Polymorphisms in Autophagy-Related Gene Are Associated with Susceptibility to Autoimmune Thyroid Diseases.

Background: To date, studies have shown that polymorphisms in an autophagy-related gene, , are linked with different diseases, especially autoimmune diseases. The present study aimed to examine the roles of polymorphisms in autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD).

Methods: Three polymorphisms in gene (rs10065172, rs4958847, and rs13361189) were genotyped in 1569 participants (488 with Graves' disease, 292 with Hashimoto's thyroiditis, and 789 healthy controls) using PCR-based ligase detection reaction method.

A systematic review of pharmacokinetic studies on herbal drug Fuzi: Implications for Fuzi as personalized medicine.

Background: Fuzi, which is the processed lateral roots of Aconitum carmichaeli Debx. (Ranunculaceae), is a traditional herbal medicine that is well known for its excellent pharmacological effects and acute toxicity. Aconitum alkaloids are responsible for its pharmacological activity and toxicity.

Aconitum alkaloids, the major components of Aconitum species, affect expression of multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 and breast cancer resistance protein by activating the Nrf2-mediated signalling pathway.

Background: Aconitum alkaloids from Aconitum species are often used to treat arthritis and rheumatic diseases but have the drawback of high toxicity. Identifying their pharmacokinetic behaviour is important for the safe clinical application of Aconitum species. Efflux transporters (ETs), including P-glycoprotein (P-gp), multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 (MRP2), and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP), have important functions in regulating the pharmacokinetic behaviours of drugs and in herb-herb or herb-drug interactions (HDIs).

Parallel gene selection and dynamic ensemble pruning based on Affinity Propagation.

Gene selection and sample classification based on gene expression data are important research areas in bioinformatics. Selecting important genes closely related to classification is a challenging task due to high dimensionality and small sample size of microarray data. Extended rough set based on neighborhood has been successfully applied to gene selection, as it can select attributes without redundancy and deal with numerical attributes directly.

Imbalance of Th17/Treg in Different Subtypes of Autoimmune Thyroid Diseases.

Aims: To clarify the imbalance of Th17/Treg in different subtypes of autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITDs) including Graves' disease(GD), Hashimoto's thyroiditis(HT) and Graves' ophthalmopathy (GO).

Methods: 47 patients with AITD (including 16 GD, 15 HT, and 16 GO) and 12 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. The percentages of Th17 and Treg cells, the ratio of Th17/Treg, as well as their related transcription factors RORγt and Foxp3 mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were measured by flow cytometry and real-time quantitative PCR Results: Compared with those in control group, the percentage of CD4+IL-17+T cell(Th17) and the mRNA expression of its transcription factor RORγt were higher in PBMCs of AITDs (P<0.

The haplotype of UBE2L3 gene is associated with Hashimoto's thyroiditis in a Chinese Han population.

Background: The ubiquitin conjugating enzyme E2L3 (UBE2L3) gene is associated with susceptibility to many autoimmune diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between UBE2L3 gene and autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITDs) and their clinical phenotypes.

Methods: We genotyped five single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs131654, rs5754217, rs2298428, rs140489 and rs5998672 of UBE2L3 gene in case groups including 1028 patients with AITDs [676 cases of Graves' disease (GD) and 352 cases of Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT)] and control group including 897 healthy individuals.

Tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 1 (TRAF1) polymorphisms and susceptibility to autoimmune thyroid disease.

Former studies have revealed the link between the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor-associated factor 1 (TRAF1) polymorphisms and autoimmunity. In the present study, we took an opportunity to investigate the association between TRAF1 and autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) in order to find a new susceptibility gene. A total of 1029 AITD patients [677 Graves' disease (GD) patients and 352 Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT) patients] and 899 controls were enrolled.

Effect of cadmium on cytogenetic toxicity in hairy roots of Wedelia trilobata L. and their alleviation by exogenous CaCl2.

Effects of cadmium (Cd) alone and in combination with calcium on mitosis and chromosomal aberration in the hairy root tips of Wedelia trilobata were investigated. The results showed that Cd concentrations below 50 μmol/L had a lesser or even a promoting effect on the mitotic index (MI) and the rate of chromosomal aberration in hairy root tips, while those higher than 100 μmol/L significantly decreased the MI and gradually stimulated the rate of chromosomal aberrations with prolonged time and increasing concentrations of Cd. Concentrations of 50 μmol/L Cd mainly induced C-mitosis, while more than 100 μmol/L Cd mainly caused chromosome breakage and chromosome adhesion in hairy root tip cells.

Polymorphisms of interleukin-21 and interleukin-21-receptor genes confer risk for autoimmune thyroid diseases.

Background: The abnormality of interleukin-21 (IL-21)-IL-21-receptor (IL-21R) system has been found in many autoimmune diseases including autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITDs). In this study, we investigated whether polymorphisms of the IL-21 and IL-21R are associated with Graves' disease (GD) and Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT), two major forms of AITDs, among a Chinese population.

Methods: Rs907715, rs4833837, rs2221903 and rs2055979 of the IL-21 gene and rs3093301 and rs2285452 of the IL-21R gene were explored in a case-control study including 405 GD, 228 HT patients and 242 controls.

Association of interleukin-17A and -17F gene single-nucleotide polymorphisms with autoimmune thyroid diseases.

Th17 lymphocyte and its relative cytokines have been shown to play an important role in autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD). The aim of this study was to investigate the association between IL-17A and IL-17F gene polymorphisms and two main types of AITD, Graves' disease (GD) and Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT). Whole blood specimens and clinical data were collected from 508 AITD patients (326 with GD and 182 with HT) and 224 age- and gender-matched healthy controls, respectively.

Association between thyroid stimulating hormone receptor gene intron polymorphisms and autoimmune thyroid disease in a Chinese Han population.

Autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) is a multifactorial disease with a genetic susceptibility and environmental factors. The thyroid stimulating hormone receptor gene (TSHR) which is expressed on the surface of the thyroid epithelial cell is thought to be the main auto-antigen and a significant candidate for genetic susceptibility to AITD. This case-control study aimed at evaluating the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of TSHR and AITD in a Chinese Han population.

CD40 C/T(-1) and CTLA-4 A/G(49) SNPs are associated with autoimmune thyroid diseases in the Chinese population.

This study was to investigate whether the common polymorphisms of CD40 and CTLA4 genes confer susceptibility to AITD in the Chinese population. A set of unrelated subjects including 303 GD patients, 208 HT patients, and 215 matched healthy controls were recruited. SNPs were genotyped by the method of PCR-RFLP.