We study spectral properties of the Neumann–Poincaré operator on planar domains with corners with particular emphasis on existence of continuous spectrum and pure point spectrum. We show that the rate of resonance at continuous spectrum is different from that at eigenvalues, and then derive a method to distinguish continuous spectrum from eigenvalues. We perform computational experiments using the

Introduction: The results of reports on the association between varicocele repair and testosterone levels were conflicting. The aim of the present study is, therefore, to investigate the impact of varicocele repair on testosterone levels. Materials and Methods: The study is based on 20 men who experienced microsurgical subinguinal varicoceles repair because of chronic dull scrotal pain. All hormon

Introduction: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association between serum testosterone and PSA levels in middle-aged healthy men from the general population. Materials and Methods: Based on 119 healthy men from the general population, total testosterone and PSA levels were measured. Demographic data regarding BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, smoking, and alcohol consumption were also collec

Background For patients with atrial fibrillation, non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants, or NOACs (dabigatran, rivaroxaban, edoxaban, and apixaban) have been proven non-inferior or superior to warfarin in preventing stroke and systemic embolism, and in risk of haemorrhage. In the pivotal NOAC studies, quality of warfarin treatment was poor with mean time in therapeutic range (TTR) 55–65%, compared wit

Objective: To elucidate the ultrasound features that can discriminate between benign and malignant ovarian cysts with papillary projections but no other solid component in pregnant women. Methods: Thirty-four women with an ultrasound diagnosis of an ovarian cyst with papillary projections but no other solid component that had been removed surgically during pregnancy were identified from the databa

Aim: The aim of this study was to suggest a new sample-selection strategy based on risk scores in case-control studies with biobank data. Methods: An ongoing Swedish case-control study on fetal exposure to endocrine disruptors and overweight in early childhood was used as the empirical example. Cases were defined as children with a body mass index (BMI) ≥18 kg/m2 (n=545) at four years of age, and

Arabinofuranosidases degrade arabinose-containing oligo and polysaccharides, releasing l-arabinose, which is a potentially useful sugar, shown to reduce glycemic response under certain conditions. Arabinofuranosidases (Arafs) are frequently found in GH43, one of the most common GH-families encoded in genomes in gut microbiota, and hence it is of interest to increase understanding of the function o

Background: Dark skin and low exposure to sunlight increase the risk of Vitamin D insufficiency in children. Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the amount of Vitamin D needed to ascertain that most children > 4 y of age attain sufficient serum25-hydroxyVitamin D [S-25(OH)D; i.e.,≥50 nmol/L] during winter regardless of latitude and skin color. Design: In a longitudinal, double-blind, r

Objective: To compare the appearance and measurement of Cesarean hysterotomy scar before pregnancy and at 11–14 weeks in a subsequent pregnancy. Methods: This was a prospective cohort study of women aged 18–35 years who had one previous Cesarean delivery (CD) at ≥ 37 weeks. Women were examined with saline contrast sonohysterography 6–9 months after CD. A scar defect was defined as large if scar th

The genus Capoeta in Iran is highly diversified with 14 species and is one of the most important freshwater fauna components of the country. Central Iran is a region with high number of endemism in other freshwater fish species, though the present species was recognized as C. aculeata (Valenciennes, 1844), widely distributed within Kavir and Namak basins. However previous phylogenetic and phylogeo

Malignant melanoma is one of the most aggressive tumors which often gives metastasis to distant organs thereby limiting the chances of survival. Brain metastasis occurs in nearly half of the advanced tumors. In order to improve outcome early diagnosis is important. The discovery and better understanding of genetic and epigenetic changes is essential for developing new effective therapies, which ca

Although most HIV-infected individuals achieve undetectable viremia during antiretroviral therapy (ART), a subset have low-level viremia (LLV) of varying duration and magnitude. The impact of LLV on treatment outcomes is unclear. We investigated the association between LLV and virological failure and/or all-cause mortality among Swedish patients receiving ART. Methods HIV-infected patients from tw

Objective: A finding consistent with the transdiagnostic approach to eating disorders is that about half of those with restricting anorexia nervosa (AN) eventually undergo a transition to the binge/purge (BP) subtype or to bulimia nervosa. Given evidence that individuals with bulimic symptoms exhibit elevated weights premorbidly, we tested the hypothesis that among those with AN, highest premorbid

A high-order convergent and robust numerical solver is constructed and used to find complex eigenwavenumbers and electromagnetic eigenfields of dielectric objects with axial symmetry. The solver is based on Fourier-Nyström discretization of combined integral equations for the transmission problem and can be applied to demanding resonance problems at microwave, terahertz, and optical wavelengths. H

Background: Studies have shown conflicting associations between the salivary amylase gene (AMY1) copy number and obesity. Salivary amylase initiates starch digestion in the oral cavity; starch is a major source of energy in the diet. Objective: We investigated the association between AMY1 copy number and obesity traits, and the effect of the interaction between AMY1 copy number and starch intake o

The intestinal lamina propria (LP) contains a diverse array of mononuclear phagocyte (MNP) subsets, including conventional dendritic cells (cDC), monocytes and tissue-resident macrophages (mÏ †) that collectively play an essential role in mucosal homeostasis, infection and inflammation. In the current review we discuss the function of intestinal cDC and monocyte-derived MNP, highlighting how these

Saliva offers a relatively noninvasive method for measuring analytes such as cortisol, holding particular promise for use in pediatric populations on a large scale if a rigorous collection protocol is feasible in diverse settings. The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young study protocol, conducted in centers in the United States, Sweden, Finland, and Germany, used salivary collection

The Quality of Life in Hand Eczema Questionnaire (QOLHEQ) is the only instrument assessing disease-specific health-related quality of life in patients with hand eczema. It is available in eight language versions. In this study we assessed if the items of different language versions of the QOLHEQ yield comparable values across countries. An international multicenter study was conducted with partici