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Aim: This study was conducted to investigate the effects of VKORC1, CYP2C9, CYP4F2 and EPHX1 and nongenetic factors on warfarin maintenance dose in a very elderly, frail Han-Chinese population. Materials & methods: 16 variants of VKORC1, CYP2C9, CYP4F2 and EPHX1 were genotyped. Univariate analysis and multivariable regression model were performed for the associations of gene variants and warfarin maintenance dose. Results & conclusion: EPHX1 rs2260863 nonvariant CC homozygotes required significantly lower daily warfarin dose than GC heterozygotes. In the multivariable model, VKORC1 rs9923231, CYP2C9 rs1057910, EPHX1 rs2260863, CYP4F2 rs2189784 and body surface area altogether explained 26.9% of dosing variability. This study revealed the main impact of genetic factors on warfarin response in this special population.

Angiopoietin-like protein 2 (Angptl2) is regarded as a proinflammatory factor in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and is expressed at high levels in patients with coronary artery disease. However, direct evidence of Angptl2 in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is lacking. Our study was designed to investigate a possible relationship between serum Angptl2 and ACS.We evaluated 251 consecutive patients undergoing coronary angiography, consisting of 132 patients with ACS (unstable angina pectoris n = 60, acute myocardial infarction n = 72), 50 patients with stable angina pectoris, and 69 control patients. Serum Angptl2 concentration was measured in peripheral venous blood by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Serum Angptl2 levels were significant higher in patients with ACS than in those with stable angina (p0.05) or controls (p0.001). The difference between angplt2 levels in unstable angina and acute myocardial infarction subgroups was statistically insignificant (p = 0.831). In multivariable logistic regression models, using quartiles of Angptl2, Angptl2 was closely associated with ACS following adjustment of age, gender, established risk factors and high sensitivity C-reactive protein levels (odds ratio for quartile 4 vs. quartile 1: 10.182, 95% confidence interval 2.440-42.485, p = 0.001).Serum Angptl2 is a new candidate biomarker for risk stratification of ACS.

BACKGROUND The small conductance calcium-activated potassium, subfamily N, member 3 (KCNN3) gene rs13376333 and rs1131820 have been shown to be strongly associated with lone atrial fibrillation (AF), while replication association studies between rs13376333 in KCNN3 gene and risk of AF showed conflicting results. The current study tried to validate the impact of SNP rs13376333 and rs1131820 of KCNN3 gene on the risk of AF in the Chinese Han population. METHODS A total of 889 AF patients and 1015 controls were enrolled. Two hundred and seventy-eight cases of AF were lone AF. KCNN3 gene SNP rs13376333 and rs1131820 were genotyped by allele-specific MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. RESULTS The genotype distribution and allele frequency of rs13376333 polymorphism were not different between total AF patients and controls. However, the genotype distribution of rs13376333 polymorphism was significantly different between lone AF and control group (p