Mu opioid receptor (MOR) has been shown to be associated with alcoholism and opioid dependence. The present study examined the involvement of a polymorphism in A118G in exon 1 and C1031G in intron 2 of the MOR gene in 200 Chinese heroin-dependent and 97 control subjects. Results showed a significant association for both A118G and C1031G polymorphisms and opioid dependence. The G allele is more common in the heroin-dependent group (39.5% and 30.8% for A118G and C1031G polymorphisms, respectively) when compared to the controls (29.4% and 21.1% for A118G and C1031G polymorphisms, respectively). This study suggests that the variant G allele of both A118G and C1031G polymorphisms may contribute to the vulnerability to heroin dependence.

Objective. Lupus nephritis is characterized by intrarenal inflammation. To assess the extent and severity of disease activity and renal involvement, this study examined the expression of transforming growth factor ␤ (TGF␤) and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) in the urinary sediment of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).Methods. We studied 106 patients with SLE who were classified according to their disease status as those with active disease, those with disease in remission, and those with nonrenal SLE. Ten healthy subjects were used as controls. Lupus activity was assessed by the SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI). If renal biopsy was performed, the histologic activity index and chronicity index were determined, and a morphometry analysis of renal scarring was performed. The urinary expresssion of TGF␤ and MCP-1 messenger RNA (mRNA) was studied by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and the corresponding protein concentrations of TGF␤ and MCP-1 in the urine were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Results. Expression of TGF␤ and MCP-1 mRNA in the urinary sediment was significantly elevated in the active disease group (P < 0.001 for both). These expression levels of TGF␤ and MCP-1 mRNA correlated with the SLEDAI score (TGF␤ r ‫؍‬ 0.71, P < 0.001; MCP-1 r ‫؍‬ 0.72, P < 0.001), and also significantly correlated with the histologic activity index (TGF␤ r ‫؍‬ 0.487, P ‫؍‬ 0.004; MCP-1 r ‫؍‬ 0.357, P ‫؍‬ 0.038). The urinary protein concentration of MCP-1, but not of TGF␤, correlated with the SLEDAI score (r ‫؍‬ 0.66, P < 0.001). However, neither the protein concentration of TGF␤ nor that of MCP-1 as measured by ELISA in the urine correlated with the histologic activity index.Conclusion. The measurement of urinary mRNA expression may be a noninvasive method for the assessment of lupus disease activity and the severity of renal involvement in patients with lupus nephritis.

We conclude that in peritoneal dialysis patients, the AA genotype of VEGF promoter at -2578 position was associated with progressive increase in peritoneal transport. The CA/AA genotype at -2578 position was also associated with an excess mortality. Our finding also suggests that systemic and local peritoneal VEGF production may be differentially regulated.