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Low-grade systemic inflammation is associated with risk of psoriasis in a general population study of more than 100,000 individuals
No full textBACKGROUND: Biomarkers of low-grade systemic inflammation have been reported to be higher in patients with psoriasis than in healthy controls. However, it is unknown whether this low-grade systemic inflammation contributes to the development of psoriasis or is merely a consequence.OBJECTIVES: To investigate if low-grade systemic inflammation, measured as systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), or C-reactive protein (CRP), is an independent risk factor for psoriasis.METHODS: We used data from the Copenhagen General Population Study, a prospective cohort study of the Danish general population where individuals aged 20-100 were enrolled between 2003 and 2015. Upon enrolment in the study, all individuals underwent a physical examination, completed an extensive self-reported questionnaire regarding lifestyle, and provided blood samples, from which SII, NLR, and CRP were measured. Psoriasis was identified using ICD codes by individual-linkage to the Danish National Patient Registry. Associations between SII, NLR, and CRP and psoriasis were estimated using hazard ratios from Cox proportional hazard regression models. Analyses were adjusted for potential confounders including sex, age, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, educational level, hypertension, dyslipidaemia, and obesity.RESULTS: We included 105,418 individuals with a median age of 58 years of whom 55% were women. The risk of receiving a diagnose of psoriasis increased with increasing levels of SII, NLR, and CRP. In individuals with high levels (>90 percentile) of SII, NLR, and CRP, the multivariable adjusted hazard ratios were 1.78 (95% confidence interval 1.41-2.24), 1.56 (1.22-1.99), and 2.83 (2.27-3.51), respectively, compared with individuals with low levels. Results were similar but slightly attenuated when we used topical calcipotriol (alone or in combination with corticosteroids) for mild psoriasis.CONCLUSIONS: We found that low-grade systemic inflammation, as measured by SII, NLR, and CRP, was an independent risk factor for psoriasis, especially moderate-to-severe disease. These findings support the hypothesis that low-grade systemic inflammation may contribute to the pathogenesis of psoriasis rather than simply being a consequence of the disease.</p
Quantification of egg content in pasta by vibrational spectroscopy
No full textApplication of three spectroscopic techniques, ATR (attenuated total reflection), NIR (near infrared) and DRIFTS (diffuse reflectance infrared FT spectroscopy), in combination with chemometrics for detection of pasta adulteration and egg content determination is reported. The results indicate that PLS models based on ATR spectra allow for determination of the number of eggs in pasta with an RMSEP (root mean square error of prediction) error of the order of 0.1 egg/kg for pasta containing from 1 to 6 eggs per kilogram of flour. This error is found to be 2 times higher for two other techniques used. Partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) based on vibrational spectra conducted for a set of samples including pasta adulterated by addition of vegetable oil or lecithin showed that all applied techniques enable fast and reliable detection of adulterated samples as well as pasta samples without eggs, again the most reliable model was obtained for ATR data.</p
Response to Letter to the Editor:Trends in mitral valve surgery for mitral valve regurgitation in Denmark: Reinterpreting patient characteristics and institutional effects
No full textTunable self-association of partially dephosphorylated beta-casein
No full textThe utilization of bovine casein for creating casein micelles with properties resembling those in human milk presents an opportunity to bridge the nutritional gap between human milk and infant formula. However, the processing of these innovative structures and ingredients remains uncharted territory. While previous studies have examined temperature-induced self-association of dephosphorylated (3-casein ((3-CN) by varying single factors, the structuring events of industrially manufactured (3-CN ingredients have not yet been fully described. In this study, a calcium depleted (3-CN was prepared from micellar casein isolate by cold microfiltration. Partial dephosphorylation was carried out using alkaline phosphatase and quantified though intact protein analysis by LC-MS. In situ self-association was investigated during heating (15-75 degrees C, 1 degrees C increments) in a multichannel spectrophotometer, with absorbance and static light scattering (SLS) being monitored. An experimental design was employed to investigate the impact of calcium concentration (0-9 mM), (3-CN concentration (2.5-10 mg/mL) and degree of dephosphorylation. The results demonstrate that altering the calcium concentration has a significant impact on tuning of the temperature-induced self-association of (3-CN. Notably, at 0 mM calcium, irreversible self-association was not observed, and increasing calcium concentration led to a decrease in the temperature of initial self-association. Partial dephosphorylation also had a significant impact, resulting in an increased temperature at initial self-association. The calcium to (3-CN ratio exerted a significant impact on the self-association temperature, while the (3-CN concentration alone had no pronounced effect. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that calcium-phosphate bridges were not solely responsible for the self-association protein interactions of partially dephosphorylated (3-CN
Komatiites: their geochemistry and origins
No full textKomatiites are ultra-hot ultramafic lavas, largely restricted to the Archaean. They represent an extreme endmember of terrestrial magmatism and challenge our understanding of how mantle melting operates. We briefly introduce this compositionally diverse group of lavas and critically evaluate constraints on their formation. Despite evidence for moderate water contents in some komatiites, the vast majority require an unusually hot mantle source and probably formed by critical melting in dry or ‘damp’ plumes. The low concentrations of incompatible trace elements in most komatiites cannot be explained by residual phases rich in these elements and instead reflect high degrees of partial melting. Constraining the melting pressures of komatiites is complicated by a lack of robust constraints. However, high MgO contents, high degrees of partial melting, and evidence of residual garnet in the formation of Al-depleted komatiites indicate that melting began at considerable depth in the upper mantle, if not within the lower mantle. We combine these constraints to present models for komatiite formation. Al-depleted komatiites are high pressure melts of fertile mantle; they segregated from sources containing residual garnet at pressures >7 GPa and possibly >10 GPa. Al-undepleted komatiites segregated at lower pressures and/or after reaching higher degrees of partial melting. They came from a depleted source that may have formed by low degrees of hydrous melting in the mantle transition zone. Al-enriched, or Ti-depleted komatiites originated from extremely depleted sources. Their melting pressures are difficult to ascertain, but evidence from the Commondale komatiites suggest at least some formed at pressures >10 GPa. Ti-enriched komatiites and post-Archaean komatiites were produced by smaller degrees of melting of variably enriched or depleted sources, with melting conditions comparable to those of modern picrites