Genetics

April: genetics-network | News and features – University of Bristol

It has been announced today [19 April] that the University of Bristol will be joining a new MRC national genetics network for disease modelling comprising 7 challenge-led research clusters, with members distributed across the UK.

The MRC National Mouse Genetics Network is a major new 22 million investment in mouse genetics for disease modelling that will capitalise on the UKs excellence in the biomedical sciences.

The Mary Lyon Centre at MRC Harwell will act as the central hub of the Network, sharing access to specialist facilities, resources, data, and training with all other Network members, and is receiving 5.5 million to support this role. The partnerships established by the Network will enable integration of basic science research with clinical findings in order to accelerate our understanding of human disease and translation to patient benefit.

The seven cluster themes are: Cancer, led by Prof Karen Blyth at the CRUK Beatson Institute/University of Glasgow and Prof Louis Chesler at the Institute of Cancer Research, Congenital Anomalies, led by Prof Karen Liu at Kings College London, Degron Tagging, led by Dr Andrew Wood at the MRC Human Genetics Unit at the University of Edinburgh, Haem, led by Dr David Kent at the University of York, Microbiome, led by Prof Fiona Powrie at the University of Oxford, Mitochondria, led by Dr Robert Pitceathly at the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, and MURIDAE (Modalities for Understanding, Recording and Integrating Data Across Early life), led by Prof Anthony Isles at the MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics at Cardiff University.

Dr Michael Ashby from University of Bristols School of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience is a member of the MURIDAE (Modalities for Understanding, Recording and Integrating Data Across Early life) cluster. This cluster is receiving 2.7 million of MRC investment, which aims to establish new approaches for studying the early postnatal period in mouse models of neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disease. The key to this will be linking changes in behaviour in early life with changes in brain development through integration of home-cage behavioural monitoring data with measures of brain structure and physiology, all guided by clinical partners to ensure relevance to human disease.

University of Bristol labs will play a key role in testing how brain activity is altered in the next-generation mouse models of neurodevelopmental disorders like schizophrenia and autism. Dr Michael Ashby, who leads Bristols part in the Network, said: Integrating the well-established expertise of Bristol Neuroscience researchers with this new national organisation will not only drive fresh insight into the ways that the young brain is altered in genetically-driven psychiatric disorders, but will also provide a platform for future collaborations for many years to come.

Owen Sansom, Network Director, said: Were excited to announce this first set of research clusters forming the MRC National Mouse Genetics Network and to synergising our efforts to deliver impactful preclinical science through comprehensive sharing of data, resources, and expertise.

By building connections between researchers working in such diverse fields and through development of comprehensive data-sharing infrastructure, the Network will create a platform that better links mouse genetics research to clinical advances.

For more information about each of the clusters, visit the MRC website.

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April: genetics-network | News and features - University of Bristol

Genetics

Find your roots through genetics camp at Sanford Research – Sanford Health News

What is more interesting than you? Thats the question that led Sanford PROMISE educators to offer a camp called Finding Your Roots.

This camp is modeled from a summer camp that is offered at Penn State of the same name and is inspired by the PBS TV program hosted by Henry Louis Gates Jr. To offer this experience, Sanford PROMISE formed a partnership with Living DNA, a genetic testing company. Living DNA analyzes DNA samples and provides a unique ancestry report for each student.

Apply now: Finding Your Roots genetics and ancestry camp

This genetics and ancestry camp has been offered every summer since 2020 and is a one-of-a-kind experience for students.

The preparations for this camp start in the spring whencampersare given a DNA collection kit from Living DNA. Theysubmita cheek swab and send it in. Parents of the campers willbe requiredto create an account with Living DNA.During camp, students learn about DNA, genetic technology, evolution, and genetic counseling. Theyparticipatein a series of hands-on experiences that allow them tounderstandthe role of DNAin their body. Aftercampersdevelop this understanding, they are presented with a personalized genetic report.

The personalized reportcontainsthree sections. The first is a section on recent ancestry. It presents a pie chartrepresentingwherethe campersancestors came from. The reportprovidesa brief history of each region present in the campers pie chart. For many campers, thisopensconversation with parents and grandparents about the history of their family.The second section reveals thecampers haplogroup.Haplogroupsare mitochondrial DNA sequence variations that have occurred over more than 150,000 years andalign withthegeographic regions of our earliest ancestors through the maternal line. The third section reveals some unique traits like the preference for cilantro or the tendency to have red hair. We compare their genotype (DNA) with their phenotype (physical trait).No health information is shared through this report.

The goal of Finding Your Roots camp is to learn about DNA by making it personal to the campers. The hope is that the campers will come away from camp with an understanding of where they come from, why they are unique, and how they are connected to all of humankind. Throughout the week, campers will work on a poster called All About Me where they assemble all the information they have learned. At the end of the week, they willpresentin a gallery walktoshare the informationwith invited familymembers and guests.

None of this would be possible without the help of our partners at Living DNA. Located in the United Kingdom, Living DNA is one of the top five global DNA testing firms. Unlike other DNA testing firms, Living DNA does not sell data to any third parties. Read more about their privacy policy. They also offer an online portal to provide more information to the campers and their parents, including control over content features.

This camp is offered to middle school aged students one time during the summer and requires a commitment to submit a DNA sample in the spring. Camp is held at the Sanford PROMISE lab at Sanford Research in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. All PROMISE camps require application and have no fee. If you are interested in applying for this camp, please visit promise.sanfordhealth.org for more information.

Posted In Community, Genetics, Research

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Find your roots through genetics camp at Sanford Research - Sanford Health News

Genetics

A New Study Found That Conflicts With Your In-Laws Likely Is Due To Genetics – Chip Chick

Struggling to get along with the in-laws has been a phenomenon for centuries. The classic familial conflict has inspired numerous comedy films, self-help books, and ranting Reddit threads.

But, a recent study published in the journal of Evolutionary Psychological Science suggests that the turmoil may be rooted in genetic disposition.

Interestingly, the study first found that both genders experience more conflict with their mothers-in-laws.

In fact, participants reported experiencing five percent more conflict with their mother-in-law than while interacting with their own mothers.

Moreover, most of these disputes involved disagreements over child care or financials.Still, the most intriguing finding relates to the root of these all-too-common quarrels. And the saying mother knows best definitely comes into play.

The research team believes that spouses butt heads with in-laws because people instinctually act in the interest of their genetic kin.

While this might not sound so bad, it can hamper the most universally beneficial decisions and outcomes.

This genetic conflict may cause in-laws to disagree about the distribution of resources and investment, just as we see mothers and fathers disagreeing in these domains, the study reported.

Additionally, these in-law relationships are forced whether they feel that way or not. Much like children have no way of knowing what family they will be born into, spouses and parents alike do not have much say if love is involved.

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A New Study Found That Conflicts With Your In-Laws Likely Is Due To Genetics - Chip Chick

Genetics

Armidale researchers hope genetic selection will be key to raising steaks with lower emissions – ABC News

Is it possible to breed low-emissioncattle and sheep?

A group of Australian researchers and industry leaders think so and they are putting $19 million towards making it happen.

The University of New England, Armidale (UNE) is collaborating with Angus Australia, Meat and Livestock Australia and the NSW Department of Primary Industry to develop genetics to breed livestock that emits less methane.

The project is in line with the beef industry's goal to reach zero carbon emissions by 2030.

"We have always been keen to look at measuring the traits related to methane emissions on our cattle so in the future we can select Angus bulls that will produce lower methane but still be productive," Angus Australia's general manager for genetic improvementChristian Duffsaid.

Mr Duff said the organisation's involvement in the project was driven by the consumer.

"There is no doubt there is a trend towards people wanting to be aware of where their product comes from and its impact on the environment.

"The way we can have an impact is by making sure we're recording those methane traits on cattle ... and then in the future having information to select bulls."

UNE researchersare confident that, through the project, they can achieve a steady and permanent reduction in methane emissions from livestock.

Two UNEprofessors will investigate how to improve the genetic make-up of sheep and cattle.

Over the next five years, they will measure the methane output of 8,000 cattle and 10,000 sheep living in both feedlot and grazing conditions.

The variation between different animals will be analysed and data used to predict which of those animals have genetics that may lower the emissions they produce.

Associate Professor Sam Clark willresearchthe beef component, and saidboth projects could result in a 25 per cent reduction in methane emissions in livestock by 2050.

"A plausible amount to expect from genetic technologies is about 1 per cent methane reduction per year,"he said.

"The key point about that 1 per cent per year is that, when we use breeding to make that change, it's cumulative and permanent.

"It's a bit like your interest rate for the bank, it just keeps accumulating on top of itself."

The project is scheduled to start laterthis month.

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Armidale researchers hope genetic selection will be key to raising steaks with lower emissions - ABC News

Physiology

Emognition dataset: emotion recognition with self-reports, facial expressions, and physiology using wearables | Scientific Data – Nature.com

Ethics statement

The study was approved by and performed in accordance with the guidelines and regulations of the Wroclaw Medical University, Poland; approval no. 149/2020. The submission to the Ethical Committee covered, among others, participant consent, research plans, recruitment strategy, data management procedures, and GDPR issues. Participants provided written informed consent, in which they declared that they (1) were informed about the study details, (2) understand what the research involves, (3) understand what their consent was needed for; (4) may refuse to participate in the research at any time during the research project; (5) had the opportunity to ask questions of the experimenter and receive answers to those questions. Finally, participants gave informed consent to participate in the research, agreed to be recorded during the study, and consented to the processing of their personal data to the extent necessary for the implementation of the research project, including sharing their psycho-physiological and behavioral data with other researchers.

The participants were recruited via a paid advertisement on Facebook. Seventy people responded to the advertisement. We have excluded ten non-Polish speaking volunteers. An additional 15 could not find a suitable date, and two did not show up for the scheduled study. As a result, we collected data from 43 participants (21 females) aged between 19 and 29 (M=22.37, SD=2.25). All participants were Polish.

The exclusion criteria were significant health problems, use of drugs and medications that might affect cardiovascular function, prior diagnosis of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, or BMI over 30 (classified as obesity). We asked participants to reschedule if they experienced an illness or a major negative life event. The participants were requested (1) not to drink alcohol and not to take psychoactive drugs 24hours before the study; (2) to refrain from caffeine, smoking, and taking nonprescription medications for two hours before the study; (3) to avoid vigorous exercise and eating an hour before the study. Such measures were undertaken to eliminate factors that could affect cardiovascular function.

All participants provided written informed consent and received a 50 PLN (c.a., $15) online store voucher.

We used short film clips from databases with prior evidence of reliability and validity in eliciting targeted emotions19,20,21,22,23. The source film, selected scene, and stimulus duration are provided in Table 1.

We used two types of self-assessment for manipulation checks that accounted for discrete and dimensional approaches to emotions. For the discrete approach, participants reported retrospectively, using single-item rating scales, on how much of the targeted emotions they had experienced while watching the film clips21. The questionnaire was filled in electronically with a tablet, see Fig.1a. It included nine items corresponding to the selected stimuli. Each emotion-related scale ranged from 1 (not at all) to 5 (extremely). The questionnaire was modeled after the instruments used in previous studies with similar methodology24,25,26,27.

The English version of the self-reports used in the study: (a)questionnaire for discrete emotions; (b)questionnaire for valence, arousal, and motivation. The original Polish version can be found in the Supp. Mat. Fig 3.

For the dimensional approach, participants reported retrospectively, using single-item rating scales, on how much valence, arousal, and motivation they experienced while watching the film clips. The 3-dimensional emotional self-report was collected with the Self-Assessment Manikin SAM28. The SAM is a validated nonverbal visual assessment developed to measure affective responses. Participants reported felt emotions using a graphical scale ranging from 1 (a very sad figure) to 9 (a very happy figure) for valence, Fig.1b; and from 1 (a calm figure) to 9 (an agitated figure) for arousal, Fig.1b. We also asked participants to report their motivational tendency using a validated graphical scale modeled after the SAM29, i.e., whether they felt the urge to avoid or approach while watching the film clips, from 1 (figure leaning backward) to 9 (figure leaning forward)30, Fig.1b. The English versions of the self-reports used in the study are illustrated in Fig.1.

The behavioral and physiological signals were gathered using three wearable devices and a smartphone:

An EEG headband Muse 2 equipped with four EEG electrodes (AF7, AF8, TP9, and TP10), accelerometer (ACC), and gyroscope (GYRO). The data was transmitted to a smartphone in real-time using the Mind Monitor (https://mind-monitor.com) application. At the end of each day, data from the smartphone was transferred to the secure disk;

A wristband Empatica E4 monitoring blood volume pulse (BVP), interbeat interval (IBI), electrodermal activity (EDA), acceleration, and skin temperature (SKT). The Empatica E4 was mounted on the participants dominant hand. The device was connected wirelessly via Bluetooth to the tablet using a custom-made Android application with Empatica E4 link SDK module31. The data was streamed in real-time to the tablet and after the study to the secure server. The signals obtained with the Empatica E4 were synchronized with the stimuli presented on the tablet;

A smartwatch Samsung Galaxy Watch SM-R810 providing heart rate (HR), peak-to-peak interval (PPI), raw BVP the amount of reflected LED light, ACC, GYRO, and rotation data. A custom Tizen application was developed and installed on the watch to collect and store data locally. At the end of each day, data was downloaded to the secure disk;

A smartphone Samsung Galaxy S20+5G recording participants upper-body head, chest, and hands. The footage also included a small mirror reflecting the tablet screen to enable later synchronization with stimuli. At the end of each day, recordings were moved to the encrypted offline disk.

The Muse 2 has lower reliability than medical devices but sufficient for nonclinical trial settings32. It has been successfully used to observe and quantify event-related brain potentials33, as well as to recognize emotions34. The Empatica E4 has been compared with a medical electrocardiograph (ECG), and proved to be a practical and valid tool for studies on HR and heart rate variability (HRV) in stationary conditions35. It was also likewise effective as the Biopac MP150 in the emotion recognition task36. Moreover, we have used the Empatica E4 for intense emotion detection with promising results in a field study37,38. The Samsung Watch devices were successfully utilized (1) to track the atrial fibrillation with an ECG patch as a reference39, and (2) to assess the sleep quality with a medically approved actigraphy device as a baseline40. Moreover, Samsung Watch 3 performed well in detecting intense emotions41.

Additionally, a 10.4-inch tablet Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 was used to guide participants through the study. A dedicated application was developed to instruct the participants, present stimuli, collect self-assessments, as well as gather Empatica E4 signals, and synchronize them with the stimuli.

The sampling rate of the collected signals is provided in Table2. The devices and the experimental stand are illustrated in Fig.2.

Devices used to gather the physiological data and the experimental stand.

The study was conducted between the 16th of July and the 4th of August, 2020. It took place in the UX Wro Lab - a laboratory at the Wrocaw University of Science and Technology. Upon arrival, participants were informed about the experimental procedure, Fig.3. They then signed the written consent. The researcher applied the devices approximately five minutes before the experiment so that the participants could get familiar with them. It also enabled a proper skin temperature measurement. From this stage until the end of the experiment, the physiological signals were recorded. Next, participants listened to instructions about the control questionnaire and self-assessments. The participants filled out the control questionnaire about their activity before the experiment, e.g., time since the last meal or physical activity and wake-up time. Their responses are part of the dataset.

The experiment procedure.

The participants were asked to avoid unnecessary actions or movements (e.g., swinging on the chair) and not to cover their faces. They were also informed that they could skip any film clip or quit the experiment at any moment. Once the procedure was clear to the participants, they were left alone in the room but could ask the researcher for help anytime. For the baseline, participants watched dots and lines on a black screen for 5minutes (physiological baseline) and reported current emotions (emotional baseline) using discrete and dimensional measures. The main part of the experiment consisted of ten iterations of (1) a 2-minute washout clip (dots and lines), (2) the emotional film clip, and (3) two self-assessments, see Fig.3. The order of film clips was counterbalanced using a Latin square, i.e., we randomized clips for the first participant and then shifted by one film clip for each next participant so that the first film clip was placed as the last one.

After the experiment, participants provided information about which movies they had seen before the study and other remarks about the experiment. Concluding the procedure, participants received the voucher. The whole experiment lasted about 50minutes, depending on the time spent on the questionnaires.

Empatica E4 was synchronized with the stimuli out-of-the-box using a custom application and Empatica E4 SDK. Samsung Watch and Muse 2 devices were synchronized using accelerometer signals. All three devices were placed on the table, which was then hit with a fist. The first peak in the ACC signal was used to find the time shift between the devices, Fig.4. All times were synchronized to the Empatica E4 time.

The time difference between the devices used in the study identified by recording the ACC signal when devices were moved according to the synchronization procedure.

Each device stored data in a different format and structure. We unified the data to JSON format and divided the experiment into segments covering washouts, film clips, and self-assessment separately. We provide the raw recordings from all used devices. Additionally, we performed further preprocessing for some devices/data and provide it alongside the raw data.

For EEG, the raw signal represents the signal filtered with a 50Hz notch frequency filter, which is a standard procedure to remove interference caused by power lines. Besides the raw EEG, the Mind Monitor application provides the absolute band power for each channel and five standard frequency ranges (i.e., delta to gamma, see Table2). According to the Mind Monitor documentation, these are obtained by (1) using a fast Fourier transform (FFT) to compute the power spectral density (PSD) for frequencies in each channel, (2) summing the PSDs over a frequency range, and (3) taking the logarithm of the sum, to get the result in Bels (B). The Mind Monitor documentation presents details https://mind-monitor.com.

The processing of BVP signal from the Samsung Watch PPG sensor consisted of subtracting the mean component, eight-level decomposition using Coiflet1 wavelet transform, and then reconstructing it by the inverse wavelet transform based only on the second and third levels. Amplitude fluctuations were reduced by dividing the middle value of the signal by the standard deviation of a one second long sliding window with an odd number of samples. The final step was signal normalization to the range of [1,1].

The upper-body recordings were processed with the OpenFace toolkit42,43,44 (version 2.2.0, default parameters) and Quantum Sense software (Research Edition 2017, Quantum CX, Poland). The OpenFace library provides facial landmark points and action units values, whereas Quantum Sense recognizes basic emotions (neutral, anger, disgust, happiness, sadness, surprise) and head pose.

Some parts of the signals were of lower quality due to the participants movement or improper mounting. For example, the quality of EEG signal can be investigated using Horse Shoe Indicator (HSI) values provided by the device, which represent how well the electrodes fit the participants head. For video clips, OpenFace provides information about detected faces with their head pose per one frame. We have not removed low-quality signals so that users of the dataset can decide how to deal with them. Any data-related problems that we identified are included in the data_completeness.csv file.

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Emognition dataset: emotion recognition with self-reports, facial expressions, and physiology using wearables | Scientific Data - Nature.com

Physiology

When coronary imaging and physiology are discordant, how best to manage coronary lesions? An appraisal of the clinical evidence – DocWire News

This article was originally published here

Catheter Cardiovasc Interv. 2022 Apr 4. doi: 10.1002/ccd.30186. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Discordant physiology and anatomy may occur when nonsevere angiographic stenosis has positive physiology as well as the opposite situation.

AIM: To underline the reasons behind the discrepancy in physiology and anatomy and to summarize the information that coronary imaging may add to physiology.

METHODS: A review of the published literature on physiology and intravascular imaging assessment of intermediate lesions was carried out.

RESULTS: The limitations of angiography, the possibility of an underlying diffuse disease, the presence of a grey zone in both techniques, the amount of myocardial mass that subtends the stenosis, and plaque vulnerability may play a role in such discrepancy. Intracoronary imaging has a poor diagnostic accuracy compared to physiology. However, it may add information about plaque vulnerability that might be useful in deciding whether to treat or not a certain lesion.

CONCLUSIONS: Coronary revascularization is recommended for patients with ischemia based on physiology. Intracoronary imaging adds information on plaque vulnerability and can help on the decision whether to revascularize or not a lesion.

PMID:35373887 | DOI:10.1002/ccd.30186

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When coronary imaging and physiology are discordant, how best to manage coronary lesions? An appraisal of the clinical evidence - DocWire News

Physiology

Proteins in Saliva Could Aid in COVID-19 Detection and Predict Severe Illness – University of Utah Health Sciences

Apr 05, 2022 3:00 PM

Author: Julie Kiefer, julie.kiefer@hsc.utah.edu

Reprinted with permission from the American Physiological Society.

Researchers have identified a family of proteins that is significantly elevated in the saliva of patients hospitalized with COVID-19. The proteins, known as ephrin ligands, could potentially serve as a biomarker to help doctors identify patients who are at risk for serious illness.

Ephrins are detectable in saliva samples and could serve as adjunct markersto monitor COVID-19 disease progression, said study author Erika Egal, DVM, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Patrice Mimche, PhD, in the Department of Pathology at University of Utah Health in Salt Lake City. We can collect saliva without harm or discomfort for most patients, which can reveal patient responses to COVID-19 and potentially guide care.

Egal presented the findings at the American Physiological Society annual meeting during the Experimental Biology (EB) 2022 meeting, held in Philadelphia April 25.

For the study, researchers analyzed saliva samples collected from patients admitted to the University of Utah Hospital emergency department with respiratory symptoms. Sixty-seven of the patients tested positive for COVID-19 while 64 patients did not. They found that the presence of ephrin ligands in saliva was strongly associated with the diagnosis of severe COVID-19.

Researchers said the study findings could help shed light on the biological processes involved in severe reactions to COVID-19 infection. Previous studies suggest ephrins play a role in injury and inflammation. The scientists say more research is needed to determine whether ephrin concentrations are linked with a higher likelihood of hospitalization, critical illness or death. In addition, as new viral variants emerge, it can be difficult to tell whether existing COVID-19 tests are able to accurately detect infections involving new variants. Looking for ephrins in saliva could offer a simple, non-invasive way to provide corroborating evidence when there is inconsistency between test results and the clinical picture, Egal said.

Saliva is packed with information beyond detecting the COVID-19 infection itself, said Mimche. We demonstrate that immune cells, cytokines and soluble proteins can be reliably measured from saliva samples. Our findings provide a starting point for investigations looking into causal pathways between infection and bad medical outcomes.

The research was overseen by Mimche in collaboration with Theodore Liou, MD and My N. Helms, PhD, from the Department of Internal Medicine at University of Utah Health, as part of a multidisciplinary project to better understand the biology of SARS-CoV-2 and how it causes serious COVID-19 infections.

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About Experimental Biology 2022

Experimental Biology (EB) is the annual meeting of five scientific societies bringing together thousands of scientists and 25 guest societies in one interdisciplinary community. With a mission to share the newest research findings shaping clinical advances, EB offers an unparalleled opportunity to tap into the latest research in anatomy, biochemistry, molecular biology, investigative pathology, pharmacology and physiology.The Experimental Biology 2022 meeting will be held April 25 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia.www.experimentalbiology.org#expbio

About the American Physiological Society (APS)

Physiology is a broad area of scientific inquiry that focuses on how molecules, cells, tissues and organs function in health and disease. The American Physiological Society connects a global, multidisciplinary community of more than 10,000 biomedical scientists and educators as part of its mission to advance scientific discovery, understand life and improve health. The Society drives collaboration and spotlights scientific discoveries through its 16 scholarly journals and programming that support researchers and educators in their work.http://www.physiology.org

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Proteins in Saliva Could Aid in COVID-19 Detection and Predict Severe Illness - University of Utah Health Sciences

Physiology

University Lecturer, Nutrition, Nutritional Physiology job with UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI | 288689 – Times Higher Education

The Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry invites applications for the position of

UNIVERSITY LECTURER in HUMAN NUTRITION (NUTRITIONAL PHYSIOLOGY)

starting on 1.9.2022 or by mutual agreement.

The University of Helsinki is the largest university in Finland, which seeks solutions for global challenges and creates new ways of thinking for the best of humanity. We are one of the best multidisciplinary universities in the world and our community of c. 8 000 employees offers wide ranging career development opportunities in teaching and research as well as in specialist and other support positions. http://www.helsinki.fi/en

The Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry is located on the Viikki campus. The mission of the faculty is to promote the sustainable use of renewable natural resources through scientific research and research-based teaching. We focus on agricultural and forest sciences, food and nutrition, microbiology, as well as on economics and management. We cover the full natural resource chain from farm to fork, the entire field of forest sciences from soil chemistry to marketing, as well as the environmental effects of related activities. Graduates from the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry are versatile experts in biosciences and business, able to meet the needs of both the business sector and society at large. http://www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-of-agriculture-and-forestry

The Department of Food and Nutrition is one of the six units of the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry. The department provides research based education at higher level in Finland and is responsible for BSc and MSc Programmes in Food Sciences and MSc Programme in Human Nutrition and Food-Related Behaviour. The department is also responsible for the teaching of chemistry at the faculty. The connections to food industry are active and good.

There are ca 80 research and teaching staff at the department, some of whom work on external funding. In Food Sciences, yearly around 60 new undergraduates start in the BSc programmes and 90 in the MSc programmes. In total 40 new students start annually in the Human Nutrition and Food Related Behaviour Masters programme. Teaching is also given in the Molecular Biosciences BSc programme. The number of PhD students in the department is ca 30.www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-of-agriculture-and-forestry/research/food-and...

THE POSITION OF UNIVERSITY LECTURER in HUMAN NUTRITION

The field of the position is Nutrition (Nutritional Physiology). The position requires command of the physiological and molecular mechanisms of diet in maintaining health and preventing chronic diseases. The appointee should possess expertise in the methods of experimental nutrition research. The duties of the university lecturer include substance-related teaching for both the Masters programme in Human Nutrition and Food-Related Behaviour and the Bachelors programmes at the Viikki campus (https://www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-agriculture-and-forestry/teaching-and...), supervision of theses, participation in doctoral training, and development of teaching in the field of the position together with the other academic staff. To successfully attend to the duties of the position, the appointee should be active in research within the field.

REQUIREMENTS OF THE POSITION

According to the Regulations of the University of Helsinki, an appointee to the position of university lecturer shall hold an applicable doctoral degree and be able to provide high-quality teaching based on research and to supervise theses and dissertations. When assessing the qualifications of applicants for the position of university lecturer attention shall be paid to scientific publications and other research results of academic value, teaching experience and pedagogical training, the ability to produce learning material, other teaching merits and, if necessary, a teaching demonstration.

To successfully attend to the duties of the position, appointees must have excellent English language skills. According to the University Decree, university lecturers must also be fluent in the Finnish language. In addition, university lecturers should be proficient if Swedish. Foreign citizens, non-native Finnish citizens or citizens who have not been educated in the Finnish or Swedish language may be exempted from this requirement without a separate application. Although the languages of instruction are English and Finnish, applicants without Finnish language competence are warmly encouraged to apply. It is however, expected that the appointee will acquire sufficient Finnish language skills to teach courses and perform administrative duties within three years after her/his appointment. Sufficient language skills required are at least level 4 based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages with 6 levels https://www2.helsinki.fi/en/language-centre/language-skill-level-descrip.... Support for language studies is offered.

WHAT WE OFFER

We offer an interesting opportunity to work in a diverse research environment. At the faculty you will carry out research-based teaching at the highest level in the field in Finland and have the opportunity to take part in internationally valued, first-class research activities. The position is also an opportunity to develop your own professional skills in a multidisciplinary work community. Your work will be supported by the research and teaching staff of the department and the faculty as well as the administrative and technical staff at Viikki campus.

The salary will be based on levels 5-7 of the requirements level chart for teaching and research personnel in the salary system of Finnish universities. In addition, the appointee will be paid a salary component based on personal work performance. Monthly gross salary for a university lecturer varies between 3 400 and 5 000 euros depending on the appointees qualifications and experience. Occupational health care services and standard Finnish pension benefits are provided for University employees. There is a six-month trial period for the position.

HOW TO APPLY

Applicants are requested to enclose with their applications a SINGLE PDF file that includes the following documents in English:

Applications with the above attachments must be submitted in a single PDF file, which is named: nutritionphysiology_lastname_firstname

Other attachments are not required. The candidate profile of the recruitment system does not need to be filled in with the information that is already in the application attachment. However, please fill in the questionnaire in the system.

For more detailed instructions, please see https://www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-agriculture-and-forestry/about-us/wor...

External applicants: Please submit your application using the University of Helsinki Recruitment System via the link Apply for the position.

Internal applicants: Applicants who are employees of the University of Helsinki are requested to leave their application via SAP Fiori at https://msap.sap.helsinki.fi (choose Recruitment > Job Postings)

The deadline for applications is 25.4.2022.

More about working at the University of Helsinkihttps://www.helsinki.fi/en/about-us/careers

Why Finland is a great place to live and work https://www.helsinki.fi/en/about-us/careers/why-finland

The University of Helsinki welcomes applicants from a variety of genders, linguistic and cultural backgrounds, and minorities.

Due date

25.04.2022 23:59 EEST

Link:
University Lecturer, Nutrition, Nutritional Physiology job with UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI | 288689 - Times Higher Education

Physiology

Study demonstrates the benefits of strawberry extract consumption in delaying the production of Alzheimer’s-associated beta-amyloid protein in a…

Research focused on the bioactive components of the strawberry variety Romina has shown the ability of this food to delay -amyloid protein-induced paralysis, reduce amyloid- aggregation and prevent oxidative stress in the experimental model Caenorhabditis elegans.

In addition, the study verified the richness of the strawberry extract used in the study in terms of its content in phenolic compounds (mainly ellagic acid and pelargonidin-3-glucoside) and minerals (K, Mg, P and Ca).

The Romina strawberry variety stands out for its high adaptability to non-fumigated soils and open field cultivation in climatic conditions from the Adriatic to central-northern Europe and for its resistance to diseases, in addition to being recognized for its nutritional quality and early ripening.

The authors of the study point out that, despite the health benefits of strawberry intake, information on the relationship of this fruit with neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, is limited.

The research was led by the following authors: Mara D. Navarro-Hortal, Jose M. Romero-Mrquez y Jose L. Quiles (Department of Physiology, Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology ''Jos Mataix", Biomedical Research Center, University of Granada), Adelaida Esteban-Muoz (Department of Nutrition and Bromatology, University of Granada), Cristina Sanchez-Gonzalez, Juan Llopis and Lorenzo Rivas-Garca (Department of Physiology, Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology ''Jos Mataix", Biomedical Research Center, University of Granada; Centro de Investigacin Deporte y Salud), Danila Cianciosi (Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University), Francesca Giampieri and Maurizio Battino (Department of Clinical Sciences, Universit Politecnica delle Marche) Sandra Sumalla-Cano (Food, Nutritional Biochemistry and Health Research Group, European University of the Atlantic).

The full article is available in the following link.

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Strawberry (Fragaria ananassa cv. Romina) methanolic extract attenuates Alzheimers beta amyloid production and oxidative stress by SKN-1/NRF and DAF-16/FOXO mediated mechanisms in C. elegans

1-Oct-2021

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Originally posted here:
Study demonstrates the benefits of strawberry extract consumption in delaying the production of Alzheimer's-associated beta-amyloid protein in a...