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Objective: To analyse if predictors of radiographic progression differ between patients treated with or without prednisolone in early rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Radiographs of hands and feet were assessed using the modified Sharp/van der Heijde score and radiographic progression was defined as an increase in the total Sharp score above 5.8 (the smallest detectable change). Design: Prospective, ran

Epigenetics may play a role in the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes (T2D), and increased DNA methylation of the metabolic master regulator peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1 alpha (PPARGC1A) has been reported in muscle and pancreatic islets from T2D patients and in muscle from individuals at risk of T2D. This study aimed to investigate DNA promoter methylation and gen

Background: Genetic factors seem to be of greater importance in prostate cancer than in other forms of cancer. Studies have suggested familial concordance in survival, but the extent to which that is due to tumor characteristics is not known. Objective: We hypothesized that a brother of an index case with prostate cancer is at particularly increased risk of prostate cancer with the same tumor diff

Background-The number of circulating blood monocytes impacts atherosclerotic lesion size, and in mouse models, elevated levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol suppress blood monocyte counts and atherosclerosis. We hypothesized that individuals with mild renal dysfunction at increased cardiovascular risk would have reduced high-density lipoprotein levels, high blood monocyte counts, and acc

The phosphatase and actin regulator 1 (PHACTR1) locus is a very commonly identified hit in genome-wide association studies investigating coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction (MI). However, the function of PHACTR1 in the heart is still unknown. We characterized the mechanisms regulating Phactr1 expression in the heart, used adenoviral gene delivery to investigate the effects of Phactr1

Nearly all mammalian cells express a set of genes known as clock genes. These regulate the circadian rhythm of cellular processes by means of negative and positive autoregulatory feedback loops of transcription and translation. Recent genomewide association studies have demonstrated an association between a polymorphism near the circadian clock gene CRY2 and elevated fasting glucose. To determine

Background: Lack of professional development opportunities among nursing staff is a major concern in elderly care and has been associated with work dissatisfaction and staff turnover. There is a lack of prospective, controlled studies evaluating the effects of educational interventions on nursing competence and work satisfaction. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible effec

Positive patch test reactions to p-phenylenediamine (PPD) are common. PPD is used in oxidative hair dyes and is also present in dark henna temporary 'tattoos'. Cross-sensitization to other contact allergens may occur. Because subjects sensitized to PPD are at risk of clinically severe reactions upon hair dyeing, there is a need for 'current' prevalence data on PPD sensitization. To compare PPD pat

Whilst innate B1-B cells are atheroprotective, adaptive B2-B cells are considered pro-atherogenic. Different subsets of B regulatory cells (B-reg) have been described. In experimental arthritis and lupus-like disease, B-reg are contained within the CD21(hi)CD23(hi)CD24(hi) B cell pool The existence and role of B-reg in vascular disease is not known. We sought to investigate the existence, identity

Background: Microarray gene-profiling of invasive breast cancer has identified different subtypes including luminal A, luminal B, HER2-overexpressing and basal-like groups. Basal-like invasive breast cancer is associated with a worse prognosis. However, the prognosis of basal-like ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is still unknown. Our aim was to study the prognosis of basal-like DCIS in a large pop

Objectives Lymphotoxin beta (LTB) has been found to be upregulated in salivary glands of patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS). An animal model of pSS also showed ablation of the lymphoid organisation and a marked improvement in salivary gland function on blocking the LTB receptor pathway. This study aimed to investigate whether single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the lymphotoxin alp

Objective: Dietary linoleic acid, an n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid, is metabolised to arachidonic acid, a component of colonocyte membranes. Metabolites of arachidonic acid have pro-inflammatory properties and are increased in the mucosa of patients with ulcerative colitis. The aim of this investigation was to conduct the first prospective cohort study investigating if a high dietary intake of li

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Computed tomography (CT) is used to study coronary artery plaques, but little is known about its potential to characterize plaque composition. This study assesses the relation between carotid calcium score (CCS) by CT and plaque composition, namely extracellular matrix, inflammatory mediators, and calcium metabolites. METHODS: Thirty patients with significant carotid sten

OBJECTIVE-Sleep disorders and subjective sleep complaints have been associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes. The evidence with respect to insulin resistance (IR) and insulin secretion in individuals without type 2 diabetes has been scarce and elusive. We examined if subjective sleep complaints and their co-occurrence were associated with IR and insulin secretion in adult women and men wi

We evaluated the relation between serum FGF23 and bone mineral density (BMD) in a community-based cohort of elderly men. There was a weak correlation between FGF23 and BMD, which was primarily dependent on body weight. FGF23 is a hormonal factor produced in bone and regulates serum levels of phosphate (Pi) and vitamin D. FGF23 over-expression is associated with skeletal abnormalities, including ri

Context: The key role of serum estradiol (E2) for bone health in men is well established. The effect of serum sex steroids on bone microstructure, measured by high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography, remains unknown in elderly men. Objective: The objective of the study was to examine the associations between serum sex steroids and bone microstructural parameters in older men. M

Human genetics is a powerful tool for discovering causal mediators of human disease and physiology. Cardiovascular diseases with late onset in the lifecourse have historically not been considered genetic diseases, but in recent years the contribution of a heritable factor has been established. More importantly, over the last decade genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified many loci