Achievements and Challenges in the Science of Space Weather

In June 2016 a group of 40 space weather scientists attended the workshop on Scientific Foundations of Space Weather at the International Space Science Institute in Bern. In this lead article to the volume based on the talks and discussions during the workshop we review some of main past achievements in the field and outline some of the challenges that the science of space weather is facing today and in the future.Peer reviewe

Copy number variants in genetic susceptibility and severity of systemic lupus erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a systemic autoimmune disorder characterized by the presence of auto-antibodies to nuclear antigens, immune complex deposition, and subsequent tissue destruction. Early studies in twins suggested that SLE has, at least in part, a genetic basis, and a role for class II alleles in the major histocompatibility complex has been known for over 30 years. Through both linkage studies and candidate gene studies, numerous additional genetic risk factors have been identified. The recent publication of two SNP-based genome-wide association studies (GWAS) has resulted in the confirmation of a number of previously identified genetic risk loci and has identified new previously unappreciated loci conferring risk for development of SLE. A role for gene copy number variation (CNV) in SLE has also been appreciated through studies of the complement component 4 (C4) loci and more recent work in the IgG Fc receptor loci. The availability of large SNP-based GWAS datasets will undoubtedly lead to the genome-wide analysis and identification of copy number variants related to genetic susceptibility for development of SLE. We review current studies of CNV in SLE susceptibility that include reports of association between SLE and CNV in C4, IgG Fc receptors, TLR7, and CCL3L1

The functional polymorphism 844 A>G in Fc\u3b1RI (CD89) does not contribute to systemic sclerosis or rheumatoid arthritis susceptibility

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of the Fc(\u3b1)RI 844 A>G functional polymorphism in the genetic predisposition to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic sclerosis (SSc) susceptibility. METHODS: The study population was composed of 1401 patients with SSc, 642 patients with RA, and 1317 healthy controls. The Fc(\u3b1)RI (CD89) single-nucleotide polymorphism rs16986050 was genotyped by pyrosequencing. RESULTS: We observed no significant deviation of the genotype and allele frequencies in RA and SSc compared to controls. A metaanalysis and a recessive and dominant model yielded similar negative results. CONCLUSION: Our data show that the Fc(\u3b1)RI 844 A>G polymorphism is not associated with SSc or RA susceptibilit