| 1. |
- Ameen, Carly, et al.
(author)
-
Specialized sledge dogs accompanied Inuit dispersal across the North American Arctic
- 2019
-
In: Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Biological Sciences. - : The Royal Society. - 0962-8452 .- 1471-2954. ; 286:1916
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Domestic dogs have been central to life in the North American Arctic for millennia. The ancestors of the Inuit were the first to introduce the widespread usage of dog sledge transportation technology to the Americas, but whether the Inuit adopted local Palaeo-Inuit dogs or introduced a new dog population to the region remains unknown. To test these hypotheses, we generated mitochondrial DNA and geometric morphometric data of skull and dental elements from a total of 922 North American Arctic dogs and wolves spanning over 4500 years. Our analyses revealed that dogs from Inuit sites dating from 2000 BP possess morphological and genetic signatures that distinguish them from earlier Palaeo-Inuit dogs, and identified a novel mitochondrial clade in eastern Siberia and Alaska. The genetic legacy of these Inuit dogs survives today in modern Arctic sledge dogs despite phenotypic differences between archaeological and modern Arctic dogs. Together, our data reveal that Inuit dogs derive from a secondary pre-contact migration of dogs distinct from Palaeo-Inuit dogs, and probably aided the Inuit expansion across the North American Arctic beginning around 1000 BP.
|
|
| 2. |
|
|
| 3. |
|
|
| 4. |
|
|
| 5. |
- Heinrich, A, et al.
(author)
-
Moraxella catarrhalis induces CEACAM3-Syk-Card9-dependent activation of human granulocytes
- 2016
-
In: Cellular Microbiology. - : Hindawi Limited. - 1462-5814 .- 1462-5822. ; 18:11, s. 1570-1582
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The human restricted pathogen Moraxella catarrhalis is an important causal agent for exacerbations in chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) in adults. In such patients, increased numbers of granulocytes are present in the airways, which correlate with bacteria-induced exacerbations and severity of the disease. Our study investigated whether the interaction of M. catarrhalis with the human granulocyte-specific carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule (CEACAM)-3 is linked to NF-κB activation, resulting in chemokine production. Granulocytes from healthy donors and NB4 cells were infected with M. catarrhalis in the presence of different inhibitors, blocking antibodies and siRNA. The supernatants were analysed by ELISA for chemokines. NF-κB activation was determined using a luciferase reporter gene assay and chromatin-immunoprecipitation. We found evidence that the specific engagement of CEACAM3 by Moraxella catarrhalis ubiquitous surface protein A1 (UspA1) results in the activation of pro-inflammatory events, such as degranulation of neutrophils, ROS production and chemokine secretion. The interaction of UspA1 with CEACAM3 induced the activation of the NF-κB pathway via Syk and the Card9 pathway and was dependent on the phosphorylation of the CEACAM3 ITAM -like motif. These findings suggest that the CEACAM3 signalling in neutrophils is able to specifically modulate airway inflammation caused by infection with M. catarrhalis.
|
|
| 6. |
|
|
| 7. |
|
|
| 8. |
- Manickam, Theeba, et al.
(author)
-
Biochar Application in Malaysian Sandy and Acid Sulfate Soils : Soil Amelioration Effects and Improved Crop Production over Two Cropping Seasons
- 2015
-
In: Sustainability. - : MDPI AG. - 2071-1050. ; 7:12, s. 16756-16770
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The use of biochar as an agricultural soil improvement was tested in acid sulfate and sandy soils from Malaysia, cropped with rice and corn. Malaysia has an abundance of waste rice husks that could be used to produce biochar. Rice husk biochar was produced in a gasifier at a local mill in Kelantan as well as in the laboratory using a controlled, specially designed, top lift up draft system (Belonio unit). Rice husk biochar was applied once to both soils at two doses (2% and 5%), in a pot set up that was carried out for two cropping seasons. Positive and significant crop yield effects were observed for both soils, biochars and crops. The yield effects varied with biochar type and dosage, with soil type and over the cropping seasons. The yield increases observed for the sandy soil were tentatively attributed to significant increases in plant-available water contents (from 4%-5% to 7%-8%). The yield effects in the acid sulfate soil were likely a consequence of a combination of (i) alleviation of plant root stress by aluminum (Ca/Al molar ratios significantly increased, from around 1 to 3-5) and (ii) increases in CEC. The agricultural benefits of rice husk biochar application to Malaysian soils holds promise for its future use.
|
|
| 9. |
- Mikus, Maria, et al.
(author)
-
Elevated levels of circulating CDH5 and FABP1 in association with human drug-induced liver injury
- 2016
-
In: Liver international. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1478-3223 .- 1478-3231. ; 37:1, s. 132-140
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background & Aims: The occurrence of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is a major issue in all phases of drug development. To identify novel biomarker candidates associated with DILI, we utilised an affinity proteomics strategy, where antibody suspension bead arrays were applied to profile plasma and serum samples from human DILI cases and controls. Methods: An initial screening was performed using 4594 randomly selected antibodies, representing 3450 human proteins. Resulting candidate proteins together with proposed DILI biomarker candidates generated a DILI array of 251 proteins for subsequent target analysis and verifications. In total, 1196 samples from 241 individuals across four independent cohorts were profiled: healthy volunteers receiving acetaminophen, patients with human immunodeficiency virus and/or tuberculosis receiving treatment, DILI cases originating from a wide spectrum of drugs, and healthy volunteers receiving heparins. Results: We observed elevated levels of cadherin 5, type 2 (CDH5) and fatty acid-binding protein 1 (FABP1) in DILI cases. In the two longitudinal cohorts, CDH5 was elevated already at baseline. FABP1 was elevated after treatment initiation and seemed to respond more rapidly than alanine aminotransferase (ALT). The elevations were verified in the DILI cases treated with various drugs. In the heparin cohort, CDH5 was stable over time whereas FABP1 was elevated. Conclusions: These results suggest that CDH5 may have value as a susceptibility marker for DILI. FABP1 was identified as a biomarker candidate with superior characteristics regarding tissue distribution and kinetics compared to ALT but likely with limited predictive value for the development of severe DILI. Further studies are needed to determine the clinical utility of the proposed markers.
|
|
