STK39 Polymorphism Is Associated with Essential Hypertension: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background

A recent genome-wide association study identified STK39as a candidate gene for blood pressure (BP) in Europeans. Subsequently, several studies have attempted to replicate the association across different ethnic populations. However, the results have been inconsistent.

Objective and Methods

We performed a meta-analysis to elucidate the association between the STK39 rs3754777 polymorphism (or proxy) and hypertension. Published literature from PubMed and Embase databases were retrieved and pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated using fixed- or random-effects model.

Results

Using appropriate inclusion/exclusion criteria, we identified 10 studies that included 21, 863 hypertensive cases and 24, 480 controls from different ethnicities. The meta-analysis showed a significant association of STK39 rs3754777 variant with hypertension (OR = 1.10, 95%CI = 1.06–1.15, p = 7.95×10⁻⁶). Further subgroup analysis by ethnicity suggested that the association was significant in Europeans (OR = 1.08, 95% CI = 1.03–1.14, p = 0.002) and in East Asians (OR = 1.16, 95%CI = 1.07–1.25, p = 4.34×10⁻⁴), but not in Africans (OR = 1.01, 95%CI 0.80–1.27, p = 0.932). We further confirmed the positive association by sensitivity analysis. No publication bias was detected (Begg’s test, p = 0.721; Egger’s test, p = 0.744).

Conclusions

The present meta-analysis confirms the significant association of STK39 polymorphism with susceptibility to hypertension in Europeans and East Asians. Future studies should include gene–gene and gene–environment interactions to investigate the identified association.     

Prevalence,Awareness, Medication,Control, and Risk Factors Associated with Hypertension in Bai Ethnic Group in Rural China: The Yunnan Minority Eye Study

Purpose

This study aimed to assess the prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension and their associated factors among Bai ethnic population in the rural China.

Methods

A population-based survey was conducted in 2010 with a randomly cluster sampling in rural communities in Dali, southwest China. A total of 2133 adults aged 50 or above were interviewed, and their blood pressure, height, weight and waist circumference were measured. Hypertension was defined as a mean SBP≥140 mmHg and/or DBP≥90 mmHg, and/or current use of antihypertensive medications.

Results

The prevalence of hypertension was 42.1% (899/2133), and the age- and gender-adjusted prevalence was 40.0%. Among the hypertensive participants, 28.4% (255/899)were aware of their condition, while 24.6% (221/899) took antihypertensive medications, with only 7.5% (67/899) of those achieving blood pressure control (<140/90 mmHg). Risk factors for hypertension were older age, smoking, alcohol drinking, family history of HBP, overweight, and obesity, while protective factors included being lean, and having finished senior high school or above.

Conclusions

Hypertension prevalence is high among the population of Bai ethnic group in China, while the associated risk factors of hypertension include overweight/obesity, cigarette smoking, history of hypertension, and older age. The percentages of hypertensive participants aware of their hypertension and those taking antihypertensive medications were low with an incredibly low proportion of hypertensive patients who kept their hypertension under control. It is suggested that health education and hypertension screening programs be carried out in the area for the high blood pressure prevention and control.     

Educational Level,Obesity and Incidence of Diabetes among Chinese Adult Men and Women Aged 18–59 Years Old: An 11-Year Follow-Up Study

Objective

To determine whether educational level and overweight/obesity was associated with the development of diabetes among Chinese adult men and women.

Methods

A cohort (2000–2011) of 10 704 participants aged 18–59 years (8 238 men, 2 466 women) in Qingdao Port Health Study (QPHS) were recruited in this study. The personal lifestyle, height, weight, waist circumference, resting heart rate, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides and plasma uric acid were collected annually in a comprehensive health checkup program. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate the association of factors and incidence of diabetes.

Results

During 110 825 person-years of follow-up, 1 056 new onset cases (9.5 per 1 000 person-years) of diabetes were identified. With normal weight as reference, the multiple-adjusted hazard ratio (HR) (95%CI) of diabetes was 1.69(1.38–2.09) for overweight and 2.24(1.66–3.02) for obesity among men, which was 1.81(1.12–2.92) and 2.58(1.37–4.86) among women, respectively. Compared with the participants with high educational level, those with low educational level had a higher risk of diabetes (multiple-adjusted HR (95%CI): 1.43(1.11–1.86)) among men. The association was not found among women and the adjusted HR (95%CI) of diabetes was 1.56(0.89–2.76). The increased risks of low educational level were independent of mediators among men, through normal weight (P for trend = 0.0313) and overweight (P for trend = 0.0212) group but not obesity group (P for trend = 0.0957).

Conclusion

Baseline overweight/obesity was an independent risk factor for diabetes for both men and women. Low educational level was adversely associated with incidence of diabetes through normal weight, overweight and obesity groups, with the association being substantially attenuated by mediating factors only in the obesity group among men. The association was not found among women.     

Total HIV/AIDS Expenditures in Dehong Prefecture,Yunnan Province in 2010: The First Systematic Evaluation of Both Health and Non-Health Related HIV/AIDS Expenditures in China

Objective

We assessed HIV/AIDS expenditures in Dehong Prefecture, Yunnan Province, one of the highest prevalence regions in China, and describe funding sources and spending for different categories of HIV-related interventions and at-risk populations.

Methods

2010 HIV/AIDS expenditures in Dehong Prefecture were evaluated based on UNAIDS’ National AIDS Spending Assessment methodology.

Results

Nearly 93% of total expenditures for HIV/AIDS was contributed by public sources. Of total expenditures, 52.7% was allocated to treatment and care, 24.5% to program management and administration and 19.8% to prevention. Spending on treatment and care was primarily allocated to the treatment of opportunistic infections. Most (40.4%) prevention spending was concentrated on most-at-risk populations, injection drug users (IDUs), sex workers, and men who have sex with men (MSM), with 5.5% allocated to voluntary counseling and testing. Prevention funding allocated for MSM, partners of people living with HIV and prisoners and other confined populations was low compared to the disproportionate burden of HIV/AIDS in these populations. Overall, people living with HIV accounted for 57.57% of total expenditures, while most-at-risk populations accounted for only 7.99%.

Conclusions

Our study demonstrated the applicability of NASA for tracking and assessing HIV expenditure in the context of China, it proved to be a useful tool in understanding national HIV/AIDS response from financial aspect, and to assess the extent to which HIV expenditure matches epidemic patterns. Limited funding for primary prevention and prevention for MSM, prisoners and partners of people living with HIV, signal that resource allocation to these key areas must be strengthened. Comprehensive analyses of regional and national funding strategies are needed to inform more equitable, effective and cost-effective HIV/AIDS resource allocation.     

烟草青枯病劳尔氏菌与拮抗菌对根系分泌物的竞争作用

[目的]研究青枯病病原菌与拮抗菌的营养特性及其对烟草根系分泌物的响应差异,对提高拮抗菌定殖能力、有效生物防控烟草青枯病具有非常重要的意义。[方法]本研究通过筛选与鉴定贵州烟区青枯病病原菌株及拮抗菌株,通过Biolog表型芯片技术分别检测病原菌与拮抗菌的特征性碳、氮源,利用气质联用(GC-MS)检测烟草主栽品种K326根系分泌物的主要物质,在此基础上进行病原菌与拮抗菌对其利用能力、利用强度以及共培养的研究。[结果]经鉴定,分离、筛选到的病原菌株和拮抗菌株分别为青枯劳尔氏菌(Ralstonia solawacearum)和枯草芽孢杆菌(Bacillus subtilis);在含量为0.01μg/mL以上的根系分泌物中,12种物质的含量从高到低排序为:果胶>葡萄糖>木糖>阿拉伯糖>半乳糖>核糖>蔗糖>苯甲酸>果糖=D-甘露醇>棕榈酸>富马酸,果胶含量最高且明显高于其他物质;拮抗菌(LX4)对碳源利用能力高于病原菌(Rs)的碳源有阿拉伯糖、木糖和核糖,分别是病原菌利用能力的1.22、1.95和2.17倍;前12 h拮抗菌利用果糖强度高于病原菌,不同碳源共培养24 h后LX4对gfp-Rs(绿色荧光蛋白标记后的青枯病病原菌)抑制率为18.34%(阿拉伯糖)、53.23%(木糖)、63.53%(核糖)和52.09%(果糖)。[结论]拮抗菌对烟草根系分泌物的利用不及病原菌,但在特定碳源条件下拮抗菌能够利用根系分泌物中的某些碳源产生某种拮抗物质抑制病原菌,拮抗菌与病原菌之间同时存在利用性竞争和干扰性竞争关系,研究结果为进一步研究烟草青枯病的生物防控提供了新的理论依据。     

种子物理休眠研究进展

种子物理休眠是由种皮不透水层引起的一种休眠类型,是植物在长期系统发育进程中获得的一种适应环境变化的特性。该文简述了种子物理休眠的定义与概念;从不透水层、种皮的特殊水孔器结构以及胚的形态特异性等方面,综述了物理休眠种子的形态特征、物理休眠与综合休眠的解除方法以及物理休眠的可能解除机制;利用Angiosperm Phylogeny Group Ⅲ(APG Ⅲ)系统分析了种子物理休眠的植物在系统发育中的位置;最后提出了今后种子物理休眠有待研究的主要问题。     

Ultrabroadband Mid-infrared Light Absorption Based on a Multi-cavity Plasmonic Metamaterial Array

We present a broadband plasmonic metamaterial absorber in the infrared region based on localized surface plasmon polaritons (LSPPs). The unit cell of the proposed metamaterial absorber consists of a multi-cavity structure, in which absorption resonances can be tuned independently through the modification of the width and shift of metallic walls. In order to avoid the degeneration between two contiguous resonances, which dramatically reduces the bandwidth, we introduce a zigzag design rule to arrange the cavities within a compact unit. Thus, the possible number of resonances is greatly increased, enabling an ultrabroadband absorption. A broadband absorber is demonstrated with only a few-layer structure and it also has an incident-angle-insensitive feature. Our results have potential applications in photovoltaic devices, emitters, sensors, and camouflage systems.