A paradigm shift is needed to improve and personalize the diagnosis of infectious disease and to select appropriate therapies. For many years, only the most severe and complicated bacterial infections received more detailed diagnostic and therapeutic attention as the efficiency of antibiotic therapy has guaranteed efficient treatment of patients suffering from the most common infections. Indeed, t

Type 2 diabetic patients suffer from insulin resistance and reduced insulin secretion. Osteopontin (OPN), a versatile protein expressed in several tissues throughout the body including the islets of Langerhans, has previously been implicated in the development of insulin resistance. Here we have investigated the role of OPN in insulin secretion using an OPN knock out mouse model (OPN-/-). Ultra-st

Patients and methods A comprehensive literature search was conducted. We measured pooled rate of lesion visualization improvement and improvement in lesion detection comparing FICE settings 1 – 3 and WLE, for angioectasias and ulcers/erosions. Pooled results were derived using the random-effects model because of high heterogeneity as measured by I 2. Repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA)

Background: Cannulation of the internal jugular vein may be associated with inadvertent puncture of the common carotid artery. Systematic use of ultrasound guidance has improved clinical success rates and reduced complications, but better knowledge of topographic relationships of the internal jugular vein and common carotid artery is desirable. This preclinical study was designed to determine by u

Aim: It is well known that nutritional intervention has positive effects on the secondary prevention of coronary heart disease. Different fat compositions of meals may alter postprandial plasma lipid patterns, which can further influence lipid metabolism in vivo. Methods: In the present study, we investigated postprandial plasma lipid parameters in twenty healthy volunteers after eating fat meals

The human-environment connection in the mostly rural drylands of sub-Saharan Africa forms a complex, interlinked system that provides ecosystem services. This system is susceptible to climatic variability that impacts the supply of its products, and high population growth, which impacts the demand for these products. When plants remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through the process of phot

There are many challenges associated with the construction processes of planning and scheduling. These challenges are relevant to all project parties or stakeholders and therefore management roles or organisational behaviours of those parties have to be properly considered and assessed. With this in mind, this study is aimed at assessing practitioners' perspectives on the current significance and

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) detection in ischemic stroke patients triggers initiation of oral anticoagulant therapy (OAC). However, little is known regarding whether the persistency of AF affects long-term prognosis after ischemic stroke. We aimed to assess the impact of AF types and OAC on the outcome during a 10-year follow-up (FU) after first-ever ischemic stroke. Material and methods:

In 2009 the Democratic Party of Japan came to power with a new foreign policy tailored to the regional and global power shift from the United States to China: a more equal relationship with the United States and improved relations with Japan’s Asian neighbours. Within nine months the new Prime Minister Hatoyama Yukio resigned and the foreign policy shift was jettisoned by his successors. Conventio

Heat loss is one of the greatest energy losses in engines. More than half of the heat is lost to cooling media and exhaust losses, and they thus dominate the internal combustion engine energy balance. Complex processes affect heat loss to the cylinder walls, including gas motion, spray-wall interaction and turbulence levels. The aim of this work was to experimentally compare the heat transfer char

Introduction: We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of microsurgical subinguinal varicocele repair in patients with grade II-III lesions and chronic dull scrotal pain. Materials and Methods: A total of 29 patients with grade II-III varicocele and chronic dull scrotal pain that had a microsurgical subinguinal varicocele repair were included in the study. They were followed-up for 6-12 months inclu