1. The female-limited colour polymorphic damselfly Ischnura elegans has proven to be an interesting study organism both as an example of female sexual polymorphism, and in the context of the evolution of colour polymorphism, as a model of speciation processes. 2. Previous research suggests the existence of correlations between colour morph and other phenotypic traits, and the different female morp

OBJECTIVE: The serotonin system has long been of interest in biological models of human personality. The purpose of this positron emission tomography (PET) study was to search for relationships between serotonin 5-HT(1A) receptor density and personality traits. METHOD: Fifteen normal male subjects, ages 20-45 years, were examined with PET and the radioligand [(11)C]WAY100635. Personality traits we

Hemicelluloses, which are abundant in nature and have potential use in a wide variety of applications, may make an important contribution in helping relieve society of its dependence on petrochemicals. However, cost-efficient methods for the isolation of hemicelluloses are required. This article presents an economic evaluation of a full-scale process to isolate hemicelluloses from process water fr

Objectives: In most clinics, follow-up after inguinal hernia surgery is not a routine procedure and complications may pass unnoticed, thus impairing quality assessment. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency, spectrum, and risk factors of short-term adverse events after groin hernia repair. Methods: All patients aged 15 years or older with a primary unilateral inguinal or femoral h

Aim: To conduct a multi-language translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Intermittent and Constant OsteoArthritis Pain (ICOAP) questionnaire for hip and knee osteoarthritis (OA). Methods: The questionnaires were translated and cross-culturally adapted in parallel, using a common protocol, into the following languages: Czech, Dutch, French (France), German, Italian, Norwegian, Spanish (Cas

Experimental studies have suggested possible protective effects of dimethylglycine (DMG) on glucose metabolism. DMG is degraded to glycine through a DMG-dehydrogenase (DMGDH)-catalyzed reaction and this is the only known pathway for the breakdown of DMG in mammals. In this study we aimed to identify the strongest genetic determinant of circulating DMG concentration and to investigate its associati

ObjectiveTo understand the association between life stress, postpartum depression (PD), maternal perception of her child's risk for type 1 diabetes (T1D) and a mother's anxiety about her child's T1D risk in mothers of genetically at risk children in The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young (TEDDY) study. MethodsA short form of the state component (SAI) of the State-Trait Anxiety Inv

Aim: 'Being at familial risk' may have different connotations in studies on familial risk of cancer. The register-based definition of a family history considers individuals with an affected relative at familial risk independently of the family member's diagnostic time. Alternatively, the individuals are classified to be at familial risk only after the diagnosis date of their relative, relevant to

OBJECTIVE:: The optimal blood pressure (BP) in persons with type-2 diabetes is debated. We investigated shapes of the associations of SBP and DBP levels with risk of cardiovascular events and mortality in a large primary care-based sample of diabetic patients. METHODS:: We investigated all 34 009 consecutive cardiovascular disease-free type-2 diabetes patients aged 35 years or older (mean age 64 y

Abstract Objective. To explore factors and circumstances contributing to prudent antibiotic prescribing for respiratory tract infections in primary care. Design. Two focus groups representing rural and urban areas. A semi-structured interview guide with open-ended questions and an editing analysis style was used. They were examined to identify meaning units that were sorted into categories in an i

Aims/hypothesis An abnormal urinary albumin excretion rate (AER) is often the first clinically detectable manifestation of diabetic nephropathy. Our aim was to estimate the heritability and to detect genetic variation associated with elevated AER in patients with type 1 diabetes. Methods The discovery phase genome-wide association study (GWAS) included 1,925 patients with type 1 diabetes and with

Alkaline sphingomyelinase (alk-SMase) hydrolyses sphingomyelin (SM) to ceramide in the gut. To evaluate physiological importance of the enzyme, we generated alk-SMase knockout (KO) mice by Cre-LoxP system and studied SM digestion. Both wild type (WT) and the KO mice were fed 3H-palmitic acid labeled SM together with milk SM by gavage. The lipids in intestinal content, intestinal tissues, serum and

Although meta-analyses of genome-wide association studies have identified more than 60 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with type 2 diabetes and/or glycemic traits, there is little information whether these variants also affect α-cell function. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of glycemia-associated genetic loci on islet function in vivo and in vitro. We st

Diabetes is not a single homogeneous disease but composed of many diseases with hyperglycaemia as a common feature. Four factors have, historically, been used to identify this diversity: the age at onset; the severity of the disease, i.e. degree of loss of beta cell function; the degree of insulin resistance and the presence of diabetes-associated autoantibodies. Our broad understanding of the dis