| 1. |
- Baudet, Marlène, et al.
(author)
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New insights into estimating the age of old Scots pine from increment cores with stem rot
- 2020
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In: Dendrochronologia. - : Elsevier BV. - 1125-7865. ; 64
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Trunk inner rot is a common phenomenon in some old-growth pine dominated forests, making it impossible to determine tree age by counting annual rings. We compared the efficiency of five methods to estimate the age of hollow pine trees (Pinus sylvestris L.). Our main aims were to select the best-performing method and to test whether the age of the tree or the proportion of rot influences the accuracy of estimation. We used full increment cores (reaching the pith or within 1 cm of it) from 100 trees (54-562 years old) collected in northern Sweden and simulated rotten centres of three different sizes in order to test the methods. The lowest error rates were obtained when less than a third of the sample was missing (down to 5.0 % error rate), and by using a method based on the growth pattern of a set of healthy trees. Using linear extrapolation of the mean radial growth led to large overestimates (up to three times the number of absent rings) with error rates up to 27.3 %. We also found that the performance of all methods was reduced in cores from older trees. Our main conclusion is that non-linear methods should be preferred for age estimation of hollow pines. We also argue that more precision in the age estimation could be gained already in the field by collecting multiple cores from rotten trees or by developing alternative coring methods.
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| 2. |
- Baudin, Clémence, et al.
(author)
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Saliva cortisol in relation to aircraft noise exposure : pooled-analysis results from seven European countries
- 2019
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In: Environmental Health. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1476-069X. ; 18
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Many studies have demonstrated adverse effects of exposure to aircraft noise on health. Possible biological pathways for these effects include hormonal disturbances. Few studies deal with aircraft noise effects on saliva cortisol in adults, and results are inconsistent.Objective: We aimed to assess the effects of aircraft noise exposure on saliva cortisol levels and its variation in people living near airports.Methods: This study focused on the 1300 residents included in the HYENA and DEBATS cross-sectional studies, with complete information on cortisol sampling. All the participants followed a similar procedure aiming to collect both a morning and an evening saliva cortisol samples. Socioeconomic and lifestyle information were obtained during a face-to-face interview. Outdoor aircraft noise exposure was estimated for each participant's home address. Associations between aircraft noise exposure and cortisol outcomes were investigated a priori for male and female separately, using linear regression models adjusted for relevant confounders. Different approaches were used to characterize cortisol levels, such as morning and evening cortisol concentrations and the absolute and relative variations between morning and evening levels.Results: Statistically significant increases of evening cortisol levels were shown in women with a 10-dB(A) increase in aircraft noise exposure in terms of LA(eq, 16h) (exp(beta) = 1.08; CI95% = 1.00-1.16), L-den (exp(beta) = 1.09; CI95% = 1.01-1.18), L-night (exp(beta) = 1.11; CI95% = 1.02-1.20). A statistically significant association was also found in women between a 10-dB(A) increase in terms of L-night and the absolute variation per hour (exp(beta) = 0.90; CI95% = 0.80-1.00). Statistically significant decreases in relative variation per hour were also evidenced in women, with stronger effects with the L-night (exp(beta) = 0.89; CI95% = 0.83-0.96) than with other noise indicators. The morning cortisol levels were unchanged whatever noise exposure indicator considered. There was no statistically significant association between aircraft noise exposure and cortisol outcomes in men.Conclusions: The results of the present study show statistically significant associations between aircraft noise exposure and evening cortisol levels and related flattening in the (absolute and relative) variations per hour in women. Further biological research is needed to deepen knowledge of the pathway between noise exposure and disturbed hormonal regulation, and specially the difference in effects between genders.
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| 3. |
- Daralnakhla, H, et al.
(author)
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Lipophilic Peptide Dendrimers for Delivery of Splice-Switching Oligonucleotides
- 2021
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In: Pharmaceutics. - : MDPI AG. - 1999-4923. ; 13:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Non-viral transfection reagents are continuously being developed in attempt to replace viral vectors. Among those non-viral vectors, dendrimers have gained increasing interest due to their unique molecular structure and multivalency. However, more improvements are still needed to achieve higher efficacy and lower toxicity. In this study, we have examined 18 peptide dendrimers conjugated to lipophilic moieties, such as fatty acids or hydrophobic amino acids, that were previously explored for siRNA. Reporter cells were employed to investigate the transfection of single strand splice-switching oligonucleotides (ONs) using these peptide dendrimers. Luciferase level changes reflecting efficiency varied with amino acid composition, stereochemistry, and complexation media used. 3rd generation peptide dendrimers with D-amino acid configuration were superior to L-form. Lead formulations with 3rd generation, D-amino acid peptide dendrimers increased the correction level of the delivered ON up to 93-fold over untreated HeLa Luc/705 cells with minimal toxicity. To stabilize the formed complexes, Polyvinyl alcohol 18 (PVA18) polymer was added. Although PVA18 addition increased activity, toxicity when using our best candidates G 2,3KL-(Leu)4 (D) and G 2,3KL-diPalmitamide (D) was observed. Our findings demonstrate the potential of lipid-conjugated, D-amino acid-containing peptide dendrimers to be utilized as an effective and safe delivery vector for splice-switching ONs.
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| 4. |
- Ivanova, Kristine, et al.
(author)
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Polyneuropathy in systemic sclerosis: exploring the causes and biomarkers
- 2024
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In: FRONTIERS IN MEDICINE. - 2296-858X. ; 11
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Introduction: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare autoimmune disease with multiple organ involvement; however, the contribution of the nervous system (NS) remains relatively understudied. There are no specific data on the role of the autoimmune response and inflammation in the development of peripheral nerve system (PNS) damage in SSc and markers to assess this damage have yet to be identified. Objectives The primary objective of this study was to define the autoimmune mechanisms that lead to neuropathy by identifying antibodies (Abs) that target certain component of the NS or are associated with SSc. The secondary objective was to identify markers of NS damage that correlate with the detection and progression of polyneuropathy (PNP). Methods: This study included patients diagnosed with SSc who met ACR/EULAR 2013 classification criteria at two leading Latvian hospitals between January 2016 and December 2021. Patients underwent a nerve conduction study (NCS). The SSc-associated Abs, Abs against myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) and anti-ganglioside Abs (GM1, GM2, GD1a, GD1b and GQ1b) were analysed. Potential serum PNS biomarkers-neurofilament light chain (NfL), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) and growth/differentiation factor 15 (GDF15)-were measured. Results: We recruited 103 Caucasian patients diagnosed with SSc. SSc-associated Abs did not differ significantly between patients with and without PNP (p > 0.05). Anti-MAG and anti-ganglioside Abs in patients with PNP did not present a significant increase above the reference range. NfL, GFAP and GDF15 were significantly elevated in the presence of PNP (p < 0.05), with a moderate to high effect size (r = 0.36-0.65). Our regression analysis revealed a strong association between the HAQ-DI score, older age, male gender and the risk of developing PNP. Conclusion: The development of PNP in patients with SSc is most likely due to ageing, natural progression and the sequelae of the disease. Several serum biomarkers-NfL, GFAP and GDF15-could be used as relevant diagnostic biomarkers for PNP in patients with SSc. Future studies are warranted to validate the diagnostic efficacy of these biomarkers and to unravel the complex interplay of factors leading to PNP in patients with SSc.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Müller, Matthias P, et al.
(author)
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Exploring adenylylation and phosphocholination as post-translational modifications.
- 2014
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In: ChemBioChem. - : Wiley. - 1439-4227 .- 1439-7633. ; 15:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Editing the translations: Adenylylation and phosphocholination have recently been found as important post-translational modifications used by pathogenic bacteria during the infection process. This review discusses the combined use of chemical handles and specific antibodies for the identification of previously unknown substrates of these post-translational modifications in infected host cells.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Müller, Maximilian, et al.
(author)
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There is more to come : Anticipating content on interactive public displays through timer animations
- 2016
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In: PerDis 2016. - New York, NY, USA : ACM Press. - 9781450343664 ; , s. 247-248
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We experience a continuously growing number of public displays deployed in a diverse range of settings. Often these displays contain a variety of full-screen content for the audience that is organized by a scheduler application. However, such public display systems often miss to communicate their full set of content and features, neither do they hint schedule information. In this paper, we present and describe a timer control we implemented in our public display applications to communicate schedule and application information to the audience, which allows to manage expectations and anticipation around public displays. We also report initial insights from studies about how this kind of design features supported the audience in engaging with the public displays.
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| 10. |
- Muller, MM, et al.
(author)
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Transmembrane CEACAM1 affects integrin-dependent signaling and regulates extracellular matrix protein-specific morphology and migration of endothelial cells
- 2005
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In: Blood. - : American Society of Hematology. - 0006-4971 .- 1528-0020. ; 105:10, s. 3925-3934
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1/CD66a), expressed on leukocytes, epithelia, and endothelia mediates homophilic cell adhesion. It plays an important role in cell morphogenesis and, recently, soluble CEACAM1 isoforms have been implicated in angiogenesis. In the present study, we investigated the function of long transmembrane isoform of CEACAM1 (CEACAM1-L) in cultured rat brain endothelial cells. We observed that expression of CEACAM1-L promotes network formation on basement membrane Matrigel and increased cell motility after monolayer injury. During cell-matrix adhesion, CEACAM1-L translocated into the Triton X-100–insoluble cytoskeletal fraction and affected cell spreading and cell morphology on Matrigel and laminin-1 but not on fibronectin. On laminin-1, CEACAM1-L–expressing cells developed protrusions with lamellipodia, showed less stress fiber formation, reduced focal adhesion kinase (FAK) tyrosine phosphorylation, and decreased focal adhesion formation leading to high motility. CEACAM1-L–mediated morphologic alterations were sensitive to RhoA activation via lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) treatment and dependent on Rac1 activation. Furthermore, we demonstrate a matrix protein–dependent association of CEACAM1-L with talin, an important regulator of integrin function. Taken together, our results suggest that transmembrane CEACAM1-L expressed on endothelial cells is implicated in the activation phase of angiogenesis by affecting the cytoskeleton architecture and integrin-mediated signaling.
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| 11. |
- Müller, Niels A., et al.
(author)
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A single gene underlies the dynamic evolution of poplar sex determination.
- 2020
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In: Nature Plants. - : Springer Nature. - 2055-0278 .- 2055-026X. ; 6:6, s. 630-637
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Although hundreds of plant lineages have independently evolved dioecy (that is, separation of the sexes), the underlying genetic basis remains largely elusive. Here we show that diverse poplar species carry partial duplicates of the ARABIDOPSIS RESPONSE REGULATOR 17 (ARR17) orthologue in the male-specific region of the Y chromosome. These duplicates give rise to small RNAs apparently causing male-specific DNA methylation and silencing of the ARR17 gene. CRISPR–Cas9-induced mutations demonstrate that ARR17 functions as a sex switch, triggering female development when on and male development when off. Despite repeated turnover events, including a transition from the XY system to a ZW system, the sex-specific regulation of ARR17 is conserved across the poplar genus and probably beyond. Our data reveal how a single-gene-based mechanism of dioecy can enable highly dynamic sex-linked regions and contribute to maintaining recombination and integrity of sex chromosomes.
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| 12. |
- Müller, Nina C., et al.
(author)
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From Gatekeeper to Gate-opener: Open-Source Spaces in Investigative Journalism
- 2023
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In: Journalism Practice. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1751-2786 .- 1751-2794. ; 17:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The up-and-coming phenomenon of open source in journalism lead by non-journalistic actors like Airwars, Bellingcat, Forensic Architecture and Syrian Archive has brought an entirely new dynamic to investigative journalism. These actors share and rely heavily on an open-source ideology. With novel methods and tools, they integrate a new set of actors, competencies, and technology into journalistic practice, renegotiating and transcending professional boundaries. For the genre of investigative journalism, they can in many ways be leading the development of methodology as well as ideology; but how? This article addresses this question based on in-depth interviews with an exclusive selection of key informants from these networks. The study is theoretically framed by conceptualizations of collaboration, professional identity, and open-source logic. The results show that, sustained by networked technology, new open-source practices are rapidly emerging in the field of investigative journalism. These practices interrupt professional exclusivity on the one hand, but on the other, they seem to reinforce values of public interest, democracy, and accountability with the help of completely new actors. The open-source investigators thus transform the traditional role of the journalist as "controller" and "gatekeeper" into an enabler of free collaboration, opening "gates" towards new spaces and actors.
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| 13. |
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| 14. |
- Muller, N., et al.
(author)
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Is there evidence of potential overtreatment of glycaemia in elderly people with type 2 diabetes? Data from the GUIDANCE study
- 2017
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In: Acta Diabetologica. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0940-5429 .- 1432-5233. ; 54:2, s. 209-214
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We used data from the GUIDANCE Study to determine the care of people with type 2 diabetes according to age and accompanying cardiovascular diseases and to assess indicators of overtreatment of glycaemia. The GUIDANCE study was a retrospective, cross-sectional study from 2009-2010 based on the records of 7597 people in France, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, UK, Ireland and Germany. We analysed the level of metabolic control achieved and blood glucose-lowering medication used in different age groups and in relation to accompanying diseases. 4.459 patients (59.1%) were 65 years or older. Their HbA1c levels were similar to those with < 65 years. 44.7% of patients ae65 years had an HbA1c ae7% (53 mmol/mol) and were treated with insulin or sulfonylureas, and 27.1% of them had ischaemic heart disease or congestive heart failure. Significantly more patients with heart disease had HbA1c values ae7% (53 mmol/mol) and were treated more often with insulin or sulfonylureas compared to patients of the same age without heart disease. Most patients were treated according to guidelines valid at the time this large international patient sample was surveyed. Older and younger patients were at a similar level of metabolic control, and almost half of the patients with an age of ae65 years and treated with insulin or sulfonylurea had HbA1c levels below the target range (ae7%) for younger patients. However, these patients have an increased risk of severe hypoglycaemic events with potentially dangerous complications, particularly in those with cardiovascular diseases.
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| 15. |
- Skillbäck, Tobias, et al.
(author)
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Sex differences in CSF biomarkers for neurodegeneration and blood-brain barrier integrity.
- 2021
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In: Alzheimer's & dementia. - : Wiley. - 2352-8729. ; 13:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- As cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) neurofilament light protein (NfL) and the CSF/serum albumin ratio (QAlb) are used in the clinical routine, the impact of demographic factors on these biomarkers is important to understand.Participants were derived from two Swedish samples: the population-based H70 Study (n = 308, age 70) and a clinical routine cohort (CSF NfL, n = 8995, QAlb, n = 39252, age 0 to 95). In the population-based study, QAlb and NfL were examined in relation to sex, cardiovascular risk factors, and cerebral white matter lesions (WMLs). In the clinical cohort, QAlb and NfL sex differences were tested in relation to age.Men had higher QAlb and NfL concentrations and had higher QAlb and NfL concentrations from adolescence throughout life. NfL was not related to WML, but QAlb correlated positively with WMLs.The CSF NfL sex difference could not be explained by vascular pathology. Future studies should consider using different reference limits for men and women.
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| 16. |
- Zander, Ulf
(author)
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Fredliga kvinnor och krigiska kungar
- 2018
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In: Populär Historia. - 1102-0822. ; 27, s. 68-68
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Review (pop. science, debate, etc.)abstract
- Recension av Ove Bring, Kvinnor och kungar. Om krig och fred. Fredsaktivism och kungamakt på Bernadotternas tid.
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| 17. |
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