| 1. |
- Liu, Kui, et al.
(författare)
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Kallikrein genes are associated with lupus and glomerular basement membrane-specific antibody-induced nephritis in mice and humans
- 2009
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Ingår i: Journal of Clinical Investigation. - 0021-9738 .- 1558-8238. ; 119:4, s. 911-923
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Immune-mediated nephritis contributes to disease in systemic lupus erythematosus, Goodpasture syndrome (caused by antibodies specific for glomerular basement membrane [anti-GBM antibodies]), and spontaneous lupus nephritis. Inbred mouse strains differ in susceptibility to anti-GBM antibody-induced and spontaneous lupus nephritis. This study sought to clarify the genetic and molecular factors that maybe responsible for enhanced immune-mediated renal disease in these models. When the kidneys of 3 mouse strains sensitive to anti-GBM antibody-induced nephritis were compared with those of 2 control strains using microarray analysis, one-fifth of the underexpressed genes belonged to the kallikrein gene family,which encodes serine esterases. Mouse strains that upregulated renal and urinary kallikreins exhibited less evidence of disease. Antagonizing the kallikrein pathway augmented disease, while agonists dampened the severity of anti-GBM antibody-induced nephritis. In addition, nephritis-sensitive mouse strains had kallikrein haplotypes that were distinct from those of control strains, including several regulatory polymorphisms,some of which were associated with functional consequences. Indeed, increased susceptibility to anti-GBM antibody-induced nephritis and spontaneous lupus nephritis was achieved by breeding mice with a genetic interval harboring the kallikrein genes onto a disease-resistant background. Finally, both human SLE and spontaneous lupus nephritis were found to be associated with kallikrein genes, particularly KLK1 and the KLK3 promoter, when DNA SNPs from independent cohorts of SLE patients and controls were compared. Collectively, these studies suggest that kallikreins are protective disease-associated genes in anti-GBM antibody-induced nephritis and lupus.
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| 2. |
- Li, Weiwei, et al.
(författare)
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Benzothiadiazole-Based Linear and Star Molecules : Design, Synthesis, and Their Application in Bulk Heterojunction Organic Solar Cells
- 2009
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Ingår i: CHEMISTRY OF MATERIALS. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0897-4756 .- 1520-5002. ; 21:21, s. 5327-5334
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Star molecules have many advantages, such as monodispersity, excellent solubility, and vast structures with different functional groups. A set of four-arm star molecules with benzothiadiazole as the core, oligothiophene its the arm, and triphenylamine its the end group and their linear counterparts were designed and synthesized Organic solar cells (OSCs) fabricated with these star molecules and [6,6]-phenyl C-71 butyric acid methyl ester (PC71BM) by spin-coating from solution demonstrate similar short circuit current density (J(sc)) and fill factor (FF) but larger open circuit voltage (V-oc) in comparison With solar cells fabricated with corresponding linear molecules and PC71BM A power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 18%, with J(sc) = 4.9 mA/cm(2), V-oc = 0 92 V, and FF = 0 41 was achieved with one of these star molecules
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| 3. |
- Qin, Ruiping, et al.
(författare)
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A Planar Copolymer for High Efficiency Polymer Solar Cells
- 2009
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Ingår i: JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0002-7863 .- 1520-5126. ; 131:41, s. 14612-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- An alternating copolymer, poly(2-(5-(5,6-bis(octyloxy)-4-(thiophen-2-yl)benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazol-7-yl)thiophen-2-yl)-9-octyt-9H-carbazole) (HXS-1), was designed, synthesized, and used as the donor material for high efficiency polymer solar cells. The close packing of the polymer chains in the solid state was confirmed by XRD. A J(sc) of 9.6 mA/cm(2), a V-proportional to of 0.81 V, an FF of 0.69, and a PCE of 5.4% were achieved with HXS-1 and [6,6]-phenyl C-71-butyric acid methyl ester (PC71BM) as a bulk heterojunction active layer spin-coated from a solvent mixture of 1,2-dichlorobenzene and 1,8-diodooctane (97.5:2.5) under air mass 1.5 global (AM 1.5 G) irradiation of 100 mW/cm(2).
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| 4. |
- Goncalves, Isabel, et al.
(författare)
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Identification of the target for therapeutic recombinant anti-apoB-100 peptide antibodies in human atherosclerotic lesions.
- 2009
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Ingår i: Atherosclerosis. - : Elsevier BV. - 1879-1484 .- 0021-9150. ; 205, s. 96-100
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- PURPOSE: Accumulation of oxidized LDL in the arterial wall is believed to play a key role in the development of atherosclerosis. Experimental studies have identified the presence of immune responses against epitopes in oxidized LDL that protects against atherosclerosis. We have produced human recombinant IgG against one of these epitopes (aldehyde-modified apoB-100 amino acids 661-680) and demonstrated that treatment with this human IgG1 2D03 antibody markedly reduces atherosclerosis in hypercholesterolemic mice. METHODS: In the present study, we screened a panel of 25 carotid plaques associated with clinical symptoms and 26 clinically silent plaques obtained at surgery for presence of the aldehyde-modified apoB-100 peptide defined by the 2D03 antibody and compared the expression of this epitope with other plaque constituents, plasma lipoproteins levels, plasma oxidized LDL and autoantibodies against apoB-100 peptides. RESULTS: We demonstrated that the epitope is commonly expressed in human atherosclerotic plaques and that plaques associated with clinical symptoms have an almost three-fold higher content of this epitope (8.6+/-4.9% versus 22.1+/-12.2% immunostaining of total plaque area, p<0.0005). There was also a significant association between 2D03 epitope staining and the plaque content of cholesterol esters (r=0.43, p<0.05), whereas there was no association with plasma oxidized LDL and autoantibodies against apoB-100 peptides. CONCLUSIONS: By demonstrating the presence of the 2D03 epitope in human atherosclerotic lesions our findings support the possibility that treatment with this antibody may have beneficial effects also in humans. Furthermore, they suggest the possibility to use these or other similar antibodies for diagnostic imaging of atherosclerotic plaques in humans.
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| 5. |
- Graves, Genevieve J. M., et al.
(författare)
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Limits from the Hubble Space Telescope on a Point Source in SN 1987A
- 2005
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 629, s. 944-959
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We observed supernova 1987A (SN 1987A) with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) in 1999 September and again with the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) on the HST in 2003 November. Our spectral observations cover ultraviolet (UV) and optical wavelengths from 1140 to 10266 Å, and our imaging observations cover UV and optical wavelengths from 2900 to 9650 Å. No point source is observed in the remnant. We obtain a limiting flux of Fopt<=1.6×10-14 ergs s-1 cm-2 in the wavelength range 2900-9650 Å for any continuum emitter at the center of the supernova remnant (SNR). This corresponds to an intrinsic luminosity of Lopt<=5×1033 ergs s-1. It is likely that the SNR contains opaque dust that absorbs UV and optical emission, resulting in an attenuation of ~35% due to dust absorption in the SNR. Correcting for this level of dust absorption would increase our upper limit on the luminosity of a continuum source by a factor of 1.54. Taking into account dust absorption in the remnant, we find a limit of Lopt<=8×1033 ergs s-1. We compare this upper bound with empirical evidence from point sources in other supernova remnants and with theoretical models for possible compact sources. We show that any survivor of a possible binary system must be no more luminous than an F6 main-sequence star. Bright young pulsars such as Kes 75 or the Crab pulsar are excluded by optical and X-ray limits on SN 1987A. Other nonplerionic X-ray point sources have luminosities similar to the limits on a point source in SN 1987A; RCW 103 and Cas A are slightly brighter than the limits on SN 1987A, while Pup A is slightly fainter. Of the young pulsars known to be associated with SNRs, those with ages <=5000 yr are all too bright in X-rays to be compatible with the limits on SN 1987A. Examining theoretical models for accretion onto a compact object, we find that spherical accretion onto a neutron star is firmly ruled out and that spherical accretion onto a black hole is possible only if there is a larger amount of dust absorption in the remnant than predicted. In the case of thin-disk accretion, our flux limit requires a small disk, no larger than 1010 cm, with an accretion rate no more than 0.3 times the Eddington accretion rate. Possible ways to hide a surviving compact object include the removal of all surrounding material at early times by a photon-driven wind, a small accretion disk, or very high levels of dust absorption in the remnant. It will not be easy to improve substantially on our optical-UV limit for a point source in SN 1987A, although we can hope that a better understanding of the thermal infrared emission will provide a more complete picture of the possible energy sources at the center of SN 1987A.
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| 6. |
- Hedlin, Dan, 1960-, et al.
(författare)
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Future challenges of small area estimation
- 2006
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Ingår i: Statistics in transition. - Warsaw : Polish Statistical Association. - 1234-7655. ; 7:4, s. 759-769
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A panel discussion session entitled as “Future Challenges of Small Area Estimation” was organized in the SAE2005 Conference, with Ray Chambers as the organizer and chair and Jan van den Brakel, Dan Hedlin, Marie Cruddas, Risto Lehtonen, Imbi Traat and Li-Chun Zhang as the discussants. The output of the panel discussion session is summarized in this paper. Each contributor is responsible of the respective piece of text; the paper has been edited by the chairman of the session.
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| 7. |
- Hu, Qing-Miao, et al.
(författare)
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Site occupancy, magnetic moments, and elastic constants of off-stoichiometric Ni2MnGa from first-principles calculations
- 2009
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Ingår i: Physical Review B. Condensed Matter and Materials Physics. - 1098-0121 .- 1550-235X. ; 79:14
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The site occupancy and elastic modulus of off-stoichiometric Ni2MnGa alloys are investigated by the use of the first-principles exact muffin-tin orbital method in combination with coherent-potential approximation. The stable site occupancy at 300 K is determined by comparing the free energies of the alloys with different site-occupation configurations. It is shown that, for most of the off-stoichiometric Ni2MnGa, the "normal" site occupation is favorable, i.e., the excess atoms of the rich component occupy the sublattice(s) of the deficient one(s). Nevertheless, for the Ga-rich alloys, the excess Ga atoms have strong tendency to take the Mn sublattice no matter if Mn is deficient or not. Based on the determined site occupancy, the elastic moduli of the off-stoichiometric Ni2MnGa are calculated. We find that, in general, the bulk modulus increases with increasing e/a ratio (i.e., the number of valence electrons per atom). The shear moduli C-' and C-44 change oppositely with e/a ratio: C-' decreases but C-44 increases with increasing e/a. However, the Mn-rich Ga-deficient alloys deviate significantly from this general trend. The correlation of calculated elastic moduli and available experimental martensitic transformation temperatures (T-M) demonstrates that the alloy with larger C-' than that of the perfect Ni2MnGa generally possesses lower T-M except for Ni2Mn1+xGa1-x.
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| 8. |
- Liu, Wen-Chun, et al.
(författare)
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Genotyping of Hepatitis B Virus - Genotypes A to G by Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction
- 2008
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Ingår i: Intervirology. - : S. Karger AG. - 0300-5526 .- 1423-0100. ; 51:4, s. 247-252
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- <i>Objectives:</i> Eight genotypes (A–H) of hepatitis B virus (HBV) are known with variations in nucleotide sequences greater than 8%. Several recent publications found that the clinical course and outcome of antiviral therapy depended on the genotype of the infecting HBV strain. Large epidemiological studies will require the availability of a system which is rapid, reliable and can be performed on a large number of samples. <i>Methods:</i> To establish a simple and accurate genotyping method, the study collected 369 HBV complete genomic sequences from the GenBank database. Type-specific primers were also designed that separated HBV genotypes A to G by multiplex polymerase chain reaction. <i>Results:</i> By comparison with the traditional restriction fragment length polymorphism method, over 93% of 441 samples were accurately genotyped by current assay, with a higher detection rate and sensitivity to detect mixed HBV infections. <i>Conclusions:</i> This methodology can be applied only to areas prevalent with HBV genotypes A to G. However, it provides an efficient alternative for clinical diagnosis and large-scale studies.
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| 9. |
- Liu, Wen-Chun, et al.
(författare)
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Simultaneous quantification and genotyping of hepatitis B virus for genotypes A to G by real-time PCR and two-step melting curve analysis.
- 2006
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Ingår i: Journal of clinical microbiology. - 0095-1137. ; 44:12, s. 4491-7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Both the viral titer and the genotype significantly determine clinical outcomes and responses to antiviral treatment in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. A method was developed for large-scale A-to-G genotyping with simultaneous viral quantification. The assay was run on a LightCycler instrument using hybridization probes. The genotype was determined from the melting points of the probes in a two-step manner. Set 1 amplicons differentiated genotypes B, E, and F from A, C, D, and G and simultaneously quantified viremia by real-time PCR. Melting curve analysis using the set 2-1 amplicon or the set 2-2 amplicon reaction mixture was then used to differentiate these genotype groups into single genotypes. HBV DNA quantification was consistent with that of the Amplicor assay and linear in a range from 10(2) to 10(13) copies/ml. By comparison with the restriction fragment length polymorphism method, 92.3% of 441 samples were accurately genotyped by the current assay. The method should be useful for genotyping and quantification of HBV DNA in areas where all genotypes exist.
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| 10. |
- Yu, Ling-Zhu, et al.
(författare)
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MEK1/2 regulates microtubule organization, spindle pole tethering and asymmetric division during mouse oocyte meiotic maturation.
- 2007
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Ingår i: Cell cycle (Georgetown, Tex.). - 1551-4005. ; 6:3, s. 330-8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- It is well known that MAPK plays pivotal roles in oocyte maturation, but the function of MEK (MAPK kinase) remains unknown. We have studied the expression, subcellular localization and functional roles of MEK during meiotic maturation of mouse oocytes. Firstly, we found that MEK1/2 phoshorylation (p-MEK1/2, indicative of MEK activation) was low in GV (germinal vesicle) stage, increased 2h after GVBD (germinal vesicle breakdown), and reached the maximum at metaphase II. Secondly, we found that P-MEK1/2 was restricted in the GV prior to GVBD. In prometaphase I and metaphase I, P-MEK1/2 was mainly associated with the spindle, especially with the spindle poles. At anaphase I and telophase I, p-MEK1/2 became diffusely distributed in the region between the separating chromosomes, and then became associated with the midbody. The association of p-MEK1/2 with spindle poles was further confirmed by its colocalization with the centrosomal proteins, gamma-tubulin and NuMA. Thirdly, we have investigated the possible functional role of MEK1/2 activation by intravenous administration and intrabursal injection of a specific MEK inhibitor, U0126, and by microinjection of MEK siRNA into oocytes. All these manipulations cause disorganized spindle poles and spindle structure, misaligned chromosomes and larger than normal polar bodies. Our results suggest that MEK1/2 may function as a centrosomal protein and may have roles in microtubule organization, spindle pole tethering and asymmetric division during mouse oocyte maturation.
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