Meta-analysis Followed by Replication Identifies Loci in or near CDKN1B, TET3, CD80, DRAM1, and ARID5B as Associated with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in Asians

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a prototype autoimmune disease with a strong genetic involvement and ethnic differences. Susceptibility genes identified so far only explain a small portion of the genetic heritability of SLE, suggesting that many more loci are yet to be uncovered for this disease. In this study, we performed a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies on SLE in Chinese Han populations and followed up the findings by replication in four additional Asian cohorts with a total of 5,365 cases and 10,054 corresponding controls. We identified genetic variants in or near CDKN1B, TET3, CD80, DRAM1, and ARID5B as associated with the disease. These findings point to potential roles of cell-cycle regulation, autophagy, and DNA demethylation in SLE pathogenesis. For the region involving TET3 and that involving CDKN1B, multiple independent SNPs were identified, highlighting a phenomenon that might partially explain the missing heritability of complex diseases

Ultralight vector dark matter search using data from the KAGRA O3GK run

Among the various candidates for dark matter (DM), ultralight vector DM can be probed by laser interferometric gravitational wave detectors through the measurement of oscillating length changes in the arm cavities. In this context, KAGRA has a unique feature due to differing compositions of its mirrors, enhancing the signal of vector DM in the length change in the auxiliary channels. Here we present the result of a search for U(1)B−L gauge boson DM using the KAGRA data from auxiliary length channels during the first joint observation run together with GEO600. By applying our search pipeline, which takes into account the stochastic nature of ultralight DM, upper bounds on the coupling strength between the U(1)B−L gauge boson and ordinary matter are obtained for a range of DM masses. While our constraints are less stringent than those derived from previous experiments, this study demonstrates the applicability of our method to the lower-mass vector DM search, which is made difficult in this measurement by the short observation time compared to the auto-correlation time scale of DM

The antitumor and antiviral properties of gold (III) porphyrins and their related complexes

published_or_final_versionChemistryDoctoralDoctor of Philosoph

Enhanced electrochemical performance of Li-rich layered oxide, Li1.2Mn0.54Co0.13Ni0.13O2, by surface modification derived from a MOF-assisted treatment

We developed a promising cathode material prepared by effective surface modification of Li-rich layered oxide (LLO) materials, using a Zr-based MOF (UIO-66-F4), as a precursor to produce in-situ MOF-derived ZrO2 (MDZ) coatings. A new method for F doping on LLO was also proposed. The MOF-assisted treatment renders a uniform nanoscale coating of ZrO2 and a porous structure of Li1.2Mn0.54Co0.13Ni0.13O2 hierarchical secondary microsphere. The rate capability, cycling stability, and first coulombic efficiency of LLO were significantly improved by the MOF-assisted treatment. The discharge capacity of the MOF-derived ZrO2 coated LLO (MDZ@LLO) material was 279 and 110.0 mAh g−1 at 0.1 C and 5 C, respectively. The capacity retention increased from 71.1% to 83.8% after 200 cycles at 1 C while the coulombic efficiency increased from 62% to 72% during the first cycle. Keywords: Lithium-ion battery, Lithium-rich layered oxide material, Surface modification, Fluorine dopin

Cationic and Neutral N -Heterocyclic Carbene Gold(I) Complexes: Cytotoxicity, NCI-60 Screening, Cellular Uptake, Inhibition of Mammalian Thioredoxin Reductase, and Reactive Oxygen Species Formation

RECENTLY Bowers and Smith (1) showed that soil water content can be measured by transmitting 1.94 µm through a methanol-soil extract. They proposed a rapid and accurate procedure; however, the required spectrophotometer was very expensive. The purpose of this investigation was to build an inexpensive spectrophotometer sufficiently sensitive to measure minute amounts of water. Construction of such an instrument seemed feasible, since Norris and Hart (3) had previously shown a relatively inexpensive spectrophotometer could be built to measure the water content of grain. Their procedure involved transmitting light through a ground grain-carbon tetrachloride paste or through intact grains

Pharmacomodulation on Gold-NHC complexes for anticancer applications – is lipophilicity the key point?

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