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The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association of hearing loss with atherogenic index (AI) in the general population.

Background: Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a complex disease caused by environmental and genetic risk factors. This study explored the relationship between the genetic variations in the CASP gene and the risk of developing NIHL among Chinese workers exposed to occupational noise.Methods: A case-control study of 272 NIHL workers and 272 normal-hearing workers matched for age, sex and years of noise exposure was conducted. Fifteen single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the CASP1, CASP3, CASP4, CASP5, CASP6, CASP8, CASP9, CASP10 and CASP14 genes were genotyped using the polymerase chain reaction-ligase detection reaction method. Using conditional logistic regression models, the adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of genetic variations associated with NIHL risk were calculated.Results: Two SNPs in the CASP3 gene were associated with NIHL risk. For rs1049216, TT genotype was associated with a decreased risk of NIHL (OR = 0.246, 95% CI = 0.069-0.886) when compared with the CC genotype. For rs6948, the AC and CC genotype were associated with a decreased NIHL risk (OR = 0.568, 95% CI = 0.352-0.916) compared with AA genotype. There were joint effects of working time and CASP3 polymorphisms on NIHL risk (P < 0.05).Conclusions: Genetic variations in the CASP3 gene and the joint effects of working time and CASP3 polymorphisms may modify the risk of developing NIHL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Hearing loss is a sensory impairment caused by genetic and environmental factors. Previous epidemiological studies of magnesium intake and hearing loss have yielded conflicting results.Methods and Study Design: We investigated the association between serum magnesium concentrations and hearing loss in a population from the Zhejiang region of China. A cross-sectional study of 3,267 participants aged 18 years and older from five hospitals was conducted from October 2016 to May 2018. An audiometric examination was conducted, and hearing thresholds were computed as pure-tone averages (PTAs) at speech (0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz) and high frequencies (3, 4, and 6 kHz). Magnesium concentrations were measured using an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer.Results: A linear regression analysis revealed a negative association between magnesium levels and hearing losses from lower to high PTAs. After the adjustment of potential confounders, participants in the highest magnesium quartile had a lower PTA (quartile 4: -1.89%; 95% confidence interval (CI: -3.07 to -0.701); p=0.022) and high PTA (quartile 4: -3.05%; 95% CI: -4.64 to -1.46; p=0.005) than those in the lowest quartile. A logistic regression analysis showed a dose-dependent reduction in the odds of high frequency hearing loss across magnesium quartiles. In model 3, after adjusting for all potential confounders, participants with the highest magnesium quartiles had a 54.0% (OR: 0.460; 95% CI: 0.339-0.587) reduction in the odds of high-frequency hearing loss.Conclusions: Higher whole blood levels of magnesium in this population were associated with lower hearing thresholds and risk of hearing loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schistosomiasis remains the second most prevalent zoonotic disease after malaria in veterinary medicine. The egg lodgement in target host tissue plays important roles in pathogenesis of this disease, but the process prior to egg-laying is still elusive. Surely, investigation of how this parasite invades and moves inside corresponding host will probably improve our understanding of homeostasis and maintenance of animal health, further, of related pathogenesis and thus potential intervention against schistosomiasis. TNT-coupled transcription/translation-expressed Sj serpin was employed for the protease inhibition assay. Transendothelial resistance (TER), its charge selectivity and size selectivity, were measured by the ussing chamber technique in serpin-transfected or recombinant serpin-treated HUVEC monolayer. The expressions of junction proteins were assayed using real-time PCR, Western blot and immunostaining. Sj serpin blocks the protease activity of elastase in a time-dependent manner; and Sj serpin can increase TER ofendothelial monolayer by decreasing its paracellular size selectivity, but not by interfere with the charge selectivity. Altered expression of tight junction protein claudin-2 was not observed at either RNA or protein levels; however, we found a marked increase in the expression of occludin, ZO-1,VE-cadherin and beta-catenin. Sj serpin can increase the transendothelial barrier function by decreasing the transendothelial permeability, implying serpin as a potential target to limit the invasion of schistosome into animal blood vessel., Competing Interests: None., (IJCEP Copyright © 2017.)