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- Geser, F, et al.
(författare)
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The European Multiple System Atrophy-Study Group (EMSA-SG)
- 2005
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Ingår i: Journal of Neural Transmission. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0300-9564 .- 1435-1463. ; 112:12, s. 1677-1686
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction. The European Multiple System Atrophy-Study Group (EMSA-SG) is an academic network comprising 23 centers across Europe and Israel that has constituted itself already in January 1999. This international forum of established experts under the guidance of the University Hospital of Innsbruck as coordinating center is supported by the 5th framework program of the European Union since March 2001 (QLK6-CT-2000-00661). Objectives. Primary goals of the network include (1) a central Registry for European multiple system atrophy (MSA) patients, (2) a decentralized DNA Bank, (3) the development and validation of the novel Unified MSA Rating Scale (UMSARS), (4) the conduction of a Natural History Study (NHS), and (5) the planning or implementation of interventional therapeutic trials. Methods. The EMSA-SG Registry is a computerized data bank localized at the coordinating centre in Innsbruck collecting diagnostic and therapeutic data of MSA patients. Blood samples of patients and controls are recruited into the DNA Bank. The UMSARS is a novel specific rating instrument that has been developed and validated by the EMSA-SG. The NHS comprises assessments of basic anthropometric data as well as a range of scales including the UMSARS, Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), measures of global disability, Red Flag list, MMSE (Mini Mental State Examination), quality of live measures, i.e. EuroQoL 5D (EQ-5D) and Medical Outcome Study Short Form (SF-36) as well as the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). In a subgroup of patients dysautonomic features are recorded in detail using the Queen Square Cardiovascular Autonomic Function Test Battery, the Composite Autonomic Symptom Scale (COMPASS) and measurements of residual urinary volume. Most of these measures are repeated at 6-monthly follow up visits for a total study period of 24 months. Surrogate markers of the disease progression are identified by the EMSA-SG using magnetic resonance and diffusion weighted imaging (MRI and DWI, respectively). Results. 412 patients have been recruited into the Registry so far. Probable MSA-P was the most common diagnosis (49% of cases). 507 patients donated DNA for research. 131 patients have been recruited into the NHS. There was a rapid deterioration of the motor disorder (in particular akinesia) by 26.1% of the UMSARS II, and - to a lesser degree - of activities of daily living by 16.8% of the UMSARS I in relation to the respective baseline scores. Motor progression was associated with low motor or global disability as well as low akinesia or cerebellar subscores at baseline. Mental function did not deteriorate during this short follow up period. Conclusion. For the first time, prospective data concerning disease progression are available. Such data about the natural history and prognosis of MSA as well as surrogate markers of disease process allow planning and implementation of multi-centre phase II/III neuroprotective intervention trials within the next years more effectively. Indeed, a trial on growth hormone in MSA has just been completed, and another on minocycline will be completed by the end of this year.
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- Skowronek, T., et al.
(författare)
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Reissscheiben from shipwrecks as an indicator for copper qualities produced in the major middle and North European mining districts during the late medieval and early modern period 15th-17th Century AD
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports. - : Elsevier BV. - 2352-409X. ; 39
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Major advances in maritime archaeology in the last 20 years resulted in the discovery of several shipwrecks carrying copper slab ingots, so-called Reissscheiben. With the interest in early modern metal trade growing, geochemical analysis of these raw copper ingots represents invaluable merit for understanding the various qualities produced in the major mining regions in Europe. Here, we present ICP-MS trace elemental and lead isotope data for 52 Reissscheiben ingots salvaged at three different findspots in northern European waters dating to the 15th and 16th century. Our results reveal the Reissscheiben to originate from two different mining centres, Slovakia and the southern Harz foreland. Copper produced in these regions shows significantly different trace elemental patterns probably affected by both different kinds of copper ores used and smelting processes applied. The analytical results reveal the difficulties that early modern copper smelters may have had to deal with when processing sulfidic copper ores, as it seems that refining processes were not understood sufficiently. On the other hand, the written historical sources suggest that early modern brass makers already had a proper understanding of which regions produced the most suitable copper qualities. This paper underlines the potential of using geochemical characterisation of early modern period metals for solving historical questions.
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- Kostrzewski, T., et al.
(författare)
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Modelling human liver fibrosis in the context of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis using a microphysiological system
- 2021
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Ingår i: Communications Biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2399-3642. ; 4:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Kostrzewski et al. introduce an in vitro microphysiological model of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), consisting of co-cultured primary human liver cells. The authors characterised the transcriptomic, inflammatory and fibrotic phenotype of the model and show that major features of NASH can be recapitulated and therapeutic interventions mimicked. Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a common form of chronic liver disease characterised by lipid accumulation, infiltration of immune cells, hepatocellular ballooning, collagen deposition and liver fibrosis. There is a high unmet need to develop treatments for NASH. We have investigated how liver fibrosis and features of advanced clinical disease can be modelled using an in vitro microphysiological system (MPS). The NASH MPS model comprises a co-culture of primary human liver cells, which were cultured in a variety of conditions including+/- excess sugar, fat, exogenous TGF beta or LPS. The transcriptomic, inflammatory and fibrotic phenotype of the model was characterised and compared using a system biology approach to identify conditions that mimic more advanced clinical disease. The transcriptomic profile of the model was shown to closely correlate with the profile of patient samples and the model displayed a quantifiable fibrotic phenotype. The effects of Obeticholic acid and Elafibranor, were evaluated in the model, as wells as the effects of dietary intervention, with all able to significantly reduce inflammatory and fibrosis markers. Overall, we demonstrate how the MPS NASH model can be used to model different aspects of clinical NASH but importantly demonstrate its ability to model advanced disease with a quantifiable fibrosis phenotype.
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- Rodriguez, L. , V, et al.
(författare)
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Doubly-magic character of Sn-132 studied via electromagnetic moments of( 13)(3)Sn
- 2020
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Ingår i: Physical Review C. - : American Physical Society. - 2469-9985 .- 2469-9993. ; 102:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report the first measurement of the magnetic dipole and electric quadrupole moment of the exotic nucleus Sn-133 by high-resolution laser spectroscopy at ISOLDE/CERN. These, in combination with state-of-the-art shell-model calculations, demonstrate the single-particle character of the ground state of this short-lived isotope and, hence, the doubly-magic character of its immediate neighbor Sn-132. The trend of the electromagnetic moments along the N = 83 isotonic chain, now enriched with the values of tin, are discussed on the basis of realistic shell-model calculations.
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- Spies, B. C., et al.
(författare)
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Long-term stability of an injection-molded zirconia bone-level implant : A testing protocol considering aging kinetics and dynamic fatigue
- 2017
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Ingår i: Dental Materials. - : Elsevier BV. - 0109-5641. ; 33:8, s. 954-965
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective Separately addressing the fatigue resistance (ISO 14801, evaluation of final product) and aging behavior (ISO 13356, standardized sample) of oral implants made from yttria-stabilized zirconia proved to be insufficient in verifying their long-term stability, since (1) implant processing is known to significantly influence transformation kinetics and (2) aging, up from a certain level, is liable to decrease fatigue resistance. Therefore, the aim of this investigation was to apply a new testing protocol considering environmental conditions adequately inducing aging during dynamic fatigue. Methods Zirconia implants were dynamically loaded (107 cycles), hydrothermally aged (85°, 60 days) or subjected to both treatments simultaneously. Subsequent, monoclinic intensity ratios (Xm) were obtained by locally resolved X-ray microdiffraction (μ-XRD2). Transformation propagation was monitored at cross-sections by μ-Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Finally, implants were statically loaded to fracture. Linear regression models (fracture load) and mixed models (Xm) were used for statistical analyses. Results All treatments resulted in increased fracture load (p ≤ 0.005), indicating the formation of transformation induced compressive stresses around surface defects during all treatment modalities. However, only hydrothermal and combinational treatment were found to increase Xm (p < 0.001). No change in Xm was observed for solely dynamically loaded samples (p ≥ 0.524). Depending on the variable observed, a monoclinic layer thickness of 1–2 μm (SEM) or 6–8 μm (Raman spectroscopy) was measured at surfaces exposed to water during treatments. Significance Hydrothermal aging was successfully induced during dynamic fatigue. Therefore, the presented setup might serve as reference protocol for ensuring pre-clinically long-term reliability of zirconia oral implants.
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- Vogel, Jacob W., et al.
(författare)
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Connectome-based modelling of neurodegenerative diseases: towards precision medicine and mechanistic insight
- 2023
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Ingår i: Nature Reviews Neuroscience. - 1471-003X .- 1471-0048. ; 24:10, s. 620-639
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Neurodegenerative diseases are the most common cause of dementia. Although their underlying molecular pathologies have been identified, there is substantial heterogeneity in the patterns of progressive brain alterations across and within these diseases. Recent advances in neuroimaging methods have revealed that pathological proteins accumulate along specific macroscale brain networks, implicating the network architecture of the brain in the system-level pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases. However, the extent to which 'network-based neurodegeneration' applies across the wide range of neurodegenerative disorders remains unclear. Here, we discuss the state-of-the-art of neuroimaging-based connectomics for the mapping and prediction of neurodegenerative processes. We review findings supporting brain networks as passive conduits through which pathological proteins spread. As an alternative view, we also discuss complementary work suggesting that network alterations actively modulate the spreading of pathological proteins between connected brain regions. We conclude this Perspective by proposing an integrative framework in which connectome-based models can be advanced along three dimensions of innovation: incorporating parameters that modulate propagation behaviour on the basis of measurable biological features; building patient-tailored models that use individual-level information and allowing model parameters to interact dynamically over time. We discuss promises and pitfalls of these strategies for improving disease insights and moving towards precision medicine. Neurodegenerative diseases show idiosyncratic spatial patterns of progressive protein malformations in the brain. In this Perspective, Vogel et al. discuss the role of inter-regional connectivity in constraining and modulating the spread of pathological proteins and provide a framework for patient-tailored prognostics.
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