Association Between PSCA Variants and Duodenal Ulcer Risk

Background: While duodenal ulcer (DU) and gastric cancer (GC) are both H. pylori infection-related diseases, individuals with DU are known to have lower risk for GC. Many epidemiological studies have identified the PSCA rs2294008 T-allele as a risk factor of GC, while others have found an association between the rs2294008 C-allele and risk of DU and gastric ulcer (GU). Following these initial reports, however, few studies have since validated these associations. Here, we aimed to validate the association between variations in PSCA and the risk of DU/GU and evaluate its interaction with environmental factors in a Japanese population. Methods: Six PSCA SNPs were genotyped in 584 DU cases, 925 GU cases, and 8,105 controls from the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort (J-MICC). Unconditional logistic regression models were applied to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between the SNPs and risk of DU/GU. Results: PSCA rs2294008 C-allele was associated with per allele OR of 1.34 (95% CI, 1.18–1.51; P = 2.28 × 10−6) for the risk of DU. This association was independent of age, sex, study site, smoking habit, drinking habit, and H. pylori status. On the other hand, we did not observe an association between the risk of GU and PSCA SNPs. Conclusions: Our study confirms an association between the PSCA rs2294008 C-allele and the risk of DU in a Japanese population

Polymorphisms and Body Mass Index Across Life Course

Background: Obesity is a reported risk factor for various health problems. Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified numerous independent loci associated with body mass index (BMI). However, most of these have been focused on Europeans, and little evidence is available on the genetic effects across the life course of other ethnicities. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study to examine the associations of 282 GWAS-identified single nucleotide polymorphisms with three BMI-related traits, current BMI, BMI at 20 years old (BMI at 20), and change in BMI (BMI change), among 11,586 Japanese individuals enrolled in the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort study. Associations were examined using multivariable linear regression models. Results: We found a significant association (P < 0.05/282 = 1.77 × 10−4) between BMI and 11 polymorphisms in or near FTO, BDNF, TMEM18, HS6ST3, and BORCS7. The trend was similar between current BMI and BMI change, but differed from that of the BMI at 20. Among the significant variants, those on FTO were associated with all BMI traits, whereas those on TMEM18 and HS6SR3 were only associated with BMI at 20. The association of FTO loci with BMI remained, even after additional adjustment for dietary energy intake. Conclusions: Previously reported BMI-associated loci discovered in Europeans were also identified in the Japanese population. Additionally, our results suggest that the effects of each loci on BMI may vary across the life course and that this variation may be caused by the differential effects of individual genes on BMI via different pathways

<Original>Three Dimensional Analysis of Elastic Constants of the Wood Cell Wall

この論文は国立情報学研究所の学術雑誌公開支援事業により電子化されました。The elastic constants of wood cell wall were theoretically analyzed using two cell wall unit models and three sets of elastic constants for lignin-hemicellulose matrix. The Young's modulus of the cell wall layers in the direction perpendicular to the microfibril orientation increased remarkably with increasing Young's modulus and shear modulus of the matrix, although that in the microfibril direction didn't change significantly. The Young's modulus and shear modulus of the cell wall layers differed between the models depending on the volume fraction of cellulose and the presence of non-crystalline cellulose. The decrease in the longitudinal Young's modulus of the cell wall with the S_2 microfibril angle became more gentle with increasing Young's modulus and shear modulus of the matrix. A comparison between calculated and experimental results indicated that the wood cell wall would contain a non-crystalline cellulose with lower elastic moduli than crystalline cellulose and the Young's modulus of the lignin-hemicellulose matrix is at least more than 2 GPa

<Preliminary>Elastic and Shrinkage Deformation of the Cell Wall in the Longitudinal Direction

この論文は国立情報学研究所の学術雑誌公開支援事業により電子化されました

<Review Article>Shrinking and Elastic Properties of Coniferous Wood in Relation to Cellular Structure

この論文は国立情報学研究所の学術雑誌公開支援事業により電子化されました

Seasonal variation in formation, structure, and chemical properties of phloem in Picea abies as studied by novel microtechniques

The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00425-015-2347-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.201

Phloem structure and stilbene chemistry in Picea abies as revealed by novel microtechniques. In: International Symposium on Wood Science and Technology 2015,Tokyo, Japan, March 15-17, 2015, Abstract Book

201