Validations and descriptions of European syntaxa of vegetation dominated by lichens, bryophytes and algae

Fourty-two high-rank syntaxa and seven associations of the thallophyte system of syntaxa are either described as new or validated in this paper. Among those, there are the following nine classes: Aspicilietea candidae, Caulerpetea racemosae, Desmococcetea olivacei, Entophysalidetea deustae, Gloeocapsetea sanguineae, Mesotaenietea berggrenii, Naviculetea gregariae, Porpidietea zeoroidis, Roccelletea phycopsis. Eleven orders and ten alliances as well as three associations are described or validated: the Aspicilietalia verruculosae (incl. Aspicilion mashiginensis and Teloschistion contortuplicati), the Caulerpetalia racemosae (incl. Caulerpion racemosae), the Desmococcetalia olivacei (incl. Desmococcion olivacei), the Dirinetalia massiliensis, the Fucetalia vesiculosi (incl. Ascophyllion nodosi), the Gloeocapsetalia sanguineae, the Lecideetalia confluescentis (incl. Lecideion confluescentis), the Mesotaenietalia berggrenii (incl. Mesotaenion berggrenii, Mesotaenietum berggrenii and Chloromonadetum nivalis), the Naviculetalia gregariae (incl. Oscillatorion limosae and Oscillatorietum limosae), the Porpidietalia zeoroidis (incl. Porpidion zeoroidis), and the Roccelletalia fuciformis (incl. Paralecanographion grumulosae). Further, five orders, seven alliances and four associations, classified in known classes, were described as well. These include: the Bacidinetalia phacodis, the Agonimion octosporae and the Dendrographetalia decolorantis (all in the Arthonio radiatae-Lecidelletea elaeochromae), the Staurothelion solventis (in the Aspicilietea lacustris), the Pediastro duplicis-Scenedesmion quadricaudae and the Pediastro duplicis-Scenedesmetum quadricaudae (both in the Asterionelletea formosae), the Peccanion coralloidis and the Peltuletalia euplocae (both in the Collematetea cristati), the Laminarion hyperboreae, the Saccorhizo polyschidi-Laminarietum and the Alario esculenti-Himanthalietum elongatae (all in the Cystoseiretea crinitae), the Delesserietalia sanguinei, the Delesserion sanguinei and the Delesserietum sanguineae (all in the Lithophylletea soluti), as well as the the Rinodino confragosae-Rusavskietalia elegantis and the Rhizocarpo geographici-Rusavskion elegantis (both in the Rhizocarpetea geographici).

Myeloperoxidase G-463A polymorphism and Alzheimer's disease in the ApoEurope study

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly. Epidemiological and molecular genetic studies have shown the existence of several genes associated with increased risk of AD, the major genetic susceptibility locus coding for apolipoprotein E (apoE). A polymorphism in the myeloperoxidase gene (MPO) has previously been associated with AD susceptibility. However, results in the literature are controversial and seem to be dependent on several factors such as gender, apoE polymorphism or the genetic structure of the population. We investigated MPO G-463A and apoE polymorphism in 265 cases and 246 controls from the ApoEurope Study. In females, we found a significant association between MPO genotype and AD (P=0.034), GG genotype frequency being lower in cases (52.4%) as compared to controls (64.2%). In men, there was no significant effect of MPO polymorphism. No interaction was found between MPO polymorphism and apoE epsilon 4 allele. In conclusion, the G-463A polymorphism of MPO was statistically associated with AD in a gender-specific manner. However, given the low significance of P value we suggest no causal effect of the MPO gene in AD, as also evidenced in a recent meta-analysis. Our results support the hypothesis of a possible linkage disequilibrium between the MPO G-463A gene polymorphism and another functional variant involved in AD.