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It is increasingly clear that asthma is a complex disease made up of number of disease variants with different underlying pathophysiologies. Limited knowledge of the mechanisms of these disease subgroups is possibly the greatest obstacle in understanding the causes of asthma and improving treatment and can explain the failure to identify consistent genetic and environmental correlations to asthma.
Physiological evidence indicates that high-protein diets reduce caloric intake and increase thermogenic response, which may prevent weight gain and regain after weight loss. Clinical trials have shown such effects, whereas observational cohort studies suggest an association between greater protein intake and weight gain. In both types of studies the results are based on average weight changes, and
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Evidence from prospective studies is consistent in showing an inverse association between dietary fibre intake and risk of ischaemic heart disease (IHD), but whether dietary fibre from various food sources differ in their effect on IHD risk is less clear. The objective of this study was to assess the associations of total and food sources of dietary fibre with IHD mortality
Pyramidal metamaterials are currently developed for ultra-broadband absorbers. They consist of periodic arrays of alternating metal/dielectric layers forming truncated square-based pyramids. The metallic layers of increasing lengths play the role of vertically and, to a less extent, laterally coupled plasmonic resonators. Based on detailed numerical simulations, we demonstrate that plasmon hybridi
Dual-layer Metallic grating (DMG) structures as surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates are studied using benzenethiol as the probe analyte. The DMG structure consists of a SiO2 grating and 100-nm-thick gold coating layers. An enhancement factor of 10(5) is achieved by optimizing the SiO2 grating height within the range from 165 to 550 nm. The enhancement factor dependence on the SiO2
BackgroundThis placebo-controlled study assessed the effects of the once-daily inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) fluticasone furoate (FF) and long-acting beta(2)-agonist (LABA) vilanterol (VI) on early and late asthmatic responses (EAR/LAR) and airway hyper-responsiveness (AHR). MethodsPatients (n=27) were randomized to FF (100g), VI (25g), FF/VI (100/25g), and placebo for 21days (four periods). Allerg
Submicron sized sensors could allow higher resolution in X-ray imaging and diffraction measurements, which are ubiquitous for materials science and medicine. We present electrical measurements of a single 100 nm diameter InP nanowire transistor exposed to hard X-rays. The X-ray induced conductance is over 5 orders of magnitude larger than expected from reported data for X-ray absorption and carrie
Ternary semiconductor nanowire arrays enable scalable fabrication of nano-optoelectronic devices with tunable bandgap. However, the lack of insight into the effects of the incorporation of Vy element results in lack of control on the growth of ternary III-V1-yVy nanowires and hinders the development of high-performance nanowire devices based on such ternaries. Here, we report on the origins of Sb-
Background: This is the first longitudinal study with a 22-year follow-up, based on a national and complete sample, to determine whether the prevalence of hip fracture and the age when it occurs are influenced by migration and by being foreign-born. Cultural background and environmental factors such as UV-radiation and lifestyle during childhood and adolescence may influence the risk of a hip frac
Background: Treatment decisions can be difficult in men with low-risk prostate cancer (PCa). Objective: To evaluate the ability of a panel of four kallikrein markers in blood-total prostate-specific antigen (PSA), free PSA, intact PSA, and kallikrein-related peptidase 2-to distinguish between pathologically insignificant and aggressive disease on pathologic examination of radical prostatectomy (RP
BACKGROUND: Obstructed labour is still a major cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality in Uganda, where many women give birth at home alone or assisted by non-skilled birth attendants. Little is known of how the community view obstructed labour, and what actions they take in cases where this complication occurs. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to explore community members
To compare the performance of the recently developed Swedish experience-based time trade-off (TTO) valuation of the EuroQol-5D-3L (EQ-5D-3L) against the hypothetical-based TTO valuations from UK, US, Germany and Denmark.
Context Preterm birth is the leading cause of infant mortality in developed countries, but the association between gestational age at birth and mortality in adulthood remains unknown. Objective To examine the association between gestational age at birth and mortality in young adulthood. Design, Setting, and Participants National cohort study of 674 820 individuals born as singletons in Sweden in 1
Background: Knowledge about the relation between user involvement in the provision of assistive technology and outcomes of assistive technology use is a prerequisite for the development of efficient service delivery strategies. However, current knowledge is limited, particularly from low-income countries where affordability is an issue. The objective was therefore to explore the relation between o
Sex hormones play a key role in the development of breast cancer. Certain polymorphic variants (SNPs and repeat polymorphisms) in hormone-related genes are associated with sex hormone levels. However, the relationship observed between these genetic variants and breast cancer risk has been inconsistent. We conducted a case-control study nested within two prospective cohorts to assess the relationsh
A hip fracture is probably one of the most fatal fractures for the elderly and estimated worldwide to reach 5 million cases annually by the year 2050. Thus, continuing efforts in preventing fractures, with more research and improved treatment strategies for those who do fracture, seem crucial. The primary aims of this thesis, which comprises seven original papers, including a total of 656 patients
As reflected in elevated rates of sexually transmitted infections, there is a high prevalence of risky sexual behavior among Ugandan university students. It has been assumed that alcohol contributes to risky sexual behavior. However, perhaps owing to methodological issues, this relationship has found only mixed support in empirical research. The present study analyzes the association between alcoh
We present a noninvasive optical method to determine the local strain in individual semiconductor nanowires. InP nanowires were intentionally bent with an atomic force microscope and variations in the optical phonon frequency along the wires were mapped using Raman spectroscopy. Sections of the nanowires with a high curvature showed significantly broadened phonon lines. These observations together
Prussian blue nanoparticles (PBNPs) were immobilized on the surface of a graphite electrode (GE) through a simple adsorption route and then the modified surface was covered with a layer of Nafion. The electrochemical behavior of the resulting sensor was investigated using cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The sensor showed good electrocatalytic activity toward hydrogen peroxide reduction,
