The Trends in Maternal Mortality between 1996 and 2009 in Guizhou, China: Ethnic Differences and Associated Factors

China bears a large burden of global maternal mortality, and the largest burden of maternal deaths in China is in poor western provinces. This study aimed to investigate the trends in maternal mortality and its associated factors in Guizhou province of western China between 1996 and 2009, and examine differences between minority and non-minority counties. A population-based, longitudinal, retrospective study was performed in a poor western province of China with a considerably large ethnic minority population. All 86 counties/districts of Guizhou were included with population at county, township and village level. Maternal mortality data were collected from routine reporting database of Guizhou Provincial Health Bureau. Trend and comparative analyses and multivariate linear regression analyses were performed using SPSS 17.0. Maternal mortality ratio（MMR） and its change over time, differences between ethnic groups were analyzed. A declining trend in maternal mortality and rising trend in hospital delivery in Guizhou was observed; ethnic differences between two ethnic groups persisted. The reduction in maternal mortality between 1996 and 2009 was related with increased gross domestic product, decreased male illiteracy rate, and increased hospital delivery rate. We found the declining trends in maternal mortality in Guizhou with persisting ethnic differences. The declining trends are related with economic development, hospital delivery and male illiteracy. Effective health education on maternal health is urgently needed for the minority groups, and basic education for the new generation should be enhanced to eradicate the illiteracy.

Ocular biometric characteristics of Han ethnicity in Tianjin and Uyghur ethnicity in Xinjiang undergoing cataract surgery

AIM:To analyze and compare the differences among ocular biometric parameters in Han and Uyghur populations undergoing cataract surgery.METHODS:In this hospital-based prospective study,410 patients undergoing cataract surgery(226 Han patients in Tianjin and 184 Uyghur patients in Xinjiang)were enrolled.The differences in axial length(AL),anterior chamber depth(ACD),keratometry[steep K(Ks)and flat K(Kf)],and corneal astigmatism(CA)measured using IOL Master 700 were compared between Han and Uyghur patients.RESULTS:The average age of Han patients was higher than that of Uyghur patients(70.22±8.54 vs 63.04±9.56y,P<0.001).After adjusting for age factors,Han patients had longer AL(23.51±1.05 vs 22.86±0.92 mm,P<0.001),deeper ACD(3.06±0.44 vs 2.97±0.37 mm,P=0.001),greater Kf(43.95±1.40 vs 43.42±1.69 D,P=0.001),steeper Ks(45.00±1.47 vs 44.26±1.71 D,P=0.001),and higher CA(1.04±0.68 vs 0.79±0.65,P=0.025)than Uyghur patients.Intra-ethnic male patients had longer AL,deeper ACD,and lower keratometry than female patients;however,CA between the sexes was almost similar.In the correlation analysis,we observed a positive correlation between AL and ACD in patients of both ethnicities(rHan=0.48,rUyghur=0.44,P<0.001),while AL was negatively correlated with Kf(rHan=-0.42,rUyghur=-0.64,P<0.001)and Ks(rHan=-0.38,rUyghur=-0.66,P<0.001).Additionally,Kf was positively correlated with Ks(rHan=0.89,rUyghur=0.93,P<0.001).CONCLUSION:There are differences in ocular biometric parameters between individuals of Han ethnicity in Tianjin and those of Uyghur ethnicity in Xinjiang undergoing cataract surgery.These ethnic variances can enhance our understanding of ocular diseases related to these parameters and provide guidance for surgical procedures.

Absence of MutY homologue mutation in patients with multiple sporadic adenomatous polyps in Korea

AIM： Recently, germ-line mutation in the base excision repair gene MYH has been identified to cause a novel autosomal recessive form of familial adenomatous polyposis （FAP）. Interestingly, a striking evidence for MYH mutations within different ethnic groups has been demonstrated. In this study, we screened 30 patients with multiple adenomatous polyps for MYH mutations to assess its prevalence and ethnic specificity in Korea. METHODS： Thirty patients （21 men and 9 women; mean age 62.3 years） with multiple adenomatous polyps were examined for MYH mutations. The mean number of adenomas per patient was 10.0. Sixteen exonic regions and their intronic sequences were amplified by PCR and subjected to SSCP and DNA sequencing analyses. RESULTS： None of the patients was identified to carry any truncating or sequence alterations in MYH. Our screening for the mutational regions, which were recognized from Caucasian patients or affected Indian families, also failed to detect sequence substitutions. CONCLUSION： Mutation in MYHmay be rarely involved in the pathogenesis of multiple sporadic colorectal adenomas in Korean population, although a large-scale analysis will be required to clarify the presence of specific MYH variants in a subset of patients and their role in the predisposition of multiple colorectal adenomas in Korean population.

A comparative genomics analysis of lung adenocarcinoma for Chinese population by using panel of recurrent mutations

Previous studies have demonstrated that Chinese lung adenocarcinoma(LUAD)patients have unique genetic characteristics,however,the specific genomic features relating to the development and treatment of LUAD in the Chinese population are not fully understood.Here,we applied the ultra-deep targeted sequencing to 66 Chinese LUAD samples,accompanied by comparative analysis with 162 Caucasian LUAD in The Cancer Genome Atlas.We focused on the 68 recurrently mutated genes and results revealed that the panel-based tumor mutational burden(pTMB)is significantly higher in the Chinese LUAD(P=0.0017).Additionally,the percentage of smoking-associated C>A transversion is significantly lower in Chinese LUAD(15.5%vs.39.7%,P=5.69×10^(-27)),while C>T transition is more frequent in Chinese LUAD(35.8%vs.25.7%,P=2.67×10^(-5)),which indicated the ethnic difference in mutation types.Notably,novel driver genes(GNAS and JAK1)that are peculiar to Chinese LUAD were identified,and a more convergent distribution of mutations was observed in the Chinese cohort(P=0.012)compared with scattered mutations in Caucasian LUAD.Our results present a distinct genomic profile of Chinese LUAD compared to Caucasians LUAD and elucidate the ethnic difference in mutation distribution besides the type and rate.

An analysis of clinical features of celiac disease patients in different ethnic

Objective To summarize the clinical of different racial patients with celiac disease(CD)and analyze the disease prevalence,diagnosis and treatment in Chinese population.Methods All the patients were diagnosed as CD and enrolled in Beijing United Family Hospital between January 2005 and July 2015.Clinical data including nationality,age,symptoms,endoscopic and patho-