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Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common type of arthritis, in which T cell responses and cytokines may play critical roles in the development of the disease. TIM-3 may affect immune responses and is correlated with decreased expression of interferon gamma (INF-γ) in CD4+ T cells. In the current study, we investigated the association between polymorphisms in the TIM-3 gene and susceptibility to OA. Two polymorphisms in TIM-3, −574G/T and +4259T/G polymorphisms, were identified in OA cases and healthy donors by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method. Data revealed that the prevalence of TIM-3 +4259T/G genotype was significantly elevated in OA patients than in the healthy donors after adjustment (Odds ratio [OR] = 2.67, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.32-5.11, P < 0.001). Similarly, the TIM-3 +4259G allele presented a positive association with the risk of OA after adjustment (OR = 2.58, 95 % CI 1.29-4.82, P = 0.003). The TIM-3 −574G/T polymorphism did not show any correlation with the disease. We further examined whether the two TIM-3 polymorphisms could affect INF-γ expression in CD4+ T cells. Data revealed that subjects carrying polymorphic +4259TG genotype had significantly higher mRNA and protein levels of INF-γ in CD4+ T cells compared to wild-type GG genotype ( P < 0.001 and P < 0.01). These results indicated that TIM-3 polymorphism is associated with increased susceptibility to OA possibly by upregulating INF-γ expression in CD4+ T cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thyroid cancer (TC) incidence in China has increased rapidly in recent years. Hangzhou is one of the areas with the highest TC incidence in China. However, the composite space-time variation and risk factors of TC are rarely investigated. We acquired 7147 TC cases from 2008 to 2012 in Hangzhou. Descriptive statistics were employed to compare the incidence disparities in different sub-populations. Geographical information systems were used to create spatial distribution maps. Hotspot analysis was applied to detect high/low incidence clusters, and the GeogDetector model was implemented to investigate the relationship between TC incidence and environmental factors. TC incidence in Hangzhou increased dramatically from 2008 to 2012: a noticeable 244.9 % increase, from 10.04 to 34.63 per 100,000 individuals, with a female to male ratio of 3.0, an urban to rural ratio of 3.2 and iodine sufficient to iodine deficient ratio of 3.5. Significantly high TC cluster was detected in the northeast area of Hangzhou. Elevation was found to be the most powerful determinant of TC distribution, followed by soil parent materials and slope. TC incidence decreased as elevation and slope increased. Concerning soil parent materials, deposited materials were generally linked to higher TC incidence than were eluvium ones. The spatial/temporal pattern of TC incidence is affected by geomorphology and soil property variations. Excessive iodine exposure may be a TC risk factor. Health research and management should pay sufficient attention to the improved understanding and prediction of the composite space-time distribution of the quickly increasing TC incidence described in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]