Analysis with respect to instrumental variables for the exploration of microarray data structures

BACKGROUND: Evaluating the importance of the different sources of variations is essential in microarray data experiments. Complex experimental designs generally include various factors structuring the data which should be taken into account. The objective of these experiments is the exploration of some given factors while controlling other factors. RESULTS: We present here a family of methods, the analyses with respect to instrumental variables, which can be easily applied to the particular case of microarray data. An illustrative example of analysis with instrumental variables is given in the case of microarray data investigating the effect of beverage intake on peripheral blood gene expression. This approach is compared to an ANOVA-based gene-by-gene statistical method. CONCLUSION: Instrumental variables analyses provide a simple way to control several sources of variation in a multivariate analysis of microarray data. Due to their flexibility, these methods can be associated with a large range of ordination techniques combined with one or several qualitative and/or quantitative descriptive variables

Synthesis, structure-activity relationships, and mechanism of action of anti-HIV-1 lamellarin α 20-sulfate analogues.

Lamellarin α and six different types of lamellarin α 20-sulfate analogues were synthesized and their structure-activity relationships were investigated using a single round HIV-1 vector infection assay. All lamellarin sulfates having pentacyclic lamellarin core exhibited anti-HIV-1 activity at a 10μM concentration range regardless of the number and position of the sulfate group. On the other hand, non-sulfated lamellarin α and ring-opened lamellarin sulfate analogues did not affect HIV-1 vector infection in similar concentrations. The lamellarin sulfates utilized in this study did not exhibit unfavorable cytotoxic effect under the concentrations tested (IC(50)>100μM). Confocal laser scanning microscopic analysis indicated that hydrophilic lamellarin sulfates were hardly incorporated in the cell. HIV-1 Env-mediated cell-cell fusion was suppressed by lamellarin sulfates. These results suggested that lamellarin sulfates have a novel anti-HIV-1 activity besides the previously reported integrase activity inhibition, possibly at a viral entry step of HIV-1 replication

Preoccupied and Dismissing Attachment Representations Are Differentially Associated with Anxiety in Adolescence and Adulthood: A Meta-Analysis

The claim that insecure attachment predisposes individuals to anxiety was put forth by attachment theorists more than 45 years ago, yet evidence of this association has produced mixed results. In a series of meta-analyses (k = 53, N = 4970), we found that individuals with secure and insecure attachment representations did not differ in their reported anxiety symptoms. However, individuals with preoccupied (d = 0.35), but not dismissing attachment representations (d = -0.02), endorsed significantly more anxiety symptoms than secure individuals. Individuals with preoccupied attachment representations also endorsed greater anxiety symptoms than those with dismissing attachment representations (d = 0.31), and this difference was stronger when assessed in high-risk samples than low-risk samples. Unresolved individuals were more anxious than non-unresolved individuals (d = 0.29), but exploratory analysis suggested that secondary preoccupied attachment subtype drove this effect. Results highlight the relevance of attachment representations for prevention and intervention efforts targeting anxiety