Osteoarthritis (OA) is a complex disorder characterized by degenerative articular cartilage and is largely attributed to genetic risk factors. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are common DNA variants that have shown promising and efficiency, compared with positional cloning, to map candidate genes of complex diseases, including OA.In this study, we aim to provide an overview of multiple SNPs from a number of genes that have recently been linked to OA susceptibility. We also performed a comprehensive meta-analysis to evaluate the association of SNP rs7639618 of double von Willebrand factor A domains (DVWA) gene with OA susceptibility.A systematic search of studies on the association of SNPs with susceptibility to OA was conducted in PubMed and Google scholar. Studies subjected to meta-analysis include human and case-control studies that met the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium model and provide sufficient data to calculate an odds ratio (OR). A total of 9500 OA cases and 9365 controls in 7 case-control studies relating to SNP rs7639618 were included in this study and the ORs with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated.Over 50 SNPs from different genes have been shown to be associated with either hip (23), or knee (20), or both (13) OA. The ORs of these SNPs for OA and the subtypes are not consistent. As to SNP rs7639618 of DVWA, increased knee OA risk was observed in all genetic models analyzed. Specifically, people from Asian with G-allele showed significantly increased risk of knee OA (A versus G: OR = 1.28, 95% CI 1.13–1.46; AA versus GG: OR = 1.60, 95% CI 1.25–2.05; GA versus GG: OR = 1.31, 95% CI 1.18–1.44; AA versus GA+GG: OR = 1.34, 95% CI 1.12–1.61; AA+GA versus GG: OR = 1.40, 95% CI 1.19–1.64), but not in Caucasians or with hip OA.Our results suggest that multiple SNPs play different roles in the pathogenesis of OA and its subtypes; SNP rs7639618 of DVWA gene is associated with a significantly increased risk of knee OA in Asians. Given the limited sample size, further studies are needed to evaluate this observation.

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Background: Bullying tends to peak during adolescence, and it is an important risk factor of self-harm and suicide. However, research on the specific effect of different sub-types of bullying is limited.Objective: The purpose of this study is to examine the associations between four common forms of bullying (verbal, physical, relational, and cyber) and self-harm, suicidal ideation (SI), and suicide attempts (SA).Method: This was a cross-sectional study of a sample including 4,241 Chinese students (55.8% boys) aged 11 to 18 years. Bullying involvement, self-harm, SI, and SA were measured via The Juvenile Campus Violence Questionnaire (JCVQ). The association was examined through multinomial logistic regression analysis, adjusted for demographic characteristics and psychological distress.Results: Bullying victimization and perpetration were reported by 18.0 and 10.7% of participants. The prevalence of self-harm, SI, and SA were 11.8, 11.8, and 7.1%, respectively. Relational bullying victimization and perpetration were significantly associated with SI only, SI plus self-harm, and SA. Physical bullying victimization and perpetration were risk factors of self-harm only and SA. Verbal victimization was significantly associated with SI only. Cyber perpetration was a risk factor of SA.Conclusions: The findings highlight the different effects of sub-types of bullying on self-harm and suicidal risk. Anti-bullying intervention and suicide prevention efforts should be prior to adolescents who are involved in physical and relational bullying.

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ObjectiveThe influence of diabetes on mortality among patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in the general population has not been extensively studied. This study aimed to determine the relationship between diabetes and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in patients with hepatic ultrasound-confirmed NAFLD using data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III), 1988–1994.MethodsData from 4,037 adult individuals with NAFLD from the NHANES III and mortality outcomes linked to National Death Index records through December 31, 2015, were included. Cox proportional hazards models were used to calculate the hazard ratio (HR) and corresponding 95% CI for mortality from all causes and cardiovascular disease after adjusting for multiple variables.ResultsAmong 4,037 subjects with NAFLD (55.9% female), 483 had diabetes at baseline. During a median follow-up of 22.1 years, 1,517 (11.5%) died, including 332 (8.22%) from cardiovascular causes. Diabetes was associated with increased all-cause (HR 3.02 [95% CI 2.67–3.41]) and cardiovascular (HR 3.36 [95% CI 2.61–4.32]) mortality in an unadjusted multivariable Cox regression model. The association remained statistically significant after adjusting for a range of potential confounders (HR 2.20 [95% CI 1.90–2.55] for all-cause mortality and HR 2.47 [95% CI 1.81–3.37] for cardiovascular mortality). An additional stratified analysis did not reveal significantly altered results.ConclusionDiabetes was associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in patients with NAFLD. This link could be further characterized in future studies assessing the degree of glycemic control and its relationship with mortality in patients with diabetes and NAFLD.