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BACKGROUND: Red cell distribution width (RDW) reflects heterogeneity of the erythrocyte volumes. High RDW is a novel risk marker, which has been associated with mortality and morbidity both from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, but the association between RDW and measures of lung function in the general population remains unclear.METHODS: The associations of RDW with spirometry, diffusing
BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that approximately 20% of hospital readmissions can be medication-related and 70% of these readmissions are possibly preventable. This retrospective medical records study aimed to find risk factors associated with medication-related readmissions to hospital within 30 days of discharge in older adults (≥65 years).METHODS: 30-day readmissions (n = 360) were as
Background: Arterial ageing is characterised by degradation of elastic fibres and increased stiffness of elastic arteries. Although low lung function and arterial stiffness are strongly related to age, the association between lung function and arterial ageing has not been widely explored. We used a large population-based study of 50-64 year olds to assess the association between lung function (mea
OBJECTIVES: Pain is a major symptom in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In early RA, pain is usually due to synovitis, but can also persist despite effective anti-inflammatory treatment. The objective of this study was to investigate the pain course over time and predictors of unacceptable pain and unacceptable pain with low inflammation, in patients with early RA.METHODS: An inception coh
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been extensively used as surfactants because of their high stability and good water/oil-repellent properties. PFASs, especially perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs), have long biological half-lives, and exposure may cause adverse health effects in humans. We assessed temporal trends of concentrations of eight PFAAs in serum of Swedish adolescents (age 16–21
AIM: Self-expanding metallic stents (SEMS) as bridge to surgery have been questioned due to the fear of perforation and tumour spread. This study aimed to compare SEMS and stoma as bridge to surgery in acute malignant large bowel obstruction in the Swedish population. METHOD: Medical records of patients identified via the Swedish Colorectal Cancer Register 2007-2009 were collected and scrutinized.
Brazil's Atlantic Forest biome is one of the world's biodiversity hotspots, whose heterogeneous ecosystems are threatened by habitat loss and climate change. Palaeoecological research can provide essential context for the impacts of anthropogenic climate change in the 21st Century and beyond, but existing studies have notable limitations in the insights they can provide: vegetation proxy data are
In current times of global change, several sources of stress such as contaminants and high temperatures may act synergistically. The extent to which organisms persist in stressful conditions will depend on the fitness consequences of multiple simultaneously acting stressors and the genetic basis of compensatory genetic responses. Ivermectin is an antiparasitic drug used in livestock that is excret
Addressing how ecosystem services (ES) are distributed among groups of people is critical for making conservation and environmental policy-making more equitable. Here, we evaluate the distribution and equity of changes in ES benefits across demographic and socioeconomic groups in the United States (US) between 2020 and 2100. Specifically, we use land cover and population projections to model poten
PurposeZinc has been suggested to be protective against breast cancer, but the evidence remains inconclusive. One reason for inconsistent findings in previous studies may be that zinc only influences the risk of developing certain subtypes of breast cancer. Our study is the first study assessing zinc levels in relation to the risk of different breast cancer subgroups, defined by their tumor charac
Cooperative binding is a key feature of metabolic pathways, signaling, and transport processes. It provides tight regulation over a narrow concentration interval of a ligand, thus enabling switching to be triggered by small concentration variations. The data presented in this work reveal strong positive cooperativity of α-synuclein binding to phospholipid membranes. Fluorescence cross-correlation
Atherosclerosis is a lipid-driven, chronic inflammatory disease. In spite of efficient lipid lowering treatments, such as statins and PCSK9 inhibitors, patients, especially those with elevated inflammatory biomarkers, still have a significant residual cardiovascular disease risk. Novel drugs targeting inflammatory mediators are needed to further reduce this residual risk. Agonistic immune checkpoi
PURPOSE: To investigate the patterns of healthcare use (HCU) at the last year of life in persons with osteoarthritis (OA).METHODS: Using linked registers, we identified persons aged≥ 65 years who died during 2003-2014 and were resided in the Skåne region during 5-year prior to death. Among these, we randomly matched decedents with a principal OA diagnosis prior to the last year of life (OA cohort,
Composition and functioning of arctic soil fungal communities may alter rapidly due to the ongoing trends of warmer temperatures, shifts in nutrient availability and shrub encroachment. In addition, the communities may also be intrinsically shaped by heavy grazing, which may locally induce an ecosystem change that couples with increased soil temperature and nutrients and where shrub encroachment i
Premise of research. Geochemical fingerprinting of fossil plants is a relatively new research field complementing morphological analyses and providing information for paleoenvironmental interpretations. Ginkgoales contains a single extant species but was diverse through the Mesozoic and is an excellent target for biochemical analyses. Methodology. Cuticles derived from fresh and fallen autumn leav
Atherosclerosis is a major underlying cause of cardiovascular disease. Previous studies showed that inhibition of the co-stimulatory CD40 ligand (CD40L)-CD40 signaling axis profoundly attenuates atherosclerosis. As CD40L exerts multiple functions depending on the cell-cell interactions involved, we sought to investigate the function of the most relevant CD40L-expressing cell types in atheroscleros
BACKGROUND: Alcohol is an established risk factor for several cancers, but modest alcohol-cancer associations may be missed due to measurement error in self-reported assessments. Biomarkers of habitual alcohol intake may provide novel insight into the relationship between alcohol and cancer risk.METHODS: Untargeted metabolomics was used to identify metabolites correlated with self-reported habitua
Resistance to therapy remains a major cause of cancer treatment failures, resulting in many cancer-related deaths. Resistance can occur at any time during the treatment, even at the beginning. The current treatment plan is dependent mainly on cancer subtypes and the presence of genetic mutations. Evidently, the presence of a genetic mutation does not always predict the therapeutic response and can
Karst is a widespread ecosystem with properties that affect the microbial activity and storage and cycling of soil organic carbon. The mechanisms underlying microbial resource availability in karst, which limit the microbial growth and activity in soil aggregates, remain largely unknown. We assessed the microbial resource limitations using exoenzymatic stoichiometry and key extracellular enzyme ac
