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.

Patient level pooled analysis of 68 500 patients from seven major vitamin D fracture trials in US and Europe

Abstract: Objectives: To identify participants’ characteristics that influence the anti-fracture efficacy of vitamin D or vitamin D plus calcium with respect to any fracture, hip fracture, and clinical vertebral fracture and to assess the influence of dosing regimens and co-administration of calcium. Design: Individual patient data analysis using pooled data from randomised trials. Data sources: Seven major randomised trials of vitamin D with calcium or vitamin D alone, yielding a total of 68 517 participants (mean age 69.9 years, range 47-107 years, 14.7% men). Study selection: Studies included were randomised studies with at least one intervention arm in which vitamin D was given, fracture as an outcome, and at least 1000 participants. Data synthesis: Logistic regression analysis was used to identify significant interaction terms, followed by Cox’s proportional hazards models incorporating age, sex, fracture history, and hormone therapy and bisphosphonate use. Results: Trials using vitamin D with calcium showed a reduced overall risk of fracture (hazard ratio 0.92, 95% confidence interval 0.86 to 0.99, P=0.025) and hip fracture (all studies: 0.84, 0.70 to 1.01, P=0.07; studies using 10 μg of vitamin D given with calcium: 0.74, 0.60 to 0.91, P=0.005). For vitamin D alone in daily doses of 10 μg or 20 μg, no significant effects were found. No interaction was found between fracture history and treatment response, nor any interaction with age, sex, or hormone replacement therapy. Conclusion: This individual patient data analysis indicates that vitamin D given alone in doses of 10-20 μg is not effective in preventing fractures. By contrast, calcium and vitamin D given together reduce hip fractures and total fractures, and probably vertebral fractures, irrespective of age, sex, or previous fractures.

The morphogenetic MreBCD proteins of Escherichia coli form an essential membrane‐bound complex

Abstract: Summary MreB proteins of Escherichia coli , Bacillus subtilis and Caulobacter crescentus form actin-like cables lying beneath the cell surface. The cables are required to guide longitudinal cell wall synthesis and their absence leads to merodiploid spherical and inflated cells prone to cell lysis. In B. subtilis and C. crescentus , the mreB gene is essential. However, in E. coli , mreB was inferred not to be essential. Using a tight, conditional gene depletion system, we systematically investigated whether the E. coli mreBCD -encoded components were essential. We found that cells depleted of mreBCD became spherical, enlarged and finally lysed. Depletion of each mre gene separately conferred similar gross changes in cell morphology and viability. Thus, the three proteins encoded by mreBCD are all essential and function in the same morphogenetic pathway. Interestingly, the presence of a multicopy plasmid carrying the ftsQAZ genes suppressed the lethality of deletions in the mre operon. Using GFP and cell fractionation methods, we showed that the MreC and MreD proteins were associated with the cell membrane. Using a bacterial two-hybrid system, we found that MreC interacted with both MreB and MreD. In contrast, MreB and MreD did not interact in this assay. Thus, we conclude that the E. coli MreBCD form an essential membrane-bound complex. Curiously, MreB did not form cables in cell depleted for MreC, MreD or RodA, indicating a mutual interdependency between MreB filament morphology and cell shape. Based on these and other observations we propose a model in which the membrane-associated MreBCD complex directs longitudinal cell wall synthesis in a process essential to maintain cell morphology.

Localization of Lung Surfactant Protein D on Mucosal Surfaces in Human Tissues

Abstract: Lung surfactant protein-D (SP-D), a collectin mainly produced by alveolar type II cells, initiates the effector mechanisms of innate immunity on binding to microbial carbohydrates. A panel of mRNAs from human tissues was screened for SP-D mRNA by RT-PCR. The lung was the main site of synthesis, but transcripts were readily amplified from trachea, brain, testis, salivary gland, heart, prostate gland, kidney, and pancreas. Minor sites of synthesis were uterus, small intestine, placenta, mammary gland, and stomach. The sequence of SP-D derived from parotid gland mRNA was identical with that of pulmonary SP-D. mAbs were raised against SP-D, and one was used to locate SP-D in cells and tissues by immunohistochemistry. SP-D immunoreactivity was found in alveolar type II cells, Clara cells, on and within alveolar macrophages, in epithelial cells of large and small ducts of the parotid gland, sweat glands, and lachrymal glands, in epithelial cells of the gall bladder and intrahepatic bile ducts, and in exocrine pancreatic ducts. SP-D was also present in epithelial cells of the skin, esophagus, small intestine, and urinary tract, as well as in the collecting ducts of the kidney. SP-D is generally present on mucosal surfaces and not restricted to a subset of cells in the lung. The localization and functions of SP-D indicate that this collectin is the counterpart in the innate immune system of IgA in the adaptive immune system.

The financial crisis and the systemic failure of the economics profession

Abstract: Economists not only failed to anticipate the financial crisis; they may have contributed to it—with risk and derivatives models that, through spurious precision and untested theoretical assumptions, encouraged policy makers and market participants to see more stability and risk sharing than was actually present. Moreover, once the crisis occurred, it was met with incomprehension by most economists because of models that, on the one hand, downplay the possibility that economic actors may exhibit highly interactive behavior; and, on the other, assume that any homogeneity will involve economic actors sharing the economist’s own putatively correct model of the economy, so that error can stem only from an exogenous shock. The financial crisis presents both an ethical and an intellectual challenge to economics, and an opportunity to reform its study by grounding it more solidly in reality.