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Background: One of the polymer gel dosimeters available today is the N-isopropylamide (NIPAM) polymer gel dosimeter which has a less toxic monomer compared to other polymer gels and the advantage of being able to be manufactured under normal oxygen levels. Polymer gel dosimeters in general are advantageous independent dosimeters to use for verification of new radiation treatment techniques due to
IntroductionConsidering that on average in developed countries we spend about 65% of our time in private homes, understanding the exposures in homes is of outmost importance. Aerosol concentrations indoors come from indoor sources, infiltrate from outdoors and can be formed from precursors both of indoor and outdoor origin. Several characteristics and processes influence the properties of aerosols
Intracerebral haemorrhage and small vessel ischaemic stroke (SVS) are the most acute manifestations of cerebral small vessel disease, with no established preventive approaches beyond hypertension management. Combined genome-wide association study (GWAS) of these two correlated diseases may improve statistical power to detect novel genetic factors for cerebral small vessel disease, elucidating unde
BACKGROUND: Timely assessment of the burden of HIV/AIDS is essential for policy setting and programme evaluation. In this report from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015 (GBD 2015), we provide national estimates of levels and trends of HIV/AIDS incidence, prevalence, coverage of antiretroviral therapy (ART), and mortality for 195 countries and territories from 1980 to 2015.METHODS: For countri
Importance: Prenatal exposure to phthalates has been associated with neurodevelopmental outcomes, but little is known about the association with language development. Objective: To examine the association of prenatal phthalate exposure with language development in children in 2 population-based pregnancy cohort studies. Design, Setting, and Participants: Data for this study were obtained from the
Background: Dietary advice remains the cornerstone of prevention and management of type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, understanding the efficacy of dietary interventions is confounded by the challenges inherent in assessing free living diet. Here we profiled dietary metabolites to investigate glycaemic deterioration and cardiometabolic risk in people at risk of or living with T2D. Methods: We analyse
Inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) therapy is central to the long-term management of asthma and is extensively used in the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). While administration via inhalation limits systemic exposure compared with oral or injected corticosteroids and, therefore, the risk of systemic corticosteroid-related adverse effects, concerns over the long-term safety of
BACKGROUND: Because hemodilution decreases the oxygen-carrying capacity of blood, it was hypothesized that severe hemodilution would decrease the tolerance to alveolar hypoxia. METHODS: Hemodynamics, oxygen transport, and blood lactate concentrations were compared in ten pigs with normal hematocrit (33 +/- 4%), and ten hemodiluted pigs (hematocrit 11 +/- 1%; mean +/- SD) anesthetized with ketamine
IMPORTANCE In age-related macular degeneration (AMD), rare variants in the complement system have been described, but their functional consequences remain largely unexplored. OBJECTIVES To identify new rare variants in complement genes and determine the functional effect of identified variants on complement levels and complement regulation in serum samples from carriers and noncarriers. DESIGN, SE
Popular Science SummaryPolymers are giant molecules consisting of a repetition of many small units (monomers) that are linked together by chemical bonds. If we consider a long necklace as a polymer chain, the beads are the monomers and the part of the thread which connects the beads together is the chemical bond. Polymers are important materials in our everyday life and they can be found e.g., in This thesis incorporates studies on the aqueous systems of two types of thermoresponsive amphiphilic block copolymers; a series of nonionic triblock copolymers comprising blocks of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and poly(propylene oxide) (PPO) denoted as PEO-PPO-PEO block copolymers, and a series of ionic diblock copolymers consisting of one charged block and one block of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (
Ambient fine particulate matter PM2.5 (particles with a diameter smaller than 2.5 μm) has been associated with cardiovascular and respiratory morbidity and mortality. It has been shown that biomass burning for heat production purposes can generate large amounts of fine particles. Thus characteristics of particle emissions from biofuel combustion may be important in the assessment of health effects
BACKGROUND: Neurological disorders are increasingly recognised as major causes of death and disability worldwide. The aim of this analysis from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2016 is to provide the most comprehensive and up-to-date estimates of the global, regional, and national burden from neurological disorders.METHODS: We estimated prevalence, incidence, d
There is increasing evidence that short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) formed by colonic fermentation of indigestible carbohydrates have beneficial physiological effects. Butyric acid is the main energy substrate for the colonic mucosa and has been implicated as important in the prevention and treatment of diseases of the colonic mucosa, such as distal ulcerative colitis and cancer. Propionic acid, on t
Objective: To evaluate under- and overreporting and their determinants in the EPIC :24-hour diet recall (24-HDR) measurements collected in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). Design: Cross-sectional analysis. 24-HDR measurements were obtained by means of a standardised computerised interview program (EPIC-SOFT). The ratio of reported energy intake (EI) to estim
The aim of the present study was to examine mean HbA1c and blood pressure levels during a 5 year period in 442 type 1 adult diabetic patients in relation to the incidence and progression of retinopathy, nephropathy and to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The study showed, that in patients under routine care at a diabetic unit with four visits to the out-patient clinic per year, the intraind
The thesis concerns glycosyl transfer with use of b-glycosidases, most of them from hyperthermophilic organisms. Both optimisation of the reaction conditions and protein engineering in terms of site-directed mutagenesis were used to improve b-glycosidase-catalysed reactions. The first part of the work deals with conversion of lactose into valuable products such as galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) an
It is well established that high ambient heat could cause congenital abnormalities resulting in miscarriage or stillbirth among certain species of mammals. However, this has not been systematically studied in real field settings among humans, despite the potential value of such knowledge for estimating the impact of global warming on the human species. This study sought to test the hypothesis that
Context. Parallaxes for 331 classical Cepheids, 31 Type II Cepheids, and 364 RR Lyrae stars in common between Gaia and the Hipparcos and Tycho-2 catalogues are published in Gaia Data Release 1 (DR1) as part of the Tycho-Gaia Astrometric Solution (TGAS). Aims. In order to test these first parallax measurements of the primary standard candles of the cosmological distance ladder, which involve astrom
Importance: Novel plasma biomarkers, especially phosphorylated tau (p-tau), can detect brain tau aggregates in Alzheimer disease. Objective: To determine which plasma biomarker combinations can accurately detect tau pathological brain changes in Down syndrome (DS). Design, Setting, and Participants: The cross-sectional, multicenter Alzheimer's Biomarker Consortium-Down Syndrome study included adul
On February 23, 2022, The EU Commission published its Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence and amending Directive (EU) 2019/1937 (“CSDDD” or “the Proposal”). The purpose of the Proposal, to further the “Union’s transition to a climate-neutral and green economy in line with the European Green Deal and in delivering on the U
