Urological problems can be caused by diseases that affect the bladder wall and its innervation. Contraction and relaxation of smooth muscle cells (SMCs) is essential for maintaining detrusor function and for emptying the bladder. It is well established that a family of regulatory proteins called Myocardin Related Transcription Factors (MRTFs) controls the property of SMCs. SMCs have a number of un

The prevalence and consequences of nasal obstruction in untreated obstructive sleep apnea patients are not known. The study objectives were to investigate the frequency of subjective and objective nasal obstruction in untreated sleep apnea patients and the associations with sleep and quality of life. Patients in the Icelandic Sleep Apnea Cohort were subjected to a type 3 sleep study, answered ques

Despite the essential role of thymic epithelial cells (TEC) in T cell development, the signals regulating TEC differentiation and homeostasis remain incompletely understood. In this study, we show a key in vivo role for the vitamin A metabolite, retinoic acid (RA), in TEC homeostasis. In the absence of RA signaling in TEC, cortical TEC (cTEC) and CD80loMHC class IIlo medullary TEC displayed subset

AIM: To investigate the effects of a case management intervention for community-dwelling frail older people, with functional dependency and repeated contacts with the healthcare services, focusing on loneliness, depressive symptoms and life satisfaction.DESIGN: A two-armed, nonblinded, randomised control trial with repeated follow-ups, of N = 153 participants at baseline allocated to an interventi

Pathogens causing pneumonia utilize the complement regulator vitronectin to evade complement-mediated killing. Although vitronectin is associated with several chronic lung diseases, the role of bronchoalveolar vitronectin in pneumonia has not been studied. This study sought to reveal the involvement of vitronectin in the bronchoalveolar space during pneumonia, to assess the effect of outer membran

The morphological transformation of soot particles via condensation of low-volatility materials constitutes a dominant atmospheric process with serious implications for the optical and hygroscopic properties, as well as atmospheric lifetime of the soot. We consider the morphological transformation of soot aggregates under the influence of condensation of vapors of sulfuric acid, and/or limonene oz

Executive functions (EFs) are essential in almost all aspects of daily life and have been robustly related to antisocial behavior. However, the relationship between psychopathy and EFs has remained equivocal. Research investigating lower-level trait dimensions of psychopathy using standardized EF measures could be beneficial in addressing this issue. In this study, we examined associations between

In order to be convergent, linear multistep methods must be zero stable. While constant step size theory was established in the 1950’s, zero stability on nonuniform grids is less well understood. Here we investigate zero stability on compact intervals and smooth nonuniform grids. In practical computations, step size control can be implemented using smooth (small) step size changes. The resulting g

Longitudinal Schottky signals froma laser-cooled, spatially dense, ionbeam have been studied inthe ASTRID storage ring. Thefluctuation signals are distortedby the effects of space charge, asis observed in electron cooling experiments.However,the spectra also exhibit previously unobservedcoherent components. The ions' velocity distribution, measured by alaser fluorescence technique, suggests that t

Introduction: A previous genome-wide association study found three genetic loci, rs9388451, rs10428132, and rs11708996, to increase the risk of Brugada Syndrome (BrS). Since the effect of these loci in the general population is unknown, we aimed to investigate the effect on electrocardiogram (ECG) parameters and outcomes in the general population. Materials and Methods: A cohort of 6,161 individua

Plastic is a versatile material that has contributed to numerous product innovations and convenience in everyday life. However, plastic production is growing at an alarming rate, and so has the generation of plastic waste. Unsound waste management results in plastic leakage to the environment with multiple adverse effects to ecosystems. Incineration of plastic waste produces excessive greenhouse g

Improving the product lifetime of consumer electronics can provide significant environmental benefits. However, there is a tendency among both professional users and consumers to change products, like computers and mobile phones regularly, and as a result their lifetimes become increasingly shorter. With the rise of the Circular Economy, new policies to promote longer product lifetimes have emerge

BACKGROUND: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs, e.g. cardiovascular disease) are responsible for high rates of morbidity and the majority of premature deaths worldwide. It is necessary to develop preventative interventions that can reduce the associated risk factors of NCDs. Researchers have found that the biomarker adrenomedullin (ADM) becomes elevated years before the onset of NCDs and might play a

Drinking water production utilities rely on, among other processes, different filtration technologies like bank filtration and slow sand filters, as well as pressure, roughing, or rapid gravity filters that, together with low- and high-pressure operating membranes, help to ensure high quality drinking water for millions of customers all over the world. The global market of membrane separation tech

Background: Very preterm (VPT) delivery after severe preeclampsia (PE) has been associated with adverse perinatal outcome. It is unclear whether fetal exposure to PE per se modifies the prevalence of neonatal morbidities associated with VPT birth. Objectives: To evaluate neonatal morbidity in VPT infants exposed to maternal PE compared to morbidity in nonexposed VPT infants. Methods: This retrospe

The European Spallation Source is being constructed in Lund, Sweden and is planned to be the world's brightest pulsed spallation neutron source for cold and thermal neutron beams (≤ 1 eV). The facility uses a 2 GeV proton beam to produce neutrons from a tungsten target. The neutrons are then moderated in a moderator assembly consisting of both liquid hydrogen and water compartments. Surrounding th

The inaugural 'Symposium for the Next Generation of Stem Cell Research' (SY-Stem) was held on February 22-24 at the Vienna BioCenter in Austria. The meeting focused on having young researchers as speakers, and the program was of an impressively high quality. Here, we summarise key findings from this meeting, which brought together emerging leaders to discuss various topics, including pluripotency,

Introduction: Non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) has attracted more interest in recent years due to an increased prevalence of infections caused by the pathogen. This upsurge is at least partly ascribed to the introduction of the pneumococcal conjugated vaccines that has resulted in an aetiological shift in NTHi’s favor with respect to upper respiratory tract infections. Moreover, an incre

Differences in the elemental abundances of planet-hosting stars in binary systems can give important clues and constraints about planet formation and evolution. In this study we performed a high-precision, differential elemental abundance analysis of a wide binary system, HD 80606/80607, based on high-resolution spectra with high signal-to-noise ratio obtained with Keck/HIRES. HD 80606 is known to

This article reflects on the role of the walking stick in the nineteenth-century city and explores the nature of the criticisms directed at it. The criticism and mocking of certain ways of holding the cane display the deep conflicts within the culture of urban strolling concerning how to take part in it, and who were allowed to do so. By identifying an irritation with canes, we see that there was