Mediamusic (E-Journal)
Not a member yet
40683 research outputs found
Sort by
Unequally ageing regions of Europe:Exploring the role of urbanization
No full textSince young adults tend to move from rural to urban regions, whereas older adults move from urban to rural regions, we may expect to see increasing differences in population ageing across urban and rural regions. This paper examines whether trends in population ageing across urban and rural NUTS-2 regions of the EU-27 have diverged over the period 2003–13. We use the methodological approach of convergence analysis, quite recently brought to demography from the field of economic research. Unlike classical beta and sigma approaches to convergence, we focus not on any single summary statistic of convergence, but rather analyse the whole cumulative distribution of regions. Such an approach helps to identify which specific group of regions is responsible for the major changes. Our results suggest that, despite expectations, there was no divergence in age structures between urban and rural regions; rather, divergence happened within each of the groups of regions.</p
Pain patterns in chronic pancreatitis:a nationwide longitudinal cohort study
No full textOBJECTIVE: Pain in chronic pancreatitis is subdivided in a continuous or intermittent pattern, each thought to represent a different entity, requiring specific treatment. Because evidence is missing, we studied pain patterns in a prospective longitudinal nationwide study.DESIGN: 1131 patients with chronic pancreatitis (fulfilling M-ANNHEIM criteria) were included between 2011 and 2018 in 30 Dutch hospitals. Patients with continuous or intermittent pain were compared for demographics, pain characteristics, quality of life (Short-Form 36), imaging findings, disease duration and treatment. Alternation of pain pattern and associated variables were longitudinally assessed using a multivariable multinomial logistic regression model.RESULTS: At inclusion, 589 patients (52%) had continuous pain, 231 patients (20%) had intermittent pain and 311 patients (28%) had no pain. Patients with continuous pain had more severe pain, used more opioids and neuropathic pain medication, and had a lower quality of life. There were no differences between pain patterns for morphological findings on imaging, disease duration and treatment. During a median follow-up of 47 months, 552 of 905 patients (61%) alternated at least once between pain patterns. All alternations were associated with the Visual Analogue Scale pain intensity score and surgery was only associated with the change from pain to no pain.CONCLUSION: Continuous and intermittent pain patterns in chronic pancreatitis do not seem to be the result of distinctly different pathophysiological entities. The subjectively reported character of pain is not related to imaging findings or disease duration. Pain patterns often change over time and are merely a feature of how severity of pain is experienced.</p
Cognitive mechanisms underlying depressive disorders in ADHD:A systematic review
No full textThe risk for major depressive disorder (MDD) is considerably increased in young adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) but underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. This review explores ADHD-specific neurocognitive impairments as possible underlying mechanisms for ADHD-depression comorbidity. Two systematic literature searches were conducted in EBSCOhost, PubMED, and Cochrane Reviews databases according to PRISMA guidelines. The first search identified 18 meta-analyses of cross-sectional and longitudinal studies on cognitive dysfunctions in MDD across the lifespan. The second search identified six original studies on reaction time variability in MDD. During acute depression, children and adults showed cognitive deficits that overlapped with some of the ADHD-related impairments. Findings from remitted patients, high-risk individuals, and few prospective studies suggest that a subset of these shared impairments, specifically executive dysfunctions (selective attention, verbal fluency, working memory) and long-term memory problems, are candidate pre-existing risk markers of depression. We discuss if and how these specific neurocognitive mechanisms may mediate developmental pathways from ADHD to depression. If replicated by longitudinal studies, these findings may guide future prevention strategies.</p
Bistable, Biphasic Regulation of PP2A-B55 Accounts for the Dynamics of Mitotic Substrate Phosphorylation
No full textThe phosphorylation of mitotic proteins is bistable, which contributes to the decisiveness of the transitions into and out of M phase. The bistability in substrate phosphorylation has been attributed to bistability in the activation of the cyclin-dependent kinase Cdk1. However, more recently it has been suggested that bistability also arises from positive feedback in the regulation of the Cdk1-counteracting phosphatase PP2A-B55. Here, we demonstrate biochemically using Xenopus laevis egg extracts that the Cdk1-counteracting phosphatase PP2A-B55 functions as a bistable switch, even when the bistability of Cdk1 activation is suppressed. In addition, Cdk1 regulates PP2A-B55 in a biphasic manner; low concentrations of Cdk1 activate PP2A-B55 and high concentrations inactivate it. As a consequence of this incoherent feedforward regulation, PP2A-B55 activity rises concurrently with Cdk1 activity during interphase and suppresses substrate phosphorylation. PP2A-B55 activity is then sharply downregulated at the onset of mitosis. During mitotic exit, Cdk1 activity initially falls with no obvious change in substrate phosphorylation; dephosphorylation then commences once PP2A-B55 spikes in activity. These findings suggest that changes in Cdk1 activity are permissive for mitotic entry and exit but that the changes in PP2A-B55 activity are the ultimate trigger.</p
Cellular Senescence and the SenescenceAssociated Secretory Phenotype as Drivers of Skin Photoaging
No full textChronic exposure to UVR is known to disrupt tissue homeostasis, accelerate the onset of age-related phenotypes, and increase the risk for skin cancer-a phenomenon defined as photoaging. In this paper, we review the current knowledge on how UV exposure causes cells to prematurely enter cellular senescence. We describe the mechanisms contributing to the accumulation of senescent cells in the skin and how the persistence of cellular senescence can promote impaired regenerative capacity, chronic inflammation, and tumorigenesis associated with photoaging. We conclude by highlighting the potential of senolytic drugs in delaying the onset and progression of age-associated phenotypes in the skin.</p
YbeY controls the type III and type VI secretion systems and biofilm formation through RetS in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
No full textYbeY is a highly conserved RNase in bacteria and plays essential roles in the maturation of 16S rRNA, regulation of small RNAs (sRNAs) and bacterial responses to environmental stresses. Previously, we verified the role of YbeY in rRNA processing and ribosome maturation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and demonstrated YbeY-mediated regulation of rpoS through a sRNA ReaL. In this study, we demonstrate that mutation of the ybeY gene results in upregulation of the type III secretion system (T3SS) genes as well as downregulation of the type VI secretion system (T6SS) genes and reduction of biofilm formation. By examining the expression of the known sRNAs in P. aeruginosa, we found that mutation of the ybeY gene leads to downregulation of the small RNAs RsmY/Z that control the T3SS, the T6SS and biofilm formation. Further studies revealed that the reduced levels of RsmY/Z are due to upregulation of retS Taken together, our results reveal the pleiotropic functions of YbeY and provide detailed mechanisms of YbeY-mediated regulation in P. aeruginosaIMPORTANCEPseudomonas aeruginosa causes a variety of acute and chronic infections in humans. The type III secretion system (T3SS) plays an important role in acute infection and the type VI secretion system (T6SS) and biofilm formation are associated with chronic infections. Understanding of the mechanisms that control the virulence determinants involved in acute and chronic infections will provide clues for the development of effective treatment strategies. Our results reveal a novel RNase mediated regulation on the T3SS, T6SS and biofilm formation in P. aeruginosa.</p
Can liberalised electricity markets support decarbonised portfolios in line with the Paris Agreement?:A case study of Central Western Europe
No full textWe model the evolution of the Central Western Europe power system until 2040 with an increasing carbon price and strong growth of variable renewable energy sources (vRES) for four electricity market designs: the current energy-only market, a reformed energy-only market, both also with the addition of a capacity market. Each design is modelled for two decarbonisation pathways: one targeting net-zero emissions by 2040 for a 2 degrees C warming limit, and the other targeting -850 Mt CO2 y(-) for a 1.5 degrees C warming limit. We compare these scenarios against the high-level objectives of delivering low-carbon electricity reliably to consumers at the lowest possible cost. Our results suggest that both 2 degrees C and 1.5 degrees C compliant systems could be achieved and deliver electricity reliably. In terms of cost, we find the 1.5 degrees C warming scenarios lead to system costs which are twice as high as the 2 degrees C scenarios due to the high cost of negative emission technologies - in particular direct air carbon capture (DAC). To make a 1.5 degrees C target more affordable, policymakers should investigate lower cost alternatives in other sectors, and increase research and development in DAC to reduce its cost.</p
Locked in a vicious cycle: the connection between genomic instability and a loss of protein homeostasis
No full textCardiomyopathies, neuropathies, cancer and accelerated ageing are unequivocally distinct diseases, yet they also show overlapping pathological hallmarks, including a gradual loss of genomic integrity and proteotoxic stress. Recent lines of evidence suggest that this overlap could be the result of remarkably interconnected molecular cascades between nuclear genomic instability and a loss of protein homeostasis. In this review, we discuss these complex connections, as well as their possible impact on disease. We focus in particular on the inherent ability of a wide range of genomic alterations to challenge protein homeostasis. In doing so, we provide evidence suggesting that a loss of protein homeostasis could be a far more prevalent consequence of genomic instability than generally believed. In certain cases, such as aneuploidy, a loss of protein homeostasis appears to be a crucial mechanism for pathology, which indicates that enhancing protein quality control systems could be a promising therapeutic strategy in diseases associated with genomic instability
Exploring strategies to boost anaerobic digestion performance of cow manure - understanding the process with metagenomic and metatranscriptomic analysis
No full textBy implementing co-digestion strategy (co-digestion cow manure with sheep manure), we are able to obtain enhanced methane yield. Similarly, by periodically introducing bioaugmentation dosage in the anaerobic digester, we are able to enhance the anaerobic digestion performance using cow manure as the sole substrate and such enhancement sustains even when the bioaugmentation stops. In other words, we improved the metabolic capacity of indegenis microorganisms by our man-made bioaugmentation microbial guilds
