OBJECTIVETo assess the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of mannose-binding lectin 2 gene (MBL2) (rs1800450, rs1800451 and rs11003125) and protein kinase C-beta 1 gene (PRKC beta 1) (rs3700106, rs2575390) with diabetic macroangiopathy in northern Chinese Han population.

METHODSThe samples have included 318 type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients and 448 normoglycemic controls. The five SNPs were determined by a Multiplex SnaPshot method. Biochemical indices such as fasting plasma-glucose, triglyceride and total cholesterol were also measured. Linkage disequilibrium and haplotype analysis were carried out for all samples using Haploview 4.2. Additive model was applied to assess the effect of interaction between SNPs and environment factors on macrovascular complications.

RESULTSGenotypic frequencies of rs11003125 have differed significantly between the controls and patients with coronary heart disease and peripheral vascular disease (P=0.024 and 0.004, respectively). The allele frequency of rs11003125 was also statistically significant between the two groups (P=0.014 and 0.001, respectively). Compared with patients without macrovascular complications, the allele frequency of rs11003125 was significantly different in patients with peripheral vascular disease (P=0.031). No significant differences were found between the distribution of the genotype frequency and allele frequencies of other variants. Haplotype analysis indicated that, compared with controls and patients without macrovascular complications, individuals with G allele of rs1800450 and C allele of rs11003125 had a higher risk for macrovascular complications.

CONCLUSIONThe rs11003125 polymorphism located in the promoter region of MBL2 gene is associated with macrovascular complications of T2DM in northern Chinese Han population. G allele of rs1800450 and C allele of rs11003125 may be risk factors for macrovascular complications. There were additive interactive effects for rs11003125 polymorphism (GC+CC) and hypertension, diabetic nephropathy, diabetic neuropathy and diabetic retinopathy on macrovascular complications.

Alleles ; China ; ethnology ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; ethnology ; genetics ; Diabetic Angiopathies ; ethnology ; genetics ; Gene Frequency ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Genotype ; Humans ; Mannose-Binding Lectin ; genetics ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Promoter Regions, Genetic ; Protein Kinase C ; genetics ; Protein Kinase C beta

Avian trichomoniasis caused by Trichomonas gallinae is a serious protozoan disease worldwide. The domestic pigeon (Columba livia domestica) is the main host for T. gallinae and plays an important role in the spread of the disease. Based on the internal transcribed spacers of nuclear ribosomal DNA of this parasite, a pair of primers (TgF2/TgR2) was designed and used to develop a PCR assay for the diagnosis of T. gallinae infection in domestic pigeons. This approach allowed the identification of T. gallinae, and no amplicons were produced when using DNA from other common avian pathogens. The minimum amount of DNA detectable by the specific PCR assay developed in this study was 15 pg. Clinical samples from Guangzhou, China, were examined using this PCR assay and a standard microscopy method, and their molecular characteristics were determined by phylogenetic analysis. All of the T. gallinae-positive samples detected by microscopic examination were also detected as positive by the PCR assay. Most of the samples identified as negative by microscopic examination were detected as T. gallinae positive by the PCR assay and were confirmed by sequencing. The positive samples of T. gallinae collected from Guangzhou, China, were identified as T. gallinae genotype B by sequencing and phylogenetic analyses, providing relevant data for studying the ecology and population genetic structures of trichomonads and for the prevention and control of the diseases they cause.
China* ; Columbidae* ; Diagnosis ; DNA ; DNA, Ribosomal ; Ecology ; Genetic Structures ; Genotype ; Methods ; Microscopy ; Parasites ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Trichomonas*

OBJECTIVETo find out the rate of repeated induced abortion among unmarried abortion women and to study the relevant risk factors.

METHODSFrom July to September 2005, we used the method of hospital based descriptive epidemiological study to investigate 2295 abortion women below 25 years of age in Beijing, Shanghai and Zhengzhou. Case-control study was used as the method. We considered the women with history of repeated abortion as case group (736 women) and considered the women without history of repeated abortion as control group (1559 women).

RESULTSThe mean age of respondents was 21.92 years with minimal age as 15 years. 17.2 % aborted women aged below 20 years with 32. 1% of them were ever having a history of previous induced abortion. Among 736 women with repeated abortion, 75.3 % of them had one time of induced abortion previously, 18.1% having two times, 4.2% having 3 times, 13 women having 4 times and 4 women having 5 times and one even with the maximum of having 8 times of previous abortion. In comparison with control group, the case group had higher rate among women whose first sex was below 18 years (16.2% vs. 9.4% , P<0.01). There were higher rates of women under following conditions: having exposed to sexual behavior for more than 3 years (33.6% vs. 6.6 % , P<0.01), having cohabited with male partner for over 1 year (64.6% vs. 23.9%, P <0.01), having regular sexual life (48.5 % vs. 37. 1%, P < 0.05), having multiple sexual partners (36.0% vs. 15.0%,P<0.01) having unwanted sex (6.0% vs. 3.9%, P<0.05), whose current pregnancy resulted from contraceptive failure (39.3% vs. 31.6%, P< 0.01), having a history of high-risk abortion (30.8% vs. 3.1%, P< 0.01) etc. In comparison with the control group, the case group showed higher rates of male partners not supporting this induced abortion, male partner not participating in decision-making on abortion and male partner not accompanying the female partners to seek for abortion service (rates of the three major factors in case group and in control group were 10.3% vs. 5.9%, P< 0.01, 30.3% vs. 24.0%, and 27.5% vs. 23.5%, P<0.01, respectively).

CONCLUSIONThe rate of repeated induced abortion among unmarried abortion women was relatively high. The risk factors for females would include: younger age of sex debut, longer duration from the beginning of first sex to the current abortion, cohabitation, regular sexual life, multiple sexual partners, unwanted sex, contraceptive failure and high risk induced abortion. Meanwhile, unmarried but repeated abortion was related to the differences of gender between males and females and male partner's concern on induced abortion.

Abortion, Induced ; statistics & numerical data ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy in Adolescence ; Pregnancy, Unwanted ; Recurrence ; Risk Factors ; Sexual Behavior ; Single Person ; Young Adult

To investigate the effect of dihydroartemisinin on apoptosis of human pancreatic cancer cell line JF-305 and the role of reactive oxygen species(ROS) in the apoptosis of JF-305 cells induced by dihydroartemisinin. MTT assays were used to detect effect of different concentrations of dihydroartemisinin on cells proliferation of JF-305 lines. Cell cycle was detected by flow cytometry, and the apoptotic morphology was observed by Hoechst 333258 fluorescence staining. Annexin V fluorescence staining was used to detect the apoptosis changes of JF-305 cells, while DCFH-DA was used to detect the changes of ROS during apoptosis process. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression changes of Bax, Bcl-2, Cleaved caspase-3, Cleaved caspase-9 and Cyto C. As compared with the control group, the JF-305 cells proliferation was inhibited significantly(P<0.05) after treatment with different concentrations of dihydroartemisimin for 48 h; cell cycle was blocked in the G2/M phase; apoptotic morphology of nuclear condensation, aggregation, and fragmentation was found, and the apoptosis ratio was increased(P<0.05). DCFH-DA detection showed that the cell ROS was increased significantly after dihydroartemisinin treatment(P<0.05). Western blot results showed that the expression of Bcl-2 protein was down-regulated; the expression of Bax protein was up-regulated; the ration of Bax/Bcl-2 was increased and the protein expression levels of Cleaved caspase-3, Cleaved caspase-9 and Cyto C were increased after dihydroartemisinin treatment. Therefore, dihydroartemisinin could induce apoptosis of JF-305 cells, and the possible mechanism may be related to the formation and increasing of ROS.

To ensure the safety of medications, it is vital to accurately authenticate species of the Apocynaceae family, which is rich in poisonous medicinal plants. We identified Apocynaceae species by using nuclear internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) and psbA-trnH based on experimental data. The identification ability of ITS2 and psbA-trnH was assessed using specific genetic divergence, BLAST1, and neighbor-joining trees. For DNA barcoding, ITS2 and psbA-trnH regions of 122 plant samples of 31 species from 19 genera in the Apocynaceae family were amplified. The PCR amplification for ITS2 and psbA-trnH sequences was 100%. The sequencing success rates for ITS2 and psbA-trnH sequences were 81% and 61%, respectively. Additional data involved 53 sequences of the ITS2 region and 38 sequences of the psbA-trnH region were downloaded from GenBank. Moreover, the analysis showed that the inter-specific divergence of Apocynaceae species was greater than its intra-specific variations. The results indicated that, using the BLAST1 method, ITS2 showed a high identification efficiency of 97% and 100% of the samples at the species and genus levels, respectively, via BLAST1, and psbA-trnH successfully identified 95% and 100% of the samples at the species and genus levels, respectively. The barcode combination of ITS2/psbA-trnH successfully identified 98% and 100% of samples at the species and genus levels, respectively. Subsequently, the neighbor joining tree method also showed that barcode ITS2 and psbA-trnH could distinguish among the species within the Apocynaceae family. ITS2 is a core barcode and psbA-trnH is a supplementary barcode for identifying species in the Apocynaceae family. These results will help to improve DNA barcoding reference databases for herbal drugs and other herbal raw materials.