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- Garvin, Peter, 1976-
(författare)
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Plasma levels of matrix metalloproteinase‐9 in a normal population : a psychoneuroendocrinological approach
- 2008
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Several large‐scale epidemiological studies have demonstrated the prognostic significance of psychosocial factors and stress for coronary artery disease (CAD). Observations of sudden changes in CAD incidence have led to the proposal of mechanisms regarding atherosclerotic plaque vulnerability. The collagen‐degrading enzyme matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) is increased in rupture‐prone plaques with high inflammatory activity, and circulating levels of MMP-9 are raised in patients with acute coronary syndrome. However, the distribution of MMP‐9 levels and its relations to psychosocial factors and the stress hormone cortisol have not been previously explored in a normal population.The aim of this dissertation was to examine in a normal population the association of circulating levels of MMP-9 with traditional cardiovascular risk factors including levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), with psychosocial factors, and with saliva levels of cortisol. In addition, the reliability of a new method of ambulatory saliva sampling for assessment of cortisol levels was evaluated. A sub‐sample of the Life conditions, Stress, and Health (LSH)-study, a population based study exploring psychoneuroendocrinological pathways mediating the differences in CAD incidence over socioeconomic status, was used. Plasma levels of MMP-9 were examined in a sample randomly drawn from the LSH‐study (n=400), aged 45 to 69 years at enrollment.The main findings were: 1) there was a positive association between plasma MMP-9 levels and total risk load of cardiovascular risk factors. The findings were persistent after adjusting for CRP and could not be attributed to a single risk factor. 2) After adjusting for traditional cardiovascular risk factors and CRP, MMP-9 levels were positively associated with psychosocial risk factors and negatively associated with psychosocial resources. 3) Pooling saliva samples prior to laboratory analysis were as reliable as arithmetic means for assessment of diurnal cortisol variation in a field research setting. 4) There was a positive association between circulating levels of MMP‐9 and saliva levels of cortisol, both diurnal peak level and evening level of cortisol. The observed associations between MMP‐9 and traditional cardiovascular risk factors, psychosocial factors, and saliva cortisol levels suggest a psychoneuroendocrinological pathway linking stress to plaque vulnerability and provide increased understanding of the association between psychosocial factors and CAD.
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| 3. |
- Andresen, Louise C., et al.
(författare)
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Uptake of pulse injected nitrogen by soil microbes and mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal plants in a species-diverse subarctic heath ecosystem
- 2008
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Ingår i: Plant and Soil. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0032-079X .- 1573-5036. ; 313:1-2, s. 283-295
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- N-15 labeled ammonium, glycine or glutamic acid was injected into subarctic heath soil in situ, with the purpose of investigating how the nitrogen added in these pulses was subsequently utilized and cycled in the ecosystem. We analyzed the acquisition of N-15 label in mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal plants and in soil microorganisms, in order to reveal probable differences in acquisition patterns between the two functional plant types and between plants and soil microorganisms. Three weeks after the label addition, with the N-15-forms added with same amount of nitrogen per square meter, we analyzed the N-15-enrichment in total soil, in soil K2SO4 (0.5 M) extracts and in the microbial biomass after vacuum-incubation of soil in chloroform and subsequent K2SO4 extraction. Furthermore the N-15-enrichment was analyzed in current years leaves of the dominant plant species sampled three, five and 21 days after label addition. The soil microorganisms had very high N-15 recovery from all the N sources compared to plants. Microorganisms incorporated most N-15 from the glutamic acid source, intermediate amounts of N-15 from the glycine source and least N-15 from the NH4+ source. In contrast to microorganisms, all ten investigated plant species generally acquired more N-15 label from the NH4+ source than from the amino acid sources. Non-mycorrhizal plant species showed higher concentration of N-15 label than mycorrhizal plant species 3 days after labeling, while 21 days after labeling their acquisition of N-15 label from amino acid injection was lower than, and the acquisition of N-15 label from NH4 injection was similar to that of the mycorrhizal species. We conclude that the soil microorganisms were more efficient than plants in acquiring pulses of nutrients which, under natural conditions, occur after e. g. freeze-thaw and dry rewet events, although of smaller size. It also appears that the mycorrhizal plants in the short term may be less efficient than non-mycorrhizal plants in nitrogen acquisition, but in a longer term show larger nitrogen acquisition than non-mycorrhizal plants. However, the differences in N-15 uptake patterns may also be due to differences in leaf longevity and woodiness between plant functional groups.
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| 5. |
- Bjarnegård, Niclas, et al.
(författare)
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Long-term hyperglycaemia impairs vascular smooth muscle cell function in women with type 1 diabetes mellitus
- 2009
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Ingår i: DIABETES and VASCULAR DISEASE RESEARCH. - : SAGE Publications. - 1479-1641 .- 1752-8984. ; 6:1, s. 25-31
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Observations of increased stiffness in the elastic aorta in women with diabetes, but not men, emphasise the need for further analysis regarding early abnormalities in arterial wall properties of women with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM).Ultrasound was used to study the wall properties of the distal brachial artery (BA) in 37 type 1 diabetic women (aged 22-45 years) without evident complications and in 53 controls (C). Blood samples were drawn for later analysis.Flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) was slightly lower in DM than C, 8.1 +/- 4.3% vs. 10.3 +/- 4.9% (p<0.05), and nitrate-mediated dilatation (NMD) was markedly lower, 21.7 +/- 6.6% vs. 31.4 +/- 5.7% (p<0.001). Lumen diameter, intima-media thickness and distensibility were similar in DM and C. Insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) was lower in DM than C, 231 +/- 65 vs. 349 +/- 68 ng/ml (p<0.001). Glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA(1C)) and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-9) were independent predictors of the reduced NMD in the DM.Brachial artery responsiveness to an exogenous donor of nitric oxide (NO) was markedly reduced in type 1 diabetic women despite only limited reduction in endothelium-dependent dilatation. The negative association between NMD and HbA(1C) suggests that long-term hyperglycaemia impairs vascular smooth muscle cell function in DM.
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| 8. |
- Cherfan, P, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of simvastatin on human T cells in vivo
- 2007
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Ingår i: Atherosclerosis. - : Elsevier BV. - 0021-9150 .- 1879-1484. ; 193:1, s. 186-192
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: The use of statins has shown several anti-inflammatory actions, including modulatory effects on T cells in vitro. Since the effects on human T cells in vivo are less clarified, our aim was to investigate the effects of simvastatin on human T cells in vivo and ex vivo. Methods and results: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study design was applied. Eighty volunteers with mild to moderate hypercholesterolemia received either simvastatin 40 mg or placebo for 6 weeks. The serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) were significantly reduced by simvastatin. The proportions of CD4+ and CD8+ T cell subsets expressing early (CD25) or late (HLA-DR) activation markers, as assessed by flow cytometry, were not changed by simvastatin. However, simvastatin tended to increase the density of HLA-DR and L-selectin per CD8+ T cell. The T helper(h)1/Th2 response was evaluated by stimulatory assays followed by intra-cellular staining of interferon-γ and interleukin-4. Simvastatin treatment did not affect the Th1 response but the results indicated a potential to suppress Th2. Conclusion: Simvastatin treatment resulted in a few discrete changes as regards peripheral T cells. However, the findings do not provide evidence that simvastatin-induced anti-inflammatory actions are related to any significant modulatory effects on human T cells in clinically healthy men with hypercholesterolemia. © 2006 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
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| 9. |
- Engelbrecht Clemmensen, Karina, et al.
(författare)
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Site-dependent N uptake from N-form mixtures by arctic plants, soil microbes and ectomycorrhizal fungi
- 2008
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Ingår i: Oecologia. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1432-1939 .- 0029-8549. ; 155:4, s. 771-783
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Abstract in UndeterminedSoil microbes constitute an important control on nitrogen (N) turnover and retention in arctic ecosystems where N availability is the main constraint on primary production. Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) symbioses may facilitate plant competition for the specific N pools available in various arctic ecosystems. We report here our study on the N uptake patterns of coexisting plants and microbes at two tundra sites with contrasting dominance of the circumpolar ECM shrub Betula nana. We added equimolar mixtures of glycine-N, NH4+-N and NO3--N, with one N form labelled with N-15 at a time, and in the case of glycine, also labelled with C-13, either directly to the soil or to ECM fungal ingrowth bags. After 2 days, the vegetation contained 5.6, 7.7 and 9.1% (heath tundra) and 7.1, 14.3 and 12.5% (shrub tundra) of the glycine-, NH4+- and NO3--N-15, respectively, recovered in the plant-soil system, and the major part of N-15 in the soil was immobilized by microbes (chloroform fumigation-extraction). In the subsequent 24 days, microbial N turnover transferred about half of the immobilized N-15 to the non-extractable soil organic N pool, demonstrating that soil microbes played a major role in N turnover and retention in both tundra types. The ECM mycelial communities at the two tundras differed in N-form preferences, with a higher contribution of glycine to total N uptake at the heath tundra; however, the ECM mycelial communities at both sites strongly discriminated against NO3-. Betula nana did not directly reflect ECM mycelial N uptake, and we conclude that N uptake by ECM plants is modulated by the N uptake patterns of both fungal and plant components of the symbiosis and by competitive interactions in the soil. Our field study furthermore showed that intact free amino acids are potentially important N sources for arctic ECM fungi and plants as well as for soil microorganisms.
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