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BACKGROUND: Patients with back and neck pain are often seen in primary care and it is important to provide them with tailored interventions based on risk stratification/triage. The STarT Back Screening Tool (SBT) is a widely used screening questionnaire which has not yet been validated for a population with back and/or neck pain with short duration. Our aim was to compare the concurrent validity o

This paper investigates whether the Notional Defined Contribution (NDC) scheme prolongs working life. The evidence from the 1994 Swedish pension reform shows a gender and socio-economic gradient in the labor supply responses to phasing in NDC. While the reform exerted a large and significant positive effect on the average retirement age among highly educated and skilled, it had little or negative

Although zinc-blende (ZB) and wurtzite (WZ) structures differ only in the atomic stacking sequence, mixing of crystal phases can strongly affect the electronic properties, a problem particularly common to bottom up-grown nanostructures. A lack of understanding of the nature of electronic transport at crystal phase junctions thus severely limits our ability to develop functional nanowire devices. I

Background: Elite athletes, independent of sport, have increased risk of developing asthma, but little is known about sex difference among adolescent athletes. Objective: To investigate and compare sex-related differences according to symptoms and treatment of asthma, allergy, and health among elite athletes and a reference group. Methods: Adolescent elite swimmers (n = 101), tennis players (n = 8

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease with a heterogenous clinical picture. This study aimed to link genetic SLE predisposition with relevant clinical manifestations. Method: Datasets best corresponding to the 11 American College of Rheumatology 1982 (ACR-82) classification criteria for SLE in a large, public database (FinnGen consortium, >218,000 individuals) wer

Background: This study aimed to compare the effect on postoperative complications of combined prehabilitation targeting predefined co-existing risky SNAP factors with usual preoperative routines in surgical patients. Methods: This systematic review followed the PRISMA 2020 guideline and the protocol (CRD42022282611). Five databases were searched from inception to November 7, 2022 for randomised co

Context: Chronic dyspnea is subjective but with objective (measurable) consequences. It is often poorly assessed because people have modified their lifestyles to avoid exertion that generates dyspnea. Objectives: This study sought any relationship between respondents’ self-reported long-term breathlessness limiting exertion (hereafter chronic dyspnea) and distance travelled from the room in which

Background: Chronic low-grade inflammation is a well-known risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD) and future cardiovascular events. Anti-inflammatory therapy can reduce the risk of ischemic cardiovascular disease (CVD) events following myocardial infarction (MI). However, it remains unknown to what extent inflammation at the time of an acute event predicts long-term outcomes. We explored whe

Objectives. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) and identify its associated comorbidities in adults aged 45 years and older, using data from the Swedish general population study EpiHealth. Design. In a cross-sectional design, data of health history, lifestyle factors, anthropometric measurement, and 1-lead ECG recordings from participants in the EpiHealth study

Violent offenders are a heterogeneous group where criminogenic needs often are substantial and violent behaviors persistent. Risk, Need, and Responsivity (RNR)-based treatment has shown effect on reducing the risk for recidivism in violent crime, but the development of novel treatments is crucial in making the change process more effective. Virtual Reality (VR) technology may be a tool to improve

Lead-free perovskites (LFPs) are an emergent class of materials with great potential as next-generation candidates for energy and optoelectronic applications, offering a sustainable and non-toxic alternative to their lead-based counterparts. Computational studies play a central role in accelerating the discovery, design, and optimization of these materials by enabling predictive insights into elec

BackgroundLong-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) given for at least 15 hours/day improves survival in patients with severe chronic hypoxemia. However, the recent REDOX trial showed that LTOT prescribed for 24 hours/day was not superior to 15 hours/day in terms of death, hospitalizations, or self-reported outcomes. We aimed to examine the cost effectiveness of prescribing LTOT for 24 versus 15 hours/day.M

The primary regulator of testicular function is the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). This hormone is secreted in a pulsatile manner by hypothalamic neurons. GnRH stimulates the synthesis and secretion of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) from the anterior pituitary gland. LH stimulates the synthesis of testosterone (T) after binding to specific receptors on Leyd

Introduction: Postnatal pesticide exposure and its impact on executive functioning (EF) in children and adolescents remains underexplored, particularly in African agricultural contexts. This study investigated associations between urinary pesticide biomarkers and EF in the Child health Agricultural Pesticide study in South Africa (CapSA). Methods: Data from 445 participants (mean age: 10.6 years;

BackgroundOsteocalcin is a bone-specific protein involving many physiological processes, primarily bone turnover. Also closely related to the musculoskeletal system is the frailty syndrome.AimTo investigate if circulating osteocalcin levels and frailty are associated in the old, and in addition, if the presumed association is mediated through alterations in bone.Methods999 community-dwelling women

Aim: Assess healthcare utilization and direct costs for heart failure (HF) during the first two years post-diagnosis across HF subgroups. Methods: This retrospective population-based study included patients with HF aged 40–90 years in Region Halland. HF subgroups were defined based on echocardiographic ejection fraction, including HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), mildly reduced ejection

Introduction: Divers are reported to have a lower ventilatory response to elevated levels of carbon dioxide (CO₂) than non-divers. Hypoventilation with CO₂ retention during diving is potentially dangerous. It is unknown if CO₂ retention is largely inherited or develops during diving training. We aimed to investigate if a military dive training course would influence the ventilatory response to CO₂

In the last decades, critical advancements in research technology and knowledge on disease mechanisms steered therapeutic approaches for chronic inflammatory diseases towards unprecedented target specificity. For allergic and chronic lung diseases, biologic drugs pioneered this goal, acquiring on the way—through the clinical use of monoclonal antibodies—a deeper understanding of how inflammatory a

Natural products originating from microorganisms have been an important source of many successful lead molecules in the drug discovery and development process. The technological advances in analytical instrumentation and the development of various omics methodologies have provided new opportunities to accelerate the discoveries of new lead structures of microbial origin. Metabolomics is a rapidly