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| 2. |
- Beal, Jacob, et al.
(författare)
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Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density
- 2020
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Ingår i: Communications Biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2399-3642. ; 3:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data.
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| 3. |
- de Vries, Paul S., et al.
(författare)
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Multiancestry Genome-Wide Association Study of Lipid Levels Incorporating Gene-Alcohol Interactions
- 2019
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Ingår i: American Journal of Epidemiology. - : Oxford University Press. - 0002-9262 .- 1476-6256. ; 188:6, s. 1033-1054
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A person's lipid profile is influenced by genetic variants and alcohol consumption, but the contribution of interactions between these exposures has not been studied. We therefore incorporated gene-alcohol interactions into a multiancestry genome-wide association study of levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides. We included 45 studies in stage 1 (genome-wide discovery) and 66 studies in stage 2 (focused follow-up), for a total of 394,584 individuals from 5 ancestry groups. Analyses covered the period July 2014-November 2017. Genetic main effects and interaction effects were jointly assessed by means of a 2-degrees-of-freedom (df) test, and a 1-df test was used to assess the interaction effects alone. Variants at 495 loci were at least suggestively associated (P < 1 x 10(-6)) with lipid levels in stage 1 and were evaluated in stage 2, followed by combined analyses of stage 1 and stage 2. In the combined analysis of stages 1 and 2, a total of 147 independent loci were associated with lipid levels at P < 5 x 10(-8) using 2-df tests, of which 18 were novel. No genome-wide-significant associations were found testing the interaction effect alone. The novel loci included several genes (proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 5 (PCSK5), vascular endothelial growth factor B (VEGFB), and apolipoprotein B mRNA editing enzyme, catalytic polypeptide 1 (APOBEC1) complementation factor (A1CF)) that have a putative role in lipid metabolism on the basis of existing evidence from cellular and experimental models.
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| 4. |
- Liu, Huan, et al.
(författare)
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The first human induced pluripotent stem cell line of Kashin–Beck disease reveals involvement of heparan sulfate proteoglycan biosynthesis and PPAR pathway
- 2022
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Ingår i: The FEBS Journal. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1742-464X .- 1742-4658. ; 289:1, s. 279-293
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: Kashin-Beck disease (KBD) is an endemic osteochondropathy. Due to a lack of suitable animal or cellular disease models, the research progress on KBD has been limited. Our goal was to establish the first disease-specific human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) cellular disease model of KBD, and to explore its etiology and pathogenesis exploiting transcriptome sequencing.METHODS: HiPSCs were reprogrammed from dermal fibroblasts of two KBD and one healthy control donors via integration-free vectors. Subsequently, hiPSCs were differentiated into chondrocytes through three-week culture. Gene expression profiles in KBD, normal primary chondrocytes and hiPSC-derived chondrocytes were defined by RNA sequencing. A Venn diagram was constructed to show the number of shared differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between KBD and normal. Gene oncology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes annotations were performed, and six DEGs were further validated in other individuals by real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR).RESULTS: KBD cellular disease models were successfully established by generation of hiPSC lines. Seventeen consistent and significant DEGs present in all compared groups (KBD and normal) were identified. RT-qPCR validation gave consistent results with the sequencing data. Glycosaminoglycan biosynthesis-heparan sulfate/heparin, PPAR signaling pathway and cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) pathways were identified to be significantly altered in KBD.CONCLUSION: Differentiated chondrocytes deriving from KBD-origin hiPSCs provide the first cellular disease model for etiological studies of KBD. This study also provides new sights into the pathogenesis and etiology of KBD and is likely to inform the development of targeted therapeutics for its treatment.
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| 5. |
- Sun, Huiliang, et al.
(författare)
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A monothiophene unit incorporating both fluoro and ester substitution enabling high-performance donor polymers for non-fullerene solar cells with 16.4% efficiency
- 2019
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Ingår i: Energy & Environmental Science. - : ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY. - 1754-5692 .- 1754-5706. ; 12:11, s. 3328-3337
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Thiophene and its derivatives have been extensively used in organic electronics, particularly in the field of polymer solar cells (PSCs). Significant research efforts have been dedicated to modifying thiophene-based units by attaching electron-donating or withdrawing groups to tune the energy levels of conjugated materials. Herein, we report the design and synthesis of a novel thiophene derivative, FE-T, featuring a monothiophene functionalized with both an electron-withdrawing fluorine atom (F) and an ester group (E). The FE-T unit possesses distinctive advantages of both F and E groups, the synergistic effects of which enable significant downshifting of the energy levels and enhanced aggregation/crystallinity of the resulting organic materials. Shown in this work are a series of polymers obtained by incorporating the FE-T unit into a PM6 polymer to fine-tune the energetics and morphology of this high-performance PSC material. The optimal polymer in the series shows a downshifted HOMO and an improved morphology, leading to a high PCE of 16.4% with a small energy loss (0.53 eV) enabled by the reduced non-radiative energy loss (0.23 eV), which are among the best values reported for non-fullerene PSCs to date. This work shows that the FE-T unit is a promising building block to construct donor polymers for high-performance organic photovoltaic cells.
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| 6. |
- Bandopadhayay, Pratiti, et al.
(författare)
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BET Bromodomain Inhibition of MYC-Amplified Medulloblastoma
- 2014
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Ingår i: Clinical Cancer Research. - 1078-0432 .- 1557-3265. ; 20:4, s. 912-925
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose:MYC-amplified medulloblastomas are highly lethal tumors. Bromodomain and extraterminal (BET) bromodomain inhibition has recently been shown to suppress MYC-associated transcriptional activity in other cancers. The compound JQ1 inhibits BET bromodomain-containing proteins, including BRD4. Here, we investigate BET bromodomain targeting for the treatment of MYC-amplified medulloblastoma.Experimental Design:We evaluated the effects of genetic and pharmacologic inhibition of BET bromodomains on proliferation, cell cycle, and apoptosis in established and newly generated patient- and genetically engineered mouse model (GEMM)-derived medulloblastoma cell lines and xenografts that harbored amplifications of MYC or MYCN. We also assessed the effect of JQ1 on MYC expression and global MYC-associated transcriptional activity. We assessed the in vivo efficacy of JQ1 in orthotopic xenografts established in immunocompromised mice.Results:Treatment of MYC-amplified medulloblastoma cells with JQ1 decreased cell viability associated with arrest at G1 and apoptosis. We observed downregulation of MYC expression and confirmed the inhibition of MYC-associated transcriptional targets. The exogenous expression of MYC from a retroviral promoter reduced the effect of JQ1 on cell viability, suggesting that attenuated levels of MYC contribute to the functional effects of JQ1. JQ1 significantly prolonged the survival of orthotopic xenograft models of MYC-amplified medulloblastoma (P < 0.001). Xenografts harvested from mice after five doses of JQ1 had reduced the expression of MYC mRNA and a reduced proliferative index.Conclusion:JQ1 suppresses MYC expression and MYC-associated transcriptional activity in medulloblastomas, resulting in an overall decrease in medulloblastoma cell viability. These preclinical findings highlight the promise of BET bromodomain inhibitors as novel agents for MYC-amplified medulloblastoma.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Chen, Yujie, et al.
(författare)
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A gradient-distributed liquid-metal hydrogel capable of tunable actuation
- 2021
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Ingår i: Chemical Engineering Journal. - : Elsevier BV. - 1385-8947 .- 1873-3212. ; 421, s. 127762-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Although thermoresponsive hydrogels have numerous applications that range from soft robots, biomedical engineering, and actuators to sensors for artificial muscles, the existing hydrogel actuators undergo only unidirectional deformation under a single thermal stimulus and suffer from slow actuation and unstable interfacial adhesion in multiple layers. Herein, hydrogels containing gradient-distributed polydopamine-coated eutectic gallium-indium (PDA-EGaIn) nanodroplets in a poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) matrix and thus featuring a gradient distribution of thermal conductivity and an increased barrier towards water loss are shown to be capable of a rapid and tuneable thermoresponse. Notably, whereas hydrogels with a low content of PDAEGaIn undergo rapid one-way bending under a single thermal (45 degrees C) stimulus, those with a high content of PDAEGaIn undergo sequential bidirectional (bending) actuation. The ability of these hydrogels to undergo fast and tuneable actuation under a single thermal stimulus makes them suitable for use in grab-release instruments and soft robots.
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| 9. |
- Chen, Yujie, et al.
(författare)
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Shape-Memory Polymeric Artificial Muscles : Mechanisms, Applications and Challenges
- 2020
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Ingår i: Molecules. - : MDPI. - 1431-5157 .- 1420-3049. ; 25:18
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Shape-memory materials are smart materials that can remember an original shape and return to their unique state from a deformed secondary shape in the presence of an appropriate stimulus. This property allows these materials to be used as shape-memory artificial muscles, which form a subclass of artificial muscles. The shape-memory artificial muscles are fabricated from shape-memory polymers (SMPs) by twist insertion, shape fixation via T(m)or T-g, or by liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs). The prepared SMP artificial muscles can be used in a wide range of applications, from biomimetic and soft robotics to actuators, because they can be operated without sophisticated linkage design and can achieve complex final shapes. Recently, significant achievements have been made in fabrication, modelling, and manipulation of SMP-based artificial muscles. This paper presents a review of the recent progress in shape-memory polymer-based artificial muscles. Here we focus on the mechanisms of SMPs, applications of SMPs as artificial muscles, and the challenges they face concerning actuation. While shape-memory behavior has been demonstrated in several stimulated environments, our focus is on thermal-, photo-, and electrical-actuated SMP artificial muscles.
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| 10. |
- Chen, Zhen, et al.
(författare)
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Multifunctional conductive hydrogels and their applications as smart wearable devices
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of materials chemistry. B. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2050-750X .- 2050-7518. ; 9:11, s. 2561-2583
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Recently, hydrogekbased conductive materials and their applications as smart wearable devices have been paid tremendous attention due to their high stretchability, flexibility, and excellent biocompatibility. Compared with single functional conductive hydrogels, multifunctional conductive hydrogels are more advantageous to match various demands for practical applications. This review focuses on multifunctional conductive hydrogels applied for smart wearable devices. Representative strategies for conduction of hydrogels are discussed firstly: (1) electronic conduction based on the conductive fillers and (2) ionic conduction based on charged ions. Then, the common and intensive research on multiple functionahties of conductive hydrogels, such as mechanical properties, conductive and sensory properties, anti-freezing and moisturizing properties, and adhesion and self-healing properties is presented. The applications of multifunctional conductive hydrogels such as in human motion sensors, sensory skins, and personal healthcare diagnosis are provided in the third part. Finally, we offer our perspective on open challenges and future areas of interest for multifunctional conductive hydrogels used as smart wearable devices.
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