| 1. |
- Beal, Jacob, et al.
(författare)
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Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density
- 2020
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Ingår i: Communications Biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2399-3642. ; 3:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data.
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| 2. |
- Jarvis, Erich D., et al.
(författare)
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Whole-genome analyses resolve early branches in the tree of life of modern birds
- 2014
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Ingår i: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 346:6215, s. 1320-1331
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To better determine the history of modern birds, we performed a genome-scale phylogenetic analysis of 48 species representing all orders of Neoaves using phylogenomic methods created to handle genome-scale data. We recovered a highly resolved tree that confirms previously controversial sister or close relationships. We identified the first divergence in Neoaves, two groups we named Passerea and Columbea, representing independent lineages of diverse and convergently evolved land and water bird species. Among Passerea, we infer the common ancestor of core landbirds to have been an apex predator and confirm independent gains of vocal learning. Among Columbea, we identify pigeons and flamingoes as belonging to sister clades. Even with whole genomes, some of the earliest branches in Neoaves proved challenging to resolve, which was best explained by massive protein-coding sequence convergence and high levels of incomplete lineage sorting that occurred during a rapid radiation after the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction event about 66 million years ago.
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| 3. |
- Bäckström, Torbjörn, et al.
(författare)
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A randomized, double-blind study on efficacy and safety of sepranolone in premenstrual dysphoric disorder
- 2021
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Ingår i: Psychoneuroendocrinology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0306-4530 .- 1873-3360. ; 133
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) experience mood symptoms related to the increase in progesterone and the neuroactive steroid allopregnanolone. Our hypothesis is that allopregnanolone is the symptom provoking factor. The rationale for the present study was to treat PMDD patients with the GABAA receptor modulating steroid antagonist, sepranolone (isoallopregnanolone). Patients (n = 206) with PMDD from 12 European centers were randomized in a parallel double-blind study and treated with placebo, sepranolone 10 mg and 16 mg. Patients administered sepranolone subcutaneously every 48 h during the 14 premenstrual days of three consecutive menstrual cycles. After obtaining informed consent, the PMDD diagnosis was confirmed according to DSM-5 and verified with two menstrual cycles of daily symptom ratings using the Daily Record of Severity of Problems (DRSP) scale in an eDiary. Inclusion and exclusion criteria stipulated that the women should be essentially healthy, not pregnant, have no ongoing psychiatric disorder or take interfering medications, and have regular menstrual cycles. The study's primary endpoint was the Total symptom score (Sum21, the score for all 21 symptom questions in the DRSP). In the prespecified statistical analysis the average score of the 5 worst premenstrual days in treatment cycles 2 and 3 were subtracted from the corresponding average score in the two diagnostic cycles. The treatment effects were tested using analysis of variance in a hierarchal order starting with the combined active sepranolone treatments vs. placebo. The prespecified analysis of Sum21 showed a large treatment effect of all three treatments but no statistically significant difference to placebo. However, the ratings of distress showed a significant treatment effect of sepranolone compared to placebo (p = 0.037) and the ratings of impairment showed a trend to greater treatment effect of sepranolone compared to placebo. Many women with PMDD had symptoms during a longer period than the late luteal phase. It has previously been shown that 9 premenstrual days may be more representative for comparison of PMDD symptom periods than the 5 worst premenstrual days. A post hoc analysis was undertaken in the per protocol population investigating the treatment effect during 9 premenstrual days in the third treatment cycle. The Sum21 results of this analysis showed that the sepranolone 10 mg was significantly better than placebo (p = 0.008). Similar significant treatment effects were found for the impairment and distress scores. A significantly larger number of individuals experienced no or minimal symptoms (Sum21 <42 points) with the 10 mg sepranolone treatment compared to placebo (p = 0.020). The results indicate that there is an attenuating effect by sepranolone on symptoms, impairment, and distress in women with PMDD especially by the 10 mg dosage. Sepranolone was well tolerated, and no safety concerns were identified.
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| 4. |
- Fazey, Ioan, et al.
(författare)
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Transforming knowledge systems for life on Earth : Visions of future systems and how to get there
- 2020
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Ingår i: Energy Research & Social Science. - : Elsevier. - 2214-6296 .- 2214-6326. ; 70
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Formalised knowledge systems, including universities and research institutes, are important for contemporary societies. They are, however, also arguably failing humanity when their impact is measured against the level of progress being made in stimulating the societal changes needed to address challenges like climate change. In this research we used a novel futures-oriented and participatory approach that asked what future envisioned knowledge systems might need to look like and how we might get there. Findings suggest that envisioned future systems will need to be much more collaborative, open, diverse, egalitarian, and able to work with values and systemic issues. They will also need to go beyond producing knowledge about our world to generating wisdom about how to act within it. To get to envisioned systems we will need to rapidly scale methodological innovations, connect innovators, and creatively accelerate learning about working with intractable challenges. We will also need to create new funding schemes, a global knowledge commons, and challenge deeply held assumptions. To genuinely be a creative force in supporting longevity of human and non-human life on our planet, the shift in knowledge systems will probably need to be at the scale of the enlightenment and speed of the scientific and technological revolution accompanying the second World War. This will require bold and strategic action from governments, scientists, civic society and sustained transformational intent.
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| 5. |
- Kong, So Yeon, et al.
(författare)
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The Association between Glyceraldehyde-Derived Advanced Glycation End-Products and Colorectal Cancer Risk
- 2015
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Ingår i: Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention. - 1055-9965 .- 1538-7755. ; 24:12, s. 1855-1863
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: A large proportion of colorectal cancers are thought to be associated with unhealthy dietary and lifestyle exposures, particularly energy excess, obesity, hyperinsulinemia, and hyperglycemia. It has been suggested that these processes stimulate the production of toxic reactive carbonyls from sugars such as glyceraldehyde. Glyceraldehyde contributes to the production of a group of compounds known as glyceraldehyde-derived advanced glycation end-products (glycer-AGEs), which may promote colorectal cancer through their proinflammatory and pro-oxidative properties. The objective of this study nested within a prospective cohort was to explore the association of circulating glycer-AGEs with risk of colorectal cancer. Methods: A total of 1,055 colorectal cancer cases (colon n = 659; rectal n = 396) were matchced (1: 1) to control subjects. Circulating glycer-AGEs were measured by a competitive ELISA. Multivariable conditional logistic regression models were used to calculate ORs and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI), adjusting for potential confounding factors, including smoking, alcohol, physical activity, body mass index, and diabetes status. Results: Elevated glycer-AGEs levels were not associated with colorectal cancer risk (highest vs. lowest quartile, 1.10; 95% CI, 0.82-1.49). Subgroup analyses showed possible divergence by anatomical subsites (OR for colon cancer, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.571.22; OR for rectal cancer, 1.90; 95% CI, 1.14-3.19; Pheterogeneity = 0.14). Conclusions: In this prospective study, circulating glycer-AGEs were not associated with risk of colon cancer, but showed a positive association with the risk of rectal cancer. Impact: Further research is needed to clarify the role of toxic products of carbohydrate metabolism and energy excess in colorectal cancer development.
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| 6. |
- Miller, Mia, et al.
(författare)
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Industry submissions on alcohol in the context of Australia's trade and investment agreements : A content and thematic analysis of publicly available documents
- 2021
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Ingår i: Drug and Alcohol Review. - : Wiley. - 0959-5236 .- 1465-3362. ; 40:1, s. 22-30
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction and Aims: Alcohol use is a leading risk factor for death and disability, responsible for 3 million deaths in 2016. The alcohol industry is a powerful player in shaping trade and investment rules in ways that can constrain the ability of governments to regulate alcoholic beverages to reduce harm. This paper analyses publicly available submissions about alcohol in the context of Australia's free trade agreements to determine the key themes put forward by industry. Design and Methods: We searched for submissions made to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade by alcohol industry trade associations, alcohol manufacturers, distributors and retailers, general industry association, and government agencies with responsibilities for alcohol trade, about specific free trade agreements involving Australia. Thirty-one submissions in relation to eight trade agreements were included for analysis. The analysis involved both descriptive content analysis and thematic analysis. Results: Findings suggest that industry is actively seeking to shape trade negotiations around alcohol. Priority issues for the industry include improving market access, harmonising regulation, improving clarity and transparency, reducing the burden of regulation and preventing monopolies on product names. Discussion and Conclusion: The alcohol industry and associated business and government organisations are actively working to influence trade agreement negotiations for industry economic gain, arguing for rules which may undermine public health goals. The analysis suggests that public health experts should pay attention to trade and investment agreements and develop counter frames to ensure agreements do not create barriers for coherent health policies.
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| 7. |
- Norman, Thomas, et al.
(författare)
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Regulating alcohol advertising for public health and welfare in the age of digital marketing : challenges and options
- 2024
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Ingår i: Drugs. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0968-7637 .- 1465-3370. ; 31:1, s. 70-81
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims: This narrative review considers traditional strategies for regulating alcohol marketing and their applicability to digital media.Method: Drawing on international research, case studies, and reports, we examine the applicability of (1) comprehensive or partial bans; (2) placement restrictions; (3) content restrictions; and (4) counter-advertising.Results: Comprehensive bans on advertising are generally the most effective option. A partial ban applying to digital media would make some lesser contribution to reducing exposure, but will usually simply result in the promotional budget being shifted to whichever media remain less strictly regulated. Limits on the placement of marketing have more salience for traditional media than for most digital media, which can be individualized and targeted. Content restrictions play a limited role in reducing exposure as they are not concerned with marketing volume, but with the way in which alcohol is represented.Conclusions: Although these traditional strategies have a role in regulating digital media and are applied in certain international jurisdictions, new regulatory approaches are needed. These may include the use of artificial intelligence for monitoring, transparency requirements, and privacy law rights and duties. Opportunities to regulate alcohol marketing online will need to be addressed and seized as they arise in the current volatile policy environment concerning the governance of social media.
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| 8. |
- O'Brien, Paula, et al.
(författare)
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Commentary on 'Communicating Messages About Drinking' : Using the 'Big Legal Guns' to Block Alcohol Health Warning Labels
- 2018
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Ingår i: Alcohol and Alcoholism. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0735-0414 .- 1464-3502. ; 53:3, s. 333-336
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Like the tobacco industry, the alcohol industry, with the support of governments in alcohol exporting nations, is looking to international trade and investment law as a means to oppose health warning labels on alcohol. The threat of such litigation, let alone its commencement, has the potential to deter all but the most resolute governments from implementing health warning labeling.
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| 9. |
- O'Brien, Paula, et al.
(författare)
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Influencing the global governance of alcohol : Alcohol industry views in submissions to the WHO consultation for the Alcohol Action Plan 2022-2030
- 2023
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Ingår i: International journal of drug policy. - 0955-3959 .- 1873-4758. ; 119
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundIn 2020, the Secretariat of the World Health Organization (WHO) conducted an open consultation, with public submissions, for the purpose of developing an Alcohol Action Plan to strengthen implementation of the WHO's 2010 Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol. The consultation process and public submissions provided an opportunity to critically examine alcohol industry perspectives and arguments in relation to the global governance of alcohol.Methods48 alcohol industry submissions to the WHO's 2020 consultation were included for analysis. Directed content analysis was used to examine the policy positions and arguments made by industry actors. Thematic analysis was employed to further explore the framing of industry arguments.ResultsIn framing their arguments, alcohol industry actors positioned themselves as important stakeholders in policy debates; differentiated normal drinking from consumption that merits intervention; argued that alcohol policy should be made at the national, rather than global, level; and supported industry self-regulation or co regulation rather than cost-effective public health measures to prevent harms from alcohol.ConclusionThe alcohol industry's submissions to the WHO's 2020 consultation could be seen as efforts to stymie improvements in the global governance of alcohol, and repeats several framing strategies that the industry has used in other forums, both national and global. However, their arguments appear to have had little traction in the creation of the Alcohol Action Plan. Changes from the Working Document to the adopted Action Plan show little acceptance by WHO of industry arguments.
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| 10. |
- O'Brien, Paula, et al.
(författare)
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MARGINALISING HEALTH INFORMATION : IMPLICATIONS OF THE TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT FOR ALCOHOL LABELLING
- 2017
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Ingår i: Melbourne University Law Review. - 0025-8938. ; 41:1, s. 341-391
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article explores the public health implications of a novel set of trade rules for the labelling of wine and spirits included in the final text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement ('TPP'), signed in February 2016. While the TPP seems unlikely to proceed in its current form, its alcohol labelling provisions are beginning to appear in subsequent regional trade agreements. These provisions include the requirement that parties allow wine and spirits suppliers to place country-specific information on a supplementary label rather than the main label. A government's interest in prioritisation of health warning, for instance, would thus be subordinated to the supplier's interest in its desired labelling. The new rules promote regulatory harmonisation, making it easier for producers to comply with different labelling requirements, but they also create potential challenges for countries wishing to introduce effective health warning schemes and other types of health information on alcohol containers. The article concludes that these challenges are probably not insurmountable, but the interpretation of the rules in the context of a complaint or dispute is uncertain, creating the potential for a deterrent effect against governments requiring health warning labels and other information. The burden of alcohol-related harm is considerable and there is a strong rationale for better health information on alcohol containers. In this context, it is important that the state's right to supply health information and use it to mark alcohol as 'no ordinary commodity' is preserved.
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| 11. |
- Postmus, Iris, et al.
(författare)
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Pharmacogenetic meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies of LDL cholesterol response to statins.
- 2014
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Ingår i: Nature communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Statins effectively lower LDL cholesterol levels in large studies and the observed interindividual response variability may be partially explained by genetic variation. Here we perform a pharmacogenetic meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in studies addressing the LDL cholesterol response to statins, including up to 18,596 statin-treated subjects. We validate the most promising signals in a further 22,318 statin recipients and identify two loci, SORT1/CELSR2/PSRC1 and SLCO1B1, not previously identified in GWAS. Moreover, we confirm the previously described associations with APOE and LPA. Our findings advance the understanding of the pharmacogenetic architecture of statin response.
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| 12. |
- Room, Robin, 1939-, et al.
(författare)
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Research agendas for alcohol policymaking in the wider world
- 2022
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Ingår i: The international journal of alcohol and drug research. - : International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research. - 1925-7066. ; 10:1, s. 34-44
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- From comparisons of World Health Organization statistics, it is clear that people in lower-income countries experience more harms per litre of alcohol and different types of harms compared to those from higher-income countries. Yet studies in higher-income countries dominate research on policies to prevent alcohol problems. The paper reports on results of collaborative work to map priority areas for research relevant to low- and middle-income countries. Research focus areas were identified and discussed among potential coauthors from diverse fields with relevant knowledge, with agreement reached on an initial list of seven research priority areas. Areas identified include: (1) the effects of choices (e.g., national vs. local, monopoly vs. licensing system) in organising the alcohol market; (2) involvement/separation of alcohol industry interests in decisions on public health regulation; (3) options and effectiveness of global agreements on alcohol governance; (4) choices and experience in controlling unrecorded alcohol; (5) means of decreasing harm from men’s drinking to family members; (6) strategies for reducing the effects of poverty on drinking’s role in harms; and (7) measuring and addressing key alcohol-induced low-and middle-income country (LMIC) health harms: infectious diseases, injuries, digestive diseases. Paths ahead for such research are briefly outlined.
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