Influence of Educational Background on Untreated Dental Caries and Gingival Bleeding.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the impact of educational background on the occurrence of untreated dental caries and gingival bleeding, shedding light on the potential implications for public health policy and dental care. Methods: The study was conducted among 160 80 Shenggong Technology Company employees. An online questionnaire survey was administered to collect relevant data, focusing on the participants' educational backgrounds, income levels, and oral hygiene practices. Educational achievements were categorized into two groups: MSDB: middle school degree or below, and CDA: college degree or above. A team of three experienced dentists conducted comprehensive oral health assessments, evaluating untreated dental caries and the presence of gingival bleeding. Dental caries results were categorized as follows: less than 2 untreated dental caries, 2-4 untreated dental caries, or more than 4 untreated dental caries. Gingival bleeding results were classified as 0, slight, or severe. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software (IBM, Armonk, NY, USA), employing Fisher's exact test to compare untreated dental caries and gingival bleeding prevalence between the two educational background groups. Significance was determined at P < .05. Results: The analysis included 40 participants with an MSDB and 40 with a CDA. The findings revealed no significant differences in age or gender distribution between these groups. However, participants with an MSDB exhibited a significantly higher incidence of untreated dental caries (P = .0008) and were more likely to experience gingival bleeding (P = .0397) compared to their counterparts with a college degree or above. Conclusions: This study underscores that individuals with an educational background of a middle school degree or below are more prone to both untreated dental caries and gingival bleeding compared to those with a higher educational background.

Two-stage genome-wide association study identifies variants in CAMSAP1L1 as susceptibility loci for epilepsy in Chinese.

In the majority of patients, epilepsy is a complex disorder with multiple susceptibility genes interacting with environmental factors. However, we understand little about its genetic risks. Here, we report the first genome-wide association study (GWAS) to identify common susceptibility variants of epilepsy in Chinese. This two-stage GWAS included a total of 1087 patients and 3444 matched controls. In the combined analysis of the two stages, the strongest signals were observed with two highly correlated variants, rs2292096 [G] [P= 1.0 × 10(-8), odds ratio (OR) = 0.63] and rs6660197 [T] (P= 9.9 × 10(-7), OR = 0.69), with the former reaching genome-wide significance, on 1q32.1 in the CAMSAP1L1 gene, which encodes a cytoskeletal protein. We also refined a previously reported association with rs9390754 (P= 1.7 × 10(-5)) on 6q21 in the GRIK2 gene, which encodes a glutamate receptor, and identified several other loci in genes involved in neurotransmission or neuronal networking that warrant further investigation. Our results suggest that common genetic variants may increase the susceptibility to epilepsy in Chinese.

A three-stage genome-wide association study combining multilocus test and gene expression analysis for young-onset hypertension in Taiwan Han Chinese.

BACKGROUND: Although many large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have been performed, only a few studies have successfully identified replicable, large-impact hypertension loci; even fewer studies have been done on Chinese subjects. Young-onset hypertension (YOH) is considered to be a more promising target disorder to investigate than late-onset hypertension because of its stronger genetic component. METHODS: To map YOH genetic variants, we performed a 3-stage study combining 1st-stage multilocus GWASs, 2nd-stage gene expression analysis, and 3rd-stage multilocus confirmatory study. RESULTS: In the 1st stage, Illumina550K data from 400 case-control pairs were used, and 22 genes flanked by 14 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) septets (P values adjusted for false discovery rate (pFDR) < 3.16×10(-7)) were identified. In the 2nd stage, differential gene expression analysis was carried out for these genes, and 5 genes were selected (pFDR < 0.05). In the 3rd stage, we re-examined the finding with an independent set of 592 case-control pairs and with the joint samples (n = 992 case-control pairs). A total of 6 SNP septets flanking C1orf135, GSN, LARS, and ACTN4 remained significant in all 3 stages. Among them, the same septet flanking ACTN4 was also associated with blood pressure traits in the Hong Kong Hypertension Study (HKHS) and in the Wellcome Trust Case-Control Consortium Hypertension Study (WTCCCHS). LARS was detected in the HKHS, but not in the WTCCCHS. GSN may be specific to Taiwanese individuals because it was not found by either the HKHS or the WTCCCHS. CONCLUSIONS: Our study identified 4 previously unknown YOH loci in Han Chinese. Identification of these genes enriches the hypertension susceptibility gene list, thereby shedding light on the etiology of hypertension in Han Chinese.

A genome-wide linkage and association scan reveals novel loci for hypertension and blood pressure traits.

Hypertension is caused by the interaction of environmental and genetic factors. The condition which is very common, with about 18% of the adult Hong Kong Chinese population and over 50% of older individuals affected, is responsible for considerable morbidity and mortality. To identify genes influencing hypertension and blood pressure, we conducted a combined linkage and association study using over 500,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) genotyped in 328 individuals comprising 111 hypertensive probands and their siblings. Using a family-based association test, we found an association with SNPs on chromosome 5q31.1 (rs6596140; P<9 × 10(-8)) for hypertension. One candidate gene, PDC, was replicated, with rs3817586 on 1q31.1 attaining P = 2.5 × 10(-4) and 2.9 × 10(-5) in the within-family tests for DBP and MAP, respectively. We also identified regions of significant linkage for systolic and diastolic blood pressure on chromosomes 2q22 and 5p13, respectively. Further family-based association analysis of the linkage peak on chromosome 5 yielded a significant association (rs1605685, P<7 × 10(-5)) for DBP. This is the first combined linkage and association study of hypertension and its related quantitative traits with Chinese ancestry. The associations reported here account for the action of common variants whereas the discovery of linkage regions may point to novel targets for rare variant screening.

Identification of IGF1, SLC4A4, WWOX, and SFMBT1 as hypertension susceptibility genes in Han Chinese with a genome-wide gene-based association study.

Hypertension is a complex disorder with high prevalence rates all over the world. We conducted the first genome-wide gene-based association scan for hypertension in a Han Chinese population. By analyzing genome-wide single-nucleotide-polymorphism data of 400 matched pairs of young-onset hypertensive patients and normotensive controls genotyped with the Illumina HumanHap550-Duo BeadChip, 100 susceptibility genes for hypertension were identified and also validated with permutation tests. Seventeen of the 100 genes exhibited differential allelic and expression distributions between patient and control groups. These genes provided a good molecular signature for classifying hypertensive patients and normotensive controls. Among the 17 genes, IGF1, SLC4A4, WWOX, and SFMBT1 were not only identified by our gene-based association scan and gene expression analysis but were also replicated by a gene-based association analysis of the Hong Kong Hypertension Study. Moreover, cis-acting expression quantitative trait loci associated with the differentially expressed genes were found and linked to hypertension. IGF1, which encodes insulin-like growth factor 1, is associated with cardiovascular disorders, metabolic syndrome, decreased body weight/size, and changes of insulin levels in mice. SLC4A4, which encodes the electrogenic sodium bicarbonate cotransporter 1, is associated with decreased body weight/size and abnormal ion homeostasis in mice. WWOX, which encodes the WW domain-containing protein, is related to hypoglycemia and hyperphosphatemia. SFMBT1, which encodes the scm-like with four MBT domains protein 1, is a novel hypertension gene. GRB14, TMEM56 and KIAA1797 exhibited highly significant differential allelic and expressed distributions between hypertensive patients and normotensive controls. GRB14 was also found relevant to blood pressure in a previous genetic association study in East Asian populations. TMEM56 and KIAA1797 may be specific to Taiwanese populations, because they were not validated by the two replication studies. Identification of these genes enriches the collection of hypertension susceptibility genes, thereby shedding light on the etiology of hypertension in Han Chinese populations.