One-step multiplex real-time RT-PCR for detection and typing of dengue virus.

Previous studies reported that severity of dengue is associated with multiple factors, including secondary infection, age, viral load and infecting serotype and genotype. In addition, other studies have reported that a dengue virus-2 (DENV-2) infection is associated with a prognosis of more severe clinical manifestations than DENV-1 and DENV-4 infections. For these reasons, the ability to identify the DENV serotypes is critical for optimal patient diagnosis and epidemiological studies. In this study, we developed a TaqMan probe-based, one-step real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) system for detection and serotyping DENV. Our linear dynamic range (101 to 107 copies/reaction) showed the R2 values of DENV-1, 2, 3 and 4 as 0.998, 0.998, 0.994, and 0.998, respectively. The detection limits of DENV-1, 2, 3, and 4, were 10 copies/reaction, 100 copies/reaction, 10 copies/reaction, and 100 copies/reaction, respectively. Specificity test results indicated that this system is specific for DENV-1, 2, 3, and 4 and does not react with other viruses. Finally, we validated our results with five different real-time PCR instruments. Our results showed that the Ct values of the four serotype templates were similar in five real-time PCR instruments. Thus, this system provides an accurate method for detection and serotyping of DENV, which can be applied in diagnostics, surveillance, and epidemiology. Dengue can be found in many nations with varying socioeconomic and monetary resources. The results of our validation analyses using five different real-time PCR instruments suggest that this method can easily and confidently be used world-wide.

Polymorphisms of small ubiquitin-related modifier genes are associated with risk of Alzheimer's disease in Korean: A case-control study.

Sumoylation regulates transcription factor transactivation, protein-protein interactions, and appropriate subcellular localization of certain proteins. Previous studies have shown that sumoylation of amyloid precursor protein (APP) is associated with decreased levels of amyloid beta (Aß) proteins, suggesting that sumoylation may play a role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We investigated the association between polymorphisms of the SUMO genes and the risk of AD. Our study subjects consisted of 144 AD patients and 335 healthy controls without dementia. We focused on tagged single nucleotide polymorphisms (tagSNPs) of the SUMO1 and SUMO2 genes. The tagSNPs were amplified by PCR and sequenced. We used binary logistic regression to calculate odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the associations between SUMO gene polymorphisms and the risk of AD. We found that rs12472035 polymorphism of SUMO1 was significantly associated with an increased risk of AD in male group (the CT genotype of rs12472035: adjusted OR=8.737, 95% CI=2.041-37.41, p-value=0.003). In addition, two polymorphisms of SUMO2 were significantly associated with an increased risk of AD in female group (the GA genotype of rs35271045: adjusted OR=2.879, 95% CI=1.399-5.924, p-value=0.004; and the TC genotype of rs9913676: adjusted OR=2.460, 95% CI=1.197-5.057, p-value=0.014). Furthermore, three combinations were associated with an increased risk of AD. Our data suggest that three individual polymorphisms and three combinations may be potential risk factors for AD in Korean population.

Genetic polymorphisms of interleukin genes and the risk of Alzheimer's disease: An update meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Recently, several meta-analyses have reported an association between interleukin (IL) gene polymorphisms and the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Several further papers discussing the relationship with the risk of AD have recently been published. The aim of this meta-analysis was to re-evaluate and update the associations between IL gene polymorphisms and the risk of AD. METHODS: The search sources were PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, and Google Scholar up to July 2015, and the following search terms were used: "interleukin 1 or interleukin 6 or interleukin 10" and "variant or polymorphism or SNP" in combination with "Alzheimer's disease". A meta-analysis using the pooled odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals was carried out to assess the associations between four polymorphisms of IL genes (- 889C > T in IL-1α, - 511C > T in IL-1ß, - 174G > C in IL-6 and - 1082G > A in IL-10) and the risk of AD under the heterozygous, homozygous, dominant, and recessive models with fixed- or random-effects models. RESULTS: A total of 21,864 cases and 40,321 controls from 93 individual studies were included in this meta-analysis. Our results indicated that the - 889C > T polymorphism was strongly associated with the increased risk of AD. However, three polymorphisms were not associated with the risk of AD. CONCLUSIONS: Similar to previous meta-analyses, our updated meta-analysis suggested that the - 889C > T polymorphism may be a factor in AD. However, the results of our meta-analysis of the - 174G > C polymorphism differed from those of previous meta-analyses. Consequently, we suggest that the - 174G > C polymorphism may not be a risk factor for AD.

Calcium homeostasis modulator 1 gene P86L polymorphism and the risk for alzheimer's disease: A meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Recently, many epidemiological studies have demonstrated an association between P86L polymorphism of calcium homeostasis modulator 1 (CALHM1) and risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the results of these association studies are inconsistent. In this study, we re-evaluated the relation between CALHM1 P86L polymorphism and risk for AD in a meta-analysis. METHODS: This meta-analysis was performed using the PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus and Google Scholar databases up to June 2015 using the search terms "CALHM1" and "polymorphism or SNP or variant" in combination with "Alzheimer's disease". A meta-analysis with pooled odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals was carried out to assess the associations between P86L polymorphism and the risks for Alzheimer's disease under four genetic models with fixed or random effects models. RESULTS: Sixteen studies (twenty-four subgroup studies involving 9795 cases and 15,335 controls) were included in our meta-analysis. Our meta-analysis results indicated that several genetic models of CALHM1 P86L polymorphism were significantly associated with increased risk for AD in overall and Caucasian populations. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, our comprehensive meta-analysis indicated that P86L polymorphism is significantly associated with an increased risk for AD. Our data suggest that CALHM1 polymorphism may be potential biomarker in patients with AD.

Vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms and the risk for female reproductive cancers: A meta-analysis.

Vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene polymorphisms and the risks for various breast and ovarian cancers have been reported in many epidemiological studies. However, the associations between VDR gene polymorphisms and the risk for each type of cancer are unclear. The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the associations between VDR gene polymorphisms and female reproductive cancers. A systematic review was performed with the PubMed Science Direct, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases up to April 2014 using the search terms "vitamin D receptor or VDR" and "variant or polymorphism or SNP" with terms for breast, ovarian, cervical, endometrial, uterine, and vaginal cancers. A meta-analysis with the pooled odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals was carried out to assess the associations between VDR polymorphisms (Cdx-2, FokI, BsmI, ApaI, and TaqI) and the risks for reproductive cancers under the heterozygous, homozygous, dominant, and recessive models with fixed or random effects models. Six ovarian cancer studies (13 individual studies involving 4107 cases and 6661 controls) and 29 breast cancer studies (38 individual studies involving 16,453 cases and 22,044 controls) were included in our meta-analysis. Our results indicate that the FokI polymorphism was related to increased risks for breast and ovarian cancers, whereas the BsmI polymorphism was associated with a decreased risk for developing these cancers. Our comprehensive meta-analysis indicated that the FokI and BsmI VDR gene polymorphisms may be significantly associated with gynecological cancers. We suggest monitoring VDR gene polymorphisms as potential biomarkers in patients with gynecological malignancy.