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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Ruilope, LM, et al.
(författare)
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Design and Baseline Characteristics of the Finerenone in Reducing Cardiovascular Mortality and Morbidity in Diabetic Kidney Disease Trial
- 2019
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Ingår i: American journal of nephrology. - : S. Karger AG. - 1421-9670 .- 0250-8095. ; 50:5, s. 345-356
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- <b><i>Background:</i></b> Among people with diabetes, those with kidney disease have exceptionally high rates of cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality and progression of their underlying kidney disease. Finerenone is a novel, nonsteroidal, selective mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist that has shown to reduce albuminuria in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) while revealing only a low risk of hyperkalemia. However, the effect of finerenone on CV and renal outcomes has not yet been investigated in long-term trials. <b><i>Patients and</i></b> <b><i>Methods:</i></b> The Finerenone in Reducing CV Mortality and Morbidity in Diabetic Kidney Disease (FIGARO-DKD) trial aims to assess the efficacy and safety of finerenone compared to placebo at reducing clinically important CV and renal outcomes in T2D patients with CKD. FIGARO-DKD is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, event-driven trial running in 47 countries with an expected duration of approximately 6 years. FIGARO-DKD randomized 7,437 patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate ≥25 mL/min/1.73 m<sup>2</sup> and albuminuria (urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio ≥30 to ≤5,000 mg/g). The study has at least 90% power to detect a 20% reduction in the risk of the primary outcome (overall two-sided significance level α = 0.05), the composite of time to first occurrence of CV death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or hospitalization for heart failure. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> FIGARO-DKD will determine whether an optimally treated cohort of T2D patients with CKD at high risk of CV and renal events will experience cardiorenal benefits with the addition of finerenone to their treatment regimen. Trial Registration: EudraCT number: 2015-000950-39; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02545049.
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Fresard, Laure, et al.
(författare)
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Identification of rare-disease genes using blood transcriptome sequencing and large control cohorts
- 2019
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Ingår i: Nature Medicine. - : NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP. - 1078-8956 .- 1546-170X. ; 25:6, s. 911-919
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- It is estimated that 350 million individuals worldwide suffer from rare diseases, which are predominantly caused by mutation in a single gene(1). The current molecular diagnostic rate is estimated at 50%, with whole-exome sequencing (WES) among the most successful approaches(2-5). For patients in whom WES is uninformative, RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) has shown diagnostic utility in specific tissues and diseases(6-8). This includes muscle biopsies from patients with undiagnosed rare muscle disorders(6,9), and cultured fibroblasts from patients with mitochondrial disorders(7). However, for many individuals, biopsies are not performed for clinical care, and tissues are difficult to access. We sought to assess the utility of RNA-seq from blood as a diagnostic tool for rare diseases of different pathophysiologies. We generated whole-blood RNA-seq from 94 individuals with undiagnosed rare diseases spanning 16 diverse disease categories. We developed a robust approach to compare data from these individuals with large sets of RNA-seq data for controls (n = 1,594 unrelated controls and n = 49 family members) and demonstrated the impacts of expression, splicing, gene and variant filtering strategies on disease gene identification. Across our cohort, we observed that RNA-seq yields a 7.5% diagnostic rate, and an additional 16.7% with improved candidate gene resolution.
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| 8. |
- Bosson, J. K., et al.
(författare)
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Psychometric Properties and Correlates of Precarious Manhood Beliefs in 62 Nations
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology. - : SAGE Publications. - 0022-0221 .- 1552-5422. ; 52:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Precarious manhood beliefs portray manhood, relative to womanhood, as a social status that is hard to earn, easy to lose, and proven via public action. Here, we present cross-cultural data on a brief measure of precarious manhood beliefs (the Precarious Manhood Beliefs scale [PMB]) that covaries meaningfully with other cross-culturally validated gender ideologies and with country-level indices of gender equality and human development. Using data from university samples in 62 countries across 13 world regions (N = 33,417), we demonstrate: (1) the psychometric isomorphism of the PMB (i.e., its comparability in meaning and statistical properties across the individual and country levels); (2) the PMB's distinctness from, and associations with, ambivalent sexism and ambivalence toward men; and (3) associations of the PMB with nation-level gender equality and human development. Findings are discussed in terms of their statistical and theoretical implications for understanding widely-held beliefs about the precariousness of the male gender role.
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| 9. |
- Krys, K, et al.
(författare)
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Happiness Maximization Is a WEIRD Way of Living
- 2024
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Ingår i: Perspectives on psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. - 1745-6924. ; , s. 17456916231208367-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)
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| 10. |
- Gohl, K., et al.
(författare)
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Expedition 379 methods
- 2021
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the International Ocean Discovery Program. - : International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP). - 2377-3189. ; 379
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)
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| 11. |
- Gohl, K., et al.
(författare)
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Expedition 379 summary
- 2021
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the International Ocean Discovery Program. - : International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP). - 2377-3189. ; 79
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Amundsen Sea sector of Antarctica has long been considered the most vulnerable part of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) because of the great water depth at the grounding line, a subglacial bed seafloor deepening toward the interior of the continent, and the absence of substantial ice shelves. Glaciers in this configuration are thought to be susceptible to rapid or runaway retreat. Ice flowing into the Amundsen Sea Embayment is undergoing the most rapid changes of any sector of the Antarctic ice sheets outside the Antarctic Peninsula, including substantial grounding-line retreat over recent decades, as observed from satellite data. Recent models suggest that a threshold leading to the collapse of WAIS in this sector may have been already crossed and that much of the ice sheet could be lost even under relatively moderate greenhouse gas emission scenarios.Drill cores from the Amundsen Sea provide tests of several key questions about controls on ice sheet stability. The cores offer a direct offshore record of glacial history in a sector that is exclusively influenced by ice draining the WAIS, which allows clear comparisons between the WAIS history and low-latitude climate records. Today, relatively warm (modified) Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) is impinging onto the Amundsen Sea shelf and causing melting under ice shelves and at the grounding line of the WAIS in most places. Reconstructions of past CDW intrusions can assess the ties between warm water upwelling and large-scale changes in past grounding-line positions. Carrying out these reconstructions offshore from the drainage basin that currently has the most substantial negative mass balance of ice anywhere in Antarctica is thus of prime interest to future predictions.The scientific objectives for this expedition are built on hypotheses about WAIS dynamics and related paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic conditions. The main objectives areTo test the hypothesis that WAIS collapses occurred during the Neogene and Quaternary and, if so, when and under which environmental conditions;To obtain ice-proximal records of ice sheet dynamics in the Amundsen Sea that correlate with global records of ice-volume changes and proxy records for atmospheric and ocean temperatures;To study the stability of a marine-based WAIS margin and how warm deepwater incursions control its position on the shelf;To find evidence for the earliest major grounded WAIS advances onto the middle and outer shelf;To test the hypothesis that the first major WAIS growth was related to the uplift of the Marie Byrd Land dome.International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 379 completed two very successful drill sites on the continental rise of the Amundsen Sea. Site U1532 is located on a large sediment drift, now called the Resolution Drift, and it penetrated to 794 m with 90% recovery. We collected almost-continuous cores from recent age through the Pleistocene and Pliocene and into the upper Miocene. At Site U1533, we drilled 383 m (70% recovery) into the more condensed sequence at the lower flank of the same sediment drift. The cores of both sites contain unique records that will enable study of the cyclicity of ice sheet advance and retreat processes as well as ocean-bottom water circulation and water mass changes. In particular, Site U1532 revealed a sequence of Pliocene sediments with an excellent paleomagnetic record for high-resolution climate change studies of the previously sparsely sampled Pacific sector of the West Antarctic margin.Despite the drilling success at these sites, the overall expedition experienced three unexpected difficulties that affected many of the scientific objectives:The extensive sea ice on the continental shelf prevented us from drilling any of the proposed shelf sites.The drill sites on the continental rise were in the path of numerous icebergs of various sizes that frequently forced us to pause drilling or leave the hole entirely as they approached the ship. The overall downtime caused by approaching icebergs was 50% of our time spent on site.A medical evacuation cut the expedition short by 1 week.Recovery of core on the continental rise at Sites U1532 and U1533 cannot be used to indicate the extent of grounded ice on the shelf or, thus, of its retreat directly. However, the sediments contained in these cores offer a range of clues about past WAIS extent and retreat. At Sites U1532 and U1533, coarse-grained sediments interpreted to be ice-rafted debris (IRD) were identified throughout all recovered time periods. A dominant feature of the cores is recorded by lithofacies cyclicity, which is interpreted to represent relatively warmer periods variably characterized by sediments with higher microfossil abundance, greater bioturbation, and higher IRD concentrations alternating with colder periods characterized by dominantly gray laminated terrigenous muds. Initial comparison of these cycles to published late Quaternary records from the region suggests that the units interpreted to be records of warmer time intervals in the core tie to global interglacial periods and the units interpreted to be deposits of colder periods tie to global glacial periods.Cores from the two drill sites recovered sediments of dominantly terrigenous origin intercalated or mixed with pelagic or hemipelagic deposits. In particular, Site U1533, which is located near a deep-sea channel originating from the continental slope, contains graded silts, sands, and gravels transported downslope from the shelf to the rise. The channel is likely the pathway of these sediments transported by turbidity currents and other gravitational downslope processes. The association of lithologic facies at both sites predominantly reflects the interplay of downslope and contouritic sediment supply with occasional input of more pelagic sediment. Despite the lack of cores from the shelf, our records from the continental rise reveal the timing of glacial advances across the shelf and thus the existence of a continent-wide ice sheet in West Antarctica during longer time periods since at least the late Miocene.Cores from both sites contain abundant coarse-grained sediments and clasts of plutonic origin transported either by downslope processes or by ice rafting. If detailed provenance studies confirm our preliminary assessment that the origin of these samples is from the plutonic bedrock of Marie Byrd Land, their thermochronological record will potentially reveal timing and rates of denudation and erosion linked to crustal uplift. The chronostratigraphy of both sites enables the generation of a seismic sequence stratigraphy for the entire Amundsen Sea continental rise, spanning the area offshore from the Amundsen Sea Embayment westward along the Marie Byrd Land margin to the easternmost Ross Sea through a connecting network of seismic lines.
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| 12. |
- Wellner, J.S., et al.
(författare)
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Site U1532
- 2021
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the International Ocean Discovery Program. - : International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP). - 2377-3189. ; 379
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)
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| 13. |
- Wellner, J.S., et al.
(författare)
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Site U1533
- 2021
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the International Ocean Discovery Program. - : International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP). - 2377-3189. ; 379
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)
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| 14. |
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| 15. |
- Lopes, A. M., et al.
(författare)
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Host-Specific Glycans Are Correlated with Susceptibility to Infection by Lagoviruses, but Not with Their Virulence
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of Virology. - : American Society for Microbiology. - 0022-538X .- 1098-5514. ; 92:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) and European brown hare syndrome virus (EBHSV) are two lagoviruses from the family Caliciviridae that cause fatal diseases in two leporid genera, Oryctolagus and Lepus, respectively. In the last few years, several examples of host jumps of lagoviruses among leporids were recorded. In addition, a new pathogenic genotype of RHDV emerged, and many nonpathogenic strains of lagoviruses have been described. The molecular mechanisms behind host shifts and the emergence of virulence are unknown. Since RHDV uses glycans of the histo-blood group antigen type as attachment factors to initiate infection, we studied if glycan specificities of the new pathogenic RHDV genotype, nonpathogenic lagoviruses, and EBHSV potentially play a role in determining the host range and virulence of lagoviruses. We observed binding to A, B, or H antigens of the histo-blood group family for all strains known to primarily infect European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), which have recently been classified as GI strains. However, we could not explain the emergence of virulence, since similar glycan specificities were found in several pathogenic and nonpathogenic strains. In contrast, EBHSV, recently classified as GII. 1, bound to terminal beta -linked N-acetylglucosamine residues of O-glycans. Expression of these attachment factors in the upper respiratory and digestive tracts in three lagomorph species (Oryctolagus cuniculus, Lepus europaeus, and Sylvilagus floridanus) showed species-specific patterns regarding susceptibility to infection by these viruses, indicating that species-specific glycan expression is likely a major contributor to lagovirus host specificity and range. IMPORTANCE Lagoviruses constitute a genus of the family Caliciviridae comprising highly pathogenic viruses, RHDV and EBHSV, that infect rabbits and hares, respectively. Recently, nonpathogenic strains were discovered and new pathogenic strains have emerged. In addition, host jumps between lagomorphs have been observed. The mechanisms responsible for the emergence of pathogenicity and host species range are unknown. Previous studies showed that RHDV strains attach to glycans expressed in the upper respiratory and digestive tracts of rabbits, the likely portals of virus entry. Here, we studied the glycan-binding properties of novel pathogenic and nonpathogenic strains looking for a link between glycan binding and virulence or between glycan specificity and host range. We found that glycan binding did not correlate with virulence. However, expression of glycan motifs in the upper respiratory and digestive tracts of lagomorphs revealed species-specific patterns associated with the host ranges of the virus strains, suggesting that glycan diversity contributes to lagovirus host ranges.
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| 16. |
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| 17. |
- Emauz, A., et al.
(författare)
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Adaptação da escala de empatia com animais (EEA) para a população Portuguesa
- 2016
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Ingår i: Analise Psicologica. - : ISPA - Instituto Universitario. - 0870-8231. ; 34:2, s. 189-201
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Within Psychology, there has been a growing interest in the study of human animal interactions. However, studies addressing human empathy towards non-human animals are still scarce, as are the instruments to measure it, and as of now there was none available for the Portuguese population. We chose the Animal Empathy Scale (AES), for being the most frequently used tool to measure empathy towards non-human animals. The exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis revealed a twocomponent structure, and the two new subscales were named Emotional Detachment and Animal Empathic Concern. Both the final scale and subscales structures showed a well-adjusted model with good levels of internal consistency. A significant correlation was found with a measure of empathy towards humans (Interpersonal Reactivity Index - IRI), strengthening the validity of this instrument as a useful tool to assess empathy toward animals in the Portuguese population. © 2016, Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada. All rights reserved.
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| 18. |
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| 19. |
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| 20. |
- Maguire, Casey A., et al.
(författare)
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Microvesicle-associated AAV Vector as a Novel Gene Delivery System
- 2012
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Ingår i: Molecular Therapy. - New York : Nature Publishing Group. - 1525-0016 .- 1525-0024. ; 20:5, s. 960-971
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors have shown remarkable efficiency for gene delivery to cultured cells and in animal models of human disease. However, limitations to AAV vectored gene transfer exist after intravenous transfer, including off-target gene delivery (e.g., liver) and low transduction of target tissue. Here, we show that during production, a fraction of AAV vectors are associated with microvesicles/exosomes, termed vexosomes (vector-exosomes). AAV capsids associated with the surface and in the interior of microvesicles were visualized using electron microscopy. In cultured cells, vexosomes outperformed conventionally purified AAV vectors in transduction efficiency. We found that purified vexosomes were more resistant to a neutralizing anti-AAV antibody compared to conventionally purified AAV. Finally, we show that vexosomes bound to magnetic beads can be attracted to a magnetized area in cultured cells. Vexosomes represent a unique entity which offers a promising strategy to improve gene delivery.
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| 21. |
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| 22. |
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| 23. |
- Rohwedder, A., et al.
(författare)
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Cloudbuster: a Python-based open source application for three-dimensional reconstruction and quantification of stacked biological imaging samples
- 2022
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Ingår i: Interface Focus. - : ROYAL SOC. - 2042-8898 .- 2042-8901. ; 12:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Three-dimensional (3D) spheroid cultures are generating increasing interest in cancer research, e.g. for the evaluation of pharmacological effects of novel small molecule inhibitors. This is mainly due to the fact that such 3D structures reflect physiological characteristics of tumours and the cellular microenvironments they reside in more faithfully than two-dimensional (2D) cell cultures; in addition, they allow the reduction of animal experiments while providing significantly relevant human-based models. Quantification of such organoid structures as well as the mainly slice-based acquisition and thus forced 2D representation of 3D spheroids provide a challenge for the interpretation of the associated generated data. Here, we provide a novel open-source workflow to reconstruct a 3D entity from slice-recorded microscopical images with or without treatment with anti-migratory small molecule inhibitors. This reconstruction produces distinct point clouds as basis for subsequent comparison of basic readout parameters using average computer processor, memory and graphics resources within an acceptable time frame. We were able to validate the usefulness of this workflow using 3D data generated by various imaging techniques, including z-stacks from confocal microscopy and histochemically labelled spheroid sectioning, and demonstrate the possibility to accurately characterize inhibitor effects in great detail.
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| 24. |
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| 25. |
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| 26. |
- Carneiro, Miguel, et al.
(författare)
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A loss-of-function mutation in RORB disrupts saltatorial locomotion in rabbits
- 2021
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Ingår i: PLOS Genetics. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1553-7390 .- 1553-7404. ; 17:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Saltatorial locomotion is a type of hopping gait that in mammals can be found in rabbits, hares, kangaroos, and some species of rodents. The molecular mechanisms that control and fine-tune the formation of this type of gait are unknown. Here, we take advantage of one strain of domesticated rabbits, the sauteur d’Alfort, that exhibits an abnormal locomotion behavior defined by the loss of the typical jumping that characterizes wild-type rabbits. Strikingly, individuals from this strain frequently adopt a bipedal gait using their front legs. Using a combination of experimental crosses and whole genome sequencing, we show that a single locus containing the RAR related orphan receptor B gene (RORB) explains the atypical gait of these rabbits. We found that a splice-site mutation in an evolutionary conserved site of RORB results in several aberrant transcript isoforms incorporating intronic sequence. This mutation leads to a drastic reduction of RORB-positive neurons in the spinal cord, as well as defects in differentiation of populations of spinal cord interneurons. Our results show that RORB function is required for the performance of saltatorial locomotion in rabbits.Author summaryRabbits and hares have a characteristic jumping gait composed of an alternate rhythmical movement of the forelimbs and a synchronous bilateral movement of the hindlimbs. We have now characterized a recessive mutation present in a specific strain of domestic rabbits (sauteur d’Alfort) that disrupts the jumping gait. The mutation causing this defect in locomotion pattern occurs in the gene coding for the transcription factor RORB that is normally expressed in many regions of the nervous system especially in the spinal cord dorsal horn. Our results show that expression of RORB is drastically reduced in the spinal cord of affected rabbits which results in a developmental defect. This study is an advance in our understanding how locomotion is controlled in vertebrates.
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| 27. |
- Cláudio, A. P., et al.
(författare)
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Virtual environment to treat social anxiety
- 2013
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Ingår i: Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics). - Berlin, Heidelberg : Springer. - 9783642392405 ; , s. 442-451
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of our work is to propose a Virtual Reality solution to treat social anxiety, applying cognitive-behavioral therapies, that preserves the sense of immersion without requiring the use of expensive special purpose hardware. We have developed an application, called Virtual Spectators, that creates a simulation taking place in a virtual scenario inhabited by animated virtual humans whose behaviors are dynamically controlled by the therapist. To evaluate the effective usefulness of the tool from the point of view of the therapist, we performed an evaluation of the application with a set of these professionals familiarized with the use of exposure therapy. Their feedback was positive and they were enthusiastic about the possibility of using such a tool to support a session of exposure therapy. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.
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| 28. |
- de Sousa-Pereira, P, et al.
(författare)
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Rabbit IgA Hinges That Resist IgA1 Protease Action Provide Options for Improved IgA-Based Therapeutic Agents
- 2022
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Ingår i: Frontiers in immunology. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 1664-3224. ; 13, s. 907342-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Immunoglobulin A provides a major line of defence against pathogens and plays a key role in the maintenance of the commensal microbiota in the intestinal tract. Having been shown to be more effective at tumour cell killing than IgG and strongly active against pathogens present in the mucosae, IgA antibodies have been attracting significant attention in recent years for use as therapeutic antibodies. To improve their therapeutic potential, bioengineered IgA forms with increased serum half-life and neutralizing abilities have been developed but the IgA hinge, which impacts susceptibility to bacterial proteases and ability to bridge between target and effector cells, has not yet been explored. The European rabbit has 15 IgA subclasses with exclusive hinge region motifs and varying lengths, constituting a unique model to evaluate the functional capabilities offered by incorporation of longer IgA hinges into immunoglobulins. Hinge regions from rabbit IgAs, featuring different lengths and sequences, were inserted into human IgA1 heavy chain to substitute the IgA1 hinge. These hinges did not appear to affect antigen binding nor the ability of the engineered chimeric IgA1 to bind and trigger FcαRI, as detected by IgA-mediated cell agglutination and release of superoxide by neutrophils. All rabbit hinge-human IgA1 hybrids were resistant toClostridrum ramosumIgA protease enzyme digestion, as predicted by the lack of the cleavage site in the rabbit hinges. Some IgA1s featuring long rabbit hinges were cleaved byNeisseria meningitidisIgA1 protease cleavage type 1 or 2 enzymes, despite the lack of the predicted cleavage sites. More interestingly, the hybrid featuring the rabbit IgA15 hinge was not affected by any of the IgA proteases. The IgA15 hinge is longer than that found in human IgA1 and is composed by a unique motif with a stretch of nine consecutive Ser residues. These characteristics allow the preservation of a long hinge, with associated ability to bridge distantly spaced antigens and provide higher avidity binding, while remaining resistant to IgA protease degradation. The data suggest that the rabbit Cα15 hinge represents an interesting alternative hinge sequence for therapeutic human IgA antibodies that remains resistant to proteolytic cleavage.
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| 29. |
- Enrich Prast, Alex, et al.
(författare)
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Controls of sediment nitrogen dynamics in tropical coastal lagoons
- 2016
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science. - 1932-6203. ; 11:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Sediment denitrification rates seem to be lower in tropical environments than in temperate environments. Using the isotope pairing technique, we measured actual denitrification rates in the sediment of tropical coastal lagoons. To explain the low denitrification rates observed at all study sites (amp;lt;5 μmol N2 m-2 h-1 ), we also evaluated potential oxygen (O2 ) consumption, potential nitrification, potential denitrification, potential anammox, and estimated dissimilatory nitrate NO3 ) reduction to ammonium (NH4 + ; DNRA) in the sediment.15NO3 and 15NH4 + conversion was measured in oxic and anoxic slurries from the sediment surface. Sediment potential O2 consumption was used as a proxy for overall mineralization activity. Actual denitrification rates and different potential nitrogen (N) oxidation and reduction processes were significantly correlated with potential O2 consumption. The contribution of potential nitrification to total O2 consumption decreased from contributing 9% at sites with the lowest sediment mineralization rates to less than 0.1% at sites with the highest rates. -3 reduction switched completely from potential denitrification to estimated DNRA. Ammonium oxidation and nitrite NO2 ) reduction by potential anammox contributed up to 3% in sediments with the lowest sediment mineralization rates. The majority of these patterns could be explained by variations in the microbial environments from stable and largely oxic conditions at low sediment mineralization sites to more variable conditions and the prevalences of anaerobic microorganisms at high sediment mineralization sites. Furthermore, the presence of algal and microbial mats on the sediment had a significant effect on all studied processes. We propose a theoretical model based on low and high sediment mineralization rates to explain the growth, activity, and distribution of microorganisms carrying out denitrification and DNRA in sediments that can explain the dominance or coexistence of DNRA and denitrification processes. The results presented here show that the potential activity of anaerobic nitrate-reducing organisms is not dependent on the availability of environmental NO3. © 2016 Enrich-Prast et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
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| 30. |
- Enrich Prast, Alex, et al.
(författare)
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Sediment Denitrification in Two Contrasting Tropical Shallow Lagoons
- 2016
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Ingår i: Estuaries and Coasts. - : SPRINGER. - 1559-2723 .- 1559-2731. ; 39:3, s. 657-663
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Sediment denitrification was monthly evaluated in two tropical coastal lagoons with different trophic states using the N-15 isotope pairing technique. Denitrification rates were very low in both environments, always < 5.0 mu mol N-2 m(-2) h(-1) and were not significantly different between them. Oxygen consumption varied from 426 to 4248 mu mol O-2 m(-2) h(-1) and was generally three times higher in the meso-eutrophic than the oligotrophic lagoon. The low denitrification activity was ascribed to both low water NO3- concentrations (< 2.0 mu M) and little nitrate supply from nitrification. There was no correlation of denitrification with nitrate or ammonium fluxes. Sediments in temperate environments with similar oxygen consumption rates usually presented a higher proportion of nitrification-denitrification rates. Sediment oxygen consumption was a good predictor of sediment denitrification in both studied lagoons.
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| 31. |
- Esteves, A., et al.
(författare)
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Genetic diversity of norovirus in children under 5 years of age with acute gastroenteritis from Angola
- 2018
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Ingår i: Epidemiology and Infection. - : CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS. - 0950-2688 .- 1469-4409. ; 146:5, s. 551-557
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Norovirus (NoV) is a major cause of acute gastroenteritis (AGE). In this study, we investigated the genetic diversity of NoV strains identified in children under 5 years of age with AGE in four provinces of Angola. Faecal samples from 343 children were screened for NoV by an in house real-time PCR assay and genotyping was performed by partial capsid gene sequencing. NoV was detected in 17.4% (58/334) of the samples, with high detection rates in children amp;lt;6 months old (19%) and in children aged 12-24 months (23%). Genotype diversity was large, as demonstrated by the 11 identified genotypes. GII.4 was the predominant genotype (20% of all NoV-positive samples), followed by GII.6 (15%), GI.3 (12%), GII.7 (10%) and by other genotypes to a lesser extent. Two GII.4 variants, New Orleans 2009 and Sydney 2012, were detected and several genetic clusters were observed for genotypes GI.3, GII.6 and GII.7. The present study shows high detection rates and genetic diversity of circulating NoV genotypes in paediatric AGE samples from Angola. This information emphasises the importance of continuous assessment of NoV burden and evolution in the target population.
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| 32. |
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| 33. |
- Esteves, G. J., et al.
(författare)
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Effect of transcranial direct current stimulation on supramaximal intermittent exercise performance
- 2019
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Ingår i: Motriz. Revista de Educacao Fisica. - : Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP. - 1415-9805. ; 25:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims: Our purpose was to determine whether Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) improves performance in untrained individuals for supramaximal intermittent exercise. Methods: In a cross-over design, 11 healthy male subjects (26.8 ± 4.6 years) performed four Wingate trials after 20 minutes of anodal or sham tDCS over the left Insular Cortex (IC). For performance indexes, Relative Peak Power (RPP), Relative Average Power (RAP) and Fatigue Index (FI) were computed. Also, a Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) and Electromyography (EMG) signal were used to assess central and muscle fatigue development. Results: There was a significant difference over trials on all performance indexes, but there were no significant condition x trial interactions for any of the indexes. RPE increased significantly over trials, but there was no condition x trial interaction. There was no significant difference over trials on EMG for the rectus femoris and vastus medialis muscles; however, EMG decreased over trials for the vastus lateralis muscle. Furthermore, there was no condition x trial interaction on the EMG signal for any of the muscles.Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the anodal tDCS technique has no impact on physical performance, perceived exertion nor muscle fatigue development for supramaximal intermittent exercise.
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| 34. |
- Fagundes, Ticiane Cestari, et al.
(författare)
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Clinical evaluation of two packable posterior composites : a five-year follow-up
- 2009
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Ingår i: The Journal of the American Dental Association (1939). - 0002-8177 .- 1943-4723. ; 140:4, s. 447-54
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Research has suggested that packable resin-based composites inserted with a placement technique similar to amalgam condensation can reduce the sensitivity associated with posterior restorations. The authors evaluated the clinical performance, including associated sensitivity, of two packable composites in a randomized five-year clinical trial. METHODS: A single operator randomly placed two restorations in each of 33 patients: one restoration consisting of Alert (Jeneric/Pentron, Wallingford, Conn.) and the other consisting of SureFil (Dentsply/Caulk, Milford, Del.). There were 30 Class I and 36 Class II restorations. Two independent evaluators evaluated the restorations by using modified U.S. Public Health Service criteria. The authors analyzed data by means of the Fisher, chi(2) and McNemar tests at P < .05. RESULTS: Of 60 restorations evaluated at five years, two Class II restorations (one SureFil, one Alert) failed. All other restorations received the highest score possible for sensitivity and vitality. The only difference between the composites at the five-year recall was the significantly better surface texture of SureFil. The authors observed significantly different scores between the baseline and at five years for marginal discoloration (Alert and SureFil), surface texture (Alert and SureFil) and color (SureFil). CONCLUSIONS: Both packable resin-based composites showed excellent durability during the five-year follow-up. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: The investigated resin-based composites are suitable for posterior restorations.
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| 40. |
- Jonason, Peter K., et al.
(författare)
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Country-level correlates of the Dark Triad traits in 49 countries
- 2020
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Ingår i: Journal of personality. - : Wiley. - 0022-3506 .- 1467-6494. ; 88:6, s. 1252-1267
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: The Dark Triad traits (i.e., narcissism, psychopathy, Machiavellianism) capture individual differences in aversive personality to complement work on other taxonomies, such as the Big Five traits. However, the literature on the Dark Triad traits relies mostly on samples from English-speaking (i.e., Westernized) countries. We broadened the scope of this literature by sampling from a wider array of countries.Method: We drew on data from 49 countries (N = 11,723; 65.8% female;Age(Mean) = 21.53) to examine how an extensive net of country-level variables in economic status (e.g., Human Development Index), social relations (e.g., gender equality), political orientations (e.g., democracy), and cultural values (e.g., embeddedness) relate to country-level rates of the Dark Triad traits, as well as variance in the magnitude of sex differences in them.Results: Narcissism was especially sensitive to country-level variables. Countries with more embedded and hierarchical cultural systems weremorenarcissistic. Also, sex differences in narcissism werelargerinmoredeveloped societies: Women were less likely to be narcissistic in developed (vs. less developed) countries.Conclusions: We discuss the results based on evolutionary and social role models of personality and sex differences. That higher country-level narcissism was more common in less developed countries, whereas sex differences in narcissism were larger in more developed countries, is more consistent with evolutionary than social role models.
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| 41. |
- Kowal, Marta, et al.
(författare)
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Reasons for Facebook Usage : Data From 46 Countries
- 2020
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Psychology. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 1664-1078. ; 11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction: Seventy-nine percent of internet users use Facebook, and on average they access Facebook eight times a day (Greenwood et al., 2016). To put these numbers into perspective, according to Clement (2019), around 30% of the world's population uses this Online Social Network (OSN) site.Despite the constantly growing body of academic research on Facebook (Chou et al., 2009; Back et al., 2010; Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010; McAndrew and Jeong, 2012; Wilson et al., 2012; Krasnova et al., 2017), there remains limited research regarding the motivation behind Facebook use across different cultures. Our main goal was to collect data from a large cross-cultural sample of Facebook users to examine the roles of sex, age, and, most importantly, cultural differences underlying Facebook use.
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| 42. |
- Nyström, Kristina, 1977, et al.
(författare)
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Neofunctionalization of the Sec1 alpha 1,2fucosyltransferase Paralogue in Leporids Contributes to Glycan Polymorphism and Resistance to Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus
- 2015
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Ingår i: Plos Pathogens. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1553-7366 .- 1553-7374. ; 11:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- RHDV (rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus), a virulent calicivirus, causes high mortalities in European rabbit populations (Oryctolagus cuniculus). It uses alpha 1,2fucosylated glycans, histo-blood group antigens (HBGAs), as attachment factors, with their absence or low expression generating resistance to the disease. Synthesis of these glycans requires an alpha 1,2fucosyltransferase. In mammals, there are three closely located alpha 1,2fucosyltransferase genes rSec1, rFut2 and rFut1 that arose through two rounds of duplications. In most mammalian species, Sec1 has clearly become a pseudogene. Yet, in leporids, it does not suffer gross alterations, although we previously observed that rabbit Sec1 variants present either low or no activity. Still, a low activity rSec1 allele correlated with survival to an RHDV outbreak. We now confirm the association between the alpha 1,2fucosyltransferase loci and survival. In addition, we show that rabbits express homogenous rFut1 and rFut2 levels in the small intestine. Comparison of rFut1 and rFut2 activity showed that type 2 A, B and H antigens recognized by RHDV strains were mainly synthesized by rFut1, and all rFut1 variants detected in wild animals were equally active. Interestingly, rSec1 RNA levels were highly variable between individuals and high expression was associated with low binding of RHDV strains to the mucosa. Co-transfection of rFut1 and rSec1 caused a decrease in rFut1-generated RHDV binding sites, indicating that in rabbits, the catalytically inactive rSec1 protein acts as a dominant-negative of rFut1. Consistent with neofunctionalization of Sec1 in leporids, gene conversion analysis showed extensive homogenization between Sec1 and Fut2 in leporids, at variance with its limited degree in other mammals. Gene conversion additionally involving Fut1 was also observed at the C-terminus. Thus, in leporids, unlike in most other mammals where it became extinct, Sec1 evolved a new function with a dominant-negative effect on rFut1, contributing to fucosylated glycan diversity, and allowing herd protection from pathogens such as RHDV.
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| 44. |
- Olsson, M. J., et al.
(författare)
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A putative female pheromone affects mood in men differently depending on social context
- 2006
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Ingår i: Revue europeenne de psychologie appliquee. - : Elsevier BV. - 1162-9088 .- 1878-3457. ; 56:4, s. 279-284
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Pheromones play a significant role in social interaction and communication in many vertebrates and invertebrates. Although a well-established phenomenon in the animal world, the existence of human pheromones is controversial. The most common observation supporting the notion of pheromones in humans is that exposure to putative pheromones can influence mood in participants. Recently, the concept of modulatory pheromones has been introduced, suggesting that effects of pheromone exposure in humans depend on the context. In the current experiment, we tested whether the mood of heterosexual men is affected by exposure of a putative female pheromone, estratetraenol. We also investigated if this influence would differ depending on whether a male or a female heterosexual experimenter was interacting with the participants. ANOVAs were performed on aggregated mood scales resulting from factor analysis. The results were that exposure to estratetraenol compared to a perceptually identical control substance enhanced positive mood. Moreover, negative mood was differently affected depending on whether a male or a female experimenter conducted the test. Altogether this study suggests that a putative female pheromone can modulate mood in men. Interestingly, the social context (male or female experimenter) seems to be of importance for how men react to exposure.
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| 45. |
- Petisca, S., et al.
(författare)
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Human Dishonesty in the Presence of a Robot : The Effects of Situation Awareness
- 2022
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Ingår i: International Journal of Social Robotics. - : Springer Nature. - 1875-4791 .- 1875-4805. ; 14:5, s. 1211-1222
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Cheating has been extensively studied in Psychology and Economics, showing a variety of factors that can increase or decrease this behavior. Considering future human–robot interactions, where robots are being thought to be integrated in a variety of contexts, it is important to test which characteristics robots can have to prevent people from cheating. In this study (N = 123), we investigated whether people will cheat if an autonomous robot showed situationally aware behaviors towards the participant’s performance (i.e., intervened when they cheated). Our results showed that being in the presence of an aware robot is better at decreasing cheating behavior than being alone, and that there are no differences in cheating behavior between a non-aware robot or being alone. This study brings implications for the development of autonomous robots in roles where cheating might happen.
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| 46. |
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| 47. |
- Stepanauskas, R, et al.
(författare)
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Bioavailability and sources of DOC and DON in macrophyte stands of a tropical coastal lake
- 2000
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Ingår i: Hydrobiologia. - 0018-8158. ; 436:1-3, s. 241-248
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrogen (DON) derived from aquatic and terrestrial vascular plants provide a major energy and nutrient source for freshwater and coastal marine biota. The bioavailability of this material may to a large extent depend on plant species. In this study, we have compared the bioavailability of DOC and DON sampled in two distinct stands of Typha domingensis and Eleocharis mutata in a coastal tropical lake and in the adjacent ocean in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Bioavailability of organic matter was assessed by regrowth bioassays using natural bacterial inocula. Nutrients were added to achieve carbon or nitrogen limitation. At all sampling sites, DON comprised over 95% of the total bioavailable nitrogen, suggesting its dominant role as a nitrogen source. The bioavailability of lacustrine DON (22% in the Typha stand and 34% in the Eleocharis stand) exceeded the bioavailability of DOC (8 and 10%, respectively) and exhibited a larger difference between the stands. H-3-leucine incorporation studies showed that lake bacterioplankton had a well balanced supply of C, N and P. Therefore, an accumulation of labile DON due to an excess nitrogen supply is not probable. We propose that a substantial part of the lake DON was newly formed within the macrophyte stands, while DOC was predominantly of terrestrial origin and more diagenetically changed.
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| 48. |
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| 49. |
- Vazquez, J. A., et al.
(författare)
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Surgical Trauma Caused by Different Abdominal Access Routes-Comparison of Open Surgical, Laparoscopic, and NOTES Transgastric Techniques in a Porcine Model
- 2016
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Ingår i: Journal of Laparoendoscopic & Advanced Surgical Techniques. - : Mary Ann Liebert Inc. - 1092-6429 .- 1557-9034. ; 26:7, s. 511-516
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Investigations indicate that natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) procedures induce a less pronounced postoperative inflammatory response than open or laparoscopic surgery, inflicting less trauma. In NOTES procedures, no skin incision is performed. We compare the inflammatory response added by the type of incision by measuring C-reactive protein (CRP) and tumors necrosis factor-alfa (TNF-alpha). Methods: Twenty-seven pigs were randomized to open surgical, laparoscopic, or transgastric NOTES abdominal access. After completion of the accesses, no surgery was performed. All accesses were left open for 40 minutes followed by closure, animals were survived for 7 days. Blood samples were drawn at the start of the accesses, at 20 and 40 minutes during the procedure, and at postoperative day (POD) 1, 3, and 7. Analyses of CRP and TNF-alpha were performed. Results: CRP increased in all animals until POD1. This increase was greater in the open group (P=.006). No significant differences in CRP-levels were found at POD 1, 3, or 7. TNF-alpha showed a peak during the procedure, at 20 and 40 minutes, with normalization at POD1 for 1/3 of the open and laparoscopic animals, but not for the NOTES animals. Due to variations within the groups, no statistical difference was shown between them. At postmortem, 1/3 of the pigs in the laparoscopic and open groups had wound infections, while no NOTES animals showed infections. Conclusions: This study provides no statistically significant differences in inflammatory response after the different abdominal accesses. However, the lack of a TNF-alpha-peak in the NOTES group might indicate a less pronounced response, supporting the initial theories.
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