Association of pro staglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2) polymorphisms and Alzheimer's disease in Chinese

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2, encoded by the gene prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2, PTGS2) is a key enzyme in the conversion of arachidonic acid to prostaglandins. The prostaglandins produced by COX-2 are involved in inflammation and pain response in diff

Lack of genetic association between the angiotensin-converting enzyme gene insertion/deletion polymorphism and longevity in a Han Chinese population

Introduction. The insertion/deletion polymorphism of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene has been reported to associate with human longevity. However, little information is available in a Han Chinese longevity Population. Therefore, we investigat

Absence of association between SERPINE2 genetic polymorphisms and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Han Chinese: a case-control cohort study

Background: Recent studies have proposed that the serine protease inhibitor E2 (SERPINE2) was a novel susceptibility gene for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Caucasians. However, this issue still remained controversial. Additional evidence

Association of early growth response-1 gene polymorphisms with total IgE and atopy in asthmatic children

Early growth response-1 (Egr-1) is expressed in human airways and found to modulate tumor necrosis factor, immunoglobulin E (IgE), airway responsiveness, and interleukin-13-induced inflammation in mice. We investigated the effects of Chinese-tagging singl

Polymerase chain reaction based C4AQ0 and C4BQ0 genotyping: association with systemic lupus erythematosus in southwest Han Chinese

Objective: To investigate the association of complement C4 null genes (C4QO, including C4AQO and C4BQO) and C2 gene with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in southwest Han Chinese; 136 patients with SLE and 174 matched controls were genotyped. Methods: C4 null genes were determined by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) procedure with sequence specific primers (PCR-SSP). The 2 bp insertion in exon 29, which was previously identified in non-Chinese populations and caused defective C4A genes, was directly typed by sequencing the whole exon 29 using exon specific primers. The exon 6 of complement C2 was also sequenced in both the patients and controls. Results: The frequency of homozygous C4AQO allele was 12.5% (17/136) in patients with SLE compared with 1.1% (2/174) in controls (p<0.001, odds ratio (OR)=12.286, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 2.786 to 54.170). There was no significant difference for homozygous C4BQO allele between patients with SLE and controls (p=0.699). Patients with the C4AQO gene had an increased risk of acquiring renal disorder, serositis, and anti-dsDNA antibodies compared with those without C4AQO (for renal disorder, p=0.018, OR=8.951, 95% Cl 1.132 to 70.804; for serositis, p=0.011, OR 4.891, 95% CI 1.574 to 15.198; for anti-dsDNA, p=0.004, OR 7.630, 95%Cl 1.636 to 35.584). None of the patients or controls had the 2 bp insertion in exon 29 of the C4 gene. The type I C2 deficiency was not detected in the 3 10 samples. Conclusion: It is suggested that deficiency of C4A (not due to a 2 bp insertion in exon 29), but not C4B or C2, may be a risk factor for acquiring SLE in south west Han Chinese; this results in increased risk of renal disorder, serositis, and anti-dsDNA antibodies in patients with SLE. Racial differences seem to be relevant in susceptibility to SLE.

First record of a spindle cowry Crenovolva (Ovulidae, Gastropoda) from Bulleji, Karachi, on the gorgonian coral Muricella sp. and with a note on their association

Attached to hard substrata on our shores occur the branching colonies of gorgonian corals of the genus Muricella (Fig. 1A, Pl. 1B, C, D). Since there is no report on this genus from Pakistan this report be taken as the first record from here. The family Ovulidae comprises several hundred species of marine gastropods, all of which appear to be obligate associates of cnidarians as stated by Robertson (1970) and Hadfield (1976); the present ovulid gastropod genus Crenovolva lives exclusively on the gorgonians (Morton, 1989). Tirmizi and Zehra (1984) recorded thirty-two families of gastropods from Pakistan, but not any representative of the Ovulidae, so the material at hand may be the first record from Pakistan. Since we are unable to reach to specific level the material is being reported as unspecified.

Education and awareness programme on marine protected area management, Bar Reef Marine Sanctuary, Sri Lanka

The objectives of the education programme included: making the fishing community and the younger generation aware of the importance of conserving marine resources; to obtain their suggestions and opinions; and to identify gaps and needs to strengthen local participation.

Report of the final workshop on education, capacity development and monitoring in support of Bar Reef Marine Sanctuary (BRMS) management, Kalpitiya, Sri Lanka, 23 May, 2015

Objectives of the workshop included: presentation of research to stakeholders; briefing of stakeholders on project objectives, contents and activities; to get stakeholder perceptions and suggestions.

Identification and association of the single nucleotide polymorphisms in calpain3 (CAPN3) gene with carcass traits in chickens

Background: The aim of this study is to screen single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of chicken Calpain3 (CAPN3) gene and to analyze the potential association between CAPN3 gene polymorphisms and carcass traits in chickens. We screened CAPN3 single nucleo

Physicians in leadership: the association between medical director involvement and staff-to-patient ratios

In a hospital environment that demands a careful balance between commercial and clinical interests, the extent to which physicians are involved in hospital leadership varies greatly. This paper assesses the influence of the extent of this involvement on staff-to-patient ratios. Using data gathered from 604 hospitals across Germany, this study evidences the positive relationship between a full-time medical director (MD) or heavily involved part-time MD and a higher staff-to-patient ratio. The data allows us to control for a range of confounding variables, such as size, rural/urban location, ownership structure, and case-mix. The results contribute to the sparse body of empirical research on the effect of clinical leadership on organizational outcomes.

Sand column impact onto a Kolsky pressure bar

A laboratory-based methodology to launch cylindrical sand slugs at high velocities is developed. The methodology generates well-characterised soil ejecta without the need for detonation of an explosive; this laboratory-based tool thereby allows for the experimental investigation of the soil-structure events. The experimental set-up comprises a launcher with a cylindrical cavity and a piston to push out the sand slug. The apparatus is used to launch both dry and water-saturated sand slugs. High speed photography is used to characterise the evolution of the sand slugs after launch. We find that the diameter of the slugs remains unchanged, and the sand particles possess only an axial component of velocity. However, the sand particles have a uniform spatial gradient of axial velocity and this results in lengthening of the slugs as they travel towards their target. Thus, the density of the sand slugs remains spatially homogenous but decreases with increasing time. The velocity gradient is typically higher in the dry sand slugs than that of the water-saturated slugs. The pressure exerted by the slugs on a rigid-stationary target is measured by impacting the slugs against a direct impact Kolsky bar. After an initial high transient pressure, the pressure reduces to a value of approximately ρv 2 where ρ is the density of the impacting sand slug and v is the particle velocity. This indicates that loading due to the sand is primarily inertial in nature. The momentum transmitted to the Kolsky bar was approximately equal to the incident momentum of the sand slugs, regardless of whether they are dry or water-saturated. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Characterisation of a high plasticity marine clay using a T-bar penetrometer

A series of laboratory-scale T-bar penetrometer tests have been conducted on a clay bed virgin consolidated from reconstituted high plasticity marine clay. This investigation was mainly concerned with the effects on the penetration resistance of rate of penetration and the presence of free water on the surface of the clay bed. The rate of penetration varied between 0.005mm/s and 50mm/s. The results showed that the nature of soil resistance was 'undrained' over the range of speeds studied, and the resistance showed a marked viscous rate effect. The virgin consolidated clay bed exhibited an increase in penetration resistance by up to 35% for a factor 10 increase in rate of penetration much larger than values previously reported for kaolin. The presence of water on the surface of clay bed had a profound impact on penetration resistance, particularly on the remoulded strength obtained by taking the T-bar through successive penetration and extraction cycles. This was true even when the remoulding cycles were conducted without the T-bar breaking through the clay surface.

Characterization of the porcine differentially expressed PDK4 gene and association with meat quality

To investigate the differential expression of genes in the skeletal muscle between Yorkshire and Chinese indigenous breed Meishan pigs, suppression subtractive hybridization was carried out and many genes were proved to be expressed significantly different in the two breeds. One gene highly expressed in Meishan but lowly expressed in Yorkshire specific library, shared strong homology with human pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 (PDK4). Using semi-quantity and quantity PCR, We confirmed its differential expression between the two breeds. Temporal and spatial expression analysis indicated that porcine PDK4 gene is highly expressed in skeletal muscle and the highest in neonatal pigs. Complete cDNA cloning and sequence analysis revealed that porcine PDK4 gene contains an open reading frame of 1,221 bp. The deduced amino acid sequence showed conservation in evolution. A G/A mutation in intron 9 was identified and association analysis showed that it was significantly associated with intramuscular fat, muscle water content.

Growth of (10(1)over-bar(3)over-bar) semipolar GaN on m-plane sapphire by hydride vapor phase epitaxy

The crystalline, surface, and optical properties of the (10 (1) over bar(3) over bar) semipolar GaN directly grown on m-plane sapphire substrates by hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) were investigated. It was found that the increase of V/III ratio led to high quality (10 (1) over bar(3) over bar) oriented GaN epilayers with a morphology that may have been produced by step-flow growth and with minor evidence of anisotropic crystalline structure. After etching in the mixed acids, the inclined pyramids dominated the GaN surface with a density of 2 X 10(5) cm(-2), revealing the N-polarity characteristic. In the low-temperature PL spectra, weak BSF-related emission at 3.44eV could be observed as a shoulder of donor-bound exciton lines for the epilayer at high V/III ratio, which was indicative of obvious reduction of BSFs density. In comparison with other defect related emissions, a different quenching behavior was found for the 3.29 eV emission, characterized by the temperature-dependent PL measurement. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.