John Radcliffe Hospital

About: John Radcliffe Hospital is a healthcare organization based out in Oxford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Antigen. The organization has 14491 authors who have published 23670 publications receiving 1459015 citations.

HLA-DQ beta gene contributes to susceptibility and resistance to insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Abstract: Over half of the inherited predisposition to insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus maps to the region of chromosome 6 that contains the highly polymorphic HLA class II genes which determine immune responsiveness. Analysis of DNA sequences from diabetics indicates that alleles of HLA-DQ beta determine both disease susceptibility and resistance, and that the structure of the DQ molecule, in particular residue 57 of the beta-chain, specifies the autoimmune response against the insulin-producing islet cells.

Quantitative Analysis of Fetal DNA in Maternal Plasma and Serum: Implications for Noninvasive Prenatal Diagnosis

Abstract: Summary We have developed a real-time quantitative PCR assay to measure the concentration of fetal DNA in maternal plasma and serum. Our results show that fetal DNA is present in high concentrations in maternal plasma, reaching a mean of 25.4 genome equivalents/ml (range 3.3–69.4) in early pregnancy and 292.2 genome equivalents/ml (range 76.9–769) in late pregnancy. These concentrations correspond to 3.4% (range 0.39%–11.9%) and 6.2% (range 2.33%–11.4%) of the total plasma DNA in early and late pregnancy, respectively. Sequential follow-up study of women who conceived by in vitro fertilization shows that fetal DNA can be detected in maternal serum as early as the 7th wk of gestation and that it then increases in concentration as pregnancy progresses. These data suggest that fetal DNA can be readily detected in maternal plasma and serum and may be a valuable source of material for noninvasive prenatal diagnosis.

Learning the value of information in an uncertain world

Abstract: Our decisions are guided by outcomes that are associated with decisions made in the past. However, the amount of influence each past outcome has on our next decision remains unclear. To ensure optimal decision-making, the weight given to decision outcomes should reflect their salience in predicting future outcomes, and this salience should be modulated by the volatility of the reward environment. We show that human subjects assess volatility in an optimal manner and adjust decision-making accordingly. This optimal estimate of volatility is reflected in the fMRI signal in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) when each trial outcome is observed. When a new piece of information is witnessed, activity levels reflect its salience for predicting future outcomes. Furthermore, variations in this ACC signal across the population predict variations in subject learning rates. Our results provide a formal account of how we weigh our different experiences in guiding our future actions.

Clinical Features and Outcomes of Takotsubo (Stress) Cardiomyopathy

Abstract: BackgroundThe natural history, management, and outcome of takotsubo (stress) cardiomyopathy are incompletely understood. MethodsThe International Takotsubo Registry, a consortium of 26 centers in Europe and the United States, was established to investigate clinical features, prognostic predictors, and outcome of takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Patients were compared with age- and sex-matched patients who had an acute coronary syndrome. ResultsOf 1750 patients with takotsubo cardiomyopathy, 89.8% were women (mean age, 66.8 years). Emotional triggers were not as common as physical triggers (27.7% vs. 36.0%), and 28.5% of patients had no evident trigger. Among patients with takotsubo cardiomyopathy, as compared with an acute coronary syndrome, rates of neurologic or psychiatric disorders were higher (55.8% vs. 25.7%) and the mean left ventricular ejection fraction was markedly lower (40.7±11.2% vs. 51.5±12.3%) (P<0.001 for both comparisons). Rates of severe in-hospital complications including shock and death were ...

Detection of elevated levels of tumour-associated microRNAs in serum of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Abstract: Circulating nucleic acids have been shown to have potential as non-invasive diagnostic markers in cancer. We therefore investigated whether microRNAs also have diagnostic utility by comparing levels of tumour-associated MIRN155 (miR-155), MIRN210 (miR-210) and MIRN21 (miR-21) in serum from diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients (n = 60) with healthy controls (n = 43). Levels were higher in patient than control sera (P = 0.009, 0.02 and 0.04 respectively). Moreover, high MIRN21 expression was associated with relapse-free survival (P = 0.05). This is the first description of circulating microRNAs and suggests that microRNAs have potential as non-invasive diagnostic markers for DLBCL and possibly other cancers.