Human Leukocyte Antigen DQB1 (HLA-DQB1) Polymorphisms and the Risk for Guillain-Barré Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an autoimmune disorder of the peripheral nervous system. There is no consensus regarding reported associations between human leukocyte antigen DQB1 (HLA-DQB1) polymorphisms and the risk for developing GBS. Here, we evaluated possible associations between HLA-DQB1 polymorphisms and the risk for GBS using a meta-analysis. We searched PubMed for case-control genetic association studies for HLA-DQB1 polymorphisms (*020x, *030x, *040x, *050x, and *060x) and the risk for GBS. Fixed-effect meta-analytical methods were used for the outcome measure and subgroup analyses. Estimated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to investigate the associations between HLA-DQB1 polymorphisms and the risk for GBS. Nine case-control studies involving 780 cases of GBS and 1353 controls were identified in the current study. The meta-analysis demonstrated no significant associations between HLA-DQB1 polymorphisms and the risk for GBS in Asian and Caucasian populations. There were two associations that approached significance: HLA-DQB1*030x in Asian patients (P = 0.07; OR: 0.76, 95% CI: 0.57-1.03) and HLA-DQB1*060x in all patients (P = 0.08; OR: 1.48, 95% CI: 0.96-2.29). Additional studies with larger sample sizes are required to establish a definitive assessment of the contribution of HLA-DQB1 polymorphisms to GBS risk.

Association between MTHFR gene polymorphisms, smoking, and the incidence of vascular dementia.

This study investigated the relationship between N5,N10-methylene tetrahydrofolic acid reductase (MTHFR) polymorphisms, smoking, and vascular dementia (VD). Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis was used to analyze the frequency of the C/T polymorphism at position 677 of the MTHFR gene in 304 VD patients and 300 control patients with nondementia cerebral infarction. The CC, CT, and TT genotype frequencies of the MTHFR gene were 43.42%, 32.57%, and 24.01%, respectively, in the VD group, and 50.67%, 32.00%, and 17.33%, respectively, in the control group. The T allele frequency was significantly higher in the VD group than in the control group (P < .05). Among patients who smoked, the relative risk of VD in patients with the TT genotype and T allele was higher than in the control group (P < .05). Therefore, the smoking group with the T allele has the highest risk of VD, and synergy appears to exist between the MTHFR gene polymorphisms and smoking in susceptibility to VD.

Identification of microRNA-205 as a potential prognostic indicator for human glioma.

Altered microRNA-205 (miR-205) expression has been found in glioma tissue samples and cell lines; however, the clinical significance of this is unclear. The aim of this study was to confirm the miR-205 expression pattern in human glioma and to investigate its clinical relevance. Quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction assays showed that miR-205 expression was significantly lower in glioma tissues than in non-neoplastic brain tissues (P<0.001). Statistical analysis revealed a significant correlation between low miR-205 expression and both high grade glioma (World Health Organization [WHO] criteria, P=0.008) and a low Karnofsky performance status score (P=0.02). Survival analysis demonstrated that the cumulative 5-year overall survival rate of patients with glioma in the high miR-205 expression group was significantly higher than that in the low miR-205 expression group (P<0.001). Multivariate Cox regression analysis further indicated that miR-205 expression (P=0.01) and WHO grade (P=0.01) were independent prognostic indicators of the overall survival of patients with glioma. Moreover, subgroup analyses revealed that the cumulative 5-year overall survival rate of patients with high grade (III-IV) glioma was significantly worse for the low miR-205 expression group than for the high miR-205 expression group (P<0.001), but no significant difference was found for patients with low grade (I-II) glioma (P=0.09). In conclusion, down-regulation of miR-205 was associated with glioma progression. Our data are the first to suggest that miR-205 holds potential as a prognostic factor for glioma, especially for patients with advanced disease.

A clinical study of the effects of lead poisoning on the intelligence and neurobehavioral abilities of children.

BACKGROUND: Lead is a heavy metal and important environmental toxicant and nerve poison that can destruction many functions of the nervous system. Lead poisoning is a medical condition caused by increased levels of lead in the body. Lead interferes with a variety of body processes and is toxic to many organs and issues, including the central nervous system. It interferes with the development of the nervous system, and is therefore particularly toxic to children, causing potentially permanent neural and cognitive impairments. In this study, we investigated the relationship between lead poisoning and the intellectual and neurobehavioral capabilities of children. METHODS: The background characteristics of the research subjects were collected by questionnaire survey. Blood lead levels were detected by differential potentiometric stripping analysis (DPSA). Intelligence was assessed using the Gesell Developmental Scale. The Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) was used to evaluate each child's behavior. RESULTS: Blood lead levels were significantly negatively correlated with the developmental quotients of adaptive behavior, gross motor performance, fine motor performance, language development, and individual social behavior (P < 0.01). Compared with healthy children, more children with lead poisoning had abnormal behaviors, especially social withdrawal, depression, and atypical body movements, aggressions and destruction. CONCLUSION: Lead poisoning has adverse effects on the behavior and mental development of 2-4-year-old children, prescribing positive and effective precautionary measures.

Seizure freedom in epilepsia partialis continua (EPC) through vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) therapy: A case report.

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is generally considered as a palliative treatment for patients with drug-resistant partial-onset epilepsy. We report a case in which a patient with drug-resistant epilepsia partialis continua (EPC), became seizure-free for 15 months with VNS combined with antiepileptic medication regimens. To our knowledge, similar cases have not been reported previously.

MiR-483-5p suppresses the proliferation of glioma cells via directly targeting ERK1.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) exhibit tumor-specific expression signatures and play crucial roles in tumorigenesis by targeting oncogenes. Here, through analyzing the miRNA-array profiles of human glioblastoma tissues and the adjacent normal brain tissues, we found miR-483-5p was significantly down-regulated in gliomas, which was confirmed in both human glioma specimens and cell lines. The overexpression of miR-483-5p suppressed glioma cell proliferation and induced a G0/G1 arrest. In contrast, miR-483-5p inhibition promoted cell proliferation. Furthermore, by a dual-luciferase reporter assay and expression analysis, we identified extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 (ERK1) as a direct target of miR-483-5p. ERK1 knockdown can block cell proliferation induced by miR-483-5p inhibition. Thus, our findings provide the first evidence that miR-483-5p can serve as a tumor suppressor in gliomas.