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Background and aims:Heart transplantation (HT) constitutes the ultimate treatment choice for end-stage heart failure. Following HT, patients require life-long immunosuppressive treatment to prevent allograft rejection. Although survival has steadily increased over the last few decades, issues related to under- and over-immunosuppression remain common and continue to represent one of the most impor

The role of cholesterol differs in the two compartments of the testis. In the interstitial tissue, cholesterol is necessary for the synthesis of testosterone, whereas in the seminiferous tubules, membrane cholesterol content in developing germ cells will influence the gametes' fertility. Here we evaluate the hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) modulation of the cholesterol metabolism in each compartmen

Indices of hip geometry are known to be predictive of hip fractures while sex and ethnic differences in hip geometry have been previously demonstrated. Age-related trends in hip geometry among Asians, however, have not been studied sufficiently. A total of 280 healthy, perimenopausal women, aged between 32 and 97 years, were selected from the Community Study Area of the Faculty of Medicine, Galle,

Background: Chronic pain is common in older adults, yet little is known of its development in old age. Although fear-avoidance beliefs in chronic pain have been explored in younger adults, the relationship between chronic pain, kinesiophobia and physical activity levels has not been investigated in older adults.Objectives: The overall aim was to explore prevalence, development and related factors

It is well recognized that atopic sensitization is an important risk factor for asthma, both in adults and in children. However, the role of allergy in severe asthma is still under debate. The term 'Severe Asthma' encompasses a highly heterogeneous group of patients who require treatment on steps 4-5 of GINA guidelines to prevent their asthma from becoming 'uncontrolled', or whose disease remains

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common chronic disease, causing joint pain and reduced physical function. OA progresses slowly over a period of several years; to avoid an exacerbation of symptoms, it is critical to able to diagnose the disease as early as possible. The identification of disease-specific biomarkers may enable such an early diagnosis. The aim of this study was to investigate potential biom

Since stakeholders today are more aware and informed of various sustainability aspects, they are also becoming more involved and participate in shaping sustainability discourses (see e.g. Golob et al. 2017). It is vital to understand if companies utilise this accentuated commitment towards sustainability aspects by interacting with their stake - holders and involving them in different engagement a

Motility-induced phase separation leads to cohesive active matter in the absence of cohesive forces. We present, extend and illustrate a recent generalized thermodynamic formalism which accounts for its binodal curve. Using this formalism, we identify both a generalized surface tension, that controls finite-size corrections to coexisting densities, and generalized forces, that can be used to const

Background: Current EU directives demand increased use of renewable fuels in the transportation sector but restrict governmental support for production of biofuels produced from crops. The use of intercropped lucerne and wheat may comply with the directives. In the current study, the combination of ensiled lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) and wheat straw as substrate for hydrogen and methane productio

Background: Lung cancer patients have a risk of recurrence even after curatively intended surgery. Cell-free circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and circulating tumor marker measurements are easily accessible through peripheral blood and could potentially identify patients with worse prognosis. The aim of this study was to examine ctDNA in pre-operative plasma and the role of tumor markers in pre-operat

Mycotoxins are toxic, secondary metabolites frequently produced by molds in water-damaged indoor environments. We studied the prevalence of selected, potent mycotoxins and levels of fungal biomass in samples collected from water-damaged indoor environments in Sweden during a 1-year period. One hundred samples of building materials, 18 samples of settled dust, and 37 samples of cultured dust were a

Objective: Interdisciplinary pain rehabilitation (IPR) usually employs a cognitive–behavioural therapeutic (CBT) approach. However, there is growing support for chronic pain treatments based on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). Most studies of ACT and CBT for chronic pain have evaluated their effects after psychological interventions, not after IPR. We compared the results of an ACT-based I

In this paper I address two concerns with Kelly Trogdon’s grounding mechanism view, i.e. the idea that metaphysical explanation can be modeled on causal-mechanical explanation. The first concern threatens to undermine the unity that grounding-mechanical explanations imposes on metaphysical explanation; and the second concern requires the grounding mechanic to put forth a formal condition on ground