Medical Research Council

About: Medical Research Council is a government organization based out in London, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Malaria. The organization has 16430 authors who have published 19150 publications receiving 1475494 citations.

Increased Brain Dopamine and Dopamine Receptors in Schizophrenia

Abstract: In postmortem samples of caudate nucleus and nucleus accumbens from 48 schizophrenic patients, there were significant increases in both the maximum number of binding sites (Bmax) and the apparent dissociation constant (KD) for tritiated spiperone. The increase in apparent KD probably reflects the presence of residual neuroleptic drugs, but changes in Bmax for tritiated spiperone reflect genuine changes in receptor numbers. The increases in receptors were seen only in patients in whom neuroleptic medication had been maintained until the time of death, indicating that they may be entirely iatrogenic. Dopamine measurements for a larger series of schizophrenic and control cases (n greater than 60) show significantly increased concentrations in both the nucleus accumbens and caudate nucleus. The changes in dopamine were not obviously related to neuroleptic medication and, unlike the receptor changes, were most severe in younger patients.

Genome-wide and fine-resolution association analysis of malaria in West Africa

Abstract: We report a genome-wide association (GWA) study of severe malaria in The Gambia. The initial GWA scan included 2,500 children genotyped on the Affymetrix 500K GeneChip, and a replication study included 3,400 children. We used this to examine the performance of GWA methods in Africa. We found considerable population stratification, and also that signals of association at known malaria resistance loci were greatly attenuated owing to weak linkage disequilibrium (LD). To investigate possible solutions to the problem of low LD, we focused on the HbS locus, sequencing this region of the genome in 62 Gambian individuals and then using these data to conduct multipoint imputation in the GWA samples. This increased the signal of association, from P = 4 × 10(-7) to P = 4 × 10(-14), with the peak of the signal located precisely at the HbS causal variant. Our findings provide proof of principle that fine-resolution multipoint imputation, based on population-specific sequencing data, can substantially boost authentic GWA signals and enable fine mapping of causal variants in African populations.

Peak treadmill running velocity during the VO2 max test predicts running performance.

Abstract: Twenty specialist marathon runners and 23 specialist ultra‐marathon runners underwent maximal exercise testing to determine the relative value of maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max), peak treadmill running velocity, running velocity at the lactate turnpoint, VO2 at 16 km h‐1, % VO2max at 16 km h‐1, and running time in other races, for predicting performance in races of 10–90 km. Race time at 10 or 21.1 km was the best predictor of performance at 42.2 km in specialist marathon runners and at 42.2 and 90 km in specialist ultra‐marathon runners (r=0.91–0.97). Peak treadmill running velocity was the best laboratory‐measured predictor of performance (r = ‐ 0.88—0.94) at all distances in ultra‐marathon specialists and at all distances except 42.2 km in marathon specialists. Other predictive variables were running velocity at the lactate turnpoint (r= —0.80—0.92); % VO2max at 16 km h‐1 (r=0.76–0.90) and VO2max (r=0.55—0.86). Peak blood lactate concentrations (r=0.68–0.71) and VO2 at 16 km h‐1 (r=0.10–0....