Author: Nuha El Sharif
Publisher: Leuven University Press
ISBN: 9789058673183
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 174

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Author: Tim Nawrot
Publisher: Leuven University Press
ISBN: 9789058674609
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 168

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Book Description
Ageing, the decline in survival and bodily functions, caused by damage to macromolecules and tissues is intrinsically linked to life. Although universal and unavoidable, ageing does not occur in a uniform way. In the general population, it is actually a continuously distributed phenotype, in which genetic as well as environmental factors play an interactive role and explain the large interindividual differences between biological and chronological age. Cardiovascular disorders, which find there origins in deterioration of the structure and function of the large arteries, explain a large part of morbidity and mortality in industrialized societies. In this doctoral dissertation, the focus was on telomere length and arterial stiffness as biomarkers of biological and arterial ageing, respectively. It was investigated to what extent genetic and environmental determinants of oxidative stress and inflammation impact on the ageing process. Contents include: Introduction, Arterial ageing in cardiovascular risk prediction, Genetic and environmental factors in biological and arterial ageing, Telomere length and possible link to X chromosome, Role of smoking, oxidative stress and the -174 G/C interleukin-6 polymorphism in biological and vascular ageing, Environmental factors in arterial ageing, Blood pressure and blood selenium: a cross-sectional and a longitudinal population study, Endothelial function and outdoor temperature, General Discussion, Summary, Short Curriculum Vitae.

Author: Sandra Van Schaeybroeck
Publisher: Leuven University Press
ISBN: 9789058675538
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 194

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Author: Jeroen Vanoirbeek
Publisher: Leuven University Press
ISBN: 9789058674005
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 164

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Author: An van Nieuwenhuyse
Publisher: Leuven University Press
ISBN: 9789058674951
Category : Back
Languages : en
Pages : 168

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Author: Jennifer S. Yarden
Publisher: Leuven University Press
ISBN: 9789058674807
Category : Cystic fibrosis
Languages : en
Pages : 192

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Author: Valerie Christiaens
Publisher: Leuven University Press
ISBN: 9789058674586
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 164

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The development, growth and survival of eukaryotic organisms require the proper regulation of tens of thousands of genes. Therefore, a correct temporal and spatial expression of genes is crucial. These expression patterns are controlled by a wide variety of mechanisms, but a major level of gene expression occurs at the transcription initiation process. In this part, the basic mechanisms of eukaryotic gene transcription will be discussed. Contents include: 1) General Introduction, 2) Characterization of the two coactivator interacting surfaces of the androgen receptor and their relative role in transcriptional control, 3) Screening for environmental (anti)androgenic activity, 4) Detection of endocrine disrupting activities in pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls, and 5) General Discussion / Future Perspectives.

Author: Ellen De Schrijver
Publisher: Leuven University Press
ISBN: 9789058674562
Category : Antimitotic agents
Languages : en
Pages : 158

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Fatty acid synthase (FAS) is a key lipogenic enzyme catalyzing the terminal steps in the synthesis of fatty acids. In the majority of normal tissues, FAS expression is low. In many human cancers, however, including cancer of the prostate, FAS expression and FAS activity are very high. As shown in the laboratory, overexpression of FAS in tumor cells is part of a more general and coordinate upregulation of multiple lipogenic genes caused, at least in part, by activation of sterol regulatory element binding proteins (SREBPs), transcription factors that play a key role in cellular lipid homeostasis. The mechanisms underlying the activation of the SREBP pathway and the increase in lipogenesis in tumor cells as well as the ultimate biological significance of this phenomenon remain poorly understood. Nonetheless there is evidence that overexpression of lipogenic genes occurs early in tumor development and that the degree of overexpression correlates with increasing tumor grade. Moreover, a number of studies suggest that inhibition of FAS selectively reduces proliferation of tumor cells and causes apoptosis, implying that FAS and other lipogenic enzymes may constitute interesting targets for antineoplastic therapy.

Author: Maarten Leyssen
Publisher: Leuven University Press
ISBN: 9789058675682
Category : Axons
Languages : en
Pages : 142

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Author: Omar Nyabi
Publisher: Leuven University Press
ISBN: 9789058674593
Category : Alzheimer's disease
Languages : en
Pages : 122

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Book Description
Alzheimer's disease is a major health problem. The disease is clinically characterized by the progressive mental decline of the patients and pathologically by the accumulation of amyloid plaques and tangles and neurodegenerative changes in the brain. The cause of the disease remains unclear but in some cases, genetic (missense) mutations in the Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP) and in the Presenilin genes (PS1 & PS2) are sufficient to initiate the whole disease cascade. All these mutations cause in essence an increase in the generation or a change of the characteristics of the AB peptide making it more prone to produce amyloid plaques. The AB peptide is generated from the APP protein and the question how Presenilin influences APP processing and AB production is the main topic of our work.