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To dissect the genetic architecture of blood pressure and assess effects on target organ damage, we analyzed 128,272 SNPs from targeted and genome-wide arrays in 201,529 individuals of European ancestry, and genotypes from an additional 140,886 individuals were used for validation. We identified 66 blood pressure-associated loci, of which 17 were new; 15 harbored multiple distinct association sign

Whilst life cycle assessment (LCA) boundaries are expanded to account for negative indirect consequences of bioenergy such as indirect land use change (ILUC), ecosystem services such as water purification sometimes delivered by perennial bioenergy crops are typically neglected in LCA studies. Consequential LCA was applied to evaluate the significance of nutrient interception and retention on the e

Combining insulin with glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists or dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors as glucose-lowering therapy for type 2 diabetes is a promising strategy that has gained considerable interest over the past few years. One advantage of this combination is the complementary mechanistic actions of insulin and GLP-1. Insulin increases glucose utilization and retards

Hypersecretion of the incretin hormone glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) has been associated with obesity and glucose intolerance. This condition has been suggested to be linked to GIP resistance. Besides its insulinotropic effect, GIP also directly affects glucose uptake and lipid metabolism. This notwithstanding, effects of GIP on other circulating metabolites than glucose have

Atherosclerosis is the primary cause of acute myocardial infarction and stroke. It is well established that arterial inflammation in response to accumulation and oxidation of lipoproteins in the vascular wall is the major factor responsible for the development of atherosclerosis. During recent years, it has become apparent that this vascular inflammation is modulated by a complex array of autoimmu

About a quarter of all meteorites falling on Earth today originate from the breakup of the L-chondrite parent body similar to 470 Ma ago, the largest documented breakup in the asteroid belt in the past similar to 3 Ga. A window into the flux of meteorites to Earth shortly after this event comes from the recovery of about 100 fossil L chondrites (1-21 cm in diameter) in a quarry of mid-Ordovician l

Gastric bypass (GBP) results in rapid type 2 diabetes (T2D) remission in most cases. Consequences of GBP reversal are unknown. A GBP-operated T2D patient was given mixed-meal tests before (MMTpre), 2 months (MMT2-M) and 12 months (MMT12-M) after GBP reversal. Glucose, hormones and metabolite profiles were assessed. MMT2-M displayed slightly lower glucose levels; MMT12-M displayed higher glucose an

Observational epidemiology has made outstanding contributions to the discovery and elucidation of relations between lifestyle factors and common complex diseases such as type 2 diabetes. Recent major advances in the understanding of the human genetics of this disease have inspired studies that seek to determine whether the risk conveyed by bona fide risk loci might be modified by lifestyle factors

Helianthemum nummularium (L.) Mill. has two subspecies in southern Scandinavia, which differ in an indumentum character that is inherited as a Mendelian gene with two alleles. The dominant allele is the genetic basis for the key character of subsp. obscurum (absence of a dense felt of stellate hairs on the abaxial surface of the leaf), whereas the recessive allele is the genetic basis for the key

Macrophages control the resolution of inflammation through the transition from a proinflammatory (M1) to an anti-inflammatory (M2) phenotype. Here, we present evidence for a role of AMPK alpha 1, a master regulator of energy homeostasis, in macrophage skewing that occurs during skeletal muscle regeneration. Muscle regeneration was impaired in AMPK alpha 1(-/-) mice. In vivo loss-of-function (LysM-

Type 2 diabetes is triggered by reduced insulin production, caused by genetic and environmental factors such as inflammation originating from the innate immune system. Complement proteins are a component of innate immunity and kill non-self cells by perforating the plasma membrane, a reaction prevented by CD59. Human pancreatic islets express CD59 at very high levels. CD59 is primarily known as a

Secretion from many endocrine cells is a result of calcium-regulated exocytosis due to Ca(2+) influx. Using the patch-clamp technique, voltage pulses can be applied to the cells to open Ca(2+) channels, resulting in a measurable Ca(2+) current, and evoke exocytosis, which can be seen as an increase in membrane capacitance. A common tool for evaluating the relation between Ca(2+) influx and exocyto