| 1. |
- Arndt, D. S., et al.
(författare)
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State of the Climate in 2016
- 2017
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Ingår i: Bulletin of The American Meteorological Society - (BAMS). - 0003-0007 .- 1520-0477. ; 98:8, s. S1-S280
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In 2016, the dominant greenhouse gases released into Earth's atmosphere-carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide-continued to increase and reach new record highs. The 3.5 +/- 0.1 ppm rise in global annual mean carbon dioxide from 2015 to 2016 was the largest annual increase observed in the 58-year measurement record. The annual global average carbon dioxide concentration at Earth's surface surpassed 400 ppm (402.9 +/- 0.1 ppm) for the first time in the modern atmospheric measurement record and in ice core records dating back as far as 800000 years. One of the strongest El Nino events since at least 1950 dissipated in spring, and a weak La Nina evolved later in the year. Owing at least in part to the combination of El Nino conditions early in the year and a long-term upward trend, Earth's surface observed record warmth for a third consecutive year, albeit by a much slimmer margin than by which that record was set in 2015. Above Earth's surface, the annual lower troposphere temperature was record high according to all datasets analyzed, while the lower stratospheric temperature was record low according to most of the in situ and satellite datasets. Several countries, including Mexico and India, reported record high annual temperatures while many others observed near-record highs. A week-long heat wave at the end of April over the northern and eastern Indian peninsula, with temperatures surpassing 44 degrees C, contributed to a water crisis for 330 million people and to 300 fatalities. In the Arctic the 2016 land surface temperature was 2.0 degrees C above the 1981-2010 average, breaking the previous record of 2007, 2011, and 2015 by 0.8 degrees C, representing a 3.5 degrees C increase since the record began in 1900. The increasing temperatures have led to decreasing Arctic sea ice extent and thickness. On 24 March, the sea ice extent at the end of the growth season saw its lowest maximum in the 37-year satellite record, tying with 2015 at 7.2% below the 1981-2010 average. The September 2016 Arctic sea ice minimum extent tied with 2007 for the second lowest value on record, 33% lower than the 1981-2010 average. Arctic sea ice cover remains relatively young and thin, making it vulnerable to continued extensive melt. The mass of the Greenland Ice Sheet, which has the capacity to contribute similar to 7 m to sea level rise, reached a record low value. The onset of its surface melt was the second earliest, after 2012, in the 37-year satellite record. Sea surface temperature was record high at the global scale, surpassing the previous record of 2015 by about 0.01 degrees C. The global sea surface temperature trend for the 21st century-to-date of +0.162 degrees C decade(-1) is much higher than the longer term 1950-2016 trend of +0.100 degrees C decade(-1). Global annual mean sea level also reached a new record high, marking the sixth consecutive year of increase. Global annual ocean heat content saw a slight drop compared to the record high in 2015. Alpine glacier retreat continued around the globe, and preliminary data indicate that 2016 is the 37th consecutive year of negative annual mass balance. Across the Northern Hemisphere, snow cover for each month from February to June was among its four least extensive in the 47-year satellite record. Continuing a pattern below the surface, record high temperatures at 20-m depth were measured at all permafrost observatories on the North Slope of Alaska and at the Canadian observatory on northernmost Ellesmere Island. In the Antarctic, record low monthly surface pressures were broken at many stations, with the southern annular mode setting record high index values in March and June. Monthly high surface pressure records for August and November were set at several stations. During this period, record low daily and monthly sea ice extents were observed, with the November mean sea ice extent more than 5 standard deviations below the 1981-2010 average. These record low sea ice values contrast sharply with the record high values observed during 2012-14. Over the region, springtime Antarctic stratospheric ozone depletion was less severe relative to the 1991-2006 average, but ozone levels were still low compared to pre-1990 levels. Closer to the equator, 93 named tropical storms were observed during 2016, above the 1981-2010 average of 82, but fewer than the 101 storms recorded in 2015. Three basins-the North Atlantic, and eastern and western North Pacific-experienced above-normal activity in 2016. The Australian basin recorded its least active season since the beginning of the satellite era in 1970. Overall, four tropical cyclones reached the Saffir-Simpson category 5 intensity level. The strong El Nino at the beginning of the year that transitioned to a weak La Nina contributed to enhanced precipitation variability around the world. Wet conditions were observed throughout the year across southern South America, causing repeated heavy flooding in Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Wetter-than-usual conditions were also observed for eastern Europe and central Asia, alleviating the drought conditions of 2014 and 2015 in southern Russia. In the United States, California had its first wetter-than-average year since 2012, after being plagued by drought for several years. Even so, the area covered by drought in 2016 at the global scale was among the largest in the post-1950 record. For each month, at least 12% of land surfaces experienced severe drought conditions or worse, the longest such stretch in the record. In northeastern Brazil, drought conditions were observed for the fifth consecutive year, making this the longest drought on record in the region. Dry conditions were also observed in western Bolivia and Peru; it was Bolivia's worst drought in the past 25 years. In May, with abnormally warm and dry conditions already prevailing over western Canada for about a year, the human-induced Fort McMurray wildfire burned nearly 590000 hectares and became the costliest disaster in Canadian history, with $3 billion (U.S. dollars) in insured losses.
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| 2. |
- Arndt, D. S., et al.
(författare)
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STATE OF THE CLIMATE IN 2017
- 2018
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Ingår i: Bulletin of The American Meteorological Society - (BAMS). - : American Meteorological Society. - 0003-0007 .- 1520-0477. ; 99:8, s. S1-S310
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Lindholm, Dan, et al.
(författare)
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PACAP and Neural Progenitor cells
- 2016
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Ingår i: Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase Activating Peptide-PACAP. - : Springer-Verlag New York. ; , s. 53-63
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- PACAP is a neuropeptide with a multitude of functions on different cell types and organs including brain tissue. PACAP is relatively highly expressed in embryonic brain indicating a role in neuronal development. Particularly PACAP is expressed in the subventricular zone of lateral ventricles and in the dentate gyrus of hippocampus harboring the neural stem/progenitor cells (NPCs) that give rise to new neurons and glial cells in the developing brain. PACAP is known to stimulate the PACAP-1 receptors (PAC1R) that are expressed by the progenitor and other cells in the brain. Here we will shortly discuss the current view about the role of PACAP in NPCs and how PACAP affects cell proliferation, differentiation, specification, migration and survival of these cells as have been studied mainly in rodent brain. Available data suggests that PACAP acts in concert with other peptides, growth factors and other signaling molecules in governing the behavior of the NPCs both during development and in the adult brain. A better understanding about the action of PACAP in stem cells and its interactions with other factors will be helpful for the potential use of PACAP in treatment of different brain disorders and for understanding of neural repair mechanisms.
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| 6. |
- Makela, Johanna, et al.
(författare)
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Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1 alpha mediates neuroprotection against excitotoxic brain injury in transgenic mice : role of mitochondria and X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein
- 2016
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Ingår i: European Journal of Neuroscience. - : WILEY. - 0953-816X .- 1460-9568. ; 43:5, s. 626-639
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1 (PGC-1) is a transcriptional coactivator involved in the regulation of mitochondrial biogenesis and cell defense. The functions of PGC-1 in physiology of brain mitochondria are, however, not fully understood. To address this we have studied wild-type and transgenic mice with a two-fold overexpression of PGC-1 in brain neurons. Data showed that the relative number and basal respiration of brain mitochondria were increased in PGC-1 transgenic mice compared with wild-type mitochondria. These changes occurred concomitantly with altered levels of proteins involved in oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) as studied by proteomic analyses and immunoblottings. Cultured hippocampal neurons from PGC-1 transgenic mice were more resistant to cell degeneration induced by the glutamate receptor agonist kainic acid. In vivo kainic acid induced excitotoxic cell death in the hippocampus at 48h in wild-type mice but significantly less so in PGC-1 transgenic mice. However, at later time points cell degeneration was also evident in the transgenic mouse hippocampus, indicating that PGC-1 overexpression can induce a delay in cell death. Immunoblotting showed that X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) was increased in PGC-1 transgenic hippocampus with no significant changes in Bcl-2 or Bcl-X. Collectively, these results show that PGC-1 overexpression contributes to enhanced neuronal viability by stimulating mitochondria number and respiration and increasing levels of OXPHOS proteins and the anti-apoptotic protein XIAP.
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| 7. |
- Makela, Johanna, et al.
(författare)
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Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR gamma) agonist is neuroprotective and stimulates PGC-1 alpha expression and CREB phosphorylation in human dopaminergic neurons
- 2016
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Ingår i: Neuropharmacology. - : PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD. - 0028-3908 .- 1873-7064. ; 102, s. 266-275
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Mitochondrial dysfunction has been linked to several neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease (PD). Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1 alpha (PGC-1 alpha) is a master gene for mitochondrial biogenesis and has been shown to be neuroprotective in models of PD. In this work we have studied the mechanisms by which peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR gamma) selective agonist N-(2-benzoylphenyl)-O-[2-(methyl-2-pyridinylamino)ethyl]-L-tyrosine hydrate (GW1929) acts on human dopaminergic neurons in culture. Data showed that GW1929 increased the viability of human dopaminergic neurons and protected them against oxidative stress induced by H2O2 and the mitochondrial toxin Rotenone. The enhanced resilience of the neurons was attributed to increased levels of mitochondrial antioxidants and of PGC-1 alpha. GW1929 treatment further increased cell respiration, mitochondrial biogenesis and sirtuin-1 (SIRT1) expression in the human dopaminergic neurons. Phosphorylation of cAMP responsive element-binding protein (CREB) was also robustly increased in GW1929-treated cells. Together these results show that the PPAR gamma agonist GW1929 influences CREB signaling and PGC-1 alpha activities in the human dopaminergic neurons contributing to an increased cell viability. This supports the view that drugs acting on the PPAR gamma-PGC-1 alpha signaling in neurons may have beneficial effects in PD and possible also in other brain disorders. (c) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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| 8. |
- Salmenkari, Hanne, et al.
(författare)
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The use of unlicensed bone marrow-derived platelet lysate-expanded mesenchymal stromal cells in colitis : a pre-clinical study
- 2019
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Ingår i: Cytotherapy. - : Elsevier. - 1465-3249 .- 1477-2566. ; 21:2, s. 175-188
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are a promising candidate for treatment of inflammatory disorders, but their efficacy in human inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) has been inconsistent. Comparing the results from various preclinical and clinical IBD studies is also challenging due to a large variation in study designs.Methods: In this comparative pre-clinical study, we compared two administration routes and investigated the safety and feasibility of both fresh and cryo-preserved platelet-lysate-expanded human bone marrow-derived MSCs without additional licensing in a dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) colitis mouse model both in the acute and regenerative phases of colitis. Body weight, macroscopic score for inflammation and colonic interleukin (IL)-1 beta and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)alpha concentrations were determined in both phases of colitis. Additionally, histopathology was assessed and Il-1 beta and Agtr1a messenger RNA (mRNA) levels and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) protein levels were measured in the colon in the regenerative phase of colitis.Results: Intravenously administered MSCs exhibited modest anti-inflammatory capacity in the acute phase of colitis by reducing IL-1 beta protein levels in the inflamed colon. There were no clear improvements in mice treated with fresh or cryopreserved unlicensed MSCs according to weight monitoring results, histopathology and macroscopic score results. Pro-inflammatory ACE protein expression and shedding were reduced by cryopreserved MSCs in the colon.Conclusions: In conclusion, we observed a good safety profile for bone marrow-derived platelet lysate-expanded MSCs in a mouse pre-clinical colitis model, but the therapeutic effect of MSCs prepared without additional licensing (i.e. such as MSCs are administered in graft-versus-host disease) was modest in the chosen in vivo model system and limited to biochemical improvements in cytokines without a clear benefit in histopathology or body weight development.
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| 9. |
- Turcot, Valerie, et al.
(författare)
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Protein-altering variants associated with body mass index implicate pathways that control energy intake and expenditure in obesity
- 2018
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Ingår i: Nature Genetics. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 1061-4036 .- 1546-1718. ; 50:1, s. 26-41
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified >250 loci for body mass index (BMI), implicating pathways related to neuronal biology. Most GWAS loci represent clusters of common, noncoding variants from which pinpointing causal genes remains challenging. Here we combined data from 718,734 individuals to discover rare and low-frequency (minor allele frequency (MAF) < 5%) coding variants associated with BMI. We identified 14 coding variants in 13 genes, of which 8 variants were in genes (ZBTB7B, ACHE, RAPGEF3, RAB21, ZFHX3, ENTPD6, ZFR2 and ZNF169) newly implicated in human obesity, 2 variants were in genes (MC4R and KSR2) previously observed to be mutated in extreme obesity and 2 variants were in GIPR. The effect sizes of rare variants are similar to 10 times larger than those of common variants, with the largest effect observed in carriers of an MC4R mutation introducing a stop codon (p.Tyr35Ter, MAF = 0.01%), who weighed similar to 7 kg more than non-carriers. Pathway analyses based on the variants associated with BMI confirm enrichment of neuronal genes and provide new evidence for adipocyte and energy expenditure biology, widening the potential of genetically supported therapeutic targets in obesity.
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