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- Enes, Sara Rolandsson, et al.
(author)
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MSC from fetal and adult lungs possess lung-specific properties compared to bone marrow-derived MSC
- 2016
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In: Scientific reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 6, s. 29160-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) are multipotent cells with regenerative and immune-modulatory properties. Therefore, MSC have been proposed as a potential cell-therapy for bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS). On the other hand, there are publications demonstrating that MSC might be involved in the development of BOS. Despite limited knowledge regarding the functional role of tissue-resident lung-MSC, several clinical trials have been performed using MSC, particularly bone marrow (BM)-derived MSC, for various lung diseases. We aimed to compare lung-MSC with the well-characterized BM-MSC. Furthermore, MSC isolated from lung-transplanted patients with BOS were compared to patients without BOS. Our study show that lung-MSCs are smaller, possess a higher colony-forming capacity and have a different cytokine profile compared to BM-MSC. Utilizing gene expression profiling, 89 genes including lung-specific FOXF1 and HOXB5 were found to be significantly different between BM-MSC and lung-MSC. No significant differences in cytokine secretion or gene expression were found between MSC isolated from BOS patients compared recipients without BOS. These data demonstrate that lung-resident MSC possess lung-specific properties. Furthermore, these results show that MSC isolated from lung-transplanted patients with BOS do not have an altered phenotype compared to MSC isolated from good outcome recipients.
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- Eriksson, Emma S. E., et al.
(author)
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Permeability of 5-aminolevulinic acid oxime derivatives in lipid membranes
- 2016
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In: Theoretical Chemistry accounts. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1432-881X .- 1432-2234. ; 135:1, s. 1-9
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The endogenous molecule 5-aminolevulinic acid (5ALA) and its methyl ester (Me-5ALA) have been used as prodrugs in photodynamic treatment of actinic keratosis and superficial non-melanoma skin cancers for over a decade. Recently, a novel set of 5ALA derivatives based on introducing a hydrolyzable oxime functionality was proposed and shown to generate considerably stronger onset of the photoactive molecule protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) in the cells. In the current work, we employ molecular dynamics simulation techniques to explore whether the higher intercellular concentration of PpIX caused by the oxime derivatives is related to enhanced membrane permeability, or whether other factors contribute to this. It is concluded that the oximes show overall similar accumulation at the membrane headgroup regions as the conventional derivatives and that the transmembrane permeabilities are in general close to that of 5ALA. The highest permeability of all compounds explored is found for Me-5ALA, which correlates with a considerably lower fee energy barrier at the hydrophobic bilayer center. The high PpIX concentration must hence be sought in other factors, where slow hydrolysis of the oxime functionality is a plausible reason, enabling stronger buildup of PpIX over time.
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- Locke, Adam E, et al.
(author)
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Genetic studies of body mass index yield new insights for obesity biology.
- 2015
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In: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 518:7538, s. 197-401
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Obesity is heritable and predisposes to many diseases. To understand the genetic basis of obesity better, here we conduct a genome-wide association study and Metabochip meta-analysis of body mass index (BMI), a measure commonly used to define obesity and assess adiposity, in up to 339,224 individuals. This analysis identifies 97 BMI-associated loci (P < 5 × 10(-8)), 56 of which are novel. Five loci demonstrate clear evidence of several independent association signals, and many loci have significant effects on other metabolic phenotypes. The 97 loci account for ∼2.7% of BMI variation, and genome-wide estimates suggest that common variation accounts for >20% of BMI variation. Pathway analyses provide strong support for a role of the central nervous system in obesity susceptibility and implicate new genes and pathways, including those related to synaptic function, glutamate signalling, insulin secretion/action, energy metabolism, lipid biology and adipogenesis.
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- Ried, Janina S., et al.
(author)
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A principal component meta-analysis on multiple anthropometric traits identifies novel loci for body shape
- 2016
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In: Nature Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Large consortia have revealed hundreds of genetic loci associated with anthropometric traits, one trait at a time. We examined whether genetic variants affect body shape as a composite phenotype that is represented by a combination of anthropometric traits. We developed an approach that calculates averaged PCs (AvPCs) representing body shape derived from six anthropometric traits (body mass index, height, weight, waist and hip circumference, waist-to-hip ratio). The first four AvPCs explain >99% of the variability, are heritable, and associate with cardiometabolic outcomes. We performed genome-wide association analyses for each body shape composite phenotype across 65 studies and meta-analysed summary statistics. We identify six novel loci: LEMD2 and CD47 for AvPC1, RPS6KA5/C14orf159 and GANAB for AvPC3, and ARL15 and ANP32 for AvPC4. Our findings highlight the value of using multiple traits to define complex phenotypes for discovery, which are not captured by single-trait analyses, and may shed light onto new pathways.
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5. |
- Saenz-Mendez, Patricia, et al.
(author)
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Ligand Selectivity between the ADP-Ribosylating Toxins: An Inverse-Docking Study for Multitarget Drug Discovery
- 2017
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In: Acs Omega. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 2470-1343. ; 2:4, s. 1710-1719
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Bacterial adenosine 5'-diphosphate-ribosylating toxins are encoded by several human pathogens, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa (exotoxin A (ETA)), Corynebacterium diphtheriae (diphtheria toxin (DT)), and Vibrio cholerae (cholix toxin (CT)). The toxins modify eukaryotic elongation factor 2, an essential human enzyme in protein synthesis, thereby causing cell death. Targeting external virulence factors, such as the above toxins, is a promising alternative for developing new antibiotics, while at the same time avoiding drug resistance. This study aims to establish a reliable computational methodology to find a "silver bullet" able to target all three toxins. Herein, we have undertaken a detailed analysis of the active sites of ETA, DT, and CT, followed by the determination of the most appropriate selection of the size of the docking sphere. Thereafter, we tested two different approaches for normalizing the docking scores and used these to verify the best target (toxin) for each ligand. The results indicate that the methodology is suitable for identifying selective as well as multitoxin inhibitors, further validating the robustness of inverse docking for target-fishing experiments.
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- Shungin, Dmitry, et al.
(author)
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New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.
- 2015
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In: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 518:7538, s. 187-378
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms.
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7. |
- Westergren-Thorsson, Gunilla, et al.
(author)
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Increased deposition of glycosaminoglycans and altered structure of heparan sulfate in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
- 2017
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In: International Journal of Biochemistry & Cell Biology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1357-2725 .- 1878-5875. ; 83, s. 27-38
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is characterized by aberrant deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) constituents, including glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), that may play a role in remodelling processes by influencing critical mediators such as growth factors. We hypothesize that GAGs may be altered in IPF and that this contribute to create a pro-fibrotic environment. The aim of this study was therefore to examine the fine structure of heparan sulfate (HS), chondroitin/dermatan sulfate (CS/DS) and hyaluronan (HA) in lung samples from IPF patients and from control subjects. GAGs in lung samples from severe IPF patients and donor lungs were analyzed with HPLC. HS was assessed by immunohistochemistry and collagen was quantified as hydroxyproline content. The total amount of HS, CS/DS and HA was increased in IPF lungs but there was no significant difference in the total collagen content. We found a relative increase in total sulfation of HS due to increment of 2-O, 6-O and N-sulfation and a higher proportion of sulfation in CS/DS. Highly sulfated HS was located in the border zone between denser areas and more normal looking alveolar parenchyma in basement membranes of blood vessels and airways, that were immuno-positive for perlecan, as well as on the cell surface of spindle-shaped cells in the alveolar interstitium. These findings show for the first time that both the amount and structure of glycosaminoglycans are altered in IPF. These changes may contribute to the tissue remodelling in IPF by altering growth factor retention and activity, creating a pro-fibrotic ECM landscape. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
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10. |
- Abel, Edvard, 1970, et al.
(author)
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Impact on quality of life of IMRT versus 3-D conformal radiation therapy in head and neck cancer patients: A case control study
- 2017
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In: Advances in Radiation Oncology. - : Elsevier BV. - 2452-1094. ; 2:3, s. 346-353
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective The purpose of this study was to prospectively and longitudinally compare the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) outcomes between head and neck (HN) cancer patients treated with parotid-sparing intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and patients treated with 3-dimensional conventional radiation therapy (3D-CRT). Methods and materials Before and up to 12 months after treatment, HRQOL was recorded in patients with HN cancer who were referred to the Department of Oncology at Sahlgrenska University Hospital for curative IMRT. The study group's HRQOL was compared with a matched group of patients from previous descriptive HRQOL studies treated with 3D-CRT. Both groups' HRQOL was measured by the European Organization for Research and Treatment for Cancer QLQ-C30 and European Organization for Research and Treatment for Cancer QLQ-HN35 at 6 time points in the first year after diagnosis. Results Two hundred and seven patients were included, 111 treated with IMRT and 96 matched controls treated with 3D-CRT. Both groups' HRQOL deteriorated during and after treatment. Just after treatment, worse HRQOL scores were observed in the IMRT group regarding insomnia (38 vs 27; P = .032), appetite loss (64 vs 50; P = .019), senses (54 vs 41; P = .017), and coughing (39 vs 26, P = .009). At 12 months, however, significantly better HRQOL scores were observed in the IMRT group regarding problems with dry mouth (72 vs 62; P = .018), pain (28 vs 20; P = .018), sexuality (37 vs 23; P = .016), social contacts (10 vs 6; P = .026), cognitive functioning (79 vs 87; P = .0057), and financial difficulties (12 vs 20; P = .0019). Conclusions This study further supports the hypothesis that the introduction of IMRT has improved the long-term quality of life of HN cancer patients who have been treated with radiation therapy, but might cause more acute side effects. Longer follow-up is needed to study late complications.
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