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Anthropogenic land-use and climate change pose novel selection pressures on bees, yet their evolutionary responses in terms of morphological or physiological adaptations remain unclear. While adaptive responses are expected, these may be constrained by gene flow when changes in selection pressures are spatially heterogeneous. The buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) is a widespread species th
Objective: Synovial fluid contains proteins that may have been released from surrounding tissues, our aim was to gain new insights into the proteomic profiles of human synovial fluid in knees with and without osteoarthritis (OA). Methods: We used synovial fluid from 11 patients with end-stage medial compartment knee OA, aspirated during total knee replacement, and from 13 deceased donors who had n
Background: Inhaled nanomaterials can translocate from the lungs into systemic circulation and reach the liver, which is the main secondary organ for nanomaterial uptake, potentially causing adverse effects. Understanding how inhaled nanomaterials localize within liver tissue is important for understanding their clearance mechanisms and potential toxicity. Previous in vivo studies have primarily f
The peptide Ac-KGSFSIQYTYHVD-CONH₂ (KD), derived from residues 37–49 of human semenogelin I, forms a pH-responsive hydrogel in an aqueous environment with tunable mechanical properties that evolve over time. We hypothesize that KD self-assembles into a hydrogel through a pH-dependent mechanism involving predominantly a change in histidine protonation state, leading to structural transformations th
The investigation of carbon monoxide (CO) adsorption on the unreconstructed Ir(100)-(1 × 1) surface under ultra-high vacuum (UHV) conditions is studied with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), low-energy electron diffraction (LEED), and high-resolution core-level spectroscopy (HRCLS). At a low coverage of 0.5 ML (monolayer), CO molecules adopt a previously documented c(2 × 2) structure, having CO
We thank Dr Kurt and colleagues for their comments and interest in our study. High red cell distribution width (RDW) is a new risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), including heart failure, atrial fibrillation and cardiovascular mortality [2-4]. In a recent paper in the Journal of Internal Medicine we reported that low RDW is associated with increased incidence of diabetes [1]. This article
Dystrophin of the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex connects the actin cytoskeleton to basement membranes and loss of dystrophin results in Duchenne muscular dystrophy. We have previously shown injury-induced neointima formation of the carotid artery in mice with the mdx mutation (causing dystrophin deficiency) to be increased. To investigate the role of dystrophin in intimal recruitment of smooth m
Background: The aims of this study were to estimate the prevalence of left ventricular systolic (LVSD) and diastolic (LVDD) dysfunction, and to test if BNP and urinary albumin excretion rate (AER) are related to LVSD, LVD and left ventricular mass (LVM) in asymptomatic type 2 diabetes patients. Methods: Presence of LVSD, LVDD and LVM, determined with echocardiography, was related to levels of BNP
RDW is a new and easily available risk marker for adverse cardiovascular outcomes and we agree that this may encourage a wider use in clinical practice. As pointed out by Balta et al [2], the underlying causal links are unclear. The causal links could hypothetically involve some of the factors mentioned by Balta et al [2], but also properties of the red cells per se. This article is protected by c
Background Limited information is available regarding genetic contributions to valvular calcification, which is an important precursor of clinical valve disease. Methods We determined genomewide associations with the presence of aortic-valve calcification (among 6942 participants) and mitral annular calcification (among 3795 participants), as detected by computed tomographic (CT) scanning; the stu
Hyperglycaemia has multiple effects on the red blood cell (RBC), including glycation of haemoglobin, reduced deformability and reduced lifespan. Red cell distribution width (RDW) is a measure of the heterogeneity of erythrocyte volumes. The aim of this study was to explore the relationships between RDW and glucose, haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and incidence of diabetes mellitus (DM).
Low grade inflammation in obesity is associated with accumulation of the macrophagederived cytokine osteopontin in adipose tissue and induction of local as well as systemic insulin resistance. Since GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide) is a strong stimulator of adipogenesis and may play a role in the development of obesity, we explored whether GIP directly would stimulate osteopontin
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the proportion of cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence that is explained by genetic variation at chromosome 9p21 and to test whether such variation adds incremental information with regard to CVD prediction, beyond traditional risk factors. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: rs4977574 on chromosome 9p21 was genotyped in 24 777 subjects from the Malmö Diet and Cancer study
Access to a quiet side in one's dwelling is thought to compensate for higher noise levels at the most exposed façade. It has also been indicated that noise from combined traffic sources causes more noise annoyance than equal average levels from either road traffic or railway noise separately.
Adrenomodulin (ADM) is a peptide hormone secreted in response to cellular strain such as ischemia and is believed to have a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system. However, the epidemiological relationships between ADM and measurements of haemodynamics, arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis are not well established. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the mid-re
BACKGROUND: Soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) is a highly sensitive marker that reflects increased inflammation and is positively correlated with pro-inflammatory biomarkers. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between suPAR, cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and incidence of CVD. METHODS: suPAR was assessed in a random sample of participants (N=569
Inflammatory diseases and inflammatory markers secreted by the liver, including C-reactive protein (CRP) and ceruloplasmin, have been associated with incident atrial fibrillation (AF). Genetic studies have not supported a causal relationship between CRP and AF, but the relationship between ceruloplasmin and AF has not been studied. The purpose of this Mendelian randomization study was to explore w
Soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) in plasma is a novel inflammatory marker thought to be released from the cell surface of neutrophils, T cells, and macrophages. Other inflammatory markers, mainly acute phase proteins produced in the liver, have been associated with the incidence of heart failure (HF) and atrial fibrillation (AF). We investigated the association between suPA
The presence of iduronic acid in chondroitin/dermatan sulfate changes the properties of the polysaccharides, as it generates a more flexible chain with increased binding potentials. Iduronic acid in chondroitin/dermatan sulfate influences multiple cellular properties such as migration, proliferation, differentiation, angiogenesis and regulation of cytokine/growth factor activities. During patholog
We performed fine mapping of 39 established type 2 diabetes (T2D) loci in 27,206 cases and 57,574 controls of European ancestry. We identified 49 distinct association signals at these loci, including five mapping in or near KCNQ1. 'Credible sets' of the variants most likely to drive each distinct signal mapped predominantly to noncoding sequence, implying that association with T2D is mediated thro
