Prevalence of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance in an elderly urban Korean population.

Research on the epidemiology of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is limited in Korea. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and characteristics of MGUS in an elderly urban Korean population. A random sample of 1118 Korean elders was selected from residents aged 65 years or older living in Seongnam, Korea 1 year from August 2005. We obtained plasma samples remaining after scheduled tests for the Korean Longitudinal Study on Health and Aging. The mean age of the study population was 72 years (range, 65-97 years). To screen for MGUS, immunofixation and free light-chain (FLC) assays were performed. Age-adjusted and gender-adjusted MGUS prevalence rates in 680 responders were estimated as 3.3% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.0-4.6%], and the estimated age-adjusted prevalence of MGUS was 4.3% in men (95% CI = 1.9-6.6%) and 2.6% in women (95% CI = 1.0-4.2%). Abnormal FLC ratios were detected in 10% of MGUS cases. Multivariate analysis of 945 participants revealed that significant risk factors for MGUS included advanced age, male sex, hyperproteinemia, increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and abnormal FLC ratio. MGUS is less prevalent among elderly Koreans (3.3%) than other races. This is the first study to estimate the prevalence of MGUS in the Korean elderly population. Our findings should be confirmed with additional studies analyzing follow-up samples from 2010.

Differential expression of rice calmodulin promoters in response to stimuli and developmental tissue in transgenic tobacco plants.

The promoters of OsCaM1 and OsCaM3 were characterized after sequencing and fused to the reporter gene, GUS. The constructs were then transformed into the tobacco plant. Histochemical analysis of GUS showed different expression patterns in pOsCaM1::GUS and pOsCaM3:: GUS transgenic plants. The expression of pOsCaM1::GUS in 4- to 15-day-old seedlings in particular was observed only in the root, while the expression of pOsCaM3::GUS was detected in both the cotyledons and root. Also, pRCaM1::GUS was detected in all the tissues surrounding the root system, while the presence of pOsCaM3::GUS was observed in the root, except in the root meristem. However, in mature transgenic plants, the expression of pOsCaM1::GUS and OsRCaM3::GUS was scarcely detected. Under wounding stress, the GUS activity of pOsCaM1 and pOsCaM3 was strongly induced, and the activity of pOsCaM3 especially, was retained for long periods. In the phloem, pOsCaM3 activity induced by hormone treatments and abiotic stresses was also identified. [BMB reports 2010; 43(1): 9-16].