| 1. |
- Schael, S, et al.
(author)
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Precision electroweak measurements on the Z resonance
- 2006
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In: Physics Reports. - : Elsevier BV. - 0370-1573 .- 1873-6270. ; 427:5-6, s. 257-454
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report on the final electroweak measurements performed with data taken at the Z resonance by the experiments operating at the electron-positron colliders SLC and LEP. The data consist of 17 million Z decays accumulated by the ALEPH, DELPHI, L3 and OPAL experiments at LEP, and 600 thousand Z decays by the SLID experiment using a polarised beam at SLC. The measurements include cross-sections, forward-backward asymmetries and polarised asymmetries. The mass and width of the Z boson, m(Z) and Gamma(Z), and its couplings to fermions, for example the p parameter and the effective electroweak mixing angle for leptons, are precisely measured: m(Z) = 91.1875 +/- 0.0021 GeV, Gamma(Z) = 2.4952 +/- 0.0023 GeV, rho(l) = 1.0050 +/- 0.0010, sin(2)theta(eff)(lept) = 0.23153 +/- 0.00016. The number of light neutrino species is determined to be 2.9840 +/- 0.0082, in agreement with the three observed generations of fundamental fermions. The results are compared to the predictions of the Standard Model (SM). At the Z-pole, electroweak radiative corrections beyond the running of the QED and QCD coupling constants are observed with a significance of five standard deviations, and in agreement with the Standard Model. Of the many Z-pole measurements, the forward-backward asymmetry in b-quark production shows the largest difference with respect to its SM expectation, at the level of 2.8 standard deviations. Through radiative corrections evaluated in the framework of the Standard Model, the Z-pole data are also used to predict the mass of the top quark, m(t) = 173(+10)(+13) GeV, and the mass of the W boson, m(W) = 80.363 +/- 0.032 GeV. These indirect constraints are compared to the direct measurements, providing a stringent test of the SM. Using in addition the direct measurements of m(t) and m(W), the mass of the as yet unobserved SM Higgs boson is predicted with a relative uncertainty of about 50% and found to be less than 285 GeV at 95% confidence level. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 2. |
- Aktas, A, et al.
(author)
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Inclusive production of D+, D-0, D-s(+) and D*(+) mesons in deep inelastic scattering at HERA
- 2005
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In: European Physical Journal C. Particles and Fields. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1434-6044. ; 38:4, s. 447-459
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Inclusive production cross sections are measured in deep inelastic scattering at HERA for meson states composed of a charm quark and a light antiquark or the charge conjugate. The measurements cover the kinematic region of photon virtuality 2 < Q(2) < 100 GeV2, inelasticity 0.05 < y < 0.7, D meson transverse momenta p(t)( D) greater than or equal to 2.5 GeV and pseudorapidity |eta( D)| less than or equal to 1.5. The identification of the D-meson decays and the reduction of the combinatorial background profit from the reconstruction of displaced secondary vertices by means of the H1 silicon vertex detector. The production of charmed mesons containing the light quarks u, d and s is found to be compatible with a description in which the hard scattering is followed by a factorisable and universal hadronisation process.
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| 3. |
- Aktas, A, et al.
(author)
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Measurement of prompt photon cross sections in photoproduction at HERA
- 2005
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In: European Physical Journal C. Particles and Fields. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1434-6044. ; 38:4, s. 437-445
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Results are presented on the photoproduction of isolated prompt photons, inclusively and associated with jets, in the gammap center of mass energy range 142 < W < 266 GeV. The cross sections are measured for the transverse momentum range of the photons 5 < E. T < 10 GeV and for associated jets with E-T(jet) > 4.5 GeV. They are measured differentially as a function of E-T(gamma), E-T(jet), the pseudorapidities eta(gamma) and eta(jet) and estimators of the momentum fractions x(gamma) and x(p) of the incident photon and proton carried by the constituents participating in the hard process. In order to further investigate the underlying dynamics, the angular correlation between the prompt photon and the jet in the transverse plane is studied. Predictions by perturbative QCD calculations in next to leading order are about 30% below the inclusive prompt photon data after corrections for hadronisation and multiple interactions, but are in reasonable agreement with the results for prompt photons associated with jets. Comparisons with the predictions of the event generators PYTHIA and HERWIG are also presented.
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| 4. |
- Power, M. J., et al.
(author)
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Changes in fire regimes since the Last Glacial Maximum : an assessment based on a global synthesis and analysis of charcoal data
- 2008
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In: Climate Dynamics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0930-7575 .- 1432-0894. ; 30:7-8, s. 887-907
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Fire activity has varied globally and continuously since the last glacial maximum (LGM) in response to long-term changes in global climate and shorter-term regional changes in climate, vegetation, and human land use. We have synthesized sedimentary charcoal records of biomass burning since the LGM and present global maps showing changes in fire activity for time slices during the past 21,000 years (as differences in charcoal accumulation values compared to pre-industrial). There is strong broad-scale coherence in fire activity after the LGM, but spatial heterogeneity in the signals increases thereafter. In North America, Europe and southern South America, charcoal records indicate less-than-present fire activity during the deglacial period, from 21,000 to ∼11,000 cal yr BP. In contrast, the tropical latitudes of South America and Africa show greater-than-present fire activity from ∼19,000 to ∼17,000 cal yr BP and most sites from Indochina and Australia show greater-than-present fire activity from 16,000 to ∼13,000 cal yr BP. Many sites indicate greater-than-present or near-present activity during the Holocene with the exception of eastern North America and eastern Asia from 8,000 to ∼3,000 cal yr BP, Indonesia and Australia from 11,000 to 4,000 cal yr BP, and southern South America from 6,000 to 3,000 cal yr BP where fire activity was less than present. Regional coherence in the patterns of change in fire activity was evident throughout the post-glacial period. These complex patterns can largely be explained in terms of large-scale climate controls modulated by local changes in vegetation and fuel load.
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| 5. |
- Shein, K.A., et al.
(author)
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State of the Climate in 2005
- 2006
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In: Bulletin of American Meteorological Society. ; 87:6, s. 1-102
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)
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| 6. |
- Birney, Ewan, et al.
(author)
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Prepublication data sharing
- 2009
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In: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 461:7261, s. 168-170
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Rapid release of prepublication data has served the field of genomics well. Attendees at a workshop in Toronto recommend extending the practice to other biological data sets.
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| 7. |
- Nene, Vishvanath, et al.
(author)
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Genome sequence of Aedes aegypti, a major arbovirus vector.
- 2007
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In: Science (New York, N.Y.). - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 1095-9203 .- 0036-8075. ; 316:5832, s. 1718-23
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present a draft sequence of the genome of Aedes aegypti, the primary vector for yellow fever and dengue fever, which at approximately 1376 million base pairs is about 5 times the size of the genome of the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae. Nearly 50% of the Ae. aegypti genome consists of transposable elements. These contribute to a factor of approximately 4 to 6 increase in average gene length and in sizes of intergenic regions relative to An. gambiae and Drosophila melanogaster. Nonetheless, chromosomal synteny is generally maintained among all three insects, although conservation of orthologous gene order is higher (by a factor of approximately 2) between the mosquito species than between either of them and the fruit fly. An increase in genes encoding odorant binding, cytochrome P450, and cuticle domains relative to An. gambiae suggests that members of these protein families underpin some of the biological differences between the two mosquito species.
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Berman, F., et al.
(author)
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New grid scheduling and rescheduling methods in the GrADS Project
- 2005
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In: International journal of parallel programming. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0885-7458 .- 1573-7640. ; 33:3-Feb, s. 209-229
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The goal of the Grid Application Development Software (GrADS) Project is to provide programming tools and an execution environment to ease program development for the Grid. This paper presents recent extensions to the GrADS software framework: a new approach to scheduling workflow computations, applied to a 3-D image reconstruction application; a simple stop/migrate/restart approach to rescheduling Grid applications, applied to a QR factorization benchmark; and a process-swapping approach to rescheduling, applied to an N-body simulation. Experiments validating these methods were carried out on both the GrADS MacroGrid (a small but functional Grid) and the MicroGrid (a controlled emulation of the Grid).
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| 11. |
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| 12. |
- Kennedy, L J, et al.
(author)
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Association of canine hypothyroidism with a common major histocompatibility complex DLA class II allele.
- 2006
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In: Tissue Antigens. - : Wiley. - 0001-2815 .- 1399-0039. ; 68:1, s. 82-6
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Dogs exhibit a range of immune-mediated conditions including a lymphocytic thyroiditis which has many similarities to Hashimoto's thyroiditis in man. We have recently reported an association in Doberman Pinschers between canine hypothyroidism and a rare DLA class II haplotype that contains the DLA-DQA1*00101 allele. We now report a further series of 173 hypothyroid dogs in a range of breeds where a significant association with DLA-DQA1*00101 is shown.
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| 13. |
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| 14. |
- Rao, Fangwen, et al.
(author)
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Catecholamine release-inhibitory peptide catestatin (chromogranin A352-372) : Naturally occurring amino acid variant Gly364Ser causes profound changes in human autonomic activity and alters risk for hypertension
- 2007
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In: Circulation. - 0009-7322 .- 1524-4539. ; 115:17, s. 2271-2281
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND - Chromogranin A, coreleased with catecholamines by exocytosis, is cleaved to the catecholamine release-inhibitory fragment catestatin. We identified a natural nonsynonymous variant of catestatin, Gly364Ser, that alters human autonomic function and blood pressure. METHODS AND RESULTS - Gly364Ser heterozygotes and controls underwent physiological and biochemical phenotyping, including catecholamine production, chromogranin A precursor, and its catestatin product. Case-control studies replicated effects of the gene on blood pressure in the population. Gly364Ser displayed diminished inhibition of catecholamine secretion from cultured neurons. Gly/Ser heterozygotes displayed increased baroreceptor slope during upward deflections (by ≈47%) and downward deflections (by ≈44%), increased cardiac parasympathetic index (by ≈2.4-fold), and decreased cardiac sympathetic index (by ≈26%). Renal norepinephrine excretion was diminished by ≈26% and epinephrine excretion by ≈34% in Gly/Ser heterozygotes. The coalescent dated emergence of the variant to ≈70 000 years ago. Gly364Ser was in linkage disequilibrium with 1 major Chromogranin A promoter haplotype, although promoter haplotypes did not predict autonomic phenotypes. The 364Ser variant was associated with lower diastolic blood pressure in 2 independent/confirmatory groups of patients with hypertension; genotype groups differed by ≈5 to 6 mm Hg, and the polymorphism accounted for ≈1.8% of population diastolic blood pressure variance, although a significant gene-by-sex interaction existed, with an enhanced effect in men. CONCLUSIONS - The catestatin Gly364Ser variant causes profound changes in human autonomic activity, both parasympathetic and sympathetic, and seems to reduce risk of developing hypertension, especially in men. A model for catestatin action in the baroreceptor center of the nucleus of the tractus solitarius accounts for these actions.
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| 15. |
- Tjonneland, A., et al.
(author)
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Linoleic acid, a dietary n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid, and the aetiology of ulcerative colitis: a nested case-control study within a European prospective cohort study
- 2009
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In: Gut. - : BMJ. - 1468-3288 .- 0017-5749. ; 58:12, s. 1606-1611
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: Dietary linoleic acid, an n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid, is metabolised to arachidonic acid, a component of colonocyte membranes. Metabolites of arachidonic acid have pro-inflammatory properties and are increased in the mucosa of patients with ulcerative colitis. The aim of this investigation was to conduct the first prospective cohort study investigating if a high dietary intake of linoleic acid increases the risk of developing incident ulcerative colitis. Design and setting: Dietary data from food frequency questionnaires were available for 203 193 men and women aged 30-74 years, resident in the UK, Sweden, Denmark, Germany or Italy and participating in a prospective cohort study, the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). These participants were followed up for the diagnosis of ulcerative colitis. Each case was matched with four controls and the risk of disease calculated by quartile of intake of linoleic acid adjusted for gender, age, smoking, total energy intake and centre. Results: A total of 126 participants developed ulcerative colitis (47% women) after a median follow-up of 4.0 years (range, 1.7-11.3 years). The highest quartile of intake of linoleic acid was associated with an increased risk of ulcerative colitis (odds ratio (OR) = 2.49, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.23 to 5.07, p = 0.01) with a significant trend across quartiles (OR = 1.32 per quartile increase, 95% CI = 1.04 to 1.66, p = 0.02 for trend). Conclusions: The data support a role for dietary linoleic acid in the aetiology of ulcerative colitis. An estimated 30% of cases could be attributed to having dietary intakes higher than the lowest quartile of linoleic acid intake.
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| 16. |
- Zock, Jan-Paul, et al.
(author)
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The use of household cleaning sprays and adult asthma : an international longitudinal study
- 2007
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In: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. - 1073-449X .- 1535-4970. ; 176:8, s. 735-741
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Rationale: Cleaning work and professional use of certain cleaning products have been associated with asthma, but respiratory effects of nonprofessional home cleaning have rarely been studied. Objectives: To investigate the risk of new-onset asthma in relation to the use of common household cleaners. Methods: Within the follow-up of the European Community Respiratory Health Survey in 10 countries, we identified 3,503 persons doing the cleaning in their homes and who were free of asthma at baseline. Frequency of use of 15 types of cleaning products was obtained in a face-to-face interview at follow-up. We studied the incidence of asthma defined as physician diagnosis and as symptoms or medication usage at follow-up. Associations between asthma and the use of cleaning products were evaluated using multivariable Cox proportional hazards or log-binomial regression analysis. Measurements and Main Results: The use of cleaning sprays at least weekly (42% of participants) was associated with the incidence of asthma symptoms or medication (relative risk [RR], 1.49; 95% confidence interval [Cl], 1.12-1.99) and wheeze (RR, 1.39; 95% Cl, 1.06-1.80). The incidence of physician-diagnosed asthma was higher among those using sprays at least 4 days per week (RR, 2.11; 95% Cl, 1.15-3.89). These associations were consistent for subgroups and not modified by atopy. Dose-response relationships (P < 0.05) were apparent for the frequency of use and the number of different sprays. Risks were predominantly found for the commonly used glass-cleaning, furniture, and air-refreshing sprays. Cleaning products not applied in spray form were not associated with asthma. Conclusions: Frequent use of common household cleaning sprays may be an important risk factor for adult asthma.
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| 17. |
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| 18. |
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| 19. |
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| 20. |
- Granville, S, et al.
(author)
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Optical conductivity and x-ray absorption and emission study of the band structure of MnN films
- 2005
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In: Physical Review B. Condensed Matter and Materials Physics. - 1098-0121 .- 1550-235X. ; 72:20, s. 205127-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The band structure of MnN films prepared by ion assisted deposition has been investigated by optical conductivity and x-ray absorption and emission spectroscopies. X-ray diffraction and extended x-ray absorption fine structure show the films to be nanocrystalline but phase pure and exhibiting the known antiferromagnetic distorted rocksalt phase. X-ray emission spectroscopy of the N K-edge and x-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy of both the N K- and Mn L-edges are used to probe the occupied and empty densities of states, which compare well with the N(2p) and Mn(3d) partial densities of states calculated using the linearized muffin-tin orbital band structure method. A similar comparison is made between the measured optical conductivity and the calculated contribution from interband transitions. It is possible to associate the main features in the measured spectrum with corresponding ones in the calculated optical function. The major differences between calculated and measured spectra can be understood on the basis of a limited electron mean-free-path in these nanocrystalline films, which broadens the features in the joint density of states and relaxes the momentum conservation requirement. The calculated optical functions are analyzed in detail in terms of their dominant band-to-band contributions and in addition the polarization dependence is predicted. Temperature dependent conductivity measurements are also reported and show a clear metallic behavior and a weak Kondo-like low temperature anomaly.
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| 21. |
- Hart, Andrew R, et al.
(author)
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Diet in the aetiology of ulcerative colitis: A European prospective cohort study
- 2008
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In: Digestion. - : S. Karger AG. - 1421-9867 .- 0012-2823. ; 77:1, s. 57-64
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background/Aims: The causes of ulcerative colitis are unknown, although it is plausible that dietary factors are involved. Case-control studies of diet and ulcerative colitis are subject to recall biases. The aim of this study was to examine the prospective relationship between the intake of nutrients and the development of ulcerative colitis in a cohort study. Methods: The study population was 260,686 men and women aged 20-80 years, participating in a large European prospective cohort study (EPIC). Participants were residents in the UK, Sweden, Denmark, Germany or Italy. Information on diet was supplied and the subjects were followed up for the development of ulcerative colitis. Each incident case was matched with four controls and dietary variables were divided into quartiles. Results: A total of 139 subjects with incident ulcerative colitis were identified. No dietary associations were detected, apart from a marginally significant positive association with an increasing percentage intake of energy from total polyunsaturated fatty acids (trend across quartiles OR = 1.19 (95% CI = 0.99-1.43) p = 0.07). Conclusions: No associations between ulcerative colitis and diet were detected, apart from a possible increased risk with a higher total polyunsaturated fatty acid intake. A biological mechanism exists in that polyunsaturated fatty acids are metabolised to pro-inflammatory mediators.
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| 22. |
- Kogevinas, Manolis, et al.
(author)
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Exposure to substances in the workplace and new-onset asthma : an international prospective population-based study (ECRHS-II)
- 2007
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In: The Lancet. - 0140-6736 .- 1474-547X. ; 370:9584, s. 336-341
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background The role of exposure to substances in the workplace in new-onset asthma is not well characterised in population-based studies. We therefore aimed to estimate the relative and attributable risks of new-onset asthma in relation to occupations, work-related exposures, and inhalation accidents. Methods We studied prospectively 6837 participants from 13 countries who previously took part in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (1990-95) and did not report respiratory symptoms or a history of asthma at the time of the first study. Asthma was assessed by methacholine challenge test and by questionnaire data on asthma symptoms. Exposures were defined by high-risk occupations, an asthma-specific job exposure matrix with additional expert judgment, and through self-report of acute inhalation events. Relative risks for new onset asthma were calculated with log-binomial models adjusted for age, sex, smoking, and study Centre. Findings A significant excess asthma risk was seen after exposure to substances known to cause occupational asthma (Relative risk=1.6, 95% CI 1.1-2.3, p=0.017). Risks were highest for asthma defined by bronchial hyper-reactivity in addition to symptoms (2.4,1.3-4.6, p=0.008). Of common occupations, a significant excess risk of asthma was seen for nursing (2.2,1.3-4.0, p=0.007). Asthma risk was also increased in participants who reported an acute symptomatic inhalation event such as fire, mixing cleaning products, or chemical spills (RR=3.3, 95% CI 1.0-11.1, p=0.051). The population-attributable risk for adult asthma due to occupational exposures ranged from 10% to 25%, equivalent to an incidence of new-onset occupational asthma of 250-300 cases per million people per year. Interpretation Occupational exposures account for a substantial proportion of adult asthma incidence. The increased risk of asthma after inhalation accidents suggests that workers who have such accidents should be monitored closely.
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| 23. |
- Miller, Todd W, et al.
(author)
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Loss of Phosphatase and Tensin Homologue Deleted on Chromosome 10 Engages ErbB3 and Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I Receptor Signaling to Promote Antiestrogen Resistance in Breast Cancer
- 2009
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In: CANCER RESEARCH. - 0008-5472. ; 69:10, s. 4192-4201
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Knockdown of the tumor suppressor phosphatase Phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) with shRNA in three estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer cell lines resulted in increased phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K) and AKT activities, resistance to tamoxifen and fulvestrant, and hormone-independent growth. PTEN knockdown induced the up-regulation of ER transcriptional activity in MCF-7 cells but decreased ER protein levels and transcriptional activity in T47D and MDA-361 cells. Tamoxifen and fulvestrant treatment inhibited estradiol-induced Ell transcriptional activity in all shPTEN cell lines but did not abrogate the increased cell proliferation induced by PTEN knockdown. PTEN knockdown increased basal and ligand-induced activation of the insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and ErbB3 receptor tyrosine kinases, and prolonged the association of the p85 PI3K subunit with the IGF-I receptor (IGF-IR) effector insulin receptor substrate-1 and with ErbB3, implicating VITA in the modulation of Signaling upstream of PI3K. Consistent with these data, PTEN levels inversely correlated with levels of tyrosine-phosphorylated IGF-IR in tissue lysate arrays of primary breast cancers. Inhibition of IGF-IR and/or ErbB2-mediated activation of ErbB3 with tyrosine kinase inhibitors restored hormone dependence and the growth inhibitory effect of tamoxifen and fulvestrant. oil shPTEN cells, suggesting that cotargeting both Ell and receptor tyrosine kinase pathways holds promise for the treatment of patients with ER+, PTEN-deficient breast cancers.
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| 24. |
- Worley, K., et al.
(author)
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Single locus typing of MHC class I and class II B loci in a population of red jungle fowl
- 2008
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In: Immunogenetics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0093-7711 .- 1432-1211. ; 60:5, s. 233-247
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In species with duplicated major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes, estimates of genetic variation often rely on multilocus measures of diversity. It is possible that such measures might not always detect more detailed patterns of selection at individual loci. Here, we describe a method that allows us to investigate classical MHC diversity in red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus), the wild ancestor of the domestic chicken, using a single locus approach. This is possible due to the well-characterised gene organisation of the 'minimal essential' MHC (BF/BL region) of the domestic chicken, which comprises two differentially expressed duplicated class I (BF) and two class II B (BLB) genes. Using a combination of reference strand-mediated conformation analysis, cloning and sequencing, we identify nine BF and ten BLB alleles in a captive population of jungle fowl. We show that six BF and five BLB alleles are from the more highly expressed locus of each gene, BF2 and BLB2, respectively. An excess of non-synonymous substitutions across the jungle fowl BF/BL region suggests that diversifying selection has acted on this population. Importantly, single locus screening reveals that the strength of selection is greatest on the highly expressed BF2 locus. This is the first time that a population of red jungle fowl has been typed at the MHC region, laying the basis for further research into the underlying processes acting to maintain MHC diversity in this and other species. © 2008 Springer-Verlag.
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