| 1. |
- Kanai, M, et al.
(författare)
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- 2023
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swepub:Mat__t
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| 2. |
- Niemi, MEK, et al.
(författare)
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- 2021
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swepub:Mat__t
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Lind, Lars, et al.
(författare)
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Heterogeneous contributions of change in population distribution of body mass index to change in obesity and underweight NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC)
- 2021
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Ingår i: eLife. - : eLife Sciences Publications Ltd. - 2050-084X. ; 10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- From 1985 to 2016, the prevalence of underweight decreased, and that of obesity and severe obesity increased, in most regions, with significant variation in the magnitude of these changes across regions. We investigated how much change in mean body mass index (BMI) explains changes in the prevalence of underweight, obesity, and severe obesity in different regions using data from 2896 population-based studies with 187 million participants. Changes in the prevalence of underweight and total obesity, and to a lesser extent severe obesity, are largely driven by shifts in the distribution of BMI, with smaller contributions from changes in the shape of the distribution. In East and Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, the underweight tail of the BMI distribution was left behind as the distribution shifted. There is a need for policies that address all forms of malnutrition by making healthy foods accessible and affordable, while restricting unhealthy foods through fiscal and regulatory restrictions.
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| 8. |
- Bixby, H., et al.
(författare)
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Rising rural body-mass index is the main driver of the global obesity epidemic in adults
- 2019
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 569:7755, s. 260-4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Body-mass index (BMI) has increased steadily in most countries in parallel with a rise in the proportion of the population who live in cities(.)(1,2) This has led to a widely reported view that urbanization is one of the most important drivers of the global rise in obesity(3-6). Here we use 2,009 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight in more than 112 million adults, to report national, regional and global trends in mean BMI segregated by place of residence (a rural or urban area) from 1985 to 2017. We show that, contrary to the dominant paradigm, more than 55% of the global rise in mean BMI from 1985 to 2017-and more than 80% in some low- and middle-income regions-was due to increases in BMI in rural areas. This large contribution stems from the fact that, with the exception of women in sub-Saharan Africa, BMI is increasing at the same rate or faster in rural areas than in cities in low- and middle-income regions. These trends have in turn resulted in a closing-and in some countries reversal-of the gap in BMI between urban and rural areas in low- and middle-income countries, especially for women. In high-income and industrialized countries, we noted a persistently higher rural BMI, especially for women. There is an urgent need for an integrated approach to rural nutrition that enhances financial and physical access to healthy foods, to avoid replacing the rural undernutrition disadvantage in poor countries with a more general malnutrition disadvantage that entails excessive consumption of low-quality calories.
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| 9. |
- Mishra, A, et al.
(författare)
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Diminishing benefits of urban living for children and adolescents' growth and development
- 2023
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1476-4687 .- 0028-0836. ; 615:7954, s. 874-883
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Optimal growth and development in childhood and adolescence is crucial for lifelong health and well-being1–6. Here we used data from 2,325 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight from 71 million participants, to report the height and body-mass index (BMI) of children and adolescents aged 5–19 years on the basis of rural and urban place of residence in 200 countries and territories from 1990 to 2020. In 1990, children and adolescents residing in cities were taller than their rural counterparts in all but a few high-income countries. By 2020, the urban height advantage became smaller in most countries, and in many high-income western countries it reversed into a small urban-based disadvantage. The exception was for boys in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa and in some countries in Oceania, south Asia and the region of central Asia, Middle East and north Africa. In these countries, successive cohorts of boys from rural places either did not gain height or possibly became shorter, and hence fell further behind their urban peers. The difference between the age-standardized mean BMI of children in urban and rural areas was <1.1 kg m–2 in the vast majority of countries. Within this small range, BMI increased slightly more in cities than in rural areas, except in south Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and some countries in central and eastern Europe. Our results show that in much of the world, the growth and developmental advantages of living in cities have diminished in the twenty-first century, whereas in much of sub-Saharan Africa they have amplified.
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| 10. |
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| 11. |
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| 12. |
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| 13. |
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| 14. |
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| 15. |
- Imanishi, T., et al.
(författare)
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Integrative annotation of 21,037 human genes validated by full-length cDNA clones
- 2004
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Ingår i: PLoS biology. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1544-9173 .- 1545-7885. ; 2:6, s. 856-875
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The human genome sequence defines our inherent biological potential; the realization of the biology encoded therein requires knowledge of the function of each gene. Currently, our knowledge in this area is still limited. Several lines of investigation have been used to elucidate the structure and function of the genes in the human genome. Even so, gene prediction remains a difficult task, as the varieties of transcripts of a gene may vary to a great extent. We thus performed an exhaustive integrative characterization of 41,118 full-length cDNAs that capture the gene transcripts as complete functional cassettes, providing an unequivocal report of structural and functional diversity at the gene level. Our international collaboration has validated 21,037 human gene candidates by analysis of high-quality full-length cDNA clones through curation using unified criteria. This led to the identification of 5,155 new gene candidates. It also manifested the most reliable way to control the quality of the cDNA clones. We have developed a human gene database, called the H-Invitational Database (H-InvDB; http://www.h-invitational.jp/). It provides the following: integrative annotation of human genes, description of gene structures, details of novel alternative splicing isoforms, non-protein-coding RNAs, functional domains, subcellular localizations, metabolic pathways, predictions of protein three-dimensional structure, mapping of known single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), identification of polymorphic microsatellite repeats within human genes, and comparative results with mouse full-length cDNAs. The H-InvDB analysis has shown that up to 4% of the human genome sequence (National Center for Biotechnology Information build 34 assembly) may contain misassembled or missing regions. We found that 6.5% of the human gene candidates (1,377 loci) did not have a good protein-coding open reading frame, of which 296 loci are strong candidates for non-protein-coding RNA genes. In addition, among 72,027 uniquely mapped SNPs and insertions/deletions localized within human genes, 13,215 nonsynonymous SNPs, 315 nonsense SNPs, and 452 indels occurred in coding regions. Together with 25 polymorphic microsatellite repeats present in coding regions, they may alter protein structure, causing phenotypic effects or resulting in disease. The H-InvDB platform represents a substantial contribution to resources needed for the exploration of human biology and pathology.
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| 16. |
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| 17. |
- Carninci, P, et al.
(författare)
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The transcriptional landscape of the mammalian genome
- 2005
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Ingår i: Science (New York, N.Y.). - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 1095-9203 .- 0036-8075. ; 309:5740, s. 1559-1563
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study describes comprehensive polling of transcription start and termination sites and analysis of previously unidentified full-length complementary DNAs derived from the mouse genome. We identify the 5′ and 3′ boundaries of 181,047 transcripts with extensive variation in transcripts arising from alternative promoter usage, splicing, and polyadenylation. There are 16,247 new mouse protein-coding transcripts, including 5154 encoding previously unidentified proteins. Genomic mapping of the transcriptome reveals transcriptional forests, with overlapping transcription on both strands, separated by deserts in which few transcripts are observed. The data provide a comprehensive platform for the comparative analysis of mammalian transcriptional regulation in differentiation and development.
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| 18. |
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| 19. |
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| 20. |
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| 21. |
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| 22. |
- Watanabe, A., et al.
(författare)
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Association of aberrant ASNS imprinting with asparaginase sensitivity and chromosomal abnormality in childhood BCP-ALL
- 2020
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Ingår i: Blood. - : American Society of Hematology. - 0006-4971 .- 1528-0020. ; 136:20, s. 2319-2333
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Karyotype is an important prognostic factor in childhood B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL), but the underlying pharmacogenomics remain unknown. Asparaginase is an integral component in current chemotherapy for childhood BCP-ALL. Asparaginase therapy depletes serum asparagine. Normal hematopoietic cells can produce asparagine by asparagine synthetase (ASNS) activity, but ALL cells are unable to synthesize adequate amounts of asparagine. The ASNS gene has a typical CpG island in its promoter. Thus, methylation of the ASNS CpG island could be one of the epigenetic mechanisms for ASNS gene silencing in BCP-ALL. To gain deep insights into the pharmacogenomics of asparaginase therapy, we investigated the association of ASNS methylation status with asparaginase sensitivity. The ASNS CpG island is largely unmethylated in normal hematopoietic cells, but it is allele-specifically methylated in BCP-ALL cells. The ASNS gene is located at 7q21, an evolutionally conserved imprinted gene cluster. ASNS methylation in childhood BCP-ALL is associated with an aberrant methylation of the imprinted gene cluster at 7q21. Aberrant methylation of mouse Asns and a syntenic imprinted gene cluster is also confirmed in leukemic spleen samples from ETV6-RUNX1 knockin mice. In 3 childhood BCP-ALL cohorts, ASNS is highly methylated in BCP-ALL patients with favorable karyotypes but is mostly unmethylated in BCP-ALL patients with poor prognostic karyotypes. Higher ASNS methylation is associated with higher L-asparaginase sensitivity in BCP-ALL through lower ASNS gene and protein expression levels. These observations demonstrate that silencing of the ASNS gene as a result of aberrant imprinting is a pharmacogenetic mechanism for the leukemia-specific activity of asparaginase therapy in BCP-ALL.
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| 23. |
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| 24. |
- Nguyen, Thanh N, et al.
(författare)
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Global Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Stroke Volumes and Cerebrovascular Events: A 1-Year Follow-up.
- 2023
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Ingår i: Neurology. - 1526-632X. ; 100:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Declines in stroke admission, IV thrombolysis (IVT), and mechanical thrombectomy volumes were reported during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a paucity of data on the longer-term effect of the pandemic on stroke volumes over the course of a year and through the second wave of the pandemic. We sought to measure the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the volumes of stroke admissions, intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), IVT, and mechanical thrombectomy over a 1-year period at the onset of the pandemic (March 1, 2020, to February 28, 2021) compared with the immediately preceding year (March 1, 2019, to February 29, 2020).We conducted a longitudinal retrospective study across 6 continents, 56 countries, and 275 stroke centers. We collected volume data for COVID-19 admissions and 4 stroke metrics: ischemic stroke admissions, ICH admissions, IVT treatments, and mechanical thrombectomy procedures. Diagnoses were identified by their ICD-10 codes or classifications in stroke databases.There were 148,895 stroke admissions in the 1 year immediately before compared with 138,453 admissions during the 1-year pandemic, representing a 7% decline (95% CI [95% CI 7.1-6.9]; p < 0.0001). ICH volumes declined from 29,585 to 28,156 (4.8% [5.1-4.6]; p < 0.0001) and IVT volume from 24,584 to 23,077 (6.1% [6.4-5.8]; p < 0.0001). Larger declines were observed at high-volume compared with low-volume centers (all p < 0.0001). There was no significant change in mechanical thrombectomy volumes (0.7% [0.6-0.9]; p = 0.49). Stroke was diagnosed in 1.3% [1.31-1.38] of 406,792 COVID-19 hospitalizations. SARS-CoV-2 infection was present in 2.9% ([2.82-2.97], 5,656/195,539) of all stroke hospitalizations.There was a global decline and shift to lower-volume centers of stroke admission volumes, ICH volumes, and IVT volumes during the 1st year of the COVID-19 pandemic compared with the prior year. Mechanical thrombectomy volumes were preserved. These results suggest preservation in the stroke care of higher severity of disease through the first pandemic year.This study is registered under NCT04934020.
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| 25. |
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| 26. |
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| 27. |
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| 28. |
- Abdoullaye, Doukary, et al.
(författare)
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Permanent genetic resources added to molecular ecology resources database 1 August 2009 - 30 September 2009
- 2010
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Ingår i: Molecular Ecology Resources. - : Wiley. - 1755-098X .- 1755-0998. ; 10:1, s. 232-236
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article documents the addition of 238 microsatellite marker loci and 72 pairs of Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) sequencing primers to the Molecular Ecology Resources Database. Loci were developed for the following species: Adelges tsugae, Artemisia tridentata, Astroides calycularis, Azorella selago, Botryllus schlosseri, Botrylloides violaceus, Cardiocrinum cordatum var. glehnii, Campylopterus curvipennis, Colocasia esculenta, Cynomys ludovicianus, Cynomys leucurus, Cynomys gunnisoni, Epinephelus coioides, Eunicella singularis, Gammarus pulex, Homoeosoma nebulella, Hyla squirella, Lateolabrax japonicus, Mastomys erythroleucus, Pararge aegeria, Pardosa sierra, Phoenicopterus ruber ruber and Silene latifolia. These loci were cross-tested on the following species: Adelges abietis, Adelges cooleyi, Adelges piceae, Pineus pini, Pineus strobi, Tubastrea micrantha, three other Tubastrea species, Botrylloides fuscus, Botrylloides simodensis, Campylopterus hemileucurus, Campylopterus rufus, Campylopterus largipennis, Campylopterus villaviscensio, Phaethornis longuemareus, Florisuga mellivora, Lampornis amethystinus, Amazilia cyanocephala, Archilochus colubris, Epinephelus lanceolatus, Epinephelus fuscoguttatus, Symbiodinium temperate-A clade, Gammarus fossarum, Gammarus roeselii, Dikerogammarus villosus and Limnomysis benedeni. This article also documents the addition of 72 sequencing primer pairs and 52 allele specific primers for Neophocaena phocaenoides.
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| 29. |
- Alamshah, A., et al.
(författare)
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L-arginine promotes gut hormone release and reduces food intake in rodents
- 2016
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Ingår i: Diabetes Obesity & Metabolism. - : Wiley. - 1462-8902. ; 18:5, s. 508-518
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims: To investigate the anorectic effect of L-arginine (L-Arg) in rodents. Methods: We investigated the effects of L-Arg on food intake, and the role of the anorectic gut hormones glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and peptide YY (PYY), the G-protein-coupled receptor family C group 6 member A (GPRC6A) and the vagus nerve in mediating these effects in rodents. Results: Oral gavage of L-Arg reduced food intake in rodents, and chronically reduced cumulative food intake in diet-induced obese mice. Lack of the GPRC6A in mice and subdiaphragmatic vagal deafferentation in rats did not influence these anorectic effects. L-Arg stimulated GLP-1 and PYY release in vitro and in vivo. Pharmacological blockade of GLP-1 and PYY receptors did not influence the anorectic effect of L-Arg. L-Arg-mediated PYY release modulated net ion transport across the gut mucosa. Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) and intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of L-Arg suppressed food intake in rats. Conclusions: L-Arg reduced food intake and stimulated gut hormone release in rodents. The anorectic effect of L-Arg is unlikely to be mediated by GLP-1 and PYY, does not require GPRC6A signalling and is not mediated via the vagus. I.c.v. and i.p. administration of L-Arg suppressed food intake in rats, suggesting that L-Arg may act on the brain to influence food intake. Further work is required to determine the mechanisms by which L-Arg suppresses food intake and its utility in the treatment of obesity.
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| 30. |
- Jönsson, K. Ingemar, 1959-, et al.
(författare)
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Sexual patterns of prebreeding energy reserves in the common frog Rana temporaria along a latitudinal gradient
- 2009
-
Ingår i: Ecography. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 0906-7590 .- 1600-0587. ; 32:5, s. 831-839
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The ability to store energy is an important life history trait for organisms facing long periods without energy income, and in particular for capital breeders such as temperate zone amphibians, which rely on stored energy during reproduction. However, large scale comparative studies of energy stores in populations with different environmental constraints on energy allocation are scarce. We investigated energy storage patterns in spring (after hibernation and before reproduction) in eight common frog (Rana temporaria) populations exposed to different environmental conditions along a 1600 km latitudinal gradient across Scandinavia (range of annual activity period 3-7 months). Analyses of lean body weight (eviscerated body mass), weight of fat bodies, liver weight, and liver fat content, showed that (i) post-hibernation/pre-breeding energy stores increased with increasing latitude in both sexes, (ii) males generally had larger energy reserves than females and (iii) the difference in energy stores between sexes decreased towards the north. Larger energy reserves towards the north can serve as a buffer against less predictable and/or less benign weather conditions during the short activity period, and may also represent a risk-averse tactic connected with a more pronounced iteroparous life history. In females, the continuous and overlapping vitellogenic activity in the north may also demand more reserves in early spring. The general sexual difference could be a consequence of the fact that, at the time of our sampling, females had already invested their energy into reproduction in the given year (i.e. their eggs were already ovulated), while the males' main reproductive activities (e.g. calling, mate searching, sexual competition) occurred later in the season.
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| 31. |
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| 32. |
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| 33. |
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| 34. |
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| 35. |
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| 36. |
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| 37. |
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| 38. |
- Ohara, N, et al.
(författare)
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Sequence analysis and variation of EBNA-1 in Epstein-Barr virus-related herpesvirus of cynomolgus monkey
- 2000
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Ingår i: Intervirology. - : S. Karger AG. - 0300-5526 .- 1423-0100. ; 43:2, s. 102-106
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- <i>Objectives:</i> The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA-1) is an important protein for immortalization and tumorigenesis of infected cells. EBNA-1 gene variants may play a role in tumorigenesis. We determined the nucleotide and amino acid (aa) sequences of EBNA-1 in EBV-related herpesviruses from cynomolgus monkeys (cynomolgus-EBV) which induced malignant lymphomas in its natural host and in rabbits, and compared them with sequences of EBV and other lymphocryptoviruses (LCVs). <i>Methods:</i> Polymerase chain reaction and direct sequencing methods were performed using extracted DNA from cynomolgus-EBV-infected cell lines. <i>Results:</i> The amino acid sequences of cynomolgus-EBV EBNA-1 from two cell lines (Si-IIA: 588 aa; Ts-B6: 619 aa) which are antigenically cross-reactive to human EBV EBNA-1 showed homology with human EBV (Si-IIA: 53%; Ts-B6: 58%) and other LCVs from baboons (54 and 52%) and rhesus monkeys (60 and 58%), especially in the C-terminal unique domain. Homology of the EBNA-1 sequence between Si-IIA and Ts-B6 was 92%. The sequence difference between EBV and the related LCVs was manifested mainly in the length of the internal repeat 3-corresponding region, which contains serine in the glycine/alanine repeat region of nonhuman LCVs. <i>Conclusion:</i> Sequence variation of cynomolgus-EBV EBNA-1 from different cell lines was observed. However, their sequences show a relatively high homology with human EBV and share the common features of EBNA-1 of EBV and other LCVs.
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| 39. |
- Ollila, Hanna M., et al.
(författare)
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Narcolepsy risk loci outline role of T cell autoimmunity and infectious triggers in narcolepsy
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : Springer Nature. - 2041-1723. ; 14
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Narcolepsy type 1 (NT1) is caused by a loss of hypocretin/orexin transmission. Risk factors include pandemic 2009 H1N1 influenza A infection and immunization with Pandemrix (R). Here, we dissect disease mechanisms and interactions with environmental triggers in a multi-ethnic sample of 6,073 cases and 84,856 controls. We fine-mapped GWAS signals within HLA (DQ0602, DQB1*03:01 and DPB1*04:02) and discovered seven novel associations (CD207, NAB1, IKZF4-ERBB3, CTSC, DENND1B, SIRPG, PRF1). Significant signals at TRA and DQB1*06:02 loci were found in 245 vaccination-related cases, who also shared polygenic risk. T cell receptor associations in NT1 modulated TRAJ*24, TRAJ*28 and TRBV*4-2 chain-usage. Partitioned heritability and immune cell enrichment analyses found genetic signals to be driven by dendritic and helper T cells. Lastly comorbidity analysis using data from FinnGen, suggests shared effects between NT1 and other autoimmune diseases. NT1 genetic variants shape autoimmunity and response to environmental triggers, including influenza A infection and immunization with Pandemrix (R).
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| 40. |
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| 41. |
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| 42. |
- Augusto, Ohara, et al.
(författare)
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Carbon dioxide-catalyzed peroxynitrite reactivity - The resilience of the radical mechanism after two decades of research
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Free Radical Biology & Medicine. - : ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC. - 0891-5849 .- 1873-4596. ; 135, s. 210-215
-
Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Peroxynitrite, ONOO-, formed in tissues that are simultaneously generating NO center dot and O-2(center dot-), is widely regarded as a major contributor to oxidative stress. Many of the reactions involved are catalyzed by CO2 via formation of an unstable adduct, ONOOC(O)O-, that undergoes O-O bond homolysis to produce NO2 center dot and CO3 center dot- radicals, whose yields are equal at about 0.33 with respect to the ONOO- reactant. Since its inception two decades ago, this radical-based mechanism has been frequently but unsuccessfully challenged. The most recent among these [Serrano-Luginbuehl et al. Chem. Res. Toxicol. 31: 721-730; 2018] claims that ONOOC(O)O- is stable, predicts a yield of NO2 center dot/CO3 center dot- of less than 0.01 under physiological conditions and, contrary to widely accepted viewpoints, suggests that radical generation is inconsequential to peroxynitrite-induced oxidative damage. Here we review the experimental and theoretical evidence that support the radical model and show this recently proposed alternative mechanism to be incorrect.
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| 43. |
- Bribiesca-Contreras, G., et al.
(författare)
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Benthic megafauna of the western Clarion-Clipperton Zone, Pacific Ocean
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Zookeys. - : Pensoft Publishers. - 1313-2989 .- 1313-2970. ; :1113, s. 1-110
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- There is a growing interest in the exploitation of deep-sea mineral deposits, particularly on the abyssal seafloor of the central Pacific Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), which is rich in polymetallic nodules. In order to effectively manage potential exploitation activities, a thorough understanding of the biodiversity, community structure, species ranges, connectivity, and ecosystem functions across a range of scales is needed. The benthic megafauna plays an important role in the functioning of deep-sea ecosystems and represents an important component of the biodiversity. While megafaunal surveys using video and still images have provided insight into CCZ biodiversity, the collection of faunal samples is needed to confirm are very rarely carried out. Using a Remotely Operated Vehicle, 55 specimens of benthic megafauna were-collected from seamounts and abyssal plains in three Areas of Particular Environmental Interest (APEI 1, APEI 4, and APEI 7) at 3100-5100 m depth in the western CCZ. Using both morphological and molecular evidence, 48 different morphotypes belonging to five phyla were found, only nine referrable to known species, and 39 species potentially new to science. This work highlights the need for detailed taxonomic studies incorporating genetic data, not only within the CCZ, but in other bathyal, abyssal, and hadal regions, as representative genetic reference libraries that could facilitate the generation of species inventories.
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| 44. |
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| 45. |
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| 46. |
- Jones, K. L., et al.
(författare)
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The unintended consequences of school inspection: the prevalence of inspection side-effects in Austria, the Czech Republic, England, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Oxford Review of Education. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0305-4985 .- 1465-3915. ; 43:6, s. 805-822
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- It has been widely documented that accountability systems, including school inspections, bring with them unintended side effects. These unintended effects are often negative and have the potential to undo the intended positive effects. However the empirical evidence is limited. Through a European comparative study we have had the rare opportunity to collect empirical evidence and study the effects (both intended and unintended) of school inspections (a key system of accountability) in a systematic way, across seven countries. We present the findings of the unintended effects in this paper. Survey self-report responses from school principals in each country, with differing school inspection systems, are analysed to measure the prevalence of these unintended effects and to investigate the part played by pressure to do well in inspections. A key finding is that increasing pressure in school inspection systems is associated with the undesired effect of the narrowing and refocusing of the curriculum and instructional strategies. We also show that a proportion of school principals admit to misrepresenting the school in data sent to the inspectorate and show evidence for formalisation/proceduralisation (excessive focus on records) and ossification (fear of experimentation in teaching), although these factors are less related to changes in pressure.
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| 47. |
- Jönsson, K. Ingemar, et al.
(författare)
-
Sexual patterns of prebreeding energy reserves in the common frog Rana temporaria along a latitudinal gradient
- 2009
-
Ingår i: Ecography. - : Wiley. - 0906-7590 .- 1600-0587. ; 32:5, s. 831-839
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The ability to store energy is an important life history trait for organisms facing long periods without energy income, and in particular for capital breeders such as temperate zone amphibians, which rely on stored energy during reproduction. However, large scale comparative studies of energy stores in populations with different environmental constraints on energy allocation are scarce. We investigated energy storage patterns in spring (after hibernation and before reproduction) in eight common frog Rana temporaria populations exposed to different environmental conditions along a 1600 km latitudinal gradient across Scandinavia (range of annual activity period is 3-7 months). Analyses of lean body weight (eviscerated body mass), weight of fat bodies, liver weight, and liver fat content, showed that 1) post-hibernation/pre-breeding energy stores increased with increasing latitude in both sexes, 2) males generally had larger energy reserves than females and 3) the difference in energy stores between sexes decreased towards the north. Larger energy reserves towards the north can serve as a buffer against less predictable and/or less benign weather conditions during the short activity period, and may also represent a risk-averse tactic connected with a more pronounced iteroparous life history. In females, the continuous and overlapping vitellogenic activity in the north may also demand more reserves in early spring. The general sexual difference could be a consequence of the fact that, at the time of our sampling, females had already invested their energy into reproduction in the given year (i.e. their eggs were already ovulated), while the males' main reproductive activities (e.g. calling, mate searching, sexual competition) occurred later in the season.
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| 48. |
- Kattge, Jens, et al.
(författare)
-
TRY plant trait database - enhanced coverage and open access
- 2020
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Ingår i: Global Change Biology. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 1354-1013 .- 1365-2486. ; 26:1, s. 119-188
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Plant traits-the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants-determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait-based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits-almost complete coverage for 'plant growth form'. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait-environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives.
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- Kubo, K., et al.
(författare)
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Population differences in S-warfarin pharmacokinetics among African Americans, Asians and whites : their influence on pharmacogenetic dosing algorithms
- 2017
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Ingår i: The Pharmacogenomics Journal. - : NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP. - 1470-269X .- 1473-1150. ; 17:6, s. 494-500
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Using population pharmacokinetic analysis (PPK), we attempted to identify predictors of S-warfarin clearance (CL(S)) and to clarify population differences in S-warfarin pharmacokinetics among a cohort of 378 African American, Asian and white patients. Significant predictors of CL(S) included clinical (age, body weight and sex) and genotypic (CYP2C9*2,*3 and *8) factors, as well as African American ethnicity, the median CL(S) being 30% lower in the latter than in Asians and whites (170 versus 243 and 250 ml h(-1), P<0.01). The plasma S-warfarin (Cp(S)) time courses following the genotype-based dosing algorithms simulated using the PPK estimates showed African Americans with CYP2C9*1/*1 and any of the VKORC1 genotypes would have an average Cp(S) at steady state 1.5-1.8 times higher than in Asians and whites. These results indicate warfarin dosing algorithms should be evaluated in each respective ethnic population. Further study of a large African American cohort will be necessary to confirm the present findings.
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