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PISA results show that a considerable number of 15-year-old pupils after 8 to 10 years of schooling have a low level of functional reading literacy, as defined in the PISA framework. While PISA results help identify the level of reading competency, they do not reveal what might be the reasons why some students fail to solve the tasks. One way to explore the difficulties students encounter while so
Bacteriophages present huge potential both as a resource for developing novel tools for bacterial diagnostics and for use in phage therapy. This potential is also valid for bacteriophages specific for Yersinia enterocolitica. To increase our knowledge of Y. enterocolitica- specific phages, we characterized two novel yersiniophages. The genomes of the bacteriophages vB_YenM_TG1 (TG1) and vB_YenM_φR
There is a battle in the supermarket isle, a battle between what the consumer wants and what the retailer and others want her to see, and subsequently to buy. Product packages and displays contain a number of features and attributes tailored to catch consumers' attention. These are what we call external factors comprising the visual saliency, the number of facings, and the placement of each produc
Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in GSDMB (Gasdermin B) and ORMDL3 (ORMDL sphingolipid biosynthesis regulator 3) are strongly associated with childhood asthma, but the molecular alterations contributing to disease remain unknown. We investigated the effects of asthma-associated SNPs on DNA methylation and mRNA levels of GSDMB and ORMDL3. Genetic association between GSDMB/ORMDL3 and physician
The glycosaminoglycan dermatan sulfate (DS) is a well-known activator of heparin cofactor II-dependent inactivation of thrombin. In contrast to heparin, dermatan sulfate has never been prepared recombinantly from material of non-animal origin. Here we report on the enzymatic synthesis of structurally well-defined DS with high anticoagulant activity. Using a microbial K4 polysaccharide and the reco
Background: We recently demonstrated that increased expression of the RNA-binding protein RBM3 is associated with a favourable prognosis in breast cancer. The aim of this study was to examine the prognostic value of RBM3 mRNA and protein expression in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) and the cisplatin response upon RBM3 depletion in a cisplatin-sensitive ovarian cancer cell line. Methods: RBM3 mRNA
The long-term fates of duplicate genes are well studied both empirically and theoretically, but how the short-term evolution of duplicate genes contributes to phenotypic variation is less well known. Here, we have studied the genetic basis of flowering tithe variation in the disomic tetraploid Capsella bursa-pastoris. We sequenced four duplicate candidate genes for flowering time and 10 background
Objective No depression rating scale has yet been designed to identify all clinically important depressive states in elderly. Therefore, this study investigated the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 (HSCL-25), a self-rating scale for depression, to see if it was a sensitive indicator of major, minor and subsyndromal depression. Methods Structured interviews of 37 people with a high depressive score and
Models of Parkinson's disease (PD) based on selective neuronal death have been used to study pathogenic mechanisms underlying nigral cell death and in some instances to develop symptomatic therapies. For validation of putative neuroprotectants, a model is desirable in which the events leading to neurodegeneration replicate those occurring in the disease. We developed a human in vitro model of PD b
Hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) is expressed and enzymatically active in beta-cells and has been proposed to be involved in the generation of the lipid-derived signal that seems to be necessary for glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. In this study, we investigated whether the expression of HSL in INS-1 cells and in rat islets is affected by exposure to high glucose concentrations. Incubation of I
Aims: This study examined whether middle-aged men exhibiting markers of early ageing showed a different pattern of social factors, lifestyle, and biological variables compared with controls, and whether early ageing was associated with an increased mortality risk. Subjects and methods: We used a subgroup of 5,722 middle-aged men (mean age 47 years), investigated twice, from the Malmö Preventive Pr
Generation of neurons from patient fibroblasts using a combination of developmentally defined transcription factors has great potential in disease modelling, as well as ultimately for use in regeneration and repair. However, generation of physiologically mature neurons in vitro remains problematic. Here we demonstrate the cell-cycle-dependent phosphorylation of a key reprogramming transcription fa
BACKGROUND: Diffuse traumatic axonal injury (TAI), a common consequence of traumatic brain injury, is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Inflammatory processes may play an important role in the pathophysiology of TAI. In the central fluid percussion injury (cFPI) TAI model in mice, the neuroinflammatory and astroglial response and behavioral changes are unknown.METHODS: Twenty cFPI-inju
Objectives: To assess whether partial meniscectomy is associated with increased risk of radiographic osteoarthritis (ROA) and worsening cartilage damage in the following year. Methods: We studied 355 knees from the Osteoarthritis Initiative that developed ROA (Kellgren-Lawrence grade ≥ 2), which were matched with control knees. The MR images were assessed using the semi-quantitative MOAKS system.
Objectives: Ncf1 polymorphisms leading to low production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) are strongly associated with autoimmune diseases in animal models. The human NCF1 gene is very complex with both functional and non-functional gene copies and genotyping requires assays specific for functional NCF1 genes. We aimed at investigating association and function of the missense single nucleotide pol
The Bicoid (Bcd) protein gradient in Drosophila serves as a paradigm for gradient formation in textbooks. The SDD model (synthesis, diffusion, degradation) was proposed to explain the formation of the gradient. The SDD model states that the bcd mRNA is located at the anterior pole of the embryo at all times and serves a source for translation of the Bicoid protein, coupled with diffusion and unifo
OBJECTIVE: Resistance to activated protein C (APC resistance), caused by a single point mutation in the factor V gene (FV:R506Q), is a major risk factor for venous thrombosis. As the significance of this mutation among unselected outpatients with deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) is not established, we have studied its prevalence among consecutive outpatients attending the emergency room due to a clinica
Objective. Resistance to activated protein C (APC resistance), caused by a single point mutation in the factor V gene (FV:R506Q), is a major risk factor for venous thrombosis. As the significance of this mutation among unselected outpatients with deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) is not established, we have studied its prevalence among consecutive outpatients attending the emergency room due to a clinica
