The influence of temperature, light, salinity and seed pre-treatment on the germination of Sesbania sesban seeds

The germination of Sesbania sesban seeds was studied under controlled environmental conditions. Interactive effects of temperature and light, effects of salinity and effects of different pre-treatments ofseeds were studied. Sesbania seeds were placed in Petri dishes with filtration paper and the germination and radical development followed during seven day periods. The seeds generally germinated within one or two days. There was no difference in percent germination between dark and light treatments, but the development of radical length was significantly influenced by both light conditions and temperature. Germination was highest at 30 and 37ºC (up to 85%) but seeds alsogerminated readily at 22ºC. No germination was observed at low (5 and 13ºC) and high (45ºC) temperatures. Salinities up to 100 mM NaCl (5.8 ppt) did not influence the germination percentage, butat 200 and 250 mM germination was reduced to 29 and 17% respectively. Pre-treatment of seeds in hot water, sulphuric acid or calcium sulphate had only minor effect on germination rate. The results are consistent with S. sesban being an opportunistic tropical wetland species capable of establishing itself in a wide range of environmental conditions

Genetic and environmental influence on thyroid gland volume and thickness of thyroid isthmus: a twin study.

Objectives Decreased thyroid volume has been related to increased prevalence of thyroid cancer.Subjects and methods One hundred and fourteen Hungarian adult twin pairs (69 monozygotic, 45 dizygotic) with or without known thyroid disorders underwent thyroid ultrasound. Thickness of the thyroid isthmus was measured at the thickest portion of the gland in the midline using electronic calipers at the time of scanning. Volume of the thyroid lobe was computed according to the following formula: thyroid height*width*depth*correction factor (0.63).Results Age-, sex-, body mass index- and smoking-adjusted heritability of the thickness of thyroid isthmus was 50% (95% confidence interval [CI], 35 to 66%). Neither left nor right thyroid volume showed additive genetic effects, but shared environments were 68% (95% CI, 48 to 80%) and 79% (95% CI, 72 to 87%), respectively. Magnitudes of monozygotic and dizygotic co-twin correlations were not substantially impacted by the correction of covariates of body mass index and smoking. Unshared environmental effects showed a moderate influence on dependent parameters (24-50%).Conclusions Our analysis support that familial factors are important for thyroid measures in a general twin population. A larger sample size is needed to show whether this is because of common environmental (e.g. intrauterine effects, regional nutrition habits, iodine supply) or genetic effects

Extreme Clonality in Lymphoblastoid Cell Lines with Implications for Allele Specific Expression Analyses

Lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL) are being actively and extensively used to examine the expression of specific genes and genome-wide expression profiles, including allele specific expression assays. However, it has recently been shown that approximately 10% of human genes exhibit random patterns of monoallelic expression within single clones of LCLs. Consequently allelic imbalance studies could be significantly compromised if bulk populations of donor cells are clonal, or near clonal. Here, using X chromosome inactivation as a readout, we confirm and quantify widespread near monoclonality in two independent sets of cell lines. Consequently, we recommend where possible the use of bulk, non cell line, ex vivo cells for allele specific expression assays

Radiation Exposure from CT Examinations in Japan

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Computed tomography (CT) is the largest source of medical radiation exposure to the general population, and is considered a potential source of increased cancer risk. The aim of this study was to assess the current situation of CT use in Japan, and to investigate variations in radiation exposure in CT studies among institutions and scanners.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data-sheets were sent to all 126 hospitals and randomly selected 14 (15%) of 94 clinics in Gunma prefecture which had CT scanner(s). Data for patients undergoing CT during a single month (June 2008) were obtained, along with CT scan protocols for each institution surveyed. Age and sex specific patterns of CT examination, the variation in radiation exposure from CT examinations, and factors which were responsible for the variation in radiation exposure were determined.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>An estimated 235.4 patients per 1,000 population undergo CT examinations each year, and 50% of the patients were scanned in two or more anatomical locations in one CT session. There was a large variation in effective dose among hospitals surveyed, particularly in lower abdominal CT (range, 2.6-19.0 mSv). CT examinations of the chest and upper abdomen contributed to approximately 73.2% of the collective dose from all CT examinations. It was estimated that in Japan, approximately 29.9 million patients undergo CT annually, and the estimated annual collective effective dose in Japan was 277.4 *10³Sv person. The annual effective dose per capita for Japan was estimated to be 2.20 mSv.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>There was a very large variation in radiation exposure from CT among institutions surveyed. CT examinations of the chest and upper abdomen were the predominant contributors to the collective dose.</p

Fetal Microchimeric Cells in Blood of Women with an Autoimmune Thyroid Disease

CONTEXT: Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) and Graves' disease (GD), two autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD), occur more frequently in women than in men and show an increased incidence in the years following parturition. Persisting fetal cells could play a role in the development of these diseases. OBJECTIVE: Aim of this study was to detect and characterize fetal cells in blood of postpartum women with and without an AITD. PARTICIPANTS: Eleven patients with an AITD and ten healthy volunteers, all given birth to a son maximum 5 years before analysis, and three women who never had been pregnant, were included. None of them had any other disease of the thyroid which could interfere with the results obtained. METHODS: Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and repeated FISH were used to count the number of male fetal cells. Furthermore, the fetal cells were further characterized. RESULTS: In patients with HT, 7 to 11 fetal cells per 1.000.000 maternal cells were detected, compared to 14 to 29 fetal cells in patients with GD (p=0.0061). In patients with HT, mainly fetal CD8(+) T cells were found, while in patients with GD, fetal B and CD4(+) T cells were detected. In healthy volunteers with son, 0 to 5 fetal cells were observed, which was significantly less than the number observed in patients (p<0,05). In women who never had been pregnant, no male cells were detected. CONCLUSION: This study shows a clear association between fetal microchimeric cells and autoimmune thyroid diseases

Genome-wide association and HLA fine-mapping studies identify risk loci and genetic pathways underlying allergic rhinitis

Allergic rhinitis is the most common clinical presentation of allergy, affecting 400 million people worldwide, with increasing incidence in westernized countries1,2. To elucidate the genetic architecture and understand the underlying disease mechanisms, we carried out a meta-analysis of allergic rhinitis in 59,762 cases and 152,358 controls of European ancestry and identified a total of 41 risk loci for allergic rhinitis, including 20 loci not previously associated with allergic rhinitis, which were confirmed in a replication phase of 60,720 cases and 618,527 controls. Functional annotation implicated genes involved in various immune pathways, and fine mapping of the HLA region suggested amino acid variants important for antigen binding. We further performed genome-wide association study (GWAS) analyses of allergic sensitization against inhalant allergens and nonallergic rhinitis, which suggested shared genetic mechanisms across rhinitis-related traits. Future studies of the identified loci and genes might identify novel targets for treatment and prevention of allergic rhinitis

Comprehensive Genotyping in Two Homogeneous Graves' Disease Samples Reveals Major and Novel HLA Association Alleles

BACKGROUND: Graves' disease (GD) is the leading cause of hyperthyroidism and thyroid eye disease inherited as a complex trait. Although geoepidemiology studies showed relatively higher prevalence of GD in Asians than in Caucasians, previous genetic studies were contradictory concerning whether and/or which human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles are associated with GD in Asians. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We conducted a case-control association study (499 unrelated GD cases and 504 controls) and a replication in an independent family sample (419 GD individuals and their 282 relatives in 165 families). To minimize genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity, we included only ethnic Chinese Han population in Taiwan and excluded subjects with hypothyroidism. We performed direct and comprehensive genotyping of six classical HLA loci (HLA-A, -B, -C, -DPB1, -DQB1 and -DRB1) to 4-digit resolution. Combining the data of two sample populations, we found that B*46:01 (odds ratio under dominant model [OR]  = 1.33, Bonferroni corrected combined P [P(Bc)]  = 1.17 x 10⁻²), DPB1*05:01 (OR  = 2.34, P(Bc) = 2.58 x 10⁻¹⁰), DQB1*03:02 (OR  = 0.62, P(Bc)  = 1.97 x 10⁻²), DRB1*15:01 (OR  = 1.68, P(Bc) = 1.22 x 10⁻²) and DRB1*16:02 (OR  = 2.63, P(Bc)  = 1.46 x 10⁻⁵) were associated with GD. HLA-DPB1*05:01 is the major gene of GD in our population and singly accounts for 48.4% of population-attributable risk. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These GD-associated alleles we identified in ethnic Chinese Hans, and those identified in other Asian studies, are totally distinct from the known associated alleles in Caucasians. Identification of population-specific association alleles is the critical first step for individualized medicine. Furthermore, comparison between different susceptibility/protective alleles across populations could facilitate generation of novel hypothesis about GD pathophysiology and indicate a new direction for future investigation

Genome-wide association study of male sexual orientation

Family and twin studies suggest that genes play a role in male sexual orientation. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of male sexual orientation on a primarily European ancestry sample of 1,077 homosexual men and 1,231 heterosexual men using Affymetrix single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays. We identified several SNPs with p < 10 -5 , including regions of multiple supporting SNPs on chromosomes 13 (minimum p = 7.5 × 10 -7 ) and 14 (p = 4.7 × 10 -7 ). The genes nearest to these peaks have functions plausibly relevant to the development of sexual orientation. On chromosome 13, SLITRK6 is a neurodevelopmental gene mostly expressed in the diencephalon, which contains a region previously reported as differing in size in men by sexual orientation. On chromosome 14, TSHR genetic variants in intron 1 could conceivably help explain past findings relating familial atypical thyroid function and male homosexuality. Furthermore, skewed X chromosome inactivation has been found in the thyroid condition, Graves' disease, as well as in mothers of homosexual men. On pericentromeric chromosome 8 within our previously reported linkage peak, we found support (p = 4.1 × 10 -3 ) for a SNP association previously reported (rs77013977, p = 7.1 × 10 -8 ), with the combined analysis yielding p = 6.7 × 10 -9 , i.e., a genome-wide significant association