Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
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ABSTRACT:
PROVIDER: EGAO00000000417 | EGA |
REPOSITORIES: EGA
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Project description: Not available
| S-EPMC4451120 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Organisation EGAO00000001294
| EGAO00000001294 | EGA
Project description:The Karolinska Institutet and Washington University polyomaviruses (KIPyV and WUPyV, respectively) are recently discovered human viruses that infect the respiratory tract. Although they have not yet been linked to disease, they are prevalent in populations worldwide, with initial infection occurring in early childhood. Polyomavirus capsids consist of 72 pentamers of the major capsid protein viral protein 1 (VP1), which determines antigenicity and receptor specificity. The WUPyV and KIPyV VP1 proteins are distant in evolution from VP1 proteins of known structure such as simian virus 40 or murine polyomavirus. We present here the crystal structures of unassembled recombinant WUPyV and KIPyV VP1 pentamers at resolutions of 2.9 and 2.55 Å, respectively. The WUPyV and KIPyV VP1 core structures fold into the same ?-sandwich that is a hallmark of all polyomavirus VP1 proteins crystallized to date. However, differences in sequence translate into profoundly different surface loop structures in KIPyV and WUPyV VP1 proteins. Such loop structures have not been observed for other polyomaviruses, and they provide initial clues about the possible interactions of these viruses with cell surface receptors.
| S-EPMC3126572 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Background: Sweden is viewed as an egalitarian country, still most of the professors are Swedish and only 25% are women. Research competence is evaluated using peer review, which is regarded as an objective measure in the meritocracy system. Here we update the investigation by Wold & Wennerås (1997) on women researcher's success rate for obtaining a faculty position, by examining factors (gender, nationality, productivity, etc.) in applications for an Assistant Professorship in 2014 at Karolinska Institutet. Methods: Fifty-six applications, 26 Swedish and 21 women applicants, were scored both on merits and projects by six external reviewers. Additional variables, including grants and academic age, calculated as the number of years since PhD excluding parental or sick leave, were gathered. Productivity was assessed by calculating a composite bibliometric score based on six factors (citations, publications, first/last authorships, H-index, high impact publication). Results: Overall, academic age was negatively correlated with scores on merits, as assessed by peer review, although not reaching statistical significance. In men, associations between scores on merits and productivity ( P-value=0.0004), as well as having received grants ( P-value=0.009) were seen. No associations were found for women. Moreover, applicants with a background from the Middle East were un-proportionally found in the lowest quartile (Fisher exact test P-value=0.007). Conclusions: In summary, the gender inequality shown in peer review processes in Sweden 20 years ago still exists. Furthermore, a bias for ethnicity was found. In order to keep the best scientific competence in academia, more efforts are needed to avoid selection bias in assessments to enable equal evaluations of all researchers.
| S-EPMC6092899 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Objectives: Pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS) is a descriptive clinical entity defined by the abrupt onset of psychiatric and somatic symptoms leading to significant loss of function. Data on well-characterized PANS patients are limited, biomarkers have yet to be identified, and a solid evidence base to guide treatment is lacking. In this study, we present our experience of a systematic evaluation of the first 45 patients included in a Swedish cohort. Methods: During the period 2014-2018, our clinic received 100 referrals regarding suspected PANS. All patients underwent a standardized psychiatric/medical evaluation by a child/adolescent psychiatrist and a clinical psychologist or a nurse. Those with severe symptoms were also assessed by a pediatric neurologist and a pediatric rheumatologist. Laboratory tests were obtained at different time points in an attempt to capture an active disease state. Results: Of the 100 referrals, 45 met strict PANS criteria and consented to participate in a long-term follow-up study. The median age at intake was 7.2 years (range 3.0-13.1) and 56% were male. Ninety-three percent fulfilled both criteria for acute/atypical onset of PANS symptoms and having had an infection in relation to onset. Sixteen percent had an onset of an autoimmune or inflammatory disorder in temporal relation to the onset of PANS-related symptoms. The most common onset symptoms were obsessive-compulsive disorder (89%), anxiety (78%), and emotional lability (71%). Twenty-four percent had a preexisting autoimmune disease (AD) and 18% a preexisting psychiatric/neuropsychiatric diagnosis. Sixty-four percent of biological relatives had at least one psychiatric disorder and 76% at least one AD or inflammatory disorder. Complement activation (37%), leukopenia (20%), positive antinuclear antibodies (17%), and elevated thyroid antibodies (11%) were the most common laboratory findings. Conclusions: In our PANS cohort, there was a strong indication of an association with AD. Further work is needed to establish whether any of the potential biomarkers identified will be clinically useful. Long-term follow-up of these patients using the Swedish national registers will enable a deeper understanding of the course of this patient group.
| S-EPMC6786340 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Data Access Committee EGAC00001001153
| EGAC00001001153 | EGA
Project description:Data Access Committee EGAC00001000413
| EGAC00001000413 | EGA
Project description:Data Access Committee EGAC00001002084
| EGAC00001002084 | EGA