EHEC O157:H7 clade 6 strains harboring stx2a and/or stx2c and clade 8 strains harboring stx2a or stx2a/stx2c were frequently associated with childhood HUS cases in Japan. Rapid and specific detection of such lineages are required for infection control measures.
Fragile X syndrome (FXS), which is the most common form of familial mental retardation, is caused by the expansion of the CGG repeat in the FMR1 gene on the X chromosome. Previous studies have suggested that as compared to other populations, Japanese have a lower prevalence of FXS. In addition, in the normal population, there are no carriers who have the premutation allele. We analyzed a total of 946 normal Japanese (576 males and 370 females) and attempted to estimate the frequency of the FMR1 allele. Within this population, we found that 1,155 alleles were in the normal range (less than 40 CGG repeats) and had a modal number of 27 repeats (35.75%). No carriers with premutations (55-200 CGG repeats) were observed in this normal population. We also identified six intermediate-sized alleles (40-54 CGG repeats), with a reported incidence of 1 in 103 males and 1 in 324 females. However, this allele frequency was different from that previously reported for the Japanese population. Since data from previous studies has suggested that FXS might possibly be associated with the genetic mechanism of autism, we also analyzed the length of the CGG repeats in 109 autistic patients. In all cases the CGG repeat numbers were within the normal range (16-36 repeats) and no individuals presented with expanded premutation or intermediate alleles. This finding indicates that the length of the CGG repeat within the FMR1 is unlikely to be responsible for autism in Japanese.
Four studies examined whether the intensity of individuals' concern with evaluation is affected by whether they are engaged in intragroup or intergroup interaction. According to the authors' theoretical framework, the importance that individuals attach to another person's opinion is a function of how predictive that person's evaluation seems to be of their social standing and outcomes. Members of lower status groups are more invested in outgroup members' opinions with increasing perceived legitimacy of the group status difference because outgroup members are seen as better judges of the competencies necessary for success in society. Members of a higher status group are more invested in outgroup members' opinions with decreasing perceived legitimacy of the group status difference because outgroup members are seen as better judges of moral goodness. Results were generally consistent with these predictions and demonstrated that intergroup exchanges are sometimes characterized by heightened levels of the basic motivation to know one's social standing with others. Findings also revealed that the interactive effect of group status and perceived legitimacy extends to egocentric biases that contribute to tension and miscommunication in intergroup interaction.
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