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- Polli, A., et al.
(författare)
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Genetic and epigenetic regulation of Catechol-O-methyltransferase in relation to inflammation in chronic fatigue syndrome and Fibromyalgia
- 2022
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Ingår i: Journal of Translational Medicine. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1479-5876. ; 20:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) has been shown to influence clinical pain, descending modulation, and exercise-induced symptom worsening. COMT regulates nociceptive processing and inflammation, key pathophysiological features of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia (CFS/FM). We aimed to determine the interactions between genetic and epigenetic mechanisms regulating COMT and its influence on inflammatory markers and symptoms in patients with CFS/FM. Methods. A case-control study with repeated-measures design was used to reduce the chance of false positive and increase the power of our findings. Fifty-four participants (28 patients with CFS/FM and 26 controls) were assessed twice within 4 days. The assessment included clinical questionnaires, neurophysiological assessment (pain thresholds, temporal summation, and conditioned pain modulation), and blood withdrawal in order to assess rs4818, rs4633, and rs4680 COMT polymorphisms and perform haplotype estimation, DNA methylation in the COMT gene (both MB-COMT and S-COMT promoters), and cytokine expression (TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, IL-6, and TGF-beta). Results. COMT haplotypes were associated with DNA methylation in the S-COMT promoter, TGF-beta expression, and symptoms. However, this was not specific for one condition. Significant between-group differences were found for increased DNA methylation in the MB-COMT promoter and decreased IFN-gamma expression in patients. Discussion Our results are consistent with basic and clinical research, providing interesting insights into genetic-epigenetic regulatory mechanisms. MB-COMT DNA methylation might be an independent factor contributing to the pathophysiology of CFS/FM. Further research on DNA methylation in complex conditions such as CFS/FM is warranted. We recommend future research to employ a repeated-measure design to control for biomarkers variability and within-subject changes.
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| 2. |
- Bekaert, J., et al.
(författare)
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Advanced first-principles theory of superconductivity including both lattice vibrations and spin fluctuations : The case of FeB4
- 2018
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Ingår i: Physical Review B. - : American Physical Society. - 2469-9950 .- 2469-9969. ; 97:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present an advanced method to study spin fluctuations in superconductors quantitatively and entirely fromfirst principles. This method can be generally applied to materials where electron-phonon coupling and spinfluctuations coexist. We employ it here to examine the recently synthesized superconductor iron tetraboride(FeB4) with experimentalTc∼2.4K[H.Gouet al.,Phys.Rev.Lett.111,157002(2013)]. We prove thatFeB4is particularly prone to ferromagnetic spin fluctuations due to the presence of iron, resulting in a largeStoner interaction strength,I=1.5 eV, as calculated from first principles. The other important factor is itsFermi surface that consists of three separate sheets, among which two are nested ellipsoids. The resultingsusceptibility has a ferromagnetic peak aroundq=0, from which we calculated the repulsive interaction betweenCooper pair electrons using the random phase approximation. Subsequently, we combined the electron-phononinteraction calculated from first principles with the spin fluctuation interaction in fully anisotropic Eliashbergtheory calculations. We show that the resulting superconducting gap spectrum is conventional, yet very stronglydepleted due to coupling to the spin fluctuations. The critical temperature decreases from Tc=41 K, if they arenot taken into account, toTc=1.7 K, in good agreement with the experimental value.
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| 3. |
- Bekaert, J., et al.
(författare)
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Anisotropic type-I superconductivity and anomalous superfluid density in OsB2
- 2016
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Ingår i: Physical Review B. - 2469-9950 .- 2469-9969. ; 94:14
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present a microscopic study of superconductivity in OsB2, and discuss the origin and characteristic length scales of the superconducting state. From first-principles we show that OsB2 is characterized by three different Fermi sheets, and we prove that this fermiology complies with recent quantum-oscillation experiments. Using the found microscopic properties, and experimental data from the literature, we employ Ginzburg-Landau relations to reveal that OsB2 is a distinctly type-I superconductor with a very low Ginzburg-Landau parameter kappa-a rare property among compound materials. We show that the found coherence length and penetration depth corroborate the measured thermodynamic critical field. Moreover, our calculation of the superconducting gap structure using anisotropic Eliashberg theory and ab initio calculated electron-phonon interaction as input reveals a single but anisotropic gap. The calculated gap spectrum is shown to give an excellent account for the unconventional behavior of the superfluid density of OsB2 measured in experiments as a function of temperature. This reveals that gap anisotropy can explain such behavior, observed in several compounds, which was previously attributed solely to a two-gap nature of superconductivity.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Bekaert, J., et al.
(författare)
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Free surfaces recast superconductivity in few-monolayer MgB2 : Combined first-principles and ARPES demonstration
- 2017
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 7:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Two-dimensional materials are known to harbour properties very different from those of their bulk counterparts. Recent years have seen the rise of atomically thin superconductors, with a caveat that superconductivity is strongly depleted unless enhanced by specific substrates, intercalants or adatoms. Surprisingly, the role in superconductivity of electronic states originating from simple free surfaces of two-dimensional materials has remained elusive to date. Here, based on first-principles calculations, anisotropic Eliashberg theory, and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), we show that surface states in few-monolayer MgB2 make a major contribution to the superconducting gap spectrum and density of states, clearly distinct from the widely known, bulk-like σ- and π-gaps. As a proof of principle, we predict and measure the gap opening on the magnesium-based surface band up to a critical temperature as high as ~30 K for merely six monolayers thick MgB2. These findings establish free surfaces as an unavoidable ingredient in understanding and further tailoring of superconductivity in atomically thin materials.
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