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- Campbell, PJ, et al.
(author)
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Pan-cancer analysis of whole genomes
- 2020
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In: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1476-4687 .- 0028-0836. ; 578:7793, s. 82-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Cancer is driven by genetic change, and the advent of massively parallel sequencing has enabled systematic documentation of this variation at the whole-genome scale1–3. Here we report the integrative analysis of 2,658 whole-cancer genomes and their matching normal tissues across 38 tumour types from the Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium of the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We describe the generation of the PCAWG resource, facilitated by international data sharing using compute clouds. On average, cancer genomes contained 4–5 driver mutations when combining coding and non-coding genomic elements; however, in around 5% of cases no drivers were identified, suggesting that cancer driver discovery is not yet complete. Chromothripsis, in which many clustered structural variants arise in a single catastrophic event, is frequently an early event in tumour evolution; in acral melanoma, for example, these events precede most somatic point mutations and affect several cancer-associated genes simultaneously. Cancers with abnormal telomere maintenance often originate from tissues with low replicative activity and show several mechanisms of preventing telomere attrition to critical levels. Common and rare germline variants affect patterns of somatic mutation, including point mutations, structural variants and somatic retrotransposition. A collection of papers from the PCAWG Consortium describes non-coding mutations that drive cancer beyond those in the TERT promoter4; identifies new signatures of mutational processes that cause base substitutions, small insertions and deletions and structural variation5,6; analyses timings and patterns of tumour evolution7; describes the diverse transcriptional consequences of somatic mutation on splicing, expression levels, fusion genes and promoter activity8,9; and evaluates a range of more-specialized features of cancer genomes8,10–18.
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- Gerkin, RC, et al.
(author)
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The best COVID-19 predictor is recent smell loss: a cross-sectional study
- 2020
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In: medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences. - : Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
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Journal article (other academic/artistic)abstract
- BackgroundCOVID-19 has heterogeneous manifestations, though one of the most common symptoms is a sudden loss of smell (anosmia or hyposmia). We investigated whether olfactory loss is a reliable predictor of COVID-19.MethodsThis preregistered, cross-sectional study used a crowdsourced questionnaire in 23 languages to assess symptoms in individuals self-reporting recent respiratory illness. We quantified changes in chemosensory abilities during the course of the respiratory illness using 0-100 visual analog scales (VAS) for participants reporting a positive (C19+; n=4148) or negative (C19-; n=546) COVID-19 laboratory test outcome. Logistic regression models identified singular and cumulative predictors of COVID-19 status and post-COVID-19 olfactory recovery.ResultsBoth C19+ and C19-groups exhibited smell loss, but it was significantly larger in C19+ participants (mean±SD, C19+: -82.5±27.2 points; C19-: -59.8±37.7). Smell loss during illness was the best predictor of COVID-19 in both single and cumulative feature models (ROC AUC=0.72), with additional features providing negligible model improvement. VAS ratings of smell loss were more predictive than binary chemosensory yes/no-questions or other cardinal symptoms, such as fever or cough. Olfactory recovery within 40 days was reported for ∼50% of participants and was best predicted by time since illness onset.ConclusionsAs smell loss is the best predictor of COVID-19, we developed the ODoR-19 tool, a 0-10 scale to screen for recent olfactory loss. Numeric ratings ≤2 indicate high odds of symptomatic COVID-19 (4<OR<10), which can be deployed when viral lab tests are impractical or unavailable.
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- Bearden, IG, et al.
(author)
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Deuteron and triton production with high energy sulphur and lead beams
- 2002
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In: European Physical Journal C. Particles and Fields. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1434-6044. ; 23:2, s. 237-247
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Proton and deuteron production has been observed in S+S and S+Pb collisions at 200 A-GeV and in Pb+Pb reactions at 158 A-GeV at the CERN SPS accelerator. For Pb+Pb triton production was also measured. The p and d spectra as well as the p and t spectra were observed in similar rapidity ranges and over similar ranges of transverse momenta per nucleon, making it possible to interpret the cross sections of the composite particles in terms of coalescence mechanisms. Volumes of homogeneity were extracted and compared to pion-pair HBT interferometry results. Special attention is given to the dependence on transverse mass, centrality and rapidity.
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- Bearden, IG, et al.
(author)
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Particle production in central Pb+Pb collisions at 158A GeV/c
- 2002
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In: Physical Review C (Nuclear Physics). - 0556-2813. ; 66:4
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The NA44 experiment has measured single-particle inclusive spectra for charged pions, kaons, and protons as a function of transverse mass near midrapidity in 158A GeV/c Pb+Pb collisions. From the particle mass dependence of the observed m(T) distributions, we are able to deduce a value of about 120 MeV for the temperature at thermal freeze-out. From the observed ratios of the rapidity densities, we find values of the chemical potentials for light and strange quarks and a chemical freeze-out temperature of approximately 140 MeV.
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11. |
- Croy, Ilona, et al.
(author)
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Human olfactory lateralization requires trigeminal activation
- 2014
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In: Neuroimage. - : Elsevier BV. - 1053-8119. ; 98, s. 289-295
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Rats are able to lateralize odors. This ability involves specialized neurons in the orbitofrontal cortex which are able to process the left, right and bilateral presentation of stimuli. However, it is not clear whether this function is preserved in humans. Humans are in general not able to differentiate whether a selective olfactory stimulant has been applied to the left or right nostril; however exceptions have been reported. Following a screening of 152 individuals with an olfactory lateralization test, we identified 19 who could lateralize odors above chance level. 15 of these lateralizers" underwent olfactory fMRI scanning in a block design and were compared to 15 controls matched for age and sex distribution. As a result both groups showed comparable activation of olfactory eloquent brain areas. However, subjects with lateralization ability had a significantly enhanced activation of cerebral trigeminal processing areas (somatosensory cortex, intraparietal sulcus). In contrast to controls, lateralizers furthermore exhibited no suppression in the area of the trigeminal principal sensory nucleus. An exploratory study with an olfactory change detection paradigm furthermore showed that lateralizers oriented faster towards changes in the olfactory environment. Taken together, our study suggests that the trigeminal system is activated to a higher degree by the odorous stimuli in the group of lateralizers". We conclude that humans are not able to lateralize odors based on the olfactory input alone, but vary in the degree to which the trigeminal system is recruited. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc All rights reserved.
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- Fliri, L., et al.
(author)
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Solution-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of crystalline cellulosic materials using a direct dissolution ionic liquid electrolyte
- 2023
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In: Nature Protocols. - : Springer Nature. - 1754-2189 .- 1750-2799. ; 18, s. 2084-2123
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Owing to its high sustainable production capacity, cellulose represents a valuable feedstock for the development of more sustainable alternatives to currently used fossil fuel-based materials. Chemical analysis of cellulose remains challenging, and analytical techniques have not advanced as fast as the development of the proposed materials science applications. Crystalline cellulosic materials are insoluble in most solvents, which restricts direct analytical techniques to lower-resolution solid-state spectroscopy, destructive indirect procedures or to ‘old-school’ derivatization protocols. While investigating their use for biomass valorization, tetralkylphosphonium ionic liquids (ILs) exhibited advantageous properties for direct solution-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis of crystalline cellulose. After screening and optimization, the IL tetra-n-butylphosphonium acetate [P4444][OAc], diluted with dimethyl sulfoxide-d 6, was found to be the most promising partly deuterated solvent system for high-resolution solution-state NMR. The solvent system has been used for the measurement of both 1D and 2D experiments for a wide substrate scope, with excellent spectral quality and signal-to-noise, all with modest collection times. The procedure initially describes the scalable syntheses of an IL, in 24–72 h, of sufficient purity, yielding a stock electrolyte solution. The dissolution of cellulosic materials and preparation of NMR samples is presented, with pretreatment, concentration and dissolution time recommendations for different sample types. Also included is a set of recommended 1D and 2D NMR experiments with parameters optimized for an in-depth structural characterization of cellulosic materials. The time required for full characterization varies between a few hours and several days.
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- Flohr, E. L. R., et al.
(author)
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THE FATE OF THE INNER NOSE : ODOR IMAGERY IN PATIENTS WITH OLFACTORY LOSS
- 2014
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In: Neuroscience. - : Elsevier BV. - 0306-4522 .- 1873-7544. ; 268, s. 118-127
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Cerebral activations during olfactory mental imagery are fairly well investigated in healthy participants but little attention has been given to olfactory imagery in patients with olfactory loss. To explore whether olfactory loss leads to deficits in olfactory imagery, neural responses using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and self-report measures were investigated in 16 participants with acquired olfactory loss and 19 control participants. Participants imagined both pleasant and unpleasant odors and their visual representations. Patients reported less vivid olfactory but not visual images than controls. Results from neuroimaging revealed that activation patterns differed between patients and controls. While the control group showed stronger activation in olfactory brain regions for unpleasant compared to pleasant odors, the patient group did not. Also, activation in critical areas for olfactory imagery was correlated with the duration of olfactory dysfunction, indicating that the longer the duration of dysfunction, the more the attentional resources were employed. This indicates that participants with olfactory loss have difficulties to perform olfactory imagery in the conventional way. Regular exposure to olfactory information may be necessary to maintain an olfactory imagery capacity.
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- Hedman, Linnea, et al.
(author)
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Receiving support to quit smoking and quit attempts among smokers with and without smoking related diseases : Findings from the EUREST-PLUS ITC Europe Surveys
- 2018
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In: Tobacco Induced Diseases. - Heraklion : European Publishing. - 1617-9625. ; 16
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- INTRODUCTION Having a chronic disease either caused or worsened by tobacco smoking does not always translate into quitting smoking. Although smoking cessation is one of the most cost-effective medical interventions, it remains poorly implemented in healthcare settings. The aim was to examine whether smokers with chronic and respiratory diseases were more likely to receive support to quit smoking by a healthcare provider or make a quit attempt than smokers without these diseases.METHODS This population-based study included a sample of 6011 adult smokers in six European countries. The participants were interviewed face-to-face and asked questions on sociodemographic characteristics, current diagnoses for chronic diseases, healthcare visits in the last 12 months and, if so, whether they had received any support to quit smoking. Questions on smoking behavior included nicotine dependence, motivation to quit smoking and quit attempts in the last 12 months. The results are presented as weighted percentages with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and as adjusted odds ratios with 95% CI based on logistic regression analyses.RESULTS Smokers with chronic respiratory disease, those aged 55 years and older, as well as those with one or more chronic diseases were more likely to receive smoking cessation advice from a healthcare professional. Making a quit attempt in the last year was related to younger age, high educational level, higher motivation to quit, lower nicotine dependence and having received advice to quit from a healthcare professional but not with having chronic diseases. There were significant differences between countries with smokers in Romania consistently reporting more support to quit as well as quit attempts.CONCLUSIONS Although smokers with respiratory disease did indeed receive smoking cessation support more often than smokers without disease, many smokers did not receive any advice or support to quit during a healthcare visit.
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- Langerak, A. W., et al.
(author)
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EuroClonality/BIOMED-2 guidelines for interpretation and reporting of Ig/TCR clonality testing in suspected lymphoproliferations
- 2012
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In: Leukemia. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0887-6924 .- 1476-5551. ; 26:10, s. 2159-2171
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- PCR-based immunoglobulin (Ig)/T-cell receptor (TCR) clonality testing in suspected lymphoproliferations has largely been standardized and has consequently become technically feasible in a routine diagnostic setting. Standardization of the pre-analytical and post-analytical phases is now essential to prevent misinterpretation and incorrect conclusions derived from clonality data. As clonality testing is not a quantitative assay, but rather concerns recognition of molecular patterns, guidelines for reliable interpretation and reporting are mandatory. Here, the EuroClonality (BIOMED-2) consortium summarizes important pre- and post-analytical aspects of clonality testing, provides guidelines for interpretation of clonality testing results, and presents a uniform way to report the results of the Ig/TCR assays. Starting from an immunobiological concept, two levels to report Ig/TCR profiles are discerned: the technical description of individual (multiplex) PCR reactions and the overall molecular conclusion for B and T cells. Collectively, the EuroClonality (BIOMED-2) guidelines and consensus reporting system should help to improve the general performance level of clonality assessment and interpretation, which will directly impact on routine clinical management (standardized best-practice) in patients with suspected lymphoproliferations.
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- Milinski, M., et al.
(author)
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Major histocompatibility complex peptide ligands as olfactory cues in human body odour assessment
- 2013
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In: Proceedings of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences. - : The Royal Society. - 0962-8452 .- 1471-2954. ; 280:1755
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In many animal species, social communication and mate choice are influenced by cues encoded by the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). The mechanism by which the MHC influences sexual selection is a matter of intense debate. In mice, peptide ligands of MHC molecules activate subsets of vomeronasal and olfactory sensory neurons and influence social memory formation; in sticklebacks, such peptides predictably modify the outcome of mate choice. Here, we examine whether this evolutionarily conserved mechanism of interindividual communication extends to humans. In psychometric tests, volunteers recognized the supplementation of their body odour by MHC peptides and preferred ‘self’ to ‘non-self’ ligands when asked to decide whether the modified odour smelled ‘like themselves’ or ‘like their favourite perfume’. Functional magnetic resonance imaging indicated that ‘self’-peptides specifically activated a region in the right middle frontal cortex. Our results suggest that despite the absence of a vomeronasal organ, humans have the ability to detect and evaluate MHC peptides in body odour. This may provide a basis for the sensory evaluation of potential partners during human mate choice.
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- Weigelt, G., et al.
(author)
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VLTI-MATISSE chromatic aperture-synthesis imaging of eta Carinae's stellar wind across the Br alpha line Periastron passage observations in February 2020
- 2021
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In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 652
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Context. Eta Carinae is a highly eccentric, massive binary system (semimajor axis similar to 15.5 au) with powerful stellar winds and a phase-dependent wind-wind collision (WWC) zone. The primary star, eta Car A, is a luminous blue variable (LBV); the secondary, eta Car B, is a Wolf-Rayet or O star with a faster but less dense wind. Aperture-synthesis imaging allows us to study the mass loss from the enigmatic LBV eta Car. Understanding LBVs is a crucial step toward improving our knowledge about massive stars and their evolution. Aims. Our aim is to study the intensity distribution and kinematics of eta Car's WWC zone. Methods. Using the VLTI-MATISSE mid-infrared interferometry instrument, we perform Br alpha imaging of eta Car's distorted wind. Results. We present the first VLTI-MATISSE aperture-synthesis images of eta Car A's stellar windin several spectral channels distributed across the Br alpha 4.052 mu m line (spectral resolving power R similar to 960). Our observations were performed close to periastron passage in February 2020 (orbital phase similar to 14.0022). The reconstructed iso-velocity images show the dependence of the primary stellar wind on wavelength or line-of-sight (LOS) velocity with a spatial resolution of 6 mas (similar to 14 au). The radius of the faintest outer wind regions is similar to 26 mas (similar to 60 au). At several negative LOS velocities, the primary stellar wind is less extended to the northwest than in other directions. This asymmetry is most likely caused by the WWC. Therefore, we see both the velocity field of the undisturbed primary wind and the WWC cavity. In continuum spectral channels, the primary star wind is more compact than in line channels. A fit of the observed continuum visibilities with the visibilities of a stellar wind CMFGEN model (CMFGEN is an atmosphere code developed to model the spectra of a variety of objects) provides a full width at half maximum fit diameter of the primary stellar wind of 2.84 +/- 0.06 mas (6.54 +/- 0.14 au). We comparethe derived intensity distributions with the CMFGEN stellar wind model and hydrodynamic WWC models.
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- Aiello, M, et al.
(author)
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Cognitive, Olfactory, and Affective Determinants of Body Weight in Aging Individuals
- 2019
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In: Archives of clinical neuropsychology : the official journal of the National Academy of Neuropsychologists. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1873-5843. ; 34:5, s. 637-647
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- ObjectiveA complex interplay of factors including cognitive, sensory and affective aspects has been associated in a controversial way with anthropometric measures related to body weight.MethodsHere we propose two studies to investigate whether and how cognitive, olfactory and affective variables resulted associated with body weight during healthy aging. In Study 1, we investigated the cognitive status, the odor identification skills, and the BMI of 209 individuals (50–96 yo). In Study 2 an extensive evaluation of cognitive functions (in particular executive functions and memory), odor threshold, discrimination and identification and affective skills (i.e., depression and anxiety) was performed in a group of 35 healthy, free-living aging individuals (58–85 yo).ResultsIn Study 1, greater BMI was not associated with performance on the odor identification task but was significantly associated with better cognitive skills. In Study 2, we observed that executive functions seemed to favor a successful managing of body weight, and individuals with greater BMI and waist circumference showed significantly better odor discrimination skills. Finally, lower waist circumference (but not BMI) was found significantly associated with greater levels of anxiety.ConclusionsThese results confirm that cognitive, olfactory and affective factors may influence body weight during healthy aging.
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