IS BRAIN-DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR (BDNF) VAL66MET POLYMORPHISM ASSOCIATED WITH OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER? A META-ANALYSIS

Background: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) polymorphism plays an important role in neural survival and was proposed to be related to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Genetic association studies of the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism (rs6265) in OCD have produced inconsistent results. A meta-analysis of studies was conducted to compare the frequency of the BDNF Val66Met variant between cases with OCD and age-matched controls. Subjects and methods: Electronic databases were searched for eligible articles in English and ten studies on the association of the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism with OCD were analysed. Results: A total of ten studies involving 2306 cases with OCD and 4968 healthy controls were included. Findings indicated that the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism was not associated with OCD. But there was a marginally significant effect of the BDNF Val66Met variant on OCD in different ethnicity. Conclusion: Findings from this meta-analytic investigation of published literature provide little support for the Val66Met variant of BDNF as a predictor of OCD. Future well-powered agnostic genome-wide association studies with more refined phenotype are needed to clarify genetic influences on OCD

Recurrent lung adenocarcinoma benefits from microwave ablation following multidisciplinary treatments: A case with long-term survival

Lung cancer has become the leading cause of cancer death all over the world. Nowadays, there is a consensus that the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) prefers a combination of multidisciplinary comprehensive treatment and individualized treatment, which can significantly improve the prognosis of patients. Here, we report a female patient with recurrence-prone NSCLC. She had a decade-long disease course, during which the lesion recurred twice and finally cured with Multi-Disciplinary Treatment (MDT). An elderly female patient was admitted to the hospital after diagnosis of lung cancer, and treated with surgery and postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. Five years later, suspicious lesions were found by computed tomography (CT) reexamination, and then confirmed tumor recurrence by puncture biopsy. Based on the genetic test results, gefitinib was used for subsequent targeted therapy, and the lesion gradually shrunk to disappear. However, the lesion appeared again two years later, after consultation the microwave ablation was adopted and the curative effect was excellent. At last, regular reexamination showed no abnormality, the patient has survived so far. The case proves the great benefit of multidisciplinary comprehensive treatment, especially microwave ablation for patient with recurrence-prone NSCLC. And the effect of systemic anti-tumor immune response induced by microwave ablation on lung cancer also needs to be further explored

A genetic toolbox for metabolic engineering of Issatchenkia orientalis

The nonconventional yeast Issatchenkia orientalis can grow under highly acidic conditions and has been explored for production of various organic acids. However, its broader application is hampered by the lack of efficient genetic tools to enable sophisticated metabolic manipulations. We recently constructed an episomal plasmid based on the autonomously replicating sequence (ARS) from Saccharomyces cerevisiae (ScARS) in I. orientalis and developed a CRISPR/Cas9 system for multiplex gene deletions. Here we report three additional genetic tools including: (1) identification of a 0.8 kb centromere-like (CEN-L) sequence from the I. orientalis genome by using bioinformatics and functional screening; (2) discovery and characterization of a set of constitutive promoters and terminators under different culture conditions by using RNA-Seq analysis and a fluorescent reporter; and (3) development of a rapid and efficient in vivo DNA assembly method in I. orientalis, which exhibited ∼100% fidelity when assembling a 7 kb-plasmid from seven DNA fragments ranging from 0.7 kb to 1.7 kb. As proof of concept, we used these genetic tools to rapidly construct a functional xylose utilization pathway in I. orientalis

Penyelesaian Tindak Pidana Perjudian yang Dilakukan oleh Anak Menurut UU No.11 Tahun 2012

The title of this legal writing is "The Completion of the Crime of Gambling Carried Out by minors based on the law Number 11 of 2012 on the Juvenile Justice system". This type of research is normative legal research. Normative legal research is a research conducted or focusing on norm of positive law in the form of legislation. Legal issues raised is whether the completion of the crime of gambling by children is in conformity with the law Number 11 of 2012 about the juvenile justice system. The purpose of this research is to determine and analyze the completion of the crime of gambling by children under the law of the juvenile justice system. The result showed that the efforts made to prevent criminal acts of a child is an attempt preventive and repressive efforts. Juvenile justice system is closely related to restorative justice. Regarding the obligation to make a diversion conducted by law enforcement officials, in particular under Article 7 and 96 of the law number 11 of 2012 on the Juvenile Justice System

Several Cancer Susceptibility Variants Also Affect Melanoma Risk

<div><p>Background</p><p>Several regions of the genome show pleiotropic associations with multiple cancers. We sought to evaluate whether 181 single-nucleotide polymorphisms previously associated with various cancers in genome-wide association studies were also associated with melanoma risk.</p><p>Methods</p><p>We evaluated 2,131 melanoma cases and 20,353 controls from three studies in the Population Architecture using Genomics and Epidemiology (PAGE) study (EAGLE-BioVU, MEC, WHI) and two collaborating studies (HPFS, NHS). Overall and sex-stratified analyses were performed across studies.</p><p>Results</p><p>We observed statistically significant associations with melanoma for two lung cancer SNPs in the <i>TERT-CLPTM1L</i> locus (Bonferroni-corrected p<2.8x10^-4), replicating known pleiotropic effects at this locus. In sex-stratified analyses, we also observed a potential male-specific association between prostate cancer risk variant rs12418451 and melanoma risk (OR=1.22, p=8.0x10^-4). No other variants in our study were associated with melanoma after multiple comparisons adjustment (p>2.8e^-4).</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>We provide confirmatory evidence of pleiotropic associations with melanoma for two SNPs previously associated with lung cancer, and provide suggestive evidence for a male-specific association with melanoma for prostate cancer variant rs12418451. This SNP is located near <i>TPCN2</i>, an ion transport gene containing SNPs which have been previously associated with hair pigmentation but not melanoma risk. Previous evidence provides biological plausibility for this association, and suggests a complex interplay between ion transport, pigmentation, and melanoma risk that may vary by sex. If confirmed, these pleiotropic relationships may help elucidate shared molecular pathways between cancers and related phenotypes.</p></div

New loci for body fat percentage reveal link between adiposity and cardiometabolic disease risk

To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of adiposity and its links to cardiometabolic disease risk, we conducted a genome-wide association meta-analysis of body fat percentage (BF%) in up to 100,716 individuals. Twelve loci reached genome-wide significance (P<5 × 10−8), of which eight were previously associated with increased overall adiposity (BMI, BF%) and four (in or near COBLL1/GRB14, IGF2BP1, PLA2G6, CRTC1) were novel associations with BF%. Seven loci showed a larger effect on BF% than on BMI, suggestive of a primary association with adiposity, while five loci showed larger effects on BMI than on BF%, suggesting association with both fat and lean mass. In particular, the loci more strongly associated with BF% showed distinct cross-phenotype association signatures with a range of cardiometabolic traits revealing new insights in the link between adiposity and disease risk

New loci for body fat percentage reveal link between adiposity and cardiometabolic disease risk

To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of adiposity and its links to cardiometabolic disease risk, we conducted a genome-wide association meta-analysis of body fat percentage (BF%) in up to 100,716 individuals. Twelve loci reached genome-wide significance (P <5 x 10(-8)), of which eight were previously associated with increased overall adiposity (BMI, BF%) and four (in or near COBLL1/GRB14, IGF2BP1, PLA2G6, CRTC1) were novel associations with BF%. Seven loci showed a larger effect on BF% than on BMI, suggestive of a primary association with adiposity, while five loci showed larger effects on BMI than on BF%, suggesting association with both fat and lean mass. In particular, the loci more strongly associated with BF% showed distinct cross-phenotype association signatures with a range of cardiometabolic traits revealing new insights in the link between adiposity and disease risk.Peer reviewe