In 2015 an engraved shale pendant was found during excavations at the Early Mesolithic site of Star Carr, UK. Engraved motifs on Mesolithic pendants are extremely rare, with the exception of amber ...pendants from southern Scandinavia. The artwork on the pendant is the earliest known Mesolithic art in Britain; the 'barbed line' motif is comparable to styles on the Continent, particularly in Denmark. When it was first uncovered the lines were barely visible but using a range of digital imaging techniques it has been possible to examine them in detail and determine the style of engraving as well as the order in which the lines might have been made. In addition, microwear and residue analyses were applied to examine whether the pendant showed signs that it had been strung or worn, and whether the lines had been made more visible through the application of pigments, as has been suggested for some Danish amber pendants. This approach of using multiple scientific and analytical techniques has not been used previously and provides a methodology for the examination of similar artefacts in the future.
Aging is one of the most important biological processes and is a known risk factor for many age-related diseases in human. Studying age-related transcriptomic changes in tissues across the whole body ...can provide valuable information for a holistic understanding of this fundamental process. In this work, we catalogue age-related gene expression changes in nine tissues from nearly two hundred individuals collected by the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) project. In general, we find the aging gene expression signatures are very tissue specific. However, enrichment for some well-known aging components such as mitochondria biology is observed in many tissues. Different levels of cross-tissue synchronization of age-related gene expression changes are observed, and some essential tissues (e.g., heart and lung) show much stronger “co-aging” than other tissues based on a principal component analysis. The aging gene signatures and complex disease genes show a complex overlapping pattern and only in some cases, we see that they are significantly overlapped in the tissues affected by the corresponding diseases. In summary, our analyses provide novel insights to the co-regulation of age-related gene expression in multiple tissues; it also presents a tissue-specific view of the link between aging and age-related diseases.
This paper extends earlier work examining the relationship between status and group membership as sources of influence. It is argued that shared group membership facilitates status generalization, ...the carrying over of status in one domain to influence in another unrelated domain. In the first experiment, where interaction partners were differentiated by a highly relevant task ability, the partners' group membership (same or different) had no effects on influence. In the second experiment, partners with a high level of relevant task ability were equally influential regardless of group membership, but partners with high ability on an irrelevant task were more influential if they were in-group members than if they were not. Findings are discussed in relation to status characteristics theory and the concept of social status. Adapted from the source document.
Juvista™ drug product contains human recombinant active transforming growth factor beta 3 (TGFβ3; avotermin). Juvista is being developed for the prevention and reduction of human scarring. Phase II ...and III clinical and development batches of Juvista were assayed for content by an immunoenzymometric assay (IEMA) using a National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC) TGFβ3 reference material (98/608) and avotermin standard (Lot 205-0505-005). Paired Juvista TGFβ3 data were compared directly, pooled, and processed using the statistical analysis described by Bland and Altman. A direct comparison of the two standards was also made. The Bland-Altman result was 1.958, the best estimate of the relationship between Lot 205-0505-005 and reference material 98/608. By IEMA, reference material 98/608 has approximately 50% of the immunoreactivity of Lot 205-0505-005. During clinical development, no change in Juvista TGFβ3 dosage was made, but the standard used for Juvista TGFβ3 assay was changed from 98/608 to 205-0505-005. The stated amount of Juvista TGFβ3 in phase III trials was approximately one-half of that in phase II trials. This article highlights the importance of early adoption of an appropriate and representative standard to achieve accurate quantification of protein drug during clinical development.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
BFBNIB, DOBA, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Juvista™ drug product contains human recombinant active transforming growth factor beta 3 (TGFβ3; avotermin). Juvista is being developed for the prevention and reduction of human scarring. Phase II ...and III clinical and development batches of Juvista were assayed for content by an immunoenzymometric assay (IEMA) using a National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC) TGFβ3 reference material (98/608) and avotermin standard (Lot 205-0505-005). Paired Juvista TGFβ3 data were compared directly, pooled, and processed using the statistical analysis described by Bland and Altman. A direct comparison of the two standards was also made. The Bland-Altman result was 1.958, the best estimate of the relationship between Lot 205-0505-005 and reference material 98/608. By IEMA, reference material 98/608 has approximately 50% of the immunoreactivity of Lot 205-0505-005.
During clinical development, no change in Juvista TGFβ3 dosage was made, but the standard used for Juvista TGFβ3 assay was changed from 98/608 to 205-0505-005. The stated amount of Juvista TGFβ3 in phase III trials was approximately one-half of that in phase II trials. This article highlights the importance of early adoption of an appropriate and representative standard to achieve accurate quantification of protein drug during clinical development.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
BFBNIB, DOBA, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Background
The average level of blood cholesterol is an important determinant of the risk of coronary heart disease. Blood cholesterol can be reduced by dietary means. Although dietitians are trained ...to provide dietary advice, for practical reasons it may be given by other health professionals or using self‐help resources.
Objectives
To assess the effects of dietary advice given by a dietitian compared with another health professional, or the use of self‐help resources, in reducing blood cholesterol in adults.
Search methods
We searched The Cochrane Library (to Issue 3 2002), the EPOC trial register (October 2002), MEDLINE (1966 to September 2002), EMBASE (1980 to September 2002), Cinahl (1982 to August 2002), Human Nutrition (1991 to 1998), Science Citation Index, Social Sciences Citation Index, hand searched conference proceedings on nutrition and heart disease, and contacted experts in the field.
Selection criteria
Randomised trials of dietary advice given by a dietitian compared with another health professional or self‐help resources. The main outcome was difference in blood cholesterol between dietitian groups compared with other intervention groups.
Data collection and analysis
Two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed study quality.
Main results
Twelve studies with 13 comparisons were included. Four studies compared dietitian with doctor, seven with self‐help resources, and only one study was found for dietitian versus nurse and dietitian versus counsellor comparisons. Participants receiving advice from dietitians experienced a greater reduction in blood cholesterol than those receiving advice only from doctors (‐0.25 mmol/L (95% CI ‐0.37, ‐0.12 mmol/L)). There was no statistically significant difference in change in blood cholesterol between dietitians and self‐help resources (‐0.10 mmol/L (95% CI ‐0.22, 0.03 mmol/L)). No statistically significant differences were detected for secondary outcome measures between any of the comparisons with the exception of dietitian versus nurse for HDLc, where the dietitian group showed a greater reduction (‐0.06 mmol/L (95% CI ‐0.11, ‐0.01)) and dietitian versus counsellor for body weight, where the dietitian group showed a greater reduction (‐5.80 kg (95% CI ‐8.91, ‐2.69 kg)).
Authors' conclusions
Dietitians were better than doctors at lowering blood cholesterol in the short to medium term, but there was no evidence that they were better than self‐help resources. There was no evidence that dietitians provided better outcomes than nurses.
The results should be interpreted with caution as the studies were not of good quality and the analysis was based on a limited number of trials.
An important component of barley cell walls, particularly in the endosperm, is (1,3; 1,4)- beta - glucan, a polymer that has proven health benefits in humans and that influences processability in the ...brewing industry. Genes of the cellulose synthase-like (Csl) F gene family have been shown to be involved in (1,3; 1,4)- beta -glucan synthesis but many aspects of the biosynthesis are still unclear. Examination of the sequence assembly of the barley genome has revealed the presence of an additional three HvCslF genes (HvCslF11, HvCslF12 and HvCslF13) which may be involved in (1,3; 1,4)- beta -glucan synthesis. Transcripts of HvCslF11 and HvCslF12 mRNA were found in roots and young leaves, respectively. Transient expression of these genes in Nicotiana benthamiana resulted in phenotypic changes in the infiltrated leaves, although no authentic (1,3; 1,4)- beta -glucan was detected. Comparisons of the CslF gene families in cereals revealed evidence of intergenic recombination, gene duplications and translocation events. This significant divergence within the gene family might be related to multiple functions of (1,3; 1,4)- beta -glucans in the Poaceae. Emerging genomic and global expression data for barley and other cereals is a powerful resource for characterising the evolution and dynamics of complete gene families. In the case of the CslF gene family, the results will contribute to a more thorough understanding of carbohydrate metabolism in grass cell walls.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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