Analysis of immune-related loci identifies 48 new susceptibility variants for multiple sclerosis

Using the ImmunoChip custom genotyping array, we analyzed 14,498 subjects with multiple sclerosis and 24,091 healthy controls for 161,311 autosomal variants and identified 135 potentially associated regions (P < 1.0 × 10−4). In a replication phase, we combined these data with previous genome-wide association study (GWAS) data from an independent 14,802 subjects with multiple sclerosis and 26,703 healthy controls. In these 80,094 individuals of European ancestry, we identified 48 new susceptibility variants (P < 5.0 × 10−8), 3 of which we found after conditioning on previously identified variants. Thus, there are now 110 established multiple sclerosis risk variants at 103 discrete loci outside of the major histocompatibility complex. With high-resolution Bayesian fine mapping, we identified five regions where one variant accounted for more than 50% of the posterior probability of association. This study enhances the catalog of multiple sclerosis risk variants and illustrates the value of fine mapping in the resolution of GWAS signals

The Anglo-American financial influence on CEO compensation in non-Anglo-American firms

This study examines the impact of Anglo-American financial markets on CEO compensation. Starting from a sample of Norwegian and Swedish listed firms, we analyse this effect as manifested in the capital market (Anglo-American cross-listing) and in the market for corporate control (Anglo-American board membership). These effects are analysed together with the geographically broader effect of the product and service market internationalisation of the firm. We conclude that all three effects contribute positively to the level of CEO compensation. We argue that the higher CEO compensation found in firms exposed to Anglo-American financial influence - as compared with firms not subject to such influence - reflects institutional contagion, the demand for and supply of viable CEO candidates, and a pay premium for increased risk of dismissal