BackgroundThe apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 allele is considered as a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the association of APOE allele with MRI evidence of intracranial lesions has not been well understood.MethodsQuantitative real‐time PCR was performed to detect the APOE genotype; MRI was examined for intracranial lesions. Their association was evaluated in a cohort of 226 AD patients and 2607 healthy individuals in southern China.ResultsThe frequencies of ε2, ε3, and ε4 alleles were 8.0%, 82.9%, and 9.1% in the whole study population. The frequency of APOE‐ε4 allele was significantly higher in the AD subjects than that in the control group (14.4% vs 8.6%, P < 0.001). We found that brain atrophy occurred at a rate of 12.3% in ε4 allele group vs 8.5% in non‐ε4 genotype group, with a significance of P = 0.008. Severe brain atrophy occurred at a rate of 1.0% in ε4 allele group vs 0.2% in non‐ε4 genotype group (P = 0.011). The individuals carrying APOE ε4/ε4 had an odds ratio (OR) of 7.64 (P < 0.01) for developing AD, while the APOE ε3/ε4 gene carriers had an OR of 1.47 (P = 0.031) and the OR in APOE ε2/ε3 carriers is 0.81 (P = 0.372). Interestingly, we found that the risk of ε4/ε4 allele carrier developing AD was significantly higher in male (P < 0.001) than female (P = 0.478).ConclusionCompared to ε2 and ε3 alleles, the presence of APOE‐ε4 allele might increase the risk for AD in a dose‐dependent manner in southern China. Moreover, the presence of APOE‐ε4 allele results in a higher incidence of brain atrophy.

Purpose To investigate the association between serum amyloid A (SAA) protein and the clinical features of acute anterior uveitis (AAU), and to evaluate the disease activity and treatment effect in relation to SAA levels. Methods AAU patients and healthy individuals were recruited from October 2016 to August 2017 at the Department of Uveitis, in the Eye Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University. Related demographic, clinical characteristics, and therapeutic data were analyzed. Results One hundred and eight AAU patients and 18 healthy controls were included in this study. Serum SAA levels in AAU patients were significantly higher than those of healthy controls ( p all < 0.0001). Significantly higher SAA levels were found in AS + AAU patients than those in AS − AAU patients ( p < 0.05). SAA levels were also significantly higher in patients with HLA-B27 + AAU compared with those with HLA-B27 − AAU ( p < 0.05). Furthermore, in each of the AAU subgroups, higher SAA levels were observed in the active state than those in the inactive state ( p all < 0.05). In addition, SAA levels were positively correlated to anterior chamber cell counts ( r = 0.492, p < 0.0001). ROC curve analysis revealed that SAA had an AUC value of 0.727 for detecting active inflammation (Youden’s index = 0.38). SAA decreased with effective treatments ( p = 0.0002). Conclusion Serum levels of SAA were elevated in AAU patients. The increased levels of SAA were correlated with AS and HLA-B27 status. SAA levels were also positively correlated to disease activity and decreased with effective treatments. These findings suggest that SAA is associated with AAU, with a potential role in monitoring inflammatory processes and assessing the efficacy of therapy.

Background: Patients with ischemic stroke who have H-type hypertension are at an increased risk of recurrent stroke. The relationship between risk perception and lifestyle in these patients has not been fully explored. The objective of this study is to investigate risk perceptions and lifestyles among H-type hypertensive ischemic stroke patients and explore their relationships.Methods: A total of 314 hypertensive ischemic stroke patients were divided according to homocysteine (Hcy) level into the normal Hcy and high Hcy group using convenience sampling. The high Hcy group was further divided into the perceived or non-perceived group based on the patients' risk perceptions. The Essen Stroke Risk Score and the Health Behavior Scale were used to investigate the patients' risk perceptions and lifestyles. Results:The perceived risk factors in the high Hcy group included hypertension, diabetes, alcohol consumption, hyperlipidemia, and smoking, which showed no significant difference with those in the normal Hcy group. The high Hcy group had a total lifestyle score of (2.54±0.42). The perceived group had a better lifestyle than the non-perceived group; however, only blood pressure monitoring compliance showed a significant difference between the groups (P<0.05). The lifestyles of subjects whose perceived risks included diabetes, hyperlipidemia, smoking, and alcohol consumption were not significantly different to those in the non-perceived group. Conclusions:Patients with H-type hypertensive ischemic stroke who perceive hypertension as a risk factor have relatively good lifestyles. Therefore, efforts should be made to strengthen risk education for these patients to help improve their risk perception and lifestyles.