Interaction of Interleukin 7 Receptor (IL7R) and IL6 Gene Polymorphisms with Smoking Associated with Susceptibility to Asthma in Chinese Han Adults.

BACKGROUND: the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the risk of asthma and multiple single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in interleukin 7 receptor (IL7R) and IL6 genes, as well as the gene- environment interactions. METHODS: This is a hospital- based case- control study. A total of 430 patients with asthma were continuously recruited. Four SNPs within IL7R and IL6 gene were genotyped by PCR based restriction fragment length polymorphism. The Hardy- Weinberg balance of all participants was tested by SNPstats. The best interaction combination of four SNPs in IL7R and IL6 genes and smoking was screened by generalized multifactor dimensionality reduction (GMDR). Logistic regression was used to test the association between four SNPs and asthma, and stratified analysis for rs1800795 gene-smoking interaction, synergy index (SI) was calculated. RESULTS: The rs1494558-G and rs1800795-C were associated with an increased risk of asthma, adjusted ORs (95% CI) was 1.81 (1.29-2.42) and 1.75 (1.20-2.28), respectively. GMDR indicated that the test accuracy for two-locus model involving rs1800795 and smoking was 0.5721, and the p = .011, the results providing evidence for rs1800795 gene-smoking interaction. The asthma risk was higher in smokers with GC or CC genotype than the sum of risks in subjects with smoking or GC or CC genotype alone, compared to the never smokers with GG genotype, the OR (95%CI) was 4.97 (3.01-7.24), and the synergy index (SI) was 1.68 (1.08-2.60). CONCLUSIONS: The rs1494558-G and rs1800795-C alleles, gene- environment interaction between rs1800795 and smoking were all associated with increased asthma risk.

Evaluation of MIh Scoring System in Diagnosis of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome.

BACKGROUND The objective of the present study was to investigate whether the analysis of magnesium (Mg), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), and ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) concentrations can be used as a non-invasive and convenient method for diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). MATERIAL AND METHODS After polysomnography, venous blood was collected from 33 patients with OSAS and 30 control individuals. Serum levels of Mg, hsCRP, and IMA were investigated. The relationship between these factors and apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) was analyzed using the Pearson correlation coefficient. The role of the factors was determined using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS The levels of hsCRP and IMA were significantly higher in patients with OSAS than in control subjects, while the levels of Mg were lower (P<0.05 for all). A significant correlation was noted between serum IMA (r=0.614; P<0.001) and hsCRP (r=0.453; P<0.001) levels and the AHI. The ROC showed that serum Mg (AUC=0.74(0.62-0.85)), hsCRP (AUC=0.77(0.65-0.87)), and IMA (AUC=0.78(0.66-0.87)) levels could be used as markers to diagnose OSAS. Moreover, our new model, MIh, which is obtained by multivariate analysis, yielded an AUC value of 0.93 (0.83-0.98). Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment reversed the changes in the serum levels of Mg, hsCRP, and IMA. CONCLUSIONS Patients with OSAS show reduced serum Mg levels and elevated serum hsCRP and IMA levels. These observed alterations can be reversed by CPAP treatment. A novel model, named MIh, may be a promising tool for OSAS diagnosis.

[Effects of methylprednisolone plus Xuebijing on bleomycin-induced acute exacerbation of pulmonary fibrosis in rats].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of Xuebijing plus methylprednisolone in a rat model of pulmonary fibrosis induced by bleomycin. METHODS: Eighty Wistar rats were randomly divided into 5 groups of control, model control, Xuebijing, methylprednisolone and combined treatment (Xuebijing plus methylprednisolone). Pulmonary fibrosis model was induced by an intra-tracheal injection of bleomycin. The treatment groups were administrated with 4.5 ml · kg(-1) · d(-1) Xuebijing and 4.5 ml · kg(-1) · d(-1) physiologic saline, 4.5 ml · kg(-1) · d(-1) methylprednisolone and 4.5 ml · kg(-1) · d(-1) physiologic saline, or 4.5 ml · kg(-1) · d(-1) methylprednisolone and 4.5 ml · kg(-1) · d(-1) Xuebijing respectively by intraperitoneal injection. And the control and model control groups received 9 ml · kg(-1) · d(-1) physiological saline. The animals were sacrificed at Days 14 and 28 respectively. The degrees of lung inflammation and pulmonary fibrosis were detected by hematoxylin & eosin and Masson staining. The serum levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The expression of transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1) in lung tissue was evaluated by immunohistochemical staining. RESULTS: Compared between the combined treatment and model control groups, at Days 14 and 28, the degree of alveolitis ((1.09 ± 0.30) vs (2.03 ± 0.25) and (0.75 ± 0.27) vs (1.78 ± 0.36) ng/L) , the degree of pulmonary fibrosis ((0.91 ± 0.19 )vs (1.34 ± 0.23) and (0.75 ± 0.27) vs (1.78 ± 0.36)) . The expression of TGF-ß1 in lung tissue ((12.11 ± 3.06)% vs (17.70 ± 2.70)% & (10.96 ± 2.53)% vs (16.72 ± 2.20)%). And the serum level of TNF-α ((68.39 ± 9.28) vs (90.94 ± 11.16) ng/L & (67.14 ± 10.88) vs (81.73 ± 7.23) ng/L) all significantly decreased (all P < 0.05). At Day 14, the serum level of IL-6 in the combined treatment group significantly decreased as compared with the model control group ((199 ± 31) vs (250 ± 43)ng/L, P = 0.036). At Day 28, no statistic difference was found ( (192 ± 25) vs (227 ± 24)ng/L, P = 0.058). CONCLUSIONS: The combined treatment of methylprednisolone and Xuebijing is more effective in a rat model of pulmonary fibrosis. And its mechanism is associated with the reduced levels of IL-6 and TNF-α and TGF-ß1 expression in lung tissue.

Association of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with Risk of Psychiatric Disorders: A Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Study.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a prevalent respiratory disorder often accompanied by comorbidities. Although the past few years have witnessed significant scientific progress, the potential relationship between COPD and mental illness remains a subject of debate. Materials and Methods: We retrieved COPD data from the genome-wide association studies (GWAS) directory and data on mental illnesses, including Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, panic disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, multiple disabilities, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and schizophrenia, from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium. A two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach was applied to explore the association between COPD and mental illnesses, with subgroup analyses based on smoking history. Results: Our two-sample MR analysis revealed no causal link between overall COPD and the development of common psychiatric disorders. Subgroup analyses based on smoking history showed no causal association between never-smokers with COPD and the occurrence of psychiatric disorders. However, ever-smokers with COPD were associated with a significantly increased risk of ADHD (OR: 2.303, 95% CI: 1.558-3.403, P = 0.001) and a modestly reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease (OR: 0.994, 95% CI: 0.988-0.999, P = 0.034). Conclusion: COPD patients with a history of smoking face a higher risk of developing ADHD but may experience a slight reduction in the risk of Alzheimer's disease. Conversely, there was no observed causal association between COPD and psychiatric disorders among patients who never smoked.