Cohort Profile: Better Health in Late Life.

Purpose: Humans are living longer and may develop multiple chronic diseases in later life. The Better Health in Late Life cohort study aims to improve our understanding of the risks and outcomes of multimorbidity in the Danish population.

Methods: A randomly-selected sample of Danish residents who were 50-65 years of age received a questionnaire and an invitation to participate in this study.

Feasibility of salivary DNA collection in a population-based case-control study: a pilot study of pediatric Crohn's disease.

Background: Epidemiologic studies combining exposure and outcome data with the collection of biosamples are needed to study gene-environment interactions that might contribute to the etiology of complex diseases such as pediatric Crohn's disease (CD). Nationwide registries, including those in Denmark and other Scandinavian countries, provide efficient and reliable sources of data for epidemiological studies evaluating the environmental determinants of disease. We performed a pilot study to test the feasibility of collecting salivary DNA to augment registry data in established cases of pediatric CD and randomly selected, population-based controls.

Costs and Efficiency of Online and Offline Recruitment Methods: A Web-Based Cohort Study.

Background: The Internet is widely used to conduct research studies on health issues. Many different methods are used to recruit participants for such studies, but little is known about how various recruitment methods compare in terms of efficiency and costs.

Objective: The aim of our study was to compare online and offline recruitment methods for Internet-based studies in terms of efficiency (number of recruited participants) and costs per participant.

In vitro toxicity of cationic micelles and liposomes in cultured human hepatocyte (HepG2) and lung epithelial (A549) cell lines.

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of cationic micelle and liposome drug delivery systems on liver and lung cells in a toxicological in vitro screening model, with observations on cytotoxicity and genotoxicity. A screening battery was established for assessment of a broad range of parameters related to adverse effects. Clear concentration response effects were observed related to impairment of mitochondrial function, membrane integrity and oxidative stress markers, but no effect was observed on genotoxicity.

Using a physics experiment in a lecture setting to engage biology students with the concepts of Poiseuille's law.

Biology students enrolled in a typical undergraduate physiology course encounter Poiseuille's law, a physics equation that describes the properties governing the flow of blood through the circulation. According to the equation, a small change in vessel radius has an exponential effect on resistance, resulting in a larger than expected change in blood flow. To help engage students in this important concept, we performed a physics experiment as a lecture demonstration to mimic the original research by the 19th-century French scientist.

Transient activation of mTOR following forced treadmill exercise in rats.

The beneficial effect of exercise on hippocampal plasticity is possibly mediated by increased angiogenesis and neurogenesis. In angiogenesis, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and hypoxia-inducible factor 1, alpha subunit (HIF1α) are important factors, while the induction of neurogenesis requires signaling through the VEGF receptor, Flk-1 (VEGFR-2). VEGF expression is believed to be regulated by two distinct mTOR (mammalian target of Rapamycin)-containing multiprotein complexes mTORC1 and mTORC2, respectively.

Caffeinated beverage and soda consumption and time to pregnancy.

Background: Many epidemiologic studies have evaluated the association between caffeine and fertility, with inconsistent results. Some studies suggest that various caffeine-containing beverages may affect fertility differently.

Methods: We evaluated the relation of caffeine, coffee, tea, and sodas with time to pregnancy in a prospective cohort study of 3628 women planning a pregnancy, in Denmark (2007-2010).

A successful implementation of e-epidemiology: the Danish pregnancy planning study 'Snart-Gravid'.

The attraction of being able to use the internet for the recruitment of an epidemiologic cohort stems mainly from cost efficiency and convenience. The pregnancy planning study ('Snart-Gravid')-a prospective cohort study of Danish women planning a pregnancy-was conducted to evaluate the feasibility and cost efficiency of using internet-based recruitment and follow-up. Feasibility was assessed by examining patient accrual data over time, questionnaire-specific response rates and losses to follow-up.

Environmental correlates of population differentiation in Atlantic herring.

The marine environment is characterized by few physical barriers, and pelagic fishes commonly show high migratory potential and low, albeit in some cases statistically significant, levels of genetic divergence in neutral genetic marker analyses. However, it is not clear whether low levels of differentiation reflect spatially separated populations experiencing gene flow or shallow population histories coupled with limited random genetic drift in large, demographically isolated populations undergoing independent evolutionary processes. Using information for nine microsatellite loci in a total of 1951 fish, we analyzed genetic differentiation among Atlantic herring from eleven spawning locations distributed along a longitudinal gradient from the North Sea to the Western Baltic.