Myosin IXB variant increases the risk of celiac disease and points toward a primary intestinal barrier defect

Celiac disease is probably the best-understood immune-related disorder. The disease presents in the small intestine and results from the interplay between multiple genes and gluten, the triggering environmental factor. Although HLA class II genes explain 40% of the heritable risk, non-HLA genes accounting for most of the familial clustering have not yet been identified. Here we report significant and replicable association (P = 2.1 x 10(-6)) to a common variant located in intron 28 of the gene myosin IXB (MYO9B), which encodes an unconventional myosin molecule that has a role in actin remodeling of epithelial enterocytes. Individuals homozygous with respect to the at-risk allele have a 2.3-times higher risk of celiac disease (P = 1.55 x 10(-5)). This result is suggestive of a primary impairment of the intestinal barrier in the etiology of celiac disease, which may explain why immunogenic gluten peptides are able to pass through the epithelial barrier.     

浑沌：它能有多少规律

40年前A.爱因斯坦给M.玻恩的一封信中写道,“上帝不玩骰子。”爱因斯坦是始终反对量子论的概率解释的,他不倦地探索着与经典力学更为直接的类比,即考虑没有概率不定性的确定过程。如今,40年过去了,没有人会惊讶:甚至在一个经典哈密顿动力系统中也存在着(chas)在物理客体规则运动的领域内,在没有人预期会有的地方冒出     

Distinct types of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma identified by gene expression profiling

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), the most common subtype of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, is clinically heterogeneous: 40% of patients respond well to current therapy and have prolonged survival, whereas the remainder succumb to the disease. We proposed that this variability in natural history reflects unrecognized molecular heterogeneity in the tumours. Using DNA microarrays, we have conducted a systematic characterization of gene expression in B-cell malignancies. Here we show that there is diversity in gene expression among the tumours of DLBCL patients, apparently reflecting the variation in tumour proliferation rate, host response and differentiation state of the tumour. We identified two molecularly distinct forms of DLBCL which had gene expression patterns indicative of different stages of B-cell differentiation. One type expressed genes characteristic of germinal centre B cells ('germinal centre B-like DLBCL'); the second type expressed genes normally induced during in vitro activation of peripheral blood B cells ('activated B-like DLBCL'). Patients with germinal centre B-like DLBCL had a significantly better overall survival than those with activated B-like DLBCL. The molecular classification of tumours on the basis of gene expression can thus identify previously undetected and clinically significant subtypes of cancer.     

Thermodynamic study and methanothermal temperature-programmed reaction synthesis of molybdenum carbide

Nanostructured molybdenum carbide (Mo₂C) was successfully prepared from molybdenum trioxide (MoO₃) using methanothermal temperature-programmed reaction. Thermodynamic analysis indicated that in presence of methane, the formation of Mo₂C from MoO₃ occurs through the path of MoO₃ → MoO₂ → Mo₂C. The carburized MoO₃ was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), CHNS/O analysis, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis, and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). At final carburization temperatures of 700 and 800℃ and at methane contents ranging from 5vol% to 20vol%, Mo₂C was the only solid product observed in the XRD patterns. The results indicated that the effect of methane content on the formation of the carbide phase is substantial compared with the effect of carburization time. Elemental analysis showed that at a final temperature of 700℃, the carbon content of carburized MoO₃ is very close to the theoretical carbon mass percentage in Mo₂C. At higher carburization temperatures, excess carbon was deposited onto the surface of Mo₂C. High-surface-area Mo₂C was obtained at extremely low heating rates; this high-surface-area material is a potential electrocatalyst.     

二甲基甲酰胺中Sm（Ⅲ）电化学性质及其合金膜研究

通过循环伏安法研究二甲基甲酰胺中Sm（Ⅲ）在Pt上的电化学性质,表明Sm（Ⅲ）在Pt上的还原为不可逆反应,同时测得传递系数α=0.0289,扩散系数D0=1.288×10^-5cm^2·S^-1;通过塔菲尔曲线求得交换电流密度i0=1.596×10^-7A/cm^2;对Sm（Ⅲ）在Pt上离子成核机理研究表明,Sm（Ⅲ）在Pt电极上是按三维模式扩散控制下连续成核的;用恒电位法可以制得有金属光泽、附着力好、表面均匀致密的Sm-Ni-Co合金膜,与Ni-Co合金膜相比较结构性能有所提高.     

Meta-analyses identify 13 loci associated with age at menopause and highlight DNA repair and immune pathways

To newly identify loci for age at natural menopause, we carried out a meta-analysis of 22 genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in 38,968 women of European descent, with replication in up to 14,435 women. In addition to four known loci, we identified 13 loci newly associated with age at natural menopause (at P < 5 × 10(-8)). Candidate genes located at these newly associated loci include genes implicated in DNA repair (EXO1, HELQ, UIMC1, FAM175A, FANCI, TLK1, POLG and PRIM1) and immune function (IL11, NLRP11 and PRRC2A (also known as BAT2)). Gene-set enrichment pathway analyses using the full GWAS data set identified exoDNase, NF-κB signaling and mitochondrial dysfunction as biological processes related to timing of menopause.     

Genome-wide analysis of DNA copy-number changes using cDNA microarrays.

Gene amplifications and deletions frequently contribute to tumorigenesis. Characterization of these DNA copy-number changes is important for both the basic understanding of cancer and its diagnosis. Comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) was developed to survey DNA copy-number variations across a whole genome. With CGH, differentially labelled test and reference genomic DNAs are co-hybridized to normal metaphase chromosomes, and fluorescence ratios along the length of chromosomes provide a cytogenetic representation of DNA copy-number variation. CGH, however, has a limited ( approximately 20 Mb) mapping resolution, and higher-resolution techniques, such as fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), are prohibitively labour-intensive on a genomic scale. Array-based CGH, in which fluorescence ratios at arrayed DNA elements provide a locus-by-locus measure of DNA copy-number variation, represents another means of achieving increased mapping resolution. Published array CGH methods have relied on large genomic clone (for example BAC) array targets and have covered only a small fraction of the human genome. cDNAs representing over 30,000 radiation-hybrid (RH)-mapped human genes provide an alternative and readily available genomic resource for mapping DNA copy-number changes. Although cDNA microarrays have been used extensively to characterize variation in human gene expression, human genomic DNA is a far more complex mixture than the mRNA representation of human cells. Therefore, analysis of DNA copy-number variation using cDNA microarrays would require a sensitivity of detection an order of magnitude greater than has been routinely reported. We describe here a cDNA microarray-based CGH method, and its application to DNA copy-number variation analysis in breast cancer cell lines and tumours. Using this assay, we were able to identify gene amplifications and deletions genome-wide and with high resolution, and compare alterations in DNA copy number and gene expression.     

Predictive power and unbiasedness of implied forward charter rates

This paper examines the efficiency and predictive power of implied forward shipping charter rates. In particular, we examine whether implied forward 6‐month time‐charter rates, which are derived through the difference between time‐charters with different maturities based on the term structure model, are efficient and unbiased predictors of actual future time‐charter rates. Using a dataset for the period January 1989 to June 2003, results of different statistical tests, including the cointegration approach, suggest that implied forward rates are in fact unbiased predictors of future time‐charter rates in the dry bulk freight market. In addition, it is found that implied forward rates yield superior forecasts compared to alternative univariate and multivariate time series models. However, while the unbiasedness hypothesis is found to hold, on average, we find that chartering strategies based on simple trend‐following trading rules in this cyclical market are able to generate economic profits even out‐of‐sample. This highlights how standard tests for unbiasedness do not always capture cyclical predictable components in the market behaviour. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Genome-wide association study identifies loci influencing concentrations of liver enzymes in plasma

Concentrations of liver enzymes in plasma are widely used as indicators of liver disease. We carried out a genome-wide association study in 61,089 individuals, identifying 42 loci associated with concentrations of liver enzymes in plasma, of which 32 are new associations (P = 10(-8) to P = 10(-190)). We used functional genomic approaches including metabonomic profiling and gene expression analyses to identify probable candidate genes at these regions. We identified 69 candidate genes, including genes involved in biliary transport (ATP8B1 and ABCB11), glucose, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism (FADS1, FADS2, GCKR, JMJD1C, HNF1A, MLXIPL, PNPLA3, PPP1R3B, SLC2A2 and TRIB1), glycoprotein biosynthesis and cell surface glycobiology (ABO, ASGR1, FUT2, GPLD1 and ST3GAL4), inflammation and immunity (CD276, CDH6, GCKR, HNF1A, HPR, ITGA1, RORA and STAT4) and glutathione metabolism (GSTT1, GSTT2 and GGT), as well as several genes of uncertain or unknown function (including ABHD12, EFHD1, EFNA1, EPHA2, MICAL3 and ZNF827). Our results provide new insight into genetic mechanisms and pathways influencing markers of liver function.     

Nickel solvent extraction from cold purification filter cakes of Angouran mine concentrate using LIX984N

Cold purification filter cakes generated in the hydrometallurgical processing of Angouran mine zinc concentrate commonly contain significant amounts of Zn, Cd, and Ni ions and thus are valuable resources for metal recovery. In this research, a nickel containing solution that was obtained from sulfuric acid leaching of the filter cake following cadmium and zinc removal was subjected to solvent extraction experiments using 10vol% LIX984N diluted in kerosene. Under optimum experimental conditions (pH 5.3, volume ratio of organic/aqueous (O:A) = 2:1, and contact time = 5 min), more than 97.1% of nickel was extracted. Nickel was stripped from the loaded organic by contacting with a 200 g/L sulfuric acid solution, from which 77.7% of nickel was recovered in a single contact at the optimum conditions (pH 1–1.5, O:A = 5:1, and contact time = 15 min).