prevented by high-dose pioglitazone therapy.Compared with wild type mice,ApoE-/-mice had increased IMT of abdominal aorta [(0.290?0.063 vs 0.178?0.012) cm,P

Background To report quality control methods and baseline reproducibility data of the ultrasound measurements of carotid artery intima-media thickness in the project of Establishment of an Integrated System for Coronary Heart Disease Prevention and Treatment.Methods Standard ultrasound scanning and measuring protocols were established by the study group.All sonographers and readers were trained by the carotid ultrasound core lab and all digital ultrasound images were centrally read.Ten subjects were scanned twice (with 1 week interval) by 2 sonographers independently and images were read by a single reader to evaluate the sonographer variability.Twenty subjects' images were read twice (with 1 week interval) by a single reader to assess the reader variability and the reproducibility of IMT measured at different carotid segments.Results The intraclass correlation (ICC) of intra-and inter-sonographer and intrareader for mean IMT measurements was 0.99,0.98 and 0.97 respectively; while for max IMT,it was 0.97,0.99 and 0.95 respectively.Among different carotid segments and sites,ICC for mean IMT measurements of common carotid (CCA),carotid artery bulb (Bulb),internal carotid artery (ICA),overall near wall and overall far wall was 0.97,0.99,0.89,0.93 and 0.98 respectively.Conclusion The reproducibility of IMT measurements according to our protocol is acceptable,although better reproducibility is found when measuring the mean IMT than max IMT,CCA and Bulb IMT than ICA IMT,and far wall IMT than near wall IMT.