Publications by authors named "Zuheng Cheng"

Objective: To investigate whether the variations of genes encoding pro-inflammatory cytokines is associated with longevity in Uyghurs in Xinjiang.

Methods: A total of 240 individuals aged ≥90 years from Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region were enrolled between 1999 and 2012 as the longevity group, 92 unrelated individuals from the same area who died naturally at the age of 59-73 in the same period were selected as the control group. Seven single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of 4 genes (tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α(rs1800629), IL-6(rs1800796, rs10499563), C-reactive protein (CRP) (rs2808630, rs1205) and IL-1β(rs1143623, rs16944)) were genotyped.

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Introduction: The Keriyans live in the hot, arid areas of Taklimakan Desert and maintain a primitive way of life. They have a low incidence of hypertension. However, little is known about the adaptive compensation in the organism.

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Background And Objective: Incidences of hypertension are increasing and this condition is more common in men than in women. We selected six well-characterized polymorphisms from three X-linked genes (ACE2, AGTR2, apelin) aiming to investigate their interactive association with hypertension among northeastern Han Chinese.

Methods And Results: This was a case-control study involving 1009 hypertensive patients and 756 normotensive controls.

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Background: In centenarian populations, application of the positive biology approach (examination of positive phenotypes in aging) has revealed that mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutation accumulation may be linked to human longevity; however, the role of guanine nucleotide-binding protein (G protein) abnormalities modulated by G-protein beta-3 (GNB3) and nitrate (NO2) production associated with endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), commonly appearing in age-related diseases, remains undetermined.

Objective: The association between the mtDNA 5178A/C, mtDNA 10398A/G, GNB3 C825T, and eNOS polymorphisms and longevity in a Uygur population (Xinjiang region, China) were investigated.

Methods: A total of 275 experimental subjects aged ≥ 100 or with 4 generations currently living were screened for inclusion in the centenarian (>100 years) and nonagenarian groups (90-100 years), and 112 65-70 year old control subjects were selected.

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Objective: To explore the sociodemographic patterning of risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in three isolated-based subgroups of the Uyghur population in Xinjiang, China.

Design: A cross-sectional study. Between 2005 and 2008, a non-probability sampling design method was used to select three specific groups of the Uyghur rural populations based on their potential socioeconomic status (ie, isolated, semi-isolated and open-environment status).

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Introduction: The 'desert people' or Keriyans are able to maintain normal body functions whilst living in the hot, arid areas of Taklimakan Desert. However, little is known about the adaptive mechanisms in this extreme environment. We explored the relationship between polymorphism of C-344T in the promoter region of the aldosterone synthase gene (CYP11B2) and resting electrocardiogram (ECG) hypervoltage in this population.

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Mounting evidence suggests that all organisms at the cellular level respond to stress by synthesizing heat shock proteins at the expense of other proteins, and the ability of human cells to respond to heat stress decreases with aging. We thus investigate the association of 3 variants (A1267G in HSPA1B, G190C in HSPA1A, and T2437C in HSPA1L) in the heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) family with natural longevity in a Xinjiang Hetian Uygur population. A case-control study was conducted in 191 healthy individuals greater than 90 years of age, and 53 naturally died persons 65-70 years of age.

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Experimental evidence suggesting that heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) gene or associated genes are responsible for the pathophysiology of hypertension is accumulating. In this study, we focused on five polymorphisms in three genes (HSPA1A, HSPA1B, and HSPA1L) of Hsp70 family to explore the genetic contribution, alone and in combination, of these polymorphisms to essential hypertension risk in a Uygur population. Genotyping was performed using PCR-RFLP and direct sequencing techniques.

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Objective: To discuss the role of calcium-overloading in initiation and maintenance of atrial fibrillation (AF).

Methods: The right atrial appendages were obtained from 14 patients with AF and 12 patients with sinus rhythm. The mRNA expression of proteins influencing the calcium homeostasis was measured by semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and normalized to the mRNA level of glyceraldehyde-3- phosphate dehydrogenase.

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Background: A major mechanism of hypertension in many postmenopausal women is deficiency of female gonadal steroids. A long postmenopausal period may thus represent one factor that influences the prevalence of hypertension because of long periods of estrogen loss.

Methods: When we conducted a medical survey in northwestern China, we also asked 150 postmenopausal female subjects to provide age at menopause in a questionnaire.

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Essential hypertension (EH) is a multifactorial disorder determined by the interaction of environmental and genetic factors. EH patients' responses to these factors may vary, depending on differences in their genes that determine the physiological systems that mediate the response. The purpose of this investigation was to clarify the contributions of genetic background and lifestyle to EH through an association study using some common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that should have functional effects on EH phenotypes.

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This paper investigated the correlation between polymorphisms and haplotypes in the apolipoprotein B (apoB) gene (SP-I/D, Xbal-RFLP, VNTR) and natural longevity persons among the Uygur people in Xinjiang. For this purpose, 191 healthy Uygur individuals aged above 90 from Hetian area of Xinjiang were recruited, and another 53 persons aged 65-70 from the same nationality, the same region and with the same gender ratio, served as the control group. Genotyping was performed by PCR-SSP, PCR-RFLP and PCR-sequencing methods.

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Objective: To study the physiological characteristics and cardiac electrophysiology of the "desert people" in Taklimakan Desert, an isolated population of Uygurs.

Methods: Two hundred and twenty-four out of the 1030 "desert people", 133 males aged 37.8 +/- 17.

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Objective: To investigate the association of polymorphisms in the apolipoprotein B gene (APOB) 3'variable number of tandem repeat with natural longevity in the Xinjiang Uighur nationality people.

Methods: Totally 191 healthy individuals over 90 years and 53 individuals aged 65-70 years were recruited among Xinjiang Uighur population, the nationality, gender and living area were matched. Genotyping was performed using polymerase chain reaction-sequence specific primer(PCR-SSP) and PCR-sequencing.

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Background: To study white coat (WC) hypertension in centenarians, a cross-sectional surveillance was carried out on Uygurs, a long-lived population in China.

Methods: Twenty-four-hour ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoring (ABPM) was performed in 33 centenarians (age range, 100 to 113 years) and compared with 100 elderly subjects (age range, 65 to 70 years). All subjects were clinically healthy and capable of self-care.

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Objective: To explore the distribution of polymorphisms of apolipoprotein E(apoE) gene and its relation to natural longevity in the Xinjiang Uighur people.

Methods: Using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism(PCR-RFLP), the authors obtained data from centenarians(n=42), 90-year-old people (n=102), 65-70-year-old people (n=70) and controls(n=53).

Results: The frequencies of apoE genotypes epsilon 3/4, epsilon 3/3 and epsilon 2/3 were 2.

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Objective: To explore the distribution of I/D polymorphisms of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene and its relation to natural longevity in the Xinjiang Uygur people.

Methods: Polymerize chain reaction, single strand conformation polymorphism, and direct sequencing technique were used to test the I/D polymorphisms of ACE gene in 42 centenarians, 102 people aged 90-99, 70 people aged 65-70, 53 cases of natural death aged 65-70 were used as controls.

Results: The frequencies of ACE genotypes DD, DI, and II were 28.

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Objective: To investigate whether the insertion/deletion(I/D) polymorphism in the angiotensin converting enzyme(ACE) gene is associated with essential hypertension in Xinjiang Kazakh isolated population.

Methods: The study covered 201 hypertensives and 151 normotensive controls in Xinjiang Barlikun Kazakh population. The I/D polymorphism of ACE gene was determined by polymerase chain reaction.

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Cross-sectional surveillance was carried out in long-lived Uygur in China to investigate blood pressure (BP) and pulse rate (PR) variation in centenarians. The study group comprised 33 centenarians (age > or = 100 years), 103 longevous subjects (age 90-99 years) and 100 elderly (age 65-70 years) subjects. Office BP was measured, and 24-h noninvasive ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) was performed.

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