A sequence variant at 4p16.3 confers susceptibility to urinary bladder cancer

To access publisher full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links fieldPreviously, we reported germline DNA variants associated with risk of urinary bladder cancer (UBC) in Dutch and Icelandic subjects. Here we expanded the Icelandic sample set and tested the top 20 markers from the combined analysis in several European case-control sample sets, with a total of 4,739 cases and 45,549 controls. The T allele of rs798766 on 4p16.3 was found to associate with UBC (odds ratio = 1.24, P = 9.9 x 10(-12)). rs798766 is located in an intron of TACC3, 70 kb from FGFR3, which often harbors activating somatic mutations in low-grade, noninvasive UBC. Notably, rs798766[T] shows stronger association with low-grade and low-stage UBC than with more aggressive forms of the disease and is associated with higher risk of recurrence in low-grade stage Ta tumors. The frequency of rs798766[T] is higher in Ta tumors that carry an activating mutation in FGFR3 than in Ta tumors with wild-type FGFR3. Our results show a link between germline variants, somatic mutations of FGFR3 and risk of UBC.info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/FP7/21807

Virtual 3D Modeling of Two Historic Barns in Bulloch County, GA (One Northwest of Statesboro and the Botanic Garden Barn)

This service-learning work is part of a larger project consisting in laser scanning and producing virtual, three-dimensional, computer-based, detailed models of eight (8) historic barns in Bulloch County, GA. The resulting spatial models (point clouds) will assist in the historical preservation of these now delicate and aging structures. In particular, this authoring group of students are currently working and focusing on two of those eight barns: (i) Dave & Carrie Welter’s Mule Barn, near the Northwest side of Statesboro, and (ii) Dan Bland’s Barn at Georgia Southern University Botanic Garden. After completion, the models will be donated to Dr. Brent W. Tharp who represents both, the Bulloch County Historical Society and the Georgia Southern Museum. This project gave our Civil Engineering and Construction team an opportunity to assist and serve our community in a service learning format while understanding and learning state-of-the-art laser scanning techniques

3D Point-Cloud Spatial Model of Business Property in Statesboro for Future Modification/ Additions

This project consists in the generation of a three-dimensional spatial model of a business property in Statesboro, GA. A group of one graduate and thirteen undergraduate students, from the Construction Management and Civil Engineering Programs at Georgia Southern University, are collaborating to complete this work as a service-learning project in Spring 2019. The final model is to be donated to the owner of El Sombrero Restaurant, at 600 Northside Dr. E #A, Statesboro. The model could be employed as a virtual surveying tool to assist in the design of future modifications or additions to the building structure or to the adjacent parking lot and grassy areas. Additionally, it could be employed for marketing purposes once it is uploaded into a website. This work not only allows students to learn and generate a real-life product, but also provide them with an opportunity to serve the community where they live and study

Genome-wide association study yields variants at 20p12.2 that associate with urinary bladder cancer

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of urinary bladder cancer (UBC) have yielded common variants at 12 loci that associate with risk of the disease. We report here the results of a GWAS of UBC including 1670 UBC cases and 90 180 controls, followed by replication analysis in additional 5266 UBC cases and 10 456 controls. We tested a dataset containing 34.2 million variants, generated by imputation based on whole-genome sequencing of 2230 Icelanders. Several correlated variants at 20p12, represented by rs62185668, show genome-wide significant association with UBC after combining discovery and replication results (OR = 1.19, P = 1.5 × 10(-11) for rs62185668-A, minor allele frequency = 23.6%). The variants are located in a non-coding region approximately 300 kb upstream from the JAG1 gene, an important component of the Notch signaling pathways that may be oncogenic or tumor suppressive in several forms of cancer. Our results add to the growing number of UBC risk variants discovered through GWAS

European genome-wide association study identifies SLC14A1 as a new urinary bladder cancer susceptibility gene

Contains fulltext : 97884.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)Three genome-wide association studies in Europe and the USA have reported eight urinary bladder cancer (UBC) susceptibility loci. Using extended case and control series and 1000 Genomes imputations of 5 340 737 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), we searched for additional loci in the European GWAS. The discovery sample set consisted of 1631 cases and 3822 controls from the Netherlands and 603 cases and 37 781 controls from Iceland. For follow-up, we used 3790 cases and 7507 controls from 13 sample sets of European and Iranian ancestry. Based on the discovery analysis, we followed up signals in the urea transporter (UT) gene SLC14A. The strongest signal at this locus was represented by a SNP in intron 3, rs17674580, that reached genome-wide significance in the overall analysis of the discovery and follow-up groups: odds ratio = 1.17, P = 7.6 x 10(-11). SLC14A1 codes for UTs that define the Kidd blood group and are crucial for the maintenance of a constant urea concentration gradient in the renal medulla and, through this, the kidney's ability to concentrate urine. It is speculated that rs17674580, or other sequence variants in LD with it, indirectly modifies UBC risk by affecting urine production. If confirmed, this would support the 'urogenous contact hypothesis' that urine production and voiding frequency modify the risk of UBC