Decreased mitochondrial D-loop region methylation mediates an increase in mitochondrial DNA copy number in CADASIL

Background Cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) is a typical neurodegenerative disease associated with mitochondrial dysfunction. Methylation of the D-loop region and mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn) play a critical role in the maintenance of mitochondrial function. However, the association between D-loop region methylation, mtDNAcn and CADASIL remains unclear. Methods Overall, 162 individuals were recruited, including 66 CADASIL patients and 96 age- and sex-matched controls. After extracting genomic DNA from the peripheral white blood cells, levels of D-loop methylation and mtDNAcn were assessed using MethylTarget sequencing and real-time PCR, respectively. Results We observed increased mtDNAcn and decreased D-loop methylation levels in CADASIL patients compared to the control group, regardless of gender stratification. Besides, we found a negative correlation between D-loop methylation levels and mtDNAcn. Mediation effect analysis shows that the proportion of the association between mtDNAcn and CADASIL that is mediated by D-loop methylation is 11.6% (95% CI 5.6, 22.6). After gender stratification, the proportions of such associations that are mediated by D-loop methylation in males and females were 7.2% (95% CI 2.4, 19.8) and 22.0% (95% CI 7.4, 50.1), respectively. Conclusion Decreased methylation of the D-loop region mediates increased mtDNAcn in CADASIL, which may be caused by a compensatory mechanism of mitochondrial dysfunction in patients with CADASIL.

An association study of the HSPA8 gene polymorphisms with schizophrenia in a Polish population

Heat shock cognate 70 (HSC70/HSPA8) is considered to be a promising candidate gene for schizophrenia (SCZ) due to its many essential functions and potential neuroprotective properties in the CNS (e.g., HSC70 is involved in the turnover of the synaptic proteins, synaptic vesicle recycling, and neurotransmitter homeostasis). An alteration in the expression of HSPA8 in SCZ has been reported. This implies that the genetic variants of HSPA8 might contribute to schizophrenia pathogenesis. The present study attempted to determine whether HSPA8 polymorphisms are associated with a susceptibility to schizophrenia or whether they have an impact on the clinical parameters of the disease in a Polish population. A total of 1066 participants (406 patients and 660 controls) were recruited for the study. Five SNPs of the HSPA8 gene (rs2236659, rs1136141, rs10892958, rs1461496, and rs4936770) were genotyped using TaqMan assays. There were no differences in the allele or genotype distribution in any of the SNPs in the entire sample. We also did not find any HSPA8 haplotype-specific associations with SCZ. A gender stratification analysis revealed that an increasing risk of schizophrenia was associated with the rs1461496 genotype in females (OR: 1.68, p < 0.05) in the recessive model. In addition, we found novel associations between HSPA8 SNPs (rs1136141, rs1461496, and rs10892958) and the severity of the psychiatric symptoms as measured by the PANSS. Further studies with larger samples from various ethnic groups are necessary to confirm our findings. Furthermore, studies that explore the functional contribution of the HSPA8 variants to schizophrenia pathogenesis are also needed.

Masak, Macak, Manak Nowadays through Challenge-Based Research on Nol Dance Creation

Patriarchy in Javanese culture gives birth to gender stratification between women and men. This attitude has an impact on the work delegated to women. This stigma requires women to fulfill cultural values that include 3M, namely masak, macak, manak. This study aims to find out the existence and relevance of the values of masak, macak, and manak, in the form of dance works, and to find out how these values must be maintained. The method used is the method of creation based on the concept of art-based research. This research on the creation of dance works is based on challenges, namely through the process of creating challenges. The study was conducted by challenging ten participants to communicate and do several things intensely, both personally and communally, for seven days online through the "7 days cooking" challenge. The results of this study are in the form of dance performances containing messages of masak, macak, and manak which are displayed live streaming on the Youtube social media channel.

DPP4 rs16822665 and rs2268694 had Protective Effect on Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Head

Background: It is reported that DPP4 is associated with bone metabolism, osteoporosis and other orthopedic diseases, but the correlation between DPP4 and osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) is not clear. It was the purpose of this study that was to explore the relationship between DPP4 gene and ONFH.Methods: We genotyped four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from DPP4 gene using the Agena MassARRAY platform. The association between DPP4 variants and ONFH susceptibility was assessed using odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) via logistic regression. Results: The results showed that the allele C of rs16822665 was related to a lower risk of ONFH (OR = 0.76, 95%CI = 0.63-0.92, p = 0.006). In the case of stratified analysis, we found that rs16822665 could reduce the incidence of ONFH risk in four genetic models (dominant, codominant, log-additive, and recessive models) in drinkers and people age ≤51 years (p < 0.05). In gender stratification analysis, both rs2268694 and rs16822665 were contributed to bring down the risk of disease, which were mainly reflected in the codominant, dominant and log-additive models in female (p < 0.05). The subgroup analysis was conducted based on smokers revealing that rs2268894 was vitally correlated with a decreased risk of ONFH in the codominant (C vs. T: OR = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.34-0.76, p = 0.001), dominant (TC-CC vs. TT: OR = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.36-0.77, p = 0.001), and log-additive (OR = 0.65, 95% CI: 0.48-0.88, p = 0.006) models, while it was not found in the non-smokers.Conclusions: This finding provide evidence that DPP4 variants play a key role in the occurrence of ONFH among the Chinese Han population.

Is there a link between Non melanoma skin cancer and hydrochlorothiazide?

Aims: Herein we evaluated the association between the use of Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) and the risk of NMSC both, basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Background: Even if the use of HCTZ is not related with the development of serious adverse drug reactions, in the last years, has been recorded the development of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) in patients treated HCTZ, probably due to its photosensitizing capability. Objective: To evaluate the statistically significant difference (P<0.05) in the development of NMSC between HCTZ users and non-users, and the correlation (P<0.05) between HCTZ use and NMSC. Methods: We performed a retrospective study, in patients referred to general practitioners that, treated or not with antihypertensive drugs, developed or not skin cancer or NMSC. Controls were matched with test by age and sex. Using conditional logistic regression, we calculated odds ratios (ORs) for both skin cancer and NMSC associated with hydrochlorothiazide use. Results : In the present study, we enrolled 19,320 patients of these 10,110 (52.3%) received treatment with antihypertensive drugs. Of 10,110 patients, 3,870 were treated with HCTZ (38.3%). During the study, we failed to report an increased risk of NMSC in HCTZ-treated vs untreated patients. Gender stratification revealed an OR for NMSC of 1.36 for men and 0.56 for women. We did not find a dose-response relationship between HCTZ use and NMSC. Conclusions: In the present study we failed to report an association between the use of HCTZ and the development of NMSC.

Gender Relationship Analysis in Coastal Resources Management in Fishermen's Households: Functional Structural Theory Perspective

The results showed that gender relations in the management of coastal resources in fishing households took place in the following activities: fishing; making fishing lines; netting; net embroidery; fish transportation; fish preservation; and sale of fish. Of the seven activities, the wife plays a role in almost all coastal resource management activities, except for fishing activities. In addition, the wife does all domestic roles while the husband only focuses on the public role and does not involve himself in the domestic role. In view of the structural-functional theory, the results of this study illustrate that gender relations in coastal resource management in fishing households indicate a power relationship and status differences between men and women. The involvement of the wife (woman) in almost all activities is a form of integration (integration) carried out by the wife (woman) to maintain the continuity of the household and maintain the balance of the family integrity system, although this role is not balanced but complementary. The results of this study also show that gender relations in the management of coastal resources in fishermen's households have ideologically “perpetuated” male domination and gender stratification in fishermen's family institutions and society in general.

Necessity and Opportunity Entrepreneurship in Canada

The present analysis examines the initiation of necessity and opportunity entrepreneurship ventures in Canada from the late 1980s until more recent times, to determine how these activities relate with the business cycle. The definitions of necessity and opportunity entrepreneurship mirror those in Fairlie and Fossen (2018). Unlike previous results for other countries, I find that in Canada, both necessity and opportunity entrepreneurship appear to be procyclical, with new ventures increasing as unemployment declines. These results hold after various robustness tests, including gender stratification are applied. The possibility of using these forms of entrepreneurship as leading or lagged indicators of recessions is also considered.

Comparison of barriers faced by women in the Australian and Indian construction industry

ABSTRACT Today’s construction industry has extreme gender stratification that is still traditional in the employment of women. Even though the participation of women in the construction industry has grown, women are still considered as a minority in this field. The industry is considered as male-dominated with low participation of women. The aim of this study is to compare the challenges faced by women construction workers in two different countries: Australia and India. In this context, the study also investigated the level of participation of women in the construction industry and the common challenges faced by women that hinder their participation around the globe. The significant barriers that are faced by women construction workers around the globe are the male-dominated nature and masculine culture of the industry, work-family balance, lack of career progression, longer working hours and the complex workplace culture. When comparing the barriers faced by women in the Indian and Australian construction industry, some of them similar, whereas some are different. The barriers faced by women in Australia are gender stereotyping, lack of awareness, the rigidity of work roles, flexibility issues and changing the family structure. On the other hand, In India, women face barriers such as unequal wages, caste, cultural and religion restrictions, poor sanitary facilities, seasonal work irregularity and health hazards. The research proves that there are many barriers that counteract the participation of women in the industry and thus recommends some measures to improve their involvement. Keywords—Women, Construction industry, Challenges or barriers or problems, Indian and Australian construction industry, Gender discrimination

The Impact of Long Working Hours on Cognitive Function: A Follow-Up Study with Gender Stratification

Background: Recent studies have shown that long working hours can have adverse consequences on health and possibly trigger biological processes that mediate the relationship between long working hours and cognitive decline. Objective: To investigate whether long working hours and the overall duration such exposure is associated with a decline in cognitive function. Methods: Data obtained during the Korean Longitudinal Study on Aging (n = 2,518) during the period 2006–2018 were used to explore the relationship between long working hours and cognitive decline. Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (K-MMSE) scores were used to evaluate cognitive function. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), which were used to evaluate declines in K-MMSE scores over the 12-year study period. Results: Overall HR (95% CI) for a decline in cognitive function in long working hours group was 1.13 (0.73–1.17). When categorized by sex, women with long working hours had an HR (95% CI) of 1.50 (1.05–2.22), K-MMSE scores decreased significantly after working long hours for 5 years (p < 0.01). Conclusion: The study furthers understanding of the effects of long working hours on cognitive decline among female workers. Further research is required to determine the effects of long working hours on cognitive functions.