title: Association of IL12B Gene Polymorphisms with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Meta-analysis.
abstract: Currently published papers regarding the relationship between interleukin (IL)-12B gene polymorphisms and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are contradictory. The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the associations between the IL-12B gene polymorphisms (rs3122227 and rs6887695) and RA risk.
  
  
  
  We searched PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library and the China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were used to assess associations between IL12B gene polymorphisms and RA.
  
  
  
  A total of eight publications (4,409 cases and 5,591 controls) were included in this meta-analysis. The results demonstrated that rs3122227 and rs6887695 were not associated with RA risk based on current included studies. However, stratification analyses indicated rs6887695 was associated with RA in Asian patients. Rs3122227 was not related with RA in Asian or Caucasian patients.
  
  
  
  Our data indicated that IL-12B gene polymorphisms were not related with RA. However, rs6887695 was associated with RA in Asian patients. Further larger-scale studies are urgently needed to identify the association between IL-12B gene polymorphisms and RA in Asian populations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Changzhou Second People's Hospital, Changzhou, China.
authors.forename: Ming-Jie
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Liver Surgery of Jiangsu Province People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Liang
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Wuxi, PR China. Electronic address: 280916123@qq.com.
authors.forename: Yuan-Yuan
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Mi
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Changzhou Second People's Hospital, Changzhou, China. Electronic address: lrp216216@sina.com.
authors.forename: Rui-Ping
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics*; D044466:Asian People; D056726:Genetic Association Studies; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D053762:Interleukin-12 Subunit p40 / Q000235:genetics*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D012306:Risk; D044465:White People
chemical_list: C500879:IL12B protein, human; D053762:Interleukin-12 Subunit p40
keywords: IL-12B; Meta-analysis; Polymorphism; Rheumatoid arthritis; SNPs