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This thesis is based on the results concerning the epitaxial growth and characterization of silicon (Si) and germanium (Ge) nanostructures. The growth technique was the Ultra High Vacuum Chemical Vapor Deposition (UHV-CVD) that works in relatively low temperatures and low growth pressures. The UHV-CVD chamber was also used for the reduction experiments. The work presented here involves three diff
Surrogate measures of safety (SMoS) are meant to function as tools to investigate traffic safety. The term surrogate indicates that these measures do not rely on crash data; instead, they focus on identifying safety critical events (or near-crashes) in traffic, which can be used as an alternative to crash records. The overall aim of this thesis is to explore which SMoS are suitable when analysing
Background: Potent antithrombotic therapy has significantly improved prognosis for patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), however, at a price of increased bleeding risk. Chronic gastric infection with Helicobacter pylori (Hp) commonly causes upper gastrointestinal bleeding and is proposed as a risk factor for subsequent bleeding post AMI. The prevalence of active Hp in a current AMI popu
Background If carotid artery narrowing remains asymptomatic (ie, has caused no recent stroke or other neurological symptoms), successful carotid endarterectomy (CEA) reduces stroke incidence for some years. We assessed the long-term effects of successful CEA. Methods Between 1993 and 2003, 3120 asymptomatic patients from 126 centres in 30 countries were allocated equally, by blinded minimised rand
Chronic pain including temporomandibular disorder (TMD) pain involves a complex interplay between peripheral and central sensitization, endogenous modulatory pathways, cortical processing and integration and numerous psychological, behavioral and social factors. The aim of this study was to compare spectroscopic patterns of N-Acetyl-aspartate (NAA), total creatine (tCr), choline (Cho), myo-inosito
BACKGROUND: Comparable data on the global and country-specific burden of neurological disorders and their trends are crucial for health-care planning and resource allocation. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors (GBD) Study provides such information but does not routinely aggregate results that are of interest to clinicians specialising in neurological conditions. In this syst
Introduction: The demographic changes with population ageing and a rapidly growing share of very old peoplewill put an increasing pressure on the health and social care system. In order to both restrict early retirement and force people to extend their working life reforms are changing pension systems in many European countries. Besides that older people have to extend their working life it is imp
IMPORTANCE The positron emission tomography (PET) tracer [18F]flortaucipir allows in vivo quantification of paired helical filament tau, a core neuropathological feature of Alzheimer disease (AD), but its diagnostic utility is unclear. OBJECTIVE To examine the discriminative accuracy of [18F]flortaucipir for AD vs non-AD neurodegenerative disorders. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In this cross-
The ice cover presence on the surface of a lake insulates the water body from the atmosphere. This prevents or reduces the influence of processes which depend on the exchange between the atmosphere and the water surface. This implies significant reduction or elimination of some processes taking place at the open water surface; for instance, a substantial reduction in solar energy penetrating to th
Importance: Better understanding is needed of the degree to which individuals tolerate Alzheimer disease (AD)-like pathological tau with respect to brain structure (brain resilience) and cognition (cognitive resilience). Objective: To examine the demographic (age, sex, and educational level), genetic (APOE-ϵ4 status), and neuroimaging (white matter hyperintensities and cortical thickness) factors
Background/Purpose: The aim of this study was to estimate the incidence rate and prevalence of coronary artery diseases (CAD) in patients with temporal artery positive giant cell arteritis (TAB+GCA) from a defined population in southern Sweden, and to describe characteristics of CAD in this sample.Methods: The study cohort consisted of 1202 patients (71.9% women) diagnosed with TAB+GCA between 199
Incretin-based therapy is associated with low risk of hypoglycemia in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) possibly due to its glucose-dependency in stimulating insulin secretion and a sustained glucagon response during hypoglycemia. This is of special relevance when it is combined with insulin or given to elderly patients since both insulin therapy and high age are associated with impaired glucagon co
Importance: Soft drinks are frequently consumed, but whether this consumption is associated with mortality risk is unknown and has been understudied in European populations to date.Objective: To examine the association between total, sugar-sweetened, and artificially sweetened soft drink consumption and subsequent total and cause-specific mortality.Design, Setting, and Participants: This populatio
Background: Most in vitro studies of potential osteoarthritis (OA) therapies have used cartilage monocultures, even though synovium is a key player in mediating joint inflammation and, thereby, cartilage degeneration. In the case of interleukin-1 (IL-1) inhibition using its receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra), like chondrocytes, synoviocytes also express IL-1 receptors that influence intra-articular IL-1
AbstractPhysical exhaustion can constrain human ascending work capacity and performance during emergency evacuation on stairs. The overall aim of this research was to explore and compare stair ascending capacities and physiological limitations during two different strategies: self-preferred pace in three different public stairways in the field, and controlled pace in a laboratory on a stair machin
Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are polysaccharides produced by essentially all mammalian cells. Due to their enormous structural diversity, they are involved in many biological processes both in health and disease, including all stages of tumor progression. GAGs are normally attached to a core protein as a part of a proteoglycan; however, GAG biosynthesis can be induced by compounds composed of a xylos
Background: Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a contributor to embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS). Subgroup analyses from previous studies suggest that anticoagulation could reduce recurrent stroke compared with antiplatelet therapy. We hypothesised that anticoagulant treatment with rivaroxaban, an oral factor Xa inhibitor, would reduce the risk of recurrent ischaemic stroke compared with as
Importance: Prognostication of neurologic outcome after cardiac arrest is an important but challenging aspect of patient therapy management in critical care units. Objective: To determine whether serum neurofilament light chain (NFL) levels can be used for prognostication of neurologic outcome after cardiac arrest. Design, Setting and Participants: Prospective clinical biobank study of data from t
Objective: To update evidence for available therapies in the treatment of hip and knee osteoarthritis (OA) and to examine whether research evidence has changed from 31 January 2006 to 31 January 2009. Methods: A systematic literature search was undertaken using MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, AMED, Science Citation Index and the Cochrane Library. The quality of studies was assessed. Effect sizes (ESs) an
The concept of “Sustainable water use” (SWU) aims to assure three pillars of sustainability related to the water sector: the social, environmental, and economical. Industrial development, especially in developing countries, requires an adequate response, as industrial activities are recognized as one of the major sources of water pollution, what leads to deterioration of environmental safety and w
