title: [Vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms in female adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the association of vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene polymorphisms with abnormal growth pattern and low bone mass in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Peripheral blood samples were obtained from 164 female patients with AIS, aged 14.4 +/- 2 (9 - 20), and 122 age-matched healthy girls. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) technique was used to detect the VDR gene distributions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The frequency of Bb genotype was significantly higher in the AIS patients than in the controls (P < 0.01). The frequency of B alleles of the AIS patients was significantly higher than that of the controls (P < 0.01). In AIS patients, the expression rate of Aa genotype of the AIS patients with the body mass index (BMI) > or = 18 kg/m(2) was significantly higher than those with the BMI < 18 kg/m(2) (P < 0.05), and the expression rate of Bb genotype of the AIS patients with the BMI < 18 kg/m(2) and arm span < 160 cm was significantly higher than that of the AIS patients with the BMI > or = 18 kg/m(2) and arm span > or = 160 cm (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The BsmI site polymorphism of vitamin D receptor gene may be associated with abnormal growth pattern and low bone mass in girls with AIS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Spine Surgery, Drum Tower Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing 210008, China.
authors.forename: Cai-Wei
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Xu-Sheng
authors.initials: XS
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.forename: Shou-Feng
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Ze-Zhang
authors.initials: ZZ
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000483:Alleles; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D018167:Receptors, Calcitriol / Q000235:genetics*; D012600:Scoliosis / Q000235:genetics*