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- Feitosa, Mary F., et al.
(author)
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Novel genetic associations for blood pressure identified via gene-alcohol interaction in up to 570K individuals across multiple ancestries
- 2018
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In: PLOS ONE. - : Public library science. - 1932-6203. ; 13:6
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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.
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- Gao, Haichang, et al.
(author)
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Extended Security Analysis of Hollow Captchas
- 2018
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In: Journal of Internet Technology. - Taiwan, Republic of China : National Dong Hwa University * Computer Center. - 1607-9264 .- 2079-4029. ; 19:4, s. 1075-1088
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Text-based Captchas are now most widely used security technology for differentiating between computers and humans. Hollow Captchas have emerged as one of the latest designs, and they have been deployed by more and more major companies. Besides Yahoo!, Tencent, Sina, China Mobile and Baidu, some other websites, especially for higher security requirement shopping websites are also using this scheme. A main feature of such schemes is to use contour lines to form connected hollow characters with the aim of improving security and usability simultaneously. It is hard for standard techniques to segment and recognize such connected characters, which are however easy for human eyes. In this paper, we provide a systematic security analysis of hollow Captchas. We show that with a simple but novel attack, we can break most hollow Captchas with a relatively high success rate, including those deployed by the major companies. Our attack for the first time combines segmentation and recognition in a single step. We also discuss lessons and guidelines for designing better Captchas.
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- Roberts, Jason D., et al.
(author)
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Ankyrin-B dysfunction predisposes to arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy and is amenable to therapy
- 2019
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In: Journal of Clinical Investigation. - : AMER SOC CLINICAL INVESTIGATION INC. - 0021-9738 .- 1558-8238. ; 129:8, s. 3171-3184
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is an inherited arrhythmia syndrome characterized by severe structural and electrical cardiac phenotypes, including myocardial fibrofatty replacement and sudden cardiac death. Clinical management of ACM is largely palliative, owing to an absence of therapies that target its underlying pathophysiology, which stems partially from our limited insight into the condition. Following identification of deceased ACM probands possessing ANK2 rare variants and evidence of ankyrin-B loss of function on cardiac tissue analysis, an ANK2 mouse model was found to develop dramatic structural abnormalities reflective of human ACM, including biventricular dilation, reduced ejection fraction, cardiac fibrosis, and premature death. Desmosomal structure and function appeared preserved in diseased human and murine specimens in the presence of markedly abnormal beta-catenin expression and patterning, leading to identification of a previously unknown interaction between ankyrin-B and beta-catenin. A pharmacological activator of the WNT/beta-catenin pathway, SB-216763, successfully prevented and partially reversed the murine ACM phenotypes. Our findings introduce what we believe to be a new pathway for ACM, a role of ankyrin-B in cardiac structure and signaling, a molecular link between ankyrin-B and beta-catenin, and evidence for targeted activation of the WNT/beta-catenin pathway as a potential treatment for this disease.
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- Shaw, Jeff, et al.
(author)
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Inflammatory processes are specifically enhanced in endothelial cells by placental-derived TNF-α : Implications in preeclampsia (PE)
- 2016
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In: Placenta. - : Elsevier BV. - 0143-4004. ; 43, s. 1-8
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Introduction There is a consensus that factors released by the placenta to maternal circulation, including TNF-α, play a key role in activating the maternal endothelium in pregnancies with preeclampsia (PE). Dual perfusion preserves the structural organization of the placenta to a greater degree than other in vitro systems and has been used by our group and others to examine placental pathophysiology associated with PE. The objective of this study was to use the dual perfusion model to test whether TNF-α released by the placenta to maternal perfusate affects pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion by, and activation of, endothelial cells, thereby furthering our understanding of placental and endothelial dysfunction in PE. Method We used maternal perfusate, two endothelial cell lines (HUVECs and HEECs), and a TNF-α blocking antibody to test whether placental-derived TNF-α plays a significant role in altering the expression and secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines in endothelial cells as well as the expression of activation markers in this cell type. Results The presence of maternal perfusate significantly enhanced IL-6, IL-8, and MCP-1 secretion, levels of their mRNA, as well as mRNA levels of markers of endothelial activation (E-selectin, ICAM-1, and VCAM-1). The addition of a TNF-α blocking antibody significantly inhibited the maternal perfusate-mediated enhancement of cytokine secretion by, and expression of activation markers, in both HUVECs and HEECs. Discussion These results demonstrate that TNF-α significantly contributed to endothelial cell pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion and activation suggesting that blocking TNF-α action may mitigate the effects of maternal endothelial dysfunction in PE.
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- Sung, Yun Ju, et al.
(author)
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A multi-ancestry genome-wide study incorporating gene-smoking interactions identifies multiple new loci for pulse pressure and mean arterial pressure
- 2019
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In: Human Molecular Genetics. - : Oxford University Press. - 0964-6906 .- 1460-2083. ; 28:15, s. 2615-2633
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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.
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