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Appendix

Posted by katsunori on 02 Dec 2013 at 07:54 GMT

The main funding sources for the genetic study of this article were 1. the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research, 2. the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and 3. the Japan Science and Technology Agency.

DNA samples were collected from IORRA cohort study which is supported in part by most major pharmaceutical companies in Japan (up to 40) since 2000. Japan Tobacco Inc. is one of the pharmaceutical companies that manufactures and distributes pharmaceuticals. Grants from these pharmaceutical companies were unrestricted research grants and were used only to maintain the cohort study. The grant funders of IORRA cohort study have no role in the study design; in the collection, analysis and/or interpretation of the data; in the writing of the report; and in the decision to submit the paper for publication. Japan Tobacco Inc. was involved in the funding for the IORRA cohort study but this company did not provide funding for the genetic study reported in the current article.

No competing interests declared.