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It is generally believed that pregnancy is mediated by a Th2 response, which includes cytokines that promote placental growth and are involved in inducing tolerance to the foetus. If the balance between Th1/and Th2-mediated cytokines is disrupted, systemic and local changes could predispose the foetus to future disease. Therefore, a shift in the Th1/Th2 balance during pregnancy, possibly caused by
OBJECTIVES: Essential hypertension is a complex condition whose cause involves the interaction of multiple genetic and environmental factors such as salt intake. Salt-inducible kinase 1 (SIK1) is a sucrose-nonfermenting-like kinase isoform that belongs to the AMPK (5' adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase) family. SIK1 activity is increased by high salt intake and plays an essential rol
The proto-oncogene SKI is highly expressed in human myeloid leukemia and also in murine hematopoietic stem cells. However, its operative relevance in these cells remains elusive. We have over-expressed SKI to define its intrinsic role in hematopoiesis and myeloid neoplasms, which resulted in a robust competitive advantage upon transplantation, a complete dominance of the stem and progenitor compar
Adult type 2 diabetes patients with GAD65 autoantibodies (GADA) are known as latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA). It has been suggested that GADA in LADA patients preferentially bind to the N-terminal end of GAD65. Using the N-terminal end extension of (35)S-GAD65 generated by the pEx9 plasmid, we tested the hypothesis that GADA in LADA patients preferentially react with (35)S-GAD65 from t
Ischemic stroke affecting the adult brain causes increased progenitor proliferation in the subventricular zone (SVZ) and generation of neuroblasts, which migrate into the damaged striatum and differentiate to mature neurons. Meteorin (METRN), a newly discovered neurotrophic factor, is highly expressed in neural progenitor cells and immature neurons during development, suggesting that it may be inv
Patients with acute dyspnea are a large heterogeneous patient group where initial management is important for outcome.
Numerous obesity loci have been identified using genome-wide association studies. A UK study indicated that physical activity may attenuate the cumulative effect of 12 of these loci, but replication studies are lacking. Therefore, we tested whether the aggregate effect of these loci is diminished in adults of European ancestry reporting high levels of physical activity. Twelve obesity-susceptibili
Do women who have diabetes before menopause have their menopause at an earlier age compared with women without diabetes?
Ectomycorrhizal fungi are thought to have a key role in mobilizing organic nitrogen that is trapped in soil organic matter (SOM). However, the extent to which ectomycorrhizal fungi decompose SOM and the mechanism by which they do so remain unclear, considering that they have lost many genes encoding lignocellulose-degrading enzymes that are present in their saprotrophic ancestors. Spectroscopic an
Blood pressure is a heritable trait(1) influenced by several biological pathways and responsive to environmental stimuli. Over one billion people worldwide have hypertension (>= 140 mm Hg systolic blood pressure or >= 90 mm Hg diastolic blood pressure)(2). Even small increments in blood pressure are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events(3). This genome-wide association study o
Background/Aims: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is common in the general population, may lead to end-stage renal disease, and is most frequently found among males. Familial clustering of kidney diseases has been observed. We aimed to study a potential association between the family history of myocardial infarction (MI) and renal dysfunction. Methods: 22,297 males and 10,828 females, aged 33-60 years
Ectomycorrhizal fungi play a key role in mobilizing nutrients embedded in recalcitrant organic matter complexes, thereby increasing nutrient accessibility to the host plant. Recent study have shown that during assimilation of nutrients, the ectomycorrhizal fungus Paxillus involutus decomposes organic matter using an oxidative mechanism involving Fenton chemistry (Fe(2+) + H2O2 + H(+) → Fe(3+) + •O
The predominant forms of arsenic (As) in anoxic and oxic environments are As(III) and As(V), respectively, and the fate of these forms is influenced by interactions with mineral surfaces and organic matter (OM). Interactions between As(V) and OM are believed to occur mainly via iron(Fe)-bridges in ternary Fe-arsenate complexes, but direct evidence for these interactions are scarce. Furthermore, si
Aluminum (Al) is the most common metal in the Earth's crust, and exists mainly in the form of silicates, oxides and hydroxides, or in complexes with natural organic matter (NOM) or inorganic ligands. Since speciation is a key factor for understanding the environmental impact of Al, it is important to determine the chemical forms of Al that predominate in different natural media and under varying g
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNAs that negatively regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. In the brain, a large number of miRNAs are expressed and there is a growing body of evidence demonstrating that miRNAs are essential for brain development and neuronal function. Conditional knockout studies of the core components in the miRNA biogenesis pathway, such as Dicer a
Since the discovery of short, regulatory microRNAs (miRNA) 20 years ago, the understanding of their impact on gene regulation has dramatically increased. Differentiation of cells requires comprehensive changes in regulatory networks at all levels of gene expression. Posttranscriptional regulation by miRNA leads to rapid modifications in the protein level of large gene networks, and it is therefore
Favorable associations between magnesium intake and glycemic traits, such as fasting glucose and insulin, are observed in observational and clinical studies, but whether genetic variation affects these associations is largely unknown. We hypothesized that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with either glycemic traits or magnesium metabolism affect the association between magnesium i
Despite the ongoing globalisation of economic activities, innovation does not take place randomly distributed over space, but concentrates in certain locations. A central argument to explain the spatial concentration of innovation activities lies in the ability of geographical proximity to facilitate interactive learning and knowledge exchange, which in turn is seen as an important driver for regi
Thirty images with added simulated pathological lesions at two different dose levels (100% and 10% dose) were evaluated with the free-response forced error experiment by nine experienced radiologists. The simulated pathological lesions present in the images were classified according to four different parameters: the position within the lumbar spine, possibility to perform a symmetrical (left-right
