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- Grenville-Briggs, Laura J., et al.
(författare)
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A family of small tyrosine rich proteins is essential for oogonial and oospore cell wall development of the mycoparasitic oomycete Pythium oligandrum
- 2013
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Ingår i: Fungal Biology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1878-6146 .- 1878-6162. ; 117:3, s. 163-172
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The mycoparasitic oomycete Pythium oligandrum is homothallic, producing an abundance of thick-walled spiny oospores in culture. After mining a cDNA sequence dataset, we identified a family of genes that code for small tyrosine rich (Pythium oligandrum small tyrosine rich (PoStr)) proteins. Sequence analysis identified similarity between the PoStr proteins and putative glycine-rich cell wall proteins from the related plant pathogenic oomycete Pythium ultimum, and mating-induced genes from the oomycete Phytophthora infestans. Expression analysis showed that PoStr transcripts accumulate during oospore production in culture and immunolocalisation indicates the presence of these proteins in oogonial and oospore cell walls. PoStr protein abundance correlated positively with production of oogonia as determined by antibiotic-mediated oogonia suppression. To further characterise the role of PoStr proteins in P. oligandrum oospore production, we silenced this gene family using homology-dependent gene silencing. This represents the first characterisation of genes using gene silencing in a Pythium species. Oospores from silenced strains displayed major ultrastructural changes and were sensitive to degradative enzyme treatment. Oogonia of silenced strains either appeared to be arrested at the mature oosphere stage of development or in around 40 % of the structures, showed a complete suppression of oospore formation. Suppressed oogonia were highly vacuolated and the oogonium wall was thickened by a new inner wall layer. Our data suggest PoStr proteins are probably integral structural components of the normal oospore cell wall and play a key role in oospore formation.
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| 2. |
- Hoogendoorn, Martine, et al.
(författare)
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Cost-Effectiveness Models for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Cross-Model Comparison of Hypothetical Treatment Scenarios
- 2014
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Ingår i: Value in Health. - : Elsevier BV. - 1098-3015. ; 17:5, s. 525-536
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives To compare different chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) cost-effectiveness models with respect to structure and input parameters and to cross-validate the models by running the same hypothetical treatment scenarios. Methods COPD modeling groups simulated four hypothetical interventions with their model and compared the results with a reference scenario of no intervention. The four interventions modeled assumed 1) 20% reduction in decline in lung function, 2) 25% reduction in exacerbation frequency, 3) 10% reduction in all-cause mortality, and 4) all these effects combined. The interventions were simulated for a 5-year and lifetime horizon with standardization, if possible, for sex, age, COPD severity, smoking status, exacerbation frequencies, mortality due to other causes, utilities, costs, and discount rates. Furthermore, uncertainty around the outcomes of intervention four was compared. Results Seven out of nine contacted COPD modeling groups agreed to participate. The 5-year incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) for the most comprehensive intervention, intervention four, was €17,000/quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) for two models, €25,000 to €28,000/QALY for three models, and €47,000/QALY for the remaining two models. Differences in the ICERs could mainly be explained by differences in input values for disease progression, exacerbation-related mortality, and all-cause mortality, with high input values resulting in low ICERs and vice versa. Lifetime results were mainly affected by the input values for mortality. The probability of intervention four to be cost-effective at a willingness-to-pay value of €50,000/QALY was 90% to 100% for five models and about 70% and 50% for the other two models, respectively. Conclusions Mortality was the most important factor determining the differences in cost-effectiveness outcomes between models.
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| 3. |
- Jiang, Rays H. Y., et al.
(författare)
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Distinctive Expansion of Potential Virulence Genes in the Genome of the Oomycete Fish Pathogen Saprolegnia parasitica
- 2013
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Ingår i: PLOS Genetics. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1553-7390 .- 1553-7404. ; 9:6, s. e1003272-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Oomycetes in the class Saprolegniomycetidae of the Eukaryotic kingdom Stramenopila have evolved as severe pathogens of amphibians, crustaceans, fish and insects, resulting in major losses in aquaculture and damage to aquatic ecosystems. We have sequenced the 63 Mb genome of the fresh water fish pathogen, Saprolegnia parasitica. Approximately 1/3 of the assembled genome exhibits loss of heterozygosity, indicating an efficient mechanism for revealing new variation. Comparison of S. parasitica with plant pathogenic oomycetes suggests that during evolution the host cellular environment has driven distinct patterns of gene expansion and loss in the genomes of plant and animal pathogens. S. parasitica possesses one of the largest repertoires of proteases (270) among eukaryotes that are deployed in waves at different points during infection as determined from RNA-Seq data. In contrast, despite being capable of living saprotrophically, parasitism has led to loss of inorganic nitrogen and sulfur assimilation pathways, strikingly similar to losses in obligate plant pathogenic oomycetes and fungi. The large gene families that are hallmarks of plant pathogenic oomycetes such as Phytophthora appear to be lacking in S. parasitica, including those encoding RXLR effectors, Crinkler's, and Necrosis Inducing-Like Proteins (NLP). S. parasitica also has a very large kinome of 543 kinases, 10% of which is induced upon infection. Moreover, S. parasitica encodes several genes typical of animals or animal-pathogens and lacking from other oomycetes, including disintegrins and galactose-binding lectins, whose expression and evolutionary origins implicate horizontal gene transfer in the evolution of animal pathogenesis in S. parasitica.
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| 4. |
- Leeson, Amber A., et al.
(författare)
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A comparison of supraglacial lake observations derived from MODIS imagery at the western margin of the Greenland ice sheet
- 2013
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Ingår i: Journal of Glaciology. - 0022-1430 .- 1727-5652. ; 59:218, s. 1179-1188
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Supraglacial lakes (SGLs) affect the dynamics of the Greenland ice sheet by storing runoff and draining episodically. We investigate the evolution of SGLs as reported in three datasets, each based on automated classification of satellite imagery. Although the datasets span the period 2001-10, there are differences in temporal sampling, and only the years 2005-07 are common. By subsampling the most populous dataset, we recommend a sampling frequency of one image per 6.5 days in order to minimize uncertainty associated with poor temporal sampling. When compared with manual classification of satellite imagery, all three datasets are found to omit a sizeable (29, 48 and 41%) fraction of lakes and are estimated to document the average size of SGLs to within 0.78, 0.48 and 0.95 km(2). We combine the datasets using a hierarchical scheme, producing a single, optimized, dataset. This combined record reports up to 67% more lakes than a single dataset. During 2005-07, the rate of SGL growth tends to follow the rate at which runoff increases in each year. In 2007, lakes drain earlier than in 2005 and 2006 and remain absent despite continued runoff. This suggests that lakes continue to act as open surface bed conduits following drainage.
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| 5. |
- Lorgelly, Paula K, et al.
(författare)
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An economic evaluation of rosuvastatin treatment in systolic heart failure: evidence from the CORONA trial.
- 2010
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Ingår i: European journal of heart failure. - : Wiley. - 1879-0844 .- 1388-9842. ; 12:1, s. 66-74
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- AIMS: To estimate the cost-effectiveness of 10 mg rosuvastatin daily for older patients with systolic heart failure in the Controlled Rosuvastatin Multinational Study in Heart Failure (CORONA) trial. METHODS AND RESULTS: This within trial analysis of CORONA used major cardiovascular (CV) events as the outcome measure. Resource use was valued and the costs of hospitalizations, procedures, and statin use compared. Cost-effectiveness was estimated as cost per major CV event avoided. There were significantly fewer major CV events in the rosuvastatin group compared with the placebo group (1.04 vs. 1.20 per patient; difference 0.164; 95% CI: 0.075-0.254, P < 0.001). The average cost of CV hospitalizations and procedures was significantly lower for those receiving rosuvastatin ( pound1531 vs. pound1769; difference pound238; 95% CI: pound73-403, P = 0.005); the additional cost of the statin resulted in significantly higher total costs for the rosuvastatin group ( pound1769 vs. pound2072; difference pound303; 95% CI: pound138-468, P < 0.001). Overall, rosuvastatin was found to cost pound1840 (95% CI: pound562-6028) per major CV event avoided. CONCLUSION: This economic analysis showed that a significant reduction in major CV events with rosuvastatin led to significantly reduced costs of CV hospitalizations and procedures. The reduction in associated costs for major CV events was found to offset partially (by 44%) the cost of rosuvastatin treatment in patients with systolic heart failure.
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| 6. |
- von Kienlin, Andreas, et al.
(författare)
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The Second Fermi GBM Gamma-Ray Burst Catalog : The First Four Years
- 2014
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. - : Institute of Physics Publishing (IOPP). - 0067-0049 .- 1538-4365. ; 211:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This is the second of a series of catalogs of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) observed with the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM). It extends the first two-year catalog by two more years, resulting in an overall list of 953 GBM triggered GRBs. The intention of the GBM GRB catalog is to provide information to the community on the most important observables of the GBM detected GRBs. For each GRB the location and main characteristics of the prompt emission, the duration, peak flux and fluence are derived. The latter two quantities are calculated for the 50-300 keV energy band, where the maximum energy release of GRBs in the instrument reference system is observed and also for a broader energy band from 10-1000 keV, exploiting the full energy range of GBMs low-energy detectors. Furthermore, information is given on the settings and modifications of the triggering criteria and exceptional operational conditions during years three and four in the mission. This second catalog is an official product of the Fermi GBM science team, and the data files containing the complete results are available from the High-Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center.
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