Association between Functional Polymorphisms of Foxp3 Gene and the Occurrence of Unexplained Recurrent Spontaneous Abortion in a Chinese Han Population

Unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion (URSA) is an alloimmune disease associated with the failure of fetal-maternal immunologic tolerance in which the regulatory T lymphocytes (Treg) play a pivotal role. It is well known that Forkhead box P3 (Foxp3) is a crucial regulatory factor for the development and function of Treg cells. It has also been established that deficiency of the Foxp3 gene suppresses the regulatory function of Treg cells. To determine if functional polymorphisms at the Foxp3 loci are associated with URSA in humans, we genotyped four common polymorphisms of Foxp3 gene in 146 unrelated URSA patients and 112 healthy women. The results showed that rs3761548A/C and rs2232365A/G polymorphisms were significantly associated with URSA. Additionally, we found that the allelic distribution of rs5902434 del/ATT in URSA group was slightly different from that in the control group. We conclude that functional polymorphisms of the Foxp3 gene may confer an important susceptibility to URSA in the Chinese Han population, probably by altering Foxp3 function and/or its expression

Chemometry use in the evaluation of the sanya bay water quality

No presente estudo foi realizada a identificação dos efeitos antropogênicos e das características naturais marinhas das águas da Baía de Sanya, situada ao sul do Mar da China, através de método quimiométrico. A análise de componentes principais (PCA) aplicada aos dados extraiu quatro eixos que explicaram 85,52% da variância total dos dados. Através das análises de Agrupamento e PCA foram identificados três padrões diferentes de qualidade das águas, baseados nos efeitos antropogênicos e nas características marinhas: Grupo I, localizado nas partes externa e mediana da baía; Grupo II, próximo do centro urbano de Sanya; Grupo III, localizado no estuário do Rio Sanya. Quanto ao padrão temporal, as referidas análises distinguiram uma estação seca, de novembro a abril, e uma estação chuvosa, de maio a outubro, relacionadas ao clima e características naturais. Foi visto que tanto a fonte poluidora externa, representada pelo Rio Sanya, quanto as águas do Mar do Sul da China influenciam a qualidade das águas da Baía de Sanya. Esses resultados podem ser relevantes quando considerados sob o ponto de vista do desenvolvimento socioeconômico e de saúde humana dessa região.In this study, chemometric method is employed to identify anthropogenic effects on the water quality in Sanya Bay, South China Sea, and its marine and natural characteristics. Principal component analysis has extracted the four latent factors, thus explaining 85.52% of the total variance. Cluster analysis and principal component analysis have identified three different patterns of water quality based on anthropogenic effects and marine characteristics: Cluster I located in the outer and middle parts of the bay, Cluster II close to downtown Sanya, Cluster III located in the Sanya River estuary. In terms of the temporal pattern, principal component analysis and cluster analysis have distinguished the dry season from November to the following April, and the rainy season from May to October. The temporal pattern is related to climate and natural characteristics. The similarity index between variables and scores of samples can further distinguish the contribution of the variables to the samples. Both the polluting sources external to the Sanya River and the water from the South China Sea exercise an important influence on the water quality in Sanya Bay. These results may be valuable for socioeconomic development and human health in the Sanya Bay area