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As the world population is pushing toward 8 billion, cardiovascular diseases (CVD) remain the leading cause of death worldwide, representing 30% of all global deaths. A large body of work has recognized that smooth muscle cells (SMCs) surrounding the blood vessels play a prominent role in the development and progression of cardiovascular diseases. SMCs are highly specialized cells with the main fu
Grasslands are among the most threatened terrestrial biomes, and habitat conservation alone will be insufficient to meet biodiversity goals. While restoration of indigenous grasslands is a priority, conflict with economic objectives means that incorporation of alternative habitats is necessary to offset grassland loss. With up to 800,000 km2 of land affected by mining globally, there is an opportu
It is uncertain whether the incidence of stroke is increased in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and whether COPD is associated with all subtypes of stroke (i.e. ischemic stroke, intracerebral haemorrhage and subarachnoid haemorrhage). We evaluated the association between COPD and incidence of stroke in a nation-wide cohort study. All individuals between 40 and 84 years
Objectives: Smoking has been associated with higher disease activity and poor response to anti-tumour necrosis factor (anti-TNF) therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We wanted to study the effect of smoking on response to therapy, disease activity measures, and drug survival in RA patients starting their first anti-TNF drug. Methods: In 2005, RA patients in a voluntary rheumatology
Satellite- and reanalysis-based precipitation products are important data source for precipitation, particularly in areas with a sparse gauge network. Here, five open-access precipitation products, including the newly released China Meteorological Assimilation Driving Datasets for the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model (CMADS) reanalysis dataset and four widely used bias-adjusted satellit
The constant increase in global energy demand makes it inevitable to find clean means of energy production. Among renewable energy sources, the Sun is the most available source which makes it a versatile solution for energy needs. Tremendous efforts are made to invent and develop new materials for light to energy conversion. The main question is how the newly developed materials react to light and
Background: As many countries seek to slow the spread of COVID-19 without reimposing national restrictions, it has become important to track the disease at a local level to identify areas in need of targeted intervention. Methods: In this prospective, observational study, we did modelling using longitudinal, self-reported data from users of the COVID Symptom Study app in England between March 24,
Water purification is one of the most essential services provided by wetlands. A lot of concerns regarding wetlands subjected to climate change relate to their susceptibility to hydrological change and the increase in temperature as a result of global warming. A warmer condition may accelerate the rate of decomposition and release of nutrients, which can be exported downstream and cause serious ec
Background: The EAT-Lancet Commission has proposed a global reference diet aimed at promoting both human health and environmental sustainability. While adherence to this dietary pattern has been associated with reduced risks of chronic disease and lower environmental impact, concerns remain about its ability to meet nutritional requirements - particularly among older adults. The aim was to explore
Herbicides are one of the most heavily applied groups of pesticides globally. Whilst research on herbicides in relation to bees is growing, we still have more to learn about how bees may interact with herbicides and the subsequent consequences for bee health. As herbicides are designed to kill the plants they are applied to, bees and other pollinators may interact with them in a different way to o
Negative impact of human activity-related emission of greenhouse gases on Earth's ecosphere has been known for decades, but has recently come into spotlight with unprecedented intensity. This is due to increasingly clear understanding that the global warming could soon spiral out of control. It is therefore essential to diminish the use of fossil fuels and switch to renewable energy sources. Despi
A number of global megatrends, such as self-driving technology, elec- trification of vehicles, ICT, CSR and a lot of other social and political trends are currently impacting the Swedish truck freight system. Identi- fications of these trends and preparedness for the potential impact they will have on the future truck freight system will be paramount for both incumbents and new actors in this system
The changing customers’ behavior nowadays strongly affects the market situation in any type of industries. Markets are demanding a shorter delivery lead time, shorter product life cycle and higher flexibility to fulfill customers’ expectation. In order to fully adapt in this kind of situation and maintain competitiveness in the market, a company need to have better collaboration internally and ext
Bio-based plastics are increasingly considered as sustainable alternatives to fossil-based plastics. Up until now, their application in the food packaging industry has been limited. The purpose of this study is to investigate the applicability of bio-based polymer packaging films for bakery products, herbs and spices in the meal kit industry context and to assess their contribution towards a more
Terrestrial water storage (TWS) is a crucial indicator of regional water balance and water resources changes. Due to limited hydrological observations, we combined the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and GRACE Follow-On (GRACE-FO) products using the Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) neural network to monitor the TWS changes from April 2002 to March 2020 over the closed Qaidam Basin in
Background: The effect of interleukin 17-inhibitors on anterior uveitis (AU) in spondyloarthritis (SpA) is poorly understood. This study aimed to compare the risk of AU during treatment with secukinumab versus tumour necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi). Methods: Patients with SpA starting secukinumab or a TNFi 2015 through 2018 were identified in the Swedish Rheumatology Quality Register. Occurrence
We present a compilation and analysis of 1099 Holocene relative shore-level (RSL) indicators located around the Baltic Sea including 867 relative sea-level data points and 232 data points from the Ancylus Lake and the following transitional phase. The spatial distribution covers the Baltic Sea and near-coastalareas fairly well, but some gaps remain mainly in Sweden. RSL data follow the standardize
Objectives: To comprehend the relationship between various indicators of health service equity and patients’ health expenditure poverty in different regions of China, identify areas where equity in health service is lacking and provide ideas for improving patients’ health expenditure poverty. Method: Data from China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) in 2018 and the HFGT index formula were used to calcul
Background: Oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) is an important cause of cancer-related mortality. Early detection of OPC results in a favorable prognosis and higher survival rates. Infection by high-risk types of human papillomavirus (HPV) is a risk factor for OPC with an upward trend globally. Medical students' knowledge and awareness of HPV-related OPC can be crucial in the preventive efforts. Aim: To a
Background and purpose: Radiation therapy treatment planning is a manual, time-consuming task that might be accelerated using machine learning algorithms. In this study, we aimed to evaluate if a triplet-based deep learning model can predict volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) dose distributions for prostate cancer patients. Materials and methods: A modified U-Net was trained on triplets, a co
