| 1. |
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| 2. |
- Abe, O, et al.
(författare)
-
Effects of chemotherapy and hormonal therapy for early breast cancer on recurrence and 15-year survival: an overview of the randomised trials
- 2005
-
Ingår i: The Lancet. - 1474-547X. ; 365:9472, s. 1687-1717
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background Quinquennial overviews (1985-2000) of the randomised trials in early breast cancer have assessed the 5-year and 10-year effects of various systemic adjuvant therapies on breast cancer recurrence and survival. Here, we report the 10-year and 15-year effects. Methods Collaborative meta-analyses were undertaken of 194 unconfounded randomised trials of adjuvant chemotherapy or hormonal therapy that began by 1995. Many trials involved CMF (cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, fluorouracil), anthracycline-based combinations such as FAC (fluorouracil, doxombicin, cyclophosphamide) or FEC (fluorouracil, epirubicin, cyclophosphamide), tamoxifen, or ovarian suppression: none involved taxanes, trastuzumab, raloxifene, or modem aromatase inhibitors. Findings Allocation to about 6 months of anthracycline-based polychemotherapy (eg, with FAC or FEC) reduces the annual breast cancer death rate by about 38% (SE 5) for women younger than 50 years of age when diagnosed and by about 20% (SE 4) for those of age 50-69 years when diagnosed, largely irrespective of the use of tamoxifen and of oestrogen receptor (ER) status, nodal status, or other tumour characteristics. Such regimens are significantly (2p=0 . 0001 for recurrence, 2p<0 . 00001 for breast cancer mortality) more effective than CMF chemotherapy. Few women of age 70 years or older entered these chemotherapy trials. For ER-positive disease only, allocation to about 5 years of adjuvant tamoxifen reduces the annual breast cancer death rate by 31% (SE 3), largely irrespective of the use of chemotherapy and of age (<50, 50-69, &GE; 70 years), progesterone receptor status, or other tumour characteristics. 5 years is significantly (2p<0 . 00001 for recurrence, 2p=0 . 01 for breast cancer mortality) more effective than just 1-2 years of tamoxifen. For ER-positive tumours, the annual breast cancer mortality rates are similar during years 0-4 and 5-14, as are the proportional reductions in them by 5 years of tamoxifen, so the cumulative reduction in mortality is more than twice as big at 15 years as at 5 years after diagnosis. These results combine six meta-analyses: anthracycline-based versus no chemotherapy (8000 women); CMF-based versus no chemotherapy (14 000); anthracycline-based versus CMF-based chemotherapy (14 000); about 5 years of tamoxifen versus none (15 000); about 1-2 years of tamoxifen versus none (33 000); and about 5 years versus 1-2 years of tamoxifen (18 000). Finally, allocation to ovarian ablation or suppression (8000 women) also significantly reduces breast cancer mortality, but appears to do so only in the absence of other systemic treatments. For middle-aged women with ER-positive disease (the commonest type of breast cancer), the breast cancer mortality rate throughout the next 15 years would be approximately halved by 6 months of anthracycline-based chemotherapy (with a combination such as FAC or FEC) followed by 5 years of adjuvant tamoxifen. For, if mortality reductions of 38% (age <50 years) and 20% (age 50-69 years) from such chemotherapy were followed by a further reduction of 31% from tamoxifen in the risks that remain, the final mortality reductions would be 57% and 45%, respectively (and, the trial results could well have been somewhat stronger if there had been full compliance with the allocated treatments). Overall survival would be comparably improved, since these treatments have relatively small effects on mortality from the aggregate of all other causes. Interpretation Some of the widely practicable adjuvant drug treatments that were being tested in the 1980s, which substantially reduced 5-year recurrence rates (but had somewhat less effect on 5-year mortality rates), also substantially reduce 15-year mortality rates. Further improvements in long-term survival could well be available from newer drugs, or better use of older drugs.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Thuiller, W., et al.
(författare)
-
Predicting global change impacts on plant species' distributions: Future challenges
- 2008
-
Ingår i: Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics. - : Elsevier BV. - 1618-0437 .- 1433-8319. ; 9:3-4, s. 137-152
-
Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Abstract in UndeterminedGiven the rate of projected environmental change for the 21st century, urgent adaptation and mitigation measures are required to slow down the on-going erosion of biodiversity. Even though increasing evidence shows that recent human-induced environmental changes have already triggered species' range shifts, changes in phenology and species' extinctions, accurate projections of species' responses to future environmental changes are more difficult to ascertain. This is problematic, since there is a growing awareness of the need to adopt proactive conservation planning measures using forecasts of species' responses to future environmental changes.There is a substantial body of literature describing and assessing the impacts of various scenarios of climate and land-use change on species' distributions. Model predictions include a wide range of assumptions and limitations that are widely acknowledged but compromise their use for developing reliable adaptation and mitigation strategies for biodiversity. Indeed, amongst the most used models, few, if any, explicitly deal with migration processes, the dynamics of population at the "trailing edge" of shifting populations, species' interactions and the interaction between the effects of climate and land-use.In this review, we propose two main avenues to progress the understanding and prediction of the different processes A occurring on the leading and trailing edge of the species' distribution in response to any global change phenomena. Deliberately focusing on plant species, we first explore the different ways to incorporate species' migration in the existing modelling approaches, given data and knowledge limitations and the dual effects of climate and land-use factors. Secondly, we explore the mechanisms and processes happening at the trailing edge of a shifting species' distribution and how to implement them into a modelling approach. We finally conclude this review with clear guidelines on how such modelling improvements will benefit conservation strategies in a changing world.
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Kühn, Ingolf, et al.
(författare)
-
MACIS: Minimisation of and Adaptation to Climate Change Impacts on BiodiverSity
- 2008
-
Ingår i: GAIA. - 0940-5550. ; 17:4, s. 393-395
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The recently finished EU funded project MACIS reviewed observed and projected climate change impacts on biodiversity. It assessed mitigation and adaptation options. It also reviewed and developed methods to assess future impacts of climate change on biodiversity including the identification of policy options to prevent and minimise these impacts.
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| 9. |
- Normand, Philippe, et al.
(författare)
-
Genome characteristics of facultatively symbiotic Frankia sp. strains reflect host range and host plant biogeography.
- 2007
-
Ingår i: Genome Research. - : Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. - 1088-9051. ; 17:1, s. 7-15
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Soil bacteria that also form mutualistic symbioses in plants encounter two major levels of selection. One occurs during adaptation to and survival in soil, and the other occurs in concert with host plant speciation and adaptation. Actinobacteria from the genus Frankia are facultative symbionts that form N2-fixing root nodules on diverse and globally distributed angiosperms in the "actinorhizal" symbioses. Three closely related clades of Frankia sp. strains are recognized; members of each clade infect a subset of plants from among eight angiosperm families. We sequenced the genomes from three strains; their sizes varied from 5.43 Mbp for a narrow host range strain (Frankia sp. strain HFPCcI3) to 7.50 Mbp for a medium host range strain (Frankia alni strain ACN14a) to 9.04 Mbp for a broad host range strain (Frankia sp. strain EAN1pec.) This size divergence is the largest yet reported for such closely related soil bacteria (97.8%–98.9% identity of 16S rRNA genes). The extent of gene deletion, duplication, and acquisition is in concert with the biogeographic history of the symbioses and host plant speciation. Host plant isolation favored genome contraction, whereas host plant diversification favored genome expansion. The results support the idea that major genome expansions as well as reductions can occur in facultative symbiotic soil bacteria as they respond to new environments in the context of their symbioses.
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| 10. |
- Pawlowski, Katharina, et al.
(författare)
-
Truncated Hemoglobins in Actinorhizal Nodules of Datisca glomerata.
- 2007
-
Ingår i: Plant Biol (Stuttg). - 1435-8603. ; 9:6, s. 776-785
-
Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Three types of hemoglobins exist in higher plants, symbiotic, non-symbiotic, and truncated hemoglobins. Symbiotic (class II) hemoglobins play a role in oxygen supply to intracellular nitrogen-fixing symbionts in legume root nodules, and in one case (Parasponia sp.), a non-symbiotic (class I) hemoglobin has been recruited for this function. Here we report the induction of a host gene, Dgtrhb1, encoding a truncated hemoglobin in Frankia-induced nodules of the actinorhizal plant Datisca glomerata Induction takes place specifically in cells infected by the microsymbiont, prior to the onset of bacterial nitrogen fixation. A bacterial gene (Frankia trHbO) encoding a truncated hemoglobin with O (2)-binding kinetics suitable for the facilitation of O (2) diffusion ( ) is also expressed in symbiosis. Nodule oximetry confirms the presence of a molecule that binds oxygen reversibly in D. glomerata nodules, but indicates a low overall hemoglobin concentration suggesting a local function. Frankia TrHbO is likely to be responsible for this activity. The function of the D. glomerata truncated hemoglobin is unknown; a possible role in nitric oxide detoxification is suggested.
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| 11. |
- Stansfeld, S A, et al.
(författare)
-
Aircraft and road traffic noise and children's cognition and health: a cross-national study.
- 2005
-
Ingår i: Lancet. - 1474-547X .- 0140-6736. ; 365:9475, s. 1942-9
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Exposure to environmental stressors can impair children's health and their cognitive development. The effects of air pollution, lead, and chemicals have been studied, but there has been less emphasis on the effects of noise. Our aim, therefore, was to assess the effect of exposure to aircraft and road traffic noise on cognitive performance and health in children. METHODS: We did a cross-national, cross-sectional study in which we assessed 2844 of 3207 children aged 9-10 years who were attending 89 schools of 77 approached in the Netherlands, 27 in Spain, and 30 in the UK located in local authority areas around three major airports. We selected children by extent of exposure to external aircraft and road traffic noise at school as predicted from noise contour maps, modelling, and on-site measurements, and matched schools within countries for socioeconomic status. We measured cognitive and health outcomes with standardised tests and questionnaires administered in the classroom. We also used a questionnaire to obtain information from parents about socioeconomic status, their education, and ethnic origin. FINDINGS: We identified linear exposure-effect associations between exposure to chronic aircraft noise and impairment of reading comprehension (p=0.0097) and recognition memory (p=0.0141), and a non-linear association with annoyance (p<0.0001) maintained after adjustment for mother's education, socioeconomic status, longstanding illness, and extent of classroom insulation against noise. Exposure to road traffic noise was linearly associated with increases in episodic memory (conceptual recall: p=0.0066; information recall: p=0.0489), but also with annoyance (p=0.0047). Neither aircraft noise nor traffic noise affected sustained attention, self-reported health, or overall mental health. INTERPRETATION: Our findings indicate that a chronic environmental stressor-aircraft noise-could impair cognitive development in children, specifically reading comprehension. Schools exposed to high levels of aircraft noise are not healthy educational environments.
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| 12. |
- Adewumi, Oluseun, et al.
(författare)
-
Characterization of human embryonic stem cell lines by the International Stem Cell Initiative
- 2007
-
Ingår i: Nature Biotechnology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1087-0156 .- 1546-1696. ; 25:7, s. 803-816
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The International Stem Cell Initiative characterized 59 human embryonic stem cell lines from 17 laboratories worldwide. Despite diverse genotypes and different techniques used for derivation and maintenance, all lines exhibited similar expression patterns for several markers of human embryonic stem cells. They expressed the glycolipid antigens SSEA3 and SSEA4, the keratan sulfate antigens TRA-1-60, TRA-1-81, GCTM2 and GCT343, and the protein antigens CD9, Thy1 (also known as CD90), tissue- nonspecific alkaline phosphatase and class 1 HLA, as well as the strongly developmentally regulated genes NANOG, POU5F1 (formerly known as OCT4), TDGF1, DNMT3B, GABRB3 and GDF3. Nevertheless, the lines were not identical: differences in expression of several lineage markers were evident, and several imprinted genes showed generally similar allele-specific expression patterns, but some gene-dependent variation was observed. Also, some female lines expressed readily detectable levels of XIST whereas others did not. No significant contamination of the lines with mycoplasma, bacteria or cytopathic viruses was detected.
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| 13. |
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| 14. |
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| 15. |
- Berry, Bruce W., 1974-, et al.
(författare)
-
Environmental modulation of protein cation-pi interactions
- 2007
-
Ingår i: Journal of the American Chemical Society. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0002-7863 .- 1520-5126. ; 129:17, s. 5308+-
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Protein cation-pi interactions are frequently found near the protein surface with their interacting residues partly solvent exposed. The structurally characterized alpha W-3 model protein contains the W32/K36 cation-pi interaction which has properties similar to those of naturally occurring protein cation-pi interactions. alpha W-3 was studied with the following results: Cation-pi interactions formed by a buried tryptophan and a partly solvated lysine, arginine, or histidine range from -0.8 to -0.5 kcal mol(-1) and rank as: W32/K36 approximate to W32/R36 > W32/H36. The W32/K36 pair in alpha W-3 represents the first W/K cation-pi interaction for which both the structure and the bond energy have been experimentally determined. Upon increasing the solvent exposure of the cation-pi pair, the W/K interaction energy drops from -0.73 to -0.06 and +0.15 kcal mol(-1). These results suggest that solvent exposure can tune the interaction energy between a tryptophan and a lysine by at least 0.9 kcal mol(-1).
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| 16. |
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| 17. |
- Hobbs, David, et al.
(författare)
-
Gaia and the Astrometric Global Iterative Solution
- 2008
-
Ingår i: Proceedings of IInternational Astronomical Union, IAU Symposium. ; 248, s. 119-120
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Gaia is an ESA space astrometry mission due for launch in 2011-12. We describe part of the work carried out in the Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium, namely the Astrometric Global Iterative Solution (AGIS) currently being implemented at the European Space Astronomy Center (ESAC) in Spain and largely based on algorithms developed at Lund Observatory. Some provisional results based on simulated observations of one million stars are presented, demonstrating convergence at microarcsec level independent of starting conditions.
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| 18. |
- Luck, Gary W., et al.
(författare)
-
Quantifying the Contribution of Organisms to the Provision of Ecosystem Services
- 2009
-
Ingår i: BioScience. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0006-3568 .- 1525-3244. ; 59:3, s. 223-235
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Research on ecosystem services has grown rapidly over the last decade. Two conceptual frameworks have been published to guide ecological assessments of organisms that deliver services-the concepts of service-providing units (SPUs) and ecosystem service providers (ESPs). Here, we unite these frameworks and present an SPU-ESP continuum that offers a coherent conceptual approach for synthesizing the latest developments in ecosystem service research, and can direct future studies at all levels of organization. In particular, we show how the service-provider concept call be applied tit the population, functional group, and community levels, We strongly emphasize the need to identify and quantify the organisms and their characteristics (e.g., functional traits) that provide services, and to assess service provision relative to the demands of human beneficiaries. We use key examples from the literature to illustrate the new approach and to highlight gaps in knowledge, particularly in relation to the impact of species interactions and ecosystem dynamics on service provision.
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| 19. |
- Radu, M., et al.
(författare)
-
Work in progress - graduate exchange program in microelectronics system engineering
- 2008
-
Ingår i: FIE. - 9781424419692 ; , s. 563-564
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- In todaypsilas world, where new technologies emerge and advance at a very fast pace every year, many professional societies are discussing moving to a Master level program as a ldquofirst professional degreerdquo, anticipating graduates with advances skills for tomorrowpsilas demanding and advanced industry. In this context, the education at the master level is becoming more and more important. Another key issue in todaypsilas world is the impact of globalization process (needs of multinational corporations). The engineering education must address the impact of global hiring. The graduates entering the global workplace must possess besides the essential technical skills, also cultural, social and communication skills, enabling them to work and interact in international environments, bringing creativity and innovative development in multi-cultural groups. In this context, exchange programs between different universities, located in different countries and continents are flourishing, the universities trying to integrate study-abroad components in their programs. This paper is presenting as a ldquoWork in Progressrdquo, the first steps related to an exchange program at the graduate level in the area of Microelectronics, between two prestigious universities located in USA (Rose Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, IN) and Sweden (Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm). A Joint Degree or Dual Degree program at the Master Level is envisaged in the near future.
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| 20. |
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