ObjectiveWe explored the desaturase activities and the correlation of fatty acid desaturases (FADS) gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with plasma fatty acid in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients in a Chinese Han population.MethodsPlasma fatty acids were measured by gas chromatography in CAD patients (n = 505) and a control group (n = 510). Five SNPs in the FADS gene were genotyped with high-resolution melting (HRM) methods.ResultsAfter adjustment, D6D activity, assessed as arachidonic acid (AA, C20:4n-6)/linoleic acid (LA, C18:2n-6), was higher in CAD patients (p<0.001). D9D activity, which was estimated as the ratio of palmitoleic acid (C16:1)/palmitic acid (C16:0) or oleic acid (C18:1n-9) to stearic acid (C18:0), was also increased (p<0.001). The genotype distributions of rs174537 G>T and rs174460 C>T were different between the two groups. The rs174537 T allele was associated with a lower risk of CAD [OR 0.743, 95% CI (0.624, 0.884), p = 0.001]. Carriers of the rs174460 C allele were associated with a higher risk of CAD [OR 1.357, 95% CI (1.106, 1.665), p = 0.003].ConclusionsWe firstly report that the rs174460 C allele is associated with a higher risk of CAD, and confirm that the rs174537 T allele is associated with a lower risk of CAD. Our results indicate that FADS gene polymorphisms are likely to influence plasma fatty acid concentrations and desaturase activities.

Conventional Sanger sequencing remains time-consuming and laborious. In this study, we developed a rapid improved sequencing protocol of 16S rRNA for pathogens identification by using a new combination of SYBR Green I real-time PCR and Sanger sequencing with FTA® cards. To compare the sequencing quality of this method with conventional Sanger sequencing, 12 strains, including three kinds of strains (1 reference strain and 3 clinical strains, which were previously identified by biochemical tests), which have 4 Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 4 Staphyloccocus aureus and 4 Escherichia coli, were targeted. Additionally, to validate the sequencing results and bacteria identification, expanded specimens with 90 clinical strains, also comprised of the three kinds of strains which included 30 samples respectively, were performed as just described. The results showed that although statistical differences (P<0.05) were found in sequencing quality between the two methods, their identification results were all correct and consistent. The workload, the time consumption and the cost per batch were respectively light versus heavy, 8 h versus 11 h and $420 versus $400. In the 90 clinical strains, all of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphyloccocus aureus strains were correctly identified, but only 26.7% of the Escherichia coli strains were recognized as Escherichia coli, while 33.3% as Shigella sonnei and 40% as Shigella dysenteriae. The protocol described here is a rapid, reliable, stable and convenient method for 16S rRNA sequencing, and can be used for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphyloccocus aureus identification, yet it is not completely suitable for discriminating Escherichia coli and Shigella strains.

No abstract

Objectives: To estimate the prevalence and mutation types of G6PD deficiency and evaluate the relationship between G6PD genotypes and erythrocyte phenotypes in the Dai and Jingpo ethnic groups in the Dehong prefecture of the Yunnan province, China. Methods: G6PD deficiency was screened in Dai (1,530 individuals) and Jingpo (372 individuals) populations using a modified G6PD/6PGD ratio assay. Red blood cell traits were analyzed using the Sysmex XE2100 fully automated blood analyzer. PCR-direct sequencing for G6PD genotyping analysis was performed, and then the linkage disequilibrium blocks of the target SNPs were constructed with Haploview 4.2 software. Results: The prevalence of G6PD deficiency was higher in the Dai ethnic group (8.63%) than in the Jingpo ethnic group (5.91%). The major mutations in descending order were rs137852314 G>A, rs72554664 G>A, rs72554665 G>T, and rs137852341 G>T. Hemoglobin concentration was significantly lower in the rs137852314 G>A group than in the normal group (p = 0.021). Mean corpuscular volume and mean corpuscular hemoglobin were substantially higher in the rs137852341 G>T group compared to the normal group (p = 0.049, p = 0.042). A linkage disequilibrium block of 13 SNPs was constructed for the G6PD deficiency group from the Dai sample. Conclusions: The Dai and Jingpo ethnic groups have distinctive incidence rates and gene frequencies of G6PD deficiency, and the genotypes of G6PD deficiency are associated with erythrocyte phenotypes.

No abstract

Developing high-performance electrocatalysts for the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) is greatly significant for the practical application of direct ethanol fuel cells, but it is still unsatisfactory. In this manuscript, we reported a facile aqueous synthesis of PdCu ultrathin nanowires (UNWs) as a highly active and stable electrocatalyst for EOR electrocatalysis. The synthesis relied on the columnar nucleation of PdCu alloys via co-reduction of Pd and Cu precursors in an aqueous solution with a highly hydrophobic dioctadecyldimethylammonium chloride as the structure-directing surfactant. PdCu UNWs featured ultrathin diameter (∼3.2 nm), defect-rich surface (high-index site), single-crystalline structure, and well-alloyed composition. They disclosed the remarkable mass activity of 3.02 A mgPd –1 and the good chronoamperometric and cycling stability for EOR electrocatalysis, both of which are better than its counterpart catalysts and commercial Pd/C. Mechanism studies further confirmed that PdCu UNWs had much better diffusion ability and lower activation energy based on their structural and compositional add-in synergies.

Purpose: Several novel genetic variants for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have been identified through genome-wide association studies (GWAS). A case-controll study was performed to investigate the association of five new European or South Asian GWAS-derived susceptibility loci with T2DM in a Chinese population. Methods: Five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped: rs3923113 near GRB14, rs16861329 in ST6GAL1, rs1802295 in VPS26A, rs7178572 in HMG20A, and rs231362 near KCNQ1, by high-resolution melting (HRM) of small amplicons. The association between T2DM and related quantitative traits in a total of 900 Chinese individuals, including 498 type 2 diabetic patients and 402 ethnically matched control subjects, were examined. Results: After adjusting for age and gender, rs1802295 (OR 5.724, P=0.03) and rs231362 (OR=5.683, P=0.016) were found to be associated with T2DM. Triglyceride levels were higher in TT and CT carriers for rs16861329 (1.05 (0.8-1.34) mmol/l) than in CC carriers (0.91 (0.73-1.23) mmol/l) with P=0.008 and that high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was lower in TT and CT carriers (1.17 (1.02-1.33) mmol/l) than in CC carriers (1.21 (1.05-1.41) mmol/l), with P=0.034. For rs3923113, the HDL-C levels were lower in the GG carriers (1.08 (0.90-1.18) mmol/l) than in the GT+TT carriers (1.21 (1.04-1.38) mmol/l), with P=0.018. Ours is the first report of this association. Conclusion: rs231362-KCNQ1 and rs1802295-VPS26A are associated with T2DM in the Chinese population. The remaining three SNPs are associated with other aspects of lipid metabolism.

Background A large number of studies demonstrated that the key to the occurrence and development of Kawasaki disease (KD) is the over-activation of immune cells and the generation of various inflammatory factors, leading to the imbalance of the immune system. Recently, mutations in the FNDC1 gene have been shown to be associated with inflammatory responses. However, there have been no reports on the relationship between FNDC1 gene and KD so far. Methods We enrolled 1611 controls and 1459 patients with KD, including 372 patients with coronary artery aneurysm (CAA) and 179 patients with coronary artery lesion (CAL). The relationship between FNDC1 rs3003174 polymorphism and KD with CAA or without CAA was investigated. Results This study showed no evidence that the association between FNDC1 rs3003174 C>T polymorphism and KD susceptibility was statistically significant (CT versus CC: adjusted odds ratio (OR) =0.897, 95% confidence interval (CI) =0.769–1.045, P=0.162; TT versus CC: adjusted OR=0.995, 95% CI=0.786–1.260, P=0.968; dominant model: adjusted OR=0.916, 95% CI=0.792–1.059, P=0.235; and recessive model: adjusted OR=1.055, 95% CI=0.845–1.316, P=0.638). However, our further stratified analysis in the control and KD group bore out that the incidence of TT genotype of FNDC1 rs3003174 C > T polymorphism was higher than that of CC/CT genotype in KD patients stratified by CAA (adjusted OR=1.437, 95% CI=1.034–1.996, P=0.031). Moreover, a stratified analysis of age and gender in KD patients indicated that the rs3003174 TT genotype increased the risk of CAA formation in aged ≦60 months (CC/CT vs TT: adjusted OR=1.580, 95% CI=1.106–2.259, P=0.012) and male (CC/CT vs TT: adjusted OR=1.653, 95% CI=1.101–2.481, P=0.015) KD patients. Conclusion The results of this study demonstrated that the FNDC1 rs3003174 C>T polymorphism may be a hazard factor in the formation of CAA in KD patients that was not disclosed before.