| 1. |
- Aminoff, A, et al.
(författare)
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Allele-specific regulation of MTTP expression influences the risk of ischemic heart disease.
- 2010
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Ingår i: Journal of lipid research. - 0022-2275 .- 1539-7262. ; 51:1, s. 103-11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Promoter polymorphisms in microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTTP) have been associated with decreased plasma lipids but an increased risk for ischemic heart disease (IHD), indicating that MTTP influences the susceptibility for IHD independent of plasma lipids. The objective of this study was to characterize the functional promoter polymorphism in MTTP predisposing to IHD and its underlying mechanism. Use of pyrosequencing technology revealed that presence of the minor alleles of the promoter polymorphisms -493G>T and -164T>C result in lower transcription of MTTP in vivo in the heart, liver, and macrophages. In vitro experiments indicated that the minor -164C allele mediates the lower gene expression and that C/EBP binds to the polymorphic region in an allele-specific manner. Furthermore, homozygous carriers of the -164C were found to have increased risk for IHD as shown in a case-control study including a total of 544 IHD patients and 544 healthy control subjects. We concluded that carriers of the minor -164C allele have lower expression of MTTP in the heart, mediated at least partly by the transcription factor CCAAT/enhancer binding protein, and that reduced concentration of MTTP in the myocardium may contribute to IHD upon ischemic damage.
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| 2. |
- Bonnert, M., et al.
(författare)
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Internet-delivered cognitive behavior therapy for adolescents with functional gastrointestinal disorders - An open trial
- 2014
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Ingår i: Internet Interventions. - : Elsevier BV. - 2214-7829. ; 1:3, s. 141-148
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID), including irritable bowel syndrome, functional dyspepsia and functional abdominal pain, are common in adolescents and are associated with substantially decreased quality of life. Cognitive behavior therapy for children and adolescents with FGID is one of few treatments that have shown effect, but treatment access is limited. In adults with irritable bowel syndrome, exposure-based internet-delivered CBT (ICBT) leads to reduced symptoms and increased quality of life, but studies in children are lacking. This open pilot aimed to evaluate feasibility and the potential efficacy of an exposure-based ICBT-program for adolescents with pain-predominant FGID. Twenty-nine adolescents (age 13-17), with FGID were included. The ICBT-program lasted for 8. weeks with weekly online therapist support. The protocol for adolescents included exposure to abdominal symptoms, while the protocol for parents aimed at increasing parents' attention to adolescent healthy behaviors. Assessment points were baseline, post-treatment and 6-month follow-up. The primary outcome was the Gastrointestinal Symptoms Rating Scale-IBS (GSRS-IBS). Effect sizes were calculated using Cohen's d in an intent to treat analysis. GSRS-IBS improved significantly from baseline to post-treatment (mean difference 6.48; 95% CI [2.37-10.58]) and to follow-up (mean difference 7.82; 95% CI [3.43-12.21]), corresponding to moderate effect sizes (within-group Cohen's d= 0.50; 95% CI [0.16-0.84] and d= 0.63; 95% CI [0.24-1.02], respectively). Treatment adherence was high with 22 of 29 (76%) adolescents completing the entire treatment period. High adherence indicates acceptability of format and content, while symptomatic improvement suggests potential efficacy for this ICBT intervention in adolescents with FGID. © 2014.
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| 3. |
- Hong, Eva, et al.
(författare)
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Target Gene Sequencing To Define the Susceptibility of Neisseria meningitidis to Ciprofloxacin
- 2013
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Ingår i: Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. - 0066-4804 .- 1098-6596. ; 57:4, s. 1961-1964
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Meningococcal gyrA gene sequence data, MICs, and mouse infection were used to define the ciprofloxacin breakpoint for Neisseria meningitidis. Residue T91 or D95 of GyrA was altered in all meningococcal isolates with MICs of >= 0.064 mu g/ml but not among isolates with MICs of <= 0.032 mu g/ml. Experimental infection of ciprofloxacin-treated mice showed slower bacterial clearance when GyrA was altered. These data suggest a MIC of >= 0.064 mu g/ml as the ciprofloxacin breakpoint for meningococci and argue for the molecular detection of ciprofloxacin resistance.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Titov, Leonid P., et al.
(författare)
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Evolutionary epidemiology of Neisseria meningitidis strains in Belarus compared to other European countries
- 2013
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Ingår i: Acta Microbiologica et Immunologica Hungarica. - 1217-8950. ; 60:4, s. 397-410
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction. Meningococcal infections are major causes of death in children globally. In Belarus, the incidence of cases and fatality rate of meningococcal infections are low and comparable to the levels in other European countries. Aim. In the present study, the molecular and epidemiological traits of Neisseria meningitidis strains circulating in Belarus were characterized and compared to isolates from other European countries. Materials and Methods. Twenty N. meningitidis strains isolated from patients (n = 13) and healthy contacts (n = 7) during 2006-2012 in Belarus were selected for multilocus sequence typing (MLST), genosubtyping and FetA typing. The STs of the Belarusian strains were phylogenetically compared to the STs of 110 selected strains from 22 other European countries. Results. Overall, eleven different genosubtypes were observed, there were seven variants of variable region of the fetA gene detected. The majority of the STs (95%) found in Belarus were novel and all those were submitted to the Neisseria MLST database for assignment. Several newly discovered alleles of fumC (allele 451) and gdh (allele 560 and 621) appeared to be descendants of alleles which are widespread in Europe, and single aroE alleles (602 and 603) occurred as a result of separate evolution. Conclusions. N. meningitidis strains circulating in Belarus are heterogeneous and include sequence types, possibly, locally evolved in Belarus as well as representatives of widespread European hyperinvasive clonal complexes.
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