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- Amati, Matteo, et al.
(author)
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Near ambient pressure photoelectron spectro-microscopy : From gas-solid interface to operando devices
- 2021
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In: Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics. - : IOP Publishing. - 0022-3727 .- 1361-6463. ; 54:20
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Near ambient pressure scanning photoelectron microscopy adds to the widely used photoemission spectroscopy and its chemically selective capability two key features: (1) the possibility to chemically analyse samples in a more realistic gas pressure condition and (2) the capability to investigate a system at the relevant spatial scale. To achieve these goals the approach developed at the ESCA Microscopy beamline at the Elettra Synchrotron facility combines the submicron lateral resolution of a Scanning Photoelectron Microscope with a custom designed Near Ambient Pressure Cell where a gas pressure up to 0.1 mbar can be achieved. In this manuscript a review of experiments performed with this unique setup will be presented to illustrate its potentiality in both fundamental and applicative research such as the oxidation reactivity and gas sensitivity of metal oxides and semiconductors. In particular, the capability to perform operando experiments with this setup opens the possibility to study operating devices and to properly address the real nature of the studied systems, because if microscopy and spectroscopy are simultaneously combined in a single technique it can yield to more conclusive results.
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- Chen, Dan, et al.
(author)
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A systematic investigation of the contribution of genetic variation within the MHC region to HPV seropositivity
- 2015
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In: Human Molecular Genetics. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0964-6906 .- 1460-2083. ; 24:9, s. 2681-2688
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- High-risk mucosal types of human papillomavirus (HPV) cause anogenital and oropharyngeal cancers, whereas cutaneous types (e.g. HPV8 and 77) are suspected to be involved in non-melanoma skin cancer. The antibody response to HPVs is a key determinant of protective immunity, but not all infected individuals seroconvert. Genetic variability of the host may have large impact on seroconversion. A previous genome-wide association study (GWAS) has identified a susceptibility locus (rs41270488) for HPV8 seropositivity within the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) region. To further study this locus, we imputed alleles at classical leukocyte antigen (HLA) loci using HLA*IMP:02 with a reference panel from the HapMap Project and the 1958 Birth Cohort, and conducted an integrated analysis among 4811 central European subjects to assess the contribution of classical HLA alleles and gene copy number variation (CNV) at the hypervariable DRB locus within the MHC region to HPV seropositivity at both the individual HPV type level and the phylogenetic species level. Our study provides evidence that the association noted between rs41270488 and HPV8 seropositivity is driven by two independent variants, namely DQB1*0301 [odds ratio (OR) = 1.51, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.36-1.68, P = 1.0 x 10(-14)] and DRB1*1101 (OR = 1.89, 95% CI = 1.57-2.28, P = 1.5 x 10(-11)) within the HLA class II region. Additionally, we identified two correlated alleles DRB1*0701 (OR = 1.67, 95% CI = 1.41-1.98, P = 2.6 x 10(-9)) and DQA1*0201 (OR = 1.67, 95% CI = 1.38-1.93, P = 1.7 x 10(-8)), to be associated with HPV77 seropositivity. Comparable results were observed through imputation using SNP2HLA with another reference panel from the Type 1 diabetes Genetics Consortium. This study provides support for an important role of HLA class II alleles in antibody response to HPV infection.
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- Chiulan, I., et al.
(author)
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Comprehensive characterization of silica-modified silicon rubbers
- 2020
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In: Journal of The Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials. - : Elsevier Ltd. - 1751-6161 .- 1878-0180. ; 101
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this study a commercially liquid silicone rubber was filled with fumed silica particles in different concentrations and evaluated for medical applications. The thermal, morphological and mechanical properties of silicone/silica composite samples were studied before and after aging, flexural tests and immersion in saline environment. Understanding the effect of silica content, aging conditions and thickness (from 0.6 to 2 mm) of the samples on the behavior of these materials in different environments is crucial for applications as implantable devices. Before inducing any mechanical stress, tensile strength was found to increase for samples containing 3 or 5 wt% of fumed silica, depending on the thickness. A similar trend was observed after 106 flexes for tensile strength, storage modulus and hardness at room temperature, which increased with the concentration of fumed silica. Moreover, tensile strength decreased with increasing the thickness of the samples from 0.6 to 2 mm. The thermal degradation was found to start at higher temperature in the case of the composites as compared with neat silicone, however, the glass transition and melting temperatures were only slightly modified by the presence of the silica particles, regardless the mechanical aging. The MTT assay using L929 fibroblasts mouse cells showed a good short-time cytocompatibility for both silicone elastomer and the composite with 3 wt% fumed silica. Similarly, the measurement of the cytokine secretion revealed no inflammatory response.
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- Delahaye-Sourdeix, Manon, et al.
(author)
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The 12p13.33/RAD52 locus and genetic susceptibility to squamous cell cancers of upper aerodigestive tract
- 2015
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In: PLOS ONE. - : Public library science. - 1932-6203. ; 10:3
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Genetic variants located within the 12p13.33/RAD52 locus have been associated with lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC). Here, within 5,947 UADT cancers and 7,789 controls from 9 different studies, we found rs10849605, a common intronic variant in RAD52, to be also associated with upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) squamous cell carcinoma cases (OR = 1.09, 95% CI: 1.04-1.15, p = 6x10(-4)). We additionally identified rs10849605 as a RAD52 cis-eQTL inUADT(p = 1x10(-3)) and LUSC (p = 9x10(-4)) tumours, with the UADT/LUSC risk allele correlated with increased RAD52 expression levels. The 12p13.33 locus, encompassing rs10849605/RAD52, was identified as a significant somatic focal copy number amplification in UADT(n = 374, q-value = 0.075) and LUSC (n = 464, q-value = 0.007) tumors and correlated with higher RAD52 tumor expression levels (p = 6x10(-48) and p = 3x10(-29) in UADT and LUSC, respectively). In combination, these results implicate increased RAD52 expression in both genetic susceptibility and tumorigenesis of UADT and LUSC tumors.
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- Dengler, Jürgen, et al.
(author)
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Ecological Indicator Values for Europe (EIVE) 1.0
- 2023
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In: Vegetation Classification and Survey. - 2683-0671. ; 4, s. 7-29
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aims: To develop a consistent ecological indicator value system for Europe for five of the main plant niche dimensions: soil moisture (M), soil nitrogen (N), soil reaction (R), light (L) and temperature (T). Study area: Europe (and closely adjacent regions). Methods: We identified 31 indicator value systems for vascular plants in Europe that contained assessments on at least one of the five aforementioned niche dimensions. We rescaled the indicator values of each dimension to a continuous scale, in which 0 represents the minimum and 10 the maximum value present in Europe. Taxon names were harmonised to the Euro+Med Plantbase. For each of the five dimensions, we calculated European values for niche position and niche width by combining the values from the individual EIV systems. Using T values as an example, we externally validated our European indicator values against the median of bioclimatic conditions for global occurrence data of the taxa. Results: In total, we derived European indicator values of niche position and niche width for 14,835 taxa (14,714 for M, 13,748 for N, 14,254 for R, 14,054 for L, 14,496 for T). Relating the obtained values for temperature niche position to the bioclimatic data of species yielded a higher correlation than any of the original EIV systems (r = 0.859). The database: The newly developed Ecological Indicator Values for Europe (EIVE) 1.0, together with all source systems, is available in a flexible, harmonised open access database. Conclusions: EIVE is the most comprehensive ecological indicator value system for European vascular plants to date. The uniform interval scales for niche position and niche width provide new possibilities for ecological and macroecological analyses of vegetation patterns. The developed workflow and documentation will facilitate the future release of updated and expanded versions of EIVE, which may for example include the addition of further taxonomic groups, additional niche dimensions, external validation or regionalisation.
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- Sandholm, Niina, et al.
(author)
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New susceptibility loci associated with kidney disease in type 1 diabetes
- 2012
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In: PLOS Genetics. - San Francisco, USA : Public Library of Science, PLOS. - 1553-7390 .- 1553-7404. ; 8:9, s. e1002921-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Diabetic kidney disease, or diabetic nephropathy (DN), is a major complication of diabetes and the leading cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) that requires dialysis treatment or kidney transplantation. In addition to the decrease in the quality of life, DN accounts for a large proportion of the excess mortality associated with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Whereas the degree of glycemia plays a pivotal role in DN, a subset of individuals with poorly controlled T1D do not develop DN. Furthermore, strong familial aggregation supports genetic susceptibility to DN. However, the genes and the molecular mechanisms behind the disease remain poorly understood, and current therapeutic strategies rarely result in reversal of DN. In the GEnetics of Nephropathy: an International Effort (GENIE) consortium, we have undertaken a meta-analysis of genomewide association studies (GWAS) of T1D DN comprising similar to 2.4 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) imputed in 6,691 individuals. After additional genotyping of 41 top ranked SNPs representing 24 independent signals in 5,873 individuals, combined meta-analysis revealed association of two SNPs with ESRD: rs7583877 in the AFF3 gene (P = 1.2 x 10(-8)) and an intergenic SNP on chromosome 15q26 between the genes RGMA and MCTP2, rs12437854 (P = 2.0 x 10(-9)). Functional data suggest that AFF3 influences renal tubule fibrosis via the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta 1) pathway. The strongest association with DN as a primary phenotype was seen for an intronic SNP in the ERBB4 gene (rs7588550, P = 2.1 x 10(-7)), a gene with type 2 diabetes DN differential expression and in the same intron as a variant with cis-eQTL expression of ERBB4. All these detected associations represent new signals in the pathogenesis of DN.
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