Abstract Patients' satisfaction is an important outcome measure in reconstructive surgery and quality assurance is today central in the clinical practice. The aim of this study was to evaluate the patients' satisfaction with the process and final result after reconstruction for congenital microtia. A questionnaire was designed and sent to 78 patients who had undergone unilateral ear reconstruction

In the Simvastatin and Ezetimibe in Aortic Stenosis (SEAS) trial, combined ezetimibe (10 mg) and simvastatin (40 mg) decreased low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels by 50% and ischemic cardiovascular event (ICE) risk by 22% compared to placebo. A larger decrease in ICE risk might have been expected for the degree of lipid-lowering observed. This analysis investigated relations between changes

Conditional cash transfers (CCTs) are often being promoted for their simultaneous advantages of short-term income protection and long-term human capital investments. Yet, existing evaluations have largely failed to test the underlying programme theory, and few empirical case studies have explored inherent contradictions and ambiguous consequences of this hybrid approach. To further understand the

Prior studies, utilizing interview-based assessments, suggest that most of the genetic risk factors for drug abuse (DA) are non-specific with a minority acting specifically on risk for abuse of particular psychoactive substance classes. We seek to replicate these findings using objective national registry data.

Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is one of the main aetiologies of childhood bacterial infections as well as exacerbations in COPD patients. Currently, no licensed NTHi vaccine exists. In the present study, we evaluated the potential of the conserved and ubiquitous surface protein Haemophilus Protein F (PF) as a vaccine candidate. Our results show that incubation of NTHi with anti-PF anti

The Precambrian inliers of the Anti Atlas belt located at the southern part of Morocco contain numerous mafic dyke and sill swarms thought to represent the erosional remnants of Proterozoic Large Igneous Provinces (LIPS). As part of a continuing research campaign to date and characterize these LIPs, four dykes have been dated by the U-Pb TIMS (Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometry) method on baddel

We report a method for making horizontal wrap-gate nanowire transistors with up to four independently controllable wrap-gated segments. While the step up to two independent wrap-gates requires a major change in fabrication methodology, a key advantage to this new approach, and the horizontal orientation more generally, is that achieving more than two wrap-gate segments then requires no extra fabri

Histidine rich, unstructured peptides adsorb to charged interfaces such as mineral surfaces and microbial cell membranes. At a molecular level, we investigate the adsorption mechanism as a function of pH, salt, and multivalent ions showing that (1) proton charge fluctuations are - in contrast to the majority of proteins - optimal at neutral pH, promoting electrostatic interactions with anionic sur

The role of community based dynamics in successful agrarian development is considered through comparing two neighbouring villages in Ghana, with similar agro-ecological conditions and market access: one, Gyedi, is a religious community and the other, Apaa, is not. While the direct role of religion in promoting agrarian development is limited, interaction with extension staff in Gyedi enables farme

This paper complements the other papers in the Lancet Series on midwifery by documenting the experience of low-income and middle-income countries that deployed midwives as one of the core constituents of their strategy to improve maternal and newborn health. It examines the constellation of various diverse health-system strengthening interventions deployed by Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Indonesia, and

Cigarette smoking among asthma patients is associated with worsening symptoms and accelerated decline in lung function. Smoking asthma is also characterized by increased levels of neutrophils and macrophages, and greater small airway remodeling, resulting in increased airflow obstruction and impaired response to corticosteroid therapy. As a result, smokers are typically excluded from asthma random

Abstract Conclusion: No significant differences in the number of immune aberrations were seen between children with or without severe recurrent acute otitis media (rAOM); however, subnormal values of immunological markers were found more often than expected, and 4 of the 60 children had treatment-requiring immune deficiencies.

The introduction of a mannose residue on carbon 3 of lithocholic acid gives rise to an asymmetric and rigid bolaamphiphilic molecule, which self-assembles in water to form elongated tubular aggregates with an outer diameter of about 20 nm. These tubular structures display a temporal evolution, where the average tube diameter decreases with time, which can be followed by time-resolved small-angle X