Human genetics
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Protein C -1641A/-1654C haplotype is associated with organ dysfunction and the fatal outcome of severe sepsis in Chinese Han population.
Activation of protein C plays an important role in modulating coagulation as well as inflammation during severe sepsis. The baseline of activated protein C level in patients with severe sepsis showed interindividual variability between survivors and nonsurvivors, and the decreased level of protein C correlated with organ dysfunction and poor outcome. However, there are limited data concerning the genetic predisposition of individuals carrying two functional polymorphisms -1641A>G and -1654C>T within protein C gene to sepsis. ⋯ After Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons, -1641A/-1654C haplotype was significantly associated with the fatal outcome of severe sepsis (P = 0.008, OR 1.739, 95% CI 1.165-2.595), which was confirmed by multiple logistic regression analysis (P = 0.024, OR 2.090, 95% CI 1.101-3.967). Compared to patients without carrying -1641A/-1654C haplotype, the -1641A/-1654C haplotype carriers showed higher SOFAmax scores (10.3 +/- 5.2 vs. 9.0 +/- 4.5; P = 0.014) and more hepatic dysfunction (P = 0.004, OR 2.270, 95% CI 1.312-3.930). These findings suggest that protein C haplotype -1641A/-1654C is associated with organ dysfunction and is an independent risk factor for the fatal outcome of severe sepsis in Chinese Han population.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Genetic variation in catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) and obesity in the prostate, lung, colorectal, and ovarian (PLCO) cancer screening trial.
Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) is an important modulator in the catabolism of extraneural dopamine, which plays an important role in drug reward mechanisms. It is hypothesized that genetic variations in the COMT gene, which can result in a three to fourfold difference in COMT enzyme activity, may be associated with several reward-motivated behaviors. The aim of our study was to examine the relationship between COMT polymorphisms with smoking, obesity and alcohol. ⋯ The COMT Ex4-76C > G (Leu136Leu) polymorphism appears to play a role in large increases in BMI. The null association with smoking and alcohol and the pronounced association with increasing BMI among women further implicates COMT's role in estrogen metabolism as a potentially culpable pathway. Our results support a need for comprehensive evaluation of COMT variations and their functional relevance as COMT may be an important molecular target to evaluate for new treatments regarding obesity.