The trans-ancestral genomic architecture of glycemic traits

Glycemic traits are used to diagnose and monitor type 2 diabetes and cardiometabolic health. To date, most genetic studies of glycemic traits have focused on individuals of European ancestry. Here we aggregated genome-wide association studies comprising up to 281,416 individuals without diabetes (30% non-European ancestry) for whom fasting glucose, 2-h glucose after an oral glucose challenge, glycated hemoglobin and fasting insulin data were available. Trans-ancestry and single-ancestry meta-analyses identified 242 loci (99 novel; P < 5 x 10(-8)), 80% of which had no significant evidence of between-ancestry heterogeneity. Analyses restricted to individuals of European ancestry with equivalent sample size would have led to 24 fewer new loci. Compared with single-ancestry analyses, equivalent-sized trans-ancestry fine-mapping reduced the number of estimated variants in 99% credible sets by a median of 37.5%. Genomic-feature, gene-expression and gene-set analyses revealed distinct biological signatures for each trait, highlighting different underlying biological pathways. Our results increase our understanding of diabetes pathophysiology by using trans-ancestry studies for improved power and resolution.A trans-ancestry meta-analysis of GWAS of glycemic traits in up to 281,416 individuals identifies 99 novel loci, of which one quarter was found due to the multi-ancestry approach, which also improves fine-mapping of credible variant sets.Diabetes mellitus: pathophysiological changes and therap

Intense pulsed light sintering of an inkjet printed silver nanoparticle ink depending on the spectral absorption and reflection of the background

The development of novel manufacturing methods for flexible, light weight and cost-efficient electronics has attracted great interest in recent years. The inkjet printing technology is an attractive fabrication process due to its additive, high precision and up-scalable deposition process. One of the key components of printed electronic devices is the conductive track. A major requirement is a desired and device dependent electrical performance induced by an appropriate post treatment process. Here, the novel method of using intense pulsed light (IPL) to convert printed liquid films into solid and functionalized metallic layers has great potential when it comes to fabrication of electronics on thin, flexible and even stretchable polymeric foils. Within this research, the IPL sintering and its dependence on the spectral absorption and reflection of various materials is investigated. A nanoparticle silver ink is inkjet printed on a transparent PET foil. Afterwards, the printed samples are placed at a defined distance from the background inside the photonic sintering equipment and flashed on one hand with various flashing parameters and on the other with changing background materials and colors. Changing the background color influences the reflection and absorption properties of the flashlight; the electrical performance of the IPL processed conductive layers can be drastically changed when such a phenomenon occurs. Highly conductive silver tracks or electrodes can be manufactured on thin and flexible polymeric substrates without damage

Imported malaria in children: A national surveillance in the Netherlands and a review of European studies

Background: Falciparum malaria or malaria tropica is one of the leading causes of childhood mortality worldwide. Malaria-related deaths occur mainly in sub-Saharan Africa, where an estimated 365 million clinical cases of Plasmodium falciparum malaria occur each year. In Europe, imported malaria cases occur due to returning travellers or immigration mostly from African countries. Children are more at risk than adults. The objective of this study was to identify high risk groups for imported childhood malaria in Europe in order to guide development of strategies for prevention, early recognition and management. Methods: In the period May 2003-January 2005 we reviewed all cases of paediatric malaria in the Netherlands notified by the Dutch Paediatric Surveillance System (Nederland Signalerings Centrum Kindergeneeskunde, NSCK) and the literature on imported malaria in children in Europe published between 1996 and 2006. Results: Malaria occurred mainly in children of long-term (n = 15, 47%) and new (n = 8, 25%) immigrants and was mostly acquired in sub-Saharan Africa. The dominant species was P. falciparum. Only one quarter of children had used adequate malaria chemoprophylaxis. Complicated disease occurred in 10 (31%) of cases. We also reviewed the literature and found 6082 reported cases of imported malaria among children in Europe; among these, four died and only one was reported to develop neurological sequelae. Conclusion: Imported malaria in children remains an important problem and is unlikely to decrease unless the reasons for inadequate prophylaxis are addressed. © The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved. Chemicals / CAS: quinine, 130-89-2, 130-95-0, 14358-44-2, 549-48-4, 549-49-5, 60-93-5, 7549-43-1; Antimalarial

Investigation on inkjet printing for electromagnetic applications

In numerous interconnected radio frequency applications electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and attenuation of electromagnetic waves has to be observed. In case of electromagnetic devices (e.g. magnetic resonance tomography, radar. . . ) with high output power it is important to shield EMC sensitive devices close to. Or in case of commercial Wi-Fi and Bluetooth applications for example in automobiles limiting of the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth network to a defined area to protect these wireless networks from unwanted external access and disturbances is crucial. First of all a brief investigation on inkjet-printed silver lines on flexible films is demonstrated. The geometrical and electrical properties of the lines are the basis for the realization of silver grids which can be used on the one hand to attenuate electromagnetic waves locally or on the other hand to protect EMC sensitive devices close to electromagnetic transmitters. The inkjet-printing technology is a resource, time as well as cost efficient manufacturing method for various electronic devices. Small amounts of functional material can be applied on flexible substrates. Inkjet-printed silver grids are investigated with regard to precise line geometries given by simulations. The deviation of the printed line widths from the simulated ones should be kept as small as possible to realize the intended attenuation of the electromagnetic radiation in a specified frequency range

Investigation on inkjet printing for electromagnetic compatibility application

The research focused on the development of inkjet-printed silver grids on flexible films to (I) attenuate electromagnetic waves at 2.45 GHz locally by applying them directly on Wi-Fi or Bluetooth transmitter or to (II) protect electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) sensitive devices close to electromagnetic transmitters. The inkjet printing technology leads to resource, time as well as cost efficient manufacturing and simplifies the adjustment of the pattern design regarding different applications. The research contains a fundamental analysis of the behavior of printed silver patterns on flexible polymer substrates regarding line widths, layer morphology and electrical performance. On that basis, the grid pattern for a certain frequency range is simulated. The report shows first simulation results on basis of the given material parameters. The results are the fundamentals for further research on realization of the simulated grid patterns by inkjet printing technology