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Purpose of review Chronic breathlessness is a common and distressing symptom globally. It is associated with major adverse health outcomes. This review provides an overview of new evidence about the prevalence of chronic breathlessness in the population. Recent findings A literature search was conducted using MEDLINE database including studies on prevalence of chronic breathlessness and its impact
Platelets circulate the bloodstream and principally maintain hemostasis. Disturbed hemostasis, a dysregulated inflammatory state, and a decreased platelet count are all hallmarks of severe invasive Streptococcus pyogenes infection, sepsis. We have previously demonstrated that the released M1 protein from S. pyogenes activates platelets, and this activation is dependent on the binding of M1 protein
In the construction of subsurface dams in coastal aquifers, investigations of the movement and removal of residual saltwater in the storage area are not usually carried out because of difficulties in monitoring. Experimental and numerical studies were thus performed to understand the saltwater dynamics due to the installation of cut-off walls. Experimental results for cut-off walls with opening on
Hypothesis The adsorbed amount of the polyelectrolyte-like protein histatin 5 on a silica surface depends on the pH and the ionic strength of the solution. Interestingly, an increase in ionic strength affects the adsorbed amount differently depending on the pH of the solution, as shown by ellipsometry measurements (Hyltegren, 2016). We have tested the hypothesis that the same (qualitative) trends
The staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) are secreted by the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and are the most common causative agent in staphylococcal food poisoning. The staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA) has been associated with large staphylococcal food poisoning outbreaks, but newer identified SEs, like staphylococcal enterotoxin H (SEH) has recently been shown to be present at similar levels as S
Difficulties in emotion perception are commonly observed in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, it is unclear whether these difficulties can be attributed to a general problem of relating to emotional states, or whether they specifically concern the perception of others’ expressions. This study addressed this question in the context of pain, a sensory and emotional state with strong social re
Purpose To investigate the risk of thromboembolic disease (TED) after radiation therapy (RT) with curative intent for prostate cancer (PCa). Patients and Methods We identified all men who received RT as curative treatment (n=9410) and grouped according to external beam RT (EBRT) or brachytherapy (BT). By comparing with an age- and county-matched comparison cohort of PCa-free men (n=46,826), we inv
In a critique of the sometimes confusing ways in which the term transnational has been repeatedly used, Mette Hjort, in 2010 attempted to outline what she called a “typology of transnationalisms” in connection with contemporary audio-visual production (2010: 12–33). Hjort’s palpable purpose here was to more precisely illuminate and contextualize the increasingly used concept of transnationalism. A
BACKGROUND: Corin is a protease expressed in cardiomyocytes that plays a key role in salt handling and intravascular volume homeostasis via activation of natriuretic peptides. It is unknown if Corin loss-of-function (LOF) is causally associated with risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). METHODS: We analyzed all coding CORIN variants in an Italian case-control study of CAD. We functionally tested
Introduction: Pre-analytical sample handling might affect the results of Alzheimer's disease blood-based biomarkers. We empirically tested variations of common blood collection and handling procedures. Methods: We created sample sets that address the effect of blood collection tube type, and of ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid plasma delayed centrifugation, centrifugation temperature, aliquot vol
Hundreds of thousands of genetic variants have been reported to cause severe monogenic diseases, but the probability that a variant carrier develops the disease (termed penetrance) is unknown for virtually all of them. Additionally, the clinical utility of common polygenetic variation remains uncertain. Using exome sequencing from 77,184 adult individuals (38,618 multi-ancestral individuals from a
The specific effects of administering live probiotics in the human gut are not well characterized. To this end, we investigated the immediate effect of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) in the jejunum of 27 healthy volunteers 2 h after ingestion using a combination of global RNA sequencing of human biopsies and bacterial DNA sequencing in a multi-visit, randomized, cross-over design (ClinicalTrials
BACKGROUND: As under-5 mortality rates declined all over the world, the relative distribution of under-5 deaths during different periods of life changed. To provide information for policymakers to plan for multi-layer health strategies targeting child health, it is essential to quantify the distribution of under-5 deaths by age groups.METHODS: Using 245 Demographic and Health Surveys from 64 low-
The continued expansion of plastics production all over the world entrenches modern societies and life styles deeper in the dependence on fossil resources. This research note develops the main aspects of the carbon lock-in in the plastics industry and how it extends into many aspects of contemporary life. With data collected from trade press and reports, we present insights of the investment trend
Sex chromosomes in birds have long been considered to be extremely stable. However, this notion has lately been challenged by findings of independent autosome-sex chromosome fusions within songbirds, several of which occur within a single clade, the superfamily Sylvioidea. To understand what ecological and evolutionary processes drive changes in sex chromosome systems, we need complete description
Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) is about to transform medical imaging. The Research Consortium for Medical Image Analysis (RECOMIA), a not-for-profit organisation, has developed an online platform to facilitate collaboration between medical researchers and AI researchers. The aim is to minimise the time and effort researchers need to spend on technical aspects, such as transfer, display,
Background: Although effective return-to-work (RTW) interventions are not widely available for individuals with common mental disorders on sick leave, there is potential for transforming such interventions into a digital solution in an effort to make them more widely available. However, little is currently known about the viewpoints of different stakeholder groups, which are critical for successfu
Glomerular filtration is the most important kidney function. The most accurate glomerular filtration rate (GFR) estimates are based on the clearance of exogenous filtration markers. Of these, iohexol is the only exogenous marker that is included in an external quality assessment (EQA) scheme. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the performance of the European laboratories participating in
Background/Aims: Preliminary clinical trials have suggested that dearterialization (interruption of arterial blood supply) is beneficial to patients with liver tumours. The aim of this report was to review the outcome of all patients undergoing dearterialization for colorectal liver metastases and to analyze whether refinement of the technique was followed by improvement in outcome. Methods: Retro
