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- Jonsson, Lina, 1982, et al.
(author)
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Characterisation of age and polarity at onset in bipolar disorder
- 2021
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In: British Journal of Psychiatry. - : Royal College of Psychiatrists. - 0007-1250 .- 1472-1465. ; 219:6, s. 659-669
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background Studying phenotypic and genetic characteristics of age at onset (AAO) and polarity at onset (PAO) in bipolar disorder can provide new insights into disease pathology and facilitate the development of screening tools. Aims To examine the genetic architecture of AAO and PAO and their association with bipolar disorder disease characteristics. Method Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) and polygenic score (PGS) analyses of AAO (n = 12 977) and PAO (n = 6773) were conducted in patients with bipolar disorder from 34 cohorts and a replication sample (n = 2237). The association of onset with disease characteristics was investigated in two of these cohorts. Results Earlier AAO was associated with a higher probability of psychotic symptoms, suicidality, lower educational attainment, not living together and fewer episodes. Depressive onset correlated with suicidality and manic onset correlated with delusions and manic episodes. Systematic differences in AAO between cohorts and continents of origin were observed. This was also reflected in single-nucleotide variant-based heritability estimates, with higher heritabilities for stricter onset definitions. Increased PGS for autism spectrum disorder (beta = -0.34 years, s.e. = 0.08), major depression (beta = -0.34 years, s.e. = 0.08), schizophrenia (beta = -0.39 years, s.e. = 0.08), and educational attainment (beta = -0.31 years, s.e. = 0.08) were associated with an earlier AAO. The AAO GWAS identified one significant locus, but this finding did not replicate. Neither GWAS nor PGS analyses yielded significant associations with PAO. Conclusions AAO and PAO are associated with indicators of bipolar disorder severity. Individuals with an earlier onset show an increased polygenic liability for a broad spectrum of psychiatric traits. Systematic differences in AAO across cohorts, continents and phenotype definitions introduce significant heterogeneity, affecting analyses.
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- 2019
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)
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- Elhai, M, et al.
(author)
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Outcomes of patients with systemic sclerosis treated with rituximab in contemporary practice: a prospective cohort study
- 2019
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In: Annals of the rheumatic diseases. - : BMJ. - 1468-2060 .- 0003-4967. ; 78:7, s. 979-987
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- To assess the safety and efficacy of rituximab in systemic sclerosis (SSc) in clinical practice.MethodsWe performed a prospective study including patients with SSc from the European Scleroderma Trials and Research (EUSTAR) network treated with rituximab and matched with untreated patients with SSc. The main outcomes measures were adverse events, skin fibrosis improvement, lung fibrosis worsening and steroids use among propensity score-matched patients treated or not with rituximab.Results254 patients were treated with rituximab, in 58% for lung and in 32% for skin involvement. After a median follow-up of 2 years, about 70% of the patients had no side effect. Comparison of treated patients with 9575 propensity-score matched patients showed that patients treated with rituximab were more likely to have skin fibrosis improvement (22.7 vs 14.03 events per 100 person-years; OR: 2.79 [1.47–5.32]; p=0.002). Treated patients did not have significantly different rates of decrease in forced vital capacity (FVC)>10% (OR: 1.03 [0.55–1.94]; p=0.93) nor in carbon monoxide diffusing capacity (DLCO) decrease. Patients having received rituximab were more prone to stop or decrease steroids (OR: 2.34 [1.56–3.53], p<0.0001). Patients treated concomitantly with mycophenolate mofetil had a trend for better outcomes as compared with patients receiving rituximab alone (delta FVC: 5.22 [0.83–9.62]; p=0.019 as compared with controls vs 3 [0.66–5.35]; p=0.012).ConclusionRituximab use was associated with a good safety profile in this large SSc-cohort. Significant change was observed on skin fibrosis, but not on lung. However, the limitation is the observational design. The potential stabilisation of lung fibrosis by rituximab has to be addressed by a randomised trial.
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8. |
- Solmi, M, et al.
(author)
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- 2022
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In: Journal of affective disorders. - : Elsevier BV. - 1573-2517 .- 0165-0327. ; 299, s. 367-376
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)
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9. |
- Reusch, T. B. H., et al.
(author)
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The Baltic Sea as a time machine for the future coastal ocean
- 2018
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In: Science Advances. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 2375-2548. ; 4:5
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Coastal global oceans are expected to undergo drastic changes driven by climate change and increasing anthropogenic pressures in coming decades. Predicting specific future conditions and assessing the best management strategies to maintain ecosystem integrity and sustainable resource use are difficult, because of multiple interacting pressures, uncertain projections, and a lack of test cases for management. We argue that the Baltic Sea can serve as a time machine to study consequences and mitigation of future coastal perturbations, due to its unique combination of an early history of multistressor disturbance and ecosystem deterioration and early implementation of cross-border environmental management to address these problems. The Baltic Sea also stands out in providing a strong scientific foundation and accessibility to long-term data series that provide a unique opportunity to assess the efficacy of management actions to address the breakdown of ecosystem functions. Trend reversals such as the return of top predators, recovering fish stocks, and reduced input of nutrient and harmful substances could be achieved only by implementing an international, cooperative governance structure transcending its complex multistate policy setting, with integrated management of watershed and sea. The Baltic Sea also demonstrates how rapidly progressing global pressures, particularly warming of Baltic waters and the surrounding catchment area, can offset the efficacy of current management approaches. This situation calls for management that is (i) conservative to provide a buffer against regionally unmanageable global perturbations, (ii) adaptive to react to new management challenges, and, ultimately, (iii) multisectorial and integrative to address conflicts associated with economic trade-offs.
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10. |
- Amare, Azmeraw T, et al.
(author)
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Association of polygenic score and the involvement of cholinergic and glutamatergic pathways with lithium treatment response in patients with bipolar disorder.
- 2023
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In: Molecular psychiatry. - 1476-5578. ; 28, s. 5251-5261
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Lithium is regarded as the first-line treatment for bipolar disorder (BD), a severe and disabling mental healthdisorder that affects about 1% of the population worldwide. Nevertheless, lithium is not consistently effective, with only 30% of patients showing a favorable response to treatment. To provide personalized treatment options for bipolar patients, it is essential to identify prediction biomarkers such as polygenic scores. In this study, we developed a polygenic score for lithium treatment response (Li+PGS) in patients with BD. To gain further insights into lithium's possible molecular mechanism of action, we performed a genome-wide gene-based analysis. Using polygenic score modeling, via methods incorporating Bayesian regression and continuous shrinkage priors, Li+PGS was developed in the International Consortium of Lithium Genetics cohort (ConLi+Gen: N=2367) and replicated in the combined PsyCourse (N=89) and BipoLife (N=102) studies. The associations of Li+PGS and lithium treatment response - defined in a continuous ALDA scale and a categorical outcome (good response vs. poor response) were tested using regression models, each adjusted for the covariates: age, sex, and the first four genetic principal components. Statistical significance was determined at P<0.05. Li+PGS was positively associated with lithium treatment response in the ConLi+Gen cohort, in both the categorical (P=9.8×10-12, R2=1.9%) and continuous (P=6.4×10-9, R2=2.6%) outcomes. Compared to bipolar patients in the 1st decile of the risk distribution, individuals in the 10th decile had 3.47-fold (95%CI: 2.22-5.47) higher odds of responding favorably to lithium. The results were replicated in the independent cohorts for the categorical treatment outcome (P=3.9×10-4, R2=0.9%), but not for the continuous outcome (P=0.13). Gene-based analyses revealed 36 candidate genes that are enriched in biological pathways controlled by glutamate and acetylcholine. Li+PGS may be useful in the development of pharmacogenomic testing strategies by enabling a classification of bipolar patients according to their response to treatment.
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12. |
- Herrera-Rivero, Marisol, et al.
(author)
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Exploring the genetics of lithium response in bipolar disorders.
- 2023
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In: Research square.
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Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Lithium (Li) remains the treatment of choice for bipolar disorders (BP). Its mood-stabilizing effects help reduce the long-term burden of mania, depression and suicide risk in patients with BP. It also has been shown to have beneficial effects on disease-associated conditions, including sleep and cardiovascular disorders. However, the individual responses to Li treatment vary within and between diagnostic subtypes of BP (e.g. BP-I and BP-II) according to the clinical presentation. Moreover, long-term Li treatment has been linked to adverse side-effects that are a cause of concern and non-adherence, including the risk of developing chronic medical conditions such as thyroid and renal disease. In recent years, studies by the Consortium on Lithium Genetics (ConLiGen) have uncovered a number of genetic factors that contribute to the variability in Li treatment response in patients with BP. Here, we leveraged the ConLiGen cohort (N=2,064) to investigate the genetic basis of Li effects in BP. For this, we studied how Li response and linked genes associate with the psychiatric symptoms and polygenic load for medical comorbidities, placing particular emphasis on identifying differences between BP-I and BP-II.We found that clinical response to Li treatment, measured with the Alda scale, was associated with a diminished burden of mania, depression, substance and alcohol abuse, psychosis and suicidal ideation in patients with BP-I and, in patients with BP-II, of depression only. Our genetic analyses showed that a stronger clinical response to Li was modestly related to lower polygenic load for diabetes and hypertension in BP-I but not BP-II. Moreover, our results suggested that a number of genes that have been previously linked to Li response variability in BP differentially relate to the psychiatric symptomatology, particularly to the numbers of manic and depressive episodes, and to the polygenic load for comorbid conditions, including diabetes, hypertension and hypothyroidism.Taken together, our findings suggest that the effects of Li on symptomatology and comorbidity in BP are partially modulated by common genetic factors, with differential effects between BP-I and BP-II.
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14. |
- Farmer, A. D., et al.
(author)
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Regional gastrointestinal contractility parameters using the wireless motility capsule : inter-observer reproducibility and influence of age, gender and study country
- 2018
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In: Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics. - : Wiley. - 0269-2813 .- 1365-2036. ; 47:3, s. 391-400
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background:The wireless motility capsule concurrently measures temperature, pH and pressure as it traverses the gastrointestinal tract. Aims: To describe normative values for motility/contractility parameters across age, gender and testing centres.Methods:Healthy participants underwent a standardised wireless motility capsule assessment following an overnight fast and consumption of a meal of known nutritional content. Traces were divided into regions of interest and analysed using 2 software packages (MotiliGI and GIMS Data Viewer). Inter-observer agreement was independently assessed by 2 investigators.Results:Normative data for motility/contractility parameters (maximum amplitude, mean peak amplitude, contraction frequency and motility index) are presented for 107 individuals (62 male, median age 40years, range 18-78). MotiliGI-Gastric, small bowel and colonic maximal contraction amplitude correlated with age (r = .24, P = .01; r = .22, P = .02; and r = .2, P = .04 respectively). Small bowel motility index was higher in females than males (150.412 vs 122 +/- 7.6, P = .04). Inter-observer agreement was excellent for transit times, pH and contractility/motility parameters. GIMS Data viewer-Gastric, small bowel and colonic log(e) motility index correlated with the respective area under the contraction curve, total contractions, sum of amplitudes and contraction frequency (all r>.35, P < .0003) but not with transit times.Conclusions: Our analysis provides normative data for motility/contractility parameters. Log motility index summarises a number of measures. In future, the measurement of contractile activity with the wireless motility capsule may potentially aid in the diagnosis of disease states such as visceral myopathic disorders.
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16. |
- Hasler, Berit, et al.
(author)
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Farmers’ preferences for nutrient and climate-related agri-environmental schemes : A cross-country comparison
- 2019
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In: Ambio. - : Springer. - 0044-7447 .- 1654-7209. ; 48:11, s. 1290-1303
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We use data from a survey of 2439 farmers in 5 countries around the Baltic Sea (Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Poland and Sweden) to investigate their preferences for adopting agricultural practices aimed at reducing nutrient leaching and greenhouse gas emissions. The measures considered are set-aside, catch crops and reduced fertilization. Contracts vary with respect to the area enrolled, contract length, possibility of premature termination, availability of professional advice and compensation. We quantitatively describe farmers’ preferences in terms of their willingness-to-accept compensation for specific attributes of these contracts, if implemented. The results vary substantially between farm types (farmers’ characteristics) and between the 5 countries, and support differentiation of contract obligations and payments to improve the uptake of AgriEnvironmental Schemes. The results can be readily used to improve the design of country-specific nutrient reduction policies, in accordance with the next Common Agricultural Policy.
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17. |
- Hasler, B., et al.
(author)
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Hydro-economic modelling of cost-effective transboundary water quality management in the Baltic Sea
- 2014
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In: Water Resources and Economics. - : Elsevier BV. - 2212-4284. ; 5, s. 1-23
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Helcom's recently revised Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) aims to reduce eutrophication in the, Baltic Sea by reducing nutrient loads from all discharging drainage basins. The BALTCOST costminimisation, model, featuring abatement cost and effect functions which utilise spatial data down to, 10×10km2 grid cell resolution, is used to identify a cost-effective distribution of nutrient abatement, measures between drainage basins whilst attempting to achieve specified nutrient load reductions for, separate Baltic Sea regions. Results indicate that the 2013 BSAP load reduction targets for nitrogen and phosphorus can be achieved in most Baltic Sea regions, except for phosphorus into the Baltic Proper, and the Gulf of Finland. The estimated minimum total cost of delivering these reductions is 4.17 billion, Euros annually, with substantial differences in the cost burden between countries and measures.Results are strongly influenced by differences in nutrient retention between drainage basins. Detailed, retention modelling and high spatial resolution source data are major novel features of this research.
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18. |
- Herrera-Rivero, Marisol, et al.
(author)
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Exploring the genetics of lithium response in bipolar disorders
- 2024
-
In: International Journal of Bipolar Disorders. - 2194-7511. ; 12:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Lithium (Li) remains the treatment of choice for bipolar disorders (BP). Its mood-stabilizing effects help reduce the long-term burden of mania, depression and suicide risk in patients with BP. It also has been shown to have beneficial effects on disease-associated conditions, including sleep and cardiovascular disorders. However, the individual responses to Li treatment vary within and between diagnostic subtypes of BP (e.g. BP-I and BP-II) according to the clinical presentation. Moreover, long-term Li treatment has been linked to adverse side-effects that are a cause of concern and non-adherence, including the risk of developing chronic medical conditions such as thyroid and renal disease. In recent years, studies by the Consortium on Lithium Genetics (ConLiGen) have uncovered a number of genetic factors that contribute to the variability in Li treatment response in patients with BP. Here, we leveraged the ConLiGen cohort (N = 2064) to investigate the genetic basis of Li effects in BP. For this, we studied how Li response and linked genes associate with the psychiatric symptoms and polygenic load for medical comorbidities, placing particular emphasis on identifying differences between BP-I and BP-II. Results: We found that clinical response to Li treatment, measured with the Alda scale, was associated with a diminished burden of mania, depression, substance and alcohol abuse, psychosis and suicidal ideation in patients with BP-I and, in patients with BP-II, of depression only. Our genetic analyses showed that a stronger clinical response to Li was modestly related to lower polygenic load for diabetes and hypertension in BP-I but not BP-II. Moreover, our results suggested that a number of genes that have been previously linked to Li response variability in BP differentially relate to the psychiatric symptomatology, particularly to the numbers of manic and depressive episodes, and to the polygenic load for comorbid conditions, including diabetes, hypertension and hypothyroidism. Conclusions: Taken together, our findings suggest that the effects of Li on symptomatology and comorbidity in BP are partially modulated by common genetic factors, with differential effects between BP-I and BP-II.
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19. |
- Hinrichsen, F., et al.
(author)
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Microbial regulation of hexokinase 2 links mitochondrial metabolism and cell death in colitis
- 2021
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In: Cell Metabolism. - : Elsevier BV. - 1550-4131. ; 33:12
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Hexokinases (HK) catalyze the first step of glycolysis limiting its pace. HK2 is highly expressed in gut epithelium, contributes to immune responses, and is upregulated during inflammation. We examined the microbial regulation of HK2 and its impact on inflammation using mice lacking HK2 in intestinal epithelial cells (Hk2(Delta IEC)). Hk2(Delta IEC) mice were less susceptible to acute colitis. Analyzing the epithelial transcriptome from Hk2(Delta IEC) mice during colitis and using HK2-deficient intestinal organoids and Caco-2 cells revealed reduced mitochondrial respiration and epithelial cell death in the absence of HK2. The microbiota strongly regulated HK2 expression and activity. The microbially derived short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) butyrate repressed HK2 expression via histone deacetylase 8 (HDAC8) and reduced mitochondrial respiration in wild-type but not in HK2-deficient Caco-2 cells. Butyrate supplementation protected wild-type but not Hk2(Delta IEC) mice from colitis. Our findings define a mechanism how butyrate promotes intestinal homeostasis and suggest targeted HK2-inhibition as therapeutic avenue for inflammation.
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20. |
- Moreira-Saporiti, Agustín, et al.
(author)
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A trait-based framework for seagrass ecology : Trends and prospects
- 2023
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In: Frontiers in Plant Science. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 1664-462X. ; 14
-
Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In the last three decades, quantitative approaches that rely on organism traits instead of taxonomy have advanced different fields of ecological research through establishing the mechanistic links between environmental drivers, functional traits, and ecosystem functions. A research subfield where trait-based approaches have been frequently used but poorly synthesized is the ecology of seagrasses; marine angiosperms that colonized the ocean 100M YA and today make up productive yet threatened coastal ecosystems globally. Here, we compiled a comprehensive trait-based response-effect framework (TBF) which builds on previous concepts and ideas, including the use of traits for the study of community assembly processes, from dispersal and response to abiotic and biotic factors, to ecosystem function and service provision. We then apply this framework to the global seagrass literature, using a systematic review to identify the strengths, gaps, and opportunities of the field. Seagrass trait research has mostly focused on the effect of environmental drivers on traits, i.e., “environmental filtering” (72%), whereas links between traits and functions are less common (26.9%). Despite the richness of trait-based data available, concepts related to TBFs are rare in the seagrass literature (15% of studies), including the relative importance of neutral and niche assembly processes, or the influence of trait dominance or complementarity in ecosystem function provision. These knowledge gaps indicate ample potential for further research, highlighting the need to understand the links between the unique traits of seagrasses and the ecosystem services they provide.
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21. |
- Mukanganyama, S, et al.
(author)
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Proposed reductive metabolism of artemisinin by glutathione transferases in vitro
- 2001
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In: FREE RADICAL RESEARCH. - : HARWOOD ACAD PUBL GMBH. - 1071-5762. ; 35:4, s. 427-434
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Artemisinin is a sesquiterpene lactone containing an endoperoxide bridge. It is a promising new antimalarial and is particularly useful against the drug resistant strains of Plasmodium falciparum. It has unique antimalarial properties since it acts throug
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23. |
- Siwowska, K., et al.
(author)
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Therapeutic Potential of Sc-47 in Comparison to Lu-177 and Y-90: Preclinical Investigations
- 2019
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In: Pharmaceutics. - : MDPI AG. - 1999-4923. ; 11:8
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Targeted radionuclide therapy with Lu-177- and Y-90-labeled radioconjugates is a clinically-established treatment modality for metastasized cancer. Sc-47 is a therapeutic radionuclide that decays with a half-life of 3.35 days and emits medium-energy beta(-)particles. In this study, Sc-47 was investigated, in combination with a DOTA-folate conjugate, and compared to the therapeutic properties of Lu-17-folate and Y-90-folate, respectively. In vitro, Sc-47-folate demonstrated effective reduction of folate receptor-positive ovarian tumor cell viability similar to Lu-177-folate, but Y-90-folate was more potent at equal activities due to the higher energy of emitted beta(-)particles. Comparable tumor growth inhibition was observed in mice that obtained the same estimated absorbed tumor dose (similar to 21 Gy) when treated with Sc-47-folate (12.5 MBq), Lu-177-folate (10 MBq), and Y-90-folate (5 MBq), respectively. The treatment resulted in increased median survival of 39, 43, and 41 days, respectively, as compared to 26 days in untreated controls. There were no statistically significant differences among the therapeutic effects observed in treated groups. Histological assessment revealed no severe side effects two weeks after application of the radiofolates, even at double the activity used for therapy. Based on the decay properties and our results, Sc-47 is likely to be comparable to Lu-177 when employed for targeted radionuclide therapy. It may, therefore, have potential for clinical translation and be of particular interest in tandem with Sc-44 or Sc-43 as a diagnostic match, enabling the realization of radiotheragnostics in future.
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24. |
- Wang, J., et al.
(author)
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Genome-wide association analysis identifies variation in vitamin D receptor and other host factors influencing the gut microbiota
- 2016
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In: Nature Genetics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1061-4036 .- 1546-1718. ; 48:11, s. 1396-1406
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Human gut microbiota is an important determinant for health and disease, and recent studies emphasize the numerous factors shaping its diversity. Here we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of the gut microbiota using two cohorts from northern Germany totaling 1,812 individuals. Comprehensively controlling for diet and non-genetic parameters, we identify genome-wide significant associations for overall microbial variation and individual taxa at multiple genetic loci, including the VDR gene (encoding vitamin D receptor). We observe significant shifts in the microbiota of Vdr(-/-) mice relative to control mice and correlations between the microbiota and serum measurements of selected bile and fatty acids in humans, including known ligands and downstream metabolites of VDR. Genome-wide significant (P < 5 x 10(-8)) associations at multiple additional loci identify other important points of host-microbe intersection, notably several disease susceptibility genes and sterol metabolism pathway components. Non-genetic and genetic factors each account for approximately 10% of the variation in gut microbiota, whereby individual effects are relatively small.
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25. |
- Wang, Y. T., et al.
(author)
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Regional gastrointestinal transit and pH studied in 215 healthy volunteers using the wireless motility capsule : influence of age, gender, study country and testing protocol
- 2015
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In: Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics. - : Wiley. - 0269-2813 .- 1365-2036. ; 42:6, s. 761-772
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BackgroundThe wireless motility capsule (WMC) offers the ability to investigate luminal gastrointestinal (GI) physiology in a minimally invasive manner. AimTo investigate the effect of testing protocol, gender, age and study country on regional GI transit times and associated pH values using the WMC. MethodsRegional GI transit times and pH values were determined in 215 healthy volunteers from USA and Sweden studied using the WMC over a 6.5-year period. The effects of test protocol, gender, age and study country were examined. ResultsFor GI transit times, testing protocol was associated with differences in gastric emptying time (GET; shorter with protocol 2 (motility capsule ingested immediately after meal) vs. protocol 1 (motility capsule immediately before): median difference: 52min, P=0.0063) and colonic transit time (CTT; longer with protocol 2: median 140min, P=0.0189), but had no overall effect on whole gut transit time. Females had longer GET (by median 17min, P=0.0307), and also longer CTT by (104min, P=0.0285) and whole gut transit time by (263min, P=0.0077). Increasing age was associated with shorter small bowel transit time (P=0.002), and study country also influenced small bowel and CTTs. Whole gut and CTTs showed clustering of data at values separated by 24h, suggesting that describing these measures as continuous variables is invalid. Testing protocol, gender and study country also significantly influenced pH values. ConclusionsRegional GI transit times and pH values, delineated using the wireless motility capsule (WMC), vary based on testing protocol, gender, age and country. Standardisation of testing is crucial for cross-referencing in clinical practice and future research.
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