Shengyuan Liu

Knowledge and risk behaviors related to HIV/AIDS, and their association with information resource among men who have sex with men in Heilongjiang province, China

BackgroudIn Heilongjiang province, the HIV prevalence in men who have sex with men (MSM) is generally lower than other part of China. However, the official perception for their risk of HIV/AIDS infection has been increasing in the province over the years. Moreover, little information on HIV/AIDS was provided to the communities so that we have disadvantage of controlling HIV/AIDS epidemic in the region. The purpose of this study is to investigate the prevalence of HIV among MSM in Heilongjiang province, to assess their knowledge levels and risk behaviors related to HIV/AIDS, and to explore their associations with information resources.MethodsA cross-sectional study using a standardized questionnaire and blood test was administered in 2008 by local interviewers to a sample (1353) of MSM in four cities in Heilongjiang province.ResultsAmong 1353 MSM, 2.3% were identified with HIV infection. About 48.7% of the subjects had multiple male sexual partners and only 37.3% of the subjects had consistent condom use (use every time) in the past 6 months. Most had a fair level of knowledge on HIV/AIDS, with the highest mean knowledge score among the MSM from Jiamusi, those with income 2000-3000 RMB/month, those searching sexual partners via internet and those performed HIV testing over 1 year ago). However, some myths regarding viral transmission (e.g., via mosquito bites or sharing kitchen utensils) also existed. Resources of information from which knowledge and risk behaviors related to HIV/AIDS was most available were television (58.6%) among MSM, followed by sexual partner (51.6%), publicity material (51.0%) and internet (48.7%). Significantly statistical differences of mean knowledge score were revealed in favor of book (P = 0.0002), medical staff (P = 0.0007), publicity material (P = 0.005) and sexual partner (P = 0.02). Press (P = 0.04) and book (P = 0.0003) were contributory to the most frequent condom use (condom use every time), while medical staff (P = 0.005) and publicity material (P = 0.04) is associated with moderate rate of condom use (condom use often).ConclusionsAlthough the prevalence of HIV infection is low among MSM in Heilongjiang province, the situation that the risk behaviors were frequent in the population is alarming. The study suggests that some strategies like condom use and education intervention are practical approaches and need to be strengthened.

Interaction between Interleukin-8 and Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase Genes Modulates Alzheimer’s Disease Risk

Background/Aim: Interleukin-8 (IL-8), a potent chemoattractant for neutrophils, has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The ability of individuals to produce high levels of IL-8 is partially determined by the IL-8 –251 T/A polymorphism. Therefore, we investigated the association between this polymorphism and AD in a Chinese population. Additionally, in light of the stimulatory effect of homocysteine on the production of IL-8, we also sought to determine whether the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene 677 C/T variant, a genetic modifier of the serum homocysteine level, may interact with the IL-8 –251 polymorphism in determining the AD risk. Methods: Genotyping of 198 AD patients and 240 matched controls was performed by PCR-RFLP. Results: The presence of the MTHFR 677 C/T and 677 T/T genotypes conferred a marginally significant increase in the risk for AD (OR = 1.666, 95% CI = 1.022–2.715, and OR = 1.892, 95% CI = 1.124–3.187) and the presence of the IL-8 –251 polymorphism was not associated with AD. However, the OR for AD associated with joint occurrence of the MTHFR 677 T/T and the IL-8 –251 A/A genotypes was 2.512 (95% CI = 1.151–5.483). Conclusion: Our data suggest a critical role for IL-8/MTHFR interactions in the development of AD.

Type 2 diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance in North-China-based rural community adults.

OBJECTIVES To estimate the prevalence of type 2 diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), and to identify potential risk factors among adults in rural areas in North China. STUDY DESIGN Multistage random cluster sampling in a cross-sectional study. METHODS Data were collected in 2005 from 1058 adults aged >20 years. Body mass index (BMI), waist and hip circumferences, 2-hour postprandial glucose (2-hPG) and other data were collected. RESULTS The prevalence of diabetes and IGT was higher for both men and women in the study group compared with the national averages (diabetes: 7.17% and 7.01%, respectively; IGT: 7.55% and 7.95%, respectively). Men aged ≥60 years and women aged 50-59 years had the highest prevalence of diabetes compared with other age groups (9.62% and 9.21% respectively). Both men and women aged ≥60 years had the highest prevalence of IGT. A sudden increase in 2-hPG level was seen in women aged ≥40 years. Those with BMI ≥28 kg/m(2) were at two-fold higher risk than normal. The risk for glucose tolerance abnormalities was almost 1.55-fold higher in subjects with waist/height ratio (WHtR) ≥0.50. The odds ratio for diabetes was 0.32 (95% confidence interval 0.10-0.98) in subjects with an annual family income ≥30,000 yuan compared with those with lower incomes. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that rural populations in North China have a higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes and IGT compared with national averages. Women aged ≥40 years warrant more attention to avoid glucose tolerance abnormalities. BMI and WHtR are predictive of the prevalence of glucose tolerance abnormalities. High annual family income appears to be a protective factor for type 2 diabetes.

Genetic polymorphisms of interleukin 8 and risk of ulcerative colitis in the Chinese population

BACKGROUND Interleukin-8 (IL-8), a CXC chemokine that recruits and activates inflammatory cells, plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis (UC). There are no studies on the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the IL-8 gene with the risk of UC. METHODS All 162 unrelated UC patients and 203 control subjects were analyzed for 5 IL-8 SNPs ((-845 (T/C), -738 (T/A), -353 (A/T), -251 (T/A) and +678 (T/C)) using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) assay and PCR-sequence-specific primers (SSP) method. Serum IL-8 concentrations were measured in all subjects. RESULTS Individual SNPs were not associated with risk for UC. However, the frequency of -353A/-251A/+678T haplotype was significantly higher in UC patients than in healthy controls (OR=1.454, p=0.036). By subgroup analyses, this haplotype tended to be more common in severe UC patients than in those with mild-to-moderate disease (OR=2.281, p=0.027). Furthermore, patients with AAT diplotype showed significantly increased serum IL-8 concentrations than those with other diplotypes (p<0.001). CONCLUSION These results suggest that IL-8 is a novel susceptibility gene to UC in Chinese UC patients, and furthermore, that IL-8 polymorphisms may be related to severe clinical subtype of UC.

The combination of polymorphisms within MCP‐1 and IL‐1β associated with ulcerative colitis

Monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 (MCP‐1) is a chemokine involved in monocyte recruitment to sites of inflammation. Raised level of MCP‐1 has been widely demonstrated in the intestinal mucosa of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), suggesting an important role of MCP‐1 in the pathogenesis of UC. The –2518A/G polymorphism in the promoter region of MCP‐1 gene affecting its transcriptional activation has been reported recently. In order to assess the potential role of this polymorphism in UC, we examined its distribution in 162 unrelated UC patients and 203 healthy controls. In addition, considering the gene regulatory association between interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β) and MCP‐1, we further examined whether the gene polymorphisms between MCP‐1 and IL‐1β exert synergetic effects on risk of UC. Our results show that the distribution of MCP‐1 genotype or allele frequencies between UC patients and controls was not significantly different; however, the association between the polymorphism of MCP‐1 –2518 GG and the polymorphism of IL‐1β–511 T in UC patients is significant (OR 2.062, 95% CI 1.034–4.113, P = 0.038). This is the first report describing the association between MCP‐1 polymorphism and UC, and our data suggest that the MCP‐1 –2518 polymorphism itself does not represent an independent genetic risk factor for UC. In contrast, the combination polymorphisms between MCP‐1 and IL‐1β can increase UC risk significantly, which might help us understand the molecular mechanism underlying the development of UC.

Analysis of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 nef Gene Sequences among Inmates from Prisons in China

To provide the hard-won information on HIV-1 polymorphism from inmates in prison and to study the genetic variation of HIV-1 strains, we analyzed the characterization of the nucleotide and corresponding protein sequences of naturally occurring nef sequences derived from 16 HIV-1-positive inmates from prisons in China. Nested PCR and DNA sequencing were used to determine nef sequences in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Phylogenetic analysis revealed a distribution of the viral sequences among subtype B, CRF_BC, and CRF_AE, with subtype B accounting for more than half of the genotypes. When compared with the consensus sequence, a certain amino acid sequence variability was observed. However, most of the described nef functional motifs were relatively well conserved in the majority of the sequences analyzed. Our results indicate that HIV-1 strains found in our study subjects may have a common origin and the description of motifs will produce important information for further studies of nef function.

Meta-Analysis of the Association of the C677T Polymorphism of the Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase Gene with Hyperuricemia

Background: The association between the MTHFR C677T polymorphism and hyperuricemia has been investigated in several studies. Although these epidemiological studies have shown that genetic factors are determinants of serum uric acid levels, the power of the association is weak due to the small sample size. Methods: To study whether the MTHFR C677T polymorphism has an effect on hyperuricemia, we carried out a meta-analysis of case-control studies from PubMed, EMBASE and CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure) databases mainly in English and Chinese. We used the odds ratio (OR) as main effect size; explored potential sources of heterogeneity; performed subgroup analyses by race and performed sensitivity analyses of studies meeting the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE). Results: Six studies with 1,470 subjects were included in the meta-analysis. Tests for heterogeneity showed the difference in OR among studies was not statistically significant (p = 0.63, I2 = 0). When excluding the study of Caucasians not in HWE, the association remained robust (OR = 1.82, 95% CI 1.52-2.17) in the East Asian subgroup and sensitivity analyses. Conclusions: Although the mechanism of the relationship between the C677T polymorphism and uric acid still remains unclear, these original articles showed that the MTHFR C677T polymorphism may be an independent risk factor for hyperuri-cemia.

Polymorphisms of the macrophage inflammatory protein 1 alpha and ApoE genes are associated with ulcerative colitis

Background and aimsAn increased production of macrophage inflammatory proteins 1 alpha (MIP-1α) has been reported to be associated with ulcerative colitis (UC). We investigated whether a polymorphism site in MIP-1α was associated with UC in a Chinese population. Additionally, considering the abnormal lipoprotein metabolism in subjects with UC, we also sought to determine whether genetic variation in the apolipoprotein E (ApoE) gene may play a role in the development of UC.Materials and methodsWe examined the MIP-1α −906 (TA)4/(TA)6 polymorphism and the ApoE polymorphism in a cohort of 162 unrelated UC patients and 220 healthy controls by using restriction fragment length polymorphism assay.ResultsA significantly increased frequency of the MIP-1α −906 (TA)6/(TA)6 genotype (P = 0.0031, odds ratio [OR] = 1.851, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.228–2.791), as well as of the ApoE ε4+ genotype (P < 0.001, OR = 2.869, 95% CI 1.768–4.657), in patients with UC was proven. Moreover, the carriage of both MIP-1α −906 (TA)6/(TA)6 genotype and ApoE ε4+ genotype confers greater risk for the development of UC (P < 0.001, OR = 5.432, 95% CI 2.761–10.689).ConclusionThese findings suggest that variation in the MIP-1α and ApoE genes and their interaction may increase susceptibility to UC. Identifying these novel susceptibility genes, as well as their interactions, will help our understanding of the disease mechanisms of UC and may identify targets for developing novel treatment measures.