OBJECTIVE-To evaluate the significance of GAD antibodies (GADAs) and family history for type 1 diabetes (FHT1) or type 2 diabetes (FHT2) in nondiabetic subjects. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS-GADAs were analyzed in 4,976 nondiabetic relatives of type 2 diabetic patients or control subjects from Finland. Altogether, 289 (5.9%) were GADA(+)-a total of 253 GADA(+) and 2,511 GADA(-) subjects participate

In this study, a new supercritical fluid chromatography-mass spectrometry (SFC-MS) method has been developed for the separation of nine vitamin D metabolites within less than eight minutes. This is the first study of analysis of vitamin D and its metabolites carried out by SFC-MS. Six columns of orthogonal selectivity were examined, and the best separation was obtained by using a 1-aminoanthracene

Background Ischemic heart disease and stroke are two severe types of cardiovascular disease (CVD), a major contributor to the global burden of disease. The preventive framework currently includes promotion of both adequate cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness. Although muscle fitness is established as an indicator of health, it is currently unknown whether muscle strength is associated with lat

Background. An altered renal function is an essential component of the patho-physiology of pre-eclampsia. The plasma levels of low molecular mass proteins, e. g. beta-trace protein, beta-2-microglobulin and cystatin C, are increased in the third trimester of normal pregnancy. The plasma levels of cystatin C and beta-2-microglobulin are further increased in preeclampsia, and the cystatin C level ha

OBJECTIVE: The potential association between thyroid hormones and breast cancer has been investigated in a large number of studies without conclusive results. This study investigated T3 levels in relation to breast cancer mortality in a population with no breast cancer patients at baseline. An additional aim was to study T3 levels in relation to mortality from other cancers and all-cause mortality

Human complex metabolic traits are in part regulated by genetic determinants. Here we applied exome sequencing to identify novel associations of coding polymorphisms at minor allele frequencies (MAFs) > 1% with common metabolic phenotypes. The study comprised three stages. We performed medium-depth (8x) whole exome sequencing in 1,000 cases with type 2 diabetes, BMI > 27.5 kg/m(2) and hypertension

Background. Oestrogen receptor (ER) status is important for the choice of systemic treatment of breast cancer patients. However, most data from randomised trials on the effect of adjuvant endocrine therapy according to ER status are based on the cytosol methods. Comparisons with immunohistochemical methods have given similar results. The aim of the present study was to examine whether different ER

Background & Aims: The robust association between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and the genetic variant I148M (rs738409) in PNPLA3 has been widely replicated. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the PNPLA3 I148M mutation on: (1) hepatic secretion of very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) in humans; and (2) secretion of apolipoprotein B (apoB) from McA-RH 7777 cells

Background: Although insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) is of importance for the adult function of the central nervous system (CNS), little is known of the significance of IGF-I in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in relation to Alzheimer's disease (AD). Methods: A cross-sectional study of 60 consecutive patients under primary evaluation of cognitive impairment and 20 healthy controls. The patients had

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Protein kinase C (PKC) regulates exocytosis in various secretory cells. Here we studied intracellular translocation of the PKC isoenzymes PKCalpha and PKCdelta, and investigated how activation of PKC influences glucagon secretion in mouse and human pancreatic alpha cells. METHODS: Glucagon release from intact islets was measured in static incubations, and the amounts released were

BACKGROUND: We previously reported that a single prostate-specific antigen (PSA) measured at ages 44-50 was highly predictive of subsequent prostate cancer diagnosis in an unscreened population. Here we report an additional 7 years of follow-up. This provides replication using an independent data set and allows estimates of the association between early PSA and subsequent advanced cancer (clinical

Objective: Previously, we observed an association between family history of type 1 diabetes and development of non-insulin-dependent diabetes. The aims of this study were to assess whether type 1 diabetes susceptibility gene variants explain this association and investigate the effect of the variants on insulin secretion and presence of glutamic acid decarboxylase autoantibodies (GADA) in nondiabe

Background: Portfolios are highlighted as potential assessment tools for professional competence. Although students' self-reflections are considered to be central in the portfolio, the content of reflections in practice-based portfolios is seldom analysed. Aim: To investigate whether students' reflections include sufficient dimensions of professional competence, notwithstanding a standardized port

Endothermic animals in the boreal region experience considerable thermoregulatory costs in winter, especially during inactive periods when high demands cannot be met by increased food intake. This might necessitate a trade-off between resting thermoregulation and other energetically expensive processes, such as immune function, but this has rarely been investigated. We evaluated how immune activat

The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) is the main genetic determinant of multiple sclerosis (MS) risk. Within the HLA, the class II HLA-DRB1*15:01 allele exerts a disease-promoting effect, whereas the class I HLA-A*02 allele is protective. The CIITA gene is crucial for expression of class II HLA molecules and has previously been found to associate with several autoimmune diseases, including MS and typ

Objective Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with an increased risk of ischemic heart disease, in both early and established RA. Data on the risk of ischemic heart disease in relation to therapy with tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antagonists (anti-TNF) are conflicting in patients with established RA and essentially lacking in those with early RA. In established RA, the risk of myocardial infarc

We investigated the orientation in relation to wind of common swifts, Apus apus, during nocturnal spring and autumn migration. Swifts are highly adapted to a life in the air, showing wind-dependent orientation during nocturnal roosting flights, and may be expected to be more efficient in their wind drift/compensation behaviour than nocturnal passerine migrants, which are usually subjected to full