Effect of spatial context on perceived walking direction.

Contextual modulation occurs for many aspects of high-level vision but is relatively unexplored for the perception of walking direction. In a recent study, we observed an effect of the temporal context on perceived walking direction. Here, we examined the spatial contextual modulation by measuring the perceived direction of a target point-light walker in the presence of two flanker walkers, one on each side. Experiment 1 followed a within-subjects design. Participants (n = 30) completed a spatial context task by judging the walking direction of the target in 13 different conditions: a walker alone in the center or with two flanking walkers either intact or scrambled at a flanker deviation of ±15°, ±30°, or ±45°. For comparison, participants completed an adaptation task where they reported the walking direction of a target after adaptation to ±30° walking direction. We found the expected repulsive effects in the adaptation task but attractive effects in the spatial context task. In Experiment 2 (n = 40), we measured the tuning of spatial contextual modulation across a wide range of flanker deviation magnitudes ranging from 15° to 165° in 15° intervals. Our results showed significant attractive effects across a wide range of flanker walking directions with the peak effect at around 30°. The assimilative versus repulsive effects of spatial contextual modulation and temporal adaptation suggest dissociable neural mechanisms, but they may operate on the same population of sensory channels coding for walking direction, as evidenced by similarity in the peak tuning across the walking direction of the inducers.

Pharmacogenetics at scale in real-world bioresources: CYP2C19 and clopidogrel outcomes in UK Biobank.

OBJECTIVE: The impact of CYP2C19 genotype on clopidogrel outcomes is one of the most well established pharmacogenetic interactions, supported by robust evidence and recommended by the Food and Drug Administration and clinical pharmacogenetics implementation consortium. However, there is a scarcity of large-scale real-world data on the extent of this pharmacogenetic effect, and clinical testing for the CYP2C19 genotype remains infrequent. This study utilizes the UK Biobank dataset, including 10 365 patients treated with clopidogrel, to offer the largest observational analysis of these pharmacogenetic effects to date. METHODS: Incorporating time-varying drug exposure and repeated clinical outcome, we adopted semiparametric frailty models to detect and quantify exposure-based effects of CYP2C19 (*2,*17) variants and nongenetic factors on the incidence risks of composite outcomes of death or recurrent hospitalizations due to major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) or hemorrhage in the entire cohort of clopidogrel-treated patients. RESULTS: Out of the 10 365 clopidogrel-treated patients, 40% (4115) experienced 10 625 MACE events during an average follow-up of 9.23 years. Individuals who received clopidogrel (coverage >25%) with a CYP2C19*2 loss-of-function allele had a 9.4% higher incidence of MACE [incidence rate ratios (IRR), 1.094; 1.044-1.146], but a 15% lower incidence of hemorrhage (IRR, 0.849; 0.712-0.996). These effects were stronger with high clopidogrel exposure. Conversely, the gain-of-function CYP2C19*17 variant was associated with a 5.3% lower incidence of MACE (IRR, 0.947; 0.903-0.983). Notably, there was no evidence of *2 or *17 effects when clopidogrel exposure was low, confirming the presence of a drug-gene interaction. CONCLUSION: The impact of CYP2C19 on clinical outcomes in clopidogrel-treated patients is substantial, highlighting the importance of incorporating genotype-based prescribing into clinical practice, regardless of the reason for clopidogrel use or the duration of treatment. Moreover, the methodology introduced in this study can be applied to further real-world investigations of known drug-gene and drug-drug interactions and the discovery of novel interactions.

Cohort profile: The Scottish SHARE Mental Health (SHARE-MH) cohort - linkable survey, genetic and routinely collected data for mental health research.

PURPOSE: The SHARE Mental Health (SHARE-MH) cohort was established to address the paucity of clinical and genetic data available for mental health research. The cohort brings together detailed mental health questionnaire responses, routinely collected electronic health data and genetic data to provide researchers with an unprecedented linkable dataset. This combination of data sources allows researchers to track mental health longitudinally, across multiple settings. It will be of interest to researchers investigating the genetic and environmental determinants of mental health, the experiences of those interacting with healthcare services, and the overlap between self-reported and clinically derived mental health outcomes. PARTICIPANTS: The cohort consists of individuals sampled from the Scottish Health Research Register (SHARE). To register for SHARE, individuals had to be over the age of 16 years and living in Scotland. Cohort participants were recruited by email and invited to take part in an online mental health survey. When signing up for SHARE, participants also provided written consent to the use of their electronic health records and genetic data-derived from spare blood samples-for research purposes. FINDINGS TO DATE: From 5 February 2021 to 27 November 2021, 9829 individuals completed a survey of various mental health topics, capturing information on symptoms, diagnoses, impact and treatment. Survey responses have been made linkable to electronic health records and genetic data using a single patient identifier. Linked data have been used to describe the cohort in terms of their demographics, self-reported mental health, inpatient and outpatient hospitalisations and dispensed prescriptions. FUTURE PLANS: The cohort will be improved through linkage to a broader variety of routinely collected data and to increasing amounts of genetic data obtained through blood sample diversion. We see the SHARE-MH cohort being used to drive forward novel areas of mental health research and to contribute to global efforts in psychiatric genetics.

Environmental risk factors for respiratory infection and wheeze in young children: A multicentre birth cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: Respiratory infections and wheeze have a considerable impact on the health of young children and consume significant healthcare resources. We aimed to evaluate the effect of environmental factors on respiratory infections and symptoms in early childhood. METHODS: Environmental risk factors including: daycare attendance; breastfeeding; siblings; damp within the home; environmental tobacco smoke (ETS); child's bedroom flooring; animal exposure; road traffic density around child's home; and solid fuel pollution within home were assessed in children recruited to the GO-CHILD multicentre prospective birth cohort study. Follow-up information on respiratory infections (bronchiolitis, pneumonia, otitis media and cold or flu), wheeze and cough symptoms, healthcare utilisation and medication prescription was collected by postal questionnaires at 12 and 24 months. Log binomial and ordered logistic regression models were fitted to the data. RESULTS: Follow-up was obtained on 1344 children. Daycare was associated with increased odds of pneumonia (odds ratio [OR] = 2.39, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.04-5.49), bronchiolitis (OR = 1.40, 1.02-1.90), otitis media (OR = 1.68, 1.32-2.14) and emergency department attendance for wheeze (RR = 1.81, 1.17-2.80). Breastfeeding beyond 6 months was associated with a reduced odds of bronchiolitis (OR = 0.55, 0.39-0.77) and otitis media (OR = 0.75, 0.59-0.99). Siblings at home was associated with an increased odds of bronchiolitis (OR = 1.65, 1.18-2.32) and risk of reliever inhaler prescription (RR = 1.37, 1.02-1.85). Visible damp was associated with an increased odds of wheeze (OR = 1.85, 1.11-3.19), and risk of reliever inhaler (RR = 1.73, 1.04-2.89) and inhaled corticosteroid prescription (RR = 2.61, 1.03-6.59). ETS exposure was associated with an increased odds of primary care attendance for cough or wheeze (OR = 1.52, 1.11-2.08). Dense traffic around the child's home was associated with an increased odds of bronchiolitis (OR = 1.32, 1.08-2.29). CONCLUSION: Environmental factors likely influence the wide variation in infection frequency and symptoms observed in early childhood. Larger population studies are necessary to further inform and guide public health policy to decrease the burden of respiratory infections and wheeze in young children.

Detection of Mooney faces is robust to image asymmetries produced by illumination.

Face detection relies on the visual features that are shared across different faces. An important component of the basic spatial configuration of a face is symmetry around the vertical midline. Although human faces are structurally symmetrical, they can be asymmetrical in an image due to the direction of lighting or the position of the face. In the experiments presented here, we examined how face detection from simple contrast patterns that occur across the face is affected by the image asymmetries associated with variations in the horizontal lighting direction. We presented observers with two-tone images of faces (Mooney faces) that isolated the unique pattern of contrast in the shading and shadows on a face, illuminated from a wide range of horizontal directions. In two experiments, we found that face detection is surprisingly robust to these lighting changes, with sensitivity in discriminating between face and non-face patterns reduced only at the most extreme lighting directions. This tolerance to changes in the horizontal lighting direction depended partly on the orientation of the face, vertical lighting direction, and contrast polarity. Our results provide insight into how contrast cues produced by shading and shadows occurring across the facial surface are utilized by the visual system to detect human faces.

Discrimination of facial identity based on simple contrast patterns generated by shading and shadows.

The pattern of shadows and shading across a face is determined partly by face shape and may therefore provide a cue for facial recognition. In this study, we measured the ability of human observers to discriminate facial identity based simply on the coarse pattern of contrast produced by the interaction between facial geometry and lighting direction. We used highly realistic 3D models of human heads to create images of faces illuminated from different horizontal and vertical directions, which were then converted to two-tone images ('Mooney faces') to isolate the coarse pattern of contrast. Participants were presented with pairs of two-tone faces and judged whether it was the same person in both images. Participants could discriminate facial identity based on the minimal cues within the two-tone images, though sensitivity depended on the horizontal and vertical lighting direction. Performance on the Mooney recognition task correlated with general facial recognition ability, though the role of face-specific processing in this relationship was not significant. Our results demonstrate that shading information in the form of simple contrast cues is sufficient for discriminating facial identity, and support the idea that visual processing is somewhat optimised for overhead lighting - here, in the relatively high-level context of face identity recognition.

Competing risks analysis for neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio as a predictor of diabetic retinopathy incidence in the Scottish population.

BACKGROUND: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a major sight-threatening microvascular complication in individuals with diabetes. Systemic inflammation combined with oxidative stress is thought to capture most of the complexities involved in the pathology of diabetic retinopathy. A high level of neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is an indicator of abnormal immune system activity. Current estimates of the association of NLR with diabetes and its complications are almost entirely derived from cross-sectional studies, suggesting that the nature of the reported association may be more diagnostic than prognostic. Therefore, in the present study, we examined the utility of NLR as a biomarker to predict the incidence of DR in the Scottish population. METHODS: The incidence of DR was defined as the time to the first diagnosis of R1 or above grade in the Scottish retinopathy grading scheme from type 2 diabetes diagnosis. The effect of NLR and its interactions were explored using a competing risks survival model adjusting for other risk factors and accounting for deaths. The Fine and Gray subdistribution hazard model (FGR) was used to predict the effect of NLR on the incidence of DR. RESULTS: We analysed data from 23,531 individuals with complete covariate information. At 10 years, 8416 (35.8%) had developed DR and 2989 (12.7%) were lost to competing events (death) without developing DR and 12,126 individuals did not have DR. The median (interquartile range) level of NLR was 2.04 (1.5 to 2.7). The optimal NLR cut-off value to predict retinopathy incidence was 3.04. After accounting for competing risks at 10 years, the cumulative incidence of DR and deaths without DR were 50.7% and 21.9%, respectively. NLR was associated with incident DR in both Cause-specific hazard (CSH = 1.63; 95% CI: 1.28-2.07) and FGR models the subdistribution hazard (sHR = 2.24; 95% CI: 1.70-2.94). Both age and HbA1c were found to modulate the association between NLR and the risk of DR. CONCLUSIONS: The current study suggests that NLR has a promising potential to predict DR incidence in the Scottish population, especially in individuals less than 65 years and in those with well-controlled glycaemic status.

Common and Distinct Genetic Architecture of Age at Diagnosis of Diabetes in South Indian and European Populations.

OBJECTIVE: South Asians are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (T2D) more than a decade earlier in life than seen in European populations. We hypothesized that studying the genomics of age of diagnosis in these populations may give insight into the earlier age diagnosis of T2D among individuals of South Asian descent. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We conducted a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of age at diagnosis of T2D in 34,001 individuals from four independent cohorts of European and South Asian Indians. RESULTS: We identified two signals near the TCF7L2 and CDKAL1 genes associated with age at the onset of T2D. The strongest genome-wide significant variants at chromosome 10q25.3 in TCF7L2 (rs7903146; P = 2.4 × 10-12, ß = -0.436; SE 0.02) and chromosome 6p22.3 in CDKAL1 (rs9368219; P = 2.29 × 10-8; ß = -0.053; SE 0.01) were directionally consistent across ethnic groups and present at similar frequencies; however, both loci harbored additional independent signals that were only present in the South Indian cohorts. A genome-wide signal was also obtained at chromosome 10q26.12 in WDR11 (rs3011366; P = 3.255 × 10-8; ß = 1.44; SE 0.25), specifically in the South Indian cohorts. Heritability estimates for the age at diagnosis were much stronger in South Indians than Europeans, and a polygenic risk score constructed based on South Indian GWAS explained ∼2% trait variance. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide a better understanding of ethnic differences in the age at diagnosis and indicate the potential importance of ethnic differences in the genetic architecture underpinning T2D.

Amino acid homeostasis is a target of metformin therapy.

OBJECTIVE: Unexplained changes in regulation of branched chain amino acids (BCAA) during diabetes therapy with metformin have been known for years. Here we have investigated mechanisms underlying this effect. METHODS: We used cellular approaches, including single gene/protein measurements, as well as systems-level proteomics. Findings were then cross-validated with electronic health records and other data from human material. RESULTS: In cell studies, we observed diminished uptake/incorporation of amino acids following metformin treatment of liver cells and cardiac myocytes. Supplementation of media with amino acids attenuated known effects of the drug, including on glucose production, providing a possible explanation for discrepancies between effective doses in vivo and in vitro observed in most studies. Data-Independent Acquisition proteomics identified that SNAT2, which mediates tertiary control of BCAA uptake, was the most strongly suppressed amino acid transporter in liver cells following metformin treatment. Other transporters were affected to a lesser extent. In humans, metformin attenuated increased risk of left ventricular hypertrophy due to the AA allele of KLF15, which is an inducer of BCAA catabolism. In plasma from a double-blind placebo-controlled trial in nondiabetic heart failure (trial registration: NCT00473876), metformin caused selective accumulation of plasma BCAA and glutamine, consistent with the effects in cells. CONCLUSIONS: Metformin restricts tertiary control of BCAA cellular uptake. We conclude that modulation of amino acid homeostasis contributes to therapeutic actions of the drug.

A gene risk score using missense variants in SLCO1B1 is associated with earlier onset statin intolerance.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The efficacy of statin therapy is hindered by intolerance to the therapy, leading to discontinuation. Variants in SLCO1B1, which encodes the hepatic transporter OATB1B1, influence statin pharmacokinetics, resulting in altered plasma concentrations of the drug and its metabolites. Current pharmacogenetic guidelines require sequencing of the SLCO1B1 gene, which is more expensive and less accessible than genotyping. In this study, we aimed to develop an easy, clinically implementable functional gene risk score (GRS) of common variants in SLCO1B1 to identify patients at risk of statin intolerance. METHODS AND RESULTS: A GRS was developed from four common variants in SLCO1B1. In statin users from Tayside, Scotland, UK, those with a high-risk GRS had increased odds across three phenotypes of statin intolerance [general statin intolerance (GSI): ORGSI 2.42; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.29-4.31, P = 0.003; statin-related myopathy: ORSRM 2.51; 95% CI: 1.28-4.53, P = 0.004; statin-related suspected rhabdomyolysis: ORSRSR 2.85; 95% CI: 1.03-6.65, P = 0.02]. In contrast, using the Val174Ala genotype alone or the recommended OATP1B1 functional phenotypes produced weaker and less reliable results. A meta-analysis with results from adjudicated cases of statin-induced myopathy in the PREDICTION-ADR Consortium confirmed these findings (ORVal174Ala 1.99; 95% CI: 1.01-3.95, P = 0.048; ORGRS 1.76; 95% CI: 1.16-2.69, P = 0.008). For those requiring high-dose statin therapy, the high-risk GRS was more consistently associated with the time to onset of statin intolerance amongst the three phenotypes compared with Val174Ala (GSI: HRVal174Ala 2.49; 95% CI: 1.09-5.68, P = 0.03; HRGRS 2.44; 95% CI: 1.46-4.08, P < 0.001). Finally, sequence kernel association testing confirmed that rare variants in SLCO1B1 are associated with the risk of intolerance (P = 0.02). CONCLUSION: We provide evidence that a GRS based on four common SLCO1B1 variants provides an easily implemented genetic tool that is more reliable than the current recommended practice in estimating the risk and predicting early-onset statin intolerance.

A Meta-Analysis of the Genome-Wide Association Studies on Two Genetically Correlated Phenotypes Suggests Four New Risk Loci for Headaches.

Headache is one of the commonest complaints that doctors need to address in clinical settings. The genetic mechanisms of different types of headache are not well understood while it has been suggested that self-reported headache and self-reported migraine were genetically correlated. In this study, we performed a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on the self-reported headache phenotype from the UK Biobank and the self-reported migraine phenotype from the 23andMe using the Unified Score-based Association Test (metaUSAT) software for genetically correlated phenotypes (N = 397,385). We identified 38 loci for headaches, of which 34 loci have been reported before and four loci were newly suggested. The LDL receptor related protein 1 (LRP1)-Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 6 (STAT6)-S hort chain D ehydrogenase/R eductase family 9C member 7 (SDR9C7) region in chromosome 12 was the most significantly associated locus with a leading p value of 1.24 × 10-62 of rs11172113. The One Cut homeobox 2 (ONECUT2) gene locus in chromosome 18 was the strongest signal among the four new loci with a p value of 1.29 × 10-9 of rs673939. Our study demonstrated that the genetically correlated phenotypes of self-reported headache and self-reported migraine can be meta-analysed together in theory and in practice to boost study power to identify more variants for headaches. This study has paved way for a large GWAS meta-analysis involving cohorts of different while genetically correlated headache phenotypes. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43657-022-00078-7.

The cholesterol-lowering effect of statins is modified by LILRB5 intolerance genotype: Results from a recruit-by-genotype clinical trial.

Background/Aims: Statin intolerance leads to poor adherence to statin therapy, resulting in a failure to achieve desired cholesterol reduction and adverse outcomes. The LILRB5 Asp247Gly genotype has been identified as being associated with statin intolerance and statin-induced myalgia. We conducted a randomized clinical trial to examine its role in immune response through T regulatory cell aggregation and in achieving cholesterol reduction targets. Methods: A double-blind, cross-over, recruit-by-genotype trial was undertaken. A total of 18 participants who had either the Asp247Asp (T/T) genotype or the Gly247Gly (C/C) genotype were recruited to the study. Participants were randomised to receive placebo or atorvastatin 80 mg daily for 28 days. Following a washout period of 3 weeks, they were then switched to the opposite treatment. Biochemical and immunological measurements as well as interviews were performed prior to and after both treatment periods. Within genotype group comparisons were performed using repeated measures Wilcoxon tests. Two-way repeated measures ANOVA with genotype and treatment as factors were used to compare changes in biochemical parameters between groups during placebo and atorvastatin periods. Results: Individuals with the Asp247Asp genotype had a greater increase in creatine kinase (CK) compared to those with Gly247Gly genotype in response to atorvastatin (p = 0.03). Those with Gly247Gly genotype had a mean non-HDL cholesterol reduction of 2.44 (95% CI:1.59 - 3.29) mmol/L while in Asp247Asp genotype group the mean reduction was 1.28 (95%CI: 0.48 - 2.07) mmol/L. The interaction between the genotype and atorvastatin treatment for total cholesterol (p = 0.007) and non-HDL cholesterol response was significant (p = 0.025). Immunological assessment showed no significant changes in aggregation of T regulatory cells by genotype. Conclusion: The Asp247Gly variant in LILRB5, previously associated with statin intolerance, was associated with differential increases in creatine kinase and total cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol-lowering response to atorvastatin. Taken together, these results suggest that this variant could have utility in precision cardiovascular therapy.

Adaptation to walking direction in biological motion.

The direction that we see another person walking provides us with an important cue to their intentions, but little is known about how the brain encodes walking direction across a neuronal population. The current study used an adaptation technique to investigate the sensory coding of perceived walking direction. We measured perceived walking direction of point-light stimuli before and after adaptation, and found that adaptation to a specific walking direction resulted in repulsive perceptual aftereffects. The magnitude of these aftereffects was tuned to the walking direction of the adaptor relative to the test, with local repulsion of perceived walking direction for test stimuli oriented on either side of the adapted walking direction. The specific tuning profiles that we observed are well explained by a population-coding model, in which perceived walking direction is coded in terms of the relative activity across a bank of sensory channels with peak tuning distributed across the full 360° range of walking directions. Further experiments showed specificity in how horizontal (azimuth) walking direction is coded when moving away from the observer compared to when moving toward the observer. Moreover, there was clear specificity in these perceptual aftereffects for walking direction compared to a nonbiological form of 3D motion (a rotating sphere). These results indicate the existence of neural mechanisms in the human visual system tuned to specific walking directions, provide insight into the number of sensory channels and how their responses are combined to encode walking direction, and demonstrate the specificity of adaptation to biological motion. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Development and external validation of multivariable risk models to predict incident and resolved neuropathic pain: a DOLORisk Dundee study.

Neuropathic pain is difficult to treat, and an understanding of the risk factors for its onset and resolution is warranted. This study aimed to develop and externally validate two clinical risk models to predict onset and resolution of chronic neuropathic pain. Participants of Generation Scotland: Scottish Family Health Study (GS; general Scottish population; n = 20,221) and Genetic of Diabetes Audit and Research in Tayside Scotland (GoDARTS; n = 5236) were sent a questionnaire on neuropathic pain and followed- -up 18 months later. Chronic neuropathic pain was defined using DN4 scores (≥ 3/7) and pain for 3 months or more. The models were developed in GS using logistic regression with backward elimination based on the Akaike information criterion. External validation was conducted in GoDARTS and assessed model discrimination (ROC and Precision-Recall curves), calibration and clinical utility (decision curve analysis [DCA]). Analysis revealed incidences of neuropathic pain onset (6.0% in GS [236/3903] and 10.7% in GoDARTS [61/571]) and resolution (42.6% in GS [230/540] and 23.7% in GoDARTS [56/236]). Psychosocial and lifestyle factors were included in both onset and resolved prediction models. In GoDARTS, these models showed adequate discrimination (ROC = 0.636 and 0.699), but there was evidence of miscalibration (Intercept = - 0.511 and - 0.424; slope = 0.623 and 0.999). The DCA indicated that the models would provide clinical benefit over a range of possible risk thresholds. To our knowledge, these are the first externally validated risk models for neuropathic pain. The findings are of interest to patients and clinicians in the community, who may take preventative or remedial measures.

Gaze behavior as a visual cue to animacy.

A characteristic that distinguishes biological agents from inanimate objects is that the former can have a direction of attention. While it is natural to associate a person's direction of attention with the appearance of their face, attentional behaviors are also a kind of relational motion, in which an entity rotates a specific axis of its form in relation to an independent feature of its environment. Here, we investigated the role of gaze-like motion in providing a visual cue to animacy independent of the human form. We generated animations in which the rotation of a geometric object (the agent) was dependent on the movement of a target. Participants made judgements about how creature-like the objects appeared, which were highly sensitive to the correspondence between objects over and above their individual motion. We varied the dependence between agent rotation and target motion in terms of temporal synchrony, temporal order, cross-correlation, and trajectory complexity. These affected perceptions of animacy to differing extents. When the behavior of the agent was driven by a model of predictive tracking with a sensory sampling delay, perceived animacy was broadly tuned across changes in rotational behavior induced by the sampling delay of the agent. Overall, the tracking relationship provides a salient cue to animacy independent of biological form, provided that temporal synchrony between objects is within a certain range. This motion relationship may be one to which the visual system is highly attuned, due to its association with attentional behavior and the presence of other minds in our environment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Identification of 4 New Loci Associated With Primary Hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) and a Polygenic Risk Score for PHPT.

CONTEXT: A hypothesis-free genetic association analysis has not been reported for patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT). OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate genetic associations with PHPT using both genome-wide association study (GWAS) and candidate gene approaches. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among patients of European White ethnicity recruited in Tayside (Scotland, UK). Electronic medical records were used to identify PHPT cases and controls, and linked to genetic biobank data. Genetic associations were performed by logistic regression models and odds ratios (ORs). The combined effect of the genotypes was researched by genetic risk score (GRS) analysis. RESULTS: We identified 15 622 individuals for the GWAS that yielded 34 top single-nucleotide variations (formerly single-nucleotide polymorphisms), and LPAR3-rs147672681 reached genome-wide statistical significance (P = 1.2e-08). Using a more restricted PHPT definition, 8722 individuals with data on the GWAS-identified loci were found. Age- and sex-adjusted ORs for the effect alleles of SOX9-rs11656269, SLITRK5-rs185436526, and BCDIN3D-AS1-rs2045094 showed statistically significant increased risks (P < 1.5e-03). GRS analysis of 5482 individuals showed an OR of 2.51 (P = 1.6e-04), 3.78 (P = 4.0e-08), and 7.71 (P = 5.3e-17) for the second, third, and fourth quartiles, respectively, compared to the first, and there was a statistically significant linear trend across quartiles (P < 1.0e-04). Results were similar when stratifying by sex. CONCLUSION: Using genetic loci discovered in a GWAS of PHPT carried out in a Scottish population, this study suggests new evidence for the involvement of genetic variants at SOX9, SLITRK5, LPAR3, and BCDIN3D-AS1. It also suggests that male and female carriers of greater numbers of PHPT-risk alleles both have a statistically significant increased risk of PHPT.

Mannose-binding lectin genotype is associated with respiratory disease in young children: A multicenter cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Mannose-binding lectin (MBL) is an important component of the innate immune system. Polymorphisms in the MBL2 gene and promoter region are directly associated with MBL-deficiency. We sought to determine the association between MBL genotype on the frequency of common childhood respiratory infections, respiratory symptoms, and atopic outcomes in early childhood. METHODS: MBL2 gene variants were analyzed in newborns recruited to the GO-CHILD multicenter prospective cohort study. Follow-up for respiratory infection and atopy diagnoses and symptoms, healthcare utilization, and medication prescription were conducted by postal questionnaires at 12 and 24 months. RESULTS: Genotyping and follow-up were completed in 1004 children. Genotypes associated with MBL-deficiency were associated with an increased risk of bronchiolitis (relative risk [RR] 1.95, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.33-2.85) and pneumonia (RR 2.46, 95% CI 1.16-5.22). MBL-deficient genotypes were associated with an increased risk of wheeze with shortness of breath episodes (RR 1.22, 95% CI 1.04-1.43), emergency department attendance (RR 1.90 95% CI 1.13-3.19), and hospital admission (RR 2.01, 95% CI 1.04-3.89) for wheeze. MBL-deficient genotypes were associated with a reduced risk of developing atopic dermatitis (RR 0.72, 95% CI 0.53-0.98). CONCLUSION: The positive association between MBL-deficient genotypes and bronchiolitis and pneumonia, as well as a severe wheeze phenotype in some young children, supports the hypothesis that MBL is an important component of innate immunity in the vulnerable period before the maturation of the adaptive immune system. Identification of disease-modifying genotypes may help target preventative strategies in high-risk infants.

Spatial selectivity in adaptation to gaze direction.

A person's focus of attention is conveyed by the direction of their eyes and face, providing a simple visual cue fundamental to social interaction. A growing body of research examines the visual mechanisms that encode the direction of another person's gaze as we observe them. Here we investigate the spatial receptive field properties of these mechanisms, by testing the spatial selectivity of sensory adaptation to gaze direction. Human observers were adapted to faces with averted gaze presented in one visual hemifield, then tested in their perception of gaze direction for faces presented in the same or opposite hemifield. Adaptation caused strong, repulsive perceptual aftereffects, but only for faces presented in the same hemifield as the adapter. This occurred even though adapting and test stimuli were in the same external location across saccades. Hence, there was clear evidence for retinotopic adaptation and a relative lack of either spatiotopic or spatially invariant adaptation. These results indicate that adaptable representations of gaze direction in the human visual system have retinotopic spatial receptive fields. This strategy of coding others' direction of gaze with positional specificity relative to one's own eye position may facilitate key functions of gaze perception, such as socially cued shifts in visual attention.

Normal gaze processing in developmental prosopagnosia.

Two key functions in human face perception are gaze discrimination and identity recognition. Here we examine whether gaze discrimination can be intact when identity recognition is impaired in developmental prosopagnosia (DP). We ran a large sample of developmental prosopagnosics (DPs) with a series of gaze discrimination tasks that assess various mechanisms in gaze processing. Experiment 1 (N = 101 DP participants) investigates spatial processing using an abnormal eye gaze detection task and a Wollaston illusion task that measures perceptual integration of eye and head direction. Experiment 2 (N = 45 DP participants) investigates temporal processing using an adaptation task and a serial dependence task. Despite their deficits with identity recognition, DPs performed in the normal range across both experiments. These results demonstrate that gaze discrimination can be normal in DP, and that various mechanisms of gaze processing can be spared when identity recognition is impaired. Our findings clarify the highly selective nature of impairments in DP and provide support for neurocognitive models of face perception with distinct mechanisms for gaze and identity processing.