Bone mineral density (BMD), the major factor determining bone strength, is closely related to osteoporotic fracture risk and is determined largely by multiple genetic factors. Semaphorin 7a (SEMA7A), a recently described member of the semaphorin family, has been shown to play a critical role in the activation of monocyte/macrophages that share progenitors with bone-resorbing osteoclasts and thus might contribute to osteoclast development. In the present study, we directly sequenced the SEMA7A gene in 24 Korean individuals, and identified 15 sequence variants.Five polymorphisms (+15667G>A, +15775C>G, +16285C>T, +19317C>T, +22331A>G) were selected and genotyped in postmenopausal Korean women (n=560) together with measurement of the areal BMD (g/cm 2 ) of the anterior-posterior lumbar spine and the non-dominant proximal femur using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. We found that polymorphisms of the SEMA7A gene were associated with the BMD of the lumbar spine and femoral neck. SEMA7A+15775C>G and SEMA7A+22331A>G were associated with low BMD of the femoral neck (P=0.02) and lumbar spine (P=0.04) in a recessive model. SEMA7A-ht4 also showed an association with risk of vertebral fracture (OR=1.87-1.93, P=0.02-0.03). Our results suggest that variations in SEMA7A may play a role in decreased BMD and risk of vertebral fracture.
Ferroelectric BaTiO3 thin films were grown on Si(100) substrates at a temperature of 600 °C by in situ metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy results suggested that the 〈110〉 direction of the BaTiO3 preferred oriented films is parallel with the (100) direction of the Si substrates. Auger electron spectroscopy measurements showed that the compositions of the as-grown films were with a uniform distribution throughout the thickness of the films and with a sharp interface. These results indicate that the failure to obtain BaTiO3 epitaxial films was due to the formation of an interfacial amorphous layer prior to the creation of the films.
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