Search Results (3)

CD40, BLK and BANK1 genes involved in the development and signaling of B-cells are identified as susceptibility loci for numerous inflammatory diseases. Accordingly, we assessed the potential influence of CD40, BLK and BANK1 on the pathogenesis of immunoglobulin-A vasculitis (IgAV), predominantly a B-lymphocyte inflammatory condition. Three genetic variants within CD40 (rs1883832, rs1535045, rs4813003) and BLK (rs2254546, rs2736340, rs2618476) as well as two BANK1 polymorphisms (rs10516487, rs3733197), previously associated with inflammatory diseases, were genotyped in 382 Caucasian patients with IgAV and 955 sex- and ethnically matched healthy controls. No statistically significant differences were observed in the genotype and allele frequencies of CD40, BLK and BANK1 when IgAV patients and healthy controls were compared. Similar results were found when CD40, BLK and BANK1 genotypes or alleles frequencies were compared between patients with IgAV stratified according to the age at disease onset or to the presence/absence of gastrointestinal or renal manifestations. Moreover, no CD40, BLK and BANK1 haplotype differences were disclosed between patients with IgAV and healthy controls and between patients with IgAV stratified according to the clinical characteristics mentioned above. Our findings indicate that CD40, BLK and BANK1 do not contribute to the genetic background of IgAV. Full article

The main aim of this article was to test the authors’ proprietary method (i.e., the conversion method applied to evaluate e-banking services that support sustainable development goals in households, communities, and society). The authors’ conversion method can be applied with the aim of maintaining a balance between households, producers, and public administration services in line with the principles of sustainable development of the information society in Poland. To achieve this goal, the authors identified the differences between the results obtained using the conversion method and the results produced by other methods such as TOPSIS, Promethee II, and PROSA involving the same group of respondents. A hypothesis was made about the existence of significant differences in the results obtained as part of the studies. The research was carried out on a sample of nearly 830 ratings concerning the 27 most popular electronic banks in Poland. As part of the survey, the respondents assessed 18 characteristics (attributes) of the selected banks using a simplified Likert scale. The study was conducted during the pandemic in Poland in 2020. The authors compared the results achieved in the case of the TOPSIS, Promethee II, and PROSA methods and the ones obtained with the application of the conversion method. Then, the ratings of the e-banking websites were arranged in descending order, and the distances between the positions in the rankings obtained by the conversion method and other methods were calculated. In addition, the R2 correlation coefficients were calculated for all combinations of the results received using individual methods. The results showed the greatest differences both in the absolute distances between the positions obtained in the ranking and the lowest value of the R2 correlation coefficient in the case of the conversion method in relation to the other methods. The limitation of the present research resulted from the fact that the study sample included respondents who were all members of the academic environment. The students analyzed in the study were part of a group supporting globalization processes where e-business solutions are widely used. However, the purchases of goods and services both local and foreign made by this group were often limited in scope and value due to a lack of funds. The research results indicate a potential need for improvement of the conversion method. Full article

BANK1 is a susceptibility gene for several systemic autoimmune diseases in several populations. Using the genome-wide association study (GWAS) data from Europeans (EUR) and African Americans (AA), we performed an extensive fine mapping of ankyrin repeats 1 (BANK1). To increase the SNP density, we used imputation followed by univariate and conditional analysis, combined with a haplotypic and expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) analysis. The data from Europeans showed that the associated region was restricted to a minimal and dependent set of SNPs covering introns two and three, and exon two. In AA, the signal found in the Europeans was split into two independent effects. All of the major risk associated SNPs were eQTLs, and the risks were associated with an increased BANK1 gene expression. Functional annotation analysis revealed the enrichment of repressive B cell epigenomic marks (EZH2 and H3K27me3) and a strong enrichment of splice junctions. Furthermore, one eQTL located in intron two, rs13106926, was found within the binding site for RUNX3, a transcriptional activator. These results connect the local genome topography, chromatin structure, and the regulatory landscape of BANK1 with co-transcriptional splicing of exon two. Our data defines a minimal set of risk associated eQTLs predicted to be involved in the expression of BANK1 modulated through epigenetic regulation and splicing. These findings allow us to suggest that the increased expression of BANK1 will have an impact on B-cell mediated disease pathways. Full article