Mi Su

D allele of insertion/deletion polymorphism at angiotensin-converting enzyme gene is associated with reduced prevalence and severity of depression among Chinese adolescents at early stage after Wenchuan earthquake

Abstract Objective: The purpose of the present study was to longitudinally investigate the association of insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism at angiotensin-converting enzyme gene (ACE) with depression in Chinese adolescents experiencing the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. Methods: Variants of ACE I/D were identified by polymerase chain reaction and verified by DNA sequencing. Depression symptoms were assessed by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) among high school students at 6, 12 and 18 months after the earthquake. Results: The D-allele carriers had lower depression prevalence than II homozygotes at 6, 12 and 18 months after the earthquake only in females, but not in males. Meanwhile, BDI scores were reduced in the female D-allele carriers when compared with those in the female II homozygotes at 6 and12 months after the earthquake. In addition, ACE I/D was found to be the predictors of BDI scores and depression prevalence at 6 and 12 months after the earthquake. Conclusions: These results suggest that the association of ACE I/D with depression are longitudinally different in Chinese Han adolescents after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. The D allele may be associated with reduced depression prevalence and severity in female adolescents in the early stage of depression rehabilitation during the follow-up.

Reduced Recovery of Depression in Female T Allele Carriers of TNF-RII rs1061622 at Earlier Stage after Wenchuan Earthquake

Objective: The aim of current study was to explore longitudinally the prevalence, severity, potential factors, and predictors of depression among Chinese Han adolescent survivors with different genotypes of tumor necrosis factor receptor-II (TNF-RII) rs1061622 after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. Method: TNF-RII rs1061622 variants were examined by polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism and verified by DNA sequencing. Depression symptoms were assessed by Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) among 439 high school students at 6, 12, and 18 months after the earthquake. Results: No significant differences were observed in depression prevalence and BDI scores between the TT homozygotes and the G allele carriers in both the male and female subjects. However, the female TT homozygotes had a higher depression prevalence than the male TT homozygotes at 6, 12, and 18 months, whereas the female G allele carriers had a higher depression prevalence than the male G allele carriers only at 6 and 12 months after the earthquake. Moreover, BDI scores declined in the male subjects with both genotypes and only in the female G allele carriers at 12 months when compared with those at 6 months. Furthermore, the predictors of depression severity or potential factors of depression prevalence were different between the G allele carriers and the TT homozygotes at different times after the earthquake. Conclusion: It is concluded that the association of TNF-RII rs1061622 with depression is longitudinally different in Chinese Han adolescents after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. The T allele may be associated with reduced recovery of depression in female adolescents in the earlier stage of depression rehabilitation.

Longitudinal interplays of estrogen receptor alpha gene rs9340799 with social-environmental factors on post-traumatic stress disorder in Chinese Han adolescents after Wenchuan earthquake

Indirect evidences suggested associations of estrogen receptor alpha (ESR1) with post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, the relationship between rs9340799 on ESR1 gene and PTSD has not been reported yet. The present study was to explore the longitudinal changes of prevalence and severity of PTSD in adolescents with different genotypes of rs9340799 after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. Social‐environmental factors were collected by questionnaires in 465 high school students. Variants of rs9340799 were determined by polymerase chain reaction‐restriction fragment length polymorphism analyses and verified by DNA sequencing. PTSD symptoms were assessed by PTSD Checklist‐Civilian Version (PCL‐C) at 6, 12, and 18 months after the earthquake. The female AA homozygotes had a trend of higher prevalence of PTSD and significantly higher PCL‐C scores than the female G allele carriers at 6 months after the earthquake. The female students had higher prevalence of PTSD and higher PCL‐C scores than the male subjects at 6 months in the AA homozygotes, but not in the G allele carriers. Consecutive decreases in PCL‐C scores were observed only in the female AA homozygotes. Only in the female, the AA genotype was the risk factor and predictor of PCL‐C scores at 6 months. Potential factors of PTSD prevalence and predictors of PCL‐C scores were different between the AA homozygotes and G allele carriers at different time during the follow‐up. These results suggest gene‐environment interactions may occur among rs9340799 and social‐environmental factors, and influence the development and natural rehabilitation of PTSD in the course after stressed by the earthquake.

Longitudinal changes of associations between the preproghrelin Leu72Met polymorphism with depression in Chinese Han adolescents after the Wenchuan earthquake

Aim The present study aimed to investigate longitudinal associations of preproghrelin Leu72Met with depression in Chinese Han adolescents after the Wenchuan earthquake in 2008. Materials and methods A total of 709 volunteers were enrolled from a high school near the epicenter of the earthquake and 662, 643, and 510 students were finally included at 6, 12, and 18 months, respectively, after the earthquake. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The genotypes were identified by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism analyses and verified by DNA sequencing. Results Females had a higher prevalence of depression than males at 6 months after the earthquake in 72Leu/Leu homozygotes (&khgr;2-test, P=0.007), but not in 72Met allele carriers. 72Met allele carriers had lower prevalence (&khgr;2-test, P=0.025) and BDI scores (Kruskal–Wallis test, P=0.034) than 72Leu/Leu homozygotes only among males at 18 months, but not at 6 or 12 months. The prevalence was consecutively decreased in male 72Met allele carriers (&khgr;2-test, P=0.010), but not in male 72Leu/Leu homozygotes, female 72Met allele carriers, or female 72Leu/Leu homozygotes during follow-up. Potential factors of depression prevalence and predictors of BDI scores were different between 72Leu/Leu homozygotes and 72Met allele carriers at different time points during follow-up. Conclusion These results suggest that the 72Met allele of the preproghrelin Leu72Met polymorphism may be associated with rehabilitation of depression in male Chinese Han adolescents after the natural disaster.

Longitudinal interactions of estrogen receptor alpha gene rs9340799 with social-environmental factors on depression in adolescents after Wenchuan earthquake

Inconsistent relationships were reported between rs9340799 on estrogen receptor alpha gene (ESR1) and depression in previous studies. The present study was to explore the longitudinal changes of prevalence and severity of depression in 439 Chinese Han adolescents with different genotypes of ESR1 rs9340799 at 6, 12 and 18months after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. Social-environmental factors were collected by questionnaires from 465 high school students. Variants of rs9340799 were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analyses and verified by DNA sequencing. Depression symptoms were assessed by Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The results showed the female AA homozygotes had higher prevalence of depression at 12months and higher BDI scores at 18months than the female G allele carriers. Significantly decreased prevalence of depression was observed only in the female AA homozygotes at 18months when compared with that at 6 or 12 months. Consecutive decreases in BDI scores were observed only in the female AA homozygotes. The AA genotype was one of the risk factors at 12months and predictors of BDI scores at 18months. These results firstly suggest different interactions may occur in a gender and time dependent manner among rs9340799 and other potential factors of depression or predictors of its severity, and influence the development and natural rehabilitation of depression.

Posttraumatic stress disorder eliminates association of TrkB rs1187327 with HDL-C in Chinese Han adolescents

Tropomyosin-related kinase receptor B (TrkB) has been observed to be a common player in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the regulation of serum lipids levels. However, interplays of PTSD with TrkB on serum lipids levels have not been explored yet. This study was to investigate the interplays of PTSD and TrkB rs1187327 on serum lipid profiles. Variants of TrkB rs1187327 of 709 high school students were identified by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analyses and verified by DNA sequencing. The PTSD Checklist Civilian Version (PCL-C) was used to assess PTSD. Colorimetric methods were used to determine the serum levels of triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and glucose. The results show that the GG homozygotes had a significantly higher level of HDL-C than the A allele carriers of TrkB rs1187327 after the adjustment for gender, age and body mass index (BMI) (1.44 ± 0.299 mmol/L vs. 1.39 ± 0.266 mmol/L, p = 0.036). When PTSD was taken into account, the higher than the A allele carriers level of HDL-C of the GG homozygotes was observed significant after the adjustment for gender, age and BMI only in the subjects without PTSD (1.44 ± 0.293 mmol/ L vs. 1.39 ± 0.267 mmol/L, p = 0.030), but not in the subjects with PTSD. These results suggest that the A allele of TrkB rs1187327 may be associated with decreased levels of serum HDL-C in general healthy adolescents, but not in adolescents with PTSD.

PCSK9 rs7552841 is associated with plasma lipids profiles in female Chinese adolescents without posttraumatic stress disorder

To explain the inconsistent relationship between proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) rs7552841 and plasma lipids profiles, we hypothesized that interplays might occur among gender, PCSK9 rs7552841 and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on plasma lipids levels. To test this hypothesis, a population of 704 Chinese Han high school students was used, which had been recruited after the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake. In this population, the plasma levels of glucose, triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) had been measured by routine methods. PTSD had been assessed by the PTSD Checklist Civilian Version (PCL-C). PCSK9 rs7552841 was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analyses and verified by DNA sequencing. The T allele carriers had significantly higher levels of TG, TC, LDL-C, and glucose than the CC homozygotes of PCSK9 rs7552841 after the adjustment for age and BMI in the female students, but not in the male students. When PTSD was taken into consideration, the female T allele carriers had significantly higher TG, TC, LDL-C and glucose than the female CC homozygotes after the adjustment for age and BMI only in the subjects without PTSD, but not in the PTSD patients. No significant differences were observed in the male students regardless of PTSD and the adjustment for age and BMI. These results suggest that PCSK9 rs7552841 is associated with plasma lipids profiles only in female adolescents, but not in male students. This association can be modified and negated by PTSD.

Associations of Leu72Met Polymorphism of Preproghrelin with Ratios of Plasma Lipids Are Diversified by a High-Carbohydrate Diet in Healthy Chinese Adolescents

Background/Aims: The association of preproghrelin Leu72Met polymorphism with plasma lipids profile was inconsistently reported and needs more studies to be confirmed. Our study was to investigate the changes of plasma lipids ratios after a high-carbohydrate (high-CHO) diet in healthy Chinese adolescents with different genotypes of this polymorphism. Methods: Fifty-three healthy university students were given a washout diet of 54.1% carbohydrate for 7 days, followed by a high-CHO diet of 70.1% carbohydrate for 6 days. The anthropometric and biological parameters were analyzed at baseline and before and after the high-CHO diet. Results: When compared with those before the high-CHO diet, body mass index (BMI) decreased in the male and female Met72 allele carriers. Decreased low-/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C/HDL-C) was observed in all participants except the female subjects with the Leu72Leu genotype. TG/HDL-C and log (TG/HDL-C) were increased only in the female subjects with the Leu72Leu genotype. Conclusion: These results suggest that the Met72 allele of preproghrelin Leu72Met polymorphism may be associated with decreased BMI induced by the high-CHO diet in male and female adolescents, while the Leu72 allele with increased TG/HDL-C and log (TG/HDL-C) in the female adolescents only. Furthermore, the decreasing effect of the high-CHO diet on LDL/HDL-C may be eliminated in the female Leu72Leu homozygotes.