The prevalence of thyroid antibodies, indicating an autoimmune thyroiditis, has been shown to be significantly increased in patients with autoimmune diseases. A 3-year prospective follow-up study of 42 patients with biopsy-confirmed glomerulonephritis is presented. Although the majority of patients had been treated with immunosuppressants, the prevalence of thyroid peroxidase antibodies was unchan

Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) has become a useful tool in the treatment of renal calculi, but side effects may occur. Hitherto, two case reports have been published of an anti-glomerular basement membrane disease resulting in end-stage renal failure following ESWL treatment. In this prospective study of 59 consecutive patients undergoing ESWL for renal calculi, the prevalence of aut

In a time when protectionism is re-emerging as a strong policy stance on a global scale, the opposition to cross mergers based on public interest grounds may once more become more frequent. The lack of a common policy at the EU level leaves each Member State free to set its own framework to oppose mergers based on the public interest. However, such frameworks need to comply with Article 4(1)(b) of

Chronological age is an important independent predictor of cardiovascular events. Although the cumulative effect of cardiovascular risk factors over time partly explains this relationship, accumulating evidence suggests this is a simplistic interpretation of a more complex concept. With advancing age slowly progressive changes can be seen affecting the structure and function of large and small ves

International non-governmental organisations (NGOs) combine practical and advocacy efforts to address global challenges like poverty and climate change. However, NGOs are embedded within the same global system they seek to challenge. This article explore the tensions this raises from the vantage point of one particular organisation (Concern Universal). Drawing on a paradox perspective, we find tha

Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) is the gold standard noninvasive imaging modality to assess tissue characteristics in vivo which gives it a unique advantage in discriminating benign cardiac masses from malignant tumors. CMR also provides visualization of tumor invasion, hemodynamic effects, and location relative to surrounding cardiac and extracardiac structures. These features make CMR an essent

Analysing deadlock-freedom, boundedness and realtime constraints are crucial steps in the design of embedded streaming applications. Dataflow models of computation are often used to analyse such properties at design-time. To that end, scenario-based dataflow techniques isolate the individual operating scenarios of a dynamic application and analyse the executions of the possible scenario sequences.

In this position paper we argue for a radical departure from today's approach to software engineering, centered on target-specific tools and general processes such as modeling and agile practices. The old principle of right tool for each problem shall be applied to software engineering as well: to address ever higher complexity, we need to raise dramatically the level of abstraction; as general so

Resource utilization is a very central issue in the development of large-volume embedded systems. Increasingly complex execution platforms for embedded multimedia systems challenge the prevailing approach of achieving high utilization by carefully tuned implementations in C and assembly language. The recently started ACTORS project addresses resource utilization by providing appropriate high-level

Firmware over the air (FOTA) is becoming a standard procedure for maintaining and updating wireless embedded systems. To cope with bandwidth and storage constraints this is facilitated using incremental updates based on delta technology, i.e. only the modifications are transmitted. The performance of a FOTA update is highly dependent on the size of the delta, and the type of modifications. Applica

Complex control systems are heterogeneous, in the sense of discrete computer-based controllers interacting with continuous physical plants, regular data sampling interleaving with irregular communication and user interaction, and multilayer and multimode control laws. This heterogeneity imposes great challenges for control system design in terms of end-to-end control performance modeling and simul

Background: The mismatch between the limited availability versus the high demand of participants who are in the pre-dementia phase of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a bottleneck for clinical studies in AD. Nevertheless, potential enrollment barriers in the pre-dementia population are relatively under-reported. In a large European longitudinal biomarker study (the AMYPAD-PNHS), we investigated main en

Mucosal human papillomavirus (HPV) subtypes 16 and 18 are causative agents of cervical cancer, a leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women worldwide. In Japan, eggplant calyx is a folk remedy used to treat common warts. 9-oxo-(10E,12E)-octadecadienoic acid, isolated from eggplant calyx, may have antitumor effects. This study investigated the antitumor effects of 9-oxo-(10E, 12Z)-octadecad

To prevent diseases arising from exposure to toxic metals, more knowledge about their temporal changes is needed, especially in children, the most vulnerable group. This study follows temporal changes in blood lead (BPb), mercury (BHg) and cadmium (BCd) levels in schoolchildren (8–11 years old) from two cities in southern Sweden. One blood sample per 773 children was used for time trend analyses b

Cycloneuralians are ecdysozoans with a fossil record extending to the Early Cambrian Fortunian Age and represented mostly by cuticular integuments. However, internal anatomies of Fortunian cycloneuralians are virtually unknown, hampering our understanding of their functional morphology and phylogenetic relationships. Here we report the exceptional preservation of cycloneuralian introvert musculatu

Introduction: Hallux valgus (HV) is a common condition with impact on pain, function and HrQoL. International consensus does not exist on operative treatment of HV and population-level data regarding surgical treatment of HV is lacking. In this study we aimed to present base-line data from surgically treated HV patients reported to the Swedish register for foot and ankle surgery (Swefoot) during t

Common operational pictures (COPs) can be seen as collective problem representations that facilitate effective problem solving during emergency response. This article investigates how problems are represented in COPs and discusses how such problem representations could be improved to better inform ongoing response operations. A content analysis of 41 COPs created by a Swedish county board during t

Osteoporotic fracture is among the most common and costly of diseases. While reasonably heritable, its genetic determinants have remained elusive. Forearm fractures are the most common clinically recognized osteoporotic fractures with a relatively high heritability. To establish an atlas of the genetic determinants of forearm fractures, we performed genome-wide association analyses including 100,0