Wealth Building in Rural America: Programs, Policies, Research

Wealth Building in Rural America: Programs, Policies, Researc

Multiple novel prostate cancer susceptibility signals identified by fine-mapping of known risk loci among Europeans

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified numerous common prostate cancer (PrCa) susceptibility loci. We have fine-mapped 64 GWAS regions known at the conclusion of the iCOGS study using large-scale genotyping and imputation in 25 723 PrCa cases and 26 274 controls of European ancestry. We detected evidence for multiple independent signals at 16 regions, 12 of which contained additional newly identified significant associations. A single signal comprising a spectrum of correlated variation was observed at 39 regions; 35 of which are now described by a novel more significantly associated lead SNP, while the originally reported variant remained as the lead SNP only in 4 regions. We also confirmed two association signals in Europeans that had been previously reported only in East-Asian GWAS. Based on statistical evidence and linkage disequilibrium (LD) structure, we have curated and narrowed down the list of the most likely candidate causal variants for each region. Functional annotation using data from ENCODE filtered for PrCa cell lines and eQTL analysis demonstrated significant enrichment for overlap with bio-features within this set. By incorporating the novel risk variants identified here alongside the refined data for existing association signals, we estimate that these loci now explain ∼38.9% of the familial relative risk of PrCa, an 8.9% improvement over the previously reported GWAS tag SNPs. This suggests that a significant fraction of the heritability of PrCa may have been hidden during the discovery phase of GWAS, in particular due to the presence of multiple independent signals within the same regio

Wildfowl Slimbridge 46 59 65

The risk of introducing disease or parasites into the wild has long concerned managers involved in the nene recovery programme. In this initial survey helminth eggs were found in samples from 17 of 77 free-ranging geese and 8 of 28 captive geese, giving an overall prevalence of 22%. Six nematodes were identified (Ascaridia, Heterakis, Amidostomum anseris, Trichostrongylus tenuis, Echinuria uncinata and Capillaria) and unidentified cestode eggs were also present. Hawaii is a new geographic record for E. uncinata. Coccidian oocysts were present in 18 of 113 faecal samples. Prevalence was estimated for each of 9 collection sites and was not correlated with bird density. No ectoparasites or haemoparasites were detected in the 5 birds that were examined clinically. A longer term study is needed to confirm the initial suggestion that nene recovery is probably not limited by heavy parasite infection.

97 Gulbenkian (Calouste) Foundation. London, UK

A study was carried out to assess the feasibility and potential for the Gulbenkian Foundation to adopt a rural arts policy within its arts programme. The objectives were to: identify issues which are pertinent to the provision and development of arts in rural settings in the UK, define what is meant by rural; identify a range of models of good and/or innovative practice; present options to the foundation for future actions. The key relationship being considered was that between arts development and community development. Issues involving the contribution arts can make to contemporary rural challenges were of central interest. The report is divided into the following sections: practical problems of rural arts funding; amateur and locally created activities; the arts and practical community development; arts and the rural inheritance - the future of country people and rural culture; arts and the rural environment; communication; examples of good or innovative practice and constructive thinking; and a review of other funding bodies in rural areas.

Madison, Wis., USA: American Society of Agronomy..

Selection for high grain yield (10% selection intensity) was conducted in two sets of lines in low, medium and high productivity environments, and subsequently all selected lines were evaluated in another series of environments. The realized increases in yield (when tested in common environments) from selection were 18, 13 and 16% of the population mean in experiment 1 and 8, 4 and 7% in experiment 2 for groups of lines selected in high, medium and low productivity environments, respectively.

Infection 30 1 38 40 Munich, Germany: Urban & Vogel GmbH.

Disseminated nocardiosis has never been described before in a patient with Waldenstrom macroglobulinaemia. We report an unusual case of disseminated nocardiosis in a 64-year-old man with Waldenstrom macroglobulinaemia who presented with pulmonary non-caseating granulomas, psoas abscess, diskitis and osteomyelitis [USA; date not given]. The patient was successfully treated with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) for one year.