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- Azevedo, Flavio, et al.
(author)
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Social and moral psychology of COVID-19 across 69 countries
- 2023
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In: Scientific Data. - : NATURE PORTFOLIO. - 2052-4463. ; 10:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all domains of human life, including the economic and social fabric of societies. One of the central strategies for managing public health throughout the pandemic has been through persuasive messaging and collective behaviour change. To help scholars better understand the social and moral psychology behind public health behaviour, we present a dataset comprising of 51,404 individuals from 69 countries. This dataset was collected for the International Collaboration on Social & Moral Psychology of COVID-19 project (ICSMP COVID-19). This social science survey invited participants around the world to complete a series of moral and psychological measures and public health attitudes about COVID-19 during an early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic (between April and June 2020). The survey included seven broad categories of questions: COVID-19 beliefs and compliance behaviours; identity and social attitudes; ideology; health and well-being; moral beliefs and motivation; personality traits; and demographic variables. We report both raw and cleaned data, along with all survey materials, data visualisations, and psychometric evaluations of key variables.
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- Checa, A, et al.
(author)
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Hexosylceramides as intrathecal markers of worsening disability in multiple sclerosis
- 2015
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In: Multiple sclerosis (Houndmills, Basingstoke, England). - : SAGE Publications. - 1477-0970 .- 1352-4585. ; 21:10, s. 1271-1279
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Sphingolipids are important components of neurons and the myelin sheath whose levels are altered in multiple sclerosis (MS). Objectives: We aimed to determine if cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sphingolipids can be used as markers of MS disease progression. Methods: Using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, we analysed sphingolipids in CSF from 134 individuals. The MS group included 65 patients divided into 41 relapsing–remitting MS (RRMS) and 24 progressive MS (ProgMS). In addition, a group of 13 early MS/clinically isolated syndrome (EarlyMS) and two control groups consisting of 38 individuals with other neurological diseases (OND) and 18 OND with signs of inflammation (iOND) were analysed. A follow-up study included 17 additional RRMS patients sampled at two time points 4.7±1.7 years apart. Results: Levels of sphingomyelin (SM)- and hexosylceramide (HexCer)-derived sphingolipids increased in the CSF of patients with MS independently of the fatty acid chain length in RRMS ( p<0.05). Levels of palmitic acid (16:0)-containing HexCer (HexCer16:0) increased significantly in ProgMS compared with the OND ( p<0.001), iOND ( p<0.05) and EarlyMS ( p<0.01) groups and correlated with Expanded Disability Status Scale in RRMS in both studies ( p=0.048; p=0.027). Conclusion: HexCer16:0 is a promising candidate marker of disease progression in MS, especially in RRMS.
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- Hellgren, LS, et al.
(author)
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Nuclear-specific accumulation of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) mRNA in TERT promoter mutated follicular thyroid tumours visualised by in situ hybridisation: a possible clinical screening tool?
- 2022
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In: Journal of clinical pathology. - : BMJ. - 1472-4146 .- 0021-9746. ; 75:10, s. 658-662
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Upregulation of the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) gene is a frequent finding in follicular thyroid carcinomas (FTCs) with metastatic features. The augmented expression is usually caused by TERT promoter mutations. As TERT protein immunohistochemistry might not correlate to TERT mRNA levels in follicular thyroid tumours, we therefore sought to determine if visualisation of TERT mRNA through in situ hybridisation could highlight high-risk cases.MethodsWe collected formalin-fixated paraffin-embedded tissues from 26 follicular thyroid tumours; 7 FTCs, 2 follicular thyroid tumours of uncertain malignant potential (FT-UMPs) and a single Hürthle cell carcinoma with established TERT promoter mutations and gene expression, as well as 16 FTCs with no TERT gene aberrancy or gene expression, and assessed them using RNA Scope in situ hybridisation (ISH) and TERT probes targeting the two main TERT transcripts (TERT1 and TERT2).ResultsTERT 1 and/or 2 mRNA was found by ISH in 8/10 cases with established promoter mutations and mRNA expression, whereas all 16 cases without TERT gene aberrancies or gene expression were negative (Fisher’s exact p<0.001). Strikingly, TERT mRNA was visualised in the nuclear compartment only, thereby corroborating earlier studies suggesting a non-conventional role for TERT in tumour biology. Moreover, TERT mRNA expression was scattered across the tissue sections and only found in a few percentages of tumour nuclei.ConclusionsTERT mRNA seems to be focally expressed and localised exclusively to the nucleus in TERT promoter mutated follicular thyroid tumours, possibly reflecting a true biological and unorthodox phenomenon worthy of further investigations.
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- Mikus, MS, et al.
(author)
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Plasma proteins elevated in severe asthma despite oral steroid use and unrelated to Type-2 inflammation
- 2022
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In: The European respiratory journal. - : European Respiratory Society (ERS). - 1399-3003 .- 0903-1936. ; 59:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Asthma phenotyping requires novel biomarker discovery.ObjectivesTo identify plasma biomarkers associated with asthma phenotypes by application of a new proteomic panel to samples from two well-characterised cohorts of severe (SA) and mild-to-moderate (MMA) asthmatics, COPD subjects and healthy controls (HCs).MethodsAn antibody-based array targeting 177 proteins predominantly involved in pathways relevant to inflammation, lipid metabolism, signal transduction and extracellular matrix was applied to plasma from 525 asthmatics and HCs in the U-BIOPRED cohort, and 142 subjects with asthma and COPD from the validation cohort BIOAIR. Effects of oral corticosteroids (OCS) were determined by a 2-week, placebo-controlled OCS trial in BIOAIR, and confirmed by relation to objective OCS measures in U-BIOPRED.ResultsIn U-BIOPRED, 110 proteins were significantly different, mostly elevated, in SA compared to MMA and HCs. 10 proteins were elevated in SA versus MMA in both U-BIOPRED and BIOAIR (alpha-1-antichymotrypsin, apolipoprotein-E, complement component 9, complement factor I, macrophage inflammatory protein-3, interleukin-6, sphingomyelin phosphodiesterase 3, TNF receptor superfamily member 11a, transforming growth factor-β and glutathione S-transferase). OCS treatment decreased most proteins, yet differences between SA and MMA remained following correction for OCS use. Consensus clustering of U-BIOPRED protein data yielded six clusters associated with asthma control, quality of life, blood neutrophils, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and body mass index, but not Type-2 inflammatory biomarkers. The mast cell specific enzyme carboxypeptidase A3 was one major contributor to cluster differentiation.ConclusionsThe plasma proteomic panel revealed previously unexplored yet potentially useful Type-2-independent biomarkers and validated several proteins with established involvement in the pathophysiology of SA.
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- Pergolizzi Jr., Joseph V., et al.
(author)
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Statins and muscle pain
- 2020
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In: Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1751-2433 .- 1751-2441. ; 13:3, s. 299-310
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Introduction: Statins remain among the most frequently prescribed drugs and constitute a cornerstone in the prevention of cardiovascular disease. However, muscle symptoms are often reported from patients on statins. Muscle symptoms are frequently reported as adverse events associated with statin therapy.Areas covered: In the present narrative review, statin-associated muscle pain is discussed. It elucidates potential mechanisms and possible targets for management.Expert opinion: In general, the evidence in support of muscle pain caused by statins is in some cases equivocal and not particularly strong. Reported symptoms are difficult to quantify. Rarely is it possible to establish a causal link between statins and muscle pain. In randomized controlled trials, statins are well tolerated, and muscle-pain related side-effects is similar to placebo. There are also nocebo effects of statins. Exchange of statin may be beneficial although all statins have been associated with muscle pain. In some patients reduction of dose is worth trying, especially in primary prevention Although the benefits of statins outweigh potential risks in the vast majority of cases, careful clinical judgment may be necessary in certain cases to manage potential side effects on an individual basis.
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- Stefanucci, Luca, et al.
(author)
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SMIM1 absence is associated with reduced energy expenditure and excess weight
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In: Med (New York, N.Y.). - 2666-6340.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Obesity rates have nearly tripled in the past 50 years, and by 2030 more than 1 billion individuals worldwide are projected to be obese. This creates a significant economic strain due to the associated non-communicable diseases. The root cause is an energy expenditure imbalance, owing to an interplay of lifestyle, environmental, and genetic factors. Obesity has a polygenic genetic architecture; however, single genetic variants with large effect size are etiological in a minority of cases. These variants allowed the discovery of novel genes and biology relevant to weight regulation and ultimately led to the development of novel specific treatments.METHODS: We used a case-control approach to determine metabolic differences between individuals homozygous for a loss-of-function genetic variant in the small integral membrane protein 1 (SMIM1) and the general population, leveraging data from five cohorts. Metabolic characterization of SMIM1 -/- individuals was performed using plasma biochemistry, calorimetric chamber, and DXA scan. FINDINGS: We found that individuals homozygous for a loss-of-function genetic variant in SMIM1 gene, underlying the blood group Vel, display excess body weight, dyslipidemia, altered leptin to adiponectin ratio, increased liver enzymes, and lower thyroid hormone levels. This was accompanied by a reduction in resting energy expenditure.CONCLUSION: This research identified a novel genetic predisposition to being overweight or obese. It highlights the need to investigate the genetic causes of obesity to select the most appropriate treatment given the large cost disparity between them.FUNDING: This work was funded by the National Institute of Health Research, British Heart Foundation, and NHS Blood and Transplant.
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- Van Bavel, Jay J., et al.
(author)
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National identity predicts public health support during a global pandemic
- 2022
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In: Nature Communications. - : Nature Portfolio. - 2041-1723. ; 13:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Understanding collective behaviour is an important aspect of managing the pandemic response. Here the authors show in a large global study that participants that reported identifying more strongly with their nation reported greater engagement in public health behaviours and support for public health policies in the context of the pandemic. Changing collective behaviour and supporting non-pharmaceutical interventions is an important component in mitigating virus transmission during a pandemic. In a large international collaboration (Study 1, N = 49,968 across 67 countries), we investigated self-reported factors associated with public health behaviours (e.g., spatial distancing and stricter hygiene) and endorsed public policy interventions (e.g., closing bars and restaurants) during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic (April-May 2020). Respondents who reported identifying more strongly with their nation consistently reported greater engagement in public health behaviours and support for public health policies. Results were similar for representative and non-representative national samples. Study 2 (N = 42 countries) conceptually replicated the central finding using aggregate indices of national identity (obtained using the World Values Survey) and a measure of actual behaviour change during the pandemic (obtained from Google mobility reports). Higher levels of national identification prior to the pandemic predicted lower mobility during the early stage of the pandemic (r = -0.40). We discuss the potential implications of links between national identity, leadership, and public health for managing COVID-19 and future pandemics.
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