Association between Estrogen Receptor α Gene (<i>ESR1</i>) PvuII (C/T) and XbaI (A/G) Polymorphisms and Hip Fracture Risk: Evidence from a Meta-Analysis

<div><p>Background and Objective</p><p>Genetic factors are important in the pathogenesis of fractures. Notably, estrogen receptor α (<i>ESR1</i>) has been suggested as a possible candidate gene for hip fractures; however, published studies of <i>ESR1</i> gene polymorphisms have been hampered by small sample sizes and inconclusive or ambiguous results. The aim of this meta-analysis is to investigate the associations between two novel common <i>ESR1</i> polymorphisms (intron 1 polymorphisms PvuII-rs2234693: C>T and XbaI-rs9340799: A>G) and hip fracture.</p><p>Methods</p><p>Crude odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to evaluate the strength of the association.</p><p>Results</p><p>Five case-control and three cohort studies were assessed, including a total of 1,838 hip fracture cases and 14,972 healthy controls. This meta-analysis revealed that the PvuII T allele is a highly significant risk factor for hip fracture susceptibility, with an effect magnitude similar in male and pre-menopausal and post-menopausal female patients. In stratified analysis based on ethnicity, the PvuII T allele remained significantly correlated with increased risk of hip fracture in Caucasian populations; this correlation, however, was not found in Asian populations. Unlike the PvuII polymorphism, we did not find significant differences in the XbaI (A>G) polymorphism allele or genotype distributions of hip fracture patients and controls. We also found no obvious association between the XbaI polymorphism and hip fracture in any of the racial or gender subgroups.</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>Our findings show that the <i>ESR1</i> PvuII T allele may increase the risk of hip fracture and that the XbaI polymorphism is not associated with hip fracture.</p></div

Forest plot of ORs for the association between PvuII (C>T) polymorphism and susceptibility to hip fracture in subgroup analysis based on ethnicity (A), gender (B), and menopausal status (C) under the allele model.

<p>Forest plot of ORs for the association between PvuII (C>T) polymorphism and susceptibility to hip fracture in subgroup analysis based on ethnicity (A), gender (B), and menopausal status (C) under the allele model.</p

Main characteristics and methodological quality of all eligible studies.

<p>HF  =  hip fracture, OHF  =  osteoporotic hip fracture, PCC  =  population-based case-control study, PCR-RFLP  =  Polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism, AS-PCR  =  allele-specific polymerase chain reaction, MAF  =  minor allele frequency, HWE  =  Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, NA  =  not available, NS  =  not significant, SA  =  significant association.</p

Sensitivity analysis of the summary odds ratio coefficients of PvuII (C>T) and XbaI (A>G) polymorphisms are illustrated under the allele model.

<p>Results were computed by omitting each study in turn. The two ends of the dotted lines represent the 95% CI (A: PvuII; B: XbaI).</p

Subgroup analyses for the associations of ESR1 PvuII (C/T) with hip fracture risk.

<p>OR  =  odds ratio; CI  =  confidence intervals; PCR-RFLP  =  Polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism; AS-PCR  =  allele-specific polymerase chain reaction.</p

Comparison of conventional graph construction and Non-Euclidean deformed graph model.

<p>(a) Conventional graph structure; (b) Non-Euclidean deformed graph model; (c) Node distribution in conventional graph structure; (d) Node distribution in non-Euclidean deformed graph model. Node created within each pixel is shown as red dot. Intra-column arcs are shown as yellow arrows while inter-column arcs are shown as green and blue arrows, which represent smoothness constraints that can be incorporated in a typical graph search framework. The yellow curves indicate the desired dark-to-bright surface location mapped from high resolution B-scan.</p

Polysulfone Membranes Modified with Bioinspired Polydopamine and Silver Nanoparticles Formed <i>in Situ</i> To Mitigate Biofouling

The surface of a polysulfone membrane was modified with a bioinspired polydopamine (PDA) film followed by the <i>in situ</i> formation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) to mitigate membrane biofouling. The PDA modification enhanced the membrane’s bacterial anti-adhesive properties by increasing the surface hydrophilicity, while AgNPs imparted strong antimicrobial properties to the membrane. The AgNPs could be generated on the membrane surface by simply exposing the membrane to AgNO₃ solutions. Ag⁺ ions were reduced by the catechol groups in PDA; the AgNP mass loading increased with exposure time, and the AgNPs were firmly immobilized on the membrane through metal coordination. During leaching tests, the concentrations of Ag⁺ ions released were 2–3 orders of magnitude lower than the established contaminant limit for drinking water, thereby providing a safe antimicrobial technology. This novel membrane surface modification technique paves a way to mitigating biofouling by enhancing the membrane’s anti-adhesive and antimicrobial properties, simultaneously

Box plot of unsigned error of tissue thickness among 10 subjects using conventional graph search (GS) and non-Euclidean graph search with subvoxel accuracy (SVGS).

<p>Box plot of unsigned error of tissue thickness among 10 subjects using conventional graph search (GS) and non-Euclidean graph search with subvoxel accuracy (SVGS).</p

Segmentation of OCT volume with conventional graph search.

<p>(a) Cross section of one B-scan; (b) Top view; (c) Cross section perpendicular to B-scan; (d) 3D volume rendering.</p

2D deformation field of one B-scan in a OCT volume.

<p>(a) A single boundary was delineated in one B-scan of a OCT volume; (b) The 2D deformation field of the re-sampled B-scan indicates the actual boundary location within each voxel under partial volume effects.</p