1. |
- Simmonds, P, et al.
(författare)
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Consensus proposals for a unified system of nomenclature of hepatitis C virus genotypes
- 2005
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Ingår i: Hepatology. - : Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health). - 1527-3350 .- 0270-9139. ; 42:4, s. 962-973
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- International standardization and coordination of the nomenclature of variants of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is increasingly needed as more is discovered about the scale of HCV-related liver disease and important biological and antigenic differences that exist between variants. A group of scientists expert in the field of HCV genetic variability, and those involved in development of HCV sequence databases, the Hepatitis Virus Database (Japan), euHCVdb (France), and Los Alamos (United States), met to re-examine the status of HCV genotype nomenclature, resolve conflicting genotype or subtype names among described variants of HCV, and draw up revised criteria for the assignment of new genotypes as they are discovered in the future. A comprehensive listing of all currently classified variants of HCV incorporates a number of agreed genotype and subtype name reassignments to create consistency in nomenclature. The paper also contains consensus proposals for the classification of new variants into genotypes and subtypes, which recognizes and incorporates new knowledge of HCV genetic diversity and epidemiology. A proposal was made that HCV variants be classified into 6 genotypes (representing the 6 genetic groups defined by phylogenetic analysis). Subtype name assignment will be either confirmed or provisional, depending on the availability of complete or partial nucleotide sequence data, or remain unassigned where fewer than 3 examples of a new subtype have been described. In conclusion, these proposals provide the framework by which the HCV databases store and provide access to data on HCV, which will internationally coordinate the assignment-of-new genotypes and subtypes in the future.
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2. |
- Dawson, George J., et al.
(författare)
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Prevalence studies of GB virus-C infection using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction
- 1996
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Ingår i: Journal of Medical Virology. - 1096-9071. ; 50:1, s. 97-103
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Among the three recently described GB viruses (GBV-A, GBV-B, and GBV-C), only GBV-C has been linked to cryptogenic hepatitis in man. Because of the limited utility of currently available research tests to determine antibody response to GBV-C proteins, the prevalence of GBV-C RNA in human sera was studied using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The prevalence of GBV-C is higher among volunteer blood donors with elevated serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels (3.9%) than among volunteer blood donors with normal ALT levels (0.8%). Higher rates were also noted among commercial blood donors (12.9%) and intravenous drug users (16.0%). GBV-C was frequently detected in residents of West Africa, where the prevalence was > 10% in most age groups. Approximately 20% of patients diagnosed with either acute or chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) were found to be positive for GBV-C RNA. In addition, GBV-C RNA sequences were detected in individuals diagnosed with non-A-E hepatitis, with clinical courses ranging from mild disease to fulminant hepatitis. Fourteen of sixteen subjects with or without clinically apparent hepatitis were positive for GBV-C RNA more than 1 year after the initial positive result.
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3. |
- Jerkeman, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Chronic hepatitis C in Swedish subjects receiving opiate substitution therapy-Factors associated with advanced fibrosis
- 2014
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Infectious Diseases. - : Informa Healthcare. - 0036-5548 .- 1651-1980. ; 46, s. 340-347
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Opiate substitution therapy (OST) reduces the risk of death from directly drug-related causes in heroin users, allowing other chronic health problems to emerge. People who inject drugs (PWID) are exposed to hepatitis C virus (HCV), with an associated risk of chronic liver disease. We investigated HCV prevalence and liver-related morbidity in a cohort of OST recipients, and analyzed factors associated with significant hepatic fibrosis. Methods: All patients registered on 1 April 2008 in 4 clinics providing OST in the 3 largest cities in Sweden were eligible for inclusion. HCV viremic subjects were evaluated for fibrosis stage by liver biopsy, transient elastometry (TE), and/or a biochemical fibrosis index (Göteborg University Cirrhosis Index; GUCI). Factors associated with severity of fibrosis were determined by logistic regression analysis. Results: Out of 524 eligible patients, 277 consented to enrolment. Two hundred and thirty-six subjects (88%) were anti-HCV-positive, and 162 of these were viremic (69%). Significant liver fibrosis (defined as Ishak stages F3-F6, TE value ≥ 8.85 kPa, or GUCI > 0.33) was found in 69 out of 103 (67%) tested viremic patients, and was associated with alcohol intake (p = 0.03), higher body mass index (BMI; p = 0.04), and the presence of anti-HBc antibodies (indicating exposure to hepatitis B virus (HBV); p = 0.02). Conclusions: Significant liver fibrosis was detected in two-thirds of HCV viremic OST recipients in this cohort, and was associated with alcohol use, high BMI, and exposure to HBV. These findings indicate that the management of HCV and associated risk factors should be emphasized in Swedish OST programs. © 2014 Informa Healthcare.
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4. |
- Jerkeman, A., et al.
(författare)
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Treatment for chronic hepatitis C in a cohort of opiate substitution therapy recipients in three Swedish cities - completion rates and efficacy
- 2014
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Ingår i: European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology. - : Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health). - 0954-691X. ; 26:5, s. 523-531
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives Opiate substitution treatment (OST) programs could provide opportunities for management of comorbidities, such as hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, in people who inject drugs. We aimed to prospectively evaluate the real-life feasibility of interferon/ribavirin-based HCV treatment in OST recipients, with a special focus on psychiatric status and health-related quality of life. Patients from a cohort of OST recipients from three cities in Sweden were selected for HCV treatment on the basis of structured investigation for HCV-related liver disease. Therapy was delivered in collaboration between infectious disease and OST clinics, with monitoring for completion and adherence, treatment response, adverse events, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) (SF-36) and signs of depression (MADRS-S), or relapse into drug abuse. The primary endpoint was completion of prescribed treatment; the secondary endpoints were sustained virological response (SVR), adherence, and incidence of depression. Among 69 patients with an indication for antiviral therapy, 41 initiated treatment; 34/41 (83%) completed treatment and 19/41 (46%) achieved SVR. Adequate adherence was observed in 29/41 patients (71%). Two serious adverse events occurred, including one death because of liver failure. Baseline scores for self-assessed health were low, with a significant reduction during treatment. Seventy-one percent of patients (29/41) fulfilled the criteria for clinically significant depression at some time point during treatment. Baseline scores for HRQoL/MADRS-S were associated with treatment completion, SVR, and depression during treatment. Despite the low HRQoL and the high occurrence of depression, HCV treatment was feasible and showed satisfactory rates of completion in this cohort of unselected OST recipients.
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5. |
- Meinander, K., et al.
(författare)
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Pseudopeptides with a centrally positioned alkene-based disulphide bridge mimetic stimulate kallikrein-related peptidase 3 activity
- 2013
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Ingår i: Medchemcomm. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2040-2503 .- 2040-2511. ; 4:3, s. 549-553
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Pseudopeptides based on the kallikrein-related peptidase 3 (KLK3) activating bicyclic peptide “C-4” comprising hydrocarbon-based disulphide bridge mimetics have been synthesized. After investigating different synthetic approaches, the pseudopeptides were successfully cyclized from two L-allylglycine side chains via an alkene ring-closing metathesis reaction during the peptide synthesis. The alkene-linker was formed in a 1 : 1 E/Z isomer ratio. The resulting pseudopeptides were almost as potent as the parent peptide, increasing the activity of KLK3 over four-fold at 200 μg ml−1 (130–140 μM) concentrations.
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7. |
- Brändström, B. U. E., et al.
(författare)
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Results from the intercalibration of optical low-light calibration sources 2011
- 2012
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Ingår i: Geoscientific Instrumentation, Methods and Data Systems. - : European Geosciences Union (EGU). - 2193-0856 .- 2193-0864. ; 1, s. 43-51
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Following the 38th Annual European Meeting on Atmospheric Studies by Optical Methods in Siuntio in Finland, an intercalibration workshop for optical low light calibration sources was held in Sodankylä, Finland. The main purpose of this workshop was to provide a comparable scale for absolute measurements of aurora and airglow. All sources brought to the intercalibration workshop were compared to the Fritz Peak reference source using the Lindau Calibration Photometer built by Wilhelm Barke and Hans Lauche in 1984. The results were compared to several earlier intercalibration workshops. It was found that most sources were fairly stable over time, with errors in the range of 5–25%. To further validate the results, two sources were also intercalibrated at UNIS, Longyearbyen, Svalbard. Preliminary analysis indicates agreement with the intercalibration in Sodankylä within about 15–25%.
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9. |
- Christensen, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Overexpression of the Ca2+-binding protein calreticulin in the endoplasmic reticulum improves growth of tobacco cell suspensions (Nicotiana tabacum) in high-Ca2+ medium
- 2005
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Ingår i: Physiologia Plantarum. - : Wiley. - 0031-9317 .- 1399-3054. ; 123:1, s. 92-99
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Calreticulin (CRT) is a eukaryotic, highly conserved, Ca2+-binding protein predominantly located in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) lumen. In addition to being involved in the regulation of cellular Ca2+, calreticulin is a key quality control element during protein folding in the ER lumen. Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) suspension cells overexpressing a maize CRT (CRT1a) were used here to examine the properties of CRT in growing plant cells with respect to stress exposure. The endogenous CRT gene was induced rapidly after subculturing of the cells to new medium. In accordance, the CRT protein levels increased, peaking at days 3-4. At day 5, when the CRT transcript levels had levelled off, a further increase in endogenous CRT expression was obtained when the cells were treated with excess Ca2+ or the N-linked glycosylation inhibitor tunicamycin. Whereas the response to Ca2+ occurred within 30 min, the induction by tunicamycin took several hours to be established. Transforming tobacco cells with maize CRT1a, under a constitutive mannopine synthase promoter, resulted in a stable level of expressed CRT1a during the growth cycle compared with endogenous CRT. The CRTs showed differences in attached glycans, but both contained the high mannose-rich-type glycans characteristic of ER proteins. In agreement with an ER location, both tobacco CRT and the transgene product CRT1a codistributed with the ER marker NADH cytochrome c reductase after density gradient centrifugation of microsomal fractions from tobacco cells. Increased production of CRT, as was obtained in the transgenic tobacco cell lines, made cells more tolerant than wild-type cells to high Ca2+ during growth. These data suggest that overexpression of CRT1a in plant cells results in a more efficient calcium buffering capacity in the ER.
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