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- Hudson, Lawrence N., et al.
(författare)
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The PREDICTS database : a global database of how local terrestrial biodiversity responds to human impacts
- 2014
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Ingår i: Ecology and Evolution. - : Wiley. - 2045-7758. ; 4:24, s. 4701-4735
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Biodiversity continues to decline in the face of increasing anthropogenic pressures such as habitat destruction, exploitation, pollution and introduction of alien species. Existing global databases of species' threat status or population time series are dominated by charismatic species. The collation of datasets with broad taxonomic and biogeographic extents, and that support computation of a range of biodiversity indicators, is necessary to enable better understanding of historical declines and to project - and avert - future declines. We describe and assess a new database of more than 1.6 million samples from 78 countries representing over 28,000 species, collated from existing spatial comparisons of local-scale biodiversity exposed to different intensities and types of anthropogenic pressures, from terrestrial sites around the world. The database contains measurements taken in 208 (of 814) ecoregions, 13 (of 14) biomes, 25 (of 35) biodiversity hotspots and 16 (of 17) megadiverse countries. The database contains more than 1% of the total number of all species described, and more than 1% of the described species within many taxonomic groups - including flowering plants, gymnosperms, birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, beetles, lepidopterans and hymenopterans. The dataset, which is still being added to, is therefore already considerably larger and more representative than those used by previous quantitative models of biodiversity trends and responses. The database is being assembled as part of the PREDICTS project (Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems - ). We make site-level summary data available alongside this article. The full database will be publicly available in 2015.
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| 3. |
- Coelho, Teresa, et al.
(författare)
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Long-term effects of tafamidis for the treatment of transthyretin familial amyloid polyneuropathy
- 2013
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Ingår i: Journal of Neurology. - : Springer Berlin/Heidelberg. - 0340-5354 .- 1432-1459. ; 260:11, s. 2802-2814
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Tafamidis, a transthyretin (TTR) kinetic stabilizer, delayed neuropathic progression in patients with Val30Met TTR familial amyloid polyneuropathy (TTR-FAP) in an 18-month randomized controlled trial (study Fx-005). This 12-month, open-label extension study evaluated the long-term safety, tolerability, and efficacy of tafamidis 20 mg once daily in 86 patients who earlier received blinded treatment with tafamidis or placebo. Efficacy measures included the Neuropathy Impairment Score in the Lower Limbs (NIS-LL), Norfolk Quality of Life-Diabetic Neuropathy total quality of life (TQOL) score, and changes in neurologic function and nutritional status. We quantified the monthly rates of change in efficacy measures, and TTR stabilization, and monitored adverse events (AEs). Patients who continued on tafamidis had stable rates of change in NIS-LL (from 0.08 to 0.11/month; p = 0.60) and TQOL (from -0.03 to 0.25; p = 0.16). In patients switched from placebo, the monthly rate of change in NIS-LL declined (from 0.34 to 0.16/month; p = 0.01), as did TQOL score (from 0.61 to -0.16; p < 0.001). Patients treated with tafamidis for 30 months had 55.9 % greater preservation of neurologic function as measured by the NIS-LL than patients in whom tafamidis was initiated later. Plasma TTR was stabilized in 94.1 % of patients treated with tafamidis for 30 months. AEs were similar between groups; no patients discontinued because of an AE. Long-term tafamidis was well tolerated, with the reduced rate of neurologic deterioration sustained over 30 months. Tafamidis also slowed neurologic impairment in patients previously given placebo, but treatment benefits were greater when tafamidis was begun earlier.
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| 4. |
- Coelho, Teresa, et al.
(författare)
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Tafamidis for transthyretin familial amyloid polyneuropathy : A randomized, controlled trial
- 2012
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Ingår i: Neurology. - Philadelphia : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. - 0028-3878 .- 1526-632X. ; 79:8, s. 785-792
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of 18 months of tafamidis treatment in patients with early-stage V30M transthyretin familial amyloid polyneuropathy (TTR-FAP). Methods: In this randomized, double-blind trial, patients received tafamidis 20 mg QD or placebo. Coprimary endpoints were the Neuropathy Impairment Score-Lower Limbs (NIS-LL) responder analysis (<2-point worsening) and treatment-group difference in the mean change from baseline in Norfolk Quality of Life-Diabetic Neuropathy total score (TQOL) in the intent-to-treat (ITT) population (n = 125). These endpoints were also evaluated in the efficacy-evaluable (EE; n = 87) population. Secondary endpoints, including changes in neurologic function, nutritional status, and TTR stabilization, were analyzed in the ITT population. Results: There was a higher-than-anticipated liver transplantation dropout rate. No differences were observed between the tafamidis and placebo groups for the coprimary endpoints, NIS-LL responder analysis (45.3% vs 29.5% responders; p = 0.068) and change in TQOL (2.0 vs 7.2; p = 0.116) in the ITT population. In the EE population, significantly more tafamidis patients than placebo patients were NIS-LL responders (60.0% vs 38.1%; p = 0.041), and tafamidis patients had better-preserved TQOL (0.1 vs 8.9; p = 0.045). Significant differences in most secondary endpoints favored tafamidis. TTR was stabilized in 98% of tafamidis and 0% of placebo patients (p < 0.0001). Adverse events were similar between groups. Conclusions: Although the coprimary endpoints were not met in the ITT population, tafamidis was associated with no trend toward more NIS-LL responders and a significant reduction in worsening of most neurologic variables, supporting the hypothesis that preventing TTR dissociation can delay peripheral neurologic impairment. Classification of evidence: This study provides Class II evidence that 20 mg tafamidis QD was associated with no difference in clinical progression in patients with TTR-FAP, as measured by the NIS-LL and the Norfolk QOL-DN score. Secondary outcomes demonstrated a significant delay in peripheral neurologic impairment with tafamidis, which was well tolerated over 18 months. Neurology (R) 2012;79:785-792
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- Ettema, Thijs J. G., et al.
(författare)
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Rolf Bernander (1956-2014) : pioneer of the archaeal cell cycle Obituary
- 2014
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Ingår i: Molecular Microbiology. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0950-382X .- 1365-2958. ; 92:5, s. 903-909
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Tidskriftsartikel (populärvet., debatt m.m.)abstract
- On 19 January 2014 Rolf (Roffe') Bernander passed away unexpectedly. Rolf was a dedicated scientist; his research aimed at unravelling the cell biology of the archaeal domain of life, especially cell cycle-related questions, but he also made important contributions in other areas of microbiology. Rolf had a professor position in the Molecular Evolution programme at Uppsala University, Sweden for about 8 years, and in January 2013 he became chair professor at the Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute at Stockholm University in Sweden. Rolf was an exceptional colleague and will be deeply missed by his family and friends, and the colleagues and co-workers that he leaves behind in the scientific community. He will be remembered for his endless enthusiasm for science, his analytical mind, and his quirky sense of humour.
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