Measurements of charged current lepton universality and |Vus| using tau lepton decays to e- ν(e) ν(τ), μ- ν(μ) ν(τ), π- ν(τ), and K- ν(τ)

Using 467  fb(-1) of e+e- annihilation data collected with the BABAR detector, we measure (B(τ- → μ- ν(μ) ν(τ)))/(B(τ- → e- ν(e) ν(τ))) =(0.9796±0.0016±0.0036), (B(τ- → π- ν(τ)))/(B(τ- → e- ν(e) ν(τ))) = (0.5945±0.0014±0.0061), and (B(τ- → K- ν(τ)))/(B(τ- → e- ν(e) ν(τ))) = (0.03882±0.00032±0.00057), where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively. From these precision τ measurements, we test the standard model assumption of μ-e and τ-μ charge current lepton universality and provide determinations of |Vus| experimentally independent of the decay of a kaon.

Genetic improvement of grass pea for low neurotoxin (β-ODAP) content

Grass pea is a promising crop for adaptation under climate change because of its tolerance to drought, water-logging and salinity, and being almost free from insect-pests and diseases. In spite of such virtues, global area under its cultivation has decreased because of ban on its cultivation in many countries. The ban is imposed due to its association with neurolathyrism, a non-reversible neurological disorder in humans and animals due to presence of neurotoxin, β-N-oxalyl-L-α,β-diaminopropionic acid (β-ODAP) in its seedlings and seeds. The traditional varieties of grass pea contain 0.5-2.5% β-ODAP. Exploitable genetic variability for β-ODAP has been observed for development of low ODAP varieties, which along with improved agronomic and detoxification practices can help reduce the risk of lathyrism. Collaborative efforts between ICARDA and NARS have resulted in development of improved varieties such as Wasie in Ethiopia, Ratan, Prateek and Mahateora in India, and BARI Khesari-1 and BARI Khesari-2 in Bangladesh with <0.10% β-ODAP. Soil application of 15-20 kg ha(-1) zinc sulphate, early planting, and soaking seeds in water have shown significant effects on β-ODAP. Because of the often cross-pollination nature, the current breeding procedures being followed in grass pea requires paradigm shift in its approach for a possible genetic breakthrough.

No association between FTO or HHEX and endometrial cancer risk

INTRODUCTION

Obesity and diabetes are known risk factors for endometrial cancer; thus, the genetic risk factors of these phenotypes might also be associated with endometrial cancer risk. To evaluate this hypothesis, we genotyped tag-single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and candidate SNPs in FTO and HHEX in a primary set of 417 endometrial cancer cases and 406 population-based controls, and validated significant findings in a replication set of approximately 2,347 cases and 3,140 controls from three additional studies.

METHODS

We genotyped 189 tagSNPs in FTO (including rs8050136) and five tagSNPs in HHEX (including rs1111875) in the primary set and one SNP each in FTO (rs12927155) and HHEX (rs1111875) in the validation set. Per allele odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated to estimate the association between the genotypes of each SNPs (as an ordinal variable) and endometrial cancer risk using unconditional logistic regression models, controlling for age and site.

RESULTS

In the primary study, the most significant finding in FTO was rs12927155 (OR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.21-2.01; P = 5.8 x 10(-4)), and in HHEX, it was rs1111875 (OR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.66-0.97; P = 0.026). In the validation studies, the pooled per allele OR, adjusted for age and study for FTO, was rs12927155 (OR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.83-1.06; P = 0.29), whereas for HHEX, it was rs1111875 (OR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.92-1.10; P = 0.96).

CONCLUSION

Our data indicate that common genetic variants in two genes previously related to obesity (FTO) and diabetes (HHEX) by genome-wide association scans were not associated with endometrial cancer risk.

IMPACT

Polymorphisms in FTO and HHEX are unlikely to have large effects on endometrial cancer risk but may have weaker effects.

Fine scale mapping of the breast cancer 16q12 locus

Recent genome-wide association studies have identified a breast cancer susceptibility locus on 16q12 with an unknown biological basis. We used a set of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers to generate a fine-scale map and narrowed the region of association to a 133 kb DNA segment containing the largely uncharacterized hypothetical gene LOC643714, a short intergenic region and the 5' end of TOX3. Re-sequencing this segment in European subjects identified 293 common polymorphisms, including a set of 26 highly correlated candidate causal variants. By evaluation of these SNPs in five breast cancer case-control studies involving more than 23 000 subjects from populations of European and Southeast Asian ancestry, all but 14 variants could be excluded at odds of <1:100. Most of the remaining variants lie in the intergenic region, which exhibits evolutionary conservation and open chromatin conformation, consistent with a regulatory function. African-American case-control studies exhibit a different pattern of association suggestive of an additional causative variant.

Test of lepton universality in Υ(1S) decays at BABAR

The ratio R(τμ)(Υ(1S))=Γ(Υ(1S)→τ+ τ-)/Γ(Υ(1S)→μ+ μ-) is measured using a sample of (121.8±1.2)×10(6)Υ(3S) events recorded by the BABAR detector. This measurement is intended as a test of lepton universality and as a search for a possible light pseudoscalar Higgs boson. In the standard model (SM) this ratio is expected to be close to 1. Any significant deviations would violate lepton universality and could be introduced by the coupling to a light pseudoscalar Higgs boson. The analysis studies the decays Υ(3S)→Υ(1S)π+ π-, Υ(1S)→l+ l-, where l=μ, τ. The result, R(τμ)(Υ(1S))=1.005±0.013(stat)±0.022(syst), shows no deviation from the expected SM value, while improving the precision with respect to previous measurements.

Genome-wide association study identifies five new breast cancer susceptibility loci

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in developed countries. To identify common breast cancer susceptibility alleles, we conducted a genome-wide association study in which 582,886 SNPs were genotyped in 3,659 cases with a family history of the disease and 4,897 controls. Promising associations were evaluated in a second stage, comprising 12,576 cases and 12,223 controls. We identified five new susceptibility loci, on chromosomes 9, 10 and 11 (P = 4.6 x 10(-7) to P = 3.2 x 10(-15)). We also identified SNPs in the 6q25.1 (rs3757318, P = 2.9 x 10(-6)), 8q24 (rs1562430, P = 5.8 x 10(-7)) and LSP1 (rs909116, P = 7.3 x 10(-7)) regions that showed more significant association with risk than those reported previously. Previously identified breast cancer susceptibility loci were also found to show larger effect sizes in this study of familial breast cancer cases than in previous population-based studies, consistent with polygenic susceptibility to the disease.

Search for charged lepton flavor violation in narrow upsilon decays

Charged-lepton flavor-violating processes are unobservable in the standard model, but they are predicted to be enhanced in several extensions to the standard model, including supersymmetry and models with leptoquarks or compositeness. We present a search for such processes in a sample of 99x10(6)Upsilon(2S) decays and 117x10(6)Upsilon(3S) decays collected with the BABAR detector. We place upper limits on the branching fractions B(Upsilon(nS)-->e(+/-)tau(-/+)) and B(Upsilon(nS)-->mu(+/-)tau(-/+)) (n=2,3) at the 10(-6) level and use these results to place lower limits of order 1 TeV on the mass scale of charged-lepton flavor-violating effective operators.

Abstract 5289: HO-3867 inhibits cell migration, invasion and tumor growth of ovarian cancer through alterations in fatty acid synthase (FASN) and focal adhesion kinase (FAK) signaling

Fatty acid synthase (FAS) has been found to be overexpressed in a wide range of epithelial tumors, including ovarian cancer. Expression of FAS, the key enzyme in de novo synthesis of long-chain fatty acids, is normally low but increases in cancer. The increase of FAS levels regulates cell proliferation, apoptosis and migration in tumors. In tumor cells, the inhibition of FAS elicits cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, so it is considered a potential drug target for cancer therapy. A2780 and SKOV3 ovarian cancer cells were grown in vitro and exposed to culture media containing 10 μM of HO-3867 for a period of 12 or 24 hours. FAS protein level analysis and examination of proliferation and migration genes was performed by Western blotting. RT-PCR was used to examine mRNA levels. FAS activity levels were measured by spectrophotometry. FAS, Cyclin D1 and VEGF expression levels were analyzed in vivo using both Western blotting, RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. We found that HO-3867 significantly inhibits the FAS activity levels in A2780 and SKOV3 ovarian cancer cells. FAS mRNA levels were significantly decreased in HO-3867-treated cells. Based upon these results, we investigated how HO-3867 inhibits FAS expression and activity in ovarian cancer cells. We found that FAS-regulating genes such as SREBP1 & 2 and pHER1 were clearly inhibited by HO-3867 exposure. Collectively, our results indicate that HO-3867 inhibition of FAS leads to inhibition of the cell migration genes FAK, ERK1/2, c-Myc, upregulation of the proliferation-regulating genes p21, p27 and downregulation of cyclin D1, resulting in inhibition of ovarian cancer cell proliferation, migration and tumor growth.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5289.

Abstract 2850: Endometrial cancer and genetic variation in PTEN, PIK3CA, AKT1, MLH1, and MSH2: results and replication in two case-control studies

PTEN, PI3KCA, AKT, MLH1, and MSH2 likely influence endometrial carcinogenesis. PTEN regulates the crucial PI3K signaling pathway, which influences AKT, a serine-threonine kinase that affects apoptosis and cell proliferation; inadequate progesterone-stimulated apoptosis plus excess estrogen-driven proliferation are crucial for endometrial carcinoma. MLH1 and MSH2 influence DNA mismatch repair and microsatellite instability, which are often defective in endometrial cancers. We investigated common genetic variation in these genes among 417 cases and 407 matched controls from the population-based Poland Endometrial Case-control Study (PECS). We genotyped 76 tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (tagSNPs) that were located in or within 10kb upstream or 5kb downstream of these genes, had a MAF&gt;=5% in various ethnic groups, and were not already represented by another tagSNP at a linkage disequilibrium of r2&gt;=0.80. Genotyping was performed on an Illumina Custom Infinium iSelect assay that includes 29,289 SNPs in 1316 genes. For individual SNPs, we used unconditional logistic regression, adjusted for age and site, to generate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for heterozygous genotypes, minor homozygous genotypes, and trends for number of minor alleles under log-additive inheritance. Only 1 tagSNP, rs2677764 in PIK3CA, was statistically significantly associated with endometrial cancer. Compared with a referent group of CC, the ORs (95% CIs) were 1.47 (1.03-2.10) for CT and 1.56 (0.43-5.60) for TT. The OR for the trend was 1.42 (95% CI, 1.03-1.95; P=0.03). We chose extended blocks as the main haplotype analysis, used an E-M algorithm to simultaneously reconstruct haplotypes and estimate ORs, and used a sequential-scan method to identify statistically significant haplotypes. All global p-values for the 25 haplotypes observed in at least 5% of cases and controls were null. One haplotype in PIK3CA was significantly associated with endometrial cancer (OR=1.39. 95% CI, 1.00-1.93). We also used adaptive rank truncated product (ARTP) methods to detect gene associations, but none were statistically significant. To further assess the validity of the association with rs2677764, we genotyped that SNP in a 2nd study, the SEARCH study in the UK, with 1141 endometrial cancer cases and 2275 controls. For rs2677764, the ORs (95% CIs) were 0.93 (0.77-1.13) for CT, 1.27 (0.68-2.39) for TT, and 0.98 (0.82-1.17) for the trend test. In a fixed-effect meta-analysis combining PECS and SEARCH, rs2677764 was not associated with endometrial cancer: OR=1.15 (95% CI, 0.80-1.66; P=0.45 for trend test). The absence of replication in SEARCH of an association with rs2677764 in PIK3CA in PECS and the null results from haplotype and ARTP analyses indicate that these common genetic variations in PTEN, PI3KCA, AKT, MLH1, and MSH2 do not substantially affect endometrial cancer risk.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2850.

Lipid profile among ischemic and haemorrhagic stroke patients

This study is a prospective cross- sectional study conducted in the Neurology and Medicine department of Mymensingh Medical college Hospital (MMCH) to see the association of different components of serum lipids among ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke patients. Cases were selected following certain inclusion and exclusion criteria. Result showed that both types of stroke were more common after the age of 50 years. Male suffered more than female. M:F in ischemic stroke group was 1.73:1, and in hemorrhagic group was 1.42:1. Both types of stroke belong to middle class people. Smoking, hypertension and diabetes mellitus were equally common in both types of stroke. Low density lipoprotein (LDL) level were more than desired level in both types of stroke and there was no significant difference between two groups (p>0.05). Other components of lipid profile (total cholesterol, HDL, Triglyceride) were within normal range and there was no significant difference between two groups (p>0.05).

Searches for Lepton flavor violation in the decays tau{+/-}-->e{+/-}gamma and tau{+/-}-->mu{+/-}gamma

Searches for lepton-flavor-violating decays of a tau lepton to a lighter mass lepton and a photon have been performed with the entire data set of (963+/-7)x10{6} tau decays collected by the BABAR detector near the Upsilon(4S), Upsilon(3S) and Upsilon(2S) resonances. The searches yield no evidence of signals and we set upper limits on the branching fractions of B(tau{+/-}-->e{+/-}gamma)<3.3x10{-8} and B(tau{+/-}-->mu{+/-}gamma)<4.4x10{-8} at 90% confidence level.

An outbreak of infection with Bacillus anthracis in injecting drug users in Scotland

An investigation is currently underway to explore and control an outbreak of Bacillus anthracis among drug users (mainly injecting) in Scotland. Contaminated heroin or a contaminated cutting agent mixed with the heroin is considered to be the most likely source and vehicle of infection. Heroin users have been advised of the risk. The risk to the general public is regarded as very low.

Measurement of |V(cb)| and the form-factor slope in B --> Dl- nu(l) decays in events tagged by a fully reconstructed B meson

We present a measurement of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix element |V(cb)| and the form-factor slope rho2 in B --> Dl- nu(l) decays based on 460x10(6) BB events recorded at the Upsilon(4S) resonance with the BABAR detector. B --> Dl- nu(l) decays are selected in events in which a hadronic decay of the second B meson is fully reconstructed. We measure B(B- --> D0 l- nu(l))/B(B- --> Xl- nu(l)) = (0.255+/-0.009+/-0.009) and B(B0 --> D+ l- nu(l))/B(B0 --> Xl- nu(l)) = (0.230+/-0.011+/-0.011), along with the differential decay distribution in B --> Dl- nu(l) decays. We then determine G(1)|V(cb)| = (42.3+/-1.9+/-1.4)x10(-3) and rho2 = 1.20+/-0.09+/-0.04, where G(1) is the hadronic form factor at the point of zero recoil.