| 1. |
- Lemcke, S., et al.
(author)
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Nerve conduction velocity is regulated by the inositol polyphosphate-4-phosphatase II gene
- 2014
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In: American Journal of Pathology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0002-9440 .- 1525-2191. ; 184:9, s. 2420-2429
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Impairment of nerve conduction is common in neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), and measurement of evoked potentials (visual, motor, or sensory) has been widely used for diagnosis and recently also as a prognostic marker for MS. We used a classical genetic approach to identify novel genes controlling nerve conduction. First, we used quantitative trait mapping in F2 progeny of B10/SJL mice to identify EAE31, a locus controlling latency of motor evoked potentials (MEPs) and clinical onset of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Then, by combining congenic mapping, in silico haplotype analyses, and comparative genomics we identified inositol polyphosphate-4-phosphatase, type II (Inpp4b) as the quantitative trait gene for EAE31. Sequence variants of Inpp4b (C/A, exon 13; A/C, exon 14) were identified as differing among multiple mouse strains and correlated with individual cortical MEP latency differences. To evaluate the functional relevance of the amino acid exchanges at positions S474R and H548P, we generated transgenic mice carrying the longer-latency allele (Inpp4b(474R/548P)) in the C57BL/6J background. Inpp4b(474R/548P) mice exhibited significantly longer cortical MEP latencies (4.5 +/- 0.22 ms versus 3.7 +/- 0.13 ms; P = 1.04 x 10(-9)), indicating that INPP4B regulates nerve conduction velocity. An association of an INPP4B polymorphism (rs13102150) with MS was observed in German and Spanish MS cohorts (3676 controls and 911 cases) (P = 8.8 x 10(-3)).
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| 2. |
- Genkinger, J. M., et al.
(author)
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Dairy products and pancreatic cancer risk : a pooled analysis of 14 cohort studies
- 2014
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In: Annals of Oncology. - : OXFORD UNIV PRESS. - 0923-7534 .- 1569-8041. ; 25:6, s. 1106-1115
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- .Pancreatic cancer has few early symptoms, is usually diagnosed at late stages, and has a high case-fatality rate. Identifying modifiable risk factors is crucial to reducing pancreatic cancer morbidity and mortality. Prior studies have suggested that specific foods and nutrients, such as dairy products and constituents, may play a role in pancreatic carcinogenesis. In this pooled analysis of the primary data from 14 prospective cohort studies, 2212 incident pancreatic cancer cases were identified during follow-up among 862 680 individuals. Adjusting for smoking habits, personal history of diabetes, alcohol intake, body mass index (BMI), and energy intake, multivariable study-specific hazard ratios (MVHR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using the Cox proportional hazards models and then pooled using a random effects model. There was no association between total milk intake and pancreatic cancer risk (MVHR = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.82-1.18 comparing a parts per thousand yen500 with 1-69.9 g/day). Similarly, intakes of low-fat milk, whole milk, cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, and ice-cream were not associated with pancreatic cancer risk. No statistically significant association was observed between dietary (MVHR = 0.96, 95% CI = 0.77-1.19) and total calcium (MVHR = 0.89, 95% CI = 0.71-1.12) intake and pancreatic cancer risk overall when comparing intakes a parts per thousand yen1300 with < 500 mg/day. In addition, null associations were observed for dietary and total vitamin D intake and pancreatic cancer risk. Findings were consistent within sex, smoking status, and BMI strata or when the case definition was limited to pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Overall, these findings do not support the hypothesis that consumption of dairy foods, calcium, or vitamin D during adulthood is associated with pancreatic cancer risk.
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| 3. |
- Jenniskens, Peter, et al.
(author)
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Fall, recovery, and characterization of the Novato L6 chondrite breccia
- 2014
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In: Meteoritics and Planetary Science. - : Wiley. - 1086-9379. ; 49:8, s. 1388-1425
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Novato L6 chondrite fragmental breccia fell in California on 17 October 2012, and was recovered after the Cameras for Allsky Meteor Surveillance (CAMS) project determined the meteor's trajectory between 95 and 46 km altitude. The final fragmentation from 42 to 22 km altitude was exceptionally well documented by digital photographs. The first sample was recovered before rain hit the area. First results from a consortium study of the meteorite's characterization, cosmogenic and radiogenic nuclides, origin, and conditions of the fall are presented. Some meteorites did not retain fusion crust and show evidence of spallation. Before entry, the meteoroid was 35 +/- 5 cm in diameter (mass 80 +/- 35 kg) with a cosmic-ray exposure age of 9 +/- 1 Ma, if it had a one-stage exposure history. A two-stage exposure history is more likely, with lower shielding in the last few Ma. Thermoluminescence data suggest a collision event within the last similar to 0.1 Ma. Novato probably belonged to the class of shocked L chondrites that have a common shock age of 470 Ma, based on the U, Th-He age of 420 +/- 220 Ma. The measured orbits of Novato, Jesenice, and Innisfree are consistent with a proposed origin of these shocked L chondrites in the Gefion asteroid family, perhaps directly via the 5: 2 mean-motion resonance with Jupiter. Novato experienced a stronger compaction than did other L6 chondrites of shock-stage S4. Despite this, a freshly broken surface shows a wide range of organic compounds.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Campa, Daniele, et al.
(author)
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A genome-wide "pleiotropy scan'' does not identify new susceptibility loci for estrogen receptor negative breast cancer
- 2014
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In: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 9:2, s. e85955-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Approximately 15-30% of all breast cancer tumors are estrogen receptor negative (ER-). Compared with ER- positive (ER+) disease they have an earlier age at onset and worse prognosis. Despite the vast number of risk variants identified for numerous cancer types, only seven loci have been unambiguously identified for ER- negative breast cancer. With the aim of identifying new susceptibility SNPs for this disease we performed a pleiotropic genome-wide association study (GWAS). We selected 3079 SNPs associated with a human complex trait or disease at genome-wide significance level (P<5x10(-8)) to perform a secondary analysis of an ER- negative GWAS from the National Cancer Institute's Breast and Prostate Cancer Cohort Consortium (BPC3), including 1998 cases and 2305 controls from prospective studies. We then tested the top ten associations (i.e. with the lowest P-values) using three additional populations with a total sample size of 3509 ER+ cases, 2543 ER- cases and 7031 healthy controls. None of the 3079 selected variants in the BPC3 ER- GWAS were significant at the adjusted threshold. 186 variants were associated with ER- breast cancer risk at a conventional threshold of P<0.05, with P-values ranging from 0.049 to 2.3 x 10(-4). None of the variants reached statistical significance in the replication phase. In conclusion, this study did not identify any novel susceptibility loci for ER-breast cancer using a "pleiotropic approach''.
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| 6. |
- Ziegler, Nicole, 1982, et al.
(author)
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Why do firms give away their patents for free?
- 2014
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In: World Patent Information. - : Elsevier BV. - 0172-2190. ; 37, s. 19-25
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Within the trend of increasing patent commercialisation and open innovation, a recent phenomenon where firms give away their patents free of charge can be observed. This seems contradictory to the original intention of the patent system (enabling firms to create temporary monopolies to appropriate returns from their R&D investments). Consequently, this paper explores why firms make their patents available for free and which benefits they may gain from this behaviour. Adopting the open source software phenomenon as a background and using firm data from 26 patent release cases, we identify a typology consisting of four motives of 'free patent release approaches': profit making, cost cutting, innovation catalysing, technology providing. Further, we discuss the motives of these firms to offer their patents as 'open source'. We find that firms may obtain valuable technological input for subsequent innovations as well as social benefits in return for their free patent release. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.
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