Interracial Differences Research Articles

Mycophenolate mofetil in the treatment of Chinese patients with lupus nephritis: A PRISMA-compliant meta-analysis.

Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) has been recommended for the treatment of lupus nephritis (LN). Although inter-racial differences exist regarding the appropriate dose and efficacy of MMF in patients with LN, no definitive meta-analysis has yet been conducted in Chinese patients. This analysis investigated the efficacy and safety of MMF in Chinese patients with proliferative LN. A systematic literature search was conducted to select randomized controlled trials that reported at least one of the following: complete remission (CR), partial remission, total remission (TR; defined as complete remission + partial remission), relapse rate, serum creatinine, creatinine clearance, end-stage renal disease, death, infections, amenorrhea, leukopenia, alopecia, gastrointestinal symptoms, or liver damage. Eighteen trials (927 patients) were included; 14 (750 patients) reported CR, partial remission, and TR. Two trials (58 patients) reported relapse rates during maintenance treatment. MMF induction significantly improved CR and TR vs cyclophosphamide (relative risk 1.34, 95% confidence interval: 1.13-1.58; P < .001; relative risk 1.16, 95% confidence interval: 1.02-1.33; P = .03), and was associated with significantly lower risks of infection (P < .001), amenorrhea (P < .001), leukopenia, and alopecia. No significant difference in relapse rate was evident between the MMF and azathioprine groups (P = .66). According to this meta-analysis of 18 trials, MMF is significantly more effective than cyclophosphamide induction, and is associated with reduced incidences of infections, amenorrhea, leukopenia, and alopecia in Chinese patients with proliferative LN.

Implementing Community-Based Prostate Cancer Education in Rural South Carolina: a Collaborative Approach Through a Statewide Cancer Alliance.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of implementing community-based prostate health education programs in rural communities. Prostate cancer (PrCA) remains one of the most common cancers among men, and a growing body of literature demonstrates that large interracial differences in PrCA incidence and mortality rates consistently disfavor African Americans in comparison to European Americans. It also is evident, despite the overall decrease in cancer death rates in the USA in recent decades, rural areas are experiencing a reduction in death rates much more slowly. In this study, education session content focused on PrCA risk factors, symptoms, screening, healthy diet and exercise, treatment options, and provider communication strategies. Forty individuals participated and completed pre/post-education program surveys to assess changes in PrCA knowledge and cancer decision-making. Participants showed improvements in education and awareness following the session, and overall impressions of the program were consistently positive as exhibited by participants' answers on a satisfaction survey. The findings demonstrate the real need both in terms of research to understand the underlying problem and to provide practical solutions that can be implemented to reverse the current situation. The results obtained support community-based education programs as an effective means of delivering PrCA prevention, screening, and treatment information to rural communities.

Do Indian patients with schizophrenia need half the recommended clozapine dose to achieve therapeutic serum level? An exploratory study

Inter-racial differences in serum clozapine have received less scientific importance, as there are fewer studies on therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) from Asia. We measured the serum clozapine levels in 142 patients with schizophrenia and related disorders at a tertiary care psychiatric institute in India. The clozapine concentration per milligram (mg) of oral clozapine dose (C/D ratio) was calculated, and the C/D ratio was used to estimate oral clozapine dose needed to achieve therapeutic serum clozapine level (350 ng/ml). This study examined Indian patients only and compared the results with weighted mean serum clozapine and its correlates in Caucasian population, based on published scientific literature. The median C/D ratio in our sample was 2.5 (n = 142), and the clozapine dose needed to achieve therapeutic serum clozapine level was 140 mg/d. The median C/D ratio of our subjects was nearly two and a half times higher than the weighted mean C/D ratio of Caucasians (2.5 v/s 1.07) reported elsewhere. After excluding the significant pharmacokinetic interactions and stratifying according to gender and smoking status, the estimated clozapine dose to achieve therapeutic serum level in male smokers (n = 9) and female non-smokers (n = 38) were 238 mg/d (C/D ratio; 1.47) and 120 mg/d (C/D ratio:2.93) respectively. On comparing, male smokers (600 mg/d versus 238 mg/d) and female non-smokers (300 mg/d versus 120 mg/d) in our study needed about 40% of the recommended clozapine dose for Caucasians to achieve therapeutic serum clozapine level. The pharmacogenetic correlates of lesser clozapine dose requirement in the Indian population require further research.

Abstract P426: Association Between Neighborhood Characteristics, Personal Resilience, and Arterial Stiffness Among Blacks: Results From the Morehouse-Emory Cardiovascular (MECA) Center for Health Equity

Introduction: Arterial stiffness is associated with cardiovascular (CV) risk factors and adverse cardiovascular events. While inter-racial differences in arterial stiffness have been reported, factors contributing to intra-racial differences within Blacks are less known. We examined whether neighborhood characteristics and personal resilience factors were associated with arterial stiffness among Blacks. Hypothesis: More desirable neighborhood characteristics and greater personal resilience are associated with reduced arterial stiffness. Methods: We examined 385 Black adults (age 53 ± 10, 40% male) without known CV disease living in Atlanta, GA. Arterial stiffness was measured as augmentation index (AIX) and pulse wave velocity (PWV) using applanation tonometry (Sphygmocor Inc). Perceived residential neighborhood characteristics in 7 domains: aesthetic quality, walking environment, safety, food access, social cohesion, activity with neighbors, and violence were determined. Personal resilience was also assessed using standard questionnaires on experience of discrimination, environmental mastery, purpose in life, optimism, resilient coping, and depressive symptoms. Multiple linear regression models were used to examine the differences of arterial stiffness between the highest and the lowest tertiles of neighborhood characteristics and personal resilience factors after adjustment for age, gender, systolic blood pressure, body mass index, household income, education, marital status, and employment status. Results: Higher composite scores of neighborhood characteristics were associated with lower AIX (β=-3.42, 95% CI [-6.42 to -0.41], P=0.026; highest vs lowest tertiles). Specifically, higher scores of safety (β=-4.26, 95% CI [-7.34 to -1.17], P=0.007) and social cohesion (β=-4.62 [-7.64 to -1.61], P=0.003) were associated with lower AIX (highest vs lowest tertiles for both). For factors of personal resilience, higher scores in purpose in life (β=-4.89 [-7.88 to -1.90], P=0.001) and resilient coping (β=-3.26 [-6.36 to -0.15], P=0.040) were significantly associated with lower AIX (highest vs lowest tertiles for both). There were no significant associations between PWV and scores of neighborhood characteristics or personal resilience factors. Conclusion: In a study examining the impact of neighborhood and markers of resilience on arterial stiffness in an exclusively Black cohort, we found that better neighborhood characteristics and personal resilience factors were associated with lower pulse wave reflections (AIX).

The Effect of Sentencing Reform on Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Involvement with the Criminal Justice System: The Case of California's Proposition 47

We analyze the disparate effects of a recent California sentencing reform on the arrest, booking, and incarceration rates experienced by California residents from different racial and ethnic groups. In November 2014 California voters passed state proposition 47 that redefined a series of felony and wobbler offenses (offenses that can be charged as either a felony or misdemeanor) as straight misdemeanors, causing an immediate 15 percent decline in total drug arrests, an approximate 20 percent decline in total property crime arrests, and shifts in the composition of arrests away from felonies towards misdemeanors.Using microdata on the universe of arrests in the state in conjunction with demographic data from the American Community Survey, we document a substantial narrowing in inter-racial differences in overall arrest rates and arrest rates by offense type, with very large declines in the inter-racial arrest rate gaps for felony drug offenses. Conditional on being arrested, we see declines in bookings rates for all groups, though we find a larger decrease for white arrestees.This relatively larger decline for white arrests is largely explained by difference in the distribution of arrests across recorded offenses. Despite the widening of racial gaps in the conditional booking rate, we observe substantial declines in overall booked arrests that are larger for African Americans and Hispanics relative to whites. For some offenses (felony drug offenses), inter-racial disparities in jail booking rates narrow by nearly half.Finally, we use data from the American Community Survey to analyze change in the proportion incarcerated on any given day and how these changes vary by race and ethnicity. For these results, we present trends for the time period spanning the larger set of policy reforms that have been implemented in the state since 2011. We observe sizable declines in the overall incarceration rate for African Americans, with the largest declines observed for African America males. The one-quarter decline in total correctional populations in the state coincided with sizable narrowing in inter-racial difference in incarceration rates.

Regional Specificity of Social and Criminal Tensions in the Russian Federation

Modern concepts of the environment impact on the biological and social status of human populations tend to focus on identifying persistent interracial differences in global geographical scales. Practically there is no knowledge about the mechanisms of the influence of the natural and anthropogenic environment of local territories on the behavioral characteristics of the population residing within their borders, including those causing the development of social and criminal tensions in society. The purpose of the study was to perform a comparative analysis of the severity of the standard indicators of social and criminal tensions in the regions of the Russian Federation taking into account the specific local territorial combinations of physical and geographical parameters of the human environment. At the first, theoretical stage of work, we formed a block of physics and geographical indicators of environmental quality and specified a list of indicators of social and criminal tensions in the territories endowed with a relatively typical set of discrete combinations of environmental factors characteristic of the Russian Federation. At the second stage of the survey, 1,471 people, men and women aged 18-28 years old, indigenous inhabitants of model regions of Russia were surveyed about the presence, degree and specificity of the manifestation of aggressiveness in their behavior as a factor in the development of social and criminal tensions in society. We assessed the degree of pro-sociality of respondents as well as the intensity of standard indicators of frustration, irritation and resentment. Our results obtained by the complex of studies performed indicate the possible influence on the formation of the social status of the population community, the northern latitude and eastern longitude of the place of residence, the level of the average annual temperature and longitude of the day in the winter season as well as the comfort of the human environment. Thus, systemic account of regional factors of the human environment can provide forecasting of the specifics and severity of the risk of social and criminal tensions in the society.

Is the high proportion of young age at breast cancer onset a unique feature of Asian breast cancer?

Women with breast cancer in Asian and Western countries are similar in many respects, but there are also differences, such as in the age at onset and the proportion of breast cancer occurring at younger ages. There is controversy as to whether these differences are due to inter-racial genetic differences or to environmental or other factors. Using the Korean Breast Cancer Society's large breast cancer registry, we investigated the causes of Koreans' unique breast cancer characteristics by examining the changes in the incidence and proportion of young-onset breast cancer (YBC) in Korea over time. We analyzed data from 108,894 patients to compare characteristics between patients with YBC and non-YBC. For a subtype analysis, we analyzed data from 85,691 patients from 2000. Among the 108,894 patients, 17,877 (15.5%) had YBC. The tumors associated with YBC showed aggressive clinicopathologic features. The incidence of breast cancer in Korea has increased over time, and while both YBC and non-YBC increased each year, the increase in non-YBC was more pronounced; thus, the proportion of YBC has decreased over time. By 2020, it appears that the ratio of YBC in Korea will be similar to that in Western countries. The increase in YBC was mainly due to an increase in the luminal A subtype. The incidence of other YBC subtypes did not change over time. Our data suggest that the current high proportion of YBC is probably not a unique feature of breast cancer in Asia but rather a transient phenomenon. Additionally, our results indirectly suggest that there were different causes for breast cancer in different age groups, suggesting the importance of using different approaches for different age groups to establish policies for preventing breast cancer.

Ethnic and Geographical Aspects of the Prevalence of the Polymorphic Variants of Genes Associated with Tuberculosis

Specificity of the structure of gene pools of different ethno-territorial groups of the human population can underlie the epidemiological features of the spread of tuberculosis (TB) and the structure of the genetic component of the susceptibility to the disease. The variability of 62 genetic variants potentially associated with the risk of the development of TB in the Russian population of the city of Tomsk has been studied and the differentiation of various ethno-territorial groups of the world by these markers has been assessed. The studied sample comprised 445 Russian residents of the city of Tomsk without bronchopulmonary pathology. For comparison, the data on the variability of the genetic markers of interest in 26 populations from the 1000 Genomes Project was involved. In the Tomsk population, only the ancestral allele was found for seven of the 58 SNPs studied; the allele frequencies for 36 markers were within the limits of the values seen in other European populations; for 12 SNPs, the observed frequencies were closer to populations with a significant Mongoloid component. By the total of the SNPs, the Tomsk population, despite the geographical distance from the rest of the European populations, did not differ from them (in genetic distances and Gst statistics), although it had some features of the gene pool. Intergroup differentiation of the world populations by these SNPs reflects mainly interracial differences. The greatest differences in the genetic structure between the studied populations were seen for the markers localized in intergenic regions. Statistically significant differences were found when comparing the levels of the average expected heterozygosity between groups of “L4 carrier populations” of mycobacteria and “non-L4” populations, which indicates the impact of the prevalence of different pathogenic lineages of M. tuberculosis on the formation of population specificity of the allelic frequencies.

Racial Prejudices, Racialized Workplaces, and Restaurant Servers’ Hyperbolic Perceptions of Black–White Tipping Differences

On average, Black consumers have been reliably shown to tip restaurant servers less than their White counterparts, and this difference has been widely acknowledged to contribute to servers’ negative attitudes toward Black customers. However, studies centered on explicating the actual and perceived magnitude of Black–White tipping differences are scarce. Furthermore, there have been no studies conducted that have aimed to identify and test for individual and/or environmental factors that encourage the development and sustainment of exaggerated or stereotypic perceptions of interracial differences in customers’ tipping practices. In response, this study offers an unconditional meta-estimate of the Black–White tipping differential to this literature. Given the available published evidence, we estimate that as a percentage of the bill, the average Black customer is likely to leave a tip that is 3.30 percentage points less than would be left by a White customer. In addition, by analyzing data derived from a factorial survey experiment that was administered in two independent and demographically diverse samples of servers, this study demonstrates that servers’ perceptions of Black–White tipping differences are significantly shaped by racial antipathy and/or employment in a workplace characterized by anti-Black discourse and observed mistreatment of Black clientele. Taken as a whole, our results suggest that although a Black–White tipping difference does exist, there is a notable segment of the population of restaurant servers, namely, those who harbor prejudicial attitudes and/or work in racialized workplaces, who may cognitively exaggerate the magnitude of this difference. Thus, to curtail the industry challenges that stem from Black–White tipping differences (e.g., service discrimination, lawsuits), restaurant operators are encouraged to devise strategies to actively confront servers’ stereotypic perceptions of Black customers’ tipping behaviors.

An Analysis of Black–White Racial Differences in Public Support for Nonviolent Sentencing Reform

I examine public support for sentencing reform for nonviolent offenders situated within a justice reinvestment context. I analyze data from a survey administered to a nationally representative sample of White and Black Americans. I pay particular attention to differences in support between the two races, and I analyze the degree to which ideological beliefs explain interracial differences. I find that a larger number of both Black and White people support, rather than oppose, sentencing property and drug offenders to community-based sanctions instead of prison, but the likelihood that a person will express support or opposition is related to several ideological beliefs and demographic characteristics. I find that racism and the belief that the criminal justice system is fair mediate the relationship between race and support for sentencing property offenders to community-based sanctions, but race continues to exert an independent effect in regard to sentencing drug offenders.

Correlation of serum cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) and interleukin-16 (IL-16) levels with disease severity in primary knee osteoarthritis: A pilot study in a Malaysian population.

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to investigate the correlations between serum cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), interleukin-16 (IL-16) and different grades of knee osteoarthritis (KOA) in Malaysian subjects.MethodsNinety subjects were recruited comprising 30 with Kellgren-Lawrence (K-L) grade 2 KOA, 27 with K-L grade 3 KOA, 7 with grade 4 KOA, and 30 healthy controls. All subjects completed the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) questionnaire. Serum COMP and IL-16 levels were measured using ELISA and their values log transformed to ensure a normal distribution.ResultsThere was no significant differences in levels of log serum COMP and IL-16 between healthy controls and KOA patients. There were no significant differences in the log serum COMP and IL-16 levels within the different K-L grades in the KOA patients. In KOA patients, log serum IL-16 levels significantly correlated with the WOMAC score (p = 0.001) and its subscales, pain (p = 0.005), stiffness (p = 0.019) and physical function (p<0.0001). Serum IL-16 levels were significantly higher in Malaysian Indians compared to Malays and Chinese (p = 0.024).ConclusionsIn this multi-ethnic Malaysian population, there was no difference in serum COMP and IL-16 levels between healthy controls and patients with KOA, nor was there any difference in serum COMP or IL-16 levels across the various K-L grades of KOA. However, there were significant inter-racial differences in serum IL-16 levels.

Pregravid hypertension may have different secondary sex ratio effects in different races in the United States

BackgroundMales are born in excess of females and the ratio is expressed as M/F (male/female births=secondary sex ratio, also known as secondary sex ratio). This is expected to approximate 1.048. Racial M/F disparities are known. A recent study in China showed that pregravid systolic hypertension is higher in women who delivered a boy than in those who had a girl. This study was carried out in order to identify the effect of pregravid hypertension in the United States on M/F by race. MethodsMonthly male and female live births by race for the entire US along with the presence/absence of hypertension were obtained from the website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for 2007–2015 for the four racial groups: American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian or Pacific Islander, Black or African American and White. ResultsThis study analysed 36,364,253 live births. For White births, mothers who had chronic hypertension were likelier to have male than female offspring when compared to non-hypertensives (p=0.003). Conversely, Black or African American mothers who had hypertension were less likely to have male than female offspring when compared to non-hypertensives (p=0.022). There were F differences for/F differences for the presence or absence of hypertension for the other two races or for the total. ConclusionsIt is possible that hypothesised innate interracial periconceptual hormonal differences may modulate M/F responses to hypertension in different races.

Gene Polymorphism-related Individual and Interracial Differences in the Outcomes of Androgen Deprivation Therapy for Prostate Cancer.

Among patients with prostate cancer, the prognosis after androgen deprivation therapy differs significantly among individuals and among races; however, the reasons underlying these differences are poorly understood. Several single nucleotide polymorphisms in genes associated with prostate cancer progression or castration resistance might serve as the host factor that influences prognosis and, thus, accounts for these individual and racial gaps in treatment outcomes. Accordingly, single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with treatment outcomes could be used as predictive and/or prognostic biomarkers for patient stratification and to identify personalized treatment and follow-up protocols. The present review has summarized the genetic polymorphisms that have been reported to associate with androgen deprivation therapy outcomes among patients with prostate cancer and compared the allele frequencies among different ethnic groups.

Different Service, Same Experience: Documenting the Subtlety of Modern Racial Discrimination in U.S. Restaurants

Restaurant servers’ negative sentiments toward Black customers have been well documented. Further, existing research has shown that a large proportion of waiters/waitresses confess that they sometimes discriminate against Black Americans by giving them less than their optimal service effort. However, research assessing the generalized consequences of servers’ discriminatory practices on consumers’ experiences is lacking. In response, this study analyzes survey data from a demographically diverse sample of Black and White consumers ( N = 415) to test for interracial differences in nine distinct self-reported outcomes assessing typical and recent dining experiences in full-service restaurants. Given widespread anti-Black sentiments and discriminatory actions among servers, we posit that Black Americans will on average report diminished dining experiences relative to their White counterparts. In contrast to our predictions, results indicate that Black and White respondents report similar dining experiences when visiting full-service restaurants and, where differences exist, Black respondents appear to report slightly more positive and less negative experiences compared with their White counterparts. We identify a number of interconnected factors that may account for this observed pattern and conclude by encouraging additional scholarship on the nature and downstream effects of race-based restaurant service.

Facial Anthropometric Norms of the Young Iranian Population

Facial anthropometric measurement is considered an essential concern of surgeons, orthodontists, artists and forensic scientists. The aim of this study is to investigate facial anthropometric norms of the young Iranian population. The study participants consisted of 200 healthy Iranian students (100 males, 100 females) aged 18-25years old. Twenty-three liner and four angular measurements were investigated twice by a dentist. Independent-samples t test was used to compare indices between males and females and also between countries. A p value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. It was found that the mean measurements of c'-sn' of both sides, nasolabial angle, trichion-gnathion, tragion-tragion and gnathion-gnathion were statistically greater in Iranian males than in females (p<0.05). Comparing Iranian anthropometric norms with North American Whites, Malays, Turkish and African American women demonstrated that there were statistically significant differences in most anthropometric measurements between Iranians and other populations (p<0.05). In Iranians, mean measurements of c'-sn' of the right and left sides, nasolabial angle, trichion-gnathion, tragion-tragion and gnathion-gnathion were greater in men than in women. Comparing Iranian males and females with different ethnicities indicated several interracial differences, which should be taken into consideration when dealing with patients or also practitioners originated in this region.

Structural versus Ethnic Dimensions of Housing Segregation

Racial residential segregation is still very high in many American cities. Some portion of segregation is attributable to socioeconomic differences across racial lines; some portion is caused by purely racial factors, such as preferences about the racial composition of one’s neighborhood or discrimination in the housing market. Social scientists have had great difficulty disaggregating segregation into a portion that can be explained by interracial differences in socioeconomic characteristics (what we call structural factors) versus a portion attributable to racial and ethnic factors. What would such a measure look like? In this paper, we draw on a new source of data to develop an innovative structural segregation measure that shows the amount of segregation that would remain if we could assign households to housing units based only on non-racial socioeconomic characteristics. This inquiry provides vital building blocks for the broader enterprise of understanding and remedying housing segregation.

Head circumference in Iranian infants

Introduction: Head circumference (HC) measurement is one of the important parameter for diagnosis of neurological, developmental disorders and dysmorphic syndromes. Recognition of different disorders requires an understanding of normal variation for HC size, in particular, in infancy period with most rapid growth of the brain. Because of international and interracial standard chart differences about anthropometric indices, some differences from local to local, generation to generation and changes in ethnic mix of population and socioeconomic factors, periodic revolution of HC size is suggested. The aims of our study were presenting local HC standard for an Iranian infant population and comparison with the American national center of health statistics (NCHS) charts accepted by WHO. Methods: 1003 subjects aged from birth to 24 months apparently healthy normal children enrolled randomly in this cross sectional study. HC size were measured and recorded. Tables and graphs were depicted by Excel Microsoft Office 2007. We use two tailed t-student test for statistical analysis. Results: The mean of HC size in boys was larger than girls. The curves were followed a similar pattern to NCHS based on a visual comparison. Overall our subjects in both sexes at birth time had smaller HC size than NCHS. In other ages our children had larger HC size than those of NCHS. Conclusion: Because of international and interracial difference of HC size. We recommend in each area of the world, local anthropometric indices are constructed and used clinically. In addition more extensive and longitudinally design comprehensive studies is suggested.

Why Do Northeast Asians Win So Few Nobel Prizes?

Most scientific discoveries have originated from Europe, and Europeans have won 20 times more Nobel Prizes than have Northeast Asians. We argue that this is explained not by IQ, but by interracial personality differences, underpinned by differences in gene distribution. In particular, the variance in scientific achievement is explained by differences in inquisitiveness (DRD4 7-repeat), psychological stability (5HTTLPR long form), and individualism (mu-opioid receptor gene; OPRM1 G allele). Northeast Asians tend to be lower in these psychological traits, which we argue are necessary for exceptional scientific accomplishments. Since these traits comprise a positive matrix, we constructed a q index (measuring curiosity) from these gene frequencies among world populations. It is found that both IQ scores and q index contribute significantly to the number of per capita Nobel Prizes.

A PCR method for VKORC1 G-1639A and CYP2C9 A1075C genotyping useful to warfarin therapy among Japanese.

Warfarin is widely prescribed for patients with the risk of thromboembolism around the world. The inter-individual and inter-racial differences in appropriate dosage depend highly on age, body weight, and genetic factors. A lot of studies including genome-wide association studies revealed that vitamin K epoxide reductase complex, subunit 1 (VKORC1) G-1639A and Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2C9 A1075C are the most strong genetic factors for determining warfarin effects in Asians and Africans. Since we developed a quick and inexpensive genotyping method, polymerase chain reaction with confronting two-pair primers (PCR-CTPP), the method was applied for these genotypes to examine the possibility to clinical use. Subjects were 436 examinees (117 males and 319 females, aged 32 to 85 years) who attended a health checkup program in Japan. The PCR-CTPP for VKORC1 G-1639A and CYP2C9 A1075C was conducted for the subjects, as well as the samples genotyped by DigiTag2 method. The allele frequencies of VKORC1 G-1639A were 0.085 for G and 0.915 for A, and those of CYP2C9 A1075C were 0.979 for A and 0.021 for C, being in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (p = 0.658 and p = 0.514, respectively). These frequencies were similar to those reported in the HapMap project. Genotyping for both SNPs by PCR-CTPP was replicated by DigiTag2 method. Our results indicated that the PCR-CTPP could be one of the alternative methods for genotyping VKORC1 G-1639A and CYP2C9 A1075C for Asians and Africans with similar allele frequencies to Japanese.

The association between race and Crohn's disease phenotype in the Western Cape population of South Africa, defined by the Montreal Classification System.

BackgroundInter-racial differences in disease characteristics and in the management of Crohn's disease (CD) have been described in African American and Asian subjects, however for the racial groups in South Africa, no such recent literature exists.MethodsA cross sectional study of all consecutive CD patients seen at 2 large inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) referral centers in the Western Cape, South Africa between September 2011 and January 2013 was performed. Numerous demographic and clinical variables at diagnosis and date of study enrolment were identified using an investigator administered questionnaire as well as clinical examination and patient case notes. Using predefined definitions, disease behavior was stratified as ‘complicated’ or ‘uncomplicated’.ResultsOne hundred and ninety four CD subjects were identified; 35 (18%) were white, 152 (78%) were Cape Coloured and 7(4%) were black. On multiple logistic regression analysis Cape Coloureds were significantly more likely to develop ‘complicated’ CD (60% vs. 9%, p = 0.023) during the disease course when compared to white subjects. In addition, significantly more white subjects had successfully discontinued cigarette smoking at study enrolment (31% vs. 7% reduction, p = 0.02). No additional inter-racial differences were found. A low proportion of IBD family history was observed among the non-white subjects.ConclusionsCape Coloured patients were significantly more likely to develop ‘complicated’ CD over time when compared to whites.