Ppw Lee

Association of CD247 with systemic lupus erythematosus in Asian populations

Objective: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a prototypic autoimmune disease with complex genetic inheritance. CD247 (CD3Z, TCRZ) plays a vital role in antigen recognition and signal transduction in antigen-specific immune responses, and is known to be involved in SLE pathogenesis. Weak disease association was reported for genetic variants in this gene in Caucasian studies for SLE, Crohns disease and systemic sclerosis, but its role as a genetic risk factor was never firmly established. Methods: In this study, using a collection of 612 SLE patients and 2193 controls of Chinese ethnicity living in Hong Kong in a genome-wide study, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in and around CD247 were identified as being associated with SLE. The two most significant SNPs in this locus were selected for further replication using TaqMan genotyping assay in 3339 Asian patients from Hong Kong, Mainland China, and Thailand, as well as 4737 ethnically and geographically matched controls. Results: The association of CD247 with SLE in Asian populations was confirmed (rs704853: odds ratio [OR] = 0. 81, p = 2.47 × 10−7; rs858543: OR = 1.10, p = 0.0048). Patient-only analysis suggested that rs704853 is also linked to oral ulcers, hematologic disorders and anti-double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) antibody production. Conclusion: A significant association between variants in CD247 and SLE was demonstrated in Asian populations. Understanding the involvement of CD247 in SLE may shed new light on disease mechanisms and development of new treatment paradigms.

The genetics of macrocephaly, autistic spectrum disorders and developmental delay in Chinese children

M. Tamulaitiene, M. Jaramaviciene, J. Jaramavicius, V. Alekna. Faculty of Medicine of Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania Objectives: To analyze the methods of treatment and outcome of hip fractures in Lithuania. Methods: This population-based retrospective study was performed collecting the data from all orthopaedic inpatient departments in Lithuania. The records of subjects, who were hospitalized because of primary hip fracture (ICD-10 codes S72.0, S72.1 and S72.2) at the age over 40 years in 2010, were examined. Methods of treatment were conservative and surgical, while the latter was divided into fixation by screws, plate or intramedullary nail (IN), and total hip arthroplasty (TA). The outcomes included death, transfer to another department, discharge home or long-term hospital, and rehabilitation. Results: In 2010, 2626 hip fractures occurred in Lithuania. The most common method used was osteosynthesis: fixation by plate accounted for 41.4%, screw – 21.1%), and by IN – in 3.4% of cases. TAwas used in 25.9% and conservative treatment – in 8.1% of patients. After fixation by screws, plates and IN, the majority of patients were discharged home (42.5%, 35.8% and 37.8%, respectively) or to long-term care hospital (24.5%, 22% and 32.2%, respectively). Otherwise, after TA, 70.1% of patients underwent rehabilitation. Among patients treated conservatively, 39.7% were transferred to another department, ant their mortality rate was highest (4.2%). Number of deaths was lowest after treatment with screws (0.7%). Conclusion: In 2010, in Lithuania, the majority of patients with hip fracture were treated with osteosynthesis using the external fixation. Rehabilitation was more often outcome of treatment using total hip arthroplasty, as compared to osteosynthesis.

A Fast Algorithm for Periodic Structures in Vibration

Periodic structures are popular in engineering applications for economical and architectural reasons. A fast method for calculating the natural vibration of periodic structures having identical constituents (substructures) with general boundary conditions is introduced. The number of arithmetic counts is proportional to PlogP, instead of P2 in the conventional method with band solver, where P is the number of substructures involved. Because of the fact that the general boundary conditions have been considered, a periodic structure can be represented by its condensed matrices associated with the boundary stations to form a superstructure which can be connected to other structures. Four illustrative examples are given.

A Fast Algorithm for Periodic Structures with General Boundary Conditions

A solution algorithm for periodic structures having general boundary conditions is presented. Due to the generally nonperiodic boundary conditions, difference calculus and transformation methods are ineffective. The number of operations for a general solution is directly proportional to the number N of substructures involved, which is quite inefficient when N is large as in the case of space structures. A fast algorithm analogous to the Fast Fourier Transform Method is introduced. The number of operations is proportional to log/N rather than N. Numerical examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness. Due to the general nature of boundary conditions, it can be shown that a periodic structure can be condensed into a substructure of higher level which can then be connected at the boundaries to another structure or supports. The proposed algorithm is suitable for microcomputer environment.

Testing of a Folded Plate Space Structure

A reinforced concrete folded plate space structure of span 28 m and clear height 9·4 m was constructed as a games hall. The structure was analysed using the finite element method. At the design stage, model tests were carried out to check the accuracy of the method of analysis. To assess the behaviour of the actual structure subject to its self-weight, strains and deflections were monitored during construction both before and after removal of formwork. The tests confirmed that results given by the finite element analysis are of sufficient accuracy for the purpose of design, irrespective of the assumptions involved.