| 1. |
- Lazaridis, Iosif, et al.
(författare)
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Ancient human genomes suggest three ancestral populations for present-day Europeans
- 2014
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 513:7518, s. 409-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We sequenced the genomes of a similar to 7,000-year-old farmer from Germany and eight similar to 8,000-year-old hunter-gatherers from Luxembourg and Sweden. We analysed these and other ancient genomes(1-4) with 2,345 contemporary humans to show that most present-day Europeans derive from at least three highly differentiated populations: west European hunter-gatherers, who contributed ancestry to all Europeans but not to Near Easterners; ancient north Eurasians related to Upper Palaeolithic Siberians(3), who contributed to both Europeans and Near Easterners; and early European farmers, who were mainly of Near Eastern origin but also harboured west European hunter-gatherer related ancestry. We model these populations' deep relationships and show that early European farmers had similar to 44% ancestry from a 'basal Eurasian' population that split before the diversification of other non-African lineages.
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| 2. |
- Schuenemann, Verena J., et al.
(författare)
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Genome-Wide Comparison of Medieval and Modern Mycobacterium leprae
- 2013
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Ingår i: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 341:6142, s. 179-183
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Leprosy was endemic in Europe until the Middle Ages. Using DNA array capture, we have obtained genome sequences of Mycobacterium leprae from skeletons of five medieval leprosy cases from the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Denmark. In one case, the DNA was so well preserved that full de novo assembly of the ancient bacterial genome could be achieved through shotgun sequencing alone. The ancient M. leprae sequences were compared with those of 11 modern strains, representing diverse genotypes and geographic origins. The comparisons revealed remarkable genomic conservation during the past 1000 years, a European origin for leprosy in the Americas, and the presence of an M. leprae genotype in medieval Europe now commonly associated with the Middle East. The exceptional preservation of M. leprae biomarkers, both DNA and mycolic acids, in ancient skeletons has major implications for palaeomicrobiology and human pathogen evolution.
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| 3. |
- Tinetti, Giovanna, et al.
(författare)
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The science of EChO
- 2010
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union. - 1743-9213 .- 1743-9221. ; 6:S276, s. 359-370
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The science of extra-solar planets is one of the most rapidly changing areas of astrophysics and since 1995 the number of planets known has increased by almost two orders of magnitude. A combination of ground-based surveys and dedicated space missions has resulted in 560-plus planets being detected, and over 1200 that await confirmation. NASA's Kepler mission has opened up the possibility of discovering Earth-like planets in the habitable zone around some of the 100,000 stars it is surveying during its 3 to 4-year lifetime. The new ESA's Gaia mission is expected to discover thousands of new planets around stars within 200 parsecs of the Sun. The key challenge now is moving on from discovery, important though that remains, to characterisation: what are these planets actually like, and why are they as they are In the past ten years, we have learned how to obtain the first spectra of exoplanets using transit transmission and emission spectroscopy. With the high stability of Spitzer, Hubble, and large ground-based telescopes the spectra of bright close-in massive planets can be obtained and species like water vapour, methane, carbon monoxide and dioxide have been detected. With transit science came the first tangible remote sensing of these planetary bodies and so one can start to extrapolate from what has been learnt from Solar System probes to what one might plan to learn about their faraway siblings. As we learn more about the atmospheres, surfaces and near-surfaces of these remote bodies, we will begin to build up a clearer picture of their construction, history and suitability for life. The Exoplanet Characterisation Observatory, EChO, will be the first dedicated mission to investigate the physics and chemistry of Exoplanetary Atmospheres. By characterising spectroscopically more bodies in different environments we will take detailed planetology out of the Solar System and into the Galaxy as a whole. EChO has now been selected by the European Space Agency to be assessed as one of four M3 mission candidates. © International Astronomical Union 2011.
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| 4. |
- Böhm, Johann, et al.
(författare)
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Mutation spectrum in the large GTPase dynamin 2, and genotype-phenotype correlation in autosomal dominant centronuclear myopathy.
- 2012
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Ingår i: Human mutation. - : Hindawi Limited. - 1098-1004 .- 1059-7794. ; 33:6, s. 949-59
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Centronuclear myopathy (CNM) is a genetically heterogeneous disorder associated with general skeletal muscle weakness, type I fiber predominance and atrophy, and abnormally centralized nuclei. Autosomal dominant CNM is due to mutations in the large GTPase dynamin 2 (DNM2), a mechanochemical enzyme regulating cytoskeleton and membrane trafficking in cells. To date, 40 families with CNM-related DNM2 mutations have been described, and here we report 60 additional families encompassing a broad genotypic and phenotypic spectrum. In total, 18 different mutations are reported in 100 families and our cohort harbors nine known and four new mutations, including the first splice-site mutation. Genotype-phenotype correlation hypotheses are drawn from the published and new data, and allow an efficient screening strategy for molecular diagnosis. In addition to CNM, dissimilar DNM2 mutations are associated with Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) peripheral neuropathy (CMTD1B and CMT2M), suggesting a tissue-specific impact of the mutations. In this study, we discuss the possible clinical overlap of CNM and CMT, and the biological significance of the respective mutations based on the known functions of dynamin 2 and its protein structure. Defects in membrane trafficking due to DNM2 mutations potentially represent a common pathological mechanism in CNM and CMT.
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Diehl, Roland, et al.
(författare)
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Early Ni-56 decay gamma rays from SN2014J suggest an unusual explosion
- 2014
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Ingår i: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 345:6201, s. 1162-1165
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Type Ia supernovae result from binary systems that include a carbon-oxygen white dwarf, and these thermonuclear explosions typically produce 0.5 solar mass of radioactive Ni-56. The Ni-56 is commonly believed to be buried deeply in the expanding supernova cloud. In SN2014J, we detected the lines at 158 and 812 kiloelectron volts from Ni-56 decay (time similar to 8.8 days) earlier than the expected several-week time scale, only similar to 20 days after the explosion and with flux levels corresponding to roughly 10% of the total expected amount of Ni-56. Some mechanism must break the spherical symmetry of the supernova and at the same time create a major amount of Ni-56 at the outskirts. A plausible explanation is that a belt of helium from the companion star is accreted by the white dwarf, where this material explodes and then triggers the supernova event.
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| 8. |
- Harder, Thomas, et al.
(författare)
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Evidence-based decision-making in infectious diseases epidemiology, prevention and control: matching research questions to study designs and quality appraisal tools
- 2014
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Ingår i: BMC Medical Research Methodology. - : BioMed Central. - 1471-2288. ; 14:69
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND:The Project on a Framework for Rating Evidence in Public Health (PRECEPT) was initiated and is being funded by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) to define a methodology for evaluating and grading evidence and strength of recommendations in the field of public health, with emphasis on infectious disease epidemiology, prevention and control. One of the first steps was to review existing quality appraisal tools (QATs) for individual research studies of various designs relevant to this area, using a question-based approach.METHODS:Through team discussions and expert consultations, we identified 20 relevant types of public health questions, which were grouped into six domains, i.e. characteristics of the pathogen, burden of disease, diagnosis, risk factors, intervention, and implementation of intervention. Previously published systematic reviews were used and supplemented by expert consultation to identify suitable QATs. Finally, a matrix was constructed for matching questions to study designs suitable to address them and respective QATs. Key features of each of the included QATs were then analyzed, in particular in respect to its intended use, types of questions and answers, presence/absence of a quality score, and if a validation was performed.RESULTS:In total we identified 21 QATs and 26 study designs, and matched them. Four QATs were suitable for experimental quantitative study designs, eleven for observational quantitative studies, two for qualitative studies, three for economic studies, one for diagnostic test accuracy studies, and one for animal studies. Included QATs consisted of six to 28 items. Six of the QATs had a summary quality score. Fourteen QATs had undergone at least one validation procedure.CONCLUSIONS:The results of this methodological study can be used as an inventory of potentially relevant questions, appropriate study designs and QATs for researchers and authorities engaged with evidence-based decision-making in infectious disease epidemiology, prevention and control.
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| 9. |
- Kharlamova, Marianna V., et al.
(författare)
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Inner tube growth properties and electronic structure of ferrocene-filled large diameter single-walled carbon nanotubes
- 2013
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Ingår i: Physica status solidi. B, Basic research. - : Wiley-VCH Verlag. - 0370-1972 .- 1521-3951. ; 250:12, s. 2575-2580
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We study the filling of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SW- CNTs) with ferrocene molecules. Using e-DIPS SWCNTs with a mean diameter of 1.7nm, we obtain a filling factor as high as 90%. At elevated temperatures in high vacuum the filled SWCNTs are transformed to double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs). Temperature dependence of inner tube growth is investigated by Raman spectroscopy. The electronic properties of the obtained nanostructures are studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and near edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy. It is found that the growth temperature is higher for larger diameter inner tubes. It is demonstrated that ferrocene filling leads to electron doping of SWCNTs.
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| 10. |
- Leboulleux, Sophie, et al.
(författare)
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Vandetanib in locally advanced or metastatic differentiated thyroid cancer: a randomised, double-blind, phase 2 trial
- 2012
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Ingår i: The Lancet Oncology. - 1474-5488. ; 13:9, s. 897-905
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background No effective standard treatment exists for patients with radioiodine-refractory, advanced differentiated thyroid carcinoma. We aimed to assess efficacy and safety of vandetanib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor of RET, VEGFR and EGFR signalling, in this setting. Methods In this randomised, double-blind, phase 2 trial, we enrolled adults (aged >= 18 years) with locally advanced or metastatic differentiated thyroid carcinoma (papillary, follicular, or poorly differentiated) at 16 European medical centres. Eligible patients were sequentially randomised in a 1: 1 ratio with a standard computerised scheme to receive either vandetanib 300 mg per day (vandetanib group) or matched placebo (placebo group), balanced by centre. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) in the intention-to-treat population based on investigator assessment. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00537095. Findings Between Sept 28, 2007, and Oct 16, 2008, we randomly allocated 72 patients to the vandetanib group and 73 patients to the placebo group. By data cutoff (Dec 2, 2009), 113 (78%) patients had progressed (52 [72%] patients in the vandetanib group and 61 [84%] in the placebo group) and 40 (28%) had died (19 [26%] patients in the vandetanib group and 21 [29%] in the placebo group). Patients who received vandetanib had longer PFS than did those who received placebo (hazard ratio [HR] 0.63, 60% CI 0.54-0.74; one-sided p=0.008): median PFS was 11.1 months (95% CI 7.7-14.0) for patients in the vandetanib group and 5.9 months (4.0-8.9) for patients in the placebo group. The most common grade 3 or worse adverse events were QTc prolongation (ten [14%] of 73 patients in the vandetanib group vs none in the placebo group), diarrhoea (seven [10%] vs none), asthenia (five [7%] vs three [4%]), and fatigue (four [5%] vs none). Two patients in the vandetanib group and one in the placebo group died from treatment-related serious adverse events (haemorrhage from skin metastases and pneumonia in the vandetanib group and pneumonia in the placebo group). Interpretation Vandetanib is the first targeted drug to show evidence of efficacy in a randomised phase 2 trial in patients with locally advanced or metastatic differentiated thyroid carcinoma. Further investigation of tyrosine-kinase inhibitors in this setting is warranted.
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