A plethora of candidate genes have been identified for complex polygenic disorders, but the underlying disease mechanisms remain largely unknown. We explored the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes (T2D) by analyzing global gene expression in human pancreatic islets. A group of coexpressed genes (module), enriched for interleukin-1-related genes, was associated with T2D and reduced insulin secretio

In 98Cd a new high-energy isomeric γ-ray transition was identified, which confirms previous spin-parity assignments and enables for the first time the measurement of the E2 and E4 strength for the two decay branches of the isomer. Preliminary results on the 98Cd high-excitation level scheme are presented. A comparison to shell-model calculations as well as implications for the nuclear structure ar

The photon-number statistics from resonance fluorescence of a two-level atom near a metal nanosphere driven by a laser field with finite bandwidth is studied theoretically. Our analysis shows that all interesting physics here takes place in a small area around the nanosphere where the near field and the atom-nanosphere coupling essentially affect the radiative properties of the atom. Computer mode

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.

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide (PACAP) and its receptors (PAC1 , VPAC1 and VPAC2 ) are present in sensory neurons and in vascular smooth muscle related to the trigeminovascular system, a key factor in migraine pain. Recent data point to an involvement of PACAP, and in particular the PAC1 receptor, in the pathophysiology of migraine. Available data are discussed in relation to a stu

Based on the merger of two Swedish university hospitals, this article examines the relationship between professionals and policymakers in public sector reform. Data from a survey to 663 physicians show that only 2 percent of physicians experienced a working dialogue in this relationship. The relationship with the hospital management was considered equally poor. The article seeks to understand why

A novel moderately thermophilic, anaerobic, ethanol-producing bacterial strain, 45B(T), was isolated from a mixed sediment water sample collected from a hot spring at Potosi, Bolivia. The cells were straight to slightly curved rods, 2.5 μm long and 0.5 μm wide, approximately. The strain was variable to Gram stain, spore-forming and monotrichously flagellated. Growth of the strain was observed at 4

Genetic variation can modulate gene expression, and thereby phenotypic variation and susceptibility to complex diseases such as type 2 diabetes (T2D). Here we harnessed the potential of DNA and RNA sequencing in human pancreatic islets from 89 deceased donors to identify genes of potential importance in the pathogenesis of T2D. We present a catalog of genetic variants regulating gene expression (e

Background: BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers are at substantially increased risk for developing breast and ovarian cancer. The incomplete penetrance coupled with the variable age at diagnosis in carriers of the same mutation suggests the existence of genetic and non-genetic modifying factors. In this study we evaluated the putative role of variants in many candidate modifier genes. Methods: Genot

Selective activation of the estrogen receptor (ER) could be a safe approach to hormone replacement therapy for both women and men, in contrast to the estrogens currently used for women which activate both ER and ER, occasionally causing severe side effects. cis-10-SR, was shown to have an EC50 value of

A recent high-resolution α, X-ray, and γ-ray coincidence-spectroscopy experiment offered the first glimpse of excitation schemes of isotopes along α-decay chains of Z=115. To understand these observations and to make predictions about shell structure of superheavy nuclei below 288-115, we employ two complementary mean-field models: the self-consistent Skyrme energy density functional approach and

Background: Several studies have examined leukocyte telomere length (LTL) as a possible predictor for cancer at various organ sites. The hypothesis originally motivating many of these studies was that shorter telomeres would be associated with an increase in cancer risk, the results of epidemiologic studies have been inconsistent, however, and suggested positive, negative, or null associations. Tw

Background: The pathogenesis of COPD is complex and remains poorly understood. The European Respiratory Society Study on Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (EUROSCOP) investigated long-term effects of budesonide; 18% of the COPD participants were atopic. So far effects of atopy on the long-term course of COPD have not been elucidated. Methods: Factors related to the presence of atopy (positive

It is of highest importance to find proteins responsible for breast cancer dissemination, for use as biomarkers or treatment targets. We established and performed a combined nontargeted LC MS/MS and a targeted LC SRM workflow for discovery and validation of protein biomarkers. Eighty breast tumors, stratified for estrogen receptor status and development of distant recurrence (DR +/-), were collect

Abstract in UndeterminedReference attribute grammars (RAGs) provide a practical declarative means to implement programming language compilers and other tools. RAGs have previously been extended to support both circular attributes and context-dependent declarative rewrites of the abstract syntax tree. In this previous work, dependencies between circular attributes and rewrites are not considered. I

Objective: We sought to determine whether the serological response towards lytic cycle antigens of Epstein Barr virus (EBV) is altered in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. Method: We used enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to investigate the prevalence of EBV early antigen diffuse (EBV-EA/D) antibodies in sera from 60 patients with SLE, 40 with scleroderma (SSc), 20 with primary

VOR, the versatile optimal resolution chopper spectrometer, is designed to probe dynamic phenomena that are currently inaccessible for inelastic neutron scattering due to flux limitations. VOR is a short instrument by the standards of the European Spallation Source (ESS), 30.2m moderator to sample, and provides instantaneous access to a broad dynamic range, 1-120 meV within each ESS period. The sh

We consider the problem of approximating a given function in two dimensions by a sum of exponential functions, with complex-valued exponents and coefficients. In contrast to Fourier representations where the exponentials are fixed, we consider the nonlinear problem of choosing both the exponents and coefficients. In this way we obtain accurate approximations with only few terms. Our approach is bu

We study stability of a growth process generated by sequential adsorption of particles on a one-dimensional lattice torus, that is, the process formed by the numbers of adsorbed particles at lattice sites, called heights. Here the stability of process, loosely speaking, means that its components grow at approximately the same rate. To assess stability quantitatively, we investigate the stochastic