Correlations between the polymorphism of +869T/C in TGF-ß1 and rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the correlations between the polymorphism of the gene first exon +869T/C in transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: The patient group included 150 RA patients at the Department of Rheumatology in the First Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College between March 2014 and May 2017 and 150 healthy cases as the control group. The polymorphism was analyzed using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and relationships between RA patients and genotypes were analyzed using logistic regression. RESULTS: The genotype frequency distribution and the genotype frequency of +869T/C locus was statistically different between two groups (P<0.05). Compared to the control group, the genotype frequency of +869 CC in the inpatient group was significantly lower (17.3% vs 32.7%), while the genotype frequency of +869 TT increased significantly (29.3% vs 20.7%). The T allele frequency in inpatient group was significantly higher than that in control group (57.83% vs 48.82%), while the C allele frequency in control group was significantly higher than that in inpatient group (51.18% vs 42.17%). CONCLUSION: The polymorphism of the gene first exon +869T/C in TGF-ß1 significantly correlated with RA and CC genotype might be the susceptible gene of RA.

[Comparision of Ecological Risk Assessment Based on the Total Amount and Speciation Distribution of Heavy Metals in Soil:A Case Study for Longyan City, Fujian Province].

A total of 110 topsoil samples and 61 crop samples along the Lantian-Yangdong Villages were collected in Shizhong, Longyan City. The total amount and speciation of heavy metals(Pb, Cd, As) in soil and crops were determined. The characteristics of the absorption of heavy metals by specific crops in the study area were analyzed, and a new method of risk assessment based on the heavy metal speciation and its bioavailability was established by statistical analysis. This new method was used to evaluate the soil ecological risk and to compare it with the traditional method of potential ecological risk index (RI). The results indicated that the Lantian-Yangdong Villages were located in an area where Pb, Cd, and As mainly originate from the natural soil parent material with weak human disturbance. There was no significant Pb or As pollution in the whole region. Cd was the main pollutant with low pollution intensity. Four types of biological components except for the residual form followed the order of Cd(53.28%) > Pb(43.28%) > As(30.71%). Correlation and regression analyses of total metal concentrations, heavy metal speciation, and crop uptake in the study area showed that the correlations between the total amount of heavy metals and the ion exchange state, carbonate state, and other active forms were low; the results even showed nonlinear relationships between those variables.The ion exchange state had the greatest effect on the absorption of Pb, Cd, and As by coix seed and rice. From the perspective of bioavailability, the new method based on the heavy metal speciation was more accurate than the traditional method based on the total amount of heavy metals.

Contamination level of T-2 and HT-2 toxin in cereal crops from Aba area in Sichuan Province, China.

The contamination level of T-2 and HT-2 toxin in cereal crops from Aba area in Sichuan Province of China was investigated by rapid liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). The results revealed the high incidence of T-2 and HT-2 toxin and relatively low contamination level in the samples. The incidence of HT-2 toxin was 49.74% and its average level was 3.746 µg/kg. The incidence of toxin was 11.64% and the average level was 0.565 µg/kg. The maximum of T-2 and HT-2 toxin concentration was 3.332 and 34.510 µg/kg, respectively. In addition, contaminated samples not only included homegrown products, but included external purchased rice and flour, which may be attributed to bad storage environment and sanitary conditions.

[Application of rhodamine-based fluorescence chemosensor in heavy metal ions and transition metal ions detection].

As one of the fluorescent molecules with high quantum yield, rhodamine was often chosen as the mother molecule in the synthesis of metal ion fluorescence chemosensor. The present paper reviews the applications of rhodamine fluorescence chemosensors in the analysis of heavy metal ions and transition metal ions including the response mechanism, the kinds of targeted ion, scope of application and corresponding detection limit. In addition, the existing challenges and future development directions in the research of rhodamine-based metal ion fluorescence chemosensor are discussed.