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Astrocytes are one of the major cell types in the central nervous system and are indispensable for brain development and function. The human brain and human astrocytes have unique structures and functions that are not present in other animal species. Studies of fundamental astrocyte biology in humans and their role in neurological disease have been hindered by shortage of native human astrocytes f

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is among the deadliest malignancies and potentially curable only with radical surgical resection at early stages. The tumor microenvironment has been shown to be central to the development and progression of PDAC.A better understanding of how early human PDAC metabolically communicates with its environment and differs from healthy pancreas could help improve

Background: The risk of adults with a congenital heart defect (ACHD) developing heart failure, stroke, arrhythmias, and the need for valve replacement is increased compared to healthy peers. Evidence for the use of novel oral anticoagulants (NOAC) in this patient group is still lacking and vitamin K antagonists (VKA) are the primary choice for patients with a mechanical valve. The present aim was

Budding off from the broader developmental biology and stem cell research fields, cellular reprogramming is now established as a prominent discipline in its own right. Direct cell reprogramming is defined as the cell fate conversion of a somatic cell toward another identity without a pluripotent intermediate state. In addition to the opportunity for mechanistic dissection of lineage commitment in

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) are intrinsically able to self-organize into cerebral organoids that mimic features of developing human brain tissue. These three-dimensional structures provide a unique opportunity to generate cytoarchitecture and cell-cell interactions reminiscent of human brain complexity in a dish. However, current in vitro brain organoid methodologies often result in intra

Purpose: Previous studies have shown that at a similar body mass index, Middle Eastern immigrants are more insulin resistant and at higher risk for type 2 diabetes (T2D) than native Europeans. Insulin resistance is strongly associated with disturbed fat metabolism and cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, fat metabolism is poorly investigated comparing Middle Eastern and European ethnicities. Met

Purpose: Malignant breast lesions can be distinguished from benign lesions by their mechanical properties. This has been utilized for mechanical imaging in which the stress distribution over the breast is measured. Mechanical imaging has shown the ability to identify benign or normal cases and to reduce the number of false positives from mammography screening. Our aim was to develop a model of mec

We compared vaccine effectiveness against severe COVID-19 between December 2021 and March 2022 when Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 were the dominating SARS-CoV-2 variants in Scania county, Sweden. Effectiveness remained above 80% after the transition from BA.1 to BA.2 among people with at least three vaccine doses but the point estimate decreased markedly to 54% among those with only two doses. Protection

BACKGROUND Exome sequencing in hundreds of thousands of persons may enable the identification of rare protein-coding genetic variants associated with protection from human diseases like liver cirrhosis, providing a strategy for the discovery of new therapeutic targets. METHODS We performed a multistage exome sequencing and genetic association analysis to identify genes in which rare protein-coding

The consecutive binding of two potassium ions to a bis(18-crown-6) analogue of Tröger’s base (BCETB) in water was studied by isothermal titration calorimetry using four different salts, KCl, KI, KSCN, and K2SO4. A counterintuitive result was observed: the enthalpy change associated with the binding of the second ion is more negative than that of the first (ΔH°bind,2 < ΔH°bind,1). This remarkable f

BACKGROUND: Hexavalent chromium (Cr(Ⅵ)) is classified as a group 1 human carcinogen and increases the risk of lung cancer. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have key regulatory roles in lung cancer, but less is known about their relation to Cr(Ⅵ) exposure.OBJECTIVES: We aimed to 1) measure the expression of lung cancer-related circulating ncRNAs in exposed workers and controls; 2) assess associations betwe

The concentrations of gas-phase potassium hydroxide (KOH), potassium chloride (KCl) and atomic potassium (K(g)) were quantitatively measured from the near-surface to downstream area of burning pinewood pellets by a newly developed photofragmentation tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (PF-TDLAS) technique to reveal the original form of the released potassium. The novel arrangement of the P

There is a lack of studies aiming to assess cellular a disintegrin and metalloproteinase-17 (ADAM-17) activity in COVID-19 patients and the eventual associations with the shedding of membrane-bound angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (mACE2). In addition, studies that investigate the relationship between ACE2 and ADAM-17 gene expressions in organs infected by SARS-CoV-2 are lacking. We used data from

Amyloid fibrils have been implicated in the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative diseases, the most prevalent example being Alzheimer's disease (AD). Despite the prevalence of AD, relatively little is known about the structure of the associated amyloid fibrils. This has motivated our studies of fibril structures, extended here to the familial Arctic mutant of Aβ1-42, E22G-Aβ1-42. We found E22

Micron-sized aluminum (Al) particles have recently been proposed as promising carbon-free energy carriers. To facilitate the application of micron-sized Al particles as fuel in practical energy generation system, this study experimentally investigates the underlying mechanisms of the ignition, stabilization and particle-particle collision in lifted Al particle cloud flames. High-resolution shadowg

Background. Survivors of sepsis may experience long-term risk of increased morbidity and mortality, but estimations of cause-specific effects beyond 1 year after a sepsis episode are lacking. Method. This nationwide population-based cohort study linked data from national registers to compare patients aged ≥18 years in Sweden admitted to an intensive care unit from 2008 to 2019 with severe communit

Cushioned lipid bilayers are structures consisting of a lipid bilayer supported on a solid substrate with an intervening layer of soft material. They offer possibilities for studying the behavior and interactions of biological membranes more accurately under physiological conditions. In this work, we continue our studies of cushion formation induced by histatin 5 (24Hst5), focusing on the effect o

Oligomeric species arising during the aggregation of α-synuclein are implicated as a major source of toxicity in Parkinson’s disease, and thus a major potential drug target. However, both their mechanism of formation and role in aggregation are largely unresolved. Here we show that, at physiological pH and in the absence of lipid membranes, α-synuclein aggregates form by secondary nucleation,