Association of serotonin transporter gene polymorphisms and major depressive disorder in Chinese Han population

BACKGROUND： Serotonin transporter （5-HTT） polymorphisms comprise 5-HTT gene-linked polymorphism region （5-HTTLPR） and variable number of tandem repeats （VNTR）. Studies have revealed an association between 5-HTT polymorphism and major depressive disorder, which suggests that the ＂S＂ allele of 5-HTTLPR and Stin2.9 of 5-HTTVNTR are associated with major depressive disorder. However, there are a number of studies that do not support the 5-HTT polymorphism effect in major depressive disorder. OBJECTIVE： To study the relationship between 5-HTT gene polymorphism and major depressive disorder in Chinese Han population. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： Case-controlled study of 5-HTT gene polymorphism. The experiment was performed at the Central Laboratory, Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, China from March 2005 to January 2006. PARTICIPANTS： A total of 99 depressive patients of Chinese Han nationality were recruited for this study. All patients met DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder and had a total score of Hamilton Depression Scale （24 items） ≥21 points. In addition, 101 healthy subjects, matched for age and gender, served as the control group. METHODS： Venous blood was collected from all subjects. 5-HTT genotypes and alleles were determined by polymerase chain reaction. Consistent with the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, the association between 5-HTT gene polymorphism and major depressive disorder were analyzed by Chi-square test. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： 5-HTTLPR and 5-HTTVNTR genotypes and allele frequencies were measured. RESULTS： No significant differences in 5-HTTLPR genotypes and allele frequencies were determined between patients and controls （P 〉 0.05）. However, significant differences in 5-HTTVNTR genotypes and allele frequencies were detected （P 〈 0.01 ）. The Stin2.10 allele and 10/10 genotype associated with major depressive disorder （OR = 2.61,7.7, P 〈 0.05; analysis of dose-response relationships Х^2 = 12.35, P 〈 0.01）. CONCLUSION： Results from the present study revealed no association between 5-HTTLPR and major depressive disorder. However, a significant association between 5-HTTVNTR and major depressive disorder existed in a population of Chinese Han. The presence of Stin2.10 and 10/10 genotypes increased the risk for major depressive disorder in a dose-dependent manner.

Evaluation of the safety and efficiency of cytotoxic T cell therapy sensitized by tumor antigens original from T-ALL-iPSC in vivo

Background:Since RNA sequencing has shown that induced pluripotent stem cells(iPSCs)share a common antigen profile with tumor cells,cancer vaccines that focus on iPSCs have made promising progress in recent years.Previously,we showed that iPSCs derived from leukemic cells of patients with primary T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia(T-ALL)have a gene expression profile similar to that of T-ALL cell lines.Methods:Mice with T-ALL were treated with dendritic and T(DC-T)cells loaded with intact and complete antigens from T-ALL-derived iPSCs(T-ALL-iPSCs).We evaluated the safety and antitumor efficiency of autologous tumor-derived iPSC antigens by flow cytometry,cytokine release assay,acute toxicity experiments,long-term toxicity experiments,and other methods.Results:Our results indicate that complete tumor antigens from T-ALL-iPSCs could inhibit the growth of inoculated tumors in immunocompromised mice without causing acute and long-term toxicity.Conclusion:T-ALL-iPSC-based treatment is safe and can be used as a potential strategy for leukemia immunotherapy.

Competing-risks model for predicting the prognosis of patients with regressive melanoma based on the SEER database

Background:The relationship between the regression and prognosis of melanoma has been debated for years.When competing-risk events are present,using traditional survival analysis methods may induce bias in the identified prognostic factors that affect patients with regressive melanoma.Methods:Data on patients diagnosed with regressive melanoma were extracted from the Surveillance,Epidemiology,and End Results(SEER)database during 2000-2019.Cumulative incidence function and Gray's test were used for the univariate analysis,and the Cox proportional-hazards model and the Fine-Gray model were used for the multivariate analysis.Results:A total of 1442 eligible patients were diagnosed with regressive melanoma,including 529 patients who died:109 from regressive melanoma and 420 from other causes.The multivariate analysis using the Fine-Gray model revealed that SEER stage,surgery status,and marital status were important factors that affected the prognosis of regressive melanoma.Due to the existence of competing-risk events,the Cox model may have induced biases in estimating the effect values,and the competing-risks model was more advantageous in the analysis of multipleendpoint clinical survival data.Conclusion:The findings of this study may help clinicians to better understand regressive melanoma and provide reference data for clinical decisions.