Background: Evidence of associations between a pro-inflammatory diet and asthenozoospermia risk is limited. We therefore performed a case-controlled study to investigate associations between pro-inflammatory diet using dietary inflammatory index (DII) scores and asthenozoospermia risk in China. Methods: Our hospital-based case-controlled study comprised 549 incident asthenozoospermia men and 581 healthy controls. All were interviewed at the infertility clinic in Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University from June 2020 to December 2020. DII scores were calculated based on dietary intake which were assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Semen parameters were analyzed according to World Health Organization guidelines. An unconditional logistic regression model was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for asthenozoospermia risk. The lowest tertile served as the reference category for regression analyses. Results: After adjustment for age in the primary multivariable model, we failed to determine a significant negative association between DII and asthenozoospermia risk (for the highest tertile of DII scores compared to the lowest tertile) (OR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.57-1.03). Similarly, non-significant associations were also identified in the multivariable model after adjusting for more potential confounders (OR = 0.86; 95% CI: 0.58-1.27). Additionally, in subgroup analyses stratified by age, body mass index, and smoking status, non-significant results were consistent with the main findings. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first study exploring this particular topic. Our research does not support an association between DII scores and asthenozoospermia risk. Further prospective studies with more DII relevant foods and nutrients are warranted to confirm our findings.

The receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB (RANK) and the osteoprotegerin (OPG) cascade system have been reported to be essential in osteoclastogenesis. In recent years, several studies have investigated the association between polymorphisms of RANK, its ligand RANKL and OPG genes and the risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in different populations. However, the results arising from these studies were conflicting. To determine the association between RANK, RANKL and OPG gene polymorphisms and the risk of RA. We conducted a hospital-based case-controlled study in Changzhou with 574 RA cases and 804 controls. The genotyping of RANK gene rs1805034 polymorphism was conducted by single base extension combined with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). We also undertook a meta-analysis of the literature referring to polymorphisms of RANK, RANKL and OPG genes and RA risk. This case-controlled study found that the polymorphism in the RANK gene rs1805034 was not related to RA risk. Stratification analyses by sex and age suggested that RANK gene rs1805034 polymorphism was not associated with the risk of RA among groups of male, female, age ≤ 55 and age > 55. Our meta-analysis found that the rs2277438 polymorphism in RANKL gene increased the risk of RA, whereas RANK gene rs1805034, OPG gene rs3102735, OPG gene rs2073618, OPG gene rs3134069 polymorphisms were not related to RA susceptibility. In conclusion, this case-controlled study and meta-analysis indicated that the RANKL gene rs2277438 polymorphism increased the RA risk, and that RANK gene rs1805034, OPG gene rs3102735, OPG gene rs2073618, OPG gene rs3134069 polymorphisms were not related to RA risk.

Dendritic cells (DCs) have been reported to play an important role in pregnancy. However, the role of DCs in recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) has not been investigated well.
Forty-three women affected by RPL and 16 fertile controls were recruited from June 2013 to December 2014. The peripheral blood DCs subsets, including myeloid DCs (mDCs) and plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs), the levels (%) of CD80(+) , CD86(+) , and CD200(+) DCs were analyzed using flow cytometry.
The levels of total DCs, mDCs, and CD86(+) DCs were significantly higher (all P<.05); however, the level of CD200(+) DCs in the RPL group was significantly lower than that of the control group (P<.05). The logistical regression analyses showed that the elevated level of mDCs was significantly associated with RPL after adjustment for age (OR: 1.14, 95% CI, 1.01-1.29, P<.05).
The elevated level of mDCs was significantly associated with RPL, which might lead to the intervention of targeted immunosuppression in women with RPL.

OBJECTIVE: Coronary heart disease (CHD), the most severe form of coronary artery disease (CAD), is a complex disease that involves a variety of genetic and environmental factors. Recently, multiple single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been associated with CAD in Caucasians by genome-wide association (GWA) studies.However, the association of these SNPs with CHD in Asian populations has not yet been established. Here, we aim to investigate the genetic etiology of CHD in a Chinese population by genotyping SNPs previously been associated with CHD in other ethic origin in GWAS or candidate gene studies.
METHODS: Five SNPs, rs17114036, rs9369640, rs515135, rs579459 and rs8055236, from 5 different loci were genotyped using a sequenom Mass array system in 545CHD patients and 1008 unrelated controls from a Chinese population.
RESULTS: Our study showed that SNP rs515135 is strongly associated with CHD in a Chinese Han population (P-value=0.00333, OR=1.48). We also detected significant difference of SNP rs579459 in APOB gene in patients withsevere CAD compared to patients with mild CAD.
CONCLUSIONS: SNP rs515135 is associated with the susceptibility of CHD in Chinese Han population. The location of rs515135 in the APOB gene supports its potential involvement in the pathogenesis of CAD. Our study data also support that SNP rs579459 may be associated with the severity of CHD.

OBJECTIVE: Previous reports have demonstrated that X-ray repair cross-complementing gene 1 (XRCC1) Arg399Gln polymorphism is a possible risk factor for several cancers. Published data on the association of XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism with glioma susceptibility have generated conflicting results. This study is designed to precisely estimate the relationship.
METHODS: A computer-based online retrieval of Medline, EMBASE, OVID, Sciencedirect, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure was performed to search papers regarding association of XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphisms with glioma published up to April 2012.
METHODS: Two investigators selected data independently. Meta analysis was then performed for the selected studies using STATA 11.0 software after strict selection. Heterogeneity test, sensitivity analysis and publication bias assessments were then conducted.
METHODS: Association of XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism with glioma risk.
RESULTS: A total of nine case-controlled studies comprising 2 326 cases and 3 610 controls were selected for final analysis. The overall data failed to indicate a significant association of XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism with glioma risk (Gln/Gln vs. Arg/Arg: odds ratio (OR) = 1.11; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.94-1.31; dominant model: OR = 1.06; 95%CI = 0.95-1.18; recessive model: OR = 1.04; 95%CI = 0.81-1.34). However, subgroup analysis regarding ethnicity showed an increased risk among Asians (Gln/Gln vs. Arg/Arg: OR = 1.70; 95%CI = 1.17-2.46; dominant model: OR = 1.40; 95%CI = 1.10-1.78; recessive model: OR = 1.46; 95%CI = 1.04-2.05) but not Caucasians or mixed ethnicities.
CONCLUSIONS: XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism might modify the susceptibility to glioma among Asians but not Caucasians. Further large and well-designed studies are needed to confirm this conclusion.