The adrenal-derived hormones dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its sulfate (DHEAS) are the most abundant circulating hormones and their levels decline substantially with age. Many of the actions of DHEAS are considered to be mediated through metabolism into androgens and estrogens in peripheral target tissues. The predictive value of serum DHEA and DHEAS for the likelihood of falling is unknown. T

Modern El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events are characterized by their phase locking of variability to the seasonal cycle and tend to peak at the end of calendar year. Here, we show that in an idealized NCAR-CCSM3 simulation of the climate of the last 300,000 years, ENSO seasonal phase locking is shifted periodically following the precessional forcing: ENSO tends to peak in boreal winter whe

Background: Matrices are now commonly used in breast reconstruction, but the scientific evidence is still scares. The main aim was to compare complications and the need for corrections in immediate breast reconstruction with the porcine-derived Surgisis® with the traditional muscle-covered technique. The secondary aim was to compare long-term quality of life and satisfaction. Methods: All consecut

Introduction: A large number of policy instruments have been developed to induce energy efficiency and mitigate climate change. Traditional policy evaluations have assessed the performance of individual policy instruments, applying criteria such as target effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, legitimacy and distributional effects. More recently there has been a shift of interest in how policy instrum

Abnormal trophoblast cell apoptosis is implicated in the pathogenesis of pregnancy-related disorders including preeclampsia (PE), and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress has been considered as a novel pathway in the regulation of cell apoptosis. In this study, we observed that both apoptosis and ER stress are triggered in trophoblast cells under hypoxia as well as in the placenta of PE rats. Quantit

Background: Off-target binding in the choroid plexus (CP) may cause spill-in of the tau PET tracer [18F] flortaucipir into the adjacent hippocampus region. The impact of this spill-in on hippocampal uptake was assessed using a novel partial volume correction method (PVC). Methods: PVC was performed on 20 [18F] flortaucipir dynamic PET scans (10 probable AD and 10 controls). Volumes of interest (VO

Chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST), arterial spin labeling (ASL), and magnetization transfer contrast (MTC) methods generate different contrasts for MRI. However, they share many similarities in terms of pulse sequences and mechanistic principles. They all use RF pulse preparation schemes to label the longitudinal magnetization of certain proton pools and follow the delivery and transfer

Modelling is an alternative solution to reduce the cost of water quality monitoring. Commonly, concentration of pollutants is estimated based on limited sampling information. Concentration of ions in rivers can be estimated using modelling strategies that involve statistics and artificial intelligence as well as the understanding of physical processes. Therefore, the performance of feedforward neu

Background: The objective was to compare patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) who were included in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) (trial participants) with patients who were not included (nonparticipants) on a trial-by-trial basis and according to indication for PCI. Methods: In this cohort study, we compared patients with IHD who were

Geomorphological mapping is a well-established method for examining earth surface processes and landscape evolution in a range of environmental contexts. In glacial research, it provides crucial data for a wide range of process-oriented studies and palaeoglaciological reconstructions; in the latter case providing an essential geomorphological framework for establishing glacial chronologies. In rec

Background: Currently, there are between 300,000 and 500,000 childhood cancer survivors (CCSs) in Europe. A significant proportion is at high risk, and at least 60% of them develop adverse health-related outcomes that can appear several years after treatment completion. Many survivors are unaware of their personal risk, and there seems to be a general lack of information among healthcare providers

Capability assessments are becoming increasingly common as part of risk management activities worldwide. Despite this, there is no consensus concerning how these assessments are best conducted and presented. Recent studies suggest that two factors may influence the usefulness of capability assessments for decision-making: namely, whether the assessment includes descriptions of the resources availa