| 1. |
|
|
| 2. |
- Klionsky, Daniel J., et al.
(author)
-
Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy
- 2012
-
In: Autophagy. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1554-8635 .- 1554-8627. ; 8:4, s. 445-544
-
Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Accordingly, it is important to update these guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Various reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose. Nevertheless, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to measure autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. A key point that needs to be emphasized is that there is a difference between measurements that monitor the numbers or volume of autophagic elements (e.g., autophagosomes or autolysosomes) at any stage of the autophagic process vs. those that measure flux through the autophagy pathway (i.e., the complete process); thus, a block in macroautophagy that results in autophagosome accumulation needs to be differentiated from stimuli that result in increased autophagic activity, defined as increased autophagy induction coupled with increased delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (in most higher eukaryotes and some protists such as Dictyostelium) or the vacuole (in plants and fungi). In other words, it is especially important that investigators new to the field understand that the appearance of more autophagosomes does not necessarily equate with more autophagy. In fact, in many cases, autophagosomes accumulate because of a block in trafficking to lysosomes without a concomitant change in autophagosome biogenesis, whereas an increase in autolysosomes may reflect a reduction in degradative activity. Here, we present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of methods for use by investigators who aim to examine macroautophagy and related processes, as well as for reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a formulaic set of rules, because the appropriate assays depend in part on the question being asked and the system being used. In addition, we emphasize that no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate one in every situation, and we strongly recommend the use of multiple assays to monitor autophagy. In these guidelines, we consider these various methods of assessing autophagy and what information can, or cannot, be obtained from them. Finally, by discussing the merits and limits of particular autophagy assays, we hope to encourage technical innovation in the field.
|
|
| 3. |
- Zhang, Huai, et al.
(author)
-
A global survey on the use of the international classification of diseases codes for metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease.
- 2024
-
In: Hepatology international. - 1936-0541.
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- With the implementation of the 11th edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) and the publication of the metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) nomenclature in 2020, it is important to establish consensus for the coding of MAFLD in ICD-11. This will inform subsequent revisions of ICD-11.Using the Qualtrics XM and WJX platforms, questionnaires were sent online to MAFLD-ICD-11 coding collaborators, authors of papers, and relevant association members.A total of 890 international experts in various fields from 61 countries responded to the survey. We also achieved full coverage of provincial-level administrative regions in China. 77.1% of respondents agreed that MAFLD should be represented in ICD-11 by updating NAFLD, with no significant regional differences (77.3% in Asia and 76.6% in non-Asia, p=0.819). Over 80% of respondents agreed or somewhat agreed with the need to assign specific codes for progressive stages of MAFLD (i.e. steatohepatitis) (92.2%), MAFLD combined with comorbidities (84.1%), or MAFLD subtypes (i.e., lean, overweight/obese, and diabetic) (86.1%).This global survey by a collaborative panel of clinical, coding, health management and policy experts, indicates agreement that MAFLD should be coded in ICD-11. The data serves as a foundation for corresponding adjustments in the ICD-11 revision.
|
|
| 4. |
- Ding, Yun Mei, et al.
(author)
-
Effect of social support on illness perception in patients with atrial fibrillation during “Blanking Period” : Mediating role of sense of mastery
- 2023
-
In: Nursing Open. - : Wiley. - 2054-1058. ; 10:1, s. 115-122
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aim: To explore whether sense of mastery can mediate the relationship between social support and illness perception in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who were at the “Blanking Period.”. Design: A cross-sectional design. Methods: 405 patients with AF who were at the “Blanking Period” in the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University were recruited; they completed a set of questionnaires, including the Perceived Social Support Scale, the Personal Mastery Scale and the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire. Results: Social support and sense of mastery were both adversely connected to illness perception. The indirect effect of social support on illness perception through sense of mastery was negative, accounting for 86.04% of the total effect. Conclusion: During the “Blanking Period,” better social support and sense of mastery contribute to a positive illness perception of AF patients. Social support also can influence patients' illness perception indirectly via the mediator of sense of mastery.
|
|
| 5. |
- Jing, Shuping, et al.
(author)
-
Household Transmission of Human Adenovirus Type 55 in Case of Fatal Acute Respiratory Disease
- 2019
-
In: Emerging Infectious Diseases. - : Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). - 1080-6040 .- 1080-6059. ; 25:9, s. 1756-1758
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We identified a case of fatal acute respiratory disease from household transmission of human adenovirus type 55 (HAdV-55) in Anhui Province, China. Computed tomography showed severe pneumonia. Comparative genomic analysis of HAdV-55 indicated the virus possibly originated in Shanxi Province, China. More attention should be paid to highly contagious HAdV-55.
|
|
| 6. |
- Zhao, Li-Juan, et al.
(author)
-
Lysine demethylase LSD1 delivered via small extracellular vesicles promotes gastric cancer cell stemness
- 2021
-
In: EMBO Reports. - : EMBO. - 1469-221X .- 1469-3178. ; 22:8
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Several studies have examined the functions of nucleic acids in small extracellular vesicles (sEVs). However, much less is known about the protein cargos of sEVs and their functions in recipient cells. This study demonstrates the presence of lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1), which is the first identified histone demethylase, in the culture medium of gastric cancer cells. We show that sEVs derived from gastric cancer cells and the plasma of patients with gastric cancer harbor LSD1. The shuttling of LSD1-containing sEVs from donor cells to recipient gastric cancer cells promotes cancer cell stemness by positively regulating the expression of Nanog, OCT4, SOX2, and CD44. Additionally, sEV-delivered LSD1 suppresses oxaliplatin response of recipient cells in vitro and in vivo, whereas LSD1-depleted sEVs do not. Taken together, we demonstrate that LSD1-loaded sEVs can promote stemness and chemoresistance to oxaliplatin. These findings suggest that the LSD1 content of sEV could serve as a biomarker to predict oxaliplatin response in gastric cancer patients.
|
|
| 7. |
- Chen, Xue-Lian, et al.
(author)
-
Polyphenolics from Syzygium brachythyrsum Inhibits Oxidized Low-Density Lipoprotein-Induced Macrophage-Derived Foam Cell Formation and Inflammation
- 2022
-
In: Foods. - : MDPI. - 2304-8158. ; 11:21
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Evidence suggests that the immunomodulatory property of polyphenols may also contribute to the reduction of cardiovascular risk. In the present study, we investigated the polyphenol extraction (PE) from Syzygium brachythyrsum, a functional food resource in south China, regarding the protective effect on inhibiting foam cell formation and the underlying molecular mechanism based on an ox-LDL-induced RAW264.7 macrophage model. The results of Oil Red O staining, Dil-ox-LDL fluorescent staining, and cholesterol efflux experiments showed that PE, and its two phenolics brachythol B (BB) and ethyl gallate (EG), significantly inhibited the foam cell formation, which may be associated with reducing the expression of SR-A1 and CD36 while increasing expression of SR-B1, ABCG1, and PPAR gamma. In addition, BB and EG also reduce the inflammatory response by down-regulating the expression of NF-kappa B and MAPK signal pathway proteins, thereby inhibiting the expression of inflammatory factors. Altogether, PE and its two components BB and EG attenuated foam cell formation and macrophage inflammation response.
|
|
| 8. |
- Guo, Ziyin, et al.
(author)
-
In Situ Formation of a LiBO2 Coating Layer and Spinel Phase for Ni-Rich Cathode Materials from a Boric Acid-Etched Precursor
- 2024
-
In: ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1944-8244 .- 1944-8252. ; 16:1, s. 731-741
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Ni-rich cathode materials exhibit superior energy densities and have attracted interest among both research and industrial fields; whereas, their practical application is hindered by the intrinsic drawbacks brought by the high nickel content such as structural instability and rapid capacity fading. Herein, in situ formation of a LiBO2 coating layer and spinel phase layer is achieved on the surface of a Ni-rich cathode material via a boric acid etching method at the precursor state. The spinel phase is considered to have a 3D lithium diffusion tunnel and hence faster diffusion kinetics. Moreover, the LiBO2 layer possesses excellent (electro)-chemical inertness and can suppress electrolyte decomposition, resulting in a more inorganic and stable cathode-electrolyte interface. The surface reconstructed sample exhibits better cyclic stability (93.3% capacity retention vs 85.3% for the pristine sample at 1 C for 100 cycles) and rate performance. The superiority of this surface reconstruction is demonstrated by a series of electrochemical techniques and characterization methods including high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM), post-mortem X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations.
|
|
| 9. |
- Kanoni, Stavroula, et al.
(author)
-
Implicating genes, pleiotropy, and sexual dimorphism at blood lipid loci through multi-ancestry meta-analysis.
- 2022
-
In: Genome biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1474-760X .- 1465-6906 .- 1474-7596. ; 23:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Genetic variants within nearly 1000 loci are known to contribute to modulation of blood lipid levels. However, the biological pathways underlying these associations are frequently unknown, limiting understanding of these findings and hindering downstream translational efforts such as drug target discovery.To expand our understanding of the underlying biological pathways and mechanisms controlling blood lipid levels, we leverage a large multi-ancestry meta-analysis (N=1,654,960) of blood lipids to prioritize putative causal genes for 2286 lipid associations using six gene prediction approaches. Using phenome-wide association (PheWAS) scans, we identify relationships of genetically predicted lipid levels to other diseases and conditions. We confirm known pleiotropic associations with cardiovascular phenotypes and determine novel associations, notably with cholelithiasis risk. We perform sex-stratified GWAS meta-analysis of lipid levels and show that 3-5% of autosomal lipid-associated loci demonstrate sex-biased effects. Finally, we report 21 novel lipid loci identified on the X chromosome. Many of the sex-biased autosomal and X chromosome lipid loci show pleiotropic associations with sex hormones, emphasizing the role of hormone regulation in lipid metabolism.Taken together, our findings provide insights into the biological mechanisms through which associated variants lead to altered lipid levels and potentially cardiovascular disease risk.
|
|
| 10. |
- Liang, Pu-Lin, et al.
(author)
-
Three polymethoxyflavones from the peel of Citrus reticulata "Chachi" inhibits oxidized low-density lipoprotein-induced macrophage-derived foam cell formation
- 2022
-
In: Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2297-055X. ; 9
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Foam cell formation is the hallmark of the development and progression of atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the regulatory effects of three polymethoxyflavones (PMFs), namely, tangeretin (TAN), 5,6,7,3 ',4 ',5 '-hexamethoxyflavone (HxMF), and 3,5,6,7,8,3 ',4 '-heptamethoxyflavone (HpMF) on macrophage-derived foam cell formation and to further explore the molecular mechanisms. The RAW264.7 macrophage-derived foam cell model was successfully induced by oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) (80 mu g/ml). It showed that TAN, HxMF, and HpMF alleviated ox-LDL-induced NO release while also inhibiting the expression of IL-1 beta, IL-6, and TNF-alpha in RAW264.7 cells. Uptake of excess ox-LDL was inhibited by TAN, HxMF, and HpMF, resulting in the reduction of its foam cell formation. Moreover, TAN, HxMF, and HpMF promoted HDL-mediated cholesterol efflux. Western blot experiment showed that TAN, HxMF, and HpMF inhibited the expression of scavenger receptor class A type I (SRA1) and cluster of differentiation 36 (CD36), while upregulating peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR gamma), liver X receptor alpha (LXR alpha), phospholipid ATP-binding cassette transporter G1 (ABCG1), and scavenger receptor class B type I (SRB1) expression. Together, our findings suggested that PMFs inhibited foam cell formation might inhibit lipid uptake via downregulating SRA1/CD36 expression and promote cholesterol efflux from foam cells via upregulating PPAR gamma/LXR alpha/ABCG1/SRB1 expression. This antiatherosclerotic activity is expected to provide new insights into the development of healthcare uses for PMFs.
|
|
| 11. |
- Richards, Stephen, et al.
(author)
-
Genome Sequence of the Pea Aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum
- 2010
-
In: PLoS biology. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1544-9173 .- 1545-7885. ; 8:2, s. e1000313-
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aphids are important agricultural pests and also biological models for studies of insect-plant interactions, symbiosis, virus vectoring, and the developmental causes of extreme phenotypic plasticity. Here we present the 464 Mb draft genome assembly of the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum. This first published whole genome sequence of a basal hemimetabolous insect provides an outgroup to the multiple published genomes of holometabolous insects. Pea aphids are host-plant specialists, they can reproduce both sexually and asexually, and they have coevolved with an obligate bacterial symbiont. Here we highlight findings from whole genome analysis that may be related to these unusual biological features. These findings include discovery of extensive gene duplication in more than 2000 gene families as well as loss of evolutionarily conserved genes. Gene family expansions relative to other published genomes include genes involved in chromatin modification, miRNA synthesis, and sugar transport. Gene losses include genes central to the IMD immune pathway, selenoprotein utilization, purine salvage, and the entire urea cycle. The pea aphid genome reveals that only a limited number of genes have been acquired from bacteria; thus the reduced gene count of Buchnera does not reflect gene transfer to the host genome. The inventory of metabolic genes in the pea aphid genome suggests that there is extensive metabolite exchange between the aphid and Buchnera, including sharing of amino acid biosynthesis between the aphid and Buchnera. The pea aphid genome provides a foundation for post-genomic studies of fundamental biological questions and applied agricultural problems.
|
|
| 12. |
- Zhou, Jing, et al.
(author)
-
MRI manifestation of novel superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles in the rat inner ear
- 2010
-
In: Nanomedicine. - : Future Medicine Ltd. - 1743-5889 .- 1748-6963. ; 5:5, s. 739-754
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aim: Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles hierarchically coated with oleic acid and Pluronic F127 copolymers (POA@SPION) have shown exceptional 12 contrast enhancement. The aim of the present work was to investigate the MRI manifestation of POA@SPION in the inner ear. Materials & methods: A total of 26 male Wister rats were selected for testing POA@SPION administered through intracochlear, intratympanic and intravenous routes. MRI was performed with a 4.7 T MR scanner. Results & conclusion: POA@SPION can be introduced into the perilymph space, after which it becomes widely distributed and can demonstrate the integrity of the perilymph-endolymph barrier. Positive highlighting of the endolymph compartment against the darkened perilymph was visualized for the first time. POA@SPION passed through the middle-inner ear barriers in only small amounts, but stayed in the perilymph for 3 days. They did not traverse the blood-perilymph barrier or blood-endolymph barrier. The inner ear distribution of POA@SPION was confirmed by histology. POA@SPION is a promising T2 negative contrast agent.
|
|
| 13. |
- de Vries, Paul S., et al.
(author)
-
Multiancestry Genome-Wide Association Study of Lipid Levels Incorporating Gene-Alcohol Interactions
- 2019
-
In: American Journal of Epidemiology. - : Oxford University Press. - 0002-9262 .- 1476-6256. ; 188:6, s. 1033-1054
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A person's lipid profile is influenced by genetic variants and alcohol consumption, but the contribution of interactions between these exposures has not been studied. We therefore incorporated gene-alcohol interactions into a multiancestry genome-wide association study of levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides. We included 45 studies in stage 1 (genome-wide discovery) and 66 studies in stage 2 (focused follow-up), for a total of 394,584 individuals from 5 ancestry groups. Analyses covered the period July 2014-November 2017. Genetic main effects and interaction effects were jointly assessed by means of a 2-degrees-of-freedom (df) test, and a 1-df test was used to assess the interaction effects alone. Variants at 495 loci were at least suggestively associated (P < 1 x 10(-6)) with lipid levels in stage 1 and were evaluated in stage 2, followed by combined analyses of stage 1 and stage 2. In the combined analysis of stages 1 and 2, a total of 147 independent loci were associated with lipid levels at P < 5 x 10(-8) using 2-df tests, of which 18 were novel. No genome-wide-significant associations were found testing the interaction effect alone. The novel loci included several genes (proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 5 (PCSK5), vascular endothelial growth factor B (VEGFB), and apolipoprotein B mRNA editing enzyme, catalytic polypeptide 1 (APOBEC1) complementation factor (A1CF)) that have a putative role in lipid metabolism on the basis of existing evidence from cellular and experimental models.
|
|
| 14. |
- Feitosa, Mary F., et al.
(author)
-
Novel genetic associations for blood pressure identified via gene-alcohol interaction in up to 570K individuals across multiple ancestries
- 2018
-
In: PLOS ONE. - : Public library science. - 1932-6203. ; 13:6
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Heavy alcohol consumption is an established risk factor for hypertension; the mechanism by which alcohol consumption impact blood pressure (BP) regulation remains unknown. We hypothesized that a genome-wide association study accounting for gene-alcohol consumption interaction for BP might identify additional BP loci and contribute to the understanding of alcohol-related BP regulation. We conducted a large two-stage investigation incorporating joint testing of main genetic effects and single nucleotide variant (SNV)-alcohol consumption interactions. In Stage 1, genome-wide discovery meta-analyses in approximate to 131 K individuals across several ancestry groups yielded 3,514 SNVs (245 loci) with suggestive evidence of association (P <1.0 x 10(-5)). In Stage 2, these SNVs were tested for independent external replication in individuals across multiple ancestries. We identified and replicated (at Bonferroni correction threshold) five novel BP loci (380 SNVs in 21 genes) and 49 previously reported BP loci (2,159 SNVs in 109 genes) in European ancestry, and in multi-ancestry meta-analyses (P < 5.0 x 10(-8)). For African ancestry samples, we detected 18 potentially novel BP loci (P< 5.0 x 10(-8)) in Stage 1 that warrant further replication. Additionally, correlated meta-analysis identified eight novel BP loci (11 genes). Several genes in these loci (e.g., PINX1, GATA4, BLK, FTO and GABBR2 have been previously reported to be associated with alcohol consumption. These findings provide insights into the role of alcohol consumption in the genetic architecture of hypertension.
|
|
| 15. |
- Schmit, Stephanie L, et al.
(author)
-
Novel Common Genetic Susceptibility Loci for Colorectal Cancer.
- 2019
-
In: Journal of the National Cancer Institute. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0027-8874 .- 1460-2105. ; 111:2, s. 146-157
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified 42 loci (P < 5 × 10-8) associated with risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). Expanded consortium efforts facilitating the discovery of additional susceptibility loci may capture unexplained familial risk.Methods: We conducted a GWAS in European descent CRC cases and control subjects using a discovery-replication design, followed by examination of novel findings in a multiethnic sample (cumulative n = 163 315). In the discovery stage (36 948 case subjects/30 864 control subjects), we identified genetic variants with a minor allele frequency of 1% or greater associated with risk of CRC using logistic regression followed by a fixed-effects inverse variance weighted meta-analysis. All novel independent variants reaching genome-wide statistical significance (two-sided P < 5 × 10-8) were tested for replication in separate European ancestry samples (12 952 case subjects/48 383 control subjects). Next, we examined the generalizability of discovered variants in East Asians, African Americans, and Hispanics (12 085 case subjects/22 083 control subjects). Finally, we examined the contributions of novel risk variants to familial relative risk and examined the prediction capabilities of a polygenic risk score. All statistical tests were two-sided.Results: The discovery GWAS identified 11 variants associated with CRC at P < 5 × 10-8, of which nine (at 4q22.2/5p15.33/5p13.1/6p21.31/6p12.1/10q11.23/12q24.21/16q24.1/20q13.13) independently replicated at a P value of less than .05. Multiethnic follow-up supported the generalizability of discovery findings. These results demonstrated a 14.7% increase in familial relative risk explained by common risk alleles from 10.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 7.9% to 13.7%; known variants) to 11.9% (95% CI = 9.2% to 15.5%; known and novel variants). A polygenic risk score identified 4.3% of the population at an odds ratio for developing CRC of at least 2.0.Conclusions: This study provides insight into the architecture of common genetic variation contributing to CRC etiology and improves risk prediction for individualized screening.
|
|
| 16. |
- Sung, Yun Ju, et al.
(author)
-
A multi-ancestry genome-wide study incorporating gene-smoking interactions identifies multiple new loci for pulse pressure and mean arterial pressure
- 2019
-
In: Human Molecular Genetics. - : Oxford University Press. - 0964-6906 .- 1460-2083. ; 28:15, s. 2615-2633
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Elevated blood pressure (BP), a leading cause of global morbidity and mortality, is influenced by both genetic and lifestyle factors. Cigarette smoking is one such lifestyle factor. Across five ancestries, we performed a genome-wide gene–smoking interaction study of mean arterial pressure (MAP) and pulse pressure (PP) in 129 913 individuals in stage 1 and follow-up analysis in 480 178 additional individuals in stage 2. We report here 136 loci significantly associated with MAP and/or PP. Of these, 61 were previously published through main-effect analysis of BP traits, 37 were recently reported by us for systolic BP and/or diastolic BP through gene–smoking interaction analysis and 38 were newly identified (P < 5 × 10−8, false discovery rate < 0.05). We also identified nine new signals near known loci. Of the 136 loci, 8 showed significant interaction with smoking status. They include CSMD1 previously reported for insulin resistance and BP in the spontaneously hypertensive rats. Many of the 38 new loci show biologic plausibility for a role in BP regulation. SLC26A7 encodes a chloride/bicarbonate exchanger expressed in the renal outer medullary collecting duct. AVPR1A is widely expressed, including in vascular smooth muscle cells, kidney, myocardium and brain. FHAD1 is a long non-coding RNA overexpressed in heart failure. TMEM51 was associated with contractile function in cardiomyocytes. CASP9 plays a central role in cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Identified only in African ancestry were 30 novel loci. Our findings highlight the value of multi-ancestry investigations, particularly in studies of interaction with lifestyle factors, where genomic and lifestyle differences may contribute to novel findings.
|
|
| 17. |
- Takeuchi, Fumihiko, et al.
(author)
-
Interethnic analyses of blood pressure loci in populations of East Asian and European descent
- 2018
-
In: Nature Communications. - : Springer Nature. - 2041-1723. ; 9:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Blood pressure (BP) is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and more than 200 genetic loci associated with BP are known. Here, we perform a multi-stage genome-wide association study for BP (max N = 289,038) principally in East Asians and meta-analysis in East Asians and Europeans. We report 19 new genetic loci and ancestry-specific BP variants, conforming to a common ancestry-specific variant association model. At 10 unique loci, distinct non-rare ancestry-specific variants colocalize within the same linkage disequilibrium block despite the significantly discordant effects for the proxy shared variants between the ethnic groups. The genome-wide transethnic correlation of causal-variant effect-sizes is 0.898 and 0.851 for systolic and diastolic BP, respectively. Some of the ancestry-specific association signals are also influenced by a selective sweep. Our results provide new evidence for the role of common ancestry-specific variants and natural selection in ethnic differences in complex traits such as BP.
|
|
| 18. |
- Wang, Ling-Zhi, et al.
(author)
-
Sphagnumspore banks in two montane peatlands at different elevations
- 2020
-
In: Wetlands Ecology and Management. - : SPRINGER. - 0923-4861 .- 1572-9834. ; 28:5, s. 825-835
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Spore production of bryophytes is common in subalpine ecosystems, but how spore banks of bryophytes vary with elevations is unknown. We used peat cores from twoSphagnumdominated peatlands, a low- (780 m a.s.l.) and a high-elevation (1480 m a.s.l.) site to test the hypotheses that spore concentration, accumulation rate, germinability and longevity are lower at a high-elevation peatland than those at lower elevation due to the assumed climatic limitations at high elevation. Along the cores,Sphagnumspores were extracted, burial time of spores was dated and spore germinability was tested layer by layer.Sphagnumspore concentration, accumulation rate and germinability were greater at the high-elevation peatland than at the low-elevation site. Both peatlands had long-term persistentSphagnumspore banks with a predicted longevity (the burial time when 1% spores are viable) ofc. 390 and 140 years for the low- and high-elevation sites, respectively. Our study suggests thatSphagnum, the ecological engineer of peatlands, by regulating spore production and longevity can maintain relatively constant spore banks which may be of great importance in population regeneration and persistence in a changing world.
|
|
| 19. |
- Wang, Yi-Tong, et al.
(author)
-
Direct production of biodiesel via simultaneous esterification and transesterification of renewable oils using calcined blast furnace dust
- 2021
-
In: Renewable energy. - : Elsevier BV. - 0960-1481 .- 1879-0682. ; 175, s. 1001-1011
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Direct production of biodiesel by both esterification and transesterification of renewable oils with acid value (AV) of 9.6-28.9 mg KOH/g using calcined blast furnace dust is studied. Blast furnace dust calcined at 600-700 degrees C obviously promotes efficient biodiesel production because of the crystal form transformation from lead sulfate particles in dust into active lead oxide, lead sulfide, and lead particles. It is found for the first time that lead oxide, lead sulfide and lead particles can resist saponification from fatty acids to catalyze raw renewable oils to biodiesel with catalytic activity order as follows: lead oxide > lead > lead sulfide > lead sulfate. Biodiesel production process is optimized according to an orthogonal design with biodiesel yield of 92 wt% obtained at AV of 9.6 mg KOH/g (82 wt% after 5 cycles). Biodiesel yield of 84 wt% is achieved at AV of 28.9 mg KOH/g with acidity of 0.18 mmol/g. Calcined blast furnace dust presents potential applications in the production of biodiesel from renewable oils with high AVs.
|
|
