A 6-month randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of weekly exenatide in adolescents with obesity.

Background: Pharmacological treatment options for adolescents with obesity are very limited. Glucagon-like-peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist could be a treatment option for adolescent obesity.

Objective: To investigate the effect of exenatide extended release on body mass index (BMI)-SDS as primary outcome, and glucose metabolism, cardiometabolic risk factors, liver steatosis, and other BMI metrics as secondary outcomes, and its safety and tolerability in adolescents with obesity.

Palmitate-Induced Insulin Hypersecretion and Later Secretory Decline Associated with Changes in Protein Expression Patterns in Human Pancreatic Islets.

In obese children with high circulating concentrations of free fatty acid palmitate, we have observed that insulin levels at fasting and in response to a glucose challenge were several times higher than in obese children with low concentrations of the fatty acid as well as in lean controls. Declining and even insufficient insulin levels were observed in obese adolescents with high levels of the fatty acid. In isolated human islets exposed to palmitate we have observed insulin hypersecretion after 2 days exposure.

Genetically modified plants for non-food or non-feed purposes: straightforward screening for their appearance in food and feed.

Genetically modified (GM) plants aimed at producing food/feed are part of regular agriculture in many areas of the World. Commodity plants have also found application as bioreactors, designated non-food/non-feed GM (NFGM) plants, thereby making raw material for further refinement to industrial, diagnostic or pharmaceutical preparations. Many among them may pose health challenge to consumers or livestock animals, if occurring in food/feed.

Sensitive plasma protein analysis by microparticle-based proximity ligation assays.

Detection of proteins released in the bloodstream from tissues damaged by disease can promote early detection of pathological conditions, differential diagnostics, and follow-up of therapy. Despite these prospects and a plethora of candidate biomarkers, efforts in recent years to establish new protein diagnostic assays have met with limited success. One important limiting factor has been the challenge of detecting proteins present at trace levels in complex bodily fluids.

Multiplexed genotyping of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates by use of padlock probes and tag microarrays.

We developed and tested a ligase-based assay for simultaneous probing of core genome diversity and typing of methicillin resistance determinants in Staphylococcus aureus isolates. This assay uses oligonucleotide padlock probes whose two ends are joined through ligation when they hybridize to matching target DNA. Circularized probes are subsequently amplified by PCR with common primers and analyzed by using a microarray equipped with universal tag probes.

Rapid detection of rifampin resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis by Pyrosequencing technology.

We developed an assay for rapid detection of rifampin resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis based on Pyrosequencing technology, involving a technique for real-time sequencing. A 180-bp region of the rpoB gene was amplified in clinical isolates of both rifampin-resistant and -susceptible M. tuberculosis.

Determination of CYP2D6 gene copy number by pyrosequencing.

Background: Identification of CYP2D6 alleles *5 (deletion of the whole CYP2D6 gene) and *2xN (gene duplication) is very important because they are associated with decreased or increased metabolism of many drugs. The most commonly used method for analysis of these alleles is, however, considered to be laborious and unreliable.

Methods: We developed a method to determine the copy number of the CYP2D6*5 and CYP2D6*2xN alleles by use of Pyrosequencing technology.

Cytochrome p450 genotyping by multiplexed real-time dna sequencing with pyrosequencing technology.

Individual differences in xenobiotic metabolism influence the therapeutic value of many drugs and are of major concern during the development of new drug candidates. A number of polymorphic cytochrome p450 enzymes account for a significant part of this variation. A better understanding of these genetic factors would be of value for drug development, as well as clinical practice.

Rapid combined characterization of microorganism and host genotypes using a single technology.

Background: Genetic information is becoming increasingly important in diagnosis and prognosis of infectious diseases. In this study we investigated the possibility of using a single technology, the Pyrosequencing trade mark technology (Biotage AB, Uppsala, Sweden), to gather several kinds of important genetic information from the human pathogen Helicobacter pylori, as well as from the carrier of the H. pylori infection.

Molecular haplotype determination using allele-specific PCR and pyrosequencing technology.

Haplotyping of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) is usually performed statistically by computational analysis or by time-consuming cloning techniques. Here we present a simple molecular approach for reliable haplotype determination on individual samples. The procedure is based on allele-specific PCR (AS-PCR) in combination with Pyrosequencing analysis.

Pyrosequencing analysis identifies discrete populations of Haemonchus contortus from small ruminants.

The genus Haemonchus consists of blood-sucking parasitic nematodes in the abomasum of ruminants. Members of this genus are responsible for extensive production losses, particularly of small ruminants in the tropics but are also found in temperate regions. In this study, we examined the internal transcribed spacers-1 and -2 of rRNA in Haemonchus spp.

Parallel DNA template preparation using a vacuum filtration sample transfer device.

Solid-phase techniques have facilitated the handling of biochemical analytes. This has stimulated the development of systems by which large sample panels can be analyzed with high levels of security and quality. We describe a sample transfer device based on the principle of vacuum filtration, which enables parallel handling of 96 samples of analytes bound to Sepharose beads.

Method for one-step preparation of double-stranded DNA template applicable for use with Pyrosequencing technology.

A new one-step method for fast and efficient preparation of double-stranded DNA template, suitable for use with Pyrosequencing technology, has been developed. In the new method, two different types of oligonucleotides were used to prevent reannealing of remaining PCR primers to the template: oligonucleotides complementary to the PCR primers and 3'-end modified oligonucleotides with the same sequence as the PCR primers. Advantages with the new strategy are: (i) faster and simpler template preparation procedure (one-step); (ii) no need for exonuclease I treatment; and (iii) less problem with unspecific priming from loop structures and dimers.

Pyrosequencing technology and the need for versatile solutions in molecular clinical research.

An increasing amount of genetic information is rapidly becoming available to the practitioners of medicine and pharmacology. This knowledge promises to revolutionize the determination of diagnoses and prognoses for genetically-based disorders as well as infectious diseases and to enable tailoring of treatment to suit the individual patient. As genomics becomes ripe for clinical implementation, versatile technologies that can handle all the relevant types of analyses will be requested by many clinicians.

Mitochondrial sequence analysis for forensic identification using pyrosequencing technology.

Over recent years, requests for mtDNA analysis in the field of forensic medicine have notably increased, and the results of such analyses have proved to be very useful in forensic cases where nuclear DNA analysis cannot be performed. Traditionally, mtDNA has been analyzed by DNA sequencing of the two hypervariable regions, HVI and HVII, in the D-loop. DNA sequence analysis using the conventional Sanger sequencing is very robust but time consuming and labor intensive.

Screening and scanning of single nucleotide polymorphisms in the pig melanocortin 1 receptor gene (MC1R) by pyrosequencing.

The increasing interest in the discovery and characterization of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) emphasis the need for high-throughput and cost effective scoring methods. Pyrosequencing is a novel method for screening SNPs. In this study we examine breed specific SNPs in the pig melanocortin 1 receptor gene (MC1R), some causing coat color phenotypes.

Pyrosequencing as a method for grouping of Listeria monocytogenes strains on the basis of single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the inlB gene.

By using pyrosequencing (i.e., sequencing by synthesis) 106 strains of different serovars of Listeria monocytogenes were rapidly grouped into four categories based on nucleotide variations at positions 1575 and 1578 of the inlB gene.

Determination of single-nucleotide polymorphisms by real-time pyrophosphate DNA sequencing.

The characterization of naturally occurring variations in the human genome has evoked an immense interest during recent years. Variations known as biallelic Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) have become increasingly popular markers in molecular genetics because of their wide application both in evolutionary relationship studies and in the identification of susceptibility to common diseases. We have addressed the issue of SNP genotype determination by investigating variations within the Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System (RAAS) using pyrosequencing, a real-time pyrophosphate detection technology.

Detailed genetic and physical mapping in the Sjögren-Larsson syndrome gene region in 17p11.2.

Sjögren-Larsson syndrome (SLS) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterised by mental retardation, spasticity, and ichthyosis. In 1994, SLS was linked to chromosome 17 and the gene causing the disorder was recently identified as fatty aldehyde dehydrogenase (FALDH) located in 17p11.2.

Venous thrombosis: factor V G1691A genotyping related to APC resistance as measured by 2 methods.

Blood samples were collected from consecutive unrelated patients with venous thrombosis. The patients originate from the middle part of Sweden. We investigated the presence of the reported point mutation at nt 1691 of factor V which renders the protein resistant to cleavage by activated protein C (APC).

Achondroplasia in Sweden caused by the G1138A mutation in FGFR3.

Achondroplasia, an autosomal dominant inherited disorder, is one of the most common forms of skeletal dysplasia resulting in disproportionate extreme shortness. Recently, two point mutations, both affecting nucleotide 1138 in the fibroblast growth factor receptor type 3 (FGFR3) gene, were found to be the cause of the disorder. We investigated DNA from 16 Swedish patients with achondroplasia for the presence of these mutations.

Regulation of DNA synthesis in division-arrested mouse C127 cells permissive for bovine papillomavirus DNA amplification.

Spontaneous amplification of bovine papillomavirus type 1 DNA occurs following a prolonged period of serum starvation of wild-type virus-transformed C127 cell lines and is associated with abundant viral E2 protein synthesis and a concomitant induction of viral oncogene (E5 and E6) expression. We show here that a subpopulation of the permissive cells incorporate bromo-deoxyuridine under conditions of cell growth arrest (serum starvation), whereas DNA synthesis is suppressed in the resting population of nonpermissive cells. Flow cytometric measurements of the cellular DNA content of the permissive cell population indicated that it contained predominantly a 4n DNA content, suggesting that these cells were blocked in the G2 phase of the cell cycle.

Segregation properties of bovine papillomaviral plasmid DNA.

Essentially complete segregation of replication-competent BPV-1 plasmid DNA species was observed in daughter subclones derived from primary co-transformed C127 cell lines. Thus, whereas primary co-transformants retained both of two distinguishable co-transfected plasmid species, subcloning experiments revealed that morphologically transformed daughter subclones derived from such co-transformed cell lines contained only one species of viral plasmid DNA. Similar results were obtained with each of two conveniently marked replication and transformation-competent mutants: one with a linker-insertion in the viral upstream regulatory region, and one with a 260 base-pair deletion within the L2 (late) gene, which has no recognized role in plasmid replication or stability.

Evidence that the transcriptional trans-activating function of the bovine papillomavirus type 1 E2 gene is not required for viral DNA amplification in division-arrested cells.

Amplification of bovine papillomavirus type 1 (BPV-1) DNA in growth-arrested mouse cell cultures appears to mimic the process of induction of vegetative BPV-1 DNA synthesis in cells of the stratum spinosum in productively infected bovine warts. In both cases, cells permissive for viral DNA amplification express large amounts of viral E2 protein which accumulates within the cell nucleus. Whereas in latently infected virus-transformed cells truncated transcriptional repressor forms of E2 predominate, our previous studies have demonstrated that the full-length E2 transcriptional trans-activator protein is preferentially expressed during the period of maximal BPV-1 DNA amplification in growth-arrested cell cultures.