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The evidence about the association of the essential trace element (ETE) mixture with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) amongst older adults is limited. This study aims to evaluate the associations of single ETEs and the ETE mixture with the 10-year ASCVD risks and its predicting factors in Chinese community-dwelling older adults. A total of 607 community-dwelling older adults were included in this study. Blood levels of vanadium (V), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), and selenium (Se) were assessed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The predicted 10-year ASCVD risk was calculated using the Prediction for ASCVD Risk in China (China-PAR) equations. Traditional linear regressions and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) were used to assess the associations of single ETEs and the ETE mixture with the 10-year ASCVD risks and its predicting factors such as systolic blood pressure (SBP), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), diabetes, and waist circumference (WC). In linear regression models, blood Cr levels were negatively associated with the 10-year ASCVD risks after adjustment for covariates (β = - 0.07, 95% CI = - 0.11 ~ - 0.03); The 3th quartile (Q3) of Se levels was also associated with a lower 10-year ASCVD risks when compared with the lowest quartile (Q1) of Se levels (β

The effects of interactions between the toxic and essential metal mixtures on cognitive function are poorly understood. This study aims to identify the joint association of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) with cognitive function in older adults and the moderating role of selenium (Se), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu) in this association. This study included 1000 community-dwelling older adults. Cognitive function was assessed by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Blood concentrations of As, Cd, Pb, Se, Zn, and Cu were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Linear regression and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) models were applied to assess the individual and joint associations of As, Cd, and Pb with cognitive function and to examine whether Se, Zn, and Cu (individually and as a mixture) modified these associations. In the adjusted single-metal models, both Cd (β = - 0.37, 95% CI: - 0.73 to - 0.01) and Pb (β = - 0.44, 95% CI: - 0.86 to - 0.02) were associated with MMSE scores, while Se (β = 0.71, 95% CI: 0.30 to 1.13) exhibited a positive relationship with MMSE scores. Univariate exposure-response functions from BKMR models showed similar results. Moreover, the toxic metal mixture (As, Cd, and Pb) exhibited a significant negative association with MMSE scores in a dose-response pattern, with Pb being the greatest contributor within the mixture. The negative association of Pb alone or the toxic metal mixture with MMSE scores became weaker at higher concentrations of Se within its normal range, especially when Se levels were greater than the median (89.18 μg/L). Our findings support that Se can attenuate the negative associations of exposure to single Pb or the As, Cd, and Pb mixtures with cognitive function. Future prospective studies are needed to replicate our findings.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic, lifelong disease. The molecular mechanisms and pathophysiology of T2DM have not yet been fully elucidated. Dysregulation of the long non-coding RNA metastasis associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (lncRNA MALAT1) is considered one of the main contributing factors of the dysfunction found in many diseases, including those of the endocrine system. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between lncRNA MALAT1 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and T2DM in the Chinese Han population.We genotyped three SNPs (rs3200401 C T, rs619586 A G, rs11227209 C G) of the MALAT1 gene, including 571 T2DM patients and 526 controls. The association between different genotypes and the risk of T2DM was analyzed using logistic regression, and the results were expressed by odds ratio (OR) and its 95% confidence interval (95%CI), and then stratified by age, sex, and BMI. P 0.05 on both sides was considered as statistically significant.We found that the CT + TT genotypes of the rs3200401 polymorphism were significantly associated with an increased risk of T2DM in Chinese Han population (OR = 1.77; 95% CI:1.35-2.33; PThe results suggest that MALAT1 rs619586 and rs3200401 confer susceptibility for T2DM in the Chinese Han population and provide new genetic targets for the treatment of diabetes and its complications in the future.

Background: The evidence about the effect of essential trace element (ETE) mixture on cognitive function amongst older adults is limited. This study aims to evaluate the associations of single ETEs and ETE mixture with cognitive function using a representative sample of community-dwelling older adults in China. Methods: A total of 3814 older adults were included in the study. Urinary concentrations of selenium (Se), vanadium (V), cobalt (Co), strontium (Sr), and molybdenum (Mo) were detected by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Cognitive function in older adults was assessed using the Chinese version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Linear regression and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) were performed to explore the associations of single ETEs and ETE mixture with cognitive function, respectively. Results: Linear regression showed that urinary levels of Se and V were positively associated with MMSE scores in the adjusted single-element models. BKMR also showed marginally positive associations of Se and V with MMSE scores. Moreover, higher urinary levels of ETE mixture were significantly associated with increased MMSE scores in a dose-response pattern, and Se was the most important contributor within the mixture. Both Se and V demonstrated positive additive effects on the associations of other ETEs with MMSE scores, whereas Co had a negative additive effect. Conclusions: V and Se are positively associated with cognitive function, individually and as a mixture. ETE mixture exhibits a linear dose-response association with improved cognitive function, with Se being the most important component within the mixture. Mixture analyses rather than single ETE analyses may provide a real-world perspective on the relationship between ETE mixture and cognitive function. Further cohort studies are needed to clarify the association of multiple ETEs with cognitive function.

Objectives Protein kinase R-like ER kinase (PERK)/eukaryotic initiation factor 2 alpha (eIF2α) is an important factor along the main pathways for endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-mediated apoptosis. In this study, we investigated the effects of eIF2α phosphorylation on hepatocyte apoptosis and the ER stress mechanisms in acute liver injury. Methods eIF2α phosphorylation and apoptosis under ER stress were monitored and measured in male BALB/c mice with acute liver injury and human hepatocyte line LO2 cells. Results Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) administration triggered ER stress and hepatocyte apoptosis, as well as eIF2α phosphorylation in mice. Inhibition of eIF2α dephosphorylation, as the pretreatment with 4-phenylbutyric acid (chemical chaperone, ER stress inhibitor), mitigated CCl4-induced intrahepatic ER stress, apoptosis, and liver injury. In an ER stress model of LO2 cells induced by thapsigargin (disrupting ER calcium balance), inhibition of eIF2α dephosphorylation reduced ER stress and apoptosis, while PERK knockdown reduced eIF2α phosphorylation and exacerbated ER stress and apoptosis. Conclusions eIF2α phosphorylation is one of the mechanisms employed by ER stress for restoring cellular homeostasis. Inhibition of eIF2α dephosphorylation mitigates hepatocyte apoptosis by alleviating ER stress in acute liver injuries.

The aim of investigation is to explore the relationship between demands for lung cancer screening (LCS) and the constructs derived from the health belief model (HBM) in Hefei. The study collected data about socio-demographics, health beliefs in and demands for LCS during early June to later July 2015. By constructing a LCS demands HBM constructs, it calculated indices of demands for LCS (DSI) and HBM constructs, which include perceived risk (PR) and seriousness (PS) of the cancers; and perceived effectiveness (PE), benefits (PB) and difficulties (PD) of the screening. It also performed descriptive and multivariate regression analysis of the demands and the HBM constructs. The amount of 823 respondents participated and completed the survey. 6.4% of them had ever undertaken LCS, whereas 60.1% of them expressed willingness to accept the service of LCS if it is free. In multiple regression analysis which used weights in calculating the HBM construct indices, education displayed significant positive associations with DSI (p = .044), and most of HBM constructs indices (PSI, PRI, PBI, and PDI) were statistically significant with DSI (p .05). HBM-based constructs regarding LCS have important effects on demands for the service, and may provide effective paths to cancer screening promotion.

The results of studies on association between FCGR2A-R/H131 polymorphism and susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in the Asian population are controversial. To derive a more precise estimation on the genetic risk of FCGR2A-R/H131 variant for SLE in Asians, a meta-analysis was performed for genotypes R/R + R/H (dominant effect), R/R (recessive effect), and R allele in fixed/random effects models. Twenty studies involving 4,832 SLE patients and 6,190 controls were included. The meta-analysis showed that FCGR2A-R/H131 variant was associated with development of SLE in overall Asians both at allele or genotype level (R vs H, OR 1.201, 95 % CI 1.098-1.315; RR + RH vs HH, OR 1.369, 95 % CI 1.115-1.682; RR vs RH + HH, OR 1.305, 95 % CI 1.029-1.654). After stratification by ethnic, a significant association of R allele with susceptibility to SLE was observed in the Chinese population (R vs H, OR 1.104, 95 % CI 1.030-1.183). Evidence from subgroup analyses in non-Chinese populations (all Asians excluding Chinese population) also showed a significant association (R vs H, OR 1.354, 95 % CI 1.207-1.519; RR + RH vs HH, OR 1.705, 95 % CI 1.234-2.355). In addition, FCGR2A-R131 allele was associated with a 1.186-fold (95 % CI 1.043-1.349) greater risk for the occurrence of nephritis in the Asians population with SLE. After stratification by ethnic, this significant association was only consistently identified in non-Chinese populations (R vs H, OR 1.220, 95 % CI 1.002-1.486). In summary, FCGR2A-R/H131 polymorphism is associated with SLE and lupus nephritis in Asians.

A transmission method , combining both the bit error diversity and joint network-channel coding, was proposed for multiple-user multiple-hop multiple-relay networks. In the poposed method, an interleaver was designed for the bit error diversity and a novel protocol was devised for random linear network coding. The proposed method as well as other two methods—Method I without channel code and protection and Method II only with protection, was analyzed by deriving performance expressions in terms of packet error rate (PER) and throughput. Moreover, simulations further prove the superiority of the proposed method. Numerical results show that the proposed method gains an improvement in PER compared with Method I & II and keeps highest throughput within certain range of SNR.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a severe complex rheumatic disease, but good estimate of its prevalence and risk factors is lacking in China. The aim of the study was to explore the prevalence of SLE and risk factors in rural areas of Anhui Province of China. Eleven counties were randomly selected in Anhui Province, and then, 15% of the villages in selected counties were randomly sampled as study sites. Patients with SLE were identified through two phases. Based on the cases identified, a population-based case-control study was designed to examine risk factors associated with SLE. A total of 1,253,832 individuals and identified 471 SLE cases were surveyed. Crude and age-standardized prevalence were estimated at 37.56 and 36.03 per 100,000 persons, respectively. Gender difference in the prevalence of SLE was significant (P = 4.62 × 10(-76)), and the age-standardized prevalence was 6.17 for males and 67.78 for females per 100,000 persons. The distribution of SLE prevalence was significant by age group (P = 1.78 × 10(-53)), and the peak prevalence was observed at 40-50 years. Multiple environmental factors were associated with SLE, including birth conditions, sweet food, cooking oil, taste, fruit consumption, sunlight exposure, quality of sleep, physical activities, drinking water, residence, negative life events, hepatitis B vaccine, age of menarche, and age at birth of first child (P0.05). Our large population-based epidemiological survey estimated the prevalence of SLE at 37.56 per 100,000 persons. Multiple environmental factors were associated with the development of SLE.

The aim of this study was to determine whether the CNDP1 (carnosinase gene) D18S880 microsatellite polymorphism confers susceptibility to diabetic nephropathy (DN).The authors conducted meta-analysis on association between the CNDP1 D18S880 microsatellite polymorphism and DN susceptibility, using fixed and random effects models.A total of nine comparative studies were included in this meta-analysis, which included 4546 DN, 7994 diabetes mellitus (DM), and 1826 healthy (Heal) subjects. Overall, the analysis revealed that the D18S880 microsatellite polymorphism was significantly associated with DN for the five trinucleotide repeat (5L) allele and five leucines repeat (5L-5L) homozygous in the comparisons of DN versus DM (5L: odds ratio [OR] 0.90, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.84-0.97, p=0.008; 5L-5L: OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.81-0.97, p=0.006) and DN versus non-DN (DM+Heal) (5L: OR 0.92, 95% CI 0.86-0.98, p=0.009; 5L-5L: OR 0.89, 95% CI 0.82-0.96, p=0.004). The protective effects of the D18S880 polymorphism were similar to those observed in the subgroups of the type 2 DM and the Caucasian population. However, significant association was not found in the type 1 DM population.This meta-analysis confirms that the carnosinase D18S880 microsatellite polymorphism is associated with DN susceptibility, especially in the type 2 DM and the Caucasian population.

Recently, evidence is emerging that inappropriate regulation of type 17 T helper cells (Th17) plays a fundamental role in the development of many autoimmune diseases including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, the role of Th17-related cytokines in SLE remains elusive. To further investigate the role and imbalance of Th17-related cytokines in the pathogenesis of SLE. A Quantitative RT-PCR Array (Human Th17 for Autoimmunity & Inflammation PCR Array) analyses were performed to study Th17-related genes expression in peripheral white blood cells of 25 new-onset patients with SLE and 15 healthy subjects. When gene expression for SLE patients was compared to the mean of normal controls, among the 84 target genes related to Th17 pathway, 7 (CXCL1, ICAM1, IL10, IL5, IL8, ISG20, JAK2,) were upregulated and 6 (CD28, CD40LG, S1PR1, IL17RE, IL23R, RORC) downregulated. However, comparisons of mRNA expression of Th17 related cytokines between lupus nephritis (LN) patients and SLE patients without nephritis (SLE non LN) showed no significant difference. In conclusion, SLE patients and normal controls showed different expression of a few genes in Th17 pathway, indicating that the pathway may be involved in the pathogenesis of SLE.

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether two single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), AF4/FMR2 family, member 1 (AFF1) rs340630 and AF4/FMR2 family, member 3 (AFF3) rs10865035, show significant evidence for association with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in a Chinese population. A total of 868 Chinese patients with SLE and 975 geographically and ethnically matched healthy control subjects were enrolled in the current study. The genotypes of these two SNPs were determined by Sequenom MassArray technology. Significant evidence for association of AFF3 rs10865035 with SLE was detected (for A versus G, P = 4.81 × 10(-4), odds ratio (OR) 1.26, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.11-1.44). However, no association between AFF1 rs340630 and SLE was found in the Chinese population (for A versus G, P = 0.79, OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.86-1.12). No significant evidence for association of AFF3 rs10865035 polymorphism with any clinical features was detected. By targeting a variant with convincing evidence for association with rheumatoid arthritis, significant association of AFF3 rs10865035 with SLE was detected in the Chinese population, indicating that AFF3 might be a common autoimmunity gene. Further case-control studies based on larger sample sizes in diverse ethnic populations are required to clarify the role of AFF1 rs340630 in SLE.

The aim of this study was to examine the association of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in IL-21 gene with susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in a Chinese population. A total of 605 independent SLE patients and 666 unrelated healthy controls were recruited for the case-control association study. Two SNPs (rs2221903 and rs907715) within the IL-21 gene intronic region were genotyped by TaqMan SNP allelic discrimination methods. The allele T frequency of SNP rs2221903 in patients and healthy controls was 89.4 % and 86.8 %, respectively [T versus C, odds ratio (OR) = 1.287, 95 % confidence interval (CI) = 1.010-1.640]. No significant differences in genotype frequencies were shown between SLE patients and healthy controls (P value = 0.705, 0.406, respectively). However, the effect of recessive model (TT versus CC + CT, OR = 1.368, 95 % CI = 1.050-1.781) was observed. Distributions of allele and genotype frequencies of the SNP rs907715 showed no significant differences between SLE patients and controls. Analysis of the haplotypes revealed that CC haplotype was significantly associated with SLE (OR = 0.734, 95 % CI = 0.573-0.941). In conclusion, our findings suggest that a SNP (rs2221903) and CC haplotype (rs2221903 and rs907715) of the IL-21 gene is associated with SLE in the Chinese population. However, further studies are needed to determine the functional consequences of this polymorphism with SLE susceptibility.

The aim of this study was to investigate the association of receptor interacting protein 2 (RIP2) single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in a Chinese population. A case-control study was performed on the SNPs rs16900617 and rs16900627 in 590 Chinese SLE patients and 660 healthy controls. These SNPs were typed by TaqMan allele discrimination assays. We found a significant association of rs16900617 G allele [odds ratio (OR) = 0.54, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.41-0.72] and rs16900627 G allele (OR = 1.28, 95% CI 1.04-1.58) with SLE. Significant differences in genotype frequency distribution were also found in SLE and control individuals (rs16900617: AG versus AA, OR = 0.59, 95% CI 0.44-0.81; GG versus AA, OR = 0.08, 95% CI 0.01-0.65; AG + GG versus AA, OR = 0.55, 95% CI 0.41-0.75; rs16900627: AG versus AA, OR = 1.51, 95% CI 1.17-1.93; AG + GG versus AA, OR = 1.43, 95% CI 1.13-1.82). Analysis of the haplotypes revealed that two haplotypes of AG and GA were also significantly associated with SLE (OR = 1.37, 95% CI 1.11-1.70; OR = 0.60, 95% CI 0.45-0.79). Our findings suggest that the RIP2 gene polymorphisms may be associated with susceptibility to SLE in the Chinese population.

Dazhuangshang Bridge is made a flood impact assessment from the hydrologic analysis, flood analysis, river potential analysis etc.. With the evaluation, it can be proved that the bridge construction has little effects on flood control of the channel and some rationalization proposals are proposed to resolve the potential problems.

Cytokine-mediated immunity plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of various autoimmune diseases including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The recent identification of the dimeric interleukin (IL)-12-related cytokine IL-23 now contributes to our understanding of the fine-tuning of cellular immunity. The critical implication of IL-12 p40 in autoimmune inflammation has long been misinterpreted and until recently have studies revealed that it is IL-23, not IL-12, is the crucial factor in this immune dysregulation. Therefore, targeting of IL-23 or the IL-23 receptor is a potential therapeutic approach for autoimmune diseases including SLE. In this opinion article, we will discuss the biological features of IL-23 and summarize recent advances on the role of IL-23 in the pathogenesis and treatment of SLE.

We determine the stress field of Guangdong and its adjacent area by using focal mechanism solutions of 137 earthquakes and obtain tectonic stress tensors in 12 zones. The result shows that the azimuth of maximum principal stress σ1 is approximately WNW in southwestern Fujian, southern Jiangxi, Guangdong’s Heyuan and the Pearl River Delta, NW in Guangdong’s Yangjiang, and nearly NNW in the two zones of eastern Guangxi and Beibuwan Gulf (the Northern Gulf), varying clockwise in WNW-NW-NNW from east to west. The azimuth of minimum principal stress σ3 varies from NNE to ENE. The relative magnitude of medium principal stress σ2 (R value), is the smallest in Beibuwan and largest in Longyan of Fujian. Strike-slip faulting is dominated in the study area.

The effect of pressure on coke and its precursor's formation was studied during catalytic cracking of toluene over USY catalyst. The coke and its precursors were characterized by TGA, FTIR, solid-state 13 C NMR, elemental analysis, GC-MS, and temperature-programmed oxidation (TPO) analysis. The results indicate that coke deposited on the catalyst is mainly composed of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). It reveals that the total amount of coke decreases, whereas the number of the rings of PAHs and yields of PAHs in the liquid phase increase with increasing cracking pressure. It is concluded that supercritical fluid plays an important role in extracting coke precursors during catalytic cracking. Finally, the mechanism of coke formation was proposed.

The aim of this study was to investigate the serum RANTES (regulated on activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted) level in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and the associations with disease activity and clinical laboratory indexes. Twenty-seven SLE patients and 27 normal controls were enrolled in this study. Serum RANTES was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The clinical and laboratory parameters of the patients were also recorded. Results showed that serum RANTES level was significantly elevated in SLE patients when compared with normal controls. Serum RANTES level was correlated with C3, ANA, anti-dsDNA antibodies, anti-Sm antibodies, and anti-SSB antibodies. Nevertheless, no association of serum RANTES level with SLEDAI was found. Taken together, serum RANTES level was significantly higher in SLE patients, suggesting that RANTES might be involved in the pathogenesis of SLE.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), rs2243188 of interleukin-19 (IL-19), show significant evidence for association with SLE in a Chinese population. A total of 545 SLE patients and 613 healthy controls were collected in the present study. The genotyping of IL-19 rs2243188 polymorphism was detected by TaqMan allele discrimination assay on the 7300 real time polymorphism chain reaction system. The minor C allele of rs2243188, relative to the major A allele, appeared to have a significantly lower frequency in SLE patients (31.0%) as compared with controls (35.5%) (χ(2) = 5.19, p = 0.023). We also discovered a statistical significance in the dominant model (CC + CA versus AA: OR = 0.755, 95% CI = 0.598-0.953, p = 0.018). However, no significant difference in genotype distribution was found between SLE patients and controls (p = 0.056). Furthermore, an increased frequency of CC genotype were also detected in lupus nephritis (LN) groups as compared with non-LN groups (p = 0.024). Besides, the individuals with CC genotype had a 2.201-fold higher risk for the susceptibility to LN than those A allele carriers (AA + CA) (p = 0.006). Unfortunately, the analyses on the relationship of IL-19 rs2243188 with several clinical manifestations of SLE failed to find any significant results. In conclusion, our observations suggested the minor C allele of SNP rs2243188 might be a protective factor for SLE in a Chinese Han population. Moreover, the subgroup analysis highlighted that IL-19 rs2243188 SNP was associated with the susceptibility to LN patients.

The objective was to assess AIDS awareness and condom use in a rural northern Anhui area with a high HIV prevalence. One hundred two AIDS patients underwent a structured interview using a standard questionnaire. There were 51 female and 51 male patients, whose mean age was 46.27 ± 7.27 years and who had good knowledge of AIDS-related issues. More sexually active patients than those nonactive ones knew it more properly that AIDS was a blood-borne disease (100% vs 94.4%; P = 0.03). Significantly more female patients than male (62.7% vs 47.1%; P = 0.047) knew AIDS is incurable. Self-perceived risk was low, and only 84 respondents regarded the condom use as a common problem in their area. Two independent factors associated with a higher rate of condom use were the AIDS patients’ income level and their knowledge about condom use. There was statistically significance between the patients who regularly obtained free condoms and those who did not. The patients who bought condoms on their own initiative had a higher chance of using condoms than those who did not. In conclusion, despite a high level of awareness of HIV/AIDS issues, self-perceived risk was low, condom use was infrequent, and especially men continued to have multiple sexual partners.

To investigate the impact of college students' evening exercise on their sleep quality, so as to provide a scientific basis for college students to choose an appropriate method of exercise and improve their sleep quality.From September to October in 2012, Multi-stage cluster random sampling method was used to select the 5997 college students in Anhui province. The status of college students' exercise and their sleep quality were investigated by the general situation questionnaire, Physical activity rating scale-3(PARS-3), Rating of perceived exertion(RPE) and Pittsburgh sleep quality index(PSQI). Kruskal-Wallis test was used to analyze the impact of evening exercise on sleep quality and multivariate unconditional logistic regression was used to analyze the factors of sleep quality in evening excise students.The median of PSQI total score among 5806 college students was 5 and 1030(17.7%) students had poor sleep quality. The median of the PSQI scores was the same (5 points) for evening exercise group, daytime exercise group,daytime and evening exercise group and non-exercise group (1406, 1514, 1244, 1642 respectively). The difference was not statistically significant (χ(2) = 2.80, P = 0.42). Compared to non-exercise population, the OR (95%CI) value of evening exercise' impact on sleep quality was 0.90(0.73-1.10). Compared to very light evening exercise, the OR (95%CI) value of moderate and large amount of evening exercise' impact on sleep quality was 0.58 (0.44-0.75) and 0.67 (0.48-0.93) respectively; Compared to other sports, the OR (95%CI) value of badminton, rope skipping and jogging' impact on sleep quality was 0.72 (0.55-0.93), 0.38 (0.21-0.70) and 0.76 (0.60-0.95) respectively and they were all protective factors of sleep quality. Compared to small exercise intensity, the OR (95%CI) value of moderate, vigorous and very vigorous exercise intensity' impact on sleep quality was 1.68 (1.13-2.52), 2.38 (1.48-3.83) and 3.18 (1.72-5.90) respectively and they were harmful factors of sleep quality.There was no impact of evening exercise on sleep quality for college students. Type of sports should be adequately chosen for evening exercise. College students can take moderate and large amount of evening exercise but should avoid activities of vigorous intensity.

The author wants to investigate the relationship between college students' physical quality and the quality of sleep.Stratified cluster sampling method is used, and invites a total of 2981 Anhui college students to take part in the questionnaire study, the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) and physical test, in order to survey the sleep quality and physical quality of college students. The physical quality and sleep quality are analyzed by the multiple factor non conditional logistic regression analysis methods.PSQI scores of the 2744 students are (5.378 ± 2.492), 477 people (17.4%) have poor sleep quality. The endurance, speed, strength quality scores are (75.850 ± 13.279), (69.760 ± 16.422), (66.278 ± 18.709) points. Logistic regression analysis shows that excellent endurance (OR = 0.418) is a protective factor of sleep quality.The improvement of endurance may improve sleep quality.

Recently, many studies have shown that Single immunoglobulin interleukin-1 receptor related protein (SIGIRR), a member of the IL-1R family acting as a negative regulator of TLR/IL-1R signaling, affects autoimmune responses in animal model of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, the role of SIGIRR in the pathogenesis of human SLE has not been widely explored. In this study, we analyzed the frequency of SIGIRR-positive CD4+ T cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of SLE patients and its correlation with disease activity as well as the clinical data. Circulating SIGIRR-positive CD4+ T cells were quantified in 51 SLE patients and 38 healthy controls by using flow cytometer. Results showed that the percentages of SIGIRR-positive CD4+ T cells were decreased in the PBMCs of SLE patients compared with healthy controls (Z = −5.49, P

Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) introduced the immune imbalance between Th17 and Treg cells, which may play an important role in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The aim of the present study was to determine whether the HIF1A gene influences the susceptibility to SLE. A study on this relationship has not been conducted to date. A total of 3,793 subjects (1,497 SLE patients and 2,296 controls) were included in this study. The genotyping of five single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs11549465, rs12434438, rs1957757, rs1951795, rs7143164) was determined by Sequenom MassARRAY technology. The statistical analysis was conducted using chi-square test. Odds ratio (OR) with 95 % confidence interval (CI) was calculated using unconditional logistic regression with adjustment of age and sex. The allele frequencies were not associated with the disease. No significant differences in genotype frequencies existed between the patients with SLE and the controls in all five SNPs. It is worth mentioning that the allele T at rs11549465, located at the exon sequence, revealed a trend but no significant difference towards the more frequent allele T in SLE than in controls (C versus T: OR = 1.206, 95 % CI = 0.972–1.495, p = 0.088). The genotype effects of recessive, dominant, and codominant models were observed; however, no significant evidence for association was detected. Our findings suggest that the gene polymorphisms of HIF1A might not contribute to SLE susceptibility in the Chinese population. However, further studies are needed on an independent cohort from different genetic backgrounds to confirm HIF1A as an SLE genetic factor.

The aim to this study was to investigate the association between the single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of interleukin (IL)-23 receptor gene and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in a Chinese population. A case–control study was performed to investigate the associations of SNPs in IL-23R gene (rs10889677 and rs1884444) with susceptibility to SLE in 521 Chinese SLE patients and 527 normal controls. The chi-square test and unconditional Logistic regression were used to analysis by SPSS 10.1 software. No significant differences were detected for the distribution of allele and genotype frequencies of these two SNPs between patients and controls as well as SLE patients with nephritis (LN) and those without nephritis. The findings suggest that the polymorphisms of IL-23R gene might not contribute to the susceptibility of SLE in the Chinese population.

Many epidemiological studies have investigated IL1α and IL1β polymorphisms with SLE risk, but no conclusions are available because of conflicting results. This meta-analysis was performed to more precisely estimate the relationships. The databases of PubMed updated to September 1st, 2012 were retrieved. Odds ratio (OR) and corresponding 95% confidence interval (95% CI) as effect size were calculated by a fixed- or random-effect model. In total, six case–control studies for IL1β − 511C/T, four studies for IL1β + 3953C/T, three studies for IL1α − 889C/T and three studies for IL1α + 4845G/T were involved in this analysis. The results indicated that for IL1α − 889C/T polymorphism T allele was associated with decreased risk of SLE (OR (95% CI)) (T vs. C: 0.802 (0.679–0.949); TT + CT vs. CC: 0.615 (0.380–0.995); TT vs. CC: 0.679 (0.466–0.989)). However, when analysis for TT vs. CT + CC was conducted, the result indicated that IL1α − 889C/T polymorphism was not associated with SLE (OR (95% CI): 0.847 (0.595–1.205)). Combined analysis indicated that IL1β − 511C/T polymorphism was not overall associated with risk of SLE (OR (95% CI)) (T vs. C: 1.113 (0.954–1.298); TT vs. CT + CC: 1.146 (0.889–1.447); TT + CT vs. CC: 1.145 (0.903–1.452); TT vs. CC: 1.255 (0.928–1.698)). When subgroup analysis for Asian ethnicity was conducted, the results indicated that IL1β − 511C/T polymorphism was associated with SLE only for TT vs. CT + CC (OR (95% CI): 1.468 (1.001–2.152)), but was not associated for T vs. C (OR (95% CI): 1.214 (0.955–1.544)), TT + CT vs. CC (OR (95% CI): 1.112 (0.765–1.615)) and TT vs.CC (OR (95% CI): 1.411 (0.896–2.222)). In addition, overall analyses indicated that IL1β + 3953C/T and IL1α + 4845G/C polymorphisms were also not associated with risk of SLE (OR (95% CI)) (for IL1β + 3953C/T T vs. C: 0.996 (0.610–1.626), TT vs. CT + CC: 0.658 (0.318–1.358), TT + CT vs. CC: 1.021 (0.618–1.687), TT vs. CC: 0.640 (0.309–1.325); for IL1α + 4845G/T T vs. G: 1.067 (0.791–1.440), TT + GT vs. GG: 0.934 (0.646–1.351)).This study inferred that IL1α − 889C/T polymorphism might be moderately associated with SLE, but no sufficient evidence was available to support any associations between IL1β + 3953C/T or IL1α + 4845G/C polymorphisms and SLE. We could not draw a definite conclusion between IL1β − 511C/T polymorphism and risk of SLE owing to the limited data. Further large sample-sized studies should be required.

The P2X7 receptor is a ligand-gated cationic channel receptor that is actived by ATP and normally expressed by a variety of immune system cells, including macrophages and lymphocytes. Because it leads to release of IL-1β and cell death by apoptosis or necrosis, it is a potential therapeutic target for a variety of autoimmune inflammatory diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The P2X7R gene is highly polymorphic, and many single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been detected. A case-control study was performed to investigate the associations of SNPs in the P2X7R gene (rs1718119, rs2230911 and rs3751143) with susceptibility to SLE in 535 Chinese SLE patients and 532 controls. Results showed that rs1718119 was associated with SLE; in particular carriers of the A allele and AA/AG/(AG+AA) genotypes were at lower risk of the disease [A versus G, P < 0.001, odds ratio (OR) = 0.543, 95% CI: 0.424-0.697; AG versus GG, P = 0.018, OR = 0.659, 95% CI: 0.466-0.931; AA versus GG, P = 0.011, OR = 0.176, 95% CI: 0.046-0.668; AG+AA versus GG, P = 0.004, OR = 0.607, 95% CI: 0.433-0.850], but no significant differences in rs2230911 and rs3751143 were observed between SLE patients and controls. Stratification of cases for the presence of nephritis showed that rs2230911 G allele and CG/(CG+GG) genotypes were at a lower risk of SLE with nephritis (LN) (G versus C, P = 0.011, OR = 0.640, 95% CI: 0.454-0.903; CG versus CC, P = 0.035, OR = 0.645, 95% CI: 0.429-0.970; GG versus CC, P = 0.101, OR = 0.349, 95% CI: 0.099-1.228; CG+GG versus CC, P = 0.015 OR = 0.612, 95% CI: 0.411-0.910), but rs1718119 and rs3751143 were not associated with LN. Analysis of the haplotypes revealed one haplotype (ACA) that appeared to be a significantly 'protective' haplotype (P = 0.009, OR = 0.708, 95% CI: 0.546-0.918) with SLE. The findings suggest that the P2X7R gene might contribute to SLE susceptibility in the Chinese population.

Cytotoxic T lymphocyte associated antigen-4 (CTLA-4) -1722T/C polymorphism has been identified as a susceptibile gene for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), but studies are inconsistent. To better assess the association between CTLA-4 -1722T/C polymorphism and SLE, a meta-analysis was performed, including 10 studies, total of 1 387 patients and 1 617 controls. Overall, the CTLA-4 -1722T/C polymorphism was significantly associated with SLE susceptibility (T VS C: OR = 1.17, 95% CI = 0.86-1.60, P = 0.304; T/T VS C/C: OR = 1.92, 95% CI = 1.09-3.39, P = 0.024; T/C VS C/C: OR = 1.50, 95% CI = 0.91-2.49, P = 0.114; T/T VS T/C: OR = 1.29, 95% CI = 0.95-1.75, P = 0.107). When stratified by ethnicity, the CTLA-4 -1722T/C polymorphism was associated with SLE only in Asians (T VS C: OR = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.10-1.96, P = 0.010; T/T VS C/C: OR = 2.09, 95% CI = 1.13-3.85, P = 0.018; T/C VS C/C: OR = 1.53, 95% CI = 0.87-2.69, P = 0.141; T/T VS T/C: OR = 1.42, 95% CI = 0.97-2.09, P = 0.070). In summary, the CTLA-4 -1722T/C polymorphism confers to SLE risk, especially in Asians.

Interleukin 33 (IL-33) is a newly described member of the IL-1 superfamily of cytokines. Through activation of the ST2 receptor, which is widely expressed particularly by helper T 2 cells and mast cells, IL-33 is involved in T-cell–mediated immune responses. Many previous studies have demonstrated that IL-33 may have a pleiotropic function in different diseases, and it could represent a novel target for the treatment of a range of diseases. Recent works have explored the role of IL-33 in chronic autoimmune diseases, such as systemic sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and systemic lupus erythematosus. These results indicate that IL-33 may contribute to the pathogenesis of chronic autoimmune diseases. Hence, in this review, we discuss the biological features of IL-33 and summarize recent advances on the role of IL-33 in the pathogenesis and treatment of autoimmune diseases.

This study aimed at understanding the HIV prevalence, distribution of HIV risk factors and whether the HIV has spread from high-risk groups to the general population in the Yanyuan and Muli counties, Liangshan Prefecture, Sichuan Province, China. A multistage probability method was used to select a representative sample of villages in each county, with stratification by risk employed in the sampling for the Yanyuan county. A real-name registration and confidential method were adopted to collect the information of the participants. Blood specimens were tested for HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis C virus. A total of 4,950 subjects participated in the study. Of the participants aged ≥ 15 years, 0.12% self-reported being drug users and 40% were injection drug users; 0.46% had multiple sex partners and the condom use rate was only 26.3% during the last sexual intercourse. HIV, syphilis, and HCV prevalence of Yanyuan county were 0.06% (95% CI: 0-0.142), 0.06% (95% CI: 0-0.142), and 0.15% (95% CI: 0.020-0.280), respectively. HCV prevalence of Muli county was 0.06% (95% CI: 0-0.191), and none was found to be HIV or syphilis positive. Therefore, the rate of HIV infection in Yanyuan and Muli counties is at a low level currently. The Yanyuan county HIV infection rate is similar to the average rate in all of China, and the Muli county rate is below China's average. The HIV epidemic has not spread from high-risk groups to the general population in these two counties.

Xiaohe Bridge is made a flood impact assessment report from the hydrologic analysis, flood analysis, river potential analysis etc., based on the present and the planning situation. With the evaluation, it can be proved that the bridge construction has little effects on flood control of the channel and some rationalization proposals are proposed to resolve the potential problems.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have recently emerged as a major class of gene expression regulators linked to most biological functions. MiR-155 is encoded within a region known as B cell integration cluster (Bic) gene, identified originally as a frequent integration site for the avian leukosis virus. Disregulation of endogenous miR-155 has been implicated in the pathogenesis of human cancers. Recently, aberrant expression of miR-155 was observed in many autoimmune conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), multiple sclerosis (MS), and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Moreover, functional analysis demonstrated that miR-155 has powerful regulatory potential in a wide variety of immune cells through targeting specific mRNAs. Since pathogenic immune cells play a pivotal role in pathogenesis of human autoimmune diseases, miR-155 might be a versatile therapeutic target. This review will discuss the current understandings for the role of miR-155 in autoimmunity.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a prototypic systemic autoimmune diseases, which affects multiple organ systems such as kidney. The imbalance of T-helper 1 (Th1)/Th2 cells is critical in the pathogenesis of SLE. The T-cell immunoglobulin mucin (TIM) proteins comprise a family of cell surface molecules expressed on T cells that regulate Th1- and Th2-cell-mediated immunity. Recent work has found increased expression of TIM-1 and TIM-3 ligand (galactin-9) mRNA in SLE patients and implied that TIM proteins might be involved in the pathogenesis of SLE. In this study, genotyping of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) was performed for TIM-1 (rs1501909 and rs12522248) and TIM-3 (rs9313439 and rs10515746) in 202 SLE patients and 217 healthy individuals in a Chinese population. Results showed no significant differences existed between the patients with SLE and the controls as well as SLE patients with nephritis and those without nephritis, in all four SNPs. The findings suggest that the polymorphisms of TIM gene family might not contribute to SLE susceptibility in the Chinese population. However, it should be noted that the statistical power of our study is relatively low, which likely did not have adequate power to detect the actual correlation between the selected SNPs and SLE susceptibility; moreover, we cannot discard a possible association of other variants within the region covering TIM with SLE as a genetic risk factor, with larger samples in different populations.

E26 transformation–specific-1 (Ets-1) belongs to the Ets family of transcription factors which share a common 85-amino-acid DNA-binding domain. Ets-1 is essential to regulation of the immune system including immune cell proliferation and differentiation. Past data demonstrated Ets-1 play a role in negative regulation of Th17 cells and B cells differentiation. Recently, association of genetic variation in Ets-1 with susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have been independently identified by two Genome-wide association studies (GWAS), and decreased Ets-1 mRNA level in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of SLE patients has been reported. All these findings suggest that the transcription factor is broadly linked to the pathogenesis of this disease. However, aberrant control of other immune cells and effector molecules illuminated the complexities of Ets-1 biology. In this review article, we will focus on the dual nature of Ets-1 and discuss its regulatory capability. Hopefully the information obtained will lead to a better understanding of the pathogenesis and development of novel therapeutic strategies for SLE.

T helper 17 (TH17) cells are beginning to be implicated in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Recent studies have shown that interleukin 27 (IL-27) controls the development of TH17. However, whether IL-27 plays a role in the development of SLE is still unclear. In the present work, we investigated the serum IL-27 level in SLE and its relations to disease activity. Fifty-six patients with SLE and 30 healthy volunteers were recruited. Serum IL-27 levels were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The clinical and laboratory parameters were collected from medical records or by questionnaire. The serum IL-27 level in SLE patients was significantly lower than that in healthy controls ( P < 0.001). Compared with SLE patients without nephritis, patients with nephritis had a significantly decreased serum IL-27 level ( P < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference between less active and more active SLE ( P > 0.05). Correlation analysis between serum IL-27 levels and SLE disease activity index showed no association ( P > 0.05). In summary, a decrease in serum IL-27 level in patients with SLE suggested that this cytokine might be implicated in the pathomechanism of this disease.

Dear Editor, Recently, Kapsimali et al. reviewed the factors involved in the pathogenesis of Behcet's disease (BD) with emphasis on the role of immunological aberrations. The authors concluded that Th1 immune response polarization was a main characteristic when focusing on the influence of cytokines in the etiopathogenesis of BD and suggested that IL-12 may play a central role in the disease immune mechanisms [1]. Indeed genetic factors’ involvement has been investigated. The findings showed that Th1 cytokines (including IL-12 and IFN-γ) polymorphisms were associated with susceptibility to BD [2]. However, as we know, IL-12 shares a p40 subunit with IL-23, which has additional inflammatory effects apart of IL-12. In fact, update data have suggested that IL-23/IL-17 axis may be crucial to BD development. A previous study has shown higher IL-23 in sera of BD patients with uveitis and found that there was a meaningful correlation between IL-23 content and disease activity [3]. Moreover, Lew et al. reported an increased expression of IL23 p19 mRNA in erythema nodosum-like lesions of BD patients [4]. Furthermore, Chi et al. showed that the expression of IL-23p19 mRNA, IL-23, IL-17, and IFN-γ was markedly elevated in BD patients with active uveitis. Meanwhile, the frequencies of IL-17-producing and IFN-γproducing T cells from PBMCs were significantly upregulated in BD patients with active uveitis. These findings hinted that the IL-23/IL-17 pathway together with IFN-γ was associated with the active intraocular inflammation in BD [5]. In addition, authors also identified IL-23R and IL-17F gene polymorphisms which were associated with susceptibility to BD [6, 7]. Collectively, not only IL-12/IFN-γ axis but also IL-23/ IL-17 pathway may make a contribution for immunological aberrations of BD. Therefore, further studies are required to comprehensively explore the role of Th17 immune response in the etiopathogenesis of BD.