Search results

Parasites and infectious diseases represent ecological forces shaping animal social evolution. Although empirical studies supporting this link abound in various vertebrate orders, both the study of the dynamics and impact of parasite infections and infectious diseases in strepsirrhine primates have received little empirical attention. We conducted a longitudinal parasitological study on four group

Optimization models related to designing and operating complex systems are mainly focused on some efficiency metrics such as response time, queue length, throughput, and cost. However, in systems which serve many entities there is also a need for respecting fairness: each system entity ought to be provided with an adequate share of the system's services. Still, due to system operations-dependant c

Despite the widely held belief that Parkinson's disease is caused by both underlying genetics and exposure to environmental risk factors, it is still widely modelled in preclinical models using a single genetic or neurotoxic insult. This single-insult approach has resulted in a variety of models that are limited with respect to their aetiological, construct, face and/or predictive validity. Thus,

The effect of two model adjuvants (benzyl benzoate and benzyl alcohol) on the structure and dynamics of three Pluronic triblock copolymers (P85, P105 and F127) was studied using small-angle neutron scattering and pulsed-field gradient NMR. The two adjuvants studied have different aqueous solubilities. It was found that both adjuvants promoted the micellisation of the Pluronic block copolymers. In

Objective: This randomized methodologic study sought to test the reliability of an Internet questionnaire and investigate the differences in response rates between traditional pen-and-paper questionnaires and Internet questionnaires for measuring patient-reported outcome after total hip replacement surgery. Methods: From the Swedish Hip Arthroplasty Register, 2400 patients were chosen at random bu

Urothelial carcinoma (UC) aggressiveness is determined by tumor inherent molecular characteristics, such as molecular subtypes, as well as by host reactions directed toward the tumor. Cell types responsible for the host׳s response include tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). The aim of the present investigation was to explore the immunological response in

Preterm birth is associated with increased rates of neonatal and infant mortality. It has been hypothesized that gestational age at birth may also be associated with increased mortality rates in adulthood, but to date, no studies have demonstrated this relationship. This national cohort study investigated the association between gestational age at birth and mortality in young adulthood. Data obtai

Heart failure is often complicated by arrhythmias that can adversely affect the quality of life and increase the risk for sudden cardiac death. Current risk stratification strategies for sudden cardiac death in the heart failure patient are not ideal, with much potential for further refinement. Overactivation of the sympathetic nervous system has been shown to be associated with worsening heart fa

Systemic inflammatory response syndrome is associated with severe coagulopathy. The purpose of this study was to examine thrombin generation in systemic inflammation triggered by the endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and the exotoxin streptococcal M1 protein.

Allogeneic haematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) is frequently applied as part of the treatment in patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) in their first or subsequent remission. Allogeneic HSCT reduces relapse, but nonrelapse mortality and morbidity might counterbalance this beneficial effect. Here, we review recent studies reporting new disease-specific prognostic markers, in addit

Invasive species often have instable population dynamics and are known to collapse or oscillate heavily after passing through the initial lag/growth phases. Long-term data-series documenting these fluctuations are however rare. We use long-term (starting in the early 1960s), semi-quantitative data on the invasive signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus), capturing its population development afte

Purpose: Our animal model suggests that quantification of ductal flow from colour Doppler pixels is possible. We aimed to clarify whether this method can be used to determine a clinically significant ductal shunt in children. Methods: We retrospectively quantified ductal flow from saved images from 20 children who had been admitted for device occlusion of patent ductus arteriosus. Colour Doppler i

We used near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to study responses to speech and music on the auditory cortices of 13 healthy full-term newborn infants during natural sleep. The purpose of the study was to investigate the lateralization of speech and music responses at this stage of development. NIRS data was recorded from eight positions on both hemispheres simultaneously with electroencephalography, e

Previous studies have shown a higher risk of birth defects and preterm birth (PTB) in singletons born after blastocyst transfer as compared to singletons born after cleavage-stage transfer. Few studies have investigated the maternal outcomes.

Colonization of new habitats can relax selection pressures, and traits or trait combinations no longer selected for might become reduced or lost. We investigated behavioural differentiation and behavioural trait integration in the freshwater isopod Asellus aquaticus. This isopod has recently colonized a novel habitat and diverged into two ecotypes which encounter different predator faunas. We inve

Conventional antennas in single-antenna terminals that resonate at frequencies lower than 1 GHz usually rely on the chassis as the main radiator. To effectively exploit chassis excitation for MIMO terminals, each of the multiple antennas is required to excite one distinct chassis mode. However, in today's terminals, there is typically only one chassis mode that can radiate efficiently at frequenci

In a driving simulator study, driving behaviour responses (speed and deceleration) to encountering a moose, automatic speed camera, wildlife warning sign and radio message, with or without a wildlife fence and in dense forest or open landscape, were analysed. The study consisted of a factorial experiment that examined responses to factors singly and in combination over 9-km road stretches driven e

Metformin is a first-line oral agent used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes, but glycaemic response to this drug is highly variable. Understanding the genetic contribution to metformin response might increase the possibility of personalising metformin treatment. We aimed to establish the heritability of glycaemic response to metformin using the genome-wide complex trait analysis (GCTA) method.