The Drosophila midkine/pleiotrophin homologues Miple1 and Miple2 affect adult lifespan but are dispensable for alk signaling during embryonic gut formation.

Midkine (MDK) and Pleiotrophin (PTN) are small heparin-binding cytokines with closely related structures. The Drosophila genome harbours two genes encoding members of the MDK/PTN family of proteins, known as miple1 and miple2. We have investigated the role of Miple proteins in vivo, in particular with regard to their proposed role as ligands for the Alk receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK).

Health-related quality of life of children and adolescents with functional disabilities in a northern Swedish county.

Purpose: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) studies in children and adolescents with disabilities tend to report lower self-reported health than in the typical population. However, reports are not always consistent and HRQoL appears to vary depending on diagnosis, cultural setting and clinical context. The aim of this study was to explore HRQoL in children and adolescents with various disabilities in Västerbotten County, Sweden.