No abstract

The Weibull parameters were estimated for data produced by Monte Carlo simulations using three different approaches: linear regression, moments method, and maximum likelihood method. The last of these was shown to be the most appropriate approach for the whole range of sample sizes of 4 to 100 for estimating the Weibull parameters of a brittle material. In each simulation 10000 estimators were produced. Using these values histograms of the estimators were created, which showed the asymmetry of the Weibull modulus distribution. The integrals of these density functions were directly used to determine confidence intervals for the estimated Weibull moduli. Furthermore it was reaffirmed that a minimum of 30 samples are required for a good characterization of the strength of a brittle material.-

Background The number of inherited diseases and the spectrum of clinical manifestations of primary immunodeficiency disorders (PIDs) are ever-expanding. Molecular diagnosis using genomic approaches should be performed for all PID patients since it provides a resource to improve the management and to estimate the prognosis of patients with these rare immune disorders. Method The current update of Iranian PID registry (IPIDR) contains the clinical phenotype of newly registered patients during last 5 years (2013-2018) and the result of molecular diagnosis in patients enrolled for targeted and nextgeneration sequencing. Results Considering the newly diagnosed patients (n = 1395), the total number of registered PID patients reached 3056 (1852 male and 1204 female) from 31 medical centers. The predominantly antibody deficiency was the most common subcategory of PID (29.5%). The putative causative genetic defect was identified in 1014 patients (33.1%) and an autosomal recessive pattern was found in 79.3% of these patients. Among the genetically different categories of PID patients, the diagnostic rate was highest in defects in immune dysregulation and lowest in predominantly antibody deficiencies and mutations in the MEFV gene were the most frequent genetic disorder in our cohort.

This study provides proof of principle for the application of targeted next-generation sequencing panels in countries with limited diagnostic resources. The effect of genetic diagnosis on clinical care requires continued improvements in therapeutic resources for these patients.

Signal transduction networks can be perturbed biochemically, genetically, and pharmacologically to unravel their functions. But at the systems level, it is not clear how such perturbations are best implemented to extract molecular mechanisms that underlie network function. Here, we combined pairwise perturbations with multiparameter phosphorylation measurements to reveal causal mechanisms within the signaling network response of cardiomyocytes to coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) infection. Using all possible pairs of six kinase inhibitors, we assembled a dynamic nine-protein phosphorylation signature of perturbed CVB3 infectivity. Cluster analysis of the resulting dataset showed repeatedly that paired inhibitor data were required for accurate data-driven predictions of kinase substrate links in the host network. With pairwise data, we also derived a highconfidence network based on partial correlations, which identified phospho-IκBα as a central "hub" in the measured phosphorylation signature. The reconstructed network helped to connect phospho-IκBα with an autocrine feedback circuit in host cells involving the proinflammatory cytokines, TNF and IL-1. Autocrine blockade substantially inhibited CVB3 progeny release and improved host cell viability, implicating TNF and IL-1 as cell autonomous components of CVB3-induced myocardial damage. We conclude that pairwise perturbations, when combined with network-level intracellular measurements, enrich for mechanisms that would be overlooked by single perturbants.pairwise perturbation | signaling network | systems biology | viral myocarditis | picornaviridae