Evaluation of reference genes and characterization of the MYBs in xylem radial change of Chinese fir stem.

The radial change (RC) of tree stem is the process of heartwood formation involved in complex molecular mechanism. Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook.), an evergreen species, is an important fast-growing timber tree in southern China. In this study, the top four stable genes (IDH, UBC2, RCA and H2B) were selected in RC tissues of 15 years old Chinese fir stem (RC15) and the genes (H2B, 18S, TIP41 and GAPDH) were selected in RC tissues of 30 years old Chinese fir stem (RC30). The stability of the reference genes is higher in RC30 than in RC15. Sixty-one MYB transcripts were obtained on the PacBio Sequel platform from woody tissues of one 30 years old Chinese fir stem. Based on the number of MYB DNA-binding domain and phylogenetic relationships, the ClMYB transcripts contained 21 transcripts of MYB-related proteins (1R-MYB), 39 transcripts of R2R3-MYB proteins (2R-MYB), one transcript of R1R2R3-MYB protein (3R-MYB) belonged to 18 function-annotated clades and two function-unknown clades. In RC woody tissues of 30 years old Chinese fir stem, ClMYB22 was the transcript with the greatest fold change detected by both RNA-seq and qRT-PCR. Reference genes selected in this study will be helpful for further verification of transcript abundance patterns during the heartwood formation of Chinese fir.

Inactive bowel movement and stroke are associated with increased risks of mild cognitive impairment among community-living Singapore elderly.

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI), as a preclinical phase of dementia, provides an invaluable time window for intervention. Besides several proposed modifiable risk factors, the associations of MCI with dietary habits and bowel movement are not well clarified. We thus conducted a cross-sectional study of community-living Singapore elderly and focused on the relationship of clinically diagnosed MCI with dietary habits and bowel movement frequencies. The multiple logistic regression results showed that frequent (≥4 days per week) fruit consumption (P = 0.004), active (≥4 days per week) bowel movement within 10 minutes (P = 0.027), and years of schooling were negatively associated with MCI occurrence. In contrast, medical comorbidities including hypertension, stroke, and cataract/glaucoma were found to be risk factors. Furthermore, a Bayesian network model of causal inference detected five hypothesized causal-association paths leading to MCI, namely bowel movement, stroke, years of schooling via fruit consumption, hypertension via stroke and hypertension via cataract/glaucoma. The combination of the two direct factors (inactive bowel movement and stroke) reached a maximum conditional probability of 60.00% for MCI occurrence. Taken together, this study was the first to link bowel movement with MCI occurrence. In addition, it suggested five modifiable hypothesized causal-association paths to MCI.

Midlife Long-Hour Working and Later-life Social Engagement Are Associated with Reduced Risks of Mild Cognitive Impairment among Community-Living Singapore Elderly.

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI), as a transitional stage between normal aging and dementia, causes cognitive decline among one-fifth of elders aged 65 years and older. Health-related lifestyles (HRL) are generally regarded as modifiable influencing factors of cognitive decline. The present study investigated how HRLs at two different life stages (one at midlife and the other at later life) affect MCI occurrence among community-dwelling elders, as part of the Diet and Healthy Aging (DaHA) study in Singapore. The frequencies of major HRL activities were compared between 119 clinical diagnosed MCI cases and 632 normal aging controls with functional cognition. The associations of HRLs with MCI were determined by multivariate logistic regression analysis and adjusted according to known factors including age, childhood education, and major chronic diseases (hypertension, stroke, diabetes, and cataracts or glaucoma). Long-hour working in midlife (adjusted OR = 0.418 with 95% CI 0.215-0.812) and social engagement in later-life (adjusted OR = 0.532 with 95% CI 0.329-0.859) were associated with reduced risks of MCI, respectively. It is important to note that those elders who had both midlife long-hour working and later-life social engagement were related to the lowest risk of MCI (adjusted OR = 0.285 with 95% CI 0.143-0.565), when compared to the least active subgroup who neither had worked long hours in midlife nor participate in social activities in later-life. Therefore, the present study demonstrated that midlife long-hour working and later-life social engagement were modifiable factors for the maintenance of cognitive functions.

[Association of 5-HTTLPR, DRD4 gene polymorphisms with the accident tendentiousness of drivers].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between 5-HTTLPR and/or DRD4 gene polymorphisms and the accident tendentiousness of drivers. METHODS: A case-control study, including 42 patients and 46 controls, were performed using type-A behavior questionnaire and EPQ scale. 5-HTTLPR and DRD4 gene -521 C/T were detected by the PCR-RFLP technique. RESULTS: The scores of type-A behavior questionnaires, such as TH and TH + CH in exposure group were significantly higher than those in control group (P < 0.05). P and N scores of EPQ questionnaires in exposure group were significantly higher than those in control group, and L score in exposure group was significantly lower than that in control group (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). There were significant differences in the frequencies of the genotypes and alleles of 5-HTTLPR gene between the cases and the controls (P < 0.05), but there were no significant differences in the frequencies of the genotypes and alleles of DRD4 gene between the two groups (P > 0.05). In the drivers with the accident tendentiousness, P scores in the cases with homozygous genotypes of the S/S in 5-HTTLPR gene were significantly higher than those in the cases with the genotypes of S/L and L/L in 5-HTTLPR gene (P > 0.05). E scores in subjects with homozygous genotypes of the T/T in DRD4 gene were significantly higher than those in subjects with genotypes of the T/C+C/C in DRD4 gene (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The driver accident tendentiousness may be associated with 5-HTTLPR gene, but not associated with DRD4 gene. The two genes are associated with the type-A behavior and personality characteristics of drivers with accident tendentiousness. However, 5-HTTLPR and DRD4 gene may not have synergism in these behaviors and personality.