title: Association of BCL-2 polymorphism with the presence and severity of lumbar disc degeneration in the Chinese Han population.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Apoptosis is involved in the mechanism of lumbar disc disease (LDD). BCL-2 has been shown to play an anti-apoptosis role. The present study aims to examine the association of -938C > A polymorphism of the BCL-2 gene with the presence and severity of LDD in the Chinese Han population.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study consisted of 325 patients with LDD and 236 normal controls. The grade of disc degeneration was determined according to Schneiderman's classification for MRI. -938C > A polymorphism was determined by "slow-down" polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The genotype frequency of -938C > A polymorphism was consistent with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (p = 0.136). Higher frequencies of -938CA and AA genotypes were found in patients with LDD compared with normal controls (p = 0.019). Furthermore, there were higher frequencies of the A allele in LDD patients than in normal controls (p = 0.005). Unconditional logistic regression analysis revealed that -938CA and AA genotypes were significantly associated with the presence of LDD compared with CC genotype (p = 0.041; OR 1.449; 95% CI 1.015 - 2.067 and p = 0.015; OR 2.102; 95% CI 1.158 - 3.813, respectively). The A allele was significantly associated with the susceptibility to LDD compared with the C allele (p = 0.005; OR 1.436; 95% CI 1.113 - 1.851). In addition, -938CA and AA genotypes, as well as the A allele were found to be associated with the risk for higher degenerative grades of LDD compared with the CC genotype and C allele, respectively (p = 0.017 and p = 0.003, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The -938C > A polymorphism of BCL-2 may be associated with the presence and severity of LDD in the Chinese Han population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Surgery, Weifang People's Hospital, Shandong, PR China. shangxiaopeng11@126.com
authors.forename: Xiao-Peng
authors.initials: XP
authors.lastname: Shang
authors.forename: Xue-Cheng
authors.initials: XC
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Yu-Xu
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Bin-Bin
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Ju
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D019254:Genes, bcl-2 / Q000235:genetics*; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D055959:Intervertebral Disc Degeneration / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics*