These results suggest that, in Taiwanese, PD risk is associated with MAOB G intron 13 polymorphism, and this association is augmented in the presence of the COMT(L) genotype, indicating an interaction of these two dopamine-metabolizing enzymes in the pathogenesis of sporadic PD. However, the relatively low frequencies of these combined genotypes in our study necessitates confirmation with a larger sample size.

Cytochrome p450IIE1 (CYP2E1), an ethanol-inducible cytochrome p450 enzyme, is expressed in the basal ganglia and is probably involved in the activation of neurotoxicants, producing free radical metabolites and resulting in oxidative stress. To examine the association between CYP2E1 polymorphism and the risk of Parkinson's disease (PD), we performed a case-control study on a large population of Taiwanese PD patients, focusing especially on early-onset PD patients (onset at, or before, the age of 50). Two hundred and thirty-four PD patients and 251 age- and sex-matched controls were recruited. A much higher frequency of the uncommon c2 allele was seen in our control subjects than in Caucasians (0.23 vs. 0.02). There were no significant differences between PD patients and controls in the distribution of either allelic or genotype frequencies. Our results suggest that CYP2E1 is not a major or independent determinant in the occurrence of PD in Taiwanese.

The complete mitochondrial (mt) genome of Ceratostoma inornata was determined using genome walking techniques in this study. The total length of the mt genome sequence of C. inornata was 15,317 bp, including 13 protein-coding genes, 21 transfer RNA genes, and two ribosomal RNA genes. The overall composition of the mitogenome was estimated to be 29.1% for A, 38.1% for T, 15.9% for C, and 16.9% for G, respectively, indicating that an A þ T (67.2%)-rich feature occurs in the C. inornata mitogenome. The phylogenetic relationships of 15 mollusc species were constructed based on the complete mtDNA sequences by the neighbour-joining method using MEGA 7.0 and DNAMAN 6.0 software.

The complete mitochondrial (mt) genome of Ceratostoma rorifluum was determined using genome walking techniques in this study. The total length of the mt genome sequence of C. rorifluum was 15,331 bp, including 13 protein-coding genes, 23 transfer RNA genes, and two ribosomal RNA genes. The overall composition of the mitogenome was estimated to be 30.1% for A, 38.4% for T, 15.2% for C, and 16.3% for G, respectively, indicating that an A þ T (68.5%)-rich feature occurs in the C. rorifluum mitogenome. The phylogenetic relationships of 15 mollusc species were constructed based on the complete mtDNA sequences by the neighbor-joining method using MEGA 7.0 and DNAMAN 6.0 software.