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| 32. |
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| 33. |
- Cakir, B., et al.
(författare)
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Thrombocytopenia is associated with severe retinopathy of prematurity
- 2018
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Ingår i: Jci Insight. - : American Society for Clinical Investigation. - 2379-3708. ; 3:19
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is characterized by abnormal retinal neovascularization in response to vessel loss. Platelets regulate angiogenesis and may influence ROP progression. In preterm infants, we assessed ROP and correlated with longitudinal postnatal platelet counts (n = 202). Any episode of thrombocytopenia (< 100 x 10(9)/l) at >= 30 weeks postmenstrual age (at onset of ROP) was independently associated with severe ROP, requiring treatment. Infants with severe ROP also had a lower weekly median platelet count compared with infants with less severe ROP. In a mouse oxygen-induced retinopathy model of ROP, platelet counts were lower at P17 (peak neovascularization) versus controls. Platelet transfusions at P15 and P16 suppressed neovascularization, and platelet depletion increased neovascularization. Platelet transfusion decreased retinal of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) mRNA and protein expression; platelet depletion increased retinal VEGFA mRNA and protein expression. Resting platelets with intact granules reduced neovascularization, while thrombin-activated degranulated platelets did not. These data suggest that platelet releasate has a local antiangiogenic effect on endothelial cells to exert a downstream suppression of VEGFA in neural retina. Low platelet counts during the neovascularization phase in ROP is significantly associated with the development of severe ROP in preterm infants. In a murine model of retinopathy, platelet transfusion during the period of neovascularization suppressed retinopathy.
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| 34. |
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Cases on professional distance education degree programs and practices : successes, challenges and issues
- 2013
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Samlingsverk (redaktörskap) (refereegranskat)abstract
- Although internet technologies have transformed the concept of professional development by providing the opportunity for virtual learning environments in a non-traditional setting, the implementation of professional distance education programs still poses a challenge.Cases on Professional Distance Education Degree Programs and Practices: Successes, Challenges, and Issues examines the best practices for executing technology applications and the utilization of distance education techniques. This publication will serve as a reference for academics and instructors coordinating distance education programs, initiating distance education courses, and implementing such programs for those earning professional degrees.
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| 35. |
- Chapman, Joanne R., et al.
(författare)
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The Evolution of Innate Immune Genes : Purifying and Balancing Selection on beta-Defensins in Waterfowl
- 2016
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Ingår i: Molecular biology and evolution. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0737-4038 .- 1537-1719. ; 33:12, s. 3075-3087
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In disease dynamics, high immune gene diversity can confer a selective advantage to hosts in the face of a rapidly evolving and diverse pathogen fauna. This is supported empirically for genes involved in pathogen recognition and signalling. In contrast, effector genes involved in pathogen clearance may be more constrained. beta-Defensins are innate immune effector genes; their main mode of action is via disruption of microbial membranes. Here, five beta-defensin genes were characterized in mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) and other waterfowl; key reservoir species for many zoonotic diseases. All five genes showed remarkably low diversity at the individual-, population-, and species-level. Furthermore, there was widespread sharing of identical alleles across species divides. Thus, specific beta-defensin alleles were maintained not only spatially but also over long temporal scales, with many amino acid residues being fixed across all species investigated. Purifying selection to maintain individual, highly efficacious alleles was the primary evolutionary driver of these genes in waterfowl. However, we also found evidence for balancing selection acting on the most recently duplicated beta-defensin gene (AvBD3b). For this gene, we found that amino acid replacements were more likely to be radical changes, suggesting that duplication of beta-defensin genes allows exploration of wider functional space. Structural conservation to maintain function appears to be crucial for avian beta-defensin effector molecules, resulting in low tolerance for new allelic variants. This contrasts with other types of innate immune genes, such as receptor and signalling molecules, where balancing selection to maintain allelic diversity has been shown to be a strong evolutionary force.
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| 36. |
- Chatzidionysiou, K., et al.
(författare)
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Effectiveness of a Second Biologic After Failure of a Non-tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitor As First Biologic in Rheumatoid Arthritis
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of Rheumatology. - : The Journal of Rheumatology. - 0315-162X .- 1499-2752. ; 48:10, s. 1512-1518
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective. In rheumatoid arthritis (RA), evidence regarding the effectiveness of a second biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (bDMARD) in patients whose first-ever bDMARD was a non-tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) bDMARD is limited. The objective of this study was therefore to assess the outcome of a second bDMARD (non-TNFi: rituximab [RTX], abatacept [ABA], or tocilizumab [TCZ], separately; and TNFi) after failure of a non-TNFi bDMARD as first bDMARD. Methods. We identified patients with RA from the 5 Nordic biologics registers who started treatment with a non-TNFi as first-ever bDMARD but switched to a second bDMARD. For the second bDMARD, we assessed drug survival (at 6 and 12 months) and primary response (at 6 months). Results. We included 620 patients starting a second bDMARD (ABA 86, RTX 40, TCZ 67, and TNFi 427) following failure of a first non-TNFi bDMARD. At 6 and 12 months after start of their second bDMARD, approximately 70% and 60%, respectively, remained on treatment, and at 6 months, less than one-third of patients were still on their second bDMARD and had reached low disease activity or remission according to the Disease Activity Score in 28 joints. For those patients whose second bMDARD was a TNFi, the corresponding proportion was slightly higher (40%). Conclusion. The drug survival and primary response of a second bDMARD in patients with RA switching due to failure of a non-TNFi bDMARD as first bDMARD is modest. Some patients may benefit from TNFi when used after failure of a non-TNFi as first bDMARD.
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| 37. |
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| 38. |
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| 39. |
- Che, WI, et al.
(författare)
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Familial aggregation and heritability: a nationwide family-based study of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies
- 2021
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Ingår i: Annals of the rheumatic diseases. - : BMJ. - 1468-2060 .- 0003-4967. ; 80:11, s. 1461-1466
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The magnitude of the genetic contribution to idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) is unknown. In this project, we aimed to investigate the familial aggregation and heritability of IIM.MethodsThis is a family-based study using nationwide healthcare register data in Sweden. We matched each patient with IIM to individuals without IIM, identified their first-degree relatives and determined the IIM status among all first-degree relatives. We estimated the adjusted ORs (aORs) of familial aggregation of IIM using conditional logistic regression. In addition, we used tetrachoric correlation to estimate the heritability of IIM.ResultsWe included 7615 first-degree relatives of 1620 patients with IIM diagnosed between 1997 and 2016 and 37 309 first-degree relatives of 7797 individuals without IIM. Compared with individuals without IIM, patients with IIM were more likely to have ≥1 first-degree relative affected by IIM (aOR=4.32, 95% CI 2.00 to 9.34). Furthermore, the aOR of familial aggregation of IIM in full siblings was 2.53 (95% CI 1.62 to 3.96). The heritability of IIM was 22% (95% CI 12% to 31%) among any first-degree relatives and 24% (95% CI 12% to 37%) among full siblings.ConclusionsIIM has a familial component with a risk of aggregation among first-degree relatives and a heritability of about 20%. This information is of importance for future aetiological studies and in clinical counselling.
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| 40. |
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