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- Torén, Kjell, 1952, et al.
(author)
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Vital capacity and COPD: the Swedish CArdioPulmonary bioImage Study (SCAPIS)
- 2016
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In: International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1178-2005. ; 11:1, s. 927-933
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Spirometric diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is based on the ratio of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1)/vital capacity (VC), either as a fixed value <0.7 or below the lower limit of normal (LLN). Forced vital capacity (FVC) is a proxy for VC. The first aim was to compare the use of FVC and VC, assessed as the highest value of FVC or slow vital capacity (SVC), when assessing the FEV1/VC ratio in a general population setting. The second aim was to evaluate the characteristics of subjects with COPD who obtained a higher SVC than FVC. Methods: Subjects (n=1,050) aged 50-64 years were investigated with FEV1, FVC, and SVC after bronchodilation. Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) COPDFVC was defined as FEV1/FVC <0.7, GOLDCOPD(VC) as FEV1/VC <0.7 using the maximum value of FVC or SVC, LLNCOPDFVC as FEV1/FVC below the LLN, and LLNCOPDVC as FEV1/VC below the LLN using the maximum value of FVC or SVC. Results: Prevalence of GOLDCOPD(FVC) was 10.0% (95% confidence interval [CI] 8.2-12.0) and the prevalence of LLNCOPDFVC was 9.5% (95% CI 7.8-11.4). When estimates were based on VC, the prevalence became higher; 16.4% (95% CI 14.3-18.9) and 15.6% (95% CI 13.5-17.9) for GOLDCOPD(VC) and LLNCOPDVC, respectively. The group of additional subjects classified as having COPD based on VC, had lower FEV1, more wheeze and higher residual volume compared to subjects without any COPD. Conclusion: The prevalence of COPD was significantly higher when the ratio FEV1/VC was calculated using the highest value of SVC or FVC compared with using FVC only. Subjects classified as having COPD when using the VC concept were more obstructive and with indications of air trapping. Hence, the use of only FVC when assessing airflow limitation may result in a considerable under diagnosis of subjects with mild COPD.
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- Olaniyan, Subulade A., et al.
(author)
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Tumour necrosis factor alpha promoter polymorphism, TNF-238 is associated with severe clinical outcome of falciparum malaria in Ibadan southwest Nigeria
- 2016
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In: Acta Tropica. - : Elsevier BV. - 0001-706X .- 1873-6254. ; 161, s. 62-67
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Tumour necrosis factor (TNF) - alpha has been shown to play an important role in the pathogenesis of falciparum malaria. Two TNF promoter polymorphisms, TNF-308 and TNF-238 have been associated with differential activity and production of TNF. In order to investigate the association between TNF-308 and TNF-238 and the clinical outcome of malaria in a Nigerian population, the two TNF polymorphisms were analysed using Sequenom iPLEX Platform. A total of 782 children; 283 children with uncomplicated malaria, 255 children with severe malaria and 244 children with asymptomatic infection (controls) were studied. The distribution of TNF-308 and TNF-238 genotypes were consistent with the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Distribution of both TNF polymorphisms differed significantly across all clinical groups (TNF-308: p = 0.007; TNF-238: p=0.001). Further tests for association with severe malaria using genotype models controlling for age, parasitaemia and HbAS showed a significant association of the TNF-238 polymorphism with susceptibility to severe malaria (95% CI = 1.43-6.02, OR= 2.94, p = 0.003237) The GG genotype of TNF-238 significantly increased the risk of developing cerebral malaria from asymptomatic malaria and uncomplicated malaria (95% CI = 1.99-18.17, OR= 6.02, p <0.001 and 95% CI= 1.78-8.23, OR= 3.84, p <0.001 respectively). No significant association was found between TNF-308 and malaria outcome. These results show thegenetic association of TNF-238 in the clinical outcome of malaria in Ibadan, southwest Nigeria. These findings add support to the role of TNF in the outcome of malaria infection. Further large scale studies across multiple malaria endemic populations will be required to determine the specific roles of TNF-308 and TNF-238 in the outcome of falciparum malaria infection.
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- Panova, M, et al.
(author)
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DNA Extraction Protocols for Whole-Genome Sequencing in Marine Organisms
- 2016
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In: Marine Genomics - Methods and Protocols. - New York, NY : Springer New York. - 1064-3745. - 9781493937745 - 9781493937721 ; 1452, s. 13-44
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Book chapter (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The marine environment harbors a large proportion of the total biodiversity on this planet, including the majority of the earths’ different phyla and classes. Studying the genomes of marine organisms can bring interesting insights into genome evolution. Today, almost all marine organismal groups are understudied with respect to their genomes. One potential reason is that extraction of high-quality DNA in sufficient amounts is challenging for many marine species. This is due to high polysaccharide content, polyphenols and other secondary metabolites that will inhibit downstream DNA library preparations. Consequently, protocols developed for vertebrates and plants do not always perform well for invertebrates and algae. In addition, many marine species have large population sizes and, as a consequence, highly variable genomes. Thus, to facilitate the sequence read assembly process during genome sequencing, it is desirable to obtain enough DNA from a single individual, which is a challenge in many species of invertebrates and algae. Here, we present DNA extraction protocols for seven marine species (four invertebrates, two algae, and a marine yeast), optimized to provide sufficient DNA quality and yield for de novo genome sequencing projects.
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- Ranehill, Eva, et al.
(author)
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Hormonal Contraceptives Do Not Impact Economic Preferences: Evidence from a Randomized Trial
- 2018
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In: Management science. - : Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS). - 0025-1909 .- 1526-5501. ; 64:10, s. 4471-4965
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A growing body of correlational studies suggests that sex hormones such as those contained in, or affected by, oral contraceptives (OCs) may impact economic behavior. However, despite widespread use of OCs among women in Western countries, little is known about their potential behavioral effects. The present study investigates whether OCs causally influence economic preferences. We randomly allocate 340 women aged 18–35 to three months of a widely used OC or placebo treatment. At the end of treatment, we conduct an economic experiment measuring altruism, financial risk taking, and willingness to compete. The statistical power is 80% to detect an effect size equal to a Cohen’s d of 0.30 at the 5% level. We find no significant effects of OCs on any of the measured preferences, indicating that this widely used OC treatment, commonly used throughout the world, does not significantly affect the measured economic preferences. Further, we find no relation between menstrual cycle phase and economic preferences in the placebo group.
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- Amoako-Sakyi, Daniel, et al.
(author)
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A STAT6 Intronic Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism is Associated with Clinical Malaria in Ghanaian Children
- 2016
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In: Genetics and Epigenetics. - 1179-237X. ; 8, s. 7-14
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Malaria pathogenesis may be influenced by IgE responses and cytokine cross-regulation. Several mutations in the IL-4/STAT6 signaling pathway can alter cytokine cross-regulation and IgE responses during a Plasmodium falciparum malarial infection. This study investigated the relationship between a STAT6 intronic single-nucleotide polymorphism (rs3024974), total IgE, cytokines, and malaria severity in 238 Ghanaian children aged between 0.5 and 13 years. Total IgE and cytokine levels were measured by ELISA, while genotyping was done by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Compared with healthy controls, heterozygosity protected against clinical malaria: uncomplicated malaria (odds ratios [OR] = 0.13, P < 0.001), severe malarial anemia (OR = 0.18, P, 0.001), and cerebral malaria (OR = 0.39, P = 0.022). Levels of total IgE significantly differed among malaria phenotypes (P = 0.044) and rs3024974 genotypes (P = 0.037). Neither cytokine levels nor IL-6/IL-10 ratios were associated with malaria phenotypes or rs3024974 genotypes. This study suggests a role for rs3024974 in malaria pathogenesis and offers further insights into an IL-4/STAT6 pathway mutation in malaria pathogenesis.
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- Blomberg, Sara, et al.
(author)
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Strain Dependent Light-off Temperature in Catalysis Revealed by Planar Laser-Induced Fluorescence
- 2017
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In: ACS Catalysis. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 2155-5435. ; 7:1, s. 110-114
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Understanding how specific atom sites on metal surfaces lower the energy barrier for chemical reactions is vital in catalysis. Studies on simplified model systems have shown that atoms arranged as steps on the surface play an important role in catalytic reactions, but a direct comparison of how the light-off temperature is affected by the atom orientation on the step has not yet been possible due to methodological constraints. Here we report in situ spatially resolved measurements of the CO2 production over a cylindrical-shaped Pd catalyst and show that the light-off temperature at different parts of the crystal depends on the step orientation of the two types of steps (named A and B). Our finding is supported by density functional theory calculations, revealing that the steps, in contrast to what has been previously reported in the literature, are not directly involved in the reaction onset but have the role of releasing stress.
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