ABSTRACT
The studies on the association of deletion/insertion (D/I) polymorphism of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene with blood pressure and hypertension reported contradictory results. We review the articles that considered blood pressure or hypertension as the main outcome measure to have an overview of the situation. There is heterogeneity of allele frequencies of ACE locus among ethnic groups. In descending order of D allele frequencies, ethnic groups are: Gulf Bedouin (0.657), Black (0.597), White (0.577), Chinese (0.400), Japanese (0.377), Bangladeshi (0.374) and Indian Sikh (0.373). Multiple studies were available for the Caucasians and Japanese with relatively large sample sizes. Three out of five studies in the Caucasians found association either in males or in females with blood pressure or hypertension. None of the three Japanese studies observed an association. So, ACE locus may be considered a marker for blood pressure or hypertension in the Caucasians but not in the Japanese. This racial difference is not surprising, because heterogenecity of ACE activity according to ACE genotypes has been reported among ethnic groups, and important differences in environmental factors persist. Studies in other populations were either small or sampling procedures were not adequately described. Given that the studies varied in designs, settings, sample size, and adjustment for confounding variables, adequately powered large-scale multicentre, multi-ethnic population-based studies using same method are required to resolve this contradiction.
Subject(s)
Adult , Blood Pressure/genetics , Female , Genotype , Humans , Hypertension/ethnology , Male , Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A/genetics , Polymorphism, GeneticABSTRACT
Several researchers have investigated cellular response, and antibody response to different antigens of group A beta-haemolytic streptococci, cardiac tissues and B cell alloantigen in rheumatic fever (RF). However, immunoglobulins (Ig) which may indicate general immune status did not receive attention. This study was done in the outpatient clinic of the National Center for Control of Rheumatic Fever and Heart Diseases, Dhaka, to compare Ig levels in subjects with and without RF who have had recent group A beta-haemolytic streptococcal infections. We have recruited 44 RF cases aged 5 to 20 years, and 44 subjects without RF were randomly matched for age and sex as controls. Convalescent blood samples were used to measure antistreptolysin O and IgG, IgM, and IgA levels. The cases, as compared with the controls, had significantly higher levels of antistreptolysin O (mean 399 versus 321 IU/ml), IgG (mean 2386 versus 1885 mg/dl), IgM (mean 286 versus 222 mg/dl) and IgA (mean 258 versus 184 mg/dl). It is not clearly known why the immune response is higher in the RF cases. We have to elucidate factors responsible for higher immune response in children with RF.
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Adult , Antistreptolysin/blood , Bangladesh , Case-Control Studies , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Immunoglobulins/blood , Male , Random Allocation , Rheumatic Fever/immunology , Streptococcal Infections/immunology , Streptococcus pyogenes/immunologyABSTRACT
The association of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism with hypertension has not been confirmed. Inconsistencies may be due to the differences of background population characteristics. Till date, there has been no report in Bangladeshi population. This study was to examine the association of ACE (I/D) polymorphism with hypertension. Fifty-one primary hypertensives and fifty-two normotensives were recruited from a hospital in Dhaka city. Height, weight and blood pressure were measured. ACE (I/D) genotypes was established using polymerase chain reaction protocol. The genotype and allele frequencies did not differ significantly (P > 0.05) between the groups. In logistic regression analysis, adjusted for age, sex and body mass index, the genotypes were not associated with hypertension (DD vs II: Adds ratio = 2.6, P = 0.34; ID vs II: 0.4, 0.23; ID + DD vs II: 0.8, 0.69). In this hospital-based sample of Bangladeshi people, significant association of ACE I/D genotype with hypertension was not observed.
Subject(s)
Adult , Bangladesh , Case-Control Studies , Female , Humans , Hypertension/genetics , Logistic Models , Male , Middle Aged , Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A/genetics , Polymerase Chain Reaction , Polymorphism, GeneticABSTRACT
Serum specimens were collected from 6 species of animals living in 9 states of Malaysia including Sabah, North Borneo in 1993. Antibodies against Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus in these sera were detected by means of hemagglutination-inhibition (HI) and neutralization (NT) tests. By HI test, 702 of 2,152 (32.6%) sera showed positive results. Higher positive rates were obtained by the NT test, in which 1,787 of 1,927 (92.7%) sera had antibodies against JE virus. All serum specimens with positive HI were confirmed as positive by the NT. Swine sera showed especially higher rates of antibody positive and higher antibody titers compared with other animals. These results suggest that JE infections are widely distributed among many animals of Malaysia, and pig is the most susceptible amplifier host for JE virus.
Subject(s)
Animal Diseases/epidemiology , Animals , Antibodies, Viral/analysis , Birds , Disease Reservoirs , Encephalitis, Japanese/transmission , Hemagglutination Tests , Insect Vectors , Malaysia/epidemiology , Prevalence , Ruminants , SwineSubject(s)
Animals , Disease Vectors , Philippines , Population Density , Schistosoma japonicum , Snails/parasitologyABSTRACT
An attempt was made to estimate the annual incidence of schistosomiasis from the prevalences at ages 7 to 10 in the Philippines.