Coatings based on side-chain ether-linked poly(ethylene glycol) and fluorocarbon polymers for the control of marine biofouling.

The preparation of side group modified polystyrene-based surface-active block copolymers (SABC) for use as marine fouling resistance/release applications is described. Modifying moieties such as poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and semifluorinated segments were used. A novel bilayer methodology has been employed that provides both suitable mechanical properties through the use of an elastomeric primer layer of styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene (SEBS) and control of surface-chemistry through use of the SABCs.

A genome-wide search for allergic response (atopy) genes in three ethnic groups: Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Asthma.

Atopy is an IgE-mediated condition known to aggregate in families and is a major risk factor for asthma. As part of the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Asthma (CSGA), a genome-wide scan for atopy, defined by skin sensitivity to one or more common environmental allergens, was conducted in 287 CSGA families (115 African American, 138 Caucasian and 34 Hispanic). Using a nonparametric genetic analysis approach, two regions were observed in the sample of all families that yielded multipoint lod scores >1.

Immunogenicity of the soluble isoforms of HLA-G.

Soluble class Ib HLA-G glycoproteins synthesized in the placenta are abundant in the pregnant uterus and circulate in maternal blood throughout pregnancy. To establish immunogenicity of these proteins, we tested sera from 64 women with at least one successful pregnancy (multigravid), 21 women who had never been pregnant, and 54 males for antibodies to epitopes present on recombinant sHLA-G isoforms (sHLA-G1, sHLA-G2) derived from HLA 6.0 cDNA (HLA-G*0101 allele).

Methods for the topographical patterning and patterned surface modification of hydrogels based on hydroxyethyl methacrylate.

Hydrogels have gained broad acceptance as a class of biocompatible materials. In this paper, we report the topographic patterning and regiospecific functionalization of hydrogel surfaces. Both photolithography and soft lithography are combined in a hybrid process to form these topographic features.

Novel case-control test in a founder population identifies P-selectin as an atopy-susceptibility locus.

To avoid problems related to unknown population substructure, association studies may be conducted in founder populations. In such populations, however, the relatedness among individuals may be considerable. Neglecting such correlations among individuals can lead to seriously spurious associations.

Pregnancy outcome in recurrent miscarriage patients with skewed X chromosome inactivation.

Objective: To analyze X inactivation in women with recurrent miscarriage to estimate whether skewed X inactivation is associated with recurrent miscarriage and whether it predicts next pregnancy outcomes.

Methods: A multicenter study was performed. A power calculation determined that 101 patients were needed to detect a difference in skewed X inactivation between patients and controls.

Variation in the HLA-G promoter region influences miscarriage rates.

The HLA-G gene is primarily expressed in placental cells that invade the maternal decidua during pregnancy. This gene encodes multiple isoforms that fulfill a variety of functions at the maternal-fetal interface throughout gestation. Recently, a null allele for the most abundant HLA-G isoform was associated with recurrent miscarriage in two independent studies, suggesting that reduced levels of the HLA-G1 protein may compromise successful pregnancy.

Evidence for gene-environment interactions in a linkage study of asthma and smoking exposure.

Background: Asthma, a common and chronic disease of the airways, has a multifactorial cause involving both genetic and environmental factors. As a result, mapping genes that influence asthma susceptibility has been challenging.

Objective: This study tests the hypothesis that inclusion of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), a potential risk factor for asthma, would improve the ability to map genes for asthma.

Sequence variation in the promoter region of the cholinergic receptor muscarinic 3 gene and asthma and atopy.

Background: Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors are members of the superfamily of G protein-coupled, 7 transmembrane- spanning proteins. They are important in the development of airway hyperresponsiveness. In the lung the M3 receptor, encoded by the cholinergic receptor muscarinic 3 gene, is present in airway smooth muscle and mediates smooth muscle contraction.

Major loci influencing serum triglyceride levels on 2q14 and 9p21 localized by homozygosity-by-descent mapping in a large Hutterite pedigree.

Serum triglyceride (TG) level is a well-known risk factor for cardiovascular disease, a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Western countries. Although genome-wide scans for TG have been conducted in several populations, few loci have shown strong evidence for linkage. The Hutterites are a founder population, which practices a communal lifestyle that includes a uniformly high-fat, high-cholesterol diet.

Present status on the genetic studies of asthma.

Asthma, one of the most common chronic diseases, is a complex and heterogeneous disorder. The results of genome screens for asthma-related traits in 11 different populations identified at least 18 regions of the genome that probably house asthma/atopy genes. The most consistently replicated regions are on chromosomes 2q, 5q, 6p, 12q and 13q.

Missing data in haplotype analysis: a study on the MILC method.

Given the enormous progress in the knowledge of the human genome, genetic markers are now available throughout the genome. Haplotype analysis, allowing the simultaneous use of information from several markers, has thus become increasingly popular. However, we often face the problem of missing data and of haplotype identification.

An efficient two-photon-generated photoacid applied to positive-tone 3D microfabrication.

A two-photon-activatable photoacid generator, based on a bis[(diarylamino) styryl]benzene core with covalently attached sulfonium moieties, has been synthesized. The photoacid generator has both a large two-photon absorption cross section (delta = 690 x 10(-50) centimeter(4) second per photon) and a high quantum yield for the photochemical generation of acid (phiH+ = 0.5).

Linkage disequilibrium and age estimates of a deletion polymorphism (1597DeltaC) in HLA-G suggest non-neutral evolution.

A single base deletion in HLA-G (1597DeltaC) that is a null allele for the full-length protein is found at frequencies of 6%-11% in populations of African descent. To test the null hypothesis that 1597DeltaC "drifted" to this frequency by neutral evolutionary processes, we compared the pattern of variation and linkage disequilibrium (LD) around this allele and around a conservative amino acid replacement polymorphism in HLA-G (T31S) in African-Americans and Nigerians. There was no significant LD between the 31S allele and flanking STRPs at 150-200 kb in either sample, but significant LD was observed between the 1597DeltaC allele and the same flanking STRPs (p < 0.

Susceptibility genes in asthma and allergy.

Genome-wide screens for asthma and atopy susceptibility loci have been completed in six population samples. Despite the extensive clinical heterogeneity associated with these phenotypes, 20 chromosomal regions show evidence of linkage (P < 0.01) in three or more population samples.

Quantitative-trait homozygosity and association mapping and empirical genomewide significance in large, complex pedigrees: fasting serum-insulin level in the Hutterites.

We present methods for linkage and association mapping of quantitative traits for a founder population with a large, known genealogy. We detect linkage to quantitative-trait loci (QTLs) through a multipoint homozygosity-mapping method. We propose two association methods, one of which is single point and uses a general two-allele model and the other of which is multipoint and uses homozygosity by descent for a particular allele.

Paternally inherited HLA alleles are associated with women's choice of male odor.

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is a source of unique individual odors that influence individual recognition, mating preferences, nesting behavior and selective block of pregnancy in animals. Such phenomena have been difficult to study in humans, because the human leukocyte antigen (HLA, human MHC) loci are the most polymorphic loci in the human genome, with the potential to generate millions of unique combinations of genotypes. In addition, high variability in background odors, encoded by the rest of the genome and influenced by cultural practices, contribute to a low signal-to-noise ratio that could mask HLA-based olfactory cues.

Description of three data sets: Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Asthma (CSGA), the German Affected-Sib-Pair Study, and the Hutterites of South Dakota.

Three different data sets with clinical data and markers from genome-wide screens were submitted for analysis at Genetic Analysis Workshop 12. In each study, participants were carefully characterized for asthma and related phenotypes. Testing for bronchial hyper-responsiveness using methacholine and standardized protocols was performed.

Three polymorphisms in the 3' UTR of the TRAIL (TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand) gene.

Screening of the TRAIL (TNF-related apoptosis inducing ligand/Apo-2L) gene revealed three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the 3' UTR at nucleotides 1525G/A, 1588G/A, and 1591C/T. Over 50 individuals from each of two populations, Caucasian and African Americans, were genotyped for these three polymorphisms and allele frequencies were determined.

HLA-G genotypes and pregnancy outcome in couples with unexplained recurrent miscarriage.

HLA-G is a non-classical human leukocyte antigen expressed primarily in fetal tissues at the maternal-fetal interface. This expression pattern is unique among HLA genes and suggests that HLA-G may be involved in interactions that are critical in establishing and/or maintaining pregnancy. To evaluate the role of polymorphisms at this locus in maternal-fetal interactions, 113 couples with unexplained recurrent miscarriage were genotyped for seven polymorphisms that define 12 HLA-G alleles.

The genetic dissection of complex traits in a founder population.

We estimated broad heritabilities (H(2)) and narrow heritabilities (h(2)) and conducted genomewide screens, using a novel association-based mapping approach for 20 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) among the Hutterites, a founder population that practices a communal lifestyle. Heritability estimates ranged from.21 for diastolic blood pressure (DBP) to.

Ethnic differences in asthma and associated phenotypes: collaborative study on the genetics of asthma.

Background: In the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Asthma, 314 families with 2584 subjects were characterized for asthma and allergy.

Objective: The purpose of this investigation was to examine clinical heterogeneity observed in asthma and allergic characteristics among 3 ethnic groups (African American, white, and Hispanic family members).

Methods: Pulmonary function parameters and asthma associated phenotypes were compared among the ethnic groups.

A novel polymorphism in the 5' promoter region of the human interleukin-4 receptor alpha-chain gene is associated with decreased soluble interleukin-4 receptor protein levels.

Interleukin (IL)-4 exerts its biological effects through binding to the IL-4 receptor (IL4R) complex, plays a central role in stimulating B-cell differentiation, and is crucial for the development of T helper 2 cells. Recently, a soluble form of the human IL4R alpha chain (sIL4R alpha), which is produced by alternate mRNA splicing of exon 8, was discovered. sIL4R is thought to play an important role in either enhancing or inhibiting IL-4 signalling.