(at least for scientists) is the possibility to annotate PDFs. Sorry, the screenshot originates from one the most stupid papers that I read over the past years but it nicely shows Continue reading The most significant improvement in Snow Leopard
The first GWAS of human vitamin serum D level finds the most important SNPs:
In a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 4,501 persons of European ancestry drawn from five cohorts, we identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the gene encoding group-specific component (vitamin D binding) protein, GC, on chromosome 4q12-13 that were associated with 25(OH)D concentrations: rs2282679 (P=2.0 x 10–30), in LD with rs7041, a nonsynonymous SNP (D432E; P=4.1 x 10-22), and rs1155563 (P = 3.8 x 10–25).
Funny, rs7041 is the same variant Continue reading rs4711, uh rs7041
Hopefully the auto-loader at the bottom will pick some previous posts here about calcium, vitamin D and allergy; these may be necessary for the background of a new study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine last week
We looked for Cav1 channel expression in Th2 and Th1-cells by real-time PCR and Western blotting. We sequenced the isoforms expressed by Th2-cells and tested whether Cav1 antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (Cav1AS) affected Ca2+ signaling and cytokine production […] mouse Th2 but not Th1-cells expressed Cav1.2 and Cav1.3 channels. Th2-cells transfected with Cav1AS had impaired Ca2+ signaling and cytokine production, and lost their ability to induce airway inflammation upon adoptive transfer.
This highlights again the close connection of the calcium system to immunology. While the earlier TRPM4 story was basically about mast cells, we now arrived at Th2 cells, yea, yea.
It took some time. Science has a paper on Calcium-sensing receptor antagonists abrogate airway hyperresponsiveness and inflammation in allergic asthma” by Yarova et al. writing about antagonists of the calcium-sensing receptor
We show that polycations and elevated extracellular calcium activate the human recombinant and native calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR), leading to intracellular calcium mobilization … These effects can be prevented by CaSR antagonists, termed calcilytics. Moreover, asthmatic patients and allergen- sensitized mice expressed more CaSR in ASMs than did their healthy counterparts … Thus, calcilytics may represent effective asthma therapeutics.
I don’t know, if the last statement is really warranted but – as written 5 years ago – there is a super tight connection of calcium and vitamin D to allergy.
Finally, a really important paper (at least for me ;-)
Here we show that habitually barefoot endurance runners often land on the fore-foot (fore-foot strike) before bringing down the heel, but they sometimes land with a flat foot (mid-foot strike) or, less often, on the heel (rear-foot strike).
The forefoot has lower collision forces! while the forces are excessive according to an earlier study. These new studies support the recent development of a running shoes (currently under development in Magdeburg) with no heel Continue reading Collison forces during distance running
What happens when looking at that video?
The neuroanatomy view this week in Nature
we predict[…] a macroscopic signal visible to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in humans. We then looked for this signal as participants explored a virtual reality environment, mimicking the rats’ foraging task: fMRI activation and adaptation showing a speed-modulated six-fold rotational symmetry in running direction. The signal was found in a network of entorhinal/subicular, posterior and medial parietal, lateral temporal and medial prefrontal areas. Continue reading Tear Down the Walls
This week the journal “Allergy” printed a report of three cases where allergic sensitization in preterm infants is attributed to the human milk fortifier Similac.
The product contains: Nonfat milk, corn syrup solids, whey protein concentrate, and MCT oil (fractionated coconut or palm kernel oil) as sources of proteins, fat, and carbohydrate (Abbott Laboratories Pediatric Nutritional Products Guide, DIR/98A08, 2008, Mississauga, Canada).
Not listed above but in the Products Guide are 120 IU/100 ml D3 which may indeed function as a sensitizer.
Having been approached by a GP about a rising interest of high dose vitamin D therapy (that a German website praises as a panacea for all kind of diseases) it took me some time to recall a recent IARC monograph.
Sure, it’s all about the correct dose, while excess vitamin supplementation may even kill people. Here is what the IARC says about 100,000 IU vitamin D daily: Continue reading High doses of vitamin D may induce cancer
A new allergy study published last month
hypothesized that prenatal vitamin D supplementation could induce tolerogenic DC at birth. To evaluate this hypothesis in an epidemiological setting, we quantiï¬ed the gene expression levels of ILT3 and ILT4 in cord blood (CB) samples of a population-based birth cohort of farm and reference children.
ILT3/IL4 as a marker of tolerogenic DCs may be justified by data published by Chang but not by newer data Continue reading Tolerogenic effects of vitamin D?
Our most recent paper is online now. Although not even listed in Pubmed, it seems to be already highly accessed ;-) Have fun and sorry for the two typing errors there.
Of course the submission statistics there are misleading; I submitted it last year while publication has been delayed by moving the journal to an Open Source platform.
The BAMSE study group published another vitamin paper – mainly on current multivitamin use and allergy.
Our results …. suggest that supplementation with multivitamins during the first years of life may reduce the risk of allergic disease at school age.
Any further conclusion on early exposure of vitamin D, however, is probably impossible for 3 simple reasons: Continue reading Si tacuisses
A new PLoS ONE twin study on the seasonal genetic influence on serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels finds
Half of the variability in 25-hydroxyvitamin D during the summer season was attributed to genetic factors. In contrast, the winter season variation was largely attributable to shared environmental influences (72%; 95% CI 48-86%), i.e., solar altitude.
The authors have probably Continue reading When genes come into play