SummaryWhile many disease-associated variants have been identified through genome-wide association studies, their downstream molecular consequences remain unclear.To identify these effects, we performed cis- and trans-expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) analysis in blood from 31,684 individuals through the eQTLGen Consortium.We observed that cis-eQTLs can be detected for 88% of the studied genes, but that they have a different genetic architecture compared to disease-associated variants, limiting our ability to use cis-eQTLs to pinpoint causal genes within susceptibility loci.In contrast, trans-eQTLs (detected for 37% of 10,317 studied trait-associated variants) were more informative. Multiple unlinked variants, associated to the same complex trait, often converged on trans-genes that are known to play central roles in disease etiology.We observed the same when ascertaining the effect of polygenic scores calculated for 1,263 genome-wide association study (GWAS) traits. Expression levels of 13% of the studied genes correlated with polygenic scores, and many resulting genes are known to drive these traits.

SARS-CoV-2 has infected millions of people and is on a trajectory to kill more than one million globally. Virus entry depends on the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein. Although previous studies demonstrated anti-spike and -RBD antibodies as essential for protection and convalescent plasma as a promising therapeutic option, little is known about the immunoglobulin (Ig) isotypes capable of blocking virus entry. Here, we studied spike- and RBD-specific Ig isotypes in plasma/sera from two acutely infected and 29 convalescent individuals. Spike- and RBD-specific IgM, IgG1, and IgA1 antibodies were produced by all or nearly all subjects at varying levels and detected at 7-8 days post-disease onset. IgG2, IgG3, IgG4, and IgA2 were also present but at much lower levels. All samples also displayed neutralizing activity. IgM, IgG, and IgA were capable of mediating neutralization, but neutralization titers correlated better with binding levels of IgM and IgA1 than IgG.

It had been thought that it is difficult to provide receiptfreeness in mixnet-based electronic voting schemes. Any kind of user chosen randomness can be used to construct a receipt, since a user can prove to a buyer how he had encrypted the ballot. In this paper we propose a simple and efficient method to incorporate receipt-freeness in mixnetbased electronic voting schemes by using the well known re-encryption technique and designated verifier re-encryption proof (DVRP). In our scheme a voter has to prepare his encrypted ballot through a randomization service provided by a tamper resistant randomizer (TRR), in such a way that he finally loses his knowledge on randomness. This method can be used in most mixnet-based electronic voting scheme to provide receipt-freeness.

The Marfan syndrome appears to be caused by mutations in a single fibrillin gene on chromosome 15. Diagnosis of the Marfan syndrome by genetic linkage and analysis is now feasible in many families.