Novel gene associated with asthma in African-Americans confirmed

ScienceDaily (July 31, 2011) ? A new national collaboration of asthma genetics researchers has revealed a novel gene associated with the disease in African-Americans, according to a new scientific report.

By pooling data from nine independent research groups looking for genes associated with asthma, the newly-created EVE Consortium identified a novel gene association specific to populations of African descent. In addition, the new study confirmed the significance of four gene associations recently reported by a European asthma genetics study.

The findings, published in Nature Genetics, are a promising first step for a new national scientific effort to hunt for the genetic roots of asthma.

"We now have a really good handle on at least five genes that anyone would be comfortable saying are asthma risk loci," said Carole Ober, PhD, co-chair of the EVE Consortium, senior author of the study, and Blum-Riese Professor of human genetics and obstetrics/gynecology at the University of Chicago. "I think it's an exciting time in asthma genetics."

"Asthma rates have been on the rise in recent years, with the greatest rise among African Americans," said Susan B. Shurin, M.D., acting director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health, which co-funded the study. "Understanding these genetic links is an important first step towards our goal of relieving the increased burden of asthma in this population."

Genome-wide association studies, or GWAS, are a popular method used by geneticists to find genetic variants associated with elevated risk for a particular disease. Genetic data from a group of patients with the target disease are compared to data from a control group without the disease, and researchers look for variants that appear significantly more often in the disease group.

But the ability, or power, of GWAS to find disease-associated variants is dependent on the number of participants enrolled in a study. To find variants involved in complex diseases, thousands of participants may be necessary -- a logistical and financial demand often beyond the capacity of an individual research team.

"It has become clear to geneticists studying nearly every common disease that GWAS are often under-powered, and unless you pull together many researchers doing the same thing you're just not going to have the power to find genes," said Dan Nicolae, PhD, associate professor of medicine, statistics, and human genetics at University of Chicago, co-chair of the consortium and another senior author of the study. "That was the motivation for nine groups of investigators coming together to form EVE."

Spurred by support from the NHLBI and the National Institutes of Health, research groups from the nine institutions discussed pooling their GWAS data to create a larger, shared dataset. But it wasn't until they received a $5.6 million grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 that the EVE Consortium could officially form and hire the necessary personnel to execute the collaboration.

"It would never have been possible without the grant, this was a huge amount of work," said Nicolae, "The key was the ARRA funding that allowed us to move it faster."

In addition to increased power to find variants associated with asthma risk, the EVE dataset comprised a more ethnically diverse population than similar efforts in other countries by including European Americans, African Americans/African Caribbeans, and Latinos.

"We believe that this heterogeneity is important," Ober said. "There are differences in asthma prevalence in these three groups, so it's important to understand whether these are caused by environmental exposures or by differences in genetic risk factors."

The diverse sample enabled the researchers to discover a novel genetic association with asthma observed exclusively in African-Americans and African-Caribbeans. The polymorphism, located in a gene called PYHIN1, was not present in European-Americans and may be the first asthma susceptibility gene variant specific to populations of African descent.

Four more gene variants were found significant for asthma risk by the meta-analysis: the 17q21 locus, and IL1RL1, TSLP, and IL33 genes. All four of these sites were concurrently identified in a separate dataset by the GABRIEL Study of more than 40,000 European asthma cases published last year in the New England Journal of Medicine. Confirming these associations in the more diverse EVE population offers additional evidence that the gene variants are significant across ethnicities, the researchers reported.

"We were able to show that almost all of the genes other than PYHIN1 are trans-ethnic and important in all of the groups," Ober said.

The Nature Genetics study is only the first fruit of the EVE Consortium mission to understand the genetics of asthma. A deeper meta-analysis looking at a longer list of gene variants is currently underway, and individual groups within the consortium are using the pooled dataset to answer additional questions. Topics of interest include gene-environment interactions, genetic associations with asthma-associated phenotypes such as allergies and lung function, and the role of tissue-specific gene expression.

"What you see here in this paper is only the beginning," Nicolae said. "The foundation was to make people work together, share the data, and share research ideas, and that will generate a lot of research down the road."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by University of Chicago Medical Center, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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Journal Reference:

1. Dara G Torgerson, Elizabeth J Ampleford, Grace Y Chiu, W James Gauderman, Christopher R Gignoux, Penelope E Graves, Blanca E Himes, Albert M Levin, Rasika A Mathias, Dana B Hancock, James W Baurley, Celeste Eng, Debra A Stern, Juan C Celed?n, Nicholas Rafaels, Daniel Capurso, David V Conti, Lindsey A Roth, Manuel Soto-Quiros, Alkis Togias, Xingnan Li, Rachel A Myers, Isabelle Romieu, David J Van Den Berg, Donglei Hu, Nadia N Hansel, Ryan D Hernandez, Elliott Israel, Muhammad T Salam, Joshua Galanter, Pedro C Avila, Lydiana Avila, Jose R Rodriquez-Santana, Rocio Chapela, William Rodriguez-Cintron, Gregory B Diette, N Franklin Adkinson, Rebekah A Abel, Kevin D Ross, Min Shi, Mezbah U Faruque, Georgia M Dunston, Harold R Watson, Vito J Mantese, Serpil C Ezurum, Liming Liang, Ingo Ruczinski, Jean G Ford, Scott Huntsman, Kian Fan Chung, Hita Vora, Xia Li, William J Calhoun, Mario Castro, Juan J Sienra-Monge, Blanca del Rio-Navarro, Klaus A Deichmann, Andrea Heinzmann, Sally E Wenzel, William W Busse, James E Gern, Robert F Lemanske, Terri H Beaty, Eugene R Bleecker, Benjamin A Raby, Deborah A Meyers, Stephanie J London, Frank D Gilliland, Esteban G Burchard, Fernando D Martinez, Scott T Weiss, L Keoki Williams, Kathleen C Barnes, Carole Ober, Dan L Nicolae. Meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies of asthma in ethnically diverse North American populations. Nature Genetics, 2011; DOI: 10.1038/ng.888

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/HcV_QMdECJY/110731165946.htm

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Judge extends order against Halle Berry intruder (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) ? A judge on Monday ordered an alleged stalker who was arrested outside Halle Berry's home to stay at least 100 yards away from the Oscar-winning actress and her daughter for the next three years.

Richard Franco, 27, was arrested last month outside the actress' Hollywood Hills' home after he climbed over a security gate.

On July 12, Berry was granted a temporary restraining order against Franco, and the new order issued by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Carol Boas Goodson extends the original order to August 1, 2014,

Neither Berry or Franco were present during Monday's hearing but in a sworn declaration Berry outlined how Franco had entered her yard on several occasions, and one of which, Franco tried following the actress into her kitchen.

Last month Franco was charged with a criminal count of stalking and one count of first-degree burglary related to his alleged break-in of a guest house on the actress' property.

Berry, 44, became the only black actress to win the Oscar for best actress in 2001 for her role in the movie "Monster's Ball".

(Reporting by R.T. Watson; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110801/en_nm/us_halleberry

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Should you get a home-equity loan with the bank ... - Finance Articles

We are thinking about getting a home equity loan. We need a new roof and our AC unit is making our electric bill sky-high.

We?ve never had a home equity loan before, and I?m just wondering if we should go with the company that holds our mortgage, a different company, or does it matter?

Any tips would be helpful as we?ve never done this before.

Source: http://insurance.solve-up.com/credit/loans/should-you-get-a-home-equity-loan-with-the-bank-that-holds-your-mortgage/

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Latest developments in debt ceiling standoff (AP)

Congress has until Aug. 2 to raise the federal borrowing limit or the government will run out of money and possibly default on its debt. House Republicans say they won't raise the debt limit without equal spending cuts. President Barack Obama and Democrats have insisted that higher revenues must be included.

Monday's developments: A bill that emerged from a Sunday night deal reached by Democratic and Republican leaders passed the House by a vote of 269-161 Monday evening. Congressional leaders and Vice President Joe Biden had spent the day lobbying wavering lawmakers to back the compromise legislation. It would trim spending by more than $2 trillion, and the debt ceiling itself would rise by nearly the same amount. No tax increases were included in the deal.

What's next: The Senate, where there appeared to be sufficient support for the measure to pass, planned to follow with a vote Tuesday.

___

Some background:

Q: What is the debt ceiling?

A: It's a legal limit on how much debt the government can accumulate. The government takes on debt two ways: It borrows money from investors by issuing Treasury bonds, and it borrows from itself, mostly from the Social Security trust fund, which comes from payroll taxes. Congress created the debt limit in 1917. It's unique to the United States. Most countries let their debts rise automatically when government spending outpaces tax revenue. Congress has increased the debt limit 10 times since 2001.

Q: What is the federal deficit, and how does it differ from the debt?

A: The deficit is how much government spending exceeds tax revenue during a year. Last year, the deficit was $1.29 trillion. The debt is the sum of deficits past and present. Right now, the national debt totals $14.3 trillion ? a ceiling set in 2010.

Q: Why is the prospect of not raising the debt ceiling so worrisome?

A: The government now borrows more than 40 cents of each dollar it spends. If the debt ceiling does not rise, the government would need to choose what to pay and what not, including benefits like Social Security, wages for the military or other bills. It also might delay interest payments on Treasury bonds. Any default could lead to financial panic weakening the country's credit rating, the dollar and the already hobbled economy. Interest rates would likely rise, increasing the cost of borrowing for the government and ordinary Americans.

Q: Who holds the $14.3 trillion in outstanding U.S. debt?

A: The U.S. government owes itself $4.6 trillion, mostly borrowed from Social Security revenues. The remaining $9.7 trillion is owed to investors in Treasury securities ? banks, pension funds, individual investors, state and local governments and foreign investors and governments. Nearly half of that ? $4.5 trillion ? is held by foreigners including China with $1.15 trillion and Japan with $907 billion.

Q: How did the debt grow from $5.8 trillion in 2001 to its current $14.3 trillion?

A: The biggest contributors to the nearly $9 trillion increase over a decade were:

_2001 and 2003 tax cuts under President George W. Bush: $1.6 trillion.

_Additional interest costs: $1.4 trillion.

_Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan: $1.3 trillion.

_Economic stimulus package under Obama: $800 billion.

_2010 tax cuts, a compromise by Obama and Republicans that extended jobless benefits and cut payroll taxes: $400 billion.

_2003 creation of Medicare's prescription drug benefit: $300 billion.

_2008 financial industry bailout: $200 billion.

_Hundreds of billions less in revenue than expected since the Great Recession began in December 2007.

? Other spending increases in domestic, farm and defense programs, adding lesser amounts.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110801/ap_on_go_co/us_debt_showdown_daily_summary

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Boise Property Management Provides 7 Ways To Save | Explicit Articles

Do you have properties around the Boise area you want to lease? Are you looking for property management services? Boise Property Management can offer you a combination of real estate knowledge and management skills for a fee in order to draw maximum benefits from your properties. If you think it?s going to cost you a lot hiring someone to take care of your rental properties, this article will show you 7 ways to save and make more money using professional.

Make The Most Amount Of Money Possible For You.The number of rentals with similar characteristics, the amount they are renting for and how much tenants are willing to pay for them is one distinct advantage a property manager offers. When you look at it from the perspective that they are so much more knowledgeable about successful marketing, making sure rent is collect and the home is not left vacant long, it is hard to beat them.

Keep Vacancies to a Minimum. Since so many prospective renters call property managers about so many properties, they have many more opportunities to find the right renter for your investment. They also know where and how to advertise available properties to a diverse target pool of potential renters. Getting the most quality renters into a place they are happy with translate into more money for investor and manager as well.

Placing The Most Qualified Renters.The most significant tool that property managers use is the ability to screen potential renters from the poorer candidates. This is one important aspect as they can do thorough criminal background checks, credit card checks, rental history, employment history, and reference checks. Watching for key markers when screening potential renters is what sets property managers apart from owner-managers, and it may be the difference between a good renter and a bad one.

Oversees Day To Day Maintenance.Property managers are able to keep up the property for you ? organizing day-to-day maintenance and even resolving pressing situations. Often times a home needs to be update or remodeled and property managers usually have a few contractors on file who do good work and give a lower price. Not only that, they are able to check on the renters and keep an eye on your property to not be mistreated.

Use The Best Ways To Attract Renters.This is potentially the most significant feature of any property manager. Utilizing the Internet, print media and even radio or TV ads, getting people to notice your rental property is the most critical of all the components property managers must have. Making sure to show up for showing appointments is the capstone on the marketing plan.

The Clerical Side Is Important Too.They must also handle all paperwork in a clean and efficient manner. They will assist in the negotiations and signing of agreements; handle collection of rent, bills, and other expenses needed to be paid on time; and even find you the best insurances to cover your property. Nearly all of them also offer complete accounting services as a part of their typical service contract, since it is required by law for them anyway.

Stay Up On Time-lines And People.Anyone who needs to do some work on the property has to gain access to it, and interrupting your work schedule to let someone in is a bother. A leaky faucet, an unfriendly renter, inconvenient appointment times for showing off your property ? these are but a few issues you will be facing. Having a property manager deal with all of these will let you enjoy the pleasant facets of owning a rental property.

Most landlords only think of the cost it would take to have a property manager take care of their properties. However, as this article has outlined, it is effective and efficient to hire a professional company for your cause. Take the burden from your back, and free up your time and energy by hiring a real professional.

The author enjoys writing articles about property management in boise area and is a featured author at http://boise-idaho-property-management.com

Source: http://explicitarticles.com/real-estate/property-management/boise-property-management-provides-7-ways-to-save

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Bat Shaving Company ? How to choose the best?

Her shaved bat is better than yours.

You could just shave the bat, but it will have the same performance as it does from a store of experience. Most online services use a bat shaving commercial rotary machine that rotates the bat to ensure that a uniform thickness. In addition, you should at the same time have rolled the bat is shaved.

Thin section

If you try to shave the bat with a barrel sanding attachment at the end of a drill extension,Material removed from the barrel is done in a totally random. This causes the club to have thin areas along the length of the barrel and this causes the bats to work better in some places and not so good in others.

Choose a company expert shaving

It is important to choose a company with experience in dealing with shaving shaving commercial grade equipment and have the experience. After shaving, you can expect about 30-50 metersadd to your recordings. This extra distance also means that you are recording your line into the slots and the fastest ball on the floor that were previously used are now getting through the infield drive. It will be a more consistent hitter and improved hit rate. Pitchers now fear when it comes to the plate.

Better performances of shaving

Although it was considered one of the best players can also benefit from the process of shaving. Let us say that more bat0.600 and pitchers do not like pitching to you. When you shave the club now, you can skip this step and put it over the fence to the opposite field. Before the ball was almost finished on the fence. This is not a home run and you'll see that you hit .700 or higher now.

Source: http://sports-fencing.chailit.com/bat-shaving-company-how-to-choose-the-best.html

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An Overview of Home Brewing

Most beer is brewed using barley or other malted grains, hops, water, and brewers yeast. The grain is sprouted and then roasted or ?malted? in a kiln. This roasting process will affect the resultant beer,which will be lighter or darker depending on how long the grain was heated. Sprouting and roasting grains in this way aids in the production of amylase, an enzyme which breaks starches down and converts them into sugars. This sugar is important because it will become the primary food source for the brewers yeast, which converts sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide. This carbonates the beer, making it bubbly (similar to the effect baking yeast has on bread) and gives the final brew that intoxicant quality we all know and love.

Home beer brewing is an interesting and satisfying hobby for many people. The first home brewers were the ancient Mesopotamians, who began this long and beloved tradition nearly 7,000 years ago! Their secrets were passed on to the Persians, Egyptians, and finally the Romans, who brought the art of brewing to Europe. Today, home brewing of both wines and beers is legal in most countries. Prohibitions surrounding the process were lifted in the United States in 1979, although individual states still have the ability to instate laws governing brewing processes and alcohol content in home-brewed beers. Home brewing is popular for a variety of reasons; not only does it allow enthusiasts to attain high quality beer at low prices, it also allows the gourmet drinker to experiment with flavors, brewing methods, and other subtleties of the crafting process.

Those interested in learning more about the home brewing process can find vast stores of information in books such as The Complete Joy of Homebrewing. Different types of alcohol can be legally produced by home brewers ? wine, beer, cider, and a French sugar-beer called Kilju are all available beverages which the brewing enthusiast may be interested in exploring. Somecompanies sell hom brewing kits for those just getting their feet wet; these range from all-grain kits, which include all ingredients necessary to produce beer from the very beginning of the process, to malt powders or syrups, which eliminate the initial processing steps and allow beginners to proceed directly to the fermentation process.

Home brewing can be a fun and frugal hobby ? if you like to drink, consider giving it a whirl!

Ara Hovsepian is a bit of a beer and wine snob, and has spent countless hours tinkering with his own home brewed creations. For more on brewing techniques and other back yard hobbies, visit www.houseofalebeerbrew.com.

Source: http://articlesclear.com/an-overview-of-home-brewing/

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