Determination of serum amyloid P component in seminal plasma and correlations with serum hormone levels in young, healthy men.

Abstract Serum amyloid P component (SAP) belongs to the pentraxin family of proteins. SAP is evolutionary conserved, and involved in amyloidosis, innate immunity, inflammation, and apoptosis. We have previously described SAP in the male reproductive tract, where it occurs in seminal fluid, on spermatozoa, and in epididymal, seminal vesicle, and prostate tissue. In the present investigation, our aim was to characterize SAP in male reproduction. In short, we developed and evaluated an immunoassay, analysed the concentration of SAP in seminal plasma and serum in samples from healthy men (N = 203), and studied hormonal regulation. SAP in seminal plasma showed a positively skewed distribution and a median concentration of 1.01 mg/L (inter quartile range [IQR] 0.56-1.65 mg/L). SAP in serum had a Gaussian distribution and a median concentration of 40.5 mg/L (IQR 34.2-49.2 mg/L). Furthermore, SAP concentrations in seminal plasma were not correlated with serum concentrations of SAP, testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), the testosterone/SHBG ratio, inhibin B, or estradiol. Only a weak negative correlation was found between seminal plasma SAP and serum levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) (Spearman's rho -0.159; p = 0.023) and luteinizing hormone (LH) (Spearman's rho -0.162; p = 0.021). In conclusion, all men investigated had measurable SAP levels in seminal plasma and in serum. SAP concentrations were 40 times lower in seminal fluid than in serum, and there was no correlation between those two variables. It seems that hormonal regulation is not the major pathway regulating seminal plasma SAP, and seminal plasma SAP and serum SAP are not co-regulated

Utvärdering av sjuksköterskeprogrammet vid Lunds universitet : Höstterminen 2012 - vårterminen 2014

2012 beslutade MedCUL (Medicinska fakultetens centrum för undervisning och lärande) och sjuksköterskeprogrammets ledning att påbörja en större utvärdering av sjuksköterskeutbildningen. Projektet består av två delar med delvis olika syften. Den första delen, som här redovisas för perioden höstterminen 2012 till och med vårterminen 2014, syftar till att ta fram underlag för förbättring av programmet. Den andra delen är ett forskningsprojekt där olika utvärderingsmetoder utprovas och jämförs. Tillvägagångssätten har varit fokusgrupper med studenter på termin tre respektive sex, enkäterna DREEM och CLES+T, intervjuer med enskilda studenter och lärare, samt analys av kursplaner och andra kursrelaterade dokument. Projektet påbörjades i samband med att programmet sjösatte en ny utbildningsplan höstterminen 2012 och de studenter som ingått i projektet representerar sex olika kohorter, fyra inom den tidigare utbildningsplanen och två inom den nuvarande. Denna rapport inleds med en sammanfattning av de olika tillvägagångssätt vi använt samt huvuddragen i resultaten (i rapportens appendix återfinns samtliga enkäter och frågemallar samt resterande resultat). I den avslutande diskussionen, där vi också ger förslag för utveckling, har vi begränsat oss till ett antal problemområden som vi menar framstått särskilt tydligt och är särskilt viktiga att göra något åt. Rapportens resultatdel rymmer dock mer än så och kan vara användbart för vidare analys och utvecklingsarbete

Nutrient density of beverages in relation to climate impact

The food chain contributes to a substantial part of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and growing evidence points to the urgent need to reduce GHGs emissions worldwide. Among suggestions were proposals to alter food consumption patterns by replacing animal foods with more plant-based foods. However, the nutritional dimensions of changing consumption patterns to lower GHG emissions still remains relatively unexplored. This study is the first to estimate the composite nutrient density, expressed as percentage of Nordic Nutrition Recommendations (NNR) for 21 essential nutrients, in relation to cost in GHG emissions of the production from a life cycle perspective, expressed in grams of CO2-equivalents, using an index called the Nutrient Density to Climate Impact (NDCI) index. The NDCI index was calculated for milk, soft drink, orange juice, beer, wine, bottled carbonated water, soy drink, and oat drink. Due to low-nutrient density, the NDCI index was 0 for carbonated water, soft drink, and beer and below 0.1 for red wine and oat drink. The NDCI index was similar for orange juice (0.28) and soy drink (0.25). Due to a very high-nutrient density, the NDCI index for milk was substantially higher (0.54) than for the other beverages. Future discussion on how changes in food consumption patterns might help avert climate change need to take both GHG emission and nutrient density of foods and beverages into account

Alpha-thalassemia due to novel deletions and complex rearrangements in the subtelomeric region of chromosome 16p

2º Dia do Jovem Investigador do Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge, INSA, 8 maio 2017Introduction: Inherited deletions removing the α-globin genes and/or their upstream regulatory elements (MCSs) give rise to alpha-thalassemia, one of the most common genetic recessive disorders worldwide. The pathology is characterized by microcytic hypochromic anemia due to reduction of the α-globin chain synthesis, which are essential for hemoglobin tetramerization. Material and Methods: In order to clarify the suggestive α-thalassemia phenotype in eleven patients, we performed Multiplex Ligation-dependent Probe Amplification with commercial and synthetic engineered probes, gap-PCR, and Sanger sequencing to search for deletions in the subtelomeric region of chromosome 16p. Results: We have identified five distinct large deletions, two of them novel, and one indel. The deletions range from approximately 3.3 to 323 kb, and i) remove the whole α-globin cluster; or ii) remove exclusively the upstream regulatory elements leaving the α-globin genes structurally intact. The indel consists in the loss of MCS-R2 (HS-40), which is the most important distal regulatory element for the α-globin gene expression, and the insertion of 39 bp, seemingly resulting from a complex rearrangement involving two DNA segments (probably from chromosome 3q) bridging the deletion breakpoints with a CC-bp orphan sequence in between. Finally, in one patient no α-globin deletion or point mutation were found. This patient revealed to be a very unusual case of acquired alpha-thalassemia associated with a myelodysplastic syndrome. Conclusions: Our study widens the spectrum of molecular lesions by which α-thalassemia may occur and emphasizes the importance of diagnosing large α-zero-deletions to provide patients with appropriate genetic counseling.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Replacing monocultures with mixed-species stands: Ecosystem service implications of two production forest alternatives in Sweden

Whereas there is evidence that mixed-species approaches to production forestry in general can provide positive outcomes relative to monocultures, it is less clear to what extent multiple benefits can be derived from specific mixed-species alternatives. To provide such insights requires evaluations of an encompassing suite of ecosystem services, biodiversity, and forest management considerations provided by specific mixtures and monocultures within a region. Here, we conduct such an assessment in Sweden by contrasting even-aged Norway spruce (Picea abies)-dominated stands, with mixed-species stands of spruce and birch (Betula pendula or B. pubescens), or spruce and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris). By synthesizing the available evidence, we identify positive outcomes from mixtures including increased biodiversity, water quality, esthetic and recreational values, as well as reduced stand vulnerability to pest and pathogen damage. However, some uncertainties and risks were projected to increase, highlighting the importance of conducting comprehensive interdisciplinary evaluations when assessing the pros and cons of mixtures

A struggling collaborative process : revisiting the woodland key habitat concept in Swedish forests

The term woodland key habitat (WKH) was launched in Sweden in 1990. Definitions for the concept have changed over the years, and today the WKH concept and its application are issues of debate in Sweden. Consequently, the Swedish Forestry Agency (SFA) initiated a collaborative process including forest stakeholders with the purpose to clarify the application and develop the inventory methodology of WKH. We have studied, by means of interviews and observations, participant perceptions of how endogenous and exogenous factors affect the collaborative process. During our research, we identified three game changers: the pause in WKH registration in northwestern Sweden that caused several participants to drop out of the process; budget allocations for new nationwide WKH inventories that put the process on hold; and formal instructions from the government that came nine months later and essentially re-initiated the collaborative process. Altogether, this not only affected the participants’ abilities, understanding and willingness to participate, but also the overall legitimacy of the process – indicating the difficulty of conducting policy development in collaborative form, especially when it is highly politicized since it impact on the participants’ anticipation of the process and its end results.Future Forest

Serum amyloid P component : A new biomarker for low sperm concentration?

Serum amyloid P component (SAP) is present in seminal plasma, on spermatozoa, and in different tissues of the male reproductive tract, but its function is not known. The aims of this study were to determine if the concentration of SAP in seminal plasma is associated with commonly assessed semen parameters and to investigate if SAP could be a new, indirect biomarker for these parameters. In a cross-sectional study of 203 young volunteers, the concentration of SAP in seminal plasma was measured with a in-house developed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Scatter plots, Pearson's correlation coefficients (r), and linear regression models were produced, and SAP showed a statistically significant correlation with sperm concentration (r = 0.75), sperm number (r = 0.68), semen volume (r =-0.19), progressive sperm motility (r = 0.24), and sperm immotility (r =-0.20). When the study group was dichotomized, SAP could be used to discriminate samples with a sperm concentration or =5 × 106 ml-1, 15 × 106 ml-1, or 40 × 106 ml-1, and in receiver operating characteristic curves, the corresponding areas under the curves were 0.97, 0.93, and 0.82, respectively, with P 0.001 for all three cutoff values studied. The concentration of SAP in seminal plasma showed a strong, positive correlation with the concentration of spermatozoa in semen. SAP may be used as a new indirect potential biomarker for sperm concentration in fresh and in frozen, stored samples. In addition, it is envisaged that the assay could be developed into a home fertility test to differentiate between a low and a normal sperm concentration