Background and aims: There is convincing evidence that adaptive immune responses affect the development of atherosclerosis and thrombosis and several autoimmune diseases are associated with increased cardiovascular risk. However, our understanding of the underlying mechanisms remains limited. We investigated how biomarkers reflecting four aspects of autoimmunity: apoptosis, inflammation, tissue de

Aims: To evaluate hope in hepatitis C patients 9 years after curative treatment with pegylated interferon and ribavirin. Background: Successful treatment of hepatitis C leads to improved quality of life in responders compared with non-responders. The long-term effect of successful treatment on hope in these patients is not known. Design: Cross-sectional follow-up study of patients who displayed a

Musculocontractural Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (MC-EDS) is a rare recessive disorder that is characterized by connective tissue fragility, distinct craniofacial features and congenital malformations. MC-EDS patients have defects in the enzymes dermatan sulfate epimerase-1 and dermatan 4-O-sulfotransferase-1, which are involved in the biosynthesis of iduronic acid in the chondroitin sulfate/dermatan su

Fluorescent molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) have received considerable attention for their promising applications in sensing, imaging and diagnostics. Different synthetic methods have been reported to prepare fluorescent MIPs. Here, one-pot polymerization method was developed to synthesize fluorescent MIP nanoparticles (NPs) bearing a suitable fluorescent label as the fluorescence acceptor.

Little is known about the effectiveness of a psychosocial behaviour management programme on home-dwelling people with dementia. We developed a Behaviour Analytics & Support Enhancement (BASE) programme for care managers and professional caregivers of home care services in Japan. We investigated the effects of BASE on challenging behaviour of home-dwelling people with dementia. Methods: A clust

The thermal environment experienced by birds during early postembryonic development may be an important factor shaping growth and survival. However, few studies have directly manipulated nest temperature (T n) during the nestling phase, and none have measured the consequences of experimental heat stress on nestlings’ body temperature (T b). It is therefore not known to what extent any fitness consThe thermal environment experienced by birds during early postembryonic development may be an important factor shaping growth and survival. However, few studies have directly manipulated nest temperature (T n) during the nestling phase, and none have measured the consequences of experimental heat stress on nestlings’ body temperature (T b). It is therefore not known to what extent any fitness cons

A major problem in CTG analysis is that detectionof a suspicious pattern in short intervals so that one can reducethe damage caused by a delay of an automatic monitoringsystem. In this paper, we aim for improving intrapartumsurveillance based on signal processing and machine learningtechniques. We evaluate a classification method on a real dataset.

This paper addresses a road transport policy of allowing high capacity vehicles (HCVs) on the roads. The purpose is to examine the effect reduced road transport costs from HCVs can have on a modal shift. Two studies of HCV implementation in Sweden were combined. A micro-based case study modelled the distribution network of a major retailer in scenarios based on actual cost and flow data. A macro a

Semiconductor Bi2O2Se nanolayers of high crystal quality have been realized via epitaxial growth. These two-dimensional (2D) materials possess excellent electron transport properties with potential application in nanoelectronics. It is also strongly expected that the 2D Bi2O2Se nanolayers can be an excellent material platform for developing spintronic and topological quantum devices if the presenc

The high resolution near edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectrum of nitrogen displays the vibrational structure of the core-excited states. This makes nitrogen well suited for assessing the accuracy of different electronic structure methods for core excitations. We report high resolution experimental measurements performed at the SOLEIL synchrotron facility. These are compared with theoretic

Purpose: To compare tenderness and pain sensitivity in children (aged 7–17 years) with tension-type headache (TTH) and healthy controls using total tenderness score (TTS), pressure pain threshold (PPT), and pain perceived at suprapressure pain threshold (supraPPT). Patients and methods: Twenty-three children with frequent episodic TTH, 36 with chronic TTH, and 57 healthy controls were included. TT

Most cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) are caused by infection with enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC). Genetic defects causing uncontrolled complement activation are associated with the more severe atypical HUS (aHUS). Non-EHEC infections can trigger the disease, however, complement defects predisposing to such infections have not yet been studied. We describe a 2-month-old patient

Development of molecular markers that help to identify high-risk individuals or diagnose indeterminate pulmonary nodules could have a major impact on lung cancer clinical management. In this study, we evaluated the diagnostic potential of a newly-developed ELISA that specifically detects complement C4d. We measured this marker in five independent cohorts of plasma and bronchoalveolar lavage sample

Early identification of patients who could benefit from early re-intervention after catheter ablation is highly warranted. Our aim was to investigate the association between post-procedural burden of supraventricular ectopic complexes (SVEC) and the risk of long-term atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence. A total of 125 patients undergoing catheter ablation for AF were included. Patients underwent 7

Periampullary adenocarcinoma, including pancreatic cancer, is a heterogeneous group of tumors with dismal prognosis, partially due to lack of reliable targetable and predictive biomarkers. RNA-binding motif protein 3 (RBM3) has previously been shown to be an independent prognostic and predictive biomarker in several types of cancer. Herein, we examined the prognostic value of RBM3 in periampullary

Objectives: The aim of this study was to derive longitudinal reference values of fetal growth (estimated fetal weight [EFW] and abdominal circumference [AC]) during the third trimester and to develop coefficients for conditional growth assessment. Patients and Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted involving consecutive singleton pregnancies in a low-risk population for a routine third-

Background: Infection could contribute to atherosclerosis. Several experimental animal studies have suggested possible cumulative adverse effects ofrepeated infections on arterial wall. Viral infections in the upper airways are more common in diabetic patients. Methods: Common carotid artery compliance (CAC) and stiftness index (SI) were assessed by external ultrasound in 70 children (mean age 14.

135La has favorable nuclear and chemical properties for Auger-based targeted internal radiotherapy. Here we present detailed investigations of the production, emissions, and dosimetry related to 135La therapy. 135La was produced by 16.5 MeV proton irradiation of metallic natBa on a medical cyclotron, and was isolated and purified by trap-and-release on weak cation-exchange resin. The average produ