急性心肌梗塞一種常見的疾病，一般認為致病原因可能與環境因子及基因多型性有關係。最近的研究發現，血管發炎反應在心肌梗塞發展扮演重要的角色。Lymphotoxinα( LTA) 是一種細胞激素，可以調節免疫系統、參與發炎反應。本篇研究的主要目的在想了解在台灣族群中，LTA基因的基因多型性與心肌梗塞發生之間有沒有關係。本實驗使用病例─控制試驗的方法，研究的病人數目共有183人，其中49人為AMI病患組；對照組中有58人為一般的健康人，無心肌梗塞病史〈IIA〉，另128位為不具有傳統心血管疾病危險因子病人〈IIB〉。我們利用分析PCR- NcoI-digested DNA片段的方法來偵測LTA基因在intron 1 252位置的基因多型性。我們發現 LTA 252 A→G 基因型態出現機率在病患組與對照組間( IIA；IIB；以及全部對照組檢體 )是沒有差異的(χ2=0.015，P value =0.899 ;χ2=3.100，P value =0.078 ;χ2 =1.424，P value =0.233 )。我們也另外統計出LTA基因在intron 1 252基因多型性與肥胖之間，同樣也是沒相關(χ2=0.733，P value =0.391)。由實驗結果我們可以推論：在台灣人族群，LTA基因在intron 1 252的基因多型性並不直接影響急性心肌梗塞的好發性。
Myocardial infarction (MI) is one of the common diseases whose pathogenesis includes environmental risk factors and genetic polymorphisms. Recently, many studies have revealed that vascular inflammation plays an important role in the development of myocardial infarction (MI). Lymphotoxinα (LTA) is a cytokine with multiple functions in regulation of the immune system and inflammatory reactions. The aim of this study was to examine whether polymorphism of the LTA gene is associated with the risk of AMI in Taiwanese cohort. Therefore, we performed a case-control study for the 252 A→G polymorphism of the LTA gene and the prevalence. The study population comprised of 49 AMI patients (AMI), 58 healthy individuals without AMI disease history (control IIA), and 76 personnel don’t have any conventional cardiovascular disease risk factors (control IIB). LTA gene polymorphism was performed by analyzing NcoI-digested DNA fragment obtained by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The 252 A→G polymorphism frequency of LTA gene was similar in patients and the controls. No association of 252A→G polymorphism was detected in comparisons with control IIA、control IIB and tota1 control (χ2=0.015，P value =0.899 ; χ2=3.100，P value =0.078 ; χ2=1.424，P value =0.233 ) . And we also found that there was no association with the prevalence of obesity ( BMI ≧ 27 ), χ2=0.733，P value =0.391. In conclusion, the LTA gene does not appear to be a susceptibility locus for MI in Taiwanese cohort.
