Objective: Experimental findings and previous observational data have suggested lower risk of osteoarthritis (OA) with statin use but results are inconsistent. Large-scale studies with a clinically important outcome are needed. Thus, we aimed to determine whether statin use is associated with a reduced risk of developing clinically-defined hip or knee OA. Design: Pooled analysis based on time-to-e

In a developing country a crisis of “food gap” cannot be ruled out because of the aggregate demand of such an economy has a tendency to increase on one hand and the elasticity of supply is low on the other1 There has been a substantial increase in the population of many developing countries since the 1950s and the food production has failed to keep pace with demand.2 One bad harvest in a region co

National recommendations in Sweden recommend a safety distance of 3 meter (m) between mobile phones and medical-electrical (ME) equipment in hospitals. A questionnaire was used to investigate how often mobile phones were reported to interfere with ME products in clinical practice across Sweden. The results confirmed that ME equipment can be affected by mobile phone use but, the risk of the patient

Introduction: The expansion of the radiography profession in recent decades has widened the scope of radiographic practice. This has raised questions about which trends have had an impact on the profession over the years. The study aim was to explore trends that have influenced the radiography profession over the last four decades. Methods: A qualitative design was used. Eleven focus group intervi

For the assessment of value of new therapies in healthcare, Health Technology Assessment (HTA) agencies often review the cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained. Some HTA agencies accept a higher cost per QALY gained when treatment is aimed at prolonging survival for patients with a short expected remaining lifetime, a so-called end-of-life (EoL) premium. The objective of this study is t

Background: Serotonin (5-HT) is considered to play a role in pulmonary arterial hypertension by regulating vascular remodeling and smooth muscle contractility. Here, arteries from mice with inducible and smooth muscle-specific deletion of Dicer were used to address mechanisms by which microRNAs control 5-HT-induced contraction. Methods: Mice were used 5 weeks after Dicer deletion, and pulmonary ar

In this work we study the impact of chromatic focusing of few-cycle laser pulses on high-order-harmonic generation (HHG) through analysis of the emitted extreme ultraviolet (XUV) radiation. Chromatic focusing is usually avoided in the few-cycle regime, as the pulse spatiotemporal structure may be highly distorted by the spatiotemporal aberrations. Here, however, we demonstrate it as an additional

Background: There is a lack of theoretical framework supporting stem cell transplant nurses in their assessment, judgment and caring interventions of sibling stem cell donors. Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore sibling stem cell donors’ main concerns and how they deal with them before and after donation. Method: Ten healthy sibling donors, 5 men and 5 women, with a median age of 5

Aortic aneurysms are defined as an irreversible increase in arterial diameter by morethan 50% relative to the normal vessel diameter. The incidence of aneurysm rupture isabout 10 in 100,000 persons per year and ruptured arterial aneurysms inevitably resultsin serious complications, which are fatal in about 40% of cases. There is also a hereditarycomponent of the disease and dilation of the ascendi

Suboptimal fluid intake may require enhanced release of antidiuretic hormone (ADH) or vasopressin for the maintenance of adequate hydration. Enhanced copeptin levels (reflecting enhanced vasopressin levels) in 25% of the common population are associated with enhanced risk of metabolic syndrome with abdominal obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease, heart failure, vascular d

This article seeks to explain what policy approaches and policy measures are best suited for promoting new regional industrial path development and what needs and possibilities there are for such policy to change and adapt to new conditions in order to remain efficient. The article departs from the notion of Smart Specialization and discusses how regional strategies that are inspired by this appro

We collected bat carcasses at three wind farms in Taiwan, located along the west coast mostly near the sea and/or in former coastal wetland habitats. We found 43 bat carcasses, mostly of common aerial-hawking species such as Pipistrellus abramus and Scotophilus kuhlii, but the island endemics Eptesicus serotinus horikawai and Myotis formosus flavus were also recovered. All bat species affected are

We prove that functions analytic in the unit disk and continuous up to the boundary are dense in the de Branges-Rovnyak spaces induced by the extreme points of the unit ball of H∞. Together with previous theorems, it follows that this class of functions is dense in any de Branges-Rovnyak space.

Vineyards shape important economic, cultural, and ecological systems in many temperate biomes. Like other agricultural systems, they can be multifunctional landscapes that not only produce grapes, but also for example serve as wildlife habitat, sequester carbon, and are places of rich traditions. However, research and management practices often focus mostly on individual, specific ecosystem servic