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| 2. |
- Schael, S, et al.
(author)
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Precision electroweak measurements on the Z resonance
- 2006
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In: Physics Reports. - : Elsevier BV. - 0370-1573 .- 1873-6270. ; 427:5-6, s. 257-454
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report on the final electroweak measurements performed with data taken at the Z resonance by the experiments operating at the electron-positron colliders SLC and LEP. The data consist of 17 million Z decays accumulated by the ALEPH, DELPHI, L3 and OPAL experiments at LEP, and 600 thousand Z decays by the SLID experiment using a polarised beam at SLC. The measurements include cross-sections, forward-backward asymmetries and polarised asymmetries. The mass and width of the Z boson, m(Z) and Gamma(Z), and its couplings to fermions, for example the p parameter and the effective electroweak mixing angle for leptons, are precisely measured: m(Z) = 91.1875 +/- 0.0021 GeV, Gamma(Z) = 2.4952 +/- 0.0023 GeV, rho(l) = 1.0050 +/- 0.0010, sin(2)theta(eff)(lept) = 0.23153 +/- 0.00016. The number of light neutrino species is determined to be 2.9840 +/- 0.0082, in agreement with the three observed generations of fundamental fermions. The results are compared to the predictions of the Standard Model (SM). At the Z-pole, electroweak radiative corrections beyond the running of the QED and QCD coupling constants are observed with a significance of five standard deviations, and in agreement with the Standard Model. Of the many Z-pole measurements, the forward-backward asymmetry in b-quark production shows the largest difference with respect to its SM expectation, at the level of 2.8 standard deviations. Through radiative corrections evaluated in the framework of the Standard Model, the Z-pole data are also used to predict the mass of the top quark, m(t) = 173(+10)(+13) GeV, and the mass of the W boson, m(W) = 80.363 +/- 0.032 GeV. These indirect constraints are compared to the direct measurements, providing a stringent test of the SM. Using in addition the direct measurements of m(t) and m(W), the mass of the as yet unobserved SM Higgs boson is predicted with a relative uncertainty of about 50% and found to be less than 285 GeV at 95% confidence level. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 3. |
- Klionsky, Daniel J., et al.
(author)
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Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy
- 2012
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In: Autophagy. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1554-8635 .- 1554-8627. ; 8:4, s. 445-544
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Accordingly, it is important to update these guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Various reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose. Nevertheless, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to measure autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. A key point that needs to be emphasized is that there is a difference between measurements that monitor the numbers or volume of autophagic elements (e.g., autophagosomes or autolysosomes) at any stage of the autophagic process vs. those that measure flux through the autophagy pathway (i.e., the complete process); thus, a block in macroautophagy that results in autophagosome accumulation needs to be differentiated from stimuli that result in increased autophagic activity, defined as increased autophagy induction coupled with increased delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (in most higher eukaryotes and some protists such as Dictyostelium) or the vacuole (in plants and fungi). In other words, it is especially important that investigators new to the field understand that the appearance of more autophagosomes does not necessarily equate with more autophagy. In fact, in many cases, autophagosomes accumulate because of a block in trafficking to lysosomes without a concomitant change in autophagosome biogenesis, whereas an increase in autolysosomes may reflect a reduction in degradative activity. Here, we present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of methods for use by investigators who aim to examine macroautophagy and related processes, as well as for reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a formulaic set of rules, because the appropriate assays depend in part on the question being asked and the system being used. In addition, we emphasize that no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate one in every situation, and we strongly recommend the use of multiple assays to monitor autophagy. In these guidelines, we consider these various methods of assessing autophagy and what information can, or cannot, be obtained from them. Finally, by discussing the merits and limits of particular autophagy assays, we hope to encourage technical innovation in the field.
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| 4. |
- Wang, Guo-Dong, et al.
(author)
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Out of southern East Asia : the natural history of domestic dogs across the world
- 2016
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In: Cell Research. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 1001-0602 .- 1748-7838. ; 26:1, s. 21-33
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The origin and evolution of the domestic dog remains a controversial question for the scientific community, with basic aspects such as the place and date of origin, and the number of times dogs were domesticated, open to dispute. Using whole genome sequences from a total of 58 canids (12 gray wolves, 27 primitive dogs from Asia and Africa, and a collection of 19 diverse breeds from across the world), we find that dogs from southern East Asia have significantly higher genetic diversity compared to other populations, and are the most basal group relating to gray wolves, indicating an ancient origin of domestic dogs in southern East Asia 33 000 years ago. Around 15 000 years ago, a subset of ancestral dogs started migrating to the Middle East, Africa and Europe, arriving in Europe at about 10 000 years ago. One of the out of Asia lineages also migrated back to the east, creating a series of admixed populations with the endemic Asian lineages in northern China before migrating to the New World. For the first time, our study unravels an extraordinary journey that the domestic dog has traveled on earth.
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| 5. |
- Li, Wu Lue, et al.
(author)
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Multiple Origins and Genomic Basis of Complex Traits in Sighthounds
- 2023
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In: Molecular biology and evolution. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0737-4038 .- 1537-1719. ; 40:8
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Sighthounds, a distinctive group of hounds comprising numerous breeds, have their origins rooted in ancient artificial selection of dogs. In this study, we performed genome sequencing for 123 sighthounds, including one breed from Africa, six breeds from Europe, two breeds from Russia, and four breeds and 12 village dogs from the Middle East. We gathered public genome data of five sighthounds and 98 other dogs as well as 31 gray wolves to pinpoint the origin and genes influencing the morphology of the sighthound genome. Population genomic analysis suggested that sighthounds originated from native dogs independently and were comprehensively admixed among breeds, supporting the multiple origins hypothesis of sighthounds. An additional 67 published ancient wolf genomes were added for gene flow detection. Results showed dramatic admixture of ancient wolves in African sighthounds, even more than with modern wolves. Whole-genome scan analysis identified 17 positively selected genes (PSGs) in the African population, 27 PSGs in the European population, and 54 PSGs in the Middle Eastern population. None of the PSGs overlapped in the three populations. Pooled PSGs of the three populations were significantly enriched in "regulation of release of sequestered calcium ion into cytosol"(gene ontology: 0051279), which is related to blood circulation and heart contraction. In addition, ESR1, JAK2, ADRB1, PRKCE, and CAMK2D were under positive selection in all three selected groups. This suggests that different PSGs in the same pathway contributed to the similar phenotype of sighthounds. We identified an ESR1 mutation (chr1: g.42,177,149-T > C) in the transcription factor (TF) binding site of Stat5a and a JAK2 mutation (chr1: g.93,277,007-T > A) in the TF binding site of Sox5. Functional experiments confirmed that the ESR1 and JAK2 mutation reduced their expression. Our results provide new insights into the domestication history and genomic basis of sighthounds.
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| 6. |
- Li, Ya Ting, et al.
(author)
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Efficacy of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG in treatment of acute pediatric diarrhea : A systematic review with meta-analysis
- 2019
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In: World Journal of Gastroenterology. - : Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.. - 1007-9327. ; 25:33, s. 4999-5016
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND Diarrhea is a major infectious cause of childhood morbidity and mortality worldwide. In clinical trials, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG ATCC 53013 (LGG) has been used to treat diarrhea. However, recent randomized controlled trials (RCTs) found no evidence of a beneficial effect of LGG treatment. AIM To evaluate the efficacy of LGG in treating acute diarrhea in children. METHODS The EMBASE, MEDLINE, PubMed, Web of Science databases, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched up to April 2019 for metaanalyses and RCTs. The Cochrane Review Manager was used to analyze the relevant data. RESULTS Nineteen RCTs met the inclusion criteria and showed that compared with the control group, LGG administration notably reduced the diarrhea duration [mean difference (MD) -24.02 h, 95% confidence interval (CI) (-36.58, -11.45)]. More effective results were detected at a high dose . 1010 CFU per day [MD -22.56 h, 95%CI (-36.41, -8.72)] vs a lower dose. A similar reduction was found in Asian and European patients [MD -24.42 h, 95%CI (-47.01, -1.82); MD -32.02 h, 95%CI (- 49.26, -14.79), respectively]. A reduced duration of diarrhea was confirmed in LGG participants with diarrhea for less than 3 d at enrollment [MD -15.83 h, 95%CI (-20.68, -10.98)]. High-dose LGG effectively reduced the duration of rotavirus-induced diarrhea [MD -31.05 h, 95%CI (-50.31, -11.80)] and the stool number per day [MD -1.08, 95%CI (-1.87, -0.28)]. CONCLUSION High-dose LGG therapy reduces the duration of diarrhea and the stool number per day. Intervention at the early stage is recommended. Future trials are expected to verify the effectiveness of LGG treatment.
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| 7. |
- Wu, Ping-Hsun, et al.
(author)
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Associations of Bone Turnover Markers with Cognitive Function in Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis
- 2020
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In: Disease Markers. - : HINDAWI LTD. - 0278-0240 .- 1875-8630. ; 2020
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Patients undergoing hemodialysis experience a greater risk of cognitive impairment than the general population, but limited data elucidates the biomarkers on this. We evaluated the association of bone turnover markers on cognitive function among 251 prevalent hemodialysis enrollees in a cross-sectional study.Methods: 251 hemodialysis patients (median age=57.8, 55% men) and 37 control subjects (mean age=61.2, 56% men) without a prior stroke or dementia diagnosis were enrolled. Serum concentrations of 8 bone markers were analyzed as the association of cognitive function (Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (CASI)) using linear regression analysis.Results: A lower cognitive function was noted in hemodialysis patients compared to control subjects. The receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL) was the only bone marker found to be associated with cognitive function (MoCA and CASI tests) in hemodialysis patients without a prior stroke or dementia diagnosis. In stepwise multiple linear regression analysis, the association remained significant in MoCA (beta=1.14, 95% CI 0.17 to 2.11) and CASI (beta=3.06, 95% CI 0.24 to 5.88). Short-term memory (beta=0.52, 95% CI 0.01 to 1.02), mental manipulation (beta=0.51, 95% CI 0.05 to 0.96), and abstract thinking (beta=0.57, 95% CI 0.06 to 1.09) were the significant subdomains in the CASI score related to RANKL.Conclusions: Serum RANKL levels were potentially associated with better cognitive function in hemodialysis patients. Further large-scale and prospective studies are needed to confirm our findings.
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| 8. |
- Wu, Ping-Hsun, 1982-, et al.
(author)
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The relationship of indoxyl sulfate and p-cresyl sulfate with target cardiovascular proteins in hemodialysis patients
- 2021
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In: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Nature. - 2045-2322. ; 11
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Protein-bound uremic toxins (Indoxyl sulfate [IS] and p-cresyl sulfate [PCS]) are both associated with cardiovascular (CV) and all-cause mortality in subjects with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Possible mechanisms have not been elucidated. In hemodialysis patients, we investigated the relationship between the free form of IS and PCS and 181 CV-related proteins. First, IS or PCS concentrations were checked, and high levels were associated with an increased risk of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in 333 stable HD patients. CV proteins were further quantified by a proximity extension assay. We examined associations between the free form protein-bound uremic toxins and the quantified proteins with correction for multiple testing in the discovery process. In the second step, the independent association was evaluated by multivariable-adjusted models. We rank the CV proteins related to protein-bound uremic toxins by bootstrapped confidence intervals and ascending p-value. Six proteins (signaling lymphocytic activation molecule family member 5, complement component C1q receptor, C-C motif chemokine 15 [CCL15], bleomycin hydrolase, perlecan, and cluster of differentiation 166 antigen) were negatively associated with IS. Fibroblast growth factor 23 [FGF23] was the only CV protein positively associated with IS. Three proteins (complement component C1q receptor, CCL15, and interleukin-1 receptor-like 2) were negatively associated with PCS. Similar findings were obtained after adjusting for classical CV risk factors. However, only higher levels of FGF23 was related to increased risk of ACS. In conclusion, IS and PCS were associated with several CV-related proteins involved in endothelial barrier function, complement system, cell adhesion, phosphate homeostasis, and inflammation. Multiplex proteomics seems to be a promising way to discover novel pathophysiology of the uremic toxin.
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| 9. |
- Wu, Ya-Ting, et al.
(author)
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Monitoring bisphenol A and its biodegradation in water using a fluorescent molecularly imprinted chemosensor.
- 2015
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In: Chemosphere. - : Elsevier BV. - 1879-1298 .- 0045-6535. ; 119, s. 515-523
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this paper, we present a simple and rapid method for monitoring bisphenol A (BPA) and its biodegradation in environmental water using a fluorescent molecularly imprinted polymer chemosensor (fMIPcs). A fluorescent molecularly imprinted polymer (fMIP) was first synthesized by precipitation polymerization method using BPA as template, dansyl methacrylate as functional monomer. Then a fMIPcs was constructed by combining the fMIP with a fluorescent microplate reader. The fMIPcs displayed selective, concentration-dependent fluorescence quenching in response to BPA in water even in the existence of interferences, thereby allowing reliable high through-put quantification of BPA via simple fluorescence measurements. The fMIPcs was able to directly quantify BPA (from 10 to 2000μgL(-1)) in different environmental water samples (distilled water, distilled water containing heavy metals and humic acid, tap water, and river water) with high accuracy, and to monitor BPA biodegradation in real-time. Using the fMIPcs, it was possible to achieve fast analytical results with lower limit of detection for BPA (3μgL(-1)) from smaller sample volume (250μL), which are superior to many relevant methods reported in the literature. Moreover, BPA levels and biodegradation rates measured by fMIPcs are comparable to the instrument-based method (HPLC). The fMIPcs developed in this work offers a new solution for simple, rapid, accurate and high through-put BPA quantification, and makes it possible to monitor BPA biodegradation in real time.
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| 10. |
- Wu, Ya-ting, et al.
(author)
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Selective and simultaneous determination of trace bisphenol A and tebuconazole in vegetable and juice samples by membrane-based molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction and HPLC
- 2014
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In: Food Chemistry. - : Elsevier BV. - 1873-7072 .- 0308-8146. ; 164, s. 527-535
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Nanofibrous molecularly imprinted membranes (nano-MIMs) with multi-analyte selectivity were prepared by encapsulating two types of molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles (MIP-NPs) into electrospun polyvinyl alcohol nanofibers. The obtained nano-MIMs maintained high molecular selectivity offered by each of the MIP-NPs. Nano-MIM embedding BPA-imprinted nanoparticles and TBZ-imprinted nanoparticles together showed the highest binding selectivity for acid bisphenol A (BPA) and basic tebuconazole (TBZ). This nano-MIM was used as affinity material of membrane-based molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (m-MISPE) to extract trace BPA and TBZ in vegetables and juices simultaneously. The recoveries of BPA and TBZ from different samples were higher than 70.33% with RSDs lower than 9.57%. m-MISPE gave better HPLC separation efficiencies and higher recoveries than conventional SPE based on C18/SCX. Multi-analyte selective m-MISPE combined with HPLC realized selective and simultaneous determination of several trace analytes with opposite charges/polarities in different food samples. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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