Variants in the CD36 gene associate with the metabolic syndrome and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol

A region along chromosome 7q was recently linked to components of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) in several genome-wide linkage studies. Within this region, the CD36 gene, which encodes a membrane receptor for long-chain fatty acids and lipoproteins, is a potentially important candidate. CD36 has been documented to play an important role in fatty acid metabolism in vivo and subsequently may be involved in the etiology of the MetS. The protein also impacts survival to malaria and the influence of natural selection has resulted in high CD36 genetic variability in populations of African descent. We evaluated 36 tag SNPs across CD36 in the HyperGen population sample of 2020 African-Americans for impact on the MetS and its quantitative traits. Five SNPs associated with increased odds for the MetS [P = 0.0027–0.03, odds ratio (OR) = 1.3–1.4]. Coding SNP, rs3211938, previously shown to influence malaria susceptibility, is documented to result in CD36 deficiency in a homozygous subject. This SNP conferred protection against the MetS (P = 0.0012, OR = 0.61, 95%CI: 0.46–0.82), increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, HDL-C (P = 0.00018) and decreased triglycerides (P = 0.0059). Fifteen additional SNPs associated with HDL-C (P = 0.0028–0.044). We conclude that CD36 variants may impact MetS pathophysiology and HDL metabolism, both predictors of the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes

Monstrous Words, Monstrous Bodies: Irony and the Walking Dead in Walter Map's De Nugis Curialium

This article analyses the function of the tales of the walking dead found in Distinction II of Walter Map's De Nugis Curialium (c.1182). Map's sole surviving work, the “Courtiers’ Trifles” is a collection of historical narratives, wonder stories, witty asides and anecdotes collated during his employment at Henry II's court. The satirical nature of the De Nugis has been noted by previous scholars; however, this has yet to be discussed specifically with regard to the tales of the undead. Following a discussion of the twelfth-century traditions of satirical literature and the ways in which medieval authors approached the trope of irony, the second part of the narrative will examine how Map, a master of the “art of lying”, deconstructed the conventions of wonder stories. It will be argued that as well as using these tales to satirise the historiographical function of mirabilia, they were also used to critique the reality of court life and, on a deeper level, the literary function of ambiguity itself. The inherent irony of the walking dead, the dissonance between physical form and metaphysical intent, meant that they could be inscribed with multiple, parallel meanings