Decreased serum complement component 4 levels in patients with schizophrenia.

Dysregulation of the immune system in mental disease, particularly complement component 4 (C4), which may be associated with schizophrenia, has been repeatedly observed. This study investigated the association between the level of serum component 4 and schizophrenia. Data were derived from a case-control association study of 40 unrelated adult patients with schizophrenia and 40 matched healthy controls.

Prevalence of High Non-high-density Lipoprotein Cholesterol and Associated Risk Factors in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus in Jilin Province, China: A Cross-sectional Study.

Dyslipidemia is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in patients with diabetes, and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) is a better predictor of CVDs than low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in patients with diabetes. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the distribution of non-HDL-C and the prevalence of high non-HDL-C level in Chinese patients with diabetes mellitus and identify the associated risk factors. Non-HDL-C concentration positively correlated with total cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL-C concentrations.

Dyslipidemia awareness, treatment, control and influence factors among adults in the Jilin province in China: a cross-sectional study.

Background: In China, even though the prevalence of dyslipidemia among adults increased yearly and dyslipidemia being an important risk factor for cardiovascular diseases among the Chinese population, however, the awareness, treatment and control of dyslipidemia are at low levels, and only limited studies on the influence factors associated with the awareness, treatment and control dyslipidemia in China have been carried out.

Methods: The analysis was based on a representative sample of 7138 adult subjects aged 18~79 years recruited from a cross-sectional study of chronic disease and risk factors among adults in the Jilin province in 2012. Chi-square test was used to compare the rates of dyslipidemia awareness, treatment and control between different characteristics of participants.

Association between the angiotensin-converting enzyme gene insertion/deletion polymorphism and first-episode patients with schizophrenia in a Chinese Han population.

Background: Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), a key enzyme of the renin-angiotensin system, can modulate dopamine turnover in the midbrain. Previous studies have revealed an association between ACE gene insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism and chronic schizophrenia, yet results are conflicting.

Objective: The primary objective of this study was to examine whether the ACE gene I/D polymorphism is associated with first-episode patients with schizophrenia (FEP) in a Chinese Han population.

Association between DBH 19 bp insertion/deletion polymorphism and cognition in first-episode schizophrenic patients.

Many genes associated with dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE) systems influence cognitive deficits of schizophrenia patients, but one key enzyme is dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DBH), which converts DA to NE and whose activity and levels are under strong genetic control. This study examines the association of the 19 bp insertion/deletion (Ins/Del) polymorphism in the 5' flank of the DBH gene with cognitive deficits in first-episode schizophrenic patients (FEP). We assessed the cognitive function in 195 FEP and 304 healthy controls using the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS).

Association of catechol-O-methyltransferase gene polymorphisms with schizophrenia and negative symptoms in a Chinese population.

The gene encoding Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), a dopamine catabolic enzyme, has been associated inconsistently with schizophrenia in spite of consistent evidence for dopaminergic dysfunction in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of schizophrenia. Since one contribution to this inconsistency might be genetic heterogeneity, this study investigated whether the COMT gene was associated with the development and symptoms of schizophrenia in relatively genetically homogeneous Chinese schizophrenic patients. We analyzed two polymorphisms (rs740603 and rs4818) of the COMT gene in a case-control study of 604 Han Chinese (284 patients and 320 controls).

[Association between polymorphism of BDNF and internalizing disorders].

Objective: To investigate the genetic association between brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene polymorphism and internalizing disorders, to provide the theoretical basis to explore the etiology of internalizing disorders.

Methods: PCR-based ligase detection reaction (PCR-LDR) was applied to tag single nucleotide lengh polymorphism (SNPs) of BDNF gene among 259 undergraduates affected by internalizing disorders and 269 healthy undergraduates. Haplotype analysis and multiple locus analysis were conducted to analyze the genotyping data.

[Study on the genetic association between the polymorphism of cytosolic phospholipase A2 family genes and schizophrenia].

Objective: To investigate the genetic association between the polymorphism of cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) family genes and schizophrenia in the North Han Chinese.

Methods: Method of polymerase chain reaction-based ligase detection reaction (PCR-LDR) was applied to genotype 10 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of cPLA2 family genes among 201 pedigrees consisting of fathers, mothers and affected offsprings with schizophrenia. Haplotype relative risk (HRR) test, transmission disequilibrium test (TDT), haplotype transmission analysis and multiple locus analysis were conducted to analyze the genotyping data.