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Economically significant bean pests of the genus Chauliops are species rich in the areas surrounding the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau and provide an excellent system for speciation studies. Here, an integrative taxonomic approach, employing morphological analyses, population genetic methods, and multiple molecular species delimitation methods, was used to clarify the taxonomy of Chauliops in East and Southeast Asia. Four new species (Chauliops parahorizontalis Li & Bu, sp. nov., Chauliops albida Li & Bu, sp. nov., Chauliops bicoloripes Li & Bu, sp. nov., and Chauliops paraconica Li & Bu, sp. nov.) were described, which increases the number of Chauliops species in this area from six to 10; a key for Chauliops species is also provided. Phylogenetic analysis and divergence time estimation revealed that Chauliops was divided into four clades: Clade A (Chauliops bisontula + [Chauliops horizontalis + C. parahorizontalis sp. nov.]), Clade B (C. albida sp. nov. and C. bicoloripes sp. nov.), Clade C (Chauliops quaternaria and Chauliops zhengi), and Clade D (Chauliops fallax + [Chauliops conica + C. paraconica sp. nov.]). Two species diversification events of Chauliops estimated to have occurred 7–1 million years ago (Ma) and 25–13 Ma were detected. These speciation events were consistent with the two historical uplift events of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, suggesting that orogeny might have provided opportunities for the diversification of Chauliops species on the southeastern margin of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. Our findings show that population genetic analyses can be used to delimit related species and that orogeny is a key driver of species diversification on the southeastern margin of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evolutionary analysis of Prodiamesinae has long been impeded by lack of information, and its phylogenetic relationship with Orthocladiinae remains questionable. Here, ten complete mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) of Orthocladiinae sensu lato were newly sequenced, including three Prodiamesinae species and seven Orthocladiinae species. Coupled with published mitogenomes, a total of 12 mitogenomes of Orthocladiinae sensu lato were selected for a comparative mitogenomic analysis and phylogenetic reconstruction. Mitogenomes of Orthocladiinae sensu lato are conserved in structure, and all genes arrange the same gene order as the ancestral insect mitogenome. Nucleotide composition is highly biased, and the control region displayed the highest A + T content. All protein‐coding genes are under purifying selection, and the ATP8 evolves at the fastest rate. In addition, the mitogenomes of Orthocladiinae sensu lato are highly conserved, and they are practically useful for phylogenetic inference, suggesting a re‐classification of Orthocladiinae by sinking Prodiamesinae as a subgroup of Orthocladiinae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous association studies examining the relationship between the APOC1 polymorphism and susceptibility to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) have shown conflicting results, and it is not clear if an APOC1 variant acts as a genetic risk factor in AD etiology across multiple populations. Methods: To confirm the risk association between APOC1 and AD, we designed a case-control study and also performed a meta-analysis of previously published studies. Results: Seventy-nine patients with AD and one hundred fifty-six unrelated controls were included in case-control study. No association was found between the variation of APOC1 and AD in stage 1 of our study. However, our meta-analysis pooled a total of 2092 AD patients and 2685 controls. The APOC1 rs11568822 polymorphism was associated with increased AD risk in Caucasians, Asians and Caribbean Hispanics, but not in African Americans. APOE ε4 carriers harboring the APOC1 insertion allele, were more prevalent in AD patients than controls (χ2 = 119.46, OR = 2.79, 95% CI = 2.31–3.36, P<0.01). Conclusions: The APOC1 insertion allele, in combination with APOE ε4, likely serves as a potential risk factor for developing AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: By means of ultrasound diagnosis of congenital oaf fetal karyotype analysis, we summarizes the relationship between the chromosomal abnormalities and deformed parts and number of deformity, providing the basis for prenatal diagnosis. Methods: From January 2009 to December 2013 in our hospital an amniocentest or cord blood puncture were performed by indications for prenatal diagnosis of congenital malformations, 576 cases of chromosome karyotype analysis of fetus, were investigate the relationship between the congenital oaf and chromosomal abnormalities. Results: The success rate of cell culture successfully are 551 cases (95.66%); chromosomal abnormalities in 90 cases (16.33%), with 63 cases often dyed anomaly of chromosome abnormality (70.00%); sex chromosome abnormality 25 cases (27.78% of chromosomal abnormality); triploid in 1 case; marker chromosomes in 1 case. Freak of chromosome abnormalities, the mainly types are cardiac malformation 31 cases (34.44%), skin edema 30 cases (33.33%), abnormal face and neck 21 cases (23.33%), abnormal brain structure 20 cases (22.22%), and the digestive system malformation 11 cases (12.22%). Conclusions: Congenital oaf has high incidence of chromosomal abnormalities. For ultrasound tips for congenital oaf, prenatal diagnosis intervention should be made to avoid the chromosome abnormalities in children with birth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a typical cognitive disorder with an increasing incidence in recent years. AD is also one of the main causes of disability and death of the elderly in current aging society. One of the most common symptoms of AD is spatial memory impairment, which occurs in more than 60% of patients. This memory loss is closely related to the impairment of cognitive maps in the brain. The entorhinal grid cells and the hippocampal place cells are important cellular basis for spatial memory and navigation functions in the brain. Understanding the abnormal firing pattern of these neurons and their impaired coordination to neural oscillations in transgenic rodents is crucial for identifying the therapeutic targets for AD. In this article, we review recent studies on neural activity based on transgenic rodent models of AD, with a focus on the changes in the firing characteristics of neurons and the abnormal electroencephalogram (EEG) rhythm in the entorhinal cortex and hippocampus. We also discuss potential cell-network mechanism of spatial memory disorders caused by AD, so as to provide a scientific basis for the diagnosis and treatment of AD in the future.

The formation, consolidation and retrieval of spatial memory depend on sequential firing patterns of place cells assembling in the hippocampus. Theta sequences of place cells during behavior play a role in acquisition of spatial memory, trajectory prediction and decision making. In awake rest and slow wave sleep, place cell sequences occur during the sharp wave-ripples (SWRs), called "replay", which is crucial for memory consolidation and retrieval. In this review, we summarize the functional significances of theta sequences and SWRs replay sequences and the mechanism of these sequences. We also discuss the relationship between theta and replay sequences with the formation of spatial memory. We propose the research direction in this field in future and aim to provide new ideas for related researches.

Objective: To investigate the genotypes and clinical features of children with HbH disease in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China., Methods: A total of 595 children from Guangxi were recruited. Single-tube multiplex polymerase chain reaction combined with agarose gel electrophoresis, as well as reverse dot blotting, were performed to detect the three α-globin gene deletion mutations (--(SEA), -α(3.7), and -α(4.2)) and three non-deletion mutations (Hb Westmead, Hb Constant Spring, and Hb Quong Sze) which are common in the Chinese population., Results: Among the 595 cases, five common genotypes were identified, which were --(SEA)/-α(3.7) (232 cases), --(SEA)/α(CS)α (174 cases), --(SEA)/-α(4.2) (122 cases), --(SEA)/α(WS)α (35 cases), and --(SEA)/α(QS)α (24 cases). The genotype of THAI deletion associated with α-thalassemia-2 was detected in eight cases. Six β-mutations including CD41-42, CD17-28, CD26, IVS-II-654, IVS-I-1, and CD27-28 were identified in 23 cases. All children with HbH disease had microcytic hypochromic anemia; children with HbH-CS disease had the most severe anemia, and those with HbH-WS disease had the mildest anemia., Conclusions: Deletional HbH disease is the main type in children with HbH disease in Guangxi, and some patients also have mild beta-thalassemia. Non-deletional HbH disease shows more severe phenotype than deletional HbH disease.

Objective: To study the relationship between abnormal karyotypes and clinical phenotypes among children in genetic counseling in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China., Methods: We studied 601 children who visited Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Women and Children Care Hospital for genetic counseling between January 2009 and July 2012. Blood samples were cultured routinely for karyotype analysis with G banding as well as clinical analysis., Results: Out of 601 patients, 329 (54.7%) had chromosomal abnormalities, and 8 new abnormal human karyotypes were found. Among 329 children with abnormal karyotypes, 317 (96.4%) had an abnormal number of chromosomes, and 12 (3.6%) had abnormal chromosomal structure. Abnormal karyotypes were clinically manifested by Down's syndrome (74.5%), growth retardation (10.9%), and mental retardation (3.0%)., Conclusions: Eight rare abnormal karyotypes were found in the study, providing new resources for the genetic studies and etiological analysis of growth retardation, mental retardation, gonadal dysgenesis, and multiple congenital anomalies in children.

To analyze the genetic effect of the abnormal chromosome karyotype, we summarized and studied the clinical data of the new abnormal karyotypes diagnosed at the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Women and Children Care Hospital from January 2009 to July 2012. The samples were cultured routinely for the karyotype analysis using G banding and C banding. Chromosomal aberrations were named according to the International System for Human Cytogenetic Nomenclature (ISCN 2009). Among tested samples, 105 new human abnormal karyotypes were identified (86 reciprocal translocation, 10 chromosomal inversion, six derivative chromosome, one duplication, one isochromosome, one partial trisomy and monosomy). The results suggest that chromosomal abnormalities were a major cause of miscarriage, infertility, congenital abnormalities, mental retardation and amenorrhea in humans.

Objective: To assess the association between SIRT1 gene polymorphisms and the longevity phenomena in Yongfu region of Guangxi. In this case-control study, 500 individuals from Yongfu region of Guangxi were recruited. The subjects were divided into a longevity group (n=223, average age=93.17 U+00B1 3.08 yr) and a healthy control group (n=277, average age=46.92 U+00B1 17.12 yr). Polymerase chain reaction-high resolution melting curve (PCR-HRM) and DNA sequencing were used to determine the allelic and genotypic frequencies of rs3758391, rs3740051, rs2273773, rs4746720 and rs10997870 polymorphisms of SIRT1 gene in the two groups. The association between above polymorphisms and longevity was assessed., Results: In the longevity group, CT genotype of the rs4746720 locus was significantly more common than CC and TT genotypes (P=0.000, OR=2.098, 95%CI:1.412-4.117). However, no significant difference was found in the allelic and genotypic frequencies of rs3758391, rs3740051 and rs2273773 between the two groups., Conclusion: There is an association between rs4746720 of SIRT1 gene and longevity in Yongfu region of Guangxi.

Objective: To investigate the human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variations associated with longevity in Bama elderly population from Guangxi., Methods: Mitochondrial genome of 20 individuals over 96 years of age was sequenced, and seven target single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) were observed by comparing with the standard rCRS sequence, and two were tested by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method in a larger population including 208 individuals of 90-113 years old, and 586 unrelated control individuals from Guangxi., Results: The 4824G frequency of the mtDNA4824A/G locus increased with age both in the long-lived elderly and in controls. And it was significantly higher in controls than that in long-lived population (P<0.05)., Conclusion: The mtDNA4824 A/G is not only an age-related locus, its mutation is also negatively correlated with longevity.

To investigate the distribution and the characteristics of karyotypes in Down syndrome patients in Nanning city, China, Cytogenetic analysis was carried out in 500 cases clinically suspected for Down syndrome during 1994 to 2007. One hundred and thirty cases were diagnosed as Down syndrome in the panel of patients with karyotyping analysis. The prevalence distribution of chromosome abnormalities in Chinese Down syndrome patients in Nanning were 86.15% (112/130) cases with typical trisomy 21, 8.46% (11/130) cases with translocation, and 5.39% (7/130) cases with mosaic abnormal karyotype. The cases with trisomy 21 were approximately as twice as higher (1.8:1)in male than that in female patients. The percentage (93.08%) of Down syndrome babies born by younger mothers (<35 yr) was greater than that (6.92%) of the babies born by elder mothers (>35 yr). We concluded that males were more pronounced to be affected than females in Down syndrome cases in Nanning. Down syndrome cases with typical trisomy 21 karyotype were higher in Nanning than those with translocation or mosaic karotypes.

To study the relationship between chromosomal abnormality and clinical ending events of reproductive abnormality, G-banding and karyotype analyses were carried out by using chromosome preparations from peripheral blood lymphocytes. Out of 5 774 cases with reproductive abnormality, 550 individuals had chromosomal abnormalities. Among them, 255 cases (46.36%) were trisomy, 91 cases (16.55%) were reciprocal translocation, 85 cases (15.45%) were chromosomal inversion, 81 cases (14.73%) were deletions, 21 cases (3.82%) were Robertsonian translocation, 7 cases (1.27%) were short arm increment, 6 cases (1.09%) were Y chromosome increment and 4 cases (0.73%) were abnormal satellites. Thirty-two cases with novel chromosomal abnormality karyotypes in them, being complicated by miscarriage, sterility, and congenital malformation, were firstly reported. The results suggested that chromosomal abnormality could be the one of main factors related to the bad reproductive ending events.

Human longevity is the result of combined actions by many factors including genetics, environment and so on. Although longevity can take its natural course, it can be extended with social and scientific advances. This review presents the recent progress in longevity studies, especially on the research of longevity related genes in model species. It also summarizes the research of longevity related genes in humans in both the nuclear and mitochondrial genome. The prospect and strategy of human longevity research is also discussed.

Late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly. It is a complex and genetically heterogeneous disorder. Epidemiological studies demonstrated that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs could prevent or delay the onset of LOAD suggesting inflammation may be involved in AD. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is a potent immunomodulator and it might increase the production of amyloid beta(Abeta), which makes it an appropriate AD candidate gene. Alpha2 macroglobulin (A2M) is a serum protease inhibitor and a major low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP) ligand. It can bind Abeta and mediate its clearance and degradation, suggesting it might be another AD candidate gene. In the present study, we analyzed the a 5 bp Ins/Del polymorphism of A2M gene (A2M-2), TNF alpha-308 A/G polymorphism and apolipoprotein E (APOE) polymorphisms of 67 sporadic late-onset AD patients and 142 normal elderly controls in the Chinese population. Our data showed that the APOE epsilon4 allele frequency in AD was significantly higher than that in the normal controls (chi2 = 11.66, P < 0.01) neither the frequencies of genotypes nor alleles of the TNF alpha-308 A/G and A2M polymorphisms were significantly different between AD and controls,suggesting the two polymorphisms were not risk factors to LOAD in Chinese.