Acupuncture for emotional disorders in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a systematic review protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Emotional disorders are often observed in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). IBD with emotional disorders leads to poor quality of life. This systematic review aims to assess the effectiveness of acupuncture in patients with IBD with emotional disorders. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Nine electronic databases, including Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, VIP Database and Wanfang Database, will be searched from inception to October 2021 without language restriction. The grey literature containing conference proceedings, as well as systematic reviews listed in the reference of definite publications, will also be retrieved. Randomised controlled trials either in English or Chinese reporting acupuncture therapy for IBD with emotional disorders will be included. The primary outcome is changes of emotional functioning outcomes. The Colitis Activity Index, Crohn's Disease Activity Index, C reactive protein and adverse events will be assessed as the secondary outcomes. More than two assessors will conduct the study retrieval and selection, as well as the data extraction and evaluation of the risk of bias. Data synthesis will be performed using a random-effects model based on the results of heterogeneity. Data analysis will be performed using RevMan software (V.5.4). Moreover, the dichotomous data will be presented as risk ratios, and the continuous data will be calculated using weighted mean difference or standard mean difference. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This systematic review contains no individual patient data; thus, ethical approval is not required. Moreover, this review will be disseminated in a peer-reviewed journal or relevant conference. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020176340.

Garnet secondary ion mass spectrometry oxygen isotopes reveal crucial roles of pulsed magmatic fluid and its mixing with meteoric water in lode gold genesis.

SignificanceThere is a common consensus that lode gold deposits mostly precipitated from metamorphic fluids via fluid boiling and/or fluid-rock interaction, but whether magmatic hydrothermal fluids and the mixing of such fluids with an external component have played a vital role in the formation of lode gold deposits remains elusive. We use garnet secondary ion mass spectrometry oxygen isotope analysis to demonstrate that the world-class Dongping lode gold deposit has been formed by multiple pulses of magmatic hydrothermal fluids and their mixing with large volumes of meteoric water. This study opens an opportunity to tightly constrain the origin of lode gold deposits worldwide and other hydrothermal systems that may have generated giant ore deposits in the Earth's crust.

Forensic age prediction and age classification for critical age thresholds via 3.0T magnetic resonance imaging of the knee in the Chinese Han population.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the performance of knee MRI for forensic age prediction and classification for 12-, 14-, 16-, and 18-year thresholds. METHODS: The ossification stages of distal femoral epiphyses and proximal tibial epiphyses were assessed using an integrated staging system by Schmeling et al. and Kellinghaus et al. for knee 3.0T MRI with T1-weighted turbo spin-echo (T1-TSE) in sagittal orientation among 852 Chinese Han individuals (483 males and 369 females) aged 7-30 years. Regression models for age prediction were constructed and their performances were evaluated based on mean absolute deviation (MAD) values. In addition, the performances of age classification were assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses. RESULTS: The intra- and inter-observer agreement levels were very good (κ > 0.80). The complete fusion of those two types of epiphyses took place before 18.0 years in our study participants. The minimum MAD values were 2.51 years (distal femur) and 2.69 years (proximal tibia) in males, and 2.75 years (distal femur) and 2.87 years (proximal tibia) in females. The specificity values of constructed prediction models were all above 90% for the 12-, 14-, and 16-year thresholds, compared to the 74.8-84.6% for the 18-year threshold. Better performances of age prediction and classification were observed in males by distal femoral epiphyses. CONCLUSIONS: Ossification stages via 3.0T MRI of the knee with T1-TSE sequence using an integrated staging system could be a reliable noninvasive method for age prediction or for age classification for 12-, 14-, and 16-year thresholds, especially in males by distal femoral epiphyses. However, assessments based on the full bony fusion of the distal femoral epiphysis and proximal tibial epiphysis seemed not reliable for age classification for the 18-year threshold in the Chinese Han population.

ERCC1 polymorphism and its expression associated with ischemic stroke in Chinese population.

Background: Excision repair cross-complementing group 1 (ERCC1) was considered a potential candidate gene for ischemic stroke, and its polymorphisms might be associated with the susceptibility to ischemic stroke. Methods: A total of 513 patients with ischemic stroke and 550 control subjects were recruited. The expression levels of ERCC1 messenger RNA (mRNA) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and its protein in plasma were detected by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively. Rs3212986 polymorphism of ERCC1 was detected by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP-PCR) and was confirmed by sequencing. The association between the ERCC1 rs3212986 polymorphism or its expression and ischemic stroke was further analyzed. Results: The ERCC1 mRNA level in patients with ischemic stroke was lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05). However, the ERCC1 protein level in patients with ischemic stroke was higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05). The A allele of rs3212986 was associated with increased ischemic stroke risk (OR = 1.287, 95% CI = 1.076-1.540, P = 0.006). The association between rs3212986 polymorphism and ischemic stroke susceptibility was found in both recessive (OR = 2.638, 95% CI = 1.744-3.989, P < 0.001) and additive models (OR = 1.309, 95% CI = 1.028-1.667, P = 0.031), respectively. Similar results were obtained in the recessive model (OR = 2.015, 95% CI = 1.087-3.704, P = 0.026) after adjusting for demographic information and other variables. Additionally, the level of ERCC1 mRNA in the CC/CA genotype was higher than that in the AA genotype (P < 0.05). Conclusion: It was suggested that the ERCC1 rs3212986 polymorphism was associated with ischemic stroke susceptibility in a Chinese Han population and that an A allele of rs3212986 was related to increased ischemic stroke risk. The altered ERCC1 expression level caused by the rs3212986 polymorphism might participate in the pathophysiological process of ischemic stroke.

Association of NQO1 levels and its genetic polymorphism with susceptibility to methamphetamine dependence.

BACKGROUND: The quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) gene was involved in the pathophysiological process of illicit drugs abuse, and its polymorphisms might be associated with methamphetamine (METH) dependence susceptibility. The purpose of this study was to examine the NQO1 mRNA and protein levels and to analyze the 609C/T polymorphism (rs1800566) between METH-dependent patients and controls. METHODS: A total of 392 METH-dependent patients (cases) and 669 healthy controls (controls) were enrolled in the study. The quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were used to detect the relative expressions of NQO1 mRNA in PBMCs and protein levels in plasma, respectively. PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP-PCR) and direct-sequencing genotyping were used to detect the alleles and genotypes of NQO1 609C/T polymorphism. RESULTS: The levels of NQO1 mRNA in cases (3.2650 ± 2.2943) was significantly higher than in controls (1.0125 ± 0.7959) (p < 0.001), the plasma protein in cases (0.2368 ± 0.1486) was significantly lower than in controls (0.5844 ± 0.1742) (p < 0.001). The T allele of the 609C/T polymorphism significantly increased the risk of METH dependence (p = 0.032, OR = 1.214, 95%CI = 1.017-1.450). The TC and TC/TT genotypes of 609C/T were observed significantly more frequently in cases than in controls, respectively (TC vs CC: p = 0.012, OR = 1.457, 95% CI = 1.087-1.952; TC/TT vs CC: p = 0.008, OR = 1.460, 95% CI = 1.102-1.935). Similar results were obtained after adjusting for age and sex. We failed to find that any genotype of 609C/T polymorphism affected the mRNA or plasma protein levels in controls, respectively (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The findings suggested that NQO1 might play an important role in the pathophysiological process of METH dependence, and the 609C/T polymorphism might contribute to the susceptibility to METH dependence in a Chinese Han population.

Effectiveness and safety of acupuncture therapy for inflammatory bowel disease: a protocol of systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Previous reviews have suggested that the effectiveness of acupuncture for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has not well been demonstrated due to the limited randomised controlled trials (RCTs). In recent years, the growing research on acupuncture for IBD make it possible to conduct a further systematic review and synthesise more sufficient clinical data to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for IBD. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Nine electronic databases without language restriction will be retrieved from inception to March 2021, including the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Ovid, the Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, the Chongqing Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database and Wanfang Database. The RCTs on acupuncture for IBD will be included. The data screening, data extraction and the assessment of risk bias will be performed respectively by two reviewers. The quality of evidence will be evaluated by using the Grading of recommendation Assessment, Development and Evaluation application. The meta-analysis will be performed if heterogeneity analysis conducted on the RevMan software (V.5.3) is insignificant. The primary outcome was symptoms alleviation after acupuncture treatment or even in the follow-up. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval will not be needed because data of this review are not involved in patient's information and privacy. The results will be published and diffused in a peer-reviewed journal or relative conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020157903.

ERCC5 quantification for age estimation of peripheral blood in a Chinese Han population.

Age estimation is an important topic of human identification in forensic practice, especially coming to biological samples in crime scene, such as blood, saliva, semen. As rate-limiting enzyme in Nucleotide excision repair (NER) that was associated with aging, Excision repair cross-complementation group 5 (ERCC5) was considered to be a candidate biomarker for individual age estimation. The ERCC5 mRNA and protein expression levels association with age have been demonstrated in our previous study. However, very little is known about relationship DNA-based quantification of ERCC5 with age. In this study, we detected ERCC5 level in peripheral blood from a Chinese Han population by SYBR qPCR assay to gain better insight into the quantitative relationship with age. The results showed ERCC5 level declined with individual age with a negative correlation(r = -0.8, R2 = 0.63, P < 0.001). The data model for age estimation based on ERCC5 level was Y = -31.352X + 14.436 ± 10.28 (Y: age, year; X: CqTBP-CqERCC5; standard error: year). The accuracy about the data model for age estimation was about 73.33%. The mean absolute difference (MAD) values were 8.22, 8.09 and 8.38 in total, male and female, respectively. Furthermore, ERCC5 quantification for age estimation was also applicable for stored blood samples under low temperature up to 6 months. It was suggested that the ERCC5 quantification was expected to be a valuable additional method for individual age estimation, especially in cases where traditional morphologic method is absent or inefficient in forensic practice.

The cerebral mechanism underlying the acupoints with specific effect for gallbladder stone disease: protocol for a randomized controlled task-fMRI trial.

BACKGROUND: As it has been recorded in ancient Chinese classics, Yanglingquan (GB34) and Dannangxue (EX-LE6) are two important acupoints that can regulate the function of the gallbladder. Acupuncture at these two acupoints is considered particularly effective for gallbladder disease treatment, especially for alleviating gallbladder stone disease (GSD) symptoms that can be aggravated after intaking high-fat food. However, the superior effect between the two acupoints still needs to be further explored, as well as the underlying central mechanism has never been investigated to date. METHODS AND DESIGN: Ninety participants diagnosed with GSD will be randomly divided into group A (acupuncture at GB34), group B (acupuncture at EX-LE6), and group C (acupuncture at non-acupoint) in a ratio of 1:1:1. All of them will receive a 30-min acupuncture treatment with fatty-food cues being presented before and after acupuncture. During the task, participants will be scanned by MRI and required to rate their desire for high-/low-fat food with an 11-point Likert scale. Additionally, the participants' pain/discomfort sensation will be evaluated using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) at four timepoints, including before the 1st task fMRI scan, before and after acupuncture, and after the 2nd task fMRI scan. For both behavior and fMRI data, the ANOVA analysis will be conducted among three groups to testify the immediate effect of GB34 and EX-LE6. The post hoc t-test will be employed to further explore the superiority between acupuncture with GB34 and EX-LE6. Furthermore, correlation analyses will be conducted to investigate a possible correlation between neural changes and clinical data. DISCUSSION: In comparison to the non-acupoint, the results will firstly explore the superior effect between acupuncture with GB34 and EX-LE6 on GSD patients by observing their behavioral and neural response change to fatty-food cue, and then to investigate the underlying central mechanism. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2000034368 . Registered on 3 July 2020.

[Clinical outcome of tibiotalocalcaneal fusion using cannulated screw and humeral proximal locking plate inverted fixation through a lateral transfibular approach].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical outcome of tibiotalocalcaneal fusion using cannulated screw and humeral proximal locking plate inverted fixation through a lateral transfibular approach. METHODS: From June 2015 to December 2018, 15 patients underwent a tibiotalocalcaneal fusion operation using cannulated screw and inverted proximal humerus locking plate through a transfibular approach. There were 10 males and 5 females with the age ranging from 45 to 72 (58.9±6.1) years, and the course of disease ranged from 2 to 35 (11.9±7.9)years. Preoperative diagnosis included 8 cases of post traumatic arthritis, 2 cases of Charcot arthritis, 2 cases of Charcot-Marie -Tooth (CMT), 1 case of ankle tuberculosis, 1 case of talar necrosis, and 1 case of pigmented villonnodular synovitis. Among them, 8 patients were combined with simple varus deformity, 4 patients with simple valgus deformity, 2 patients with equinovarus deformity, 1 patient with equinovarus deformity, 2 patients with adduction and internal rotation of middle and forefoot. American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle and hindfoot score and the visual analogue scale (VAS) score were used to evaluate the clinical outcome at the last follow up. RESULTS: One lost follow up and remaining fourteen patients were followed up. The follow up time ranged from 10 to 25(16.6±4.3) months. All the 15 patients had primary healing. Fusion time ranged from 15 to 24 (16.8 ± 2.4) weeks after operation. One patient with diabetes experienced delayed union and was successfully treated with secondary bone grafting combined with Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) injection. The AOFAS score increased from 38.7±3.3 to 84.5±2.6 (P<0.05), and the VAS score decreased from 7.5±1.6 to 1.9±0.3(P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Tibiotalocalcaneal fusion used cannulated screw and humeral proximal locking plate inverted fixation through a lateral transfibular approach has the advantages of relatively simple technique, high fusion rate, especially for patients with posterior foot deformity, which has satisfactory short term effects.

Study on Image Acquisition of Transthoracic Echocardiography in Mechanically Ventilated ICU Patients.

Objective This study aimed to determine which parameters in transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) are more likely to be affected when applied in a critical care setting with mechanical ventilation.Methods Ninety mechanically ventilated ICU patients were enrolled into the study group. The control group consisted of 90 patients who underwent interventional therapy. All patients had bedside TTE for parametric measurements including the right ventricular size, septal kinetics and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) by eyeballing (visual assessment), the tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), mitral annular plane systolic excursion (MAPSE) by M-mode sonography, the right ventricular outflow tract velocity-time integral (RVOT VTI) and left ventricular outflow tract velocity-time integral (LVOT VTI) by pulse-Doppler, the right ventricular fraction of area change (FAC) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF Simpson) by endocardium tracing. We compared the differences in the frequency of optimal image acquisition in assessments of these parameters between the two groups, as well as the differences in acquisition rates of parameter measurements in ventilated ICU patients.Results There were significantly fewer patients in the study group than in the control group who had optimal images acquisitions for parameter assessments with M-mode method, pulse Doppler method and endocardium-tracing method (P<0.05); no significant difference was obsered in the number of patients with optimal images for RV eyeballing and LVEF eyeballing between the two groups. In the study group, significantly fewer optimal images were acquired for FAC than for TAPSE (22.2% vs. 72.2%, χ2=45.139, P<0.001) and RVOT VTI (22.2% vs. 71.1%, χ2=43.214, P<0.001); there were also fewer optimal images acquired for LVEF Simpson than for MAPSE (37.8% vs. 84.4%, χ2=41.236, P<0.001) and LVOT VTI (37.8% vs. 85.6%, χ2=43.455, P<0.001).Conclusions Images acquisition of optimal TTE images tend to be difficult in mechanically ventilated ICU patients, but eyeballing method for functional evaluation could be an alternative method. For quantitative parameters measurements, M-mode based longitudinal function evaluation and pulse Doppler-based VTI were superior to the endocardium-tracing based parameter assessments.

FAAH levels and its genetic polymorphism association with susceptibility to methamphetamine dependence.

The fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) gene was involved in the modulation of reward and addiction pathophysiology of illicit drugs abuse, and its polymorphisms might be associated with risk of methamphetamine (METH) dependence. This study aimed to investigate the FAAH mRNA levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and plasma protein levels and to analyze the 385C/A polymorphism (rs324420) between METH-dependent patients and controls. The levels of FAAH mRNA in METH dependence were significantly lower than in controls (P < 0.001), however, its plasma protein underwent a significant ∼2-fold increase (P < 0.001). The A allele of the 385C/A polymorphism significantly increased the METH dependence risk (P < 0.001, odds ratio [OR] = 1.646, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.332-2.034). The carried A genotypes (AA, AC, and AA/AC) of 385C/A polymorphism also increased METH-dependence risks under a different genetic model (AA vs. CC: P = 0.017, OR = 2.454, 95%CI = 1.171-2.143; AC vs. CC: P < 0.001, OR = 1.818, 95%CI = 1.404-2.353; AC/AA vs. CC: P < 0.001, OR = 1.858, 95%CI = 1.444-2.319). The similar results were obtained after adjusting for age and sex. Unfortunately, we failed to find that any genotype of 385C/A polymorphism affected the mRNA or plasma protein levels in controls, respectively (P > 0.05). These data indicate that the FAAH may play an important role in the pathophysiological process of METH dependence, and the 385C/A polymorphism may be associated with METH dependence susceptibility in a Chinese Han population.

Interleukin-18 Polymorphisms Deficiency Association with Asthma Risk: An Update Meta-analysis.

Growing evidence indicated conflicting results that Interleukin-18 (IL-18) promoter polymorphisms rs1946518 (A-607C), rs187238 (G-137C) and rs549908 (A-105C) were associated with asthma risk. The aim of this study is to comprehensively evaluate the IL-18 polymorphisms and asthma by a systematic review and meta-analysis. A total of 12 studies testing the association between these polymorphisms and asthma were examined (8 studies for A-607C, 8 studies for G-137C, and 4 studies for A-105C) in the update meta-analysis, up to Dec 30, 2017. Summary odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to estimate the strength of association between each polymorphism and asthma using fixed- and random-effects models when appropriate. Heterogeneity and publication bias were evaluated. The meta-analysis results indicated that any allele frequencies of the IL-18 polymorphisms (A-607C, G-137C and A-105C) was not associated with asthma risk (p>0.05). And no statistically significant association was observed between genotype frequencies of these polymorphisms and asthma under different genetic models (p>0.05). Subgroup analysis results were similar to the main analysis by ethnicity, sample size, genotyping methods, matching criteria and quality score. There was no evidence of publication bias. The present meta-analysis suggests that IL-18 polymorphisms (A-607C, G-137C and A-105C) were unlikely to be associated with asthma risk.

The age-related expression decline of ERCC1 and XPF for forensic age estimation: A preliminary study.

The age-related capacity decline of DNA damage repair in human peripheral blood has been demonstrated. Excision repair cross-complementation group1 (ERCC1) and Xeroderma pigmentosum complementation group F (XPF) were rate-limiting enzyme in nucleotide excision repair (NER) which was known as the most important DNA damage repair system. Consequently, we hypothesized that the expression and/or activity of ERCC1 and XPF may be associated with age. However, little was known about the quantitative relationship of ERCC1 and XPF expression levels with age. The aim of the present study was to analyze the correlation of ERCC1 and XPF expression levels with age by detecting the ERCC1 and XPF mRNA levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMCs) and protein levels in plasma in healthy ethnic Han Chinese individuals, and finally find new molecular markers for forensic age estimation by establishing the mathematical model between ERCC1 and XPF expression levels and age. The results showed that the ERCC1 and XPF mRNA relative expression levels in PBMCs declined in an age-dependent manner (r = -0.578/-0.844, respectively, P < 0.01). The formula for age estimation based on the ERCC1 and XPF mRNA relative expression levels decline in PBMCs were Y = 3.3E-5x2-0.0261x+1.9175 (R2 = 0.3244, P < 0.01) and Y = 0.0003x2-0.0459x+2.0439 (R2 = 0.729, P < 0.01), respectively. There were no significant differences of the ERCC1 or XPF protein expression levels in plasma between age groups (P > 0.05). Furthermore, there were no significant differences of the ERCC1 or XPF mRNA and/or protein expression levels between males and females(P > 0.05). It suggested that the ERCC1 and XPF mRNA expression levels could be considered as valuable additional tool in individual age estimation, especially in cases where traditional morphologic method was inefficient or absent in forensic practice.

Association of XPF Levels and Genetic Polymorphism with Susceptibility to Ischemic Stroke.

The xeroderma pigmentosum group F (XPF) gene participates in the pathophysiological process of ischemic stroke, and XPF polymorphisms might be associated with ischemic stroke susceptibility. This study aimed to investigate XPF messenger RNA (mRNA) levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and protein levels in plasma and to analyze the 30028T/C polymorphism (rs1799801) in ischemic stroke patients and controls. Levels of both mRNA and protein in ischemic stroke patients were significantly lower than in controls (P < 0.05). The C allele of the 30028T/C polymorphism significantly increased the risk of ischemic stroke (OR = 1.512, 95 % CI = 1.219-1.875). The CT and CC/CT genotypes of 30028T/C were observed significantly more frequently in ischemic stroke patients than in controls (CT: OR = 1.916, 95 % CI = 1.446-2.539; CC/CT: OR = 1.877, 95 % CI = 1.427-2.468). Similar results were obtained after adjusting for age, gender, and smoking status. Additionally, XPF plasma protein levels were significantly decreased in the CC/CT genotype compared with the TT genotype (P = 0.025). These data indicate that XPF might play an important role in the pathophysiological process of ischemic stroke, and the 30028T/C polymorphism might be associated with ischemic stroke susceptibility in a Chinese Han population.

Discovery, synthesis and biological evaluation of 2-(4-(N-phenethylsulfamoyl)phenoxy)acetamides (SAPAs) as novel sphingomyelin synthase 1 inhibitors.

Sphingomyelin synthase (SMS) has been proved to be a potential drug target for the treatment of atherosclerosis. However, few SMS inhibitors have been reported. In this paper, structure-based virtual screening was performed on hSMS1. SAPA 1a was discovered as a novel SMS1 inhibitor with an IC50 value of 5.2 µM in enzymatic assay. A series of 2-(4-(N-phenethylsulfamoyl)phenoxy)acetamides (SAPAs) were synthesized and their biological activities toward SMS1 were evaluated. Among them, SAPA 1j was found to be the most potent SMS1 inhibitor with an IC50 value of 2.1 µM in in vitro assay. The molecular docking studies suggested the interaction modes of SMS1 inhibitors and PC with the active site of SMS1. Site-directed mutagenesis validated the involvement of residues Arg342 and Tyr338 in enzymatic sphingomyelin production. The discovery of SAPA derivatives as a novel class of SMS1 inhibitors would advance the development of more effective SMS1 inhibitors.

Association between DRD2/ANKK1 TaqIA polymorphism and common illicit drug dependence: evidence from a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Growing evidence indicated conflicting results about the dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2)/kinase domain containing 1 gene (ANKK1) TaqIA single nucleotide polymorphism (rs1800497) and common illicit drug dependence risk including stimulants, opioid and marijuana. We conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the association between the polymorphism and common illicit drug dependence risk. METHOD: A total of 25 available studies (26 subgroups) testing the association between the polymorphism and common illicit drug dependence were examined through Oct 2013. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using fixed- and random-effects models when appropriate. Heterogeneity and publication bias were evaluated. RESULTS: We found the DRD2/ANKK1 TaqIA polymorphism was significantly associated with increased risk of opioid dependence under homozygote, dominant, and recessive genetic model, respectively (homozygote: OR=1.546, 95%CI=1.279-1.87; dominant: OR=1.265, 95%CI=1.055-1.516; recessive: OR=1.409, 95%CI=1.182-1.680). Subgroup analyses were similar to the results of the total population by ethnicity and quality score. Besides, we also found that Caucasian and low-quality studies were major sources of heterogeneity for opioid dependence. We failed to find any significant association between the polymorphism and stimulants or marijuana neither in total population nor subgroup analyses under any genetic model. CONCLUSIONS: The current meta-analysis suggested that DRD2/ANKK1 TaqIA polymorphism might be associated with opioid dependence risk, but not associated with stimulants or marijuana dependence.

Functional RsaI/PstI polymorphism in cytochrome P450 2E1 contributes to bladder cancer susceptibility: evidence from a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) might be involved in the development of bladder cancer. However, previous studies of any association between CYP2E1 RsaI/PstI polymorphism and bladder cancer risk have yielded conflicting results. In this study, we performed a more precise estimation of the relationship by a meta-analysis based on the currently available evidence from the literature. METHOD: To assess the effect of CYP2E1 RsaI/PstI polymorphism on bladder cancer susceptibility, a meta-analysis of 6 available studies with 1,510 cases and 1,560 controls were performed through Feb 2014. Summary odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to estimate the strength of association for CYP2E1 RsaI/PstI polymorphism under different genetic models. RESULTS: When available studies were pooled into the meta-analysis, we found that the C1C2 and C2C2 genotypes of CYP2E1 RsaI/PstI polymorphism significantly decreased bladder cancer risk under different genetic models (heterozygote: OR=0.766, 95%CI=0.613-0.957, POR=0.019; homozygote: OR=0.51, 95%CI=0.303- 0.858, POR=0.011; dominant: OR=0.733, 95%CI=0.593-0.905, POR=0.004; recessive: OR=0.565, 95%CI=0.337-0.947, POR=0.030). Subgroup analysis indicated that C2C2 genotype was significantly associated with decreased bladder cancer risk under the homozygote genetic model in Caucasians. There was no evidence of heterogeneity or publication bias. CONCLUSIONS: The current meta-analysis suggested that the CYP2E1 RsaI/ PstI polymorphism might be associated with bladder cancer susceptibility, especially in Caucasians. Further studies are needed to validate the above conclusion.

Involvement of phosphatidate phosphatase in the biosynthesis of triacylglycerols in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

Lipid biosynthesis is essential for eukaryotic cells, but the mechanisms of the process in microalgae remain poorly understood. Phosphatidic acid phosphohydrolase or 3-sn-phosphatidate phosphohydrolase (PAP) catalyzes the dephosphorylation of phosphatidic acid to form diacylglycerols and inorganic orthophosphates. This reaction is integral in the synthesis of triacylglycerols. In this study, the mRNA level of the PAP isoform CrPAP2 in a species of Chlamydomonas was found to increase in nitrogen-free conditions. Silencing of the CrPAP2 gene using RNA interference resulted in the decline of lipid content by 2.4%-17.4%. By contrast, over-expression of the CrPAP2 gene resulted in an increase in lipid content by 7.5%-21.8%. These observations indicate that regulation of the CrPAP2 gene can control the lipid content of the algal cells. In vitro CrPAP2 enzyme activity assay indicated that the cloned CrPAP2 gene exhibited biological activities.

In vitro transient expression system of latex C-serum was used for analysis of hevein promoter in response to abscisic acid in Hevea brasiliensis.

Hevein has been found to be an essential element in coagulation of rubber particles in latex of rubber trees. In a previous study, we cloned a 1,241-bp fragment of a 5' upstream region of the hevein gene by genome walking. This fragment was analyzed by a 5' end nested deletion method in the present study, fused with a uidA (gus) gene to produce a series of tested constructs, which were transferred into C-serum of latex and the Gus activities were detected. Results showed that the fragment from -749 to -292 was sufficient for expression of gus gene in latex, and the fragment from -292 to -168 was crucial in response to abscisic acid inducement. In a transient transgenic test of rubber leaf with particle bombardment, construct Hev749 conferred gus-specific expression in veins, in which the latex tubes mainly distributed. This implies that the fragment from -749 to -292 was laticiferous-specific.