University of Basel

About: University of Basel is a education organization based out in Basel, Basel-Stadt, Switzerland. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Transplantation. The organization has 25084 authors who have published 52975 publications receiving 2388002 citations. The organization is also known as: Universität Basel & Basel University.

New loci associated with kidney function and chronic kidney disease

Abstract: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a significant public health problem, and recent genetic studies have identified common CKD susceptibility variants. The CKDGen consortium performed a meta-analysis of genome-wide association data in 67,093 individuals of European ancestry from 20 predominantly population-based studies in order to identify new susceptibility loci for reduced renal function as estimated by serum creatinine (eGFRcrea), serum cystatin c (eGFRcys) and CKD (eGFRcrea < 60 ml/min/1.73 m(2); n = 5,807 individuals with CKD (cases)). Follow-up of the 23 new genome-wide-significant loci (P < 5 x 10(-8)) in 22,982 replication samples identified 13 new loci affecting renal function and CKD (in or near LASS2, GCKR, ALMS1, TFDP2, DAB2, SLC34A1, VEGFA, PRKAG2, PIP5K1B, ATXN2, DACH1, UBE2Q2 and SLC7A9) and 7 loci suspected to affect creatinine production and secretion (CPS1, SLC22A2, TMEM60, WDR37, SLC6A13, WDR72 and BCAS3). These results further our understanding of the biologic mechanisms of kidney function by identifying loci that potentially influence nephrogenesis, podocyte function, angiogenesis, solute transport and metabolic functions of the kidney.

Effects of interventions in pregnancy on maternal weight and obstetric outcomes: meta-analysis of randomised evidence

Abstract: Objective To evaluate the effects of dietary and lifestyle interventions in pregnancy on maternal and fetal weight and to quantify the effects of these interventions on obstetric outcomes. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis. Data sources Major databases from inception to January 2012 without language restrictions. Study selection Randomised controlled trials that evaluated any dietary or lifestyle interventions with potential to influence maternal weight during pregnancy and outcomes of pregnancy. Data synthesis Results summarised as relative risks for dichotomous data and mean differences for continuous data. Results We identified 44 relevant randomised controlled trials (7278 women) evaluating three categories of interventions: diet, physical activity, and a mixed approach. Overall, there was 1.42 kg reduction (95% confidence interval 0.95 to 1.89 kg) in gestational weight gain with any intervention compared with control. With all interventions combined, there were no significant differences in birth weight (mean difference −50 g, −100 to 0 g) and the incidence of large for gestational age (relative risk 0.85, 0.66 to 1.09) or small for gestational age (1.00, 0.78 to 1.28) babies between the groups, though by itself physical activity was associated with reduced birth weight (mean difference −60 g, −120 to −10 g). Interventions were associated with a reduced the risk of pre-eclampsia (0.74, 0.60 to 0.92) and shoulder dystocia (0.39, 0.22 to 0.70), with no significant effect on other critically important outcomes. Dietary intervention resulted in the largest reduction in maternal gestational weight gain (3.84 kg, 2.45 to 5.22 kg), with improved pregnancy outcomes compared with other interventions. The overall evidence rating was low to very low for important outcomes such as pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension, and preterm delivery. Conclusions Dietary and lifestyle interventions in pregnancy can reduce maternal gestational weight gain and improve outcomes for both mother and baby. Among the interventions, those based on diet are the most effective and are associated with reductions in maternal gestational weight gain and improved obstetric outcomes.

Direct observation of hole transfer through DNA by hopping between adenine bases and by tunnelling

Abstract: The function of DNA during oxidative stress and its suitability as a potential building block for molecular devices depend on long-distance transfer of electrons and holes through the molecule, yet many conflicting measurements of the efficiency of this process have been reported. It is accepted that charges are transported over long distances through a multistep hopping reaction; this 'G-hopping' involves positive charges moving between guanines (Gs), the DNA bases with the lowest ionization potential. But the mechanism fails to explain the persistence of efficient charge transfer when the guanine sites are distant, where transfer rates do not, as expected, decrease rapidly with transfer distance. Here we show experimentally that the rate of charge transfer between two guanine bases decreases with increasing separation only if the guanines are separated by no more than three base pairs; if more bridging base pairs are present, the transfer rates exhibit only a weak distance dependence. We attribute this distinct change in the distance dependence of the rate of charge transfer through DNA to a shift from coherent superexchange charge transfer (tunnelling) at short distances to a process mediated by thermally induced hopping of charges between adenine bases (A-hopping) at long distances. Our results confirm theoretical predictions of this behaviour, emphasizing that seemingly contradictory observations of a strong as well as a weak influence of distance on DNA charge transfer are readily explained by a change in the transfer mechanism.

Atomic-force microscopy: Rhodopsin dimers in native disc membranes

Abstract: Neat rows of paired photon receptors are caught on camera in their natural state. In vertebrate retinal photoreceptors, the rod outer-segment disc membranes contain densely packed rhodopsin molecules for optimal light absorption and subsequent amplification by the visual signalling cascade1, but how these photon receptors are organized with respect to each other is not known. Here we use infrared-laser atomic-force microscopy to reveal the native arrangement of rhodopsin, which forms paracrystalline arrays of dimers in mouse disc membranes. The visualization of these closely packed rhodopsin dimers in native membranes gives experimental support to earlier inferences about their supramolecular structure2,3 and provides insight into how light signalling is controlled.