University of Oviedo

About: University of Oviedo is a education organization based out in Oviedo, Spain. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Large Hadron Collider. The organization has 13423 authors who have published 31649 publications receiving 844799 citations. The organization is also known as: Universidá d'Uviéu & Universidad de Oviedo.

The STAT4 gene influences the genetic predisposition to systemic sclerosis phenotype

Abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the possible role of STAT4 gene in the genetic predisposition to systemic sclerosis (SSc) susceptibility or clinical phenotype. A total of 1317 SSc patients [896 with limited cutaneous SSc (lcSSc) and 421 with diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc)] and 3113 healthy controls, from an initial case-control set of Spanish Caucasian ancestry and five independent cohorts of European ancestry (The Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Italy and USA), were included in the study. The rs7574865 polymorphism was selected as STAT4 genetic marker. We observed that the rs7574865 T allele was significantly associated with susceptibility to lcSSc in the Spanish population [P = 1.9 x 10(-5) odds ratio (OR) 1.61 95% confidence intervals (CI) 1.29-1.99], but not with dcSSc (P = 0.41 OR 0.84 95% CI 0.59-1.21). Additionally, a dosage effect was observed showing individuals with rs7574865 TT genotype higher risk for lcSSc (OR 3.34, P = 1.02 x 10(-7) 95% CI 2.11-5.31). The association of the rs7574865 T allele with lcSSc was confirmed in all the replication cohorts with different effect sizes (OR ranging between 1.15 and 1.86), as well as the lack of association of STAT4 with dcSSc. A meta-analysis to test the overall effect of the rs7574865 polymorphism showed a strong risk effect of the T allele for lcSSc susceptibility (pooled OR 1.54 95% CI 1.36-1.74; P < 0.0001). Our data show a strong and reproducible association of the STAT4 gene with the genetic predisposition to lcSSc suggesting that this gene seems to be one of the genetic markers influencing SSc phenotype.

Sinking of coccolith carbonate and potential contribution to organic carbon ballasting in the deep ocean

Abstract: There exists a great need to better understand the controls on organic carbon sequestration to the deep sea, by virtue of its role in modulating atmospheric CO 2 concentrations. Recent studies suggest that organic fluxes to the oceanic interior are higher in regions dominated by carbonate sedimentation, thus also concluding that relatively heavy carbonate particles are an effective mineral ballast for organic carbon. CaCO 3 production in the pelagic ocean is mainly mediated by foraminifera and coccolithophores, but the precise role of these carbonate producers as mineral ballast for organic carbon in the ocean has not yet been tested. Here we evaluate sediment-trap flux data from an array of 13 moorings (15 traps) situated in diverse conditions and with global coverage, all for organic carbon flux, calculated coccolith-carbonate flux, and fine fraction flux (when available). Discrepancies are recorded between the amount of carbonate fine fraction and calculated coccolith carbonate, and there is the need to determine the origin of the unknown CaCO 3 in the fine fraction. The coccolith-carbonate flux magnitude is determined not only by the coccolith flux number but also by the carbonate mass of the key species. For example, very abundant coccolithophore species such as Emiliania huxleyi have a very low species-specific carbonate mass, and are therefore of lower carbonate flux significance than expected intuitively. Among the main coccolith carbonate species contributors in our sediment-trap sites are Calcidiscus leptoporus and Helicosphaera carteri, in that these are all relatively massive compared to their numerical abundances. We observed generally positive correlations between calculated coccolith carbonate and organic carbon daily fluxes, suggesting that on a global basis there is a ballasting mechanism at work, seemingly most efficiently with C. leptoporus in the carbonate-dominated North Atlantic. A fairly constant global relationship between annual fluxes of calculated coccolith carbonate and organic carbon implies some uniformity in the PIC/POC “rain ratio”. However, improvements in coccolith carbonate estimation are needed to not only understand this ratio currently, but also to help understand future sequestration of organic carbon to the oceanic interior.