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Our study aimed to assess the distribution of copper (Cu) in umbilical cord serum and estimated the association between umbilical serum Cu status and neonatal birth outcomes in a Chinese population. Through the Ma'anShan Birth Cohort Study, 2689 maternal-singleton pairs with detailed birth records and available serum samples were identified. The tertile levels of ln-transformed Cu were used to define low, medium, and high levels for serum Cu. The median for umbilical cord serum Cu was 298.2 μg/L with a range of 123.1-699.6 μg/L in this study population. Our study found a positive association between the concentration of serum Cu in the umbilical cord and the duration of gestation. Compared with medium Cu levels, we found that infants with low Cu levels had a significant higher risk of preterm birth (OR = 5.06, 95% CI 2.74, 9.34) and early-term birth (OR = 1.36, 95% CI 1.10, 1.69) in the crude model. We also found that infants with high Cu levels had a significant higher risk of late- or post-term birth (OR = 1.47, 95% CI 1.11, 1.95). A significant higher risk of preterm, early-term, and late- or post-term birth still remained, even after adjustment for potential confounding factors. Our findings suggested that both Cu deficiency and Cu overload had an adverse effect on neonatal birth outcomes.

The response to glucocorticoids (GCs) for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is characterized by wide interindividual variability, with a significant number of patients who have no response. We analyzed whether genetic polymorphisms within glucocorticoid receptor (GR) gene are related to variability in the efficacy of GCs in Chinese population with SLE. A cohort of 220 patients with SLE was studied. These patients were treated with GCs (prednisone) for 12 weeks. The efficacy of GCs was measured with the scores on SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI). Patients were classified into two groups (sensitive and insensitive) according to their response to GCs. Polymorphisms of GR gene were genotyped by using multiplex SNaPshot method. A total of 212 patients (96.4%) were included in the final data analyses. Of these patients, 110 patients were considered sensitive to GCs, and 102 patients were considered insensitive to GCs. Eighteen tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of GR gene were selected. Significant associations were seen for rs4912905 (dominant model: crude OR = 0.410, 95%CI = 0.233-0.722, p = 0.002; adjusted OR = 0.419, 95%CI = 0.233-0.754, p = 0.004), rs17100234 (dominant model: crude OR = 0.521, 95%CI = 0.282-0.963, p = 0.038; adjusted OR = 0.520, 95%CI = 0.279-0.970, p = 0.040) and rs7701443 (recessive model: crude OR = 2.736, 95%CI = 1.183-6.331, p = 0.019; adjusted OR = 2.639, 95%CI = 1.116-6.239, p = 0.027) in GR gene, but not for other polymorphisms (p > 0.05). The results of the present study suggest that GR genetic polymorphisms may play a major role in the efficacy of GCs in Chinese population with SLE.