There are sex differences in many inflammatory and immune diseases, and the differences tend to diminish after menopause. The underlying reasons are unclear, but sex hormone levels are likely to be an important factor. Blood leukocyte count and composition provide an indicator of the inflammatory and immune status of an individual. We performed a cross-sectional analysis of blood leukocyte data from 46,879 individuals (26,212 men and 20,667 women, aged 18 to 93 years) who underwent a routine health checkup. In women aged around 50 years, neutrophil percentage (NE%) dropped whilst lymphocyte percentage (LY%) rose. Accordingly, women before age 50 had significantly higher NE%, lower LY%, and higher neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) than women of 51–70 years of age (p = 1.35×10−82, p = 5.32×10−100, and p = 1.25×10−26, respectively). In age groups of <50 years, women had higher NE%, lower LY% and higher NLR than men (p = 1.82×10−206, p = 1.46×10−69, and p = 2.30×10−118, respectively), whereas in age groups of >51 years, it was the reverse (p = 1.92×10−15, p = 1.43×10−84, and p = 1.51×10−48, respectively). These results show that blood leukocyte composition differs between women before and after menopausal age, with distinct sexual dimorphism.

).Conclusions-In a model in which it is presumed that cholesterol is a mediator of the associations of ABO group with coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction, around 10% of the effect of non-O type on coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction susceptibility was mediated by its influence on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level. (Circ Cardiovasc Genet. 2014;7:43-48.)

Background Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) are assumed to be prognostic factors in many diseases such as inflammatory diseases, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. However, NLR and PLR are race specific, it is important to determine the reference values of NLR and PLR in different races. The study aimed to investigate the reference range of NLR and PLR in Chinese Han population from Chaoshan region in South China. Methods A retrospective study was conducted in the First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College in South China. Five thousand healthy adults aged 20–69 years were included. NLR and PLR were determined. Results Of 5000 healthy adults, 2500 men and 2500 women were included. The mean NLR and PLR across all ages for men and women were 1.59 ± 0.59, 92.88 ± 28.70, 1.62 ± 0.64 and 108.02 ± 32.99, respectively. The 95% reference range of NLR in normal male and female are 0.43~2.75 and 0.37~2.87, PLR are 36.63~149.13 and 43.36~172.68, respectively. The female had a higher NLR at age 30~49 than the male while the NLR at age 60~69 was higher in male than in female. The PLR was higher in female than in male. Conclusion The study provides reference data on NLR and PLR from different age and sex groups in South China. NLR and PLR varied with age and sex.

Genome-wide association studies have revealed an association between coronary heart disease (CHD) and genetic variation on chromosome 13q34, with the lead single nucleotide polymorphism rs4773144 residing in the COL4A2 gene in this genomic region. We investigated the functional effects of this genetic variant. Analyses of primary cultures of vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and endothelial cells (ECs) from different individuals showed a difference between rs4773144 genotypes in COL4A2 and COL4A1 expression levels, being lowest in the G/G genotype, intermediate in A/G and highest in A/A. Chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by allelic imbalance assays of primary cultures of SMCs and ECs that were of the A/G genotype revealed that the G allele had lower transcriptional activity than the A allele. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays and luciferase reporter gene assays showed that a short DNA sequence encompassing the rs4773144 site interacted with a nuclear protein, with lower efficiency for the G allele, and that the G allele sequence had lower activity in driving reporter gene expression. Analyses of cultured SMCs from different individuals demonstrated that cells of the G/G genotype had higher apoptosis rates. Immunohistochemical and histological examinations of ex vivo atherosclerotic coronary arteries from different individuals disclosed that atherosclerotic plaques with the G/G genotype had lower collagen IV abundance and thinner fibrous cap, a hallmark of unstable, rupture-prone plaques. A study of a cohort of patients with angiographically documented coronary artery disease showed that patients of the G/G genotype had higher rates of myocardial infarction, a phenotype often caused by plaque rupture. These results indicate that the CHD-related genetic variant at the COL4A2 locus affects COL4A2/COL4A1 expression, SMC survival, and atherosclerotic plaque stability, providing a mechanistic explanation for the association between the genetic variant and CHD risk.

First two decades of the twenty-first century are characterised by epidemics of non-communicable diseases such as many hundreds of millions of patients diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases and the type 2 diabetes mellitus, breast, lung, liver and prostate malignancies, neurological, sleep, mood and eye disorders, amongst others. Consequent socio-economic burden is tremendous. Unprecedented decrease in age of maladaptive individuals has been reported. The absolute majority of expanding non-communicable disorders carry a chronic character, over a couple of years progressing from reversible suboptimal health conditions to irreversible severe pathologies and cascading collateral complications. The time-frame between onset of SHS and clinical manifestation of associated disorders is the operational area for an application of reliable risk assessment tools and predictive diagnostics followed by the cost-effective targeted prevention and treatments tailored to the person.This article demonstrates advanced strategies in bio/medical sciences and healthcare focused on suboptimal health conditions in the frame-work of Predictive, Preventive and Personalised Medicine (3PM/PPPM). Potential benefits in healthcare systems and for society at large include but are not restricted to an improved life-quality of major populations and socio-economical groups, advanced professionalism of healthcare-givers and sustainable healthcare economy. Amongst others, following medical areas are proposed to strongly benefit from PPPM strategies applied to the identification and treatment of suboptimal health conditions: Stress overload associated pathologies Male and female health Planned pregnancies Periodontal health Eye disorders Inflammatory disorders, wound healing and pain management with associated complications Metabolic disorders and suboptimal body weight Cardiovascular pathologies Cancers Stroke, particularly of unknown aetiology and in young individuals Sleep medicine Sports medicine Improved individual outcomes under pandemic conditions such as COVID-19.

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BackgroundPatients who were hospitalized for community-based pneumonia frequently had pre-existing atrial fibrillation (AF) and had subsequent cardiovascular complications. Whether patients who had AF would be susceptible to the development of hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) is a serious concern but this has not been investigated. In our clinics, we have made empirical observation of such susceptibility.ObjectivesTo investigate the association between newly developed HAP and pre-existing AF, and to identify whether AF is an independent risk factor for HAP.MethodsHospital data from 8657 sequentially admitted inpatients [1059 patients with AF and 7598 without AF (NAF)] were collected from the Department of Cardiology, First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China, from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2011. Exclusion criteria were: having previous or current pneumonia, pacemakers, sick sinus syndrome and repeated hospitalization. The incidence of HAP (within 48 hours after hospitalization) was identified among all the patients.ResultsAmong the AF patients, 274 had HAP (adjusted rate 25.64%) which was significantly higher than the 276 NAF patients who had HAP (adjusted rate 3.66%; P<0.001). The increased risk was also associated with high blood pressure, heart failure and age, but not with gender, smoking, coronary heart disease, diabetes, congenital heart disease. In addition, our multiple regression analysis indicates that AF is an independent risk factor for HAP.ConclusionWe have identified, for the first time, that AF is an important risk factor for HAP. Although additional clinical confirmation is needed, our data provide valuable evidence for use in prevention of HAP which is the most common cause of death from nosocomial infection.

Background and Purpose-PRKCH (the gene encoding protein kinase C ) has a role in the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke. The 1425G/A SNP in PRKCH (rs2230500) is significantly associated with ischemic stroke in Japanese. The aim of the present study is to investigate the associations in ischemic stroke and other types of stroke in the Chinese population. Methods-A total of 1209 patients with stroke and 1174 controls were examined using a case-control methodology. The 1425G/A SNP in PRKCH was genotyped by allele-specific real-time PCR assay. Results-The 1425G/A SNP in PRKCH was significantly associated with both ischemic stroke (odds ratio [OR]