| 1. |
- Abdo, A. A., et al.
(författare)
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THE FIRST FERMI MULTIFREQUENCY CAMPAIGN ON BL LACERTAE : CHARACTERIZING THE LOW-ACTIVITY STATE OF THE EPONYMOUS BLAZAR
- 2011
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 730:2, s. 101-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report on observations of BL Lacertae during the first 18 months of Fermi LAT science operations and present results from a 48 day multifrequency coordinated campaign from 2008 August 19 to 2008 October 7. The radio to gamma-ray behavior of BL Lac is unveiled during a low-activity state thanks to the coordinated observations of radio-band (Metsahovi and VLBA), near-IR/optical (Tuorla, Steward, OAGH, and MDM), and X-ray (RXTE and Swift) observatories. No variability was resolved in gamma rays during the campaign, and the brightness level was 15 times lower than the level of the 1997 EGRET outburst. Moderate and uncorrelated variability has been detected in UV and X-rays. The X-ray spectrum is found to be concave, indicating the transition region between the low- and high-energy components of the spectral energy distribution (SED). VLBA observation detected a synchrotron spectrum self-absorption turnover in the innermost part of the radio jet appearing to be elongated and inhomogeneous, and constrained the average magnetic field there to be less than 3 G. Over the following months, BL Lac appeared variable in gamma rays, showing flares (in 2009 April and 2010 January). There is no evidence for the correlation of gamma rays with the optical flux monitored from the ground in 18 months. The SED may be described by a single-zone or a two-zone synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) model, but a hybrid SSC plus external radiation Compton model seems to be preferred based on the observed variability and the fact that it provides a fit closest to equipartition.
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| 2. |
- Speliotes, Elizabeth K., et al.
(författare)
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Association analyses of 249,796 individuals reveal 18 new loci associated with body mass index
- 2010
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Ingår i: Nature Genetics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1061-4036 .- 1546-1718. ; 42:11, s. 937-948
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Obesity is globally prevalent and highly heritable, but its underlying genetic factors remain largely elusive. To identify genetic loci for obesity susceptibility, we examined associations between body mass index and ~2.8 million SNPs in up to 123,865 individuals with targeted follow up of 42 SNPs in up to 125,931 additional individuals. We confirmed 14 known obesity susceptibility loci and identified 18 new loci associated with body mass index (P < 5 × 10−8), one of which includes a copy number variant near GPRC5B. Some loci (at MC4R, POMC, SH2B1 and BDNF) map near key hypothalamic regulators of energy balance, and one of these loci is near GIPR, an incretin receptor. Furthermore, genes in other newly associated loci may provide new insights into human body weight regulation.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Knuuttila, M., et al.
(författare)
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Castration Induces Up-Regulation of Intratumoral Androgen Biosynthesis and Androgen Receptor Expression in an Orthotopic VCaP Human Prostate Cancer Xenograft Model
- 2014
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Ingår i: American Journal of Pathology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0002-9440. ; 184:8, s. 2163-2173
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Androgens are key factors involved in the development and progression of prostate cancer (PCa), and PCa growth can be suppressed by androgen deprivation therapy. In a considerable proportion of men receiving androgen deprivation therapy, however, PCa progresses to castration-resistant PCa (CRPC), making the development of efficient therapies challenging. We used an orthotopic VCaP human PCa xenograft model to study cellular and molecular changes in tumors after androgen deprivation therapy (castration). Tumor growth was monitored through weekly serum prostate-specific antigen measurements, and mice with recurrent tumors after castration were randomized to treatment groups. Serum prostate-specific antigen concentrations showed significant correlation with tumor volume. Castration-resistant tumors retained concentrations of intratumoral androgen (androstenedione, testosterone, and 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone) at Levels similar to tumors growing in intact hosts. Accordingly, castration induced up-regulation of enzymes involved in androgen synthesis (CYP17A1, AKR1C3, and HSD17B6), as well as expression of full-length androgen receptor (AR) and AR splice variants (AR-V1 and AR-V7). Furthermore, AR target gene expression was maintained in castration-resistant xenografts. The AR antagonists enzalutamide (MDV3100) and ARN-509 suppressed PSA production of castration-resistant tumors, confirming the androgen dependency of these tumors. Taken together, the findings demonstrate that our VCaP xenograft model exhibits the key characteristics of clinical CRPC and thus provides a valuable tool for identifying druggable targets and for testing therapeutic strategies targeting AR signaling in CRPC.
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| 5. |
- Pyykkö, Okko T, et al.
(författare)
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Cerebrospinal fluid biomarker and brain biopsy findings in idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus
- 2014
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 9:3, s. e91974-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: To investigate the role of soluble APP (sAPP) and amyloid beta (Ab) isoforms, proinflammatory cytokines, and biomarkers of neuronal damage in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in relation to brain biopsy Ab and hyperphosphorylated tau (HPt) findings. Methods: The study population comprised 102 patients with possible NPH with cortical brain biopsies, ventricular and lumbar CSF samples, and DNA available. The final clinical diagnoses were: 53 iNPH (91% shunt-responders), 26 AD (10 mixed iNPH+AD), and 23 others. Biopsy samples were immunostained against Ab and HPt. CSF levels of AD-related biomarkers (Ab42, p-tau, total tau), non-AD-related Ab isoforms (Ab38, Ab40), sAPP isoforms (sAPPa, sAPPb), proinflammatory cytokines (several interleukins (IL), interferon-gamma, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, tumor necrosis factor-alpha) and biomarkers of neuronal damage (neurofilament light and myelin basic protein) were measured. All patients were genotyped for APOE. Results: Lumbar CSF levels of sAPP alpha were lower (p<0.05) in patients with shunt-responsive iNPH compared to non-iNPH patients. sAPPb showed a similar trend (p = 0.06). CSF sAPP isoform levels showed no association to Ab or HPt in the brain biopsy. Quantified Ab load in the brain biopsy showed a negative correlation with CSF levels of Ab42 in ventricular (r = 20.295, p = 0.003) and lumbar (r = 20.356, p = 0.01) samples, while the levels of Ab38 and Ab40 showed no correlation. CSF levels of proinflammatory cytokines and biomarkers of neuronal damage did not associate to the brain biopsy findings, diagnosis, or shunt response. Higher lumbar/ventricular CSF IL-8 ratios (p<0.001) were seen in lumbar samples collected after ventriculostomy compared to the samples collected before the procedure. Conclusions: The role of sAPP isoforms in iNPH seems to be independent from the amyloid cascade. No neuroinflammatory background was observed in iNPH or AD.
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| 6. |
- Tukiainen, T., et al.
(författare)
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Mild cognitive impairment associates with concurrent decreases in serum cholesterol and cholesterol-related lipoprotein subclasses
- 2012
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Ingår i: The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1279-7707 .- 1760-4788. ; 16:7, s. 631-635
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background and objective: Accumulating evidence suggests that serum lipids are associated with cognitive decline and dementias. However, majority of the existing information concerns only serum total cholesterol (TC) and data at the level of lipoprotein fractions and subclasses is limited. The aim of this study was to explore the levels and trends of main cholesterol and triglyceride measures and eight lipoprotein subclasses during normal aging and the development of mild cognitive impairment by following a group of elderly for six years. Design: Longitudinal. Setting: City of Kuopio, Finland. Participants: 45 elderly individuals of which 20 developed mild cognitive impairment (MCI) during the follow-up. Measurement: On each visit participants underwent an extensive neuropsychological and clinical assessment. Lipoprotein levels were measured via 1H NMR from native serum samples. Results: Serum cholesterol and many primarily cholesterol-associated lipoprotein measures clearly decreased in MCI while the trends were increasing for those elderly people who maintained normal cognition. Conclusion: These findings suggest that a decreasing trend in serum cholesterol measures in elderly individuals may suffice as an indication for more detailed inspection for potential signs of cognitive decline.
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| 7. |
- Guschanski, Katerina, Dr. 1978-, et al.
(författare)
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Next-Generation Museomics Disentangles One of the Largest Primate Radiations
- 2013
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Ingår i: Systematic Biology. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1063-5157 .- 1076-836X. ; 62:4, s. 539-554
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Guenons (tribe Cercopithecini) are one of the most diverse groups of primates. They occupy all of sub-Saharan Africa and show great variation in ecology, behavior, and morphology. This variation led to the description of over 60 species and subspecies. Here, using next-generation DNA sequencing (NGS) in combination with targeted DNA capture, we sequenced 92 mitochondrial genomes from museum-preserved specimens as old as 117 years. We infer evolutionary relationships and estimate divergence times of almost all guenon taxa based on mitochondrial genome sequences. Using this phylogenetic framework, we infer divergence dates and reconstruct ancestral geographic ranges. We conclude that the extraordinary radiation of guenons has been a complex process driven by, among other factors, localized fluctuations of African forest cover. We find incongruences between phylogenetic trees reconstructed from mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences, which can be explained by either incomplete lineage sorting or hybridization. Furthermore, having produced the largest mitochondrial DNA data set from museum specimens, we document how NGS technologies can “unlock” museum collections, thereby helping to unravel the tree-of-life. [Museum collection; next-generation DNA sequencing; primate radiation; speciation; target capture.]
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| 8. |
- Leinonen, Ville, et al.
(författare)
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Amyloid and Tau Proteins in Cortical Brain Biopsy and Alzheimer's Disease
- 2010
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Ingår i: Annals of Neurology. - : Wiley. - 0364-5134 .- 1531-8249. ; 68:4, s. 446-453
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: Amyloid-beta(A beta) aggregates are presumed to be found in the brain at an early stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD) but have seldom been assessed by brain biopsy during life in often elderly patients. Methods: Between 1991 and 2006 we evaluated 468 patients with suspected normal pressure hydrocephalus with intraventricular pressure monitoring and a right frontal cortical biopsy sample immunostained for A beta and hyperphosphorylated tau (HP tau). Adequate samples and the clinical follow-up data until death or the end of 2008, available in 433 cases, were reviewed for the clinical signs of dementia, including AD. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze whether A beta and/or HP tau in the biopsy samples obtained during life predicted development of cognitive impairment, in particular, AD. Results: Of the 433 frontal cortical samples, 42 (10%) displayed both A beta and HP tau, 144 (33%) A beta only, and 247 (57%) neither A beta nor HP tau. In a median follow-up time of 4.4 years, 94 patients (22%) developed clinical AD. The presence of both A beta and HP tau was strongly associated (odds ratio [OR], 68.2; 95% confidence interval [Cl], 22.1-210) and A beta alone significantly associated (OR, 10.8; 95% Cl, 4.9-23.8) with the clinical diagnosis of AD. Interpretation: This is the largest follow-up study of patients assessed for the presence of A beta and HP tau in frontal cortical brain biopsy samples. 1) The presence of A beta and HP tau spoke strongly for the presence or later development of clinical AD; 2) A beta alone was suggestive of AD; and 3) the absence of A beta and HP tau spoke against a later clinical diagnosis of AD.
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| 9. |
- Leinonen, Ville, et al.
(författare)
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Cortical Brain Biopsy in Long-Term Prognostication of 468 Patients with Possible Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus
- 2012
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Ingår i: Neuro-degenerative diseases. - : S. Karger AG. - 1660-2862 .- 1660-2854. ; 10:1-4, s. 166-169
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) can be alleviated by cerebrospinal fluid shunting but the differential diagnosis and patient selection are challenging. Intraventricular intracranial pressure monitoring as part of the diagnostic workup as well as shunting enable to obtain cortical brain biopsies to detect amyloid-β (Aβ) and hyperphosphorylated tau (HPτ), the hallmark lesions of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In possible NPH, Aβ alone indicates an increased risk of AD and when present with HPτ probable AD, but the effect of those brain lesions on survival is not known. The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive value of brain biopsy for the long-term outcome of possible NPH. Between 1991 and 2006, the Neurosurgery Department of the Kuopio University Hospital evaluated 468 patients for possible NPH by intraventricular intracranial pressure monitoring and frontal cortical brain biopsy immunostained against Aβ and HPτ. All patients were followed up until the end of 2008 (n = 201) or death (n = 267) with a median follow-up of 4.6 years (range 0-17). Logistic regression analysis with Cox models was applied. Out of the 468 cases, Aβ was detected in 197 (42%) cortical biopsies, and together with HPτ in 44 (9%). Aβ alone indicated increased risk of AD and with HPτ probable AD, but it did not affect survival. Vascular aetiology was the most frequent cause of death. Cortical biopsy findings indicate that NPH is at present a heterogeneous syndrome and has notable overlapping with AD. Brain biopsy did not predict survival but may open a novel research window to study the pathobiology of neurodegeneration.
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| 10. |
- Pyykkö, O. T., et al.
(författare)
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APOE4 predicts amyloid-β in cortical brain biopsy but not idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus
- 2012
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Ingår i: Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. - : BMJ. - 0022-3050 .- 1468-330X. ; 83:11, s. 1119-1124
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: To investigate the association of apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype, especially the APOE4 allele, to (1) idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) and (2) amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques in cortical brain biopsies of presumed NPH patients with and without a final clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Methods: 202 patients with presumed NPH were evaluated by intraventricular pressure monitoring and frontal cortical biopsy immunostained against Aβ (134 semiquantified by Aβ plaques/mm 2). The 202 patients and 687 cognitively healthy individuals were genotyped for APOE. The final clinical diagnoses in a median follow-up of 3.9 years were: 113 iNPH (94 shunt responsive, 16 shunt non-responsive, three not shunted); 36 AD (12 mixed iNPH + AD); 53 others. Results: The APOE genotypes distributed similarly in the 94 shunt responsive and 16 non-responsive iNPH patients and healthy controls. In multivariate analysis, the APOE4 allele correlated independently with Aβ plaques in the cortical biopsies (OR 8.7, 95% CI 3.6 to 20, p<0.001). The APOE4 allele in presumed NPH predicted later AD as follows: sensitivity 61%; specificity 77%; positive predictive value 37%; negative predictive value 90%. Conclusion: In presumed NPH patients, APOE4 associates independently with the presence of Aβ plaques in the frontal cortical biopsy. APOE4 is not a risk factor for iNPH and does not predict the response to shunt. Our data further support the view that the iNPH syndrome is a distinct dementing disease.
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