[Single nucleotide polymorphisms and genotype combinations in calpain-10 gene of Korean population].

OBJECTIVE: This is an investigation made in Korean population with regard to the distribution of the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in calpain-10 gene that was discovered in Mexican American. METHODS: By utilizing the techniques of polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP), the authors analyzed the polymorphisms for calpain-10 SNP-43, -19 and -63 genotype, evaluated the gene types, and calculated their frequencies and combined genotypes in 312 healthy Korean. RESULTS: The calpain-10 UCSNP-43 genotype frequencies for types 1/1, 1/2, and 2/2 were found to be 86.2%, 13.5%, and 0.3% respectively, with the allele frequencies 0.930 for G and 0.070 for A. The UCSNP-19 genotype frequencies were 9.9% for type 1/1, 44.6% for type 1/2, 45.5% for type 2/2, with the allele frequencies 0.322 for D and 0.678 for I. The UCSNP-63 genotype frequencies were 57.4% for type of 1/1, 35.9% for type of 1/2, 6.7% for type of 2/2, with the allele frequencies 0.754 for C and 0.246 for T. All of the gene distributions matched the equilibrium law of Hardy-Weinberg. A total of 12 genotype combinations of three SNPs were observed in Korean. Seventy-five point six per cent of the Korean was composed of three genotype combinations in the order of UCSNP-43,-19 and -63, i.e., GG-DI-CC(haplotype combination 111/121, frequency=10.6%, GG-DI-CT(haplotype combination 112/121, frequency=28.8%), and GG-II-CC(haplotype combination 121/121, frequency=36.2%). CONCLUSION: The distribution of SNPs in calpain-10 gene in Korean is similar to that in Chinese and Japanese, but different from that reported in Caucasian, American Mexicans and American Pima Indians.

Effects of Air Pollution on Asthma Hospitalization Rates in Different Age Groups in Metropolitan Cities of Korea.

Many studies have shown associations between air pollution and asthma admissions in Korea, but have not reported whether these effects differ by age classification. The purpose of this study was to determine whether air pollution effects on asthmatic hospital admissions are different by three age groups (years): children (less than 15), adults (15-64; reference group), and the elderly (over 65). Daily time-series data from seven metropolitan cities in South Korea were analyzed in two stages. In the first stage, relative asthma morbidity rates associated with air pollution were estimated for each city and age group, using semi-parametric log-linear regression. In the second stage, estimates from all seven cities were combined by age group using Bayesian hierarchical modeling. The effects of exposure to particulate matter <10 micrometers in aerodynamic diameter (PM10), carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) varied significantly by age groups. Using adults as the referent, the relative rate (RR) of asthma admissions with 10µg/m3 increase of PM10 is 1.5% (95%CI: 0.1-2.8%) lower for children, and 1.3% (95% CI: 0.7-1.9%) higher for the elderly; RR with 1ppm increase of CO is 1.9% (95% CI: 0.3-3.8%) lower for children; RR with 1ppb increase of NO2(1ppb) is 0.5% (95% CI: 0.3-0.7%) higher for the elderly. No significant age group difference in relative rate was found for ozone or sulfur dioxide.