It is crucial to consider the effects of large-scale drivers on species presences and ecological interactions to understand what structures communities. In our study, we investigated how the species composition and the potential interaction networks of herbivore and parasitoid communities in oilseed rape fields are affected by agricultural landscape characteristics. Insect communities of 26 winter

Background: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a multifactorial, polygenic disease caused by impaired insulin secretion and insulin resistance. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were expected to resolve a large part of the genetic component of diabetes; yet, the single nucleotide polymorphisms identified by GWAS explain less than 20% of the estimated heritability for T2D. There was subsequently a need

Aortic valve stenosis (AS) is the most common valvular heart disease, and valve replacement is the only definitive treatment. Here we report a large genome-wide association (GWA) study of 2,457 Icelandic AS cases and 349,342 controls with a follow-up in up to 4,850 cases and 451,731 controls of European ancestry. We identify two new AS loci, on chromosome 1p21 near PALMD (rs7543130; odds ratio (OR

Twenty Apolipoprotein A-I (ApoA-I) variants are responsible for a systemic hereditary amyloidosis in which protein fibrils can accumulate in different organs, leading to their failure. Several ApoA-I amyloidogenic mutations are also associated with hypoalphalipoproteinemia, low ApoA-I and high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol plasma levels; however, subjects affected by ApoA-I-related amyloid

Inherited resistance to activated protein C (APC resistance) is an important risk factor of venous thrombosis. It is caused by a point mutation in the gene coding for coagulation factor V, called FV:Q506. Arterio-venous thrombosis is a common and serious medical problem in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We studied the prevalence of the factor V mutation associated with APC resis

Background and aims: In recent years, undergraduate medical education has undergone a transition from a speciality-based to a more competence-based training system. Consequently, whilst medical knowledge is rapidly expanding, time for teaching of the surgical specialties is decreasing. Thus, there appears to be a need to define the core competences that are to be taught. The aim of this study was

Colorectal cancer (CRC) has a strong familial component which extends to discordant cancers (ie non-CRC tumors). This is best seen in cancer syndromes such as hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) which predisposes to several tumor types. Population-based family studies have also found discordant associations for CRC but they have included cancers which manifest in HNPCC, and there is

The Quality of Life in Hand Eczema Questionnaire (QOLHEQ) is the only instrument assessing disease-specific health-related quality of life in patients with hand eczema. It is available in eight language versions. In this study we assessed if the items of different language versions of the QOLHEQ yield comparable values across countries. An international multicenter study was conducted with partici

Background: A parental mental illness affects all family members and should warrant a need for support. Aim: To investigate the extent to which psychiatric patients with underage children are the recipients of child-focused interventions and involved in interagency collaboration. Methods: Data were retrieved from a psychiatric services medical record database consisting of data regarding 29,972 in

Dysregulation of gene expression in islets from type 2 diabetic patients might be causally involved in the development of hyperglycemia or it could develop as a consequence of hyperglycemia, i.e. glucotoxicity. To separate the genes potentially causally involved in pathogenesis from those likely to be secondary to the hyperglycemia we exposed islets from human donors to normal or high glucose conc

The evolution of phenotypic plasticity requires a number of conditions. Selection of plasticity is favoured when the organism experience environmental change, costs are low and cues are reliable about the environmental heterogeneity. However, organisms living in stable environments, not showing constitutive traits but a large amount of plasticity, are predicted to demonstrate high rates of gene fl

Background: Day centers are a common form of mental health service internationally. They are aimed at enhancing occupational engagement and social relations, but there is a need to clarify the outcomes of day center programs, including the impact on important aspects of recovery such as empowerment. Aims: The aim of this study was to explore whether perceived empowerment changed over time among Sw

It is important that the costs and effort in making a Virtual Reality (VR) model support its purpose in the specific context in which it is used. The present research aims to clarify which properties in VR-models contribute to improved experience of aspects of the model that are relevant in the use context and which therefore improve the models’ usability in the social processes of which they are

The impact of European Union law on the regional and local levels in the Member States has been underestimated for a long time now. Today, however, it is clear that the impact of European Union law on these levels is important, not least as a consequence of the deregulation that has been carried out in most Member States in recent years. As local markets open up for competition, the scope of EU la