Ductile keratin films from deep eutectic solvent-fractionated feathers

Feathers, an industrial by-product, are a valuable source of keratin that could be used, for example, in the preparation of films for biomedical and packaging applications. However, the utilisation of feather keratin requires scalable processes to convert feathers into a feasible keratin stream. This paper shows how deep eutectic solvent (DES) fractionated feathers could be converted into strong films. In the DES fractionation process, two keratin fractions with different molecular weights were obtained. The films made of the high molecular weight keratin fraction had better mechanical properties and stability against moisture than the films made of the low molecular weight keratin fraction. The strength properties were further improved by cross-linking the keratin with diglycidyl ether enabling the formation of a uniform keratin network, whereas glutaraldehyde did not show a clear cross-linking effect. These keratin films could be used, for example, in food packaging or medical applications such as wound care.

In the present study, cross-linked keratin films were prepared using deep eutectic solvent (DES) fractionated feathers as a raw material.     

Social participation, trust and self-rated health: a study among ageing people in urban, semi-urban and rural settings

This study examined associations between self-rated health and combinations of social participation and trust among ageing people in three living areas of Finland (N=2815, 66% response rate). Social participation and trust combinations were: low social capital (low participation/low trust), traditionalism (low/high), "the miniaturisation of community" (high/low) and high social capital (high/high). The highest rate of good self-rated health was found among the high social capital group, but after adjusting for background variables, statistical significance remained only in the urban area. High social capital measured at an individual level may thus promote health among ageing people.     

Migration and self-rated health: a comparison between Finns living in Sweden and Finns living in Finland

AIMS: There is a lack of studies comparing health among immigrant groups with health among the population in their country of origin. This study compared the prevalence of self-rated poor health between Finns living in Sweden and Finns living in Finland. METHODS: Data were obtained from the Swedish Annual Level of Living Survey between 1996 and 2003 and the Finnish national survey "Health 2000'. Odds ratios (OR) of self-rated poor health were estimated adjusting for age, marital status, education, employment and smoking. The participants were 21,991 Swedes and 836 Finns living in Sweden, and 5,096 Finns living in Finland. RESULTS: For Finnish women living in Sweden the odds of self-rated poor health was significantly higher (OR=1.25, 95% CI=1.02-1.54) than for Finnish women living in Finland. An opposite pattern appeared among men; Finnish men living in Finland tended to have higher odds of self-rated poor health than Finnish men living in Sweden, although not to a statistically significant extent. In addition, Finns in Finland and in Sweden rated their health poorer than Swedes. CONCLUSIONS: Migration may have a different effect on Finnish men's and women's self-rated health. Further studies are needed to investigate the complex pathways between country of residence and self-rated health among immigrants.     

Physical fitness profiles of young men: associations between physical fitness, obesity and health

Obesity in youth has increased during the last 10 years in Western countries. Several studies have investigated physical activity and its effects on obesity and health, showing that regular physical activity combined with improved physical fitness reduces the risk of obesity and several metabolic problems (e.g. diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, heart disease) and also improves overall health. However, there is only limited scientific information available concerning the changes in the physical fitness profiles of youth. It is obvious that only slight changes observed in endurance-type physical activity can also be observed in aerobic capacity. Today and in the future, a major public health concern for teenage and young adults is the combination of increasing body fatness together with decreasing physical fitness. In order to evaluate overall fitness level, it is particularly essential to examine both aerobic and neuromuscular fitness. Therefore, in clinical practice work and health behaviour education, a person's physical fitness should be measured more frequently with various measures. Furthermore, population-based surveys should be combined with regular measurement of physical fitness to study sedentary lifestyles, particularly in young people. This article presents a review of current physical fitness profiles of male children, adolescents and young adults, which hopefully initiates further studies in this relevant scientific field. In addition, the importance of physical fitness level is evaluated in relation to obesity and health. Collectively, studies examining physical fitness profiles of young men suggest a disturbing worldwide trend of decreased aerobic fitness and increased obesity. Continued efforts to foster improved physical fitness and healthy lifestyles should be encouraged to combat these trends. Such efforts should include frequent and objective assessment of physical fitness rather than solely relying on subjective assessment of physical activity.     

Somatic genetic alterations in BRCA2‐associated and sporadic male breast cancer

The genetic changes underlying the development and progression of male breast cancer are poorly understood. Germline BRCA2 mutations account for a significant part of male breast cancer, but the majority of patients lack a known inherited predisposition. We recently demonstrated that the progression of breast cancer in female carriers of a germline BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation follows specific genetic pathways, distinct from each other and from sporadic breast cancer. In the present study, we performed a genome‐wide survey by comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) of somatic genetic aberrations in 26 male breast cancers, including five tumors from BRCA2 mutation carriers. BRCA2 tumors exhibited a significantly higher number of chromosomal aberrations than sporadic tumors. The most common alterations in sporadic male breast cancer were +1q (38%), +8q (33%), +17q (33%), –13q (29%), and –8p (24%). In tumors from BRCA2 mutation carriers, the five most common genetic changes were +8q (100%), +20q (100%), +17q (80%), –13q (80%), and –6q (60%). The CGH results in these two groups of male breast cancers are almost identical to those identified in the corresponding sporadic and BRCA2‐associated female breast cancers. The results suggest that despite substantial hormonal differences between females and males, similar genetic changes are selected for during tumor progression. Furthermore, the presence of a highly penetrant germline BRCA2 mutation apparently leads to a characteristic somatic tumor progression pathway, again shared between affected male and female mutation carriers. Genes Chromosomes Cancer 24:56–61, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Genetic risk factors for schizophrenia associate with sleep spindle activity in healthy adolescents

Schizophrenia has been associated with disturbed sleep, even before the onset of the disorder, and also in non‐schizophrenic first‐order relatives. This may point to an underlying genetic influence. Here we examine whether weighted polygenic risk scores (PRS) for schizophrenia are associated with sleep spindle activity in healthy adolescents. Our sample comes from a community‐based cohort of 157 non‐schizophrenic adolescents (57% girls) having both genetic data and an overnight sleep EEG measurement available. Based on a recent genome‐wide association study, we calculated PRS for schizophrenia across the whole genome. We also calculated PRS for the CACNA1l gene region, which has been associated with both schizophrenia and sleep spindle formation. We performed an overnight sleep EEG at the homes of the participants. Stage two sleep spindles were detected using an automated algorithm. Sleep spindle amplitude, duration, intensity and density were measured separately for central and frontal derivations and for fast (13–16 Hz) and slow (10–13 Hz) spindles. PRS for schizophrenia was associated with higher fast spindle amplitude (p = 0.04), density (p = 0.006) and intensity (p = 0.04) at the central derivation, and PRS in the CACNA1l region associated with higher slow spindle amplitude (p = 0.01), duration (p = 0.03) and intensity (p = 0.002) at the central derivation. A positive association between genetic variants for schizophrenia and sleep spindle activity among healthy adolescents supports a view that sleep spindles and schizophrenia share similar genetic pathways. This study suggests that altered sleep spindle activity might serve as an endophenotype of schizophrenia.     

Structural basis for computational screening of non-steroidal androgen receptor ligands

Importance of the field: Deep structural and chemical understanding of the protein target and computational methods for detection of receptor-selective ligands are important for the early drug discovery in the steroid receptor field. Areas covered in this review: This review focuses on the use of currently available structural information of the androgen receptor (AR) and known AR ligands to make computational strategies for the discovery of AR ligands in order to offer new chemical platforms for drug development. What the reader will gain: AR is a challenging target for drug discovery and modeling even if there is a wealth of experimental data available. First, only the active structure of AR is currently known, which hampers the design of AR antagonists. Second, the structural similarity between the ligand-binding sites of AR and its mutated forms and closely related steroid receptors (SRs) such as progesterone receptors presents challenges for the development of drugs with receptor-selective function. Take home message: Research indicates that a very small chemical change in the structure of a non-steroidal ligand can cause a complete change in its activity. One source of this effect arises from binding to similar binding sites in related SRs and other proteins in the signaling pathway. Currently, computational methods are not able to predict the subtle differences between AR ligand activities but modeling does offer the possibility of generating new lead structures that might have the desired properties.