A genome-wide association study identifies two novel susceptibility loci and trans population polygenicity associated with bipolar disorder.

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified several susceptibility loci for bipolar disorder (BD) and shown that the genetic architecture of BD can be explained by polygenicity, with numerous variants contributing to BD. In the present GWAS (Phase I/II), which included 2964 BD and 61 887 control subjects from the Japanese population, we detected a novel susceptibility locus at 11q12.2 (rs28456, P=6.4 × 10-9), a region known to contain regulatory genes for plasma lipid levels (FADS1/2/3). A subsequent meta-analysis of Phase I/II and the Psychiatric GWAS Consortium for BD (PGC-BD) identified another novel BD gene, NFIX (Pbest=5.8 × 10-10), and supported three regions previously implicated in BD susceptibility: MAD1L1 (Pbest=1.9 × 10-9), TRANK1 (Pbest=2.1 × 10-9) and ODZ4 (Pbest=3.3 × 10-9). Polygenicity of BD within Japanese and trans-European-Japanese populations was assessed with risk profile score analysis. We detected higher scores in BD cases both within (Phase I/II) and across populations (Phase I/II and PGC-BD). These were defined by (1) Phase II as discovery and Phase I as target, or vice versa (for 'within Japanese comparisons', Pbest~10-29, R2~2%), and (2) European PGC-BD as discovery and Japanese BD (Phase I/II) as target (for 'trans-European-Japanese comparison,' Pbest~10-13, R2~0.27%). This 'trans population' effect was supported by estimation of the genetic correlation using the effect size based on each population (liability estimates~0.7). These results indicate that (1) two novel and three previously implicated loci are significantly associated with BD and that (2) BD 'risk' effect are shared between Japanese and European populations.

What is the primary mover of water dynamics?

Even today, the H-bonded cluster structure of water still stands as a major point of debate in the science of liquids. Much of this discussion is devoted to understand its dynamic nature. This has a direct impact on deciphering the many anomalies of water such as its exceptional heat capacity. Of these properties, dielectric permittivity and relaxation are of particular interest. The argument rages over whether the almost Debye-like character of the dispersion is the result of the reorientation of an apparent dipole moment of the water cluster or simply the cumulative effect of single water molecule reorientation. Furthermore, like many glass formers, it has a high frequency excess wing that does not fit into the accepted models of a single relaxation time of the main peak. Herein, we present evidence that the microscopic origins of both the excess wing and the main relaxation process of pure water are the same. The origin of these two features is explored and we suggest a new paradigm for water relaxation based on the concept of a proton cascade leading to a cluster reorientation.

Work-life balance of female versus male surgeons in Hong Kong based on findings of a questionnaire designed by a Japanese surgeon.

PURPOSE: We evaluated the attitudes of female and male surgeons in Hong Kong to work, personal life, and work-life balance, through a questionnaire survey. METHODS: We sent an online questionnaire survey designed by a female Japanese surgeon to 142 female surgeons practicing in Hong Kong, while its customized version was sent to 953 of their male counterparts. RESULTS: "Home life" and "Work" were the first and second priorities for both the women and the men. More of the female surgeons reported that they could not find enough time to participate in community activities (p = 0.038) or rest (p = 0.024). Both reported moderate satisfaction at work (p = 0.114) and in their life outside work (p = 0.346), as well as equality at home (p = 0.548) and at work (p = 0.177). Of the men, 89 % agreed with the necessity for granting paternity leave and reported that they would like to work part-time during the child-rearing years (p = 0.013). CONCLUSIONS: The number of female surgeons involved in key roles is increasing in parallel with the increasing number of female medical students. The introduction of paternity leave for male surgeons is an important concern. The issues of work-life balance may need to be addressed to attract more talent into an important specialty in Hong Kong and this is likely to apply to other parts of Asia as well.

Association study of genetic variants on chromosome 7q31 with susceptibility to normal tension glaucoma in a Japanese population.

The caveolin 1 to caveolin 2 (CAV1-CAV2) gene region on chromosome 7q31 has been reported to be associated with susceptibility to primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) and normal tension glaucoma (NTG) in previous studies. We investigated whether genetic variants in the CAV1-CAV2 region are associated with NTG in Japanese patients. Two hundred and ninety-two Japanese patients with NTG and 352 Japanese healthy controls were recruited. We genotyped three single-nucleotide polymorphisms; that is, rs1052990, rs4236601, and rs7795356, in the CAV1-CAV2 gene region and assessed the allelic diversity among cases and controls. The frequency of the minor allele (G) of rs1052990 was significantly decreased in NTG cases compared with controls (P=0.014, OR=0.71), whereas NTG or POAG cases had a significantly higher frequency of the allele than controls in previous studies. Conversely, rs7795356 did not show any significant association with NTG cases, and rs4236601 was monomorphic in the Japanese study population. Our findings did not correspond with previous positive results, suggesting that CAV1-CAV2 variants studied in the present study are not important risk factors for NTG susceptibility in all populations. Further studies are needed to elucidate the possible contribution of the CAV1-CAV2 region to the development of glaucoma.

Micronized benzoic acid decreases the concentration necessary to preserve acidic beverages against Alicyclobacillus.

AIMS: The aim of this study was a challenge testing the effect of lower concentrations of micronized benzoic acid against two strains of Alicyclobacillus. METHODS AND RESULTS: The effect of micronized benzoic acid was compared with the usual levels of untreated commercial sodium benzoate and benzoic acid, at the challenge temperature of 45°C. The size of the benzoic acid particles was determined by scanning electron microscopy. The diameter of the micronized particles was around 10 µm with a maximum length of 200 µm, while the untreated preservative structures were irregular with lengths up to 500 µm. A continuous bactericidal effect against two Alicyclobacillus strains, throughout the 28-day period, was observed with 50 mg l(-1) of micronized benzoic acid, but when the untreated preservative was used, the same lethal effect was not achieved even after doubling its concentration. CONCLUSIONS: The antimicrobial activity of benzoic acid was improved by micronization. The process proved to be an effective alternative to reduce the benzoic acid concentration necessary to ensure stability of an orange juice matrix. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The results proved that the micronization process represents an alternative to reduce the required food preservative concentration; this method increased the stability of the compound, which maintains its bioavailability.

Soft-x-ray harmonic comb from relativistic electron spikes.

We demonstrate a new high-order harmonic generation mechanism reaching the "water window" spectral region in experiments with multiterawatt femtosecond lasers irradiating gas jets. A few hundred harmonic orders are resolved, giving µJ/sr pulses. Harmonics are collectively emitted by an oscillating electron spike formed at the joint of the boundaries of a cavity and bow wave created by a relativistically self-focusing laser in underdense plasma. The spike sharpness and stability are explained by catastrophe theory. The mechanism is corroborated by particle-in-cell simulations.

Investigation of the association between the GLC3A locus and normal tension glaucoma in Japanese patients by microsatellite analysis.

PURPOSE: To investigate whether the GLC3A locus harboring the CYP1B1 gene is associated with normal tension glaucoma (NTG) in Japanese patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred forty-two Japanese patients with NTG and 101 Japanese healthy controls were recruited. Patients exhibiting a comparatively early onset were selected as this suggests that genetic factors may show stronger involvement. Genotyping and assessment of allelic diversity was performed on 13 highly polymorphic microsatellite markers in and around the GLC3A locus. RESULTS: There were decreased frequencies of the 444 allele of D2S0416i and the 258 allele of D2S0425i in cases compared to controls (P = 0.022 and P = 0.034, respectively). However, this statistical significance disappeared when corrected (Pc > 0.05). We did not find any significant association between the remaining 11 microsatellite markers, including D2S177, which may be associated with CYP1B1, and NTG (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed no association between the GLCA3 locus and NTG, suggesting that the CYP1B1 gene, which is reportedly involved in a range of glaucoma phenotypes, may not be an associated factor in the pathogenesis of NTG.

Electron optical injection with head-on and countercrossing colliding laser pulses.

A high stability electron bunch is generated by laser wakefield acceleration with the help of a colliding laser pulse. The wakefield is generated by a laser pulse; the second laser pulse collides with the first pulse at 180 degrees and at 135 degrees realizing optical injection of an electron bunch. The electron bunch has high stability and high reproducibility compared with single pulse electron generation. In the case of 180 degrees collision, special measures have been taken to prevent damage. In the case of 135 degrees collision, since the second pulse is countercrossing, it cannot damage the laser system.

Enhancement of photon number reflected by the relativistic flying mirror.

Laser light reflection by a relativistically moving electron density modulation (flying mirror) in a wake wave generated in a plasma by a high intensity laser pulse is investigated experimentally. A counterpropagating laser pulse is reflected and upshifted in frequency with a multiplication factor of 37-66, corresponding to the extreme ultraviolet wavelength. The demonstrated flying mirror reflectivity (from 3 x 10(-6) to 2 x 10(-5), and from 1.3 x 10(-4) to 0.6 x 10(-3), for the photon number and pulse energy, respectively) is close to the theoretical estimate for the parameters of the experiment.

Ocular and systemic factors related to intraocular pressure in Japanese adults: the Tajimi study.

BACKGROUND: As intraocular pressure (IOP) and age are consistent risk factors of glaucoma, it is of special interest to know the association between IOP and possibly relating factors including age in Japan where a high prevalence of normal-tension glaucoma has been reported. The aim of this report was to evaluate the distribution of and factors related to applanation IOP in a population-based study in Japan. METHODS: A randomly sampled group of 3021 residents (response rate 78.1%) of Tajimi City, aged 40 years or older, underwent screening examinations including measurements of IOP with Goldmann applanation tonometry and central corneal thickness. RESULTS: Among right eyes without glaucoma, suspected glaucoma or other disorders which could affect correct IOP measurements, IOP averaged 14.6 (SD 2.7) and 14.5 (2.5) mm Hg in men and women, respectively, with no significant intergender difference (p = 0.342). Multiple regression analyses revealed that age was significantly negatively correlated with IOP (non-standardised beta (B) = -0.020/year, p = 0.0001). Higher body mass index (B = 0.14/BMI, p<0.0001), higher mean blood pressure (B = 0.022/mm Hg, p<0.0001), history of diabetes (p = 0.0019), thicker cornea (B = 0.014/microm, p<0.0001), higher myopia (B = 0.055/dioptres, p = 0.0043) and steeper corneal curvature (B = -0.72/mm, p = 0.0002) were also significantly correlated with higher IOP. CONCLUSIONS: In an adult Japanese population, applanation IOP averaged 14.5 mm Hg and was negatively correlated with age after adjusting for other related factors. A positive correlation between IOP and myopia was found.

Microsatellite analysis of the GLC1B locus on chromosome 2 points to NCK2 as a new candidate gene for normal tension glaucoma.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between normal tension glaucoma and the candidate disease locus glaucoma 1, open angle, B (GLC1B) on chromosome 2. There are many reports describing the results of association or linkage studies for primary open angle glaucoma (POAG), with GLC1B as one of the loci associated with normal or moderately elevated intraocular pressure. However, there are few reports about the association of genes or defined genomic regions with normal tension glaucoma, which is the leading type of glaucoma in Japan. The GLC1B locus is hypothesized to be a causative region for normal tension glaucoma. METHODS: Genomic DNA was extracted from whole blood of normal tension glaucoma (n = 143) and healthy controls (n = 103) of Japanese origin. RESULTS: Fifteen microsatellite markers within and/or near to the GLC1B locus were genotyped, and their association with normal tension glaucoma was analysed. Two markers D2S2264 and D2S176 had significant positive associations. CONCLUSION: The D2S176 marker had the strongest significant association and it is located 24 kb from the nearest gene NCK2, which now becomes an important new candidate gene for future studies of its association with normal tension glaucoma.

Sub-MeV tunably polarized X-ray production with laser Thomson backscattering.

Reported in this article is the generation of unique polarized x-rays in the sub-MeV region by means of the Thomson backscattering of the Nd:YAG laser photon with a wavelength of 1064 nm on the 150 MeV electron from the microtron accelerator. The maximum energy of the x-ray photons is estimated to be about 400 keV. The total energy of the backscattered x-ray pulse is measured with an imaging plate and a LYSO scintillator. The angular divergence of the x-rays is also measured by using the imaging plate. We confirm that the x-ray beam is polarized according to the laser polarization direction with the Compton scattering method. In addition, we demonstrate the imaging of the object shielded by lead with the generated x-rays.

Terahertz spectroscopy of native-conformation and thermally denatured bovine serum albumin (BSA).

Proteins are expected to exhibit collective vibrational modes at terahertz frequencies. We have developed a promising approach to measure these motions by using a membrane device to hold samples. Samples of bovine serum albumin (BSA) in native and thermally denatured conformations were measured using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy. Clear differences were observed in transmittance and phase between native-conformation BSA samples and thermally denatured BSA samples. Time-domain data shows that samples exhibited relative time shifts when compared with a standard. Results suggest that there were differences in dielectric responses in the BSA samples, and these are probably associated with molecular conformational changes in the membrane device.

Isotopic dependence of the giant monopole resonance in the even-A 112-124Sn isotopes and the asymmetry term in nuclear incompressibility.

The strength distributions of the giant monopole resonance (GMR) have been measured in the even-A Sn isotopes (A=112-124) with inelastic scattering of 400-MeV alpha particles in the angular range 0 degrees -8.5 degrees . We find that the experimentally observed GMR energies of the Sn isotopes are lower than the values predicted by theoretical calculations that reproduce the GMR energies in 208Pb and 90Zr very well. From the GMR data, a value of Ktau = -550 +/- 100 MeV is obtained for the asymmetry term in the nuclear incompressibility.

Gamow-Teller strength in the exotic odd-odd nuclei 138La and 180Ta and its relevance for neutrino nucleosynthesis.

The Gamow-Teller strength distributions below the particle threshold in 138La and 180Ta, deduced from high-resolution measurements of the (3He,t) reaction at 0 degrees, allow us to evaluate the role of charged-current reactions for the production of these extremely rare nuclides in neutrino-nucleosynthesis models. The analysis suggests that essentially all 138La in the Universe can be made that way. Neutrino nucleosynthesis also contributes significantly to the abundance of 180Ta but the magnitude depends on the unknown branching ratio for population of the long-lived isomer.

Extraction of weak transition strengths via the (3He, t) reaction at 420 MeV.

Differential cross sections for transitions of known weak strength were measured with the (3He, t) reaction at 420 MeV on targets of 12C, 13C, 18O, 26Mg, 58Ni, 60Ni, 90Zr, 118Sn, 120Sn, and 208Pb. Using these data, it is shown that the proportionalities between strengths and cross sections for this probe follow simple trends as a function of mass number. These trends can be used to confidently determine Gamow-Teller strength distributions in nuclei for which the proportionality cannot be calibrated via beta-decay strengths. Although theoretical calculations in the distorted-wave Born approximation overestimate the data, they allow one to understand the main experimental features and to predict deviations from the simple trends observed in some of the transitions.

Mechanism of ASC-mediated apoptosis: bid-dependent apoptosis in type II cells.

Apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD (ASC) is an adaptor molecule that mediates apoptotic and inflammatory signals, and implicated in tumor suppression. However, the mechanism of ASC-mediated apoptosis has not been well elucidated. Here, we investigated the molecular mechanisms of ASC-mediated apoptosis in several cell lines using a caspase recruitment domain 12-Nod2 chimeric protein that transduces the signal from muramyl dipeptide into ASC-mediated apoptosis. Experiments using dominant-negative mutants, small-interfering RNAs and peptide inhibitors for caspases indicated that caspase-8 was generally required for ASC-mediated apoptosis, whereas a requirement for caspase-9 depended on the cell type. In addition, caspase-like apoptosis-regulatory protein (CLARP)/Fas-like inhibitor protein, a natural caspase-8 inhibitor, suppressed ASC-mediated apoptosis, and Clarp-/- mouse embryonic fibroblasts were highly sensitive to ASC-mediated apoptosis. Bax-deficient HCT116 cells were resistant to ASC-mediated apoptosis as reported previously, although we failed to observe colocalization of ASC and Bax in cells. Like Fas-ligand-induced apoptosis, the ASC-mediated apoptosis was inhibited by Bcl-2 and/or Bcl-XL in type-II but not type-I cell lines. Bid was cleaved upon ASC activation, and suppression of endogenous Bid expression using small-interfering RNAs in type-II cells reduced the ASC-mediated apoptosis. These results indicate that ASC, like death receptors, mediates two types of apoptosis depending on the cell type, in a manner involving caspase-8.

Terahertz surface-wave resonant sensor with a metal hole array.

A surface-wave sensor based on the resonant transmission characteristics of metal hole arrays is demonstrated in the terahertz (THz) region. Since the frequency of the transmission peak of a metal hole array, which corresponds to the resonant frequency of the surface waves, is particularly sensitive to the refractive index in the vicinity of the metal surface, a very small change in the substances attached to the surface can be detected by monitoring the transmission spectrum. By attaching a layer of substance (thickness t < 5 microm) much thinner than the wavelength of the THz wave (lambda(THz) = 1 mm at 0.3 THz) to the surface of a metal hole array, we demonstrated that the existence of such a small amount of substance can be detected more easily than without the metal hole array. This demonstration of THz sensing with metal hole arrays indicates the possibility of realizing THz surface-wave sensors for biochemical molecules in the THz region.

mda-7 gene transfer sensitizes breast carcinoma cells to chemotherapy, biologic therapies and radiotherapy: correlation with expression of bcl-2 family members.

Current therapies used in the treatment of breast cancer are limited by systemic toxicity, rapid drug metabolism and intrinsic and acquired drug resistance. We have previously shown that adenoviral-mediated transfer of the melanoma differentiation-associated gene-7 (mda-7) elicits growth inhibition and apoptosis in various tumor types. Here, we evaluate the effects of Ad-mda7, alone and in combination with other therapies, against a panel of nine breast tumor cell lines and their normal counterparts; we report selective Ad-mda7-mediated p53-independent growth inhibition, G2/M cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis. In vivo, Ad-mda7 induced p53-independent tumor growth inhibition (P<0.004) in multiple xenograft models. We then evaluated the combination of Ad-mda7 with agents commonly used to treat breast cancer: radiotherapy (XRT), Tamoxifen, Taxotere, Adriamycin, and Herceptin. These agents exhibit diverse modes of action, including formation of bulky adducts, inhibition of DNA replication (Adriamycin, XRT), damage to microtubules (Taxotere), nonsteroidal estrogen antagonists (Tamoxifen), or Her2/neu receptor blockade (Herceptin). Treated with conventional anticancer drugs or radiation, MDA-7-expressing cells display additive or synergistic cytotoxicity and apoptosis that correlates with decreased BCL-2 expression and BAX upregulation. In vivo, animals that received Ad-mda7 and XRT underwent significant reduction of tumor growth (P<0.002). This is the first report of the synergistic effects of Ad-mda7 combined with chemotherapy or radiotherapy on human breast carcinoma cells.

Excitation and decay of the isovector giant monopole resonances via the 208Pb(3He,t p) reaction at 410 MeV.

The excitation and subsequent proton decay of the isovector spin-flip giant monopole resonance (IVSGMR) is studied via the 208Pb(3He,t) reaction at 410 MeV. In the inclusive spectrum (60+/-5)% of the non-energy-weighted sum-rule strength for this 2 variant Planck's over 2h omega resonance was found in the region 29