Virna - a database on organic food production

Virna is an article reference database on organic food production. It contains material about such matters as organic and ecological crop production and horticulture, soil, fertilization, plant protection, animal production, processing of organic products, marketing and the environmental impacts of agriculture. The literature references have been taken from periodicals and congress publications as well as compilations

Full fart åt närproducerad mat i S:t Michel

Seminariet i S:t Michel i Finland samlade över hundra deltagare. Flera av föredragshållarna hade egna erfarenheter av en långsiktig utveckling av branschen. Ekologiskt ökar ytterligare värdet av närproducerad mat

Repressed PKC delta activation in glycodelin-expressing cells mediates resistance to phorbol ester and TGF beta

Glycodelin is a glycoprotein mainly expressed in well-differentiated epithelial cells in reproductive tissues. In normal secretory endometrium, the expression of glycodelin is abundant and regulated by progesterone. In hormone-related cancers glycodelin expression is associated with well-differentiated tumors. We have previously found that glycodelin drives epithelial differentiation of HEC-1B endometrial adenocarcinoma cells, resulting in reduced tumor growth in a preclinical mouse model. Here we show that glycodelin-transfected HEC-1B cells have repressed protein kinase C delta (PKC delta) activation, likely due to downregulation of PDKI, and are resistant to phenotypic change and enhanced migration induced by phorbo112-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). In control cells, which do not express glycodelin, the effects of PMA were abolished by using PKC6 and PDKI inhibitors, and knockdown of PKC delta, MEK1 and 2, or ERK1 and 2 by siRNAs. Similarly, transforming growth factor beta (TGF beta)-induced phenotypic change was only seen in control cells, not in glycodelin-producing cells, and it was mediated by PKC delta. Taken together, these results strongly suggest that PKC delta, via MAPI( pathway, is involved in the glycodelin-driven cell differentiation rendering the cells resistant to stimulation by PMA and TGF beta. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

To feel at home in a new country:integration strategies and teacher perceptions on supporting immigrant students’ integration in basic education

Abstract. This thesis discusses immigrant students’ integration process in basic education in the Finnish context. Integration is described from inclusive point of view as being a two-way process which is affected both by the person integrating and the surrounding society. Integration process is approached on many levels: administrational, individual, cultural, psychological, and in the light of theories of integration. Thus, the focus is on the integration happening at the school world. The aim of this research is to familiarize oneself with the concepts related to integration and find out ways to support and understand immigrant students’ integration process at school. This study is useful especially for all teachers and educators in a more multicultural world and classrooms. This study is qualitative and the data is analyzed with thematic content analysis. The data was collected as half-structured interviews. The empirical part consists of interviews with preparatory class teachers and a cultural mentor. The approach to analysis was deductive; the empirical part was researched in relation to theoretical framework. The aim is to broaden and deepen already existing theories with empirical data. The results of the study show that integration is a process which is affected by the factors such as motivation, personality, families, cultures and background. It is important that immigrant children feel welcome and their roots are respected to be able to integrate into the new society. According to theories and the participants, there are ways to support immigrant students’ integration at school. It is especially important that teachers and the whole school community work together towards multicultural atmosphere and all can feel as being respected members of the community. Also families have a huge influence on integration process of their children and teachers should take this into consideration. Teachers’ intercultural competence is a considerably positive matter both in interaction with families and working with immigrant children. This is why intercultural competence should be enabled to develop during teacher education. Teachers can support their students through appreciating and utilizing different cultural backgrounds in the classroom and by using various teaching methods. Mother tongue education is an important way to support children’s identities and can work as a cultural link to former home country. In addition to the themes discussed in relation to theories, the participants consider functional learning important to support social integration between all children at school and so promoting multicultural atmosphere. Multi-professional network is also experienced important. In addition, participants demand concrete statements to preparatory curriculum including skills to achieve during the preparatory education. In administrational level, the decisions for example about the location of living have to be faster to enable feelings of stability and continuation in lives to develop which are necessary for integration.Tiivistelmä. Tämä Pro gradu -tutkielma pohtii maahanmuuttajaoppilaiden integraatioprosessia Suomen perusopetuksessa. Integraatiota lähestytään inklusiivisesta näkökulmasta. Integraation nähdään kaksisuuntaisena prosessina, jolloin integraatioon vaikuttavat niin integroituva henkilö kuin ympäröivä yhteiskunta. Integraatioprosessia käsitellään monella tasolla: hallinnollisella, yksilöllisellä, kulttuurisella, psykologisella, ja integraatioteorioiden valossa. Huomio on kuitenkin keskittynyt integraatioon koulumaailmassa. Tutkimuksen tarkoitus on tutustuttaa lukija integraation käsitteistöön ja etsiä keinoja tukea ja ymmärtää maahanmuuttajaoppilaiden integraatioprosessia koulussa. Tämä tutkimus on erityisen hyödyllinen kaikille opettajille ja kasvattajille monikulttuuristuvassa maailmassa ja luokkahuoneissa. Tutkimus on laadullinen ja tutkimusaineisto on analysoitu temaattista sisällönanalyysiä käyttäen. Tutkimusaineisto kerättiin puolistrukturoidun haastattelurungon avulla. Empiirinen osa koostuu valmistavan luokan opettajien ja kulttuurimentorin haastatteluista. Analyysissä käytettiin deduktiivista lähestymistapaa: empiiristä osaa tutkittiin teoreettisen viitekehyksen pohjalta. Tarkoitus on laajentaa ja syventää jo olemassa olevia teorioita empiiristä tutkimusaineistoa käyttäen. Tutkimuksen tuloksista voi tulkita, että integraatio on prosessi, johon vaikuttavat useat tekijät. Näitä tekijöitä ovat muun muassa motivaatio, persoonallisuus, perhe, kulttuuri ja tausta. Jotta integroituminen uuteen yhteiskuntaan on mahdollista, on tärkeää, että maahanmuuttaja tuntee itsensä tervetulleeksi ja taustansakin arvostetuksi. Teorioiden ja haastateltavien mukaan maahanmuuttajaoppilaiden integroitumiseen koulussa löytyy keinoja. On erityisen tärkeää, että opettajat ja koko kouluyhteisö työskentelevät yhdessä kohti monikulttuurista ilmapiiriä ja kaikki voivat tuntea olevansa arvostettuja jäseniä yhteiskunnassa. Myös perheillä on suuri merkitys lastensa integraatioprosessissa, ja opettajien pitäisi ottaa tämä huomioon. Opettajien interkulttuurinen kompetenssi on positiivisesti vaikuttava asia yhteistyössä kodin kanssa ja myös työskenneltäessä maahanmuuttajalasten kanssa. Tämän takia interkulttuurisen kompetenssin pitäisi päästä kehittymään opettajakoulutuksen aikana. Opettajat voivat tukea oppilaitaan myös monipuolisilla opetustyyleillä ja kunnioittamalla ja hyödyntämällä erilaisia kulttuuritaustoja luokkahuoneessa. Oman äidinkielen opetus on tärkeä tapa tukea lapsen identiteettiä ja se voi toimia kulttuurisena linkkinä aiempaan kotimaahan. Teorioista nousseiden teemojen lisäksi haastateltavat kokivat toiminnallisen oppimisen tärkeäksi. Toiminnallinen oppiminen tukee oppilaiden sosiaalista integraatiota koulussa ja näin edistää monikulttuurista ilmapiiriä. Moniammatillinen verkosto koetaan myös tärkeäksi. Lisäksi haastateltavat vaativat lisää konkreettisia lausuntoja valmistavan luokan opetussuunnitelmaan, määritellen esimerkiksi taidot, jotka pitäisi saavuttaa valmistavassa luokassa opiskelun aikana. Hallinnollisella tasolla päätökset esimerkiksi asuinpaikasta tulisi olla nopeita, jotta jatkumon ja pysyvyyden tunne elämässä mahdollistuisivat. Nämä asiat ovat myös edellytyksiä kotoutumiselle

Immunoassay for trypsinogen-4

Trypsin has been identified as a pancreatic protease comprising three isoenzymes, trypsin-1,-2, and-3. However, the gene for trypsinogen-3, PRSS3, also gives rise to additional variants, trypsinogen-4A and B, which differ from trypsinogen-3 only with respect to the leader-peptide part, and when activated are identical to trypsin-3. The unique overlapping leader peptides of trypsinogen-4A and B allowed us to develop a specific sandwich-type immunofluorometric assay that detects both these isoforms, but not trypsinogen-3 or activated trypsinogen-4. We measured the concentrations of trypsinogen-4 in various cell line lysates and bile of primary sclerosing cholangitis patients. Lysates of cell lines MDA-MB-231 and PC-3, and astrocytes contained trypsinogen-4, while the conditioned media from these cells did not, suggesting that trypsinogen-4, lacking a classical signal sequence, is not secreted from the cells. Interestingly, 5.7% of the 212 bile samples analyzed contained measurable (>2.4 mu g/l) trypsinogen-4. In conclusion, we have established a specific assay for trypsinogen-4 and demonstrated that trypsinogen-4 can be found in biological samples. However, the clinical utility of the assay remains to be established.Peer reviewe

Biliary hCGβ Is a Potential Novel Marker for Prediction of Biliary Neoplasia in Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis Patients

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a chronic inflammatory disease, which is associated with an increased risk of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). Novel markers, to complement or replace CA19-9, are urgently needed for the screening of PSC-associated biliary neoplasia. Previous studies have suggested that serum trypsinogen-2 and human chorionic gonadotropin β-subunit (hCGβ) may serve as such markers. Using highly specific in-house immunoassays, we studied trypsin(ogen)-2 and -3, SPINK1 and hCGβ in bile samples of 214 patients, referred for endoscopic retrograde cholangiography. We found that biliary trypsinogen-2 was decreased (p = 0.027) and hCGβ was elevated (p < 0.001) in PSC patients who were diagnosed 1.6 years (median, range 0.1–8.8 years) later with CCA or in whom biliary dysplasia was observed at least twice in brush cytology (n = 11) as compared to PSC patients without CCA or repeated dysplasia (n = 171). The other studied markers did not show significant differences between these groups. Our results warrant further evaluation of hCGβ as a predictive marker for PSC-associated biliary neoplasia

Biliary hCGβ Is a Potential Novel Marker for Prediction of Biliary Neoplasia in Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis Patients

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a chronic inflammatory disease, which is associated with an increased risk of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). Novel markers, to complement or replace CA19-9, are urgently needed for the screening of PSC-associated biliary neoplasia. Previous studies have suggested that serum trypsinogen-2 and human chorionic gonadotropin β-subunit (hCGβ) may serve as such markers. Using highly specific in-house immunoassays, we studied trypsin(ogen)-2 and -3, SPINK1 and hCGβ in bile samples of 214 patients, referred for endoscopic retrograde cholangiography. We found that biliary trypsinogen-2 was decreased (p = 0.027) and hCGβ was elevated (p < 0.001) in PSC patients who were diagnosed 1.6 years (median, range 0.1–8.8 years) later with CCA or in whom biliary dysplasia was observed at least twice in brush cytology (n = 11) as compared to PSC patients without CCA or repeated dysplasia (n = 171). The other studied markers did not show significant differences between these groups. Our results warrant further evaluation of hCGβ as a predictive marker for PSC-associated biliary neoplasia

Dramatic increase in serum trypsinogens, SPINK1 and hCG beta in aortic surgery patients after hypothermic circulatory arrest

The concentrations of several diagnostic markers have been found to increase dramatically in critically ill patients with a severe disturbance of normal physiological homeostasis, without indication of the diseases they are normally associated with. To prevent false diagnoses and inappropriate treatments of critically ill patients, it is important that the markers aiding the selection of second-line treatments are evaluated in such patients and not only in the healthy population and patients with diseases the markers are associated with. The levels of trypsinogen isoenzymes, the trypsin inhibitor serine peptidase inhibitor Kazal type 1 (SPINK1), hCG and hCG beta, which are used as pancreatitis and cancer markers, were analyzed by immunoassays from serum samples of 17 adult patients who have undergone surgery of the ascending aorta during hypothermic circulatory arrest (HCA) with optional selective cerebral perfusion. Highly elevated levels of trypsinogen-1, -2 and -3, SPINK1 and hCG beta were observed in patients after HCA. This was accompanied by increased concentrations of S100 beta and NSE. In conclusion, this study highlights the importance of critically evaluating the markers used for aiding selection of second line of treatments in critically ill patients.Peer reviewe

Glycosylation Failure Extends to Glycoproteins in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: Evidence From Reduced α2-6 Sialylation and Impaired Immunomodulatory Activities of Pregnancy-Related Glycodelin-A

OBJECTIVE - Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common metabolic disorder of pregnancy. Patients with GDM are at risk for high fetal mortality and gestational complications associated with reduced immune tolerance and abnormal carbohydrate metabolism. Glycodelin-A (GdA) is an abundant decidual glycoprotein with glycosylation-dependent immunomodulatory activities. We hypothesized that aberrant carbohydrate metabolism in GDM was associated with changes in glycosylation of GdA, leading to defective immunomodulatory activities. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS - GdA in the amniotic fluid from women with normal (NGdA) and GDM (DGdA) pregnancies was purified by affinity chromatography. Structural analysis of protein glycosylation was preformed by lectin-binding assay and mass spectrometry. Cytotoxicity, cell death, cytokine secretion, and GdA binding of the GdA-treated lymphocytes and natural killer (NK) cells were determined. The sialidase activity in the placental tissue from normal and GDM patients was measured. RESULTS - GDM affected the glycosylation but not the protein core of GdA. Specifically, DGdA had a lower abundance of α2-6-sialylated and high-mannose glycans and a higher abundance of glycans with Sda (NeuAcα2-3[GalNAcβ1-4]Gal) epitopes compared with NGdA. DGdA had reduced immuosuppressive activities in terms of cytotoxicity on lymphocytes, inhibitory activities on interleukin (IL)-2 secretion by lymphocytes, stimulatory activities on IL-6 secretion by NK cells, and binding to these cells. Desialylation abolished the immunomodulation and binding of NGdA. Placental sialidase activity was increased in GDM patients, which may account for the reduced sialic acid content of DGdA. CONCLUSIONS - Taken together, this study provides the first direct evidence for altered enzymatic glycosylation and impaired bioactivity of GdA in GDM patients. © 2011 by the American Diabetes Association.published_or_final_versio

Individual and stable autoantibody repertoires in healthy individuals

In the era towards precision medicine, we here present the individual specific autoantibody signatures of 193 healthy individuals. The self-reactive IgG signatures are stable over time in a way that each individual profile is recognized in longitudinal sampling. The IgG autoantibody reactivity towards an antigen array comprising 335 protein fragments, representing 204 human proteins with potential relevance to autoimmune disorders, was measured in longitudinal plasma samples from 193 healthy individuals. This analysis resulted in unique autoantibody barcodes for each individual that were maintained over one year's time. The reactivity profiles, or signatures, are person specific in regards to the number of reactivities and antigen specificity. Two independent data sets were consistent in that each healthy individual displayed reactivity towards 0-16 antigens, with a median of six. Subsequently, four selected individuals were profiled on in-house produced high-density protein arrays containing 23,000 protein fragments representing 14,000 unique protein coding genes. Based on a unique, broad and deep longitudinal profiling of autoantibody reactivities, our results demonstrate a unique autoreactive profile in each analyzed healthy individual. The need and interest for broad-ranged and high-resolution molecular profiling of healthy individuals is rising. We have here generated and assessed an initial perspective on the global distribution of the self-reactive IgG repertoire in healthy individuals, by investigating 193 well-characterized healthy individuals.Peer reviewe