INSIG2 gene rs7566605 polymorphism is associated with severe obesity in Japanese

The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs7566605 in the upstream region of the insulin-induced gene 2 (INSIG2) is associated with the obesity phenotype in many Caucasian populations. In Japanese, this association with the obesity phenotype is not clear. To investigate the relationship between rs7566605 and obesity in Japanese, we genotyped rs7566605 from severely obese subjects [n = 908, body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m2] and normal-weight control subjects (n = 1495, BMI < 25 kg/m2). A case–control association analysis revealed that rs7566605 was significantly associated with obesity in Japanese. The P value in the minor allele recessive mode was 0.00020, and the odds ratio (OR) adjusted for gender and age was 1.61 [95% confidential interval (CI) = 1.24–2.09]. Obesity-associated phenotypes, which included the level of BMI, plasma glucose, hemoglobin A1c, total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and blood pressure, were not associated with the rs7566605 genotype. Thus, rs7566605 in the upstream region of the INSIG2 gene was found to be associated with obesity, i.e., severe obesity, in Japanese

Thermodynamic Analysis of Phase Equilibria in the MgAlHo Ternary System

A thermodynamic analysis of phase equilibria in the MgAlHo ternary system has been carried out with special emphasis on the metastable phase separation of the hexagonal close-packed (hcp) phase. In this study, the Gibbs free energy of mixing of the hcp phase was evaluated using first-principles calculations combined with the cluster variation method (CVM), and the obtained results as well as the available experimental data were introduced into the analysis. The calculated results enabled the reproduction of experimental results on both the phase equilibria and the thermodynamic properties obtained from the first-principles calculations and the CVM. In addition, the calculations indicated a tendency for metastable two-phase separation in the hcp phase between the Mg-rich corner and the AlHo binary side, which was similar to the MgYZn ternary system shown in our previous work