Identifying profiles of brain structure and associations with current and future psychopathology in youth

Brain structure is often studied as a marker of youth psychopathology by examining associations between volume or thickness of individual regions and specific diagnoses. However, these univariate approaches do not address whether the effect of a particular region may depend on the structure of other regions. Here, we identified subgroups of individuals with distinct profiles of brain structure and examined how these profiles were associated with concurrent and future youth psychopathology. We used latent profile analysis to identify distinct neuroanatomical profiles of subcortical region volume and orbitofrontal cortical thickness in the ABCD study (N = 9376, mean age = 9.91, SD = 0.62). We identified a five-profile solution consisting of a reduced subcortical volume profile, a reduced orbitofrontal thickness profile, a reduced limbic and elevated striatal volume profile, an elevated orbitofrontal thickness and reduced striatal volume profile, and an elevated orbitofrontal thickness and subcortical volume profile. While controlling for age, sex, and intracranial volume, profiles exhibited differences in concurrent psychopathology measured dimensionally and categorically and in psychopathology at 1-year follow-up measured dimensionally. Results show that profiles of brain structure have incremental validity for associations with youth psychopathology beyond intracranial volume.     

筛选细菌致病基因的几种常用方法

以致病基因作为靶点的药物为我们提供了从基因水平预防、治疗疾病的可能,筛选致病基因,成为攻克细菌、病毒乃至遗传因素导致的疾病的一个重要课题。筛选方法不断地改革与创新,针对不同的研究目的需要合理地选择筛选方法,本文简要介绍几种常用的细菌致病基因的筛选方法。     

脑脊髓损伤大鼠局部Th1/Th2细胞相关因子的表达及意义

目的 分析大鼠急性脑脊髓性损伤后脑脊髓中Th1和Th2细胞相关因子的表达水平,探讨其在持续性二次损伤中可能的作用.方法 制备SD大鼠急性脑脊髓性损伤模型,随机分为损伤组和脂多糖(LPS)处理组,各组又分别对脑和脊髓进行实验处理.用荧光定量PCR分别检测不同组别大鼠脑脊髓中Th1和Th2细胞相关因子,并进行相关性分析.结果 与对照组相比,损伤和LPS处理的脑组织Th1细胞相关的细胞因子IFN-γ表达明显增高(P＜0.05),而T-bet的表达并无明显改变;在损伤和LPS处理的脊髓中,IFN-γ和转录因子T-bet、HLX的表达均显著升高(P＜0.05).无论是脊髓损伤组还是LPS处理组,细胞因子IL-4和转录因子GATA3均与对照组无异,呈低表达状态.结论 脑脊髓损伤后呈现不同程度的Th1细胞相关因子上调,尤以可溶性的细胞因子IFN-γ为显著,脊髓损伤时出现T-bet与HLX表达上调.     

基于相对风险的肿瘤基因差异表达分析

目的寻找与肿瘤相关的基因诊疗中差异表达基因提取的方法。方法将基因表达谱数据进行预处理,采用相对风险方法筛选出差异表达基因特征子集,计算其样本间距离,然后对特征基因加权排序和过滤冗余基因,最后应用分类器对卵巢癌基因数据集进行分析,测试该方法的有效性。结果选取20维特征基因,进行分类测试,当特征基因为3～5、7和12～20维时,分类准确率可以达到100%,假阳性率可以达到0,表现出较好的可靠性,能够有效地将2个样本类型分开。结论经分类器测试证明,分类精度高,效果优于使用传统的基因差异表达分析方法。     

A unifying framework for robust association testing,estimation, and genetic model selection using the generalized linear model

The analysis of genome-wide genetic association studies generally starts with univariate statistical tests of each single-nucleotide polymorphism. The standard approach is the Cochran-Armitage trend test or its logistic regression equivalent although this approach can lose considerable power if the underlying genetic model is not additive. An alternative is the MAX test, which is robust against the three basic modes of inheritance. Here, the asymptotic distribution of the MAX test is derived using the generalized linear model together with the Delta method and multiple contrasts. The approach is applicable to binary, quantitative, and survival traits. It may be used for unrelated individuals, family-based studies, and matched pairs. The approach provides point and interval effect estimates and allows selecting the most plausible genetic model using the minimum P-value. R code is provided. A Monte-Carlo simulation study shows that the asymptotic MAX test framework meets type I error levels well, has good power, and good model selection properties for minor allele frequencies ≥0.3. Pearson''s χ²-test is superior for lower minor allele frequencies with low frequencies for the rare homozygous genotype. In these cases, the model selection procedure should be used with caution. The use of the MAX test is illustrated by reanalyzing findings from seven genome-wide association studies including case–control, matched pairs, and quantitative trait data.     

Reflectin genes and development of iridophore patterns in Sepia officinalis embryos (Mollusca,Cephalopoda)

Background: In the cuttlefish Sepia officinalis, iridescence is known to play a role in patterning and communication. In iridophores, iridosomes are composed of reflectins, a protein family, which show great diversity in all cephalopod species. Iridosomes are established before hatching, but very little is known about how these cells are established, their distribution in embryos, or the contribution of each reflectin gene to iridosome structures. Results: Six reflectin genes are expressed during the development of iridosomes in Sepia officinalis. We show that they are expressed in numerous parts of the body before hatching. Evidence of the colocalization of two different genes of reflectin was found. Curiously, reflectin mRNA expression was no longer detectable at the time of hatchling, while reflectin proteins were present and gave rise to visible iridescence. Conclusion: These data suggest that several different forms of reflectins are simultaneously used to produce iridescence in S. officinalis and that mRNA production and translation are decoupled in time during iridosome development. Developmental Dynamics 242:550–561, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.