Background: Prior studies on the association between prenatal exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) and child motor development have found contradicting results. Using data collected in the INUENDO cohort in Kharkiv (Ukraine), Warsaw (Poland) and Greenland (N = 1,103) between the years 2002 and 2012, we examined relations of prenatal exposure to 1,

Objectives - To investigate whether there is a relationship between the clinical occurrence of migraine and biliary tract disorders (BTD) and to study whether there is a genetic influence on such an association. Materials and Methods - The near lifetime morbidity for migraine and BTD was examined in two Swedish twin-samples: OCTO-Twin (149 MZ and 202 DZ pairs; 234 men, 468 women; 80 years of age o

Background: Spot pricing is considered as a significant supplement for building a full-fledged market economy for the Cloud ecosystem. However, it seems that both providers and consumers are still hesitating to enter the Cloud spot market. The relevant academic community also has conflicting opinions about Cloud spot pricing in terms of revenue generation. Aim: This work aims to systematically ide

Background: Ischemic preconditioning has been proposed to involve changes in mitochondrial H+ and K+ fluxes, in particular through activation of uncoupling proteins and ATP-sensitive K+ channels (MitoK(ATP)). The objectives of the present study were to explore how increased H+ and K+ fluxes influence heart mitochondrial physiology with regard to production and scavenging of reactive oxygen species

Here, we tested for an ecologically valid cost to secondary sexual trait expression in the male great tit (Parus major). We compared the breast stripe area of a sample of males who survived extremely low night time temperatures with a sample who did not survive. Breast stripe area was significantly smaller in surviving males, suggesting a real cost of signalling in terms of survival. The relations

Many preterm infants are not capable of exclusive breastfeeding from birth. To guide mothers in breastfeeding, it is important to know when preterm infants can initiate breastfeeding and progress. The aim was to analyse postmenstrual age (PMA) at breastfeeding milestones in different preterm gestational age (GA) groups, to describe rates of breastfeeding duration at pre-defined times, as well as a

A 4-year-old boy presented with proteinuria and developed progressive renal failure over 6 years. In the patient's family, five individuals were affected with atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome (aHUS) but not the patient. Renal biopsies (n = 3) showed glomerular basement membrane thickening with double contours, endothelial swelling and deposits of C3 and C1q. Electron microscopy revealed mesang

Dalteparin, a low molecular weight heparin (LMWH), is given to pregnant women with thrombotic disorders. Clinical observations together with the documented changes of heparan sulfate proteoglycans in normal and protracted labor fostered the idea that LMWH shortens delivery time. Labor time was retrospectively determined among nulliparous pregnant women treated with dalteparin because of previous v

Numerous different bioreactor systems are applied for hydrogen production by dark fermentation. Thermophilic fermentations are gaining an increased interest due to the high hydrogen yields associated with them. In order to reach the best thermophilic fermentation system, 2 types of bioreactors, a trickling bed and a fluidized bed system, were constructed and operated under similar conditions. Both

Objective. The first changes in the diabetic kidney are glycogen deposits in the epithelial cells of the thick ascending limb of Henle, which leads to decreased production of Tamm-Horsfall protein (THP). The production of THP is also influenced by nitric oxide (NO). The aims of this study were to investigate whether low excretion of THP, a sign of distal tubular dysfunction, in patients with type

Background. The diagnostic work-up and treatment of patients with neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) has undergone major recent advances and new methods are currently introduced into the clinic. An update of the WHO classification has resulted in a new nomenclature dividing NENs into neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) including G1 (Ki67 index 20%, G3. Aim. These Nordic guidelines summarise the Nordic Neu

Huntington's disease is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder characterised by motor, cognitive and psychiatric disturbances. Patients exhibit other symptoms including sleep and mood disturbances, muscle atrophy and weight loss which may be linked to hypothalamic pathology and dysfunction of hypothalamo-pituitary axes.

The human gliomas are the most common primary brain tumours. They are highly aggressive with a rapid fatal progression for the patient. The invasive growth pattern and inherent resistance to radiation and chemotherapy account for a lack of efficient therapies. Several novel therapeutic regimes are being investigated, but they have so far shown limited beneficial effects. The molecular heterogeneit

Although the visual flight control strategies of flying insects have evolved to cope with the complexity of the natural world, studies investigating this behaviour have typically been performed indoors using simplified two-dimensional artificial visual stimuli. How well do the results from these studies reflect the natural behaviour of flying insects considering the radical differences in contrast

During the last decades, fragmentation has become an important issue in ecological research. Habitat fragmentation operates on spatial scales ranging over several magnitudes from patches to landscapes. We focus on small-scale fragmentation effects relevant to animal foraging decision making that could ultimately generate distribution patterns. In a controlled experimental environment, we tested sm

Introduction: Moving in very old age is considered to be a major life event and relocation and access to appropriate housing options is a hot topic in the public debate across Europe. For very old people, the decision-making process and aspects influencing relocation is not well studied. Occupational therapy interventions mainly focus on ageing-in-place solutions when aiming for independence and w

Over the past few decades, significant social and economic transformations had a relevant correspondence in processes of territorial complexification, urban fragmentation and spatial injustice. Literature and research shows that these processes have also a very important temporal dimension, associated to a transition from an industrial society of synchronized rhythms to more heterogeneous everyday