| 1. |
- Li, Jian-Fang, et al.
(författare)
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Soy isoflavone delays the progression of thioacetamide-induced liver fibrosis in rats
- 2011
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1502-7708 .- 0036-5521. ; 46:3, s. 341-349
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective. Our aim was to investigate the effect of soy isoflavone (SI) on liver fibrosis in a thioacetamide (TAA)-induced rat model. Materials and methods. Twenty-eight rats were assigned to four groups: sham group, fibrosis group, low-dose treatment group (LDg) and high-dose treatment group (HDg). SI (90 or 270 mg/kg) was administered daily during the model development by TAA. Standard liver tests, platelet derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) were measured. The expression of collagen, alpha alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha alpha-SMA) and transforming growth factor-beta beta 1 (TGF-beta beta 1) in liver tissue was determined. Electron microscopy was used to perform ultrastructural analysis of the livers. Results. Hepatic fibrosis was induced by 8 weeks of TAA administration. However, following the administration of SI, collagen staining significantly declined as compared with the fibrosis group (p < 0.01). Less collagen fibers around the hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) were observed in HDg as compared to the fibrosis group and LDg. There was no significant difference in standard liver tests between the fibrosis group and the two treatment groups. The levels of PDGF-BB and TIMP-1 in the two SI-treated groups were significantly lower than in the fibrosis group (p < 0.01). The expression of alpha alpha-SMA and TGF-beta beta 1 in HDg was less than that in the fibrosis group and LDg (p < 0.01). Conclusion. Administration of a high dose of SI resulted in an obvious inhibitory effect on liver fibrosis induced by TAA in rats. One hypothesis is that the effect may be related to the inhibition of HSC activation and proliferation.
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| 2. |
- Chen, Hanwei, et al.
(författare)
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Tumor Volumes Measured From Static and Dynamic F-18-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose Positron Emission Tomography-Computed Tomography Scan : Comparison of Different Methods Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging as the Criterion Standard
- 2014
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Ingår i: Journal of computer assisted tomography. - 0363-8715 .- 1532-3145. ; 38:2, s. 209-215
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: The objective of this study was to compare the accuracy of calculating the primary tumor volumes using a gradient-based method and fixed threshold methods on the standardized uptake value (SUV) maps and the net influx of FDG (Ki) maps from positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) images. Materials and Methods: Newly diagnosed patients with head and neck cancer were recruited, and dynamic PET-CT scan and T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging were performed. The maps of Ki and SUV were calculated from PET-CT images. The tumor volumes were calculated using a gradient-based method and a fixed threshold method at 40% of maximal SUV or maximal Ki. Four kinds of volumes, VOLKi-Gra (from the Ki maps using the gradient-based method), VOLKi-40% (from the Ki maps using the threshold of 40% maximal Ki), VOLSUV-Gra (from the SUV maps using the gradient-based method), and VOLSUV-40% (from the SUV maps using the threshold of 40% maximal SUV), were acquired and compared with VOLMRI (the volumes acquired on T2-weighted images) using the Pearson correlation, paired t test, and similarity analysis. Results: Eighteen patients were studied, of which 4 had poorly defined tumors (PDT). The positron emission tomography-derived volumes were as follows: VOLSUV-40%, 2.1 to 41.2 cm(3) (mean [SD], 12.3 [10.6]); VOLSUV-Gra, 2.2 to 28.1 cm(3) (mean [SD], 13.2 [8.4]); VOLKi-Gra, 2.4 to 17.0 cm(3) (mean [SD], 9.5 [4.6]); and VOLKi-40%, 2.7 to 20.3 cm(3) (mean [SD], 12.0 [6.0]). The VOLMRI ranged from 2.9 to 18.1 cm(3) (mean [SD], 9.1 [3.9]). The VOLKi-Gra significantly correlated with VOLMRI with the highest correlation coefficient (PDT included, R = 0.673, P = 0.002; PDT excluded, R = 0.841, P < 0.001) and presented no difference from VOLMRI (P = 0.672 or 0.561, respectively, PDT included and excluded). The difference between VOLKi-Gra and VOLMRI was also the smallest. Conclusions: The tumor volumes delineated on the Ki maps using the gradient-based method are more accurate than those on the SUV maps and using the fixed threshold methods.
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| 3. |
- Köttgen, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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New loci associated with kidney function and chronic kidney disease
- 2010
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Ingår i: Nature Genetics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1061-4036 .- 1546-1718. ; 42:5, s. 376-384
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a significant public health problem, and recent genetic studies have identified common CKD susceptibility variants. The CKDGen consortium performed a meta-analysis of genome-wide association data in 67,093 individuals of European ancestry from 20 predominantly population-based studies in order to identify new susceptibility loci for reduced renal function as estimated by serum creatinine (eGFRcrea), serum cystatin c (eGFRcys) and CKD (eGFRcrea < 60 ml/min/1.73 m2; n = 5,807 individuals with CKD (cases)). Follow-up of the 23 new genome-wide–significant loci (P < 5 × 10−8) in 22,982 replication samples identified 13 new loci affecting renal function and CKD (in or near LASS2, GCKR, ALMS1, TFDP2, DAB2, SLC34A1, VEGFA, PRKAG2, PIP5K1B, ATXN2, DACH1, UBE2Q2 and SLC7A9) and 7 loci suspected to affect creatinine production and secretion (CPS1, SLC22A2, TMEM60, WDR37, SLC6A13, WDR72 and BCAS3). These results further our understanding of the biologic mechanisms of kidney function by identifying loci that potentially influence nephrogenesis, podocyte function, angiogenesis, solute transport and metabolic functions of the kidney.
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| 4. |
- Sarwar, Nadeem, et al.
(författare)
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Interleukin-6 receptor pathways in coronary heart disease : a collaborative meta-analysis of 82 studies
- 2012
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Ingår i: The Lancet. - New York, NY, USA : Elsevier. - 0140-6736 .- 1474-547X. ; 379:9822, s. 1205-1213
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Persistent inflammation has been proposed to contribute to various stages in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease. Interleukin-6 receptor (IL6R) signalling propagates downstream inflammation cascades. To assess whether this pathway is causally relevant to coronary heart disease, we studied a functional genetic variant known to affect IL6R signalling. Methods: In a collaborative meta-analysis, we studied Asp358Ala (rs2228145) in IL6R in relation to a panel of conventional risk factors and inflammation biomarkers in 125 222 participants. We also compared the frequency of Asp358Ala in 51 441 patients with coronary heart disease and in 136 226 controls. To gain insight into possible mechanisms, we assessed Asp358Ala in relation to localised gene expression and to postlipopolysaccharide stimulation of interleukin 6. Findings: The minor allele frequency of Asp358Ala was 39%. Asp358Ala was not associated with lipid concentrations, blood pressure, adiposity, dysglycaemia, or smoking (p value for association per minor allele >= 0.04 for each). By contrast, for every copy of 358Ala inherited, mean concentration of IL6R increased by 34.3% (95% CI 30.4-38.2) and of interleukin 6 by 14.6% (10.7-18.4), and mean concentration of C-reactive protein was reduced by 7.5% (5.9-9.1) and of fibrinogen by 1.0% (0.7-1.3). For every copy of 358Ala inherited, risk of coronary heart disease was reduced by 3.4% (1.8-5.0). Asp358Ala was not related to IL6R mRNA levels or interleukin-6 production in monocytes. Interpretation: Large-scale human genetic and biomarker data are consistent with a causal association between IL6R-related pathways and coronary heart disease.
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| 5. |
- Wormser, David, et al.
(författare)
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Adult height and the risk of cause-specific death and vascular morbidity in 1 million people : individual participant meta-analysis
- 2012
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Ingår i: International Journal of Epidemiology. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0300-5771 .- 1464-3685. ; 41:5, s. 1419-1433
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundThe extent to which adult height, a biomarker of the interplay of genetic endowment and early-life experiences, is related to risk of chronic diseases in adulthood is uncertain.MethodsWe calculated hazard ratios (HRs) for height, assessed in increments of 6.5 cm, using individual-participant data on 174 374 deaths or major non-fatal vascular outcomes recorded among 1 085 949 people in 121 prospective studies.ResultsFor people born between 1900 and 1960, mean adult height increased 0.5-1 cm with each successive decade of birth. After adjustment for age, sex, smoking and year of birth, HRs per 6.5 cm greater height were 0.97 (95% confidence interval: 0.96-0.99) for death from any cause, 0.94 (0.93-0.96) for death from vascular causes, 1.04 (1.03-1.06) for death from cancer and 0.92 (0.90-0.94) for death from other causes. Height was negatively associated with death from coronary disease, stroke subtypes, heart failure, stomach and oral cancers, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, mental disorders, liver disease and external causes. In contrast, height was positively associated with death from ruptured aortic aneurysm, pulmonary embolism, melanoma and cancers of the pancreas, endocrine and nervous systems, ovary, breast, prostate, colorectum, blood and lung. HRs per 6.5 cm greater height ranged from 1.26 (1.12-1.42) for risk of melanoma death to 0.84 (0.80-0.89) for risk of death from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. HRs were not appreciably altered after further adjustment for adiposity, blood pressure, lipids, inflammation biomarkers, diabetes mellitus, alcohol consumption or socio-economic indicators.ConclusionAdult height has directionally opposing relationships with risk of death from several different major causes of chronic diseases.
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| 6. |
- Zhang, Dan, et al.
(författare)
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An integrated approach for remote manipulation of a high-performance reconfigurable parallel kinematic machine
- 2010
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Ingår i: Journal of manufacturing systems. - : Elsevier. - 0278-6125 .- 1878-6642. ; 29:4, s. 164-172
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Flexible and effective manipulation is important and meaningful for the further development and applications of parallel manipulators in the industrial fields, especially for high performance manufacturing. Web-based manufacturing has emerged as an alternative manufacturing technology in a distributed environment. In this paper, an integrated approach is proposed for remote manipulation of the reconfigurable parallel kinematic machine (RPKM) based on sensor-driven Wise-ShopFloor framework. The concept of Wise-ShopFloor integrates the modules of detailed architecture design, module interactions, sensor data utilization and model predictive control. In order to demonstrate the efficiency of this novel methodology, an example of a five degrees-of-freedom (DOF) RPKM is developed for surface finishing. The reconfigurability, the necessary kinematic analysis, and the performance mapping of the 5-DOF RPKM are conducted so as to implement the proposed approach.
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| 7. |
- Zhang, Dan, et al.
(författare)
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On performance enhancement of parallel kinematic machine
- 2013
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Ingår i: Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing. - : Springer. - 0956-5515 .- 1572-8145. ; 24:2, s. 267-276
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper proposes a spatial three degrees of freedom (DOF) parallel kinematic machine enhanced by a passive leg and a web-based remote control system. First, the geometric model of the parallel kinematic machine is addressed. In the mechanism, a fourth kinematic link-a passive link connecting the base center to the moving platform center-is introduced. Each of the three parallel limbs is actuated by one prismatic joint, respectively. The additional link has three passive DOF, namely two rotations around x and y axes and one translation along z axis. With the existence of this link, the unwanted motion of the tool (located in the moving platform) is constrained. The fourth link also enhances the global stiffness of the structure and distributes the torque from machining. With the kinematic model, a web-based remote control approach is applied. The concept of the web-based remote manipulation approach is introduced and the principles behind the method are explored in detail. Finally, a remote manipulation is demonstrated to the proposed structure using web-based remote control concept.
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