| 1. |
|
|
| 2. |
- Fresard, Laure, et al.
(author)
-
Identification of rare-disease genes using blood transcriptome sequencing and large control cohorts
- 2019
-
In: Nature Medicine. - : NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP. - 1078-8956 .- 1546-170X. ; 25:6, s. 911-919
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- It is estimated that 350 million individuals worldwide suffer from rare diseases, which are predominantly caused by mutation in a single gene(1). The current molecular diagnostic rate is estimated at 50%, with whole-exome sequencing (WES) among the most successful approaches(2-5). For patients in whom WES is uninformative, RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) has shown diagnostic utility in specific tissues and diseases(6-8). This includes muscle biopsies from patients with undiagnosed rare muscle disorders(6,9), and cultured fibroblasts from patients with mitochondrial disorders(7). However, for many individuals, biopsies are not performed for clinical care, and tissues are difficult to access. We sought to assess the utility of RNA-seq from blood as a diagnostic tool for rare diseases of different pathophysiologies. We generated whole-blood RNA-seq from 94 individuals with undiagnosed rare diseases spanning 16 diverse disease categories. We developed a robust approach to compare data from these individuals with large sets of RNA-seq data for controls (n = 1,594 unrelated controls and n = 49 family members) and demonstrated the impacts of expression, splicing, gene and variant filtering strategies on disease gene identification. Across our cohort, we observed that RNA-seq yields a 7.5% diagnostic rate, and an additional 16.7% with improved candidate gene resolution.
|
|
| 3. |
- Natali, S. M., et al.
(author)
-
Large loss of CO2 in winter observed across the northern permafrost region
- 2019
-
In: Nature Climate Change. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1758-678X .- 1758-6798. ; 9:11, s. 852-857
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Recent warming in the Arctic, which has been amplified during the winter(1-3), greatly enhances microbial decomposition of soil organic matter and subsequent release of carbon dioxide (CO2)(4). However, the amount of CO2 released in winter is not known and has not been well represented by ecosystem models or empirically based estimates(5,6). Here we synthesize regional in situ observations of CO2 flux from Arctic and boreal soils to assess current and future winter carbon losses from the northern permafrost domain. We estimate a contemporary loss of 1,662 TgC per year from the permafrost region during the winter season (October-April). This loss is greater than the average growing season carbon uptake for this region estimated from process models (-1,032 TgC per year). Extending model predictions to warmer conditions up to 2100 indicates that winter CO2 emissions will increase 17% under a moderate mitigation scenario-Representative Concentration Pathway 4.5-and 41% under business-as-usual emissions scenario-Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5. Our results provide a baseline for winter CO2 emissions from northern terrestrial regions and indicate that enhanced soil CO2 loss due to winter warming may offset growing season carbon uptake under future climatic conditions.
|
|
| 4. |
|
|
| 5. |
- Andersson, Evelyn, et al.
(author)
-
Genetics of response to cognitive behavior therapy in adults with major depression : a preliminary report
- 2019
-
In: Molecular Psychiatry. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 1359-4184 .- 1476-5578. ; 24:4, s. 484-490
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Major depressive disorder is heritable and a leading cause of disability. Cognitive behavior therapy is an effective treatment for major depression. By quantifying genetic risk scores based on common genetic variants, the aim of this report was to explore the utility of psychiatric and cognitive trait genetic risk scores, for predicting the response of 894 adults with major depressive disorder to cognitive behavior therapy. The participants were recruited in a psychiatric setting, and the primary outcome score was measured using the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale-Self Rated. Single-nucleotide polymorphism genotyping arrays were used to calculate the genomic risk scores based on large genetic studies of six phenotypes: major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, intelligence, and educational attainment. Linear mixed-effect models were used to test the relationships between the six genetic risk scores and cognitive behavior therapy outcome. Our analyses yielded one significant interaction effect (B = 0.09, p < 0.001): the autism spectrum disorder genetic risk score correlated with Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale-Self Rated changes during treatment, and the higher the autism spectrum disorder genetic load, the less the depressive symptoms decreased over time. The genetic risk scores for the other psychiatric and cognitive traits were not related to depressive symptom severity or change over time. Our preliminary results indicated, as expected, that the genomics of the response of patients with major depression to cognitive behavior therapy were complex and that future efforts should aim to maximize sample size and limit subject heterogeneity in order to gain a better understanding of the use of genetic risk factors to predict treatment outcome.
|
|
| 6. |
- Dittrich, Christian, et al.
(author)
-
ESMO / ASCO Recommendations for a Global Curriculum in Medical Oncology Edition 2016
- 2016
-
In: ESMO Open. - : Elsevier BV. - 2059-7029. ; 1:5
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) are publishing a new edition of the ESMO/ ASCO Global Curriculum (GC) thanks to contribution of 64 ESMOappointed and 32 ASCO-appointed authors. First published in 2004 and updated in 2010, the GC edition 2016 answers to the need for updated recommendations for the training of physicians in medical oncology by defining the standard to be fulfilled to qualify as medical oncologists. At times of internationalisation of healthcare and increased mobility of patients and physicians, the GC aims to provide state-of-the-art cancer care to all patients wherever they live. Recent progress in the field of cancer research has indeed resulted in diagnostic and therapeutic innovations such as targeted therapies as a standard therapeutic approach or personalised cancer medicine specialised training for medical oncology trainees. Thus, several new chapters on technical contents such as molecular pathology, translational research or molecular imaging and on conceptual attitudes towards human principles like genetic counselling or survivorship have been integrated in the GC. The GC edition 2016 consists of 12 sections with 17 subsections, 44 chapters and 35 subchapters, respectively. Besides renewal in its contents, the GC underwent a principal formal change taking into consideration modern didactic principles. It is presented in a template-based format that subcategorises the detailed outcome requirements into learning objectives, awareness, knowledge and skills. Consecutive steps will be those of harmonising and implementing teaching and assessment strategies.
|
|
| 7. |
|
|
| 8. |
- Kehoe, Laura, et al.
(author)
-
Make EU trade with Brazil sustainable
- 2019
-
In: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 364:6438, s. 341-
-
Journal article (other academic/artistic)
|
|
| 9. |
- Lam, Matti, et al.
(author)
-
Single cell analysis of autism patient with bi-allelic NRXN1-alpha deletion reveals skewed fate choice in neural progenitors and impaired neuronal functionality
- 2019
-
In: Experimental Cell Research. - : Elsevier BV. - 0014-4827 .- 1090-2422. ; 383:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We generated human iPS derived neural stem cells and differentiated cells from healthy control individuals and an individual with autism spectrum disorder carrying bi-allelic NRXN1-alpha deletion. We investigated the expression of NRXN1-alpha during neural induction and neural differentiation and observed a pivotal role for NRXN1-alpha during early neural induction and neuronal differentiation. Single cell RNA-seq pinpointed neural stem cells carrying NRXN1-alpha deletion shifting towards radial glia-like cell identity and revealed higher proportion of differentiated astroglia. Furthermore, neuronal cells carrying NRXN1-alpha deletion were identified as immature by single cell RNA-seq analysis, displayed significant depression in calcium signaling activity and presented impaired maturation action potential profile in neurons investigated with electrophysiology. Our observations propose NRXN1-alpha plays an important role for the efficient establishment of neural stem cells, in neuronal differentiation and in maturation of functional excitatory neuronal cells.
|
|
| 10. |
- Magnusson, Patrik K. E., et al.
(author)
-
One CNV Discordance in NRXN1 Observed Upon Genome-wide Screening in 38 Pairs of Adult Healthy Monozygotic Twins
- 2016
-
In: Twin Research and Human Genetics. - : Cambridge University Press (CUP). - 1832-4274 .- 1839-2628. ; 19:2, s. 97-103
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Monozygotic (MZ) twins stem from the same single fertilized egg and therefore share all their inherited genetic variation. This is one of the unequivocal facts on which genetic epidemiology and twin studies are based. To what extent this also implies that MZ twins share genotypes in adult tissues is not precisely established, but a common pragmatic assumption is that MZ twins are 100% genetically identical also in adult tissues. During the past decade, this view has been challenged by several reports, with observations of differences in post-zygotic copy number variations (CNVs) between members of the same MZ pair. In this study, we performed a systematic search for differences of CNVs within 38 adult MZ pairs who had been misclassified as dizygotic (DZ) twins by questionnaire-based assessment. Initial scoring by PennCNV suggested a total of 967 CNV discor dances. The within-pair correlation in number of CNVs detected was strongly dependent on confidence score filtering and reached a plateau of r = 0.8 when restricting to CNVs detected with confidence score larger than 50. The top-ranked discordances were subsequently selected for validation by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), from which one single similar to 120kb deletion in NRXN1 on chromosome 2 (bp 51017111-51136802) was validated. Despite involving an exon, no sign of cognitive/mental consequences was apparent in the affected twin pair, potentially reflecting limited or lack of expression of the transcripts containing this exon in nerve/brain.
|
|
| 11. |
- Njølstad, Pål Rasmus, et al.
(author)
-
Roadmap for a precision-medicine initiative in the Nordic region
- 2019
-
In: Nature Genetics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1061-4036 .- 1546-1718.
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Nordic region, comprising primarily Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, has many of the necessary characteristics for being at the forefront of genome-based precision medicine. These include egalitarian and universal healthcare, expertly curated patient and population registries, biobanks, large population-based prospective cohorts linked to registries and biobanks, and a widely embraced sense of social responsibility that motivates public engagement in biomedical research. However, genome-based precision medicine can be achieved only through coordinated action involving all actors in the healthcare sector. Now is an opportune time to organize scientists in the Nordic region, together with other stakeholders including patient representatives, governments, pharmaceutical companies, academic institutions and funding agencies, to initiate a Nordic Precision Medicine Initiative. We present a roadmap for how this organization can be created. The Initiative should facilitate research, clinical trials and knowledge transfer to meet regional and global health challenges.
|
|
| 12. |
- Szatkiewicz, Jin, et al.
(author)
-
The genomics of major psychiatric disorders in a large pedigree from Northern Sweden
- 2019
-
In: Translational Psychiatry. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 2158-3188. ; 9
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We searched for genetic causes of major psychiatric disorders (bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder, and schizophrenia) in a large, densely affected pedigree from Northern Sweden that originated with three pairs of founders born around 1650. We applied a systematic genomic approach to the pedigree via karyotyping (N = 9), genome-wide SNP arrays (N = 418), whole-exome sequencing (N = 26), and whole-genome sequencing (N = 10). Comprehensive analysis did not identify plausible variants of strong effect. Rather, pedigree cases had significantly higher genetic risk scores compared to pedigree and community controls.
|
|
| 13. |
- Viktorin, Alexander, et al.
(author)
-
Heritability of perinatal depression and genetic overlap with nonperinatal depression
- 2016
-
In: The American Journal of Psychiatry. - Stockholm : Karolinska Institutet, Dept of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics. - 0002-953X .- 1535-7228.
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: The authors investigated the relative importance of genetic and environmental influences on perinatal depression, and the genetic overlap between perinatal depression and nonperinatal depression. METHOD: Analyses were conducted using structural equation modeling for 1) the lifetime version of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale in 3,427 Swedish female twins and 2) clinical diagnoses of depression separated into perinatal depression and nonperinatal depression in a Swedish population-based cohort of 580,006 sisters. RESULTS: In the twin study, the heritability of perinatal depression was estimated at 54% (95% CI=35%-70%), with the remaining variance attributable to nonshared environment (46%; 95% CI=31%-65%). In the sibling design, the heritability of perinatal depression was estimated at 44% (95% CI=35%-52%) and the heritability of nonperinatal depression at 32% (95% CI=24%-41%). Bivariate analysis showed that 14% of the total variance (or 33% of the genetic variance) in perinatal depression was unique for perinatal depression. CONCLUSIONS: The heritability of perinatal depression was estimated at 54% and 44%, respectively, in separate samples, and the heritability of nonperinatal depression at 32%. One-third of the genetic contribution was unique to perinatal depression and not shared with nonperinatal depression, suggesting only partially overlapping genetic etiologies for perinatal depression and nonperinatal depression. The authors suggest that perinatal depression constitutes a subset of depression that could be prioritized for genomic discovery efforts. The study findings have direct translational impact that can assist clinicians in the counseling of their patients regarding risk and prognosis of perinatal depression.
|
|
