Copenhagen University Hospital
CURIS (Copenhagen University Research Information System)Not a member yet
395145 research outputs found
Sort by
The active monitoring of oxytocin research evidence (AMORE) platform
No full textOxytocin, an evolutionarily conserved neuropeptide, plays a crucial role in various physiological and behavioural processes, offering potential therapeutic benefits for several psychiatric and neurodevelopmental conditions. Despite its promise, oxytocin research has been marked by inconsistent results concerning its therapeutic applications and underlying mechanisms. Performing a systematic review and meta-analysis is a popular approach to shed light on mixed findings in a body of literature; however, they can become quickly outdated as new evidence becomes available. Given these challenges, research on the links between oxytocin and biobehavioural outcomes is ideally positioned for the adoption of ‘living’ meta-analyses, which allow for the continuous integration of new data and updated conclusions. Here we introduce the Active Monitoring of Oxytocin Research Evidence (AMORE) platform ( https://amore-project.org ), which is a hub that aggregates articles and materials associated with living meta-analyses for biobehavioural oxytocin research in humans. Developed through consensus among 24 expert researchers, a standardized framework was established that either requires or recommends practices ensuring transparency and rigor in living meta-analyses featured on the AMORE platform. Overall, AMORE has been designed to advance human oxytocin biobehavioural research by the timely integration of emerging evidence through transparent living meta-analyses. To date, two living meta-analysis projects at different stages of publication are hosted on AMORE, demonstrating the platform’s practical application.</p
Phage-Host Interactions in <i>Flavobacterium </i>Pathogens and the Potential of Phage-Based Disease Control in Salmonid Aquaculture
No full textA major bottleneck to the projected expansion of the aquaculture industry is disease outbreaks caused by bacterial pathogens. Fish diseases caused by Flavobacterium pathogens are persistent in salmonid aquaculture, and treatment is limited to antimicrobials, which contaminate the aquatic environment and promote antimicrobial resistance. Bacteriophages (phages) are viruses that naturally kill bacteria, and Flavobacterium-infecting phages have shown promise in preventing and controlling disease and biofilm formation in aquaculture. This review compiles current knowledge on Flavobacterium-phage interactions and applications. We outline the diversity and distribution of Flavobacterium hosts and phages, and discuss the connection between the type IX secretion system, the gliding motility machinery, phage susceptibility, and host virulence. While there is still much to learn about phage resistance mechanisms, the frequent observation that phage resistance is associated with loss of pathogen virulence points to phages as a promising avenue for future pathogen control. Phages infecting Flavobacterium hosts also show persistence to environmental and storage conditions, making them potentially suitable for the development of phage products. Finally, we assess the remaining challenges concerning regulation of phage products, manufacturing at scale, as well as unresolved research questions that need to be addressed to supply the aquaculture industry with alternative treatment and prevention methods in the future.</p
Modeling the Late Pliocene with AWI-CM3 as a contribution to PlioMIP3 core experiments
No full textThe Late Pliocene, particularly the Marine Isotope Stage KM5c (3.205 Ma BP) has been increasingly proposed as an analog to future climate change, especially considering changes in the hydrological cycle, monsoon systems, and atmospheric and ocean warming above Pre-Industrial (1850 CE) and historical levels. The Pliocene Modeling Intercomparison Project (PlioMIP), now in its third phase (PlioMIP3), seeks to explore climate of the Pliocene based on a combination of climate model simulations and proxy data reconstructions. One of its goals is also to assess the analogy between past and future climates and to quantify climate sensitivity to Pliocene boundary conditions. This work shall help to improve climate models and their application for both past and future warm climates and to provide a paleoclimate-informed assessment of uncertainties in modeled warm climates. With this manuscript we present the PlioMIP3 core simulations for the pre-industrial control (PI) and the Late Pliocene (LP) based on the AWI Climate Model, Version 3 (AWI-CM3). This represents the first application of AWI-CM3 at tectonic timescales which necessitates more extensive adjustment of model setups than the application for recent climate. We therefore take advantage of the opportunity to also document more generally the methods we devised to generate AWI-CM3 model setups for paleoclimate research under geographies that differ from the modern reference state. AWI-CM3 simulates a Late Pliocene climate that is about 4 °C warmer than the pre-industrial reference, with land warming exceeding ocean warming by a factor of 1.2. Polar amplification is particularly pronounced, with Antarctic surface air temperature anomalies exceeding 6 °C while Arctic anomalies reach 4 °C to 5 °C. In comparison to the previous PlioMIP2, this places AWI-CM3 among the warmer ensemble members, consistent with a relatively high equilibrium climate sensitivity of ∼ 4 °C. Our simulations also display an intensified hydrological cycle, with global mean precipitation increasing by 0.31 mm d−1. The ocean surface warms globally to about 3.06 °C, accompanied by contrasting salinity trends, with salinization of the North Atlantic (+3 PSU) and freshening of the Arctic (–2.5 PSU) and Indian (–1 PSU) Oceans. Additionally, the meridional overturning circulation (MOC) reorganizes, with the Atlantic MOC strengthening by about 8 Sv, the Pacific MOC remaining inactive, and the global Antarctic Bottom Water cell being substantially reduced (11 Sv weaker relative to PI). We find reduced global sea-ice extent, that is halved with respect to PI in the Southern Hemisphere, and enhanced northward ocean heat transport in the North Atlantic. Overall, AWI-CM3 reproduces the large-scale climate features of the Late Pliocene inferred from proxy records and the PlioMIP2 ensemble, while highlighting key ocean–atmosphere feedbacks shaping this warm climate.</p
Patient specific characteristics and risk of iatrogenic pneumothorax after CT-guided biopsy of the lung parenchyma
No full textBackground: CT-guided transthoracic needle aspiration biopsy (CT-TTNAB) is a cornerstone in diagnosing peripheral lung lesions, but iatrogenic pneumothorax (iPTX) is a common, adverse event. The presence of emphysema is a well-known risk factor but emphysema may vary from light to severe, and discrepancy is important for precise prognostic application. Aim: To validate that decreasing the diffusion capacity of carbon monoxide (DLCO) is a significant risk factor for the development of iPTX and need for insertion of a pleural device. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of patients undergoing CT-TTNAB for suspected lung cancer between 1 January to 31 December 2023. We recorded age, sex, packyears, performance score (PS), FEV1 (%, categorized), FVC (% of predicted) and DLCO categorized into four groups: >80%, 60–79%, 40–59% and <40% of predicted. Association with iPTX and need for insertion of a pleural device were investigated with multiple logistic regression. Results: Of 328 patients undergoing CT-TTNAB, 160 patients developed iPTX. Multiple logistic regression demonstrated that DLCO < 60% was an independent risk factor for both iPTX (DLCO 40–59%: odds ratio (OR) 2.8; <40%: OR 4.8), and chest tube insertion (OR 5.1, respectively, 15.3). Concerning other variables, only FEV1 30–49% was an independent risk factor (OR 6.5 for chest tube insertion). Conclusion: This study adds novel information to the risk assessment before a CT-TTNAB procedure. We suggest that decreasing DLCO expressed <60%predicted is a clinically meaningful risk factor for both the development of iPTX and need for insertion of a pleural device.</p
Psychometric validation of the Internalised Stigma Scale for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (ISS-GDM):a cross-sectional study
No full textOBJECTIVES: To develop and validate the Internalised Stigma Scale for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (ISS-GDM), a questionnaire measuring self-reported internalised stigma among women with prior gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). We hypothesised that internalised GDM stigma could be reliably and validly assessed through a short psychometric instrument.DESIGN: Cross-sectional validation study.SETTING: Follow-up data from the Danish, multicentre Face-it trial for women with prior GDM and their families.PARTICIPANTS: In total, 248 women completed the ISS-GDM approximately 1 year after their GDM affected pregnancy.PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was psychometric properties of the ISS-GDM, assessed using Cronbach's alpha, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and Rasch analysis (RA). Secondary outcomes included identification of item anomalies (local response dependence, differential item functioning).RESULTS: A large proportion of respondents endorsed statements reflecting self-disappointment, self-blame and an altered self-perception. Less endorsed statements included feeling inferior to other mothers or guilt towards family members due to GDM. The ISS-GDM demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties. CFA indicated that item 2 assessing self-perceived capabilities as a mother did not load onto the main factor, while CFA and RA identified local response dependence and differential item functioning by body mass index. After adjustments, a two-factor solution supported calculating a sum score of items 1 and 3-11, with item 2 retained as a stand-alone indicator of perceived parenting capabilities. The 10-item scale demonstrated acceptable reliability (Cronbach's alpha=0.78).CONCLUSIONS: The ISS-GDM is a reliable and valid tool for assessing internalised stigma among women with prior GDM. Our findings further suggest that a substantial proportion of women with prior GDM experience self-blame and an altered self-perception due to their diagnosis. The ISS-GDM scale enables research into its prevalence, severity and consequences.</p
Specialization, generalization, and pollination syndromes:the role of pollinator competition
No full textThe relative importance of specialization and generalization has prompted a lively debate in studies of plant-pollinator associations and pollination syndromes. However, most work focuses on floral and pollinator morphology as determinants of interactions, with less consideration of how pollinator competition may determine interactions with plants. We propose that pollinator competition also plays a role in explaining patterns of plant-pollinator specialization, generalization, and pollination syndromes, especially when explanations based solely on floral and plant morphology fail to predict plant-pollinator interactions. We begin with a brief discussion of theoretical works on pollinator competition, focusing on competitive asymmetries in foraging efficiency between pollinators and how such asymmetries can lead to resource partitioning (specialization), reproductive isolation, and floral divergence in plants (including pollination syndromes). We then review works on how pollinator foraging costs relate to morphology of flowers and pollinators and provide examples on how expectations based on morphologically determined foraging costs differ from how bumble bee, hummingbird, and bat pollinators forage when under competition in the field. Next, we illustrate how pollinator competition influences plant reproductive isolation in a specialized plant-hummingbird association when plant traits fail to do so. We conclude with examples of how pollinator competition can be evaluated in field studies, from experimental manipulations of plants and pollinators to “before and after” studies on the effects of natural disturbance events on plant-pollinator associations. Studies taking pollinator competition into account may provide novel insights to plant-pollinator associations, especially when morphology fails to predict interactions.</p
The Importance of UBQLN2 Ubiquitylation for Its Turnover and Localization
No full textUBQLN2 is a member of the UBL-UBA domain protein family that functions as extrinsic substrate receptors for the 26S proteasome. UBQLN2 has been shown to undergo phase separation in vitro. In cells, UBQLN2 forms condensates that may be of importance for tuning protein degradation via the ubiquitin-proteasome system and potentially of relevance for UBQLN2-linked amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Here we show that UBQLN2 is ubiquitylated on lysine residues in the N-terminal UBL domain. The C-terminal region of UBQLN2 is lysine-depleted, and we show that introducing lysine residues in this region leads to its E6AP-dependent degradation. The UBL domain critically stabilizes UBQLN2 and protects it from proteasomal degradation. Fusion of ubiquitin to the UBQLN2 N-terminus stabilizes UBQLN2 and increases its propensity for locating in puncta, indicating that ubiquitylation of the UBQLN2 UBL domain regulates abundance and localization.</p
Physical modulation of starch/non-starch polysaccharide complexes for tailored functional foods:A comprehensive review
No full textStarch/non-starch polysaccharide complexes have gained increasing attention in food science due to their tunable functional properties and wide-ranging applications. This review systematically examines the modification of starch characteristics through non-starch polysaccharides incorporation, focusing on key properties including pasting behavior, rheological performance, and digestibility. We have further focused on the analysis of how various physical processing methods, encompassing both thermal (dry/moist heat treatments, microwave irradiation, and extrusion) and non-thermal approaches (high-pressure homogenization, pulsed electric fields, ultrasound, and cold plasma) can modulate these complexes to further enhance starch functionality. Special emphasis is placed on the applications of these complexes in fast foods, baked foods, low-glycemic-index products, fluid systems, emerging 3D-printed foods, edible films and encapsulating materials, where they address critical challenges in texture modulation, shelf-life extension, and nutritional improvement. By critically evaluating recent advances and identifying knowledge gaps, this review provides novel insights into the structure-function relationships of starch/non-starch polysaccharide systems and highlights future research directions for developing next-generation, physically modulated starch-based ingredients.</p
