α-Glucan debranching enzymes hydrolyse α-1,6-linkages in starch/glycogen, thereby, playing a central role in energy metabolism in all living organisms. They belong to glycoside hydrolase families GH13 and GH57 and several of these enzymes are industrially important. Nine GH13 subfamilies include α-glucan debranching enzymes; isoamylase and glycogen debranching enzymes (GH13_11); pullulanase type I

The progress in efficiency of organic photovoltaic devices is largely driven by the development of new donor–acceptor (D–A) copolymers. The number of possible D–A combinations escalates rapidly with the ever-increasing number of donor and acceptor units, and the design process often involves a trial-and-error approach. We here present a computationally efficient methodology for the prediction of o

Protein homeostasis in cells, proteostasis, is maintained through several integrated processes and pathways and its dysregulation may mediate pathology in many diseases including Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Oxidative stress, heat shock proteins, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and its response, i.e. unfolded protein response (UPR), play key roles in proteostasis but their involvement in t

Stanniocalcin-1 (STC-1) is a nerve cell-enriched protein involved in intracellular calcium homeostasis regulation. Changes in calcium regulation are hypothesized to play a role in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The expression of STC-1 increases in response to ischemic stroke, but whether it is altered in neurodegenerative disorder, particularly Alzheimer's disease (AD), has not b

BACKGROUND: The discovery that heterozygous missense mutations in the gene encoding triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2) are risk factors for Alzheimer's disease (AD), with only the apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 gene allele conferring a higher risk, has led to increased interest in immune biology in the brain. TREM2 is expressed on microglia, the resident immune cells of the brain

Background: Activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone-system (RAAS) has been proposed to contribute to development of vascular complications in type 2 diabetes (T2D). The aim of the present study was to determine if plasma renin levels are associated with the severity of vascular changes in subjects with and without T2D. Methods: Renin was analyzed by the Proximity Extension Assay in subject

Background: Associations between BMI and DNA methylation of hypoxia-inducible factor 3-alpha (HIF3A) in both blood cells and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) have been reported. In this study, we investigated associations between BMI and HIF3A DNA methylation in the blood and SAT from the same individuals, and whether HIF3A gene expression in SAT and skeletal muscle biopsies showed associations w

With our sights set on a simple and inexpensive diagnostics device based on extraction and enrichment of parasites from human blood, we present a device design that relies on a combination of multiple different deterministic lateral displacement arrays. Our end goal is a microfluidic device that will be easy to use in the rural, resource-deprived areas where simple-to-use medical tools are crucial

We have investigated the properties in water of two tetraalkylammonium bromides (tetramethylammonium, TMA+, and tetrapropylammonium, TPA+), at 0.4 M, using neutron scattering coupled with empirical potential structure refinement to arrive at an atomistic description. Having both a polar and an apolar moiety, it is of interest to determine the strength of each moiety as a function of the alkyl chai

Today, commercially used brasses commonly contain 2 to 4 wt.% lead. As the availability of low-lead and lead-freebrass increase, there are environmental incentives for investigating the consequences of replacing thelead-containing brasses with lead-free equivalents. Generally, lead-free brass is expected to have a lowermachinability than its lead-alloyed counterpart, implying a higher manufacturin

Optogenetics is one of the most powerful tools in neuroscience, allowing for selective control of specific neuronal populations in the brain of experimental animals, including mammals. We report, for the first time, the application of optogenetic tools to human brain tissue providing a proof-of-concept for the use of optogenetics in neuromodulation of human cortical and hippocampal neurons as a po

The Value of a Statistical Life (VSL) is a widely used measure of the value of mortality risk reduction. Since VSL should reflect preferences and attitudes to risk, there are reasons to believe that it varies depending on the type of risk involved. It has been argued that cancer should be considered a “dread disease”, which supports the use of a “cancer premium”. The objective of this study is to