| 11. |
- De Luca, Francesca, et al.
(författare)
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Elective one-minute full brain multi-contrast MRI versus brain CT in pediatric patients : a prospective feasibility study
- 2024
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Ingår i: BMC Medical Imaging. - 1471-2342. ; 24:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Brain CT can be used to evaluate pediatric patients with suspicion of cerebral pathology when anesthetic and MRI resources are scarce. This study aimed to assess if pediatric patients referred for an elective brain CT could endure a diagnostic fast brain MRI without general anesthesia using a one-minute multi-contrast EPI-based sequence (EPIMix) with comparable diagnostic performance. Methods: Pediatric patients referred for an elective brain CT between March 2019 and March 2020 were prospectively included and underwent EPIMix without general anesthesia in addition to CT. Three readers (R1–3) independently evaluated EPIMix and CT images on two separate occasions. The two main study outcomes were the tolerance to undergo an EPIMix scan without general anesthesia and its performance to classify a scan as normal or abnormal. Secondary outcomes were assessment of disease category, incidental findings, diagnostic image quality, diagnostic confidence, and image artifacts. Further, a side-by-side evaluation of EPIMix and CT was performed. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was calculated for EPIMix on T1-weighted, T2-weighted, and ADC images. Descriptive statistics, Fisher’s exact test, and Chi-squared test were used to compare the two imaging modalities. Results: EPIMix was well tolerated by all included patients (n = 15) aged 5–16 (mean 11, SD 3) years old. Thirteen cases on EPIMix and twelve cases on CT were classified as normal by all readers (R1–3), while two cases on EPIMix and three cases on CT were classified as abnormal by one reader (R1), (R1–3, p = 1.00). There was no evidence of a difference in diagnostic confidence, image quality, or the presence of motion artifacts between EPIMix and CT (R1–3, p ≥ 0.10). Side-by-side evaluation (R2 + R4 + R5) reviewed all scans as lacking significant pathological findings on EPIMix and CT images. Conclusions: Full brain MRI-based EPIMix sequence was well tolerated without general anesthesia with a diagnostic performance comparable to CT in elective pediatric patients. Trial registration: This study was approved by the Swedish Ethical Review Authority (ethical approval number/ID Ethical approval 2017/2424-31/1). This study was a clinical trial study, with study protocol published at ClinicalTrials.gov with Trial registration number NCT03847051, date of registration 18/02/2019.
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| 12. |
- Diaz Cruz, Maria Araceli, et al.
(författare)
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Characterization of methylation patterns associated with lifestyle factors and vitamin D supplementation in a healthy elderly cohort from Southwest Sweden
- 2022
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Nature Portfolio. - 2045-2322. ; 12:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Numerous studies have shown that lifestyle factors, such as regular physical activity and vitamin D intake, may remarkably improve overall health and mental wellbeing. This is especially important in older adults whose vitamin D deficiency occurs with a high prevalence. This study aimed to examine the influence of lifestyle and vitamin D on global DNA methylation patterns in an elderly cohort in Southwest of Sweden. We also sought to examine the methylation levels of specific genes involved in vitamin D's molecular and metabolic activated pathways. We performed a genome wide methylation analysis, using Illumina Infinium DNA Methylation EPIC 850kBeadChip array, on 277 healthy individuals from Southwest Sweden at the age of 70-95. The study participants also answered queries on lifestyle, vitamin intake, heart medication, and estimated health. Vitamin D intake did not in general affect methylation patterns, which is in concert with other studies. However, when comparing the group of individuals taking vitamin supplements, including vitamin D, with those not taking supplements, a difference in methylation in the solute carrier family 25 (SCL25A24) gene was found. This confirms a previous finding, where changes in expression of SLC25A24 were associated with vitamin D treatment in human monocytes. The combination of vitamin D intake and high physical activity increased methylation of genes linked to regulation of vitamin D receptor pathway, the Wnt pathway and general cancer processes. To our knowledge, this is the first study detecting epigenetic markers associated with the combined effects of vitamin D supplementation and high physical activity. These results deserve to be further investigated in an extended, interventional study cohort, where also the levels of 25(OH)D3 can be monitored.
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| 13. |
- Diaz Cruz, Maria Araceli, et al.
(författare)
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Cis-regulatory elements in conserved non-coding sequences of nuclear receptor genes indicate for crosstalk between endocrine systems
- 2021
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Ingår i: Open Medicine (Poland). - : De Gruyter Open. - 2391-5463. ; 16:1, s. 640-650
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Nuclear receptors (NRs) are ligand-activated transcription factors that regulate gene expression when bound to specific DNA sequences. Crosstalk between steroid NR systems has been studied for understanding the development of hormone-driven cancers but not to an extent at a genetic level. This study aimed to investigate crosstalk between steroid NRs in conserved intron and exon sequences, with a focus on steroid NRs involved in prostate cancer etiology. For this purpose, we evaluated conserved intron and exon sequences among all 49 members of the NR Superfamily (NRS) and their relevance as regulatory sequences and NR-binding sequences. Sequence conservation was found to be higher in the first intron (35%), when compared with downstream introns. Seventy-nine percent of the conserved regions in the NRS contained putative transcription factor binding sites (TFBS) and a large fraction of these sequences contained splicing sites (SS). Analysis of transcription factors binding to putative intronic and exonic TFBS revealed that 5 and 16%, respectively, were NRs. The present study suggests crosstalk between steroid NRs, e.g., vitamin D, estrogen, progesterone, and retinoic acid endocrine systems, through cis-regulatory elements in conserved sequences of introns and exons. This investigation gives evidence for crosstalk between steroid hormones and contributes to novel targets for steroid NR regulation.
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| 14. |
- Diaz Cruz, Maria Araceli, et al.
(författare)
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Differential expression of protein disulfide-isomerase A3 isoforms, PDIA3 and PDIA3N, in human prostate cancer cell lines representing different stages of prostate cancer
- 2021
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Ingår i: Molecular Biology Reports. - : Springer. - 0301-4851 .- 1573-4978. ; 48:3, s. 2429-2436
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Prostate cancer (PCa) is a highly heterogeneous and unpredictable progressive disease. Sensitivity of PCa cells to androgens play a central role in tumor aggressiveness but biomarkers with high sensitivity and specificity that follow the progression of the disease has not yet been verified. The vitamin D endocrine system and its receptors, the Vitamin D Receptor (VDR) and the Protein Disulfide-Isomerase A3 (PDIA3), are related to anti-tumoral effects as well as carcinogenesis and have therefore been suggested as potential candidates for the prevention and therapy of several cancer forms, including PCa. In this study, we evaluated the mRNA expression of VDR and PDIA3 involved in vitamin D signaling in cell lines representing different stages of PCa (PNT2, P4E6, LNCaP, DU145 and PC3). This study further aimed to evaluate vitamin D receptors and their isoforms as potential markers for clinical diagnosis of PCa. A novel transcript isoform of PDIA3 (PDIA3N) was identified and found to be expressed in all PCa cell lines analyzed. Androgen-independent cell lines showed a higher mRNA expression ratio between PDIA3N/PDIA3 contrary to androgen-dependent cell lines that showed a lower mRNA expression ratio between PDIA3N/PDIA3. The structure of PDIA3N differed from PDIA3. PDIA3N was found to be a N-truncated isoform of PDIA3 and differences in protein structure suggests an altered protein function i.e. cell location, thioredoxin activity and affinity for 1,25(OH)2D3. Collectively, PDIA3 transcript isoforms, the ratio between PDIA3N/PDIA3 and especially PDIA3N, are proposed as candidate markers for future studies with different stages of PCa progression.
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| 15. |
- Falk, Lars, et al.
(författare)
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Severe Lung Dysfunction and Pulmonary Blood Flow during Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation
- 2024
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Ingår i: Journal of Clinical Medicine. - 2077-0383. ; 13:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is indicated for patients with severe respiratory and/or circulatory failure. The standard technique to visualize the extent of pulmonary damage during ECMO is computed tomography (CT). Purpose: This single-center, retrospective study investigated whether pulmonary blood flow (PBF) measured with echocardiography can assist in assessing the extent of pulmonary damage and whether echocardiography and CT findings are associated with patient outcomes. Methods: All patients (>15 years) commenced on ECMO between 2011 and 2017 with septic shock of pulmonary origin and a treatment time >28 days were screened. Of 277 eligible patients, 9 were identified where both CT and echocardiography had been consecutively performed. Results: CT failed to indicate any differences in viable lung parenchyma within or between survivors and non-survivors at any time during ECMO treatment. Upon initiation of ECMO, the survivors (n = 5) and non-survivors (n = 4) had similar PBF. During a full course of ECMO support, survivors showed no change in PBF (3.8 ± 2.1 at ECMO start vs. 7.9 ± 4.3 L/min, p = 0.12), whereas non-survivors significantly deteriorated in PBF from 3.5 ± 1.0 to 1.0 ± 1.1 L/min (p = 0.029). Tidal volumes were significantly lower over time among the non-survivors, p = 0.047. Conclusions: In prolonged ECMO for pulmonary septic shock, CT was not found to be effective for the evaluation of pulmonary viability or recovery. This hypothesis-generating investigation supports echocardiography as a tool to predict pulmonary recovery via the assessment of PBF at the early to later stages of ECMO support.
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| 16. |
- Halbritter, Aud H., et al.
(författare)
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Plant trait and vegetation data along a 1314 m elevation gradient with fire history in Puna grasslands, Perú
- 2024
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Ingår i: SCIENTIFIC DATA. - 2052-4463. ; 11:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Alpine grassland vegetation supports globally important biodiversity and ecosystems that are increasingly threatened by climate warming and other environmental changes. Trait-based approaches can support understanding of vegetation responses to global change drivers and consequences for ecosystem functioning. In six sites along a 1314 m elevational gradient in Puna grasslands in the Peruvian Andes, we collected datasets on vascular plant composition, plant functional traits, biomass, ecosystem fluxes, and climate data over three years. The data were collected in the wet and dry season and from plots with different fire histories. We selected traits associated with plant resource use, growth, and life history strategies (leaf area, leaf dry/wet mass, leaf thickness, specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content, leaf C, N, P content, C and N isotopes). The trait dataset contains 3,665 plant records from 145 taxa, 54,036 trait measurements (increasing the trait data coverage of the regional flora by 420%) covering 14 traits and 121 plant taxa (ca. 40% of which have no previous publicly available trait data) across 33 families.
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| 17. |
- Hill, Rosemary, et al.
(författare)
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Nature's contributions to people: Weaving plural perspectives
- 2021
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Ingår i: One Earth. - : Elsevier BV. - 2590-3330 .- 2590-3322. ; 4:7, s. 910-915
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- “Nature's contributions to people” (NCP) is designed to provide space for the recognition of diverse and evolving culturally mediated ideas about what people derive from, and co-produce with, nature. Its origins, along with the IPBES conceptual framework in which it is embedded, is transdisciplinary, action-oriented, and inclusive and also embraces pluralism. NCP provides both generalizing and context-specific perspectives and analytical tools that can be interwoven and enables diverse actors to represent nature-people interactions for different scales, audiences, and decision-makers. NCP therefore can be used to understand and communicate the ways in which ongoing biodiversity decline may affect the complex relationships between people and nature. This Primer presents NCP in accessible language, highlights its unique contribution as a tool for plural valuation of nature in conservation assessments, clarifies common misconceptions, and provides examples of the innovative ways NCP has already been applied around the world.
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| 18. |
- Hill, Rosemary, et al.
(författare)
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Working with Indigenous, local and scientific knowledge in assessments of nature and nature's linkages with people
- 2020
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Ingår i: Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability. - : Elsevier BV. - 1877-3435 .- 1877-3443. ; 43, s. 8-20
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Working with indigenous and local knowledge (ILK) is vital for inclusive assessments of nature and nature's linkages with people. Indigenous peoples' concepts about what constitutes sustainability, for example, differ markedly from dominant sustainability discourses. The Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystems Services (IPBES) is promoting dialogue across different knowledge systems globally. In 2017, member states of IPBES adopted an ILK Approach including: procedures for assessments of nature and nature's linkages with people; a participatory mechanism; and institutional arrangements for including indigenous peoples and local communities. We present this Approach and analyse how it supports ILK in IPBES assessments through: respecting rights; supporting care and mutuality; strengthening communities and their knowledge systems; and supporting knowledge exchange. Customary institutions that ensure the integrity of ILK, effective empowering dialogues, and shared governance are among critical capacities that enable inclusion of diverse conceptualizations of sustainability in assessments.
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| 19. |
- Karlsson, Sandra, et al.
(författare)
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Inhibition of CYP27B1 and CYP24 Increases the Anti-proliferative Effects of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D 3 in LNCaP Cells
- 2021
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Ingår i: Anticancer Research. - : Anticancer Research USA Inc.. - 0250-7005 .- 1791-7530. ; 41:10, s. 4733-4740
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background/Aim: Growing evidence suggests that vitamin D3 exerts anticancer effects. The present study aimed to evaluate 25-hydroxyvitamin D3(25(OH)D3) as a potential endocrine factor regulating proliferation and vitamin D receptor expression in LNCaP prostate cancer cells. Materials and Methods: Cell counting after treatment was utilized to assess the effect of 25(OH)D3on cell proliferation. Changes in mRNA expression of the vitamin D receptors, VDR and PDIA3, were evaluated using droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR). Results: 25(OH)D3inhibited cell proliferation in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The inhibitory effect of 25(OH)D3on cell proliferation was potentiated after inhibition of CYP17B1 and CYP24 by genistein, preventing further metabolism of 25(OH)D3to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3(1,25(OH)2D3) and 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3(24,25(OH)2D3). Expression of PDIA3 and VDR mRNA increased after treatment with 25(OH)D3, whereas the ratio between PDIA3 and VDR mRNA remained unchanged. Conclusion: 25(OH)D3has a direct inhibitory effect on cell proliferation, which is enhanced and accelerated when the metabolism of 25(OH)D3to 1,25(OH)2D3and 24,25(OH)2D3was inhibited by the CYP17B1 and CYP24 inhibitor genistein. Furthermore, treatment with 25(OH)D3increased receptor transcript expression, suggesting an increased VDR stability and sensibility of the treated cells.
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| 20. |
- Kvist, Ola, et al.
(författare)
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A cross-sectional magnetic resonance imaging study of factors influencing growth plate closure in adolescents and young adults
- 2021
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Ingår i: Acta Paediatrica. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0803-5253 .- 1651-2227. ; 110:4, s. 1249-1256
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aim To assess growth plate fusion by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and evaluate the correlation with sex, age, pubertal development, physical activity and BMI. Methods Wrist, knee and ankle of 958 healthy subjects aged 14.0-21.5 years old were examined using MRI and graded by two radiologists. Correlations of growth plate fusion score with age, pubertal development, physical activity and BMI were assessed. Results Complete growth plate fusion occurred in 75%, 85%, 97%, 98%, 98% and 90%, 97%, 95%, 97%, 98% (radius, femur, proximal- and distal tibia and calcaneus) in 17-year-old females and 19-year-old males, respectively. Complete fusion occurs approximately 2 years earlier in girls than in boys. Pubertal development correlated with growth plate fusion score (rho = 0.514-0.598 for the different growth plate sites) but regular physical activity did not. BMI also correlated with growth plate fusion (rho = 0.186-0.384). Stratified logistic regression showed increased odds ratio (OR F: 2.65-8.71; M: 1.71-4.03) for growth plate fusion of obese or overweight subects versus normal-weight subjects. Inter-observer agreement was high (Kappa = 0.87-0.94). Conclusion Growth plate fusion can be assessed by MRI; occurs in an ascending order, from the foot to the wrist; and is significantly influenced by sex, pubertal development and BMI, but not by physical activity.
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