Interaction models matter: an efficient, flexible computational framework for model-specific investigation of epistasis.

Purpose: Epistasis, the interaction between two or more genes, is integral to the study of genetics and is present throughout nature. Yet, it is seldom fully explored as most approaches primarily focus on single-locus effects, partly because analyzing all pairwise and higher-order interactions requires significant computational resources. Furthermore, existing methods for epistasis detection only consider a Cartesian (multiplicative) model for interaction terms.

Alternative polyadenylation factors link cell cycle to migration.

Background: In response to a wound, fibroblasts are activated to migrate toward the wound, to proliferate and to contribute to the wound healing process. We hypothesize that changes in pre-mRNA processing occurring as fibroblasts enter the proliferative cell cycle are also important for promoting their migration.

Results: RNA sequencing of fibroblasts induced into quiescence by contact inhibition reveals downregulation of genes involved in mRNA processing, including splicing and cleavage and polyadenylation factors.

Differences between the activity of the masticatory muscles of adults with cerebral palsy and healthy individuals while at rest and in function.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to compare the electromyographic activity of masticatory muscles of adult patients with different degrees of oral motor impairment (cerebral palsy) with the electromyographic activity of healthy individuals in a control group. Electromyographic activity was compared when the masticatory muscles were at rest and in motion.

Design: Thirty adult patients with cerebral palsy and 30 subjects without neuromotor disorders were enrolled in the present study.

FastLSU: a more practical approach for the Benjamini-Hochberg FDR controlling procedure for huge-scale testing problems.

Motivation: We address a common problem in large-scale data analysis, and especially the field of genetics, the huge-scale testing problem, where millions to billions of hypotheses are tested together creating a computational challenge to control the inflation of the false discovery rate. As a solution we propose an alternative algorithm for the famous Linear Step Up procedure of Benjamini and Hochberg.

Results: Our algorithm requires linear time and does not require any P-value ordering.

FASTING IN ELECTIVE SURGICAL PATIENTS: COMPARISON AMONG THE TIME PRESCRIBED, PERFORMED AND RECOMMENDED ON PERIOPERATIVE CARE PROTOCOLS.

Background: Prolonged preoperative fasting may impair nutritional status of the patient and their recovery. In contrast, some studies show that fasting abbreviation can improve the response to trauma and decrease the length of hospital stay.

Aim: Investigate whether the prescribed perioperative fasting time and practiced by patients is in compliance with current multimodal protocols and identify the main factors associated.

Heritability and genomics of gene expression in peripheral blood.

We assessed gene expression profiles in 2,752 twins, using a classic twin design to quantify expression heritability and quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) in peripheral blood. The most highly heritable genes (∼777) were grouped into distinct expression clusters, enriched in gene-poor regions, associated with specific gene function or ontology classes, and strongly associated with disease designation. The design enabled a comparison of twin-based heritability to estimates based on dizygotic identity-by-descent sharing and distant genetic relatedness.

Sex differences in the human peripheral blood transcriptome.

Background: Genomes of men and women differ in only a limited number of genes located on the sex chromosomes, whereas the transcriptome is far more sex-specific. Identification of sex-biased gene expression will contribute to understanding the molecular basis of sex-differences in complex traits and common diseases.

Results: Sex differences in the human peripheral blood transcriptome were characterized using microarrays in 5,241 subjects, accounting for menopause status and hormonal contraceptive use.

Comparative analysis of the exoproteomes of Listeria monocytogenes strains grown at low temperatures.

This article presents the major differences in the exoproteomes of Listeria monocytogenes strains grown at 11°C and 20°C, and their comparison to 37°C, the optimal temperature of growth of this foodborne pathogenic bacteria. A set of four strains previously characterized and representing the genetic diversity of the species was used. Two were virulent, of which one was persistent, and two were low virulent strains.