| 41. |
- Shackelford, Nancy, et al.
(författare)
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Isolation predicts compositional change after discrete disturbances in a global meta-study
- 2017
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Ingår i: Ecography. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0906-7590 .- 1600-0587. ; 40:11, s. 1256-1266
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Globally, anthropogenic disturbances are occurring at unprecedented rates and over extensive spatial and temporal scales. Human activities also affect natural disturbances, prompting shifts in their timing and intensities. Thus, there is an urgent need to understand and predict the response of ecosystems to disturbance. In this study, we investigated whether there are general determinants of community response to disturbance across different community types, locations, and disturbance events. We compiled 14 case studies of community response to disturbance from four continents, twelve aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem types, and eight different types of disturbance. We used community compositional differences and species richness to indicate community response. We used mixed-effects modeling to test the relationship between each of these response metrics and four potential explanatory factors: regional species pool size, isolation, number of generations passed, and relative disturbance intensity. We found that compositional similarity was higher between pre- and post-disturbance communities when the disturbed community was connected to adjacent undisturbed habitat. The number of generations that had passed since the disturbance event was a significant, but weak, predictor of community compositional change; two communities were responsible for the observed relationship. We found no significant relationships between the factors we tested and changes in species richness. To our knowledge, this is the first attempt to search for general drivers of community resilience from a diverse set of case studies. The strength of the relationship between compositional change and isolation suggests that it may be informative in resilience research and biodiversity management.
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| 42. |
- Tanner, C. M., et al.
(författare)
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Structural properties of epitaxial gamma-Al2O3(111) thin films on 4H-SiC(0001)
- 2007
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Ingår i: Applied Physics Letters. - : AIP Publishing. - 0003-6951 .- 1077-3118. ; 90:6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Al2 O3 thin films were grown on 4H-SiC (0001) by thermal atomic layer deposition and were crystallized to the γ- Al2 O3 phase by rapid thermal annealing in N2 at 1100 °C. The films were found to be chemically stable during processing based on x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The change in film structure was initially confirmed by reflection high-energy electron diffraction. As shown by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy images, the abrupt interface of the as-deposited films with the 4H-SiC substrate was preserved during crystallization, indicating no interfacial reaction. Selected area electron diffraction and synchrotron-based x-ray diffraction established an epitaxial relationship of γ- Al2 O3 (111) ∥ 4H-SiC (0001) and in-plane orientation of γ- Al2 O3 (1 1- 0) ∥ 4H-SiC (11 2- 0). No other alumina phases or orientations were observed and no in-plane misorientation was observed in the 27 Å Al2 O3 films. The full width at half maximum of the γ- Al2 O3 (222) rocking curve is 0.056°, indicating a lack of mosaic spread and a high-quality crystalline film. Twinning around the γ- Al2 O3 [111] axis was the only defect observed in these films.
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| 43. |
- Tanner, L., et al.
(författare)
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Small-molecule-mediated OGG1 inhibition attenuates pulmonary inflammation and lung fibrosis in a murine lung fibrosis model
- 2023
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Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 14:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Interstitial lung diseases such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) are caused by persistent micro-injuries to alveolar epithelial tissues accompanied by aberrant repair processes. IPF is currently treated with pirfenidone and nintedanib, compounds which slow the rate of disease progression but fail to target underlying pathophysiological mechanisms. The DNA repair protein 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase-1 (OGG1) has significant roles in the modulation of inflammation and metabolic syndromes. Currently, no pharmaceutical solutions targeting OGG1 have been utilized in the treatment of IPF. In this study we show Ogg1-targeting siRNA mitigates bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in male mice, highlighting OGG1 as a tractable target in lung fibrosis. The small molecule OGG1 inhibitor, TH5487, decreases myofibroblast transition and associated pro-fibrotic gene expressions in fibroblast cells. In addition, TH5487 decreases levels of pro-inflammatory mediators, inflammatory cell infiltration, and lung remodeling in a murine model of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis conducted in male C57BL6/J mice. OGG1 and SMAD7 interact to induce fibroblast proliferation and differentiation and display roles in fibrotic murine and IPF patient lung tissue. Taken together, these data suggest that TH5487 is a potentially clinically relevant treatment for IPF but further study in human trials is required.
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| 44. |
- Akhmedov, A., et al.
(författare)
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Endothelial overexpression of LOX-1 increases plaque formation and promotes atherosclerosis in vivo
- 2014
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Ingår i: European Heart Journal. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0195-668X .- 1522-9645. ; 35:40, s. 2839-2848
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims Lectin-like oxLDL receptor-1 (LOX-1) mediates the uptake of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) in endothelial cells and macrophages. However, the different atherogenic potential of LOX-1-mediated endothelial and macrophage oxLDL uptake remains unclear. The present study was designed to investigate the in vivo role of endothelial LOX-1 in atherogenesis. Methods and results Endothelial-specific LOX-1 transgenic mice were generated using the Tie2 promoter (LOX-1TG). Oxidized low-density lipoprotein uptake was enhanced in cultured endothelial cells, but not in macrophages of LOX-1TG mice. Six-week-old male LOX-1TG and wild-type (WT) mice were fed a high-cholesterol diet (HCD) for 30 weeks. Increased reactive oxygen species production, impaired endothelial nitric oxide synthase activity and endothelial dysfunction were observed in LOX-1TG mice as compared with WT littermates. LOX-1 overexpression led to p38 phosphorylation, increased nuclear factor kappa B activity and subsequent up-regulation of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, thereby favouring macrophage accumulation and aortic fatty streaks. Consistently, HCD-fed double-mutant LOX-1TG/ApoE(-/-) displayed oxidative stress and vascular inflammation with higher aortic plaques than ApoE(-/-) controls. Finally, bone marrow transplantation experiments showed that endothelial LOX-1 was sufficient for atherosclerosis development in vivo. Conclusions Endothelial-specific LOX-1 overexpression enhanced aortic oxLDL levels, thereby favouring endothelial dysfunction, vascular inflammation and plaque formation. Thus, LOX-1 may serve as a novel therapeutic target for atherosclerosis.
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| 45. |
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| 46. |
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| 47. |
- Madsen, Ida E.H., et al.
(författare)
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Study protocol for examining job strain as a risk factor for severe unipolar depression in an individual participant meta-analysis of 14 European cohorts
- 2014
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Ingår i: F1000 Research. - : F1000 Research Ltd. - 2046-1402. ; 2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Previous studies have shown that gainfully employed individuals with high work demands and low control at work (denoted "job strain") are at increased risk of common mental disorders, including depression. Most existing studies have, however, measured depression using self-rated symptom scales that do not necessarily correspond to clinically diagnosed depression. In addition, a meta-analysis from 2008 indicated publication bias in the field.Methods: This study protocol describes the planned design and analyses of an individual participant data meta-analysis, to examine whether job strain is associated with an increased risk of clinically diagnosed unipolar depression based on hospital treatment registers. The study will be based on data from approximately 120,000 individuals who participated in 14 studies on work environment and health in 4 European countries. The self-reported working conditions data will be merged with national registers on psychiatric hospital treatment, primarily hospital admissions. Study-specific risk estimates for the association between job strain and depression will be calculated using Cox regressions. The study-specific risk estimates will be pooled using random effects meta-analysis.Discussion: The planned analyses will help clarify whether job strain is associated with an increased risk of clinically diagnosed unipolar depression. As the analysis is based on pre-planned study protocols and an individual participant data meta-analysis, the pooled risk estimates will not be influenced by selective reporting and publication bias. However, the results of the planned study may only pertain to severe cases of unipolar depression, because of the outcome measure applied.
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| 48. |
- Mahlamaki, EH, et al.
(författare)
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Frequent amplification of 8q24, 11q, 17q, and 20q-specific genes in pancreatic cancer
- 2002
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Ingår i: Genes, Chromosomes and Cancer. - : Wiley. - 1045-2257. ; 35:4, s. 353-358
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Genetic changes involved in the development and progression of pancreatic cancer are still partly unknown, despite the progress in recent years. In this study, comparative genomic hybridization analysis in 31 pancreatic cancer cell lines showed that chromosome arms 8q, 11q, 17q, and 20q are frequently gained in this tumor type. Copy number analysis of selected genes from these chromosome arms by fluorescence in situ hybridization showed amplification of the MYC oncogene in 54% of the cell lines, whereas CCNDI was amplified in 28%. In the 17q arm, the ERB82 oncogene was amplified in 20% of the cell lines, TBX2 in 50%, and BIRC5 in 58%, indicating increased involvement toward the q telonnere of chromosome 17. In the 20q arm, the amplification frequencies varied from 32% to 83%, with the CTSZ gene at 20q 13 being most frequently affected. These results illustrate that amplification of genes from the 8q, 11q, 17q, and 20q chromosome arms is common in pancreatic cancer.
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| 49. |
- Mills, Bethany, et al.
(författare)
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Molecular detection of Gram-positive bacteria in the human lung through an optical fiber-based endoscope
- 2021
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Ingår i: European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging. - : Springer Nature. - 1619-7070 .- 1619-7089. ; 48:3, s. 800-807
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose The relentless rise in antimicrobial resistance is a major societal challenge and requires, as part of its solution, a better understanding of bacterial colonization and infection. To facilitate this, we developed a highly efficient no-wash red optical molecular imaging agent that enables the rapid, selective, and specific visualization of Gram-positive bacteria through a bespoke optical fiber-based delivery/imaging endoscopic device. Methods We rationally designed a no-wash, red, Gram-positive-specific molecular imaging agent (Merocy-Van) based on vancomycin and an environmental merocyanine dye. We demonstrated the specificity and utility of the imaging agent in escalating in vitro and ex vivo whole human lung models (n = 3), utilizing a bespoke fiber-based delivery and imaging device, coupled to a wide-field, two-color endomicroscopy system. Results The imaging agent (Merocy-Van) was specific to Gram-positive bacteria and enabled no-wash imaging ofS. aureuswithin the alveolar space of whole ex vivo human lungs within 60 s of delivery into the field-of-view, using the novel imaging/delivery endomicroscopy device. Conclusion This platform enables the rapid and specific detection of Gram-positive bacteria in the human lung.
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| 50. |
- Muscarella, Robert, et al.
(författare)
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The global abundance of tree palms
- 2020
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Ingår i: Global Ecology and Biogeography. - : Wiley. - 1466-822X .- 1466-8238. ; 29:9, s. 1495-1514
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- AimPalms are an iconic, diverse and often abundant component of tropical ecosystems that provide many ecosystem services. Being monocots, tree palms are evolutionarily, morphologically and physiologically distinct from other trees, and these differences have important consequences for ecosystem services (e.g., carbon sequestration and storage) and in terms of responses to climate change. We quantified global patterns of tree palm relative abundance to help improve understanding of tropical forests and reduce uncertainty about these ecosystems under climate change.LocationTropical and subtropical moist forests.Time periodCurrent.Major taxa studiedPalms (Arecaceae).MethodsWe assembled a pantropical dataset of 2,548 forest plots (covering 1,191 ha) and quantified tree palm (i.e., ≥10 cm diameter at breast height) abundance relative to co‐occurring non‐palm trees. We compared the relative abundance of tree palms across biogeographical realms and tested for associations with palaeoclimate stability, current climate, edaphic conditions and metrics of forest structure.ResultsOn average, the relative abundance of tree palms was more than five times larger between Neotropical locations and other biogeographical realms. Tree palms were absent in most locations outside the Neotropics but present in >80% of Neotropical locations. The relative abundance of tree palms was more strongly associated with local conditions (e.g., higher mean annual precipitation, lower soil fertility, shallower water table and lower plot mean wood density) than metrics of long‐term climate stability. Life‐form diversity also influenced the patterns; palm assemblages outside the Neotropics comprise many non‐tree (e.g., climbing) palms. Finally, we show that tree palms can influence estimates of above‐ground biomass, but the magnitude and direction of the effect require additional work.ConclusionsTree palms are not only quintessentially tropical, but they are also overwhelmingly Neotropical. Future work to understand the contributions of tree palms to biomass estimates and carbon cycling will be particularly crucial in Neotropical forests.
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