| 1. |
- Gyllenberg, A, et al.
(författare)
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Variability in the CIITA gene interacts with HLA in multiple sclerosis.
- 2014
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Ingår i: Genes and immunity. - Stockholm : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1476-5470 .- 1466-4879. ; 15, s. 162-167
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) is the main genetic determinant of multiple sclerosis (MS) risk. Within the HLA, the class II HLA-DRB1*15:01 allele exerts a disease-promoting effect, whereas the class I HLA-A*02 allele is protective. The CIITA gene is crucial for expression of class II HLA molecules and has previously been found to associate with several autoimmune diseases, including MS and type 1 diabetes. We here performed association analyses with CIITA in 2000 MS cases and up to 6900 controls as well as interaction analysis with HLA. We find that the previously investigated single-nucleotide polymorphism rs4774 is associated with MS risk in cases carrying the HLA-DRB1*15 allele (P=0.01, odds ratio (OR): 1.21, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.04-1.40) or the HLA-A*02 allele (P=0.01, OR: 1.33, 95% CI: 1.07-1.64) and that these associations are independent of the adjacent confirmed MS susceptibility gene CLEC16A. We also confirm interaction between rs4774 and HLA-DRB1*15:01 such that individuals carrying the risk allele for rs4774 and HLA-DRB1*15:01 have a higher than expected risk for MS. In conclusion, our findings support previous data that variability in the CIITA gene affects MS risk, but also that the effect is modulated by MS-associated HLA haplotypes. These findings further underscore the biological importance of HLA for MS risk.Genes and Immunity advance online publication, 16 January 2014; doi:10.1038/gene.2013.71.
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| 2. |
- Sun, Chengjun, et al.
(författare)
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CRYAB-650 C>G (rs2234702) affects susceptibility to type 1 diabetes and IAA-positivity in Swedish population
- 2012
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Ingår i: Human Immunology. - : Elsevier. - 0198-8859 .- 1879-1166. ; 73:7, s. 759-766
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the promoter region of CRYAB gene have been associated with in multiple sclerosis. CRYAB gene, which encodes alpha B-crystallin (a member of small heat shock protein), was reported as a potential autoimmune target. In this study we investigated whether SNPs in the promoter region of CRYAB gene were also important in the etiology of Type 1 diabetes (T1D).METHODS: Genotyping of SNPs in the promoter region of CRYAB gene was performed in a Swedish cohort containing 444 T1D patients and 350 healthy controls. Three SNPs were included in this study: CRYAB-652 A>G (rs762550), -650 C>G (rs2234702) and -249 C > G (rs14133). Two SNPs (CRYAB-652 and -650) were not included in previous genome wide association studies.RESULTS: CRYAB-650 (rs2234702)*C allele was significantly more frequent in patients than in controls (OR = 1.48, Pc = 0.03). CRYAB-650*C allele was associated with IAA positivity (OR = 8.17, Pc < 0.0001) and IA-2A positivity (OR = 2.14, Pc = 0.005) in T1D patients. This association with IAA was amplified by high-risk HLA carrier state (OR = 10.6, P < 0.0001). No association was found between CRYAB-650 and other autoantibody positivity (GADA and ICA). CRYAB haplotypes were also associated with IAA and IA-2A positivity (highest OR = 2.07 and 2.11, respectively), these associations remain in high HLA-risk T1D patients.CONCLUSIONS: CRYAB-650 was associated with T1D in the Swedish cohort we studied. CRYAB-650*C allele might confers susceptibility to the development of T1D. CRYAB-650 was also associated with the development of IAA-positivity in T1D patients, especially in those carrying T1D high-risk HLA haplotypes.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
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Cases on professional distance education degree programs and practices : successes, challenges and issues
- 2013
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Samlingsverk (redaktörskap) (refereegranskat)abstract
- Although internet technologies have transformed the concept of professional development by providing the opportunity for virtual learning environments in a non-traditional setting, the implementation of professional distance education programs still poses a challenge.Cases on Professional Distance Education Degree Programs and Practices: Successes, Challenges, and Issues examines the best practices for executing technology applications and the utilization of distance education techniques. This publication will serve as a reference for academics and instructors coordinating distance education programs, initiating distance education courses, and implementing such programs for those earning professional degrees.
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| 5. |
- Ericsson, J., et al.
(författare)
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The lamprey provides a vertebrate blueprint of the mammalian basal ganglia
- 2010
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The basal ganglia are a group of subcortical nuclei that play a prominent role in motor function in mammals as well as in lamprey. The aim of the present study was to characterize the different components of the lamprey basal ganglia, and determine to what extent they correspond to those found in the mammalian basal ganglia. Anatomical tract tracing, immunohistochemistry and acute brain slice patch clamp recordings were employed to address this question.Two pallidal regions were identified in the lamprey; one region, considered homologous to the mammalian globus pallidus, was located ventral to the ementia thalami on the telencephalic/diencephalic border. It receives striatal input from inwardly rectifying neurons (IRNs) and contains GABAergic projection neurons, of which those projecting to the tectum were shown to be tonically active. It also contains neurons immunoreactive for parvalbumin. Separate subpopulations of pallidal neurons project to the optic tectum, the diencephalic and mesencephalic locomotor regions (MLR).Another region, in the midbrain, considered homologous to the substantia nigra pars reticulata receives input from a different subset of IRNs and sends GABAergic projections to the tectum and the diencephalic locomotor region. This midbrain region also contains parvalbumin immunoreactive neurons. The main population of striatal neurons, IRNs, displays the anatomical and electrophysiological hallmarks of mammalian medium spiny neurons, including inward rectification and ramping responses to first spike. It also contains neurons with properties similar to fast-spiking neurons. The striatum receives pallial and thalamic input as well as ascending dopaminergic, serotonergic and histaminergic inputs, similar to that in mammals.Our results suggest that the basic features of the basal ganglia with regard to both structure and function are conserved throughout the vertebrate phylogeny, including striatal/pallidal subdivisions.
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| 6. |
- Hellgren, Margareta, 1955, et al.
(författare)
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Feasibility of a randomized controlled intervention with physical activity in participants with impaired glucose tolerance recruited by FINDRISC: A pilot study
- 2014
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. - : SAGE Publications. - 1403-4948 .- 1651-1905. ; 42:5, s. 463-470
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: This study aimed to explore the feasibility and effect of an intervention in clinical practice with isolated physical activity in individuals with IGT, recruited by the FINDRISC questionnaire. Methods: The questionnaire was sent to a population of 9734 individuals, 35-75 years old, in Sweden. Those with a risk score >= 15 were encouraged to perform an oral glucose tolerance test. Individuals with IGT were invited to participate in a randomized controlled trial with a focus on physical activity. The participants were allocated to one of three arms; basic intervention, intensive intervention or to care as usual. A total of 52 individuals were carefully examined and questionnaires about diet and lifestyle were completed at baseline and after one year. All analyses were adjusted for differences in age and sex, and calorie intake when relevant. Results: The prevalence of chronic diseases in the study population was high, creating considerable difficulties in conducting a standardized test for fitness. Waist circumference (p=0.020), sagittal diameter (p=0.035), body weight (p=0.038) and BMI (p=0.043) decreased significantly more in the intensive care group than in care as usual and the basic care group. However, the significance was abolished when differences in energy intake were accounted for. Conclusions: In an intention to treat, prospective lifestyle interventions with physical activity are feasible, but a high prevalence of comorbidities needs to be considered. Also, an intervention focused on isolated physical activity inevitably led to changes in diet with weight loss and significant improvement of essential risk factors in spite of the participants' burden of chronic diseases.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Jenkins, Tania, et al.
(författare)
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Migratory behavior of birds affects their coevolutionary relationship with blood parasites
- 2012
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Ingår i: Evolution. - : Wiley. - 1558-5646 .- 0014-3820. ; 66:3, s. 740-751
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Host traits, such as migratory behavior, could facilitate the dispersal of disease-causing parasites, potentially leading to the transfer of infections both across geographic areas and between host species. There is, however, little quantitative information on whether variation in such host attributes does indeed affect the evolutionary outcome of host-parasite associations. Here, we employ Leucocytozoon blood parasites of birds, a group of parasites closely related to avian malaria, to study host-parasite coevolution in relation to host behavior using a phylogenetic comparative approach. We reconstruct the molecular phylogenies of both the hosts and parasites and use cophylogenetic tools to assess whether each host-parasite association contributes significantly to the overall congruence between the two phylogenies. We find evidence for a significant fit between host and parasite phylogenies in this system, but show that this is due only to associations between nonmigrant parasites and their hosts. We also show that migrant bird species harbor a greater genetic diversity of parasites compared with nonmigrant species. Taken together, these results suggest that the migratory habits of birds could influence their coevolutionary relationship with their parasites, and that consideration of host traits is important in predicting the outcome of coevolutionary interactions.
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| 9. |
- Klaus, A., et al.
(författare)
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Striatal fast-spiking interneurons : from firing patterns to postsynaptic impact
- 2011
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 1662-5137. ; 5:July, s. 57-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the striatal microcircuit, fast-spiking (FS) interneurons have an important role in mediating inhibition onto neighboring medium spiny (MS) projection neurons. In this study, we combined computational modeling with in vitro and in vivo electrophysiological measurements to investigate FS cells in terms of their discharge properties and their synaptic efficacies onto MS neurons. In vivo firing of striatal FS interneurons is characterized by a high firing variability. It is not known, however, if this variability results from the input that FS cells receive, or if it is promoted by the stuttering spike behavior of these neurons. Both our model and measurements in vitro show that FS neurons that exhibit random stuttering discharge in response to steady depolarization do not show the typical stuttering behavior when they receive fluctuating input. Importantly, our model predicts that electrically coupled FS cells show substantial spike synchronization only when they are in the stuttering regime. Therefore, together with the lack of synchronized firing of striatal FS interneurons that has been reported in vivo, these results suggest that neighboring FS neurons are not in the stuttering regime simultaneously and that in vivo FS firing variability is more likely determined by the input fluctuations. Furthermore, the variability in FS firing is translated to variability in the postsynaptic amplitudes in MS neurons due to the strong synaptic depression of the FS-to-MS synapse. Our results support the idea that these synapses operate over a wide range from strongly depressed to almost fully recovered. The strong inhibitory effects that FS cells can impose on their postsynaptic targets, and the fact that the FS-to-MS synapse model showed substantial depression over extended periods of time might indicate the importance of cooperative effects of multiple presynaptic FS interneurons and the precise orchestration of their activity.
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| 10. |
- Ley, David, et al.
(författare)
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Longitudinal infusion of a complex of insulin-like growth factor-I and IGF-binding protein-3 in five preterm infants : pharmacokinetics and short-term safety.
- 2013
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Ingår i: Pediatric Research. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0031-3998 .- 1530-0447. ; 73:1, s. 68-74
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background:In preterm infants, low levels of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and IGF binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3) are associated with impaired brain growth and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Treatment with IGF-I/IGFBP-3 may be beneficial for brain development and may decrease the prevalence of ROP.Methods:In a phase II pharmacokinetics and safety study, five infants (three girls) with a median (range) gestational age (GA) of 26 wk + 6 d (26 wk + 0 d to 27 wk + 2 d) and birth weight of 990 (900-1,212) g received continuous intravenous infusion of recombinant human (rh)IGF-I/rhIGFBP-3. Treatment was initiated during the first postnatal day and continued for a median (range) duration of 168 (47-168) h in dosages between 21 and 111 µg/kg/24 h.Results:Treatment with rhIGF-I/rhIGFBP-3 was associated with higher serum IGF-I and IGFBP-3 concentrations (P < 0.001) than model-predicted endogenous levels. Of 74 IGF-I samples measured during study drug infusion, 37 (50%) were within the target range, 4 (5%) were above, and 33 (45%) were below. The predicted dose of rhIGF-I/rhIGFBP-3 required to establish circulating levels of IGF-I within the intrauterine range in a 1,000 g infant was 75-100 µg/kg/24 h. No hypoglycemia or other adverse effects were recorded.Conclusion:In this study, continuous intravenous infusion of rhIGF-I/rhIGFBP-3 was effective in increasing serum concentrations of IGF-I and IGFBP-3, and was found to be safe.
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