| 1. |
- Falster, Daniel, et al.
(författare)
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AusTraits, a curated plant trait database for the Australian flora
- 2021
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Ingår i: Scientific Data. - : Nature Portfolio. - 2052-4463. ; 8:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We introduce the AusTraits database - a compilation of values of plant traits for taxa in the Australian flora (hereafter AusTraits). AusTraits synthesises data on 448 traits across 28,640 taxa from field campaigns, published literature, taxonomic monographs, and individual taxon descriptions. Traits vary in scope from physiological measures of performance (e.g. photosynthetic gas exchange, water-use efficiency) to morphological attributes (e.g. leaf area, seed mass, plant height) which link to aspects of ecological variation. AusTraits contains curated and harmonised individual- and species-level measurements coupled to, where available, contextual information on site properties and experimental conditions. This article provides information on version 3.0.2 of AusTraits which contains data for 997,808 trait-by-taxon combinations. We envision AusTraits as an ongoing collaborative initiative for easily archiving and sharing trait data, which also provides a template for other national or regional initiatives globally to fill persistent gaps in trait knowledge.
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| 2. |
- Nicolas, Aude, et al.
(författare)
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Genome-wide Analyses Identify KIF5A as a Novel ALS Gene
- 2018
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Ingår i: Neuron. - : Cell Press. - 0896-6273 .- 1097-4199. ; 97:6, s. 1268-1283.e6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To identify novel genes associated with ALS, we undertook two lines of investigation. We carried out a genome-wide association study comparing 20,806 ALS cases and 59,804 controls. Independently, we performed a rare variant burden analysis comparing 1,138 index familial ALS cases and 19,494 controls. Through both approaches, we identified kinesin family member 5A (KIF5A) as a novel gene associated with ALS. Interestingly, mutations predominantly in the N-terminal motor domain of KIF5A are causative for two neurodegenerative diseases: hereditary spastic paraplegia (SPG10) and Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 2 (CMT2). In contrast, ALS-associated mutations are primarily located at the C-terminal cargo-binding tail domain and patients harboring loss-of-function mutations displayed an extended survival relative to typical ALS cases. Taken together, these results broaden the phenotype spectrum resulting from mutations in KIF5A and strengthen the role of cytoskeletal defects in the pathogenesis of ALS.
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| 3. |
- Pickering, Chris, et al.
(författare)
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Ethanol impairment of spontaneous alternation behaviour and associated changes in medial prefrontal glutamatergic gene expression precede putative markers of dependence
- 2015
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Ingår i: Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior. - : Elsevier BV. - 0091-3057 .- 1873-5177. ; 132, s. 63-70
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Cognitive impairments are observable in over half of cases with alcoholism, deficits in spatial working memory being particularly common. Previously we observed that rats make more alternation errors in a Y-maze test of spontaneous alternation behaviour/spatial working memory after 5-day intermittent ethanol. Here we used qPCR to quantify changes in gene expression accompanying this behavioural impairment. Male Wistar rats were treated with either saline or ethanol (1 or 2.5 g/kg) for 5 days followed by 2 drug-free days. Brains were dissected after Y-maze analysis and RNA was extracted from the medial prefrontal cortex, hippocampus and nucleus accumbens. Using the Qiagen GABA & Glutamate PCR array we measured changes in these two neurotransmitter systems. A dose of 1 g/kg ethanol did not affect spontaneous alternation behaviour or any other behavioural variable. 2.5 g/kg significantly decreased % correct alternations (p = 0.028) without affecting total distance (p = 0.54) and increased time in the choice area (p = 0.023) at the Y-maze centre, indicating a possible impairment in decision-making. In the medial prefrontal cortex, 2.5 g/kg ethanol decreased mRNA expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, NMDA NR2A subunit, mGluR8 receptor, Homer1, the glutamate transporters SLC1a1 and SLC1a6 and Srr. In the nucleus accumbens this dose did not affect mRNA expression of the dopamine D1 or D2 receptors but did upregulate the GABA transporter GAT-3. Even if only correlational, these data suggest that gene expression changes in the medial prefrontal cortex and associated cognitive impairment occur before adaptation of the dopaminergic system and, presumably, drug dependence.
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| 4. |
- Pickering, Christopher, 1975, et al.
(författare)
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Sensitization to nicotine significantly decreases expression of GABA transporter GAT-1 in the medial prefrontal cortex.
- 2008
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Ingår i: Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry. - : Elsevier BV. - 0278-5846 .- 1878-4216. ; 32:6, s. 1521-6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study investigated GABA signaling following induction of behavioural sensitization to nicotine. Rats were repeatedly injected with saline, nicotine or hexamethonium for 18 days and gene expression was measured with qPCR. Nicotine upregulated GABAA alpha1 subunit expression in the nucleus accumbens (p<0.05) while no changes were observed for GABAA alpha3, alpha4 or alpha5. In the medial prefrontal cortex, no change in expression of the GABAA subunits was observed. We found that nicotine significantly decreased expression of the transporter GAT-1/SLC6A1 (p<0.05) in the medial prefrontal cortex while the expression of the GAT-3/SLC6A11 (p<0.05) transporter was increased in the nucleus accumbens. This provides the first evidence of neuroadaptive changes in the GABA system after nicotine sensitization and the first demonstration of an effect on GAT-1 or GAT-3 transporters in the addiction field. The GAT-1 findings also provide evidence for an alternative theory of why most schizophrenic individuals also use tobacco products.
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| 5. |
- Pickering, John W., et al.
(författare)
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Rapid Rule-out of Acute Myocardial Infarction With a Single High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin T Measurement Below the Limit of Detection A Collaborative Meta-analysis
- 2017
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Ingår i: Annals of Internal Medicine. - 0003-4819 .- 1539-3704. ; 166:10, s. 715-724
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: High-sensitivity assays for cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) are sometimes used to rapidly rule out acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Purpose: To estimate the ability of a single hs-cTnT concentration below the limit of detection (<0.005 mu g/L) and a nonischemic electrocardiogram (ECG) to rule out AMI in adults presenting to the emergency department (ED) with chest pain. Data Sources: EMBASE and MEDLINE without language restrictions (1 January 2008 to 14 December 2016). Study Selection: Cohort studies involving adults presenting to the ED with possible acute coronary syndrome in whom an ECG and hs-cTnT measurements were obtained and AMI outcomes adjudicated during initial hospitalization. Data Extraction: Investigators of studies provided data on the number of low-risk patients (no new ischemia on ECG and hs-cTnT measurements <0.005 mu g/L) and the number who had AMI during hospitalization (primary outcome) or a major adverse cardiac event (MACE) or death within 30 days (secondary outcomes), by risk classification (low or not low risk). Two independent epidemiologists rated risk of bias of studies. Data Synthesis: Of 9241 patients in 11 cohort studies, 2825 (30.6%) were classified as low risk. Fourteen (0.5%) low-risk patients had AMI. Sensitivity of the risk classification for AMI ranged from 87.5% to 100% in individual studies. Pooled estimated sensitivity was 98.7% (95% CI, 96.6% to 99.5%). Sensitivity for 30-day MACEs ranged from 87.9% to 100%; pooled sensitivity was 98.0% (CI, 94.7% to 99.3%). No low-risk patients died. Limitation: Few studies, variation in timing and methods of reference standard troponin tests, and heterogeneity of risk and prevalence of AMI across studies. Conclusion: A single hs-cTnT concentration below the limit of detection in combination with a nonischemic ECG may successfully rule out AMI in patients presenting to EDs with possible emergency acute coronary syndrome.
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| 10. |
- Chambers, Josephine M., et al.
(författare)
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Co-productive agility and four collaborative pathways to sustainability transformations
- 2022
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Ingår i: Global Environmental Change. - : Elsevier BV. - 0959-3780 .- 1872-9495. ; 72
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Co-production, the collaborative weaving of research and practice by diverse societal actors, is argued to play an important role in sustainability transformations. Yet, there is still poor understanding of how to navigate the tensions that emerge in these processes. Through analyzing 32 initiatives worldwide that co-produced knowledge and action to foster sustainable social-ecological relations, we conceptualize 'co-productive agility' as an emergent feature vital for turning tensions into transformations. Co-productive agility refers to the willingness and ability of diverse actors to iteratively engage in reflexive dialogues to grow shared ideas and actions that would not have been possible from the outset. It relies on embedding knowledge production within processes of change to constantly recognize, reposition, and navigate tensions and opportunities. Co-productive agility opens up multiple pathways to transformation through: (1) elevating marginalized agendas in ways that maintain their integrity and broaden struggles for justice; (2) questioning dominant agendas by engaging with power in ways that challenge assumptions, (3) navigating conflicting agendas to actively transform interlinked paradigms, practices, and structures; (4) exploring diverse agendas to foster learning and mutual respect for a plurality of perspectives. We explore six process considerations that vary by these four pathways and provide a framework to enable agility in sustainability transformations. We argue that research and practice spend too much time closing down debate over different agendas for change - thereby avoiding, suppressing, or polarizing tensions, and call for more efforts to facilitate better interactions among different agendas.
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