University of Southern Denmark

About: University of Southern Denmark is a education organization based out in Odense, Syddanmark, Denmark. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Randomized controlled trial. The organization has 11928 authors who have published 37918 publications receiving 1258559 citations. The organization is also known as: SDU.

Perceived Threat, Risk Perception, and Efficacy Beliefs Related to SARS and Other (Emerging) Infectious Diseases: Results of an International Survey

Abstract: Purpose To study the levels of perceived threat, perceived severity, perceived vulnerability, response efficacy, and self-efficacy for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and eight other diseases in five European and three Asian countries.

Perspectives on Chemistry and Therapeutic Applications of Locked Nucleic Acid (LNA)

Abstract: 2. LNA: An Insight 4675 2.1. Family 4675 2.2. Synthesis 4676 2.3. Attributes 4677 2.3.1. Hybridization 4677 2.3.2. Thermodynamics 4677 2.3.3. Conformation 4680 2.3.4. Triplex-Forming Oligonucleotide (TFO) 4680 2.3.5. RNase H Activation 4681 2.3.6. Nuclease Resistance and Serum Stability 4682 2.3.7. Delivery into Cell 4683 2.3.8. In Vivo Toxicity 4683 3. LNA as a Tool: Implications 4684 3.1. LNA as a Therapeutic 4684 3.1.1. Antisense Agent 4684 3.1.2. Current Status: Clinical Trials 4688 3.1.3. Antigene Strategies 4688 3.2. LNA in Diagnostics 4689 3.2.1. Probes for Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) Detection 4689

Increasing Incidence of Diabetes After Gestational Diabetes: A long-term follow-up in a Danish population

Abstract: OBJECTIVE —To study the incidence of diabetes among women with previous diet-treated gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in the light of the general increasing incidence of overweight and diabetes and to identify risk factors for the development of diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS —Women with diet-treated GDM during 1978–1985 (old cohort, n = 241, also followed up around 1990) or 1987–1996 (new cohort, n = 512) were examined in 2000–2002. Women were classified by a 2-h, 75-g oral glucose tolerance test according to the World Health Organization criteria or an intravenous glucagon test supplemented by measurement of GAD antibodies. Historical data from index-pregnancy and anthropometrical measurements were collected. RESULTS —A total of 481 (63.9%) women were examined (median 9.8 years [interquartile range 6.4–17.2]) after index pregnancy. Diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT)/impaired fasting glucose were present in 40.0 and 27.0% of women, respectively. In the new cohort, 40.9% had diabetes compared with 18.3% in the old cohort at the 1990 follow-up ( P 2 [20.2–28.0], P 2 ), and IGT postpartum were identified as independent predictors of diabetes by multiple logistic regression analyses. CONCLUSIONS —The incidence of diabetes among Danish women with previous diet-treated GDM was very high and had more than doubled over a 10-year period. This seems to be due to a substantial increase in BMI in women with GDM.

Mitochondrial DNA copy number in peripheral blood cells declines with age and is associated with general health among elderly

Abstract: The role of the mitochondria in disease, general health and aging has drawn much attention over the years. Several attempts have been made to describe how the numbers of mitochondria correlate with age, although with inconclusive results. In this study, the relative quantity of mitochondrial DNA compared to nuclear DNA, i.e. the mitochondrial DNA copy number, was measured by PCR technology and used as a proxy for the content of mitochondria copies. In 1,067 Danish twins and singletons (18-93 years of age), with the majority being elderly individuals, the estimated mean mitochondrial DNA copy number in peripheral blood cells was similar for those 18-48 years of age [mean relative mtDNA content: 61.0; 95 % CI (52.1; 69.9)], but declined by -0.54 mtDNA 95 % CI (-0.63; -0.45) every year for those older than approximately 50 years of age. However, the longitudinal, yearly decline within an individual was more than twice as steep as observed in the cross-sectional analysis [decline of mtDNA content: -1.27; 95 % CI (-1.71; -0.82)]. Subjects with low mitochondrial DNA copy number had poorer outcomes in terms of cognitive performance, physical strength, self-rated health, and higher all-cause mortality than subjects with high mitochondrial DNA copy number, also when age was controlled for. The copy number mortality association can contribute to the smaller decline in a cross-sectional sample of the population compared to the individual, longitudinal decline. This study suggests that high mitochondrial DNA copy number in blood is associated with better health and survival among elderly.

ER Stress and Autophagic Perturbations Lead to Elevated Extracellular α-Synuclein in GBA-N370S Parkinson's iPSC-Derived Dopamine Neurons

Abstract: Heterozygous mutations in the glucocerebrosidase gene (GBA) represent the strongest common genetic risk factor for Parkinson's disease (PD), the second most common neurodegenerative disorder. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this association are still poorly understood. Here, we have analyzed ten independent induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines from three controls and three unrelated PD patients heterozygous for the GBA-N370S mutation, and identified relevant disease mechanisms. After differentiation into dopaminergic neurons, we observed misprocessing of mutant glucocerebrosidase protein in the ER, associated with activation of ER stress and abnormal cellular lipid profiles. Furthermore, we observed autophagic perturbations and an enlargement of the lysosomal compartment specifically in dopamine neurons. Finally, we found increased extracellular α-synuclein in patient-derived neuronal culture medium, which was not associated with exosomes. Overall, ER stress, autophagic/lysosomal perturbations, and elevated extracellular α-synuclein likely represent critical early cellular phenotypes of PD, which might offer multiple therapeutic targets.