Lack of association between polymorphisms from genome-wide association studies and tuberculosis in the Chinese population.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified rs4331426 and rs2057178 as being associated with tuberculosis (TB) in African populations. Both are common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in Africans, but they are much rarer in Eurasian populations. In order to corroborate these results, we carried out a case-control study in the Chinese population; these 2 SNPs were genotyped in 600 pulmonary TB patients and 618 healthy controls. The results showed that neither of the SNPs was associated with TB, even after stratification by gender, age, and smear status. Considering the limitation of poor coverage of variations in commercial available genotyping platforms in African populations, further GWAS should be conducted in other populations such as Indian and Chinese. Moreover, future genetic studies on host susceptibility to TB need to take into account all the variables, including host, environment, pathogen, and interactions.

Acute effect of fine and coarse particular matter on cardiovascular visits in Ningbo, China.

Although a growing number of epidemiological studies have been conducted on size-specific health effects of particulate matter in China, results remain inconsistent. In this study, we investigated acute effect of fine and coarse particular matter on cardiovascular hospital visits in Ningbo, China. We used generalized additive models to examine short-term effects of PM2.5 and PM10-2.5 on cardiovascular hospital visits by adjustment for temporal, seasonal, and meteorological effects. Subgroup analyses were conducted by age, sex, and season. We also examined the stability of their effects in multi-pollutant models. We found that PM2.5 were associated with cardiovascular hospital visits (RR = 1.006; 95% CI 1.000, 1.011) and results remained similar after adjustment for PM10-2.5 (RR = 1.005; 95% CI 0.998, 1.013). There was a borderline association between PM10-2.5 and cardiovascular hospital visits (RR = 1.007; 95% CI 0.997, 1.016), which disappeared after controlling for PM2.5 (RR = 1.000; 95% CI 0.988, 1.013). The associations appeared to be stronger in the cold season and among the elderly (≥ 75 years). The findings of this study suggested significant adverse effects of PM2.5, but no independent effects of PM10-2.5 on cardiovascular hospital visits. Additional studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Air pollution and hospital visits for acute upper and lower respiratory infections among children in Ningbo, China: A time-series analysis.

Acute upper and lower respiratory infections are main causes of mortality and morbidity in children. Air pollution has been recognized as an important contributor to development and exacerbation of respiratory infections. However, few studies are available in China. In this study, we investigated the short-term effect of air pollution on hospital visits for acute upper and lower respiratory infections among children under 15 years in Ningbo, China. Poisson generalized models were used to estimate the associations between air pollution and hospital visits for acute upper and lower respiratory infections adjusted for temporal, seasonal, and meteorological effects. We found that four pollutants (PM2.5, PM10, NO2, and SO2) were significantly associated with hospital visits for acute upper and lower respiratory infections. The effect estimates for acute upper respiratory infections tended to be higher (PM2.5 ER = 3.46, 95% CI 2.18, 4.76; PM10 ER = 2.81, 95% CI 1.93, 3.69; NO2 ER = 11.27, 95% CI 8.70, 13.89; SO2 ER = 15.17, 95% CI 11.29, 19.19). Significant associations for gaseous pollutants (NO2 and SO2) were observed after adjustment for particular matter. Stronger associations were observed among older children and in the cold period. Our study suggested that short-term exposure to outdoor air pollution was associated with hospital visits for acute upper and lower respiratory infections in Ningbo.

Polymorphisms in the CISH gene are associated with susceptibility to tuberculosis in the Chinese Han population.

A recent multi-center case-control study identified several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the cytokine-inducible SRC homology 2 domain (CISH) gene that are associated with susceptibility to tuberculosis (TB) in both African and Asian populations. To acquire a more robust and well-powered estimate of the putative influence of these SNPs on TB susceptibility, we conducted a well-designed case-control study in the Chinese Han population. We genotyped 3 previously identified SNPs within CISH in 600 patients with pulmonary TB and 618 healthy controls, and we calculated the pooled P-values and ORs of several studies that have also been conducted in the Chinese populations. The results of the case-control study showed that the C allele of rs2239751 and the T allele of rs414171 are associated with TB susceptibility, and this association exists only in women and young adults. The pooled analysis indicated that both SNPs are significantly associated with TB in the global populations and Chinese populations. The current study confirms that variants of CISH are associated with susceptibility to TB, suggesting that negative regulators of cytokine signaling may have a role in immunity against TB infection. We hypothesize that CISH and estrogen may interact in the cytokine-dependent regulation of the immune system.