Background Differentiating between pneumonia and acute bronchitis is often difficult in primary care. There is no consensus regarding clinical decision rules for pneumonia, and guidelines differ between countries. Use of diagnostic tests and change of management over time is not known. Aim To calculate the proportion of diagnostic tests in the management of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI

Mitochondria are key components of eukaryotic cells, so their proper functioning is monitored via different mitochondrial signalling responses. One of these mitochondria-to-nuclear ‘retrograde’ responses to maintain mitochondrial homeostasis is the mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPRmt), which can be activated by a variety of defects including blocking mitochondrial translation, respirati

Plant mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation is characterised by alternative electron transport pathways with different energetic efficiencies, allowing turnover of cellular redox compounds like NAD(P)H. These electron transport chain pathways are profoundly affected by soil nitrogen availability, most commonly as oxidized nitrate (NO3 −) and/or reduced ammonium (NH4 +). The bioenergetic strategi

This article describes the development and deployment of Physics Toolbox Play, a gamified component of the Android Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite app, that can introduce young children through adults to fundamental physics principles. The app was used successfully in a variety of contexts, including STEM fairs with primary and secondary students and workshops with undergraduate physics majors and pr

Our understanding of the rises of animal and cancer multicellularity face the same conceptual hurdles: what makes the clade originate and what makes it diversify. Between the events of origination and diversification lies complex tissue organization that gave rise to novel functionality for organisms and, unfortunately, for malignant transformation in cells. Tissue specialization with distinctly s

Heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics of gas-liquid Taylor flows in a mini tube with 1 mm inner tube diameter were investigated numerically using a moving frame of reference method. A CuO/water nanofluid was used as the continuous phase, while nitrogen was adopted as the dispersed phase. The inlet Reynolds number ranged from 250 to 600, and the volume concentration of the CuO particles w

More patients are surviving cardiac arrest than ever before; however, the burden now lies with estimating neurological prognoses in a large number of patients who were initially comatose, in whom the ultimate outcome is unclear. Neurologists, neurointensivists, and clinical neurophysiologists must accurately balance the concern that overly conservative prognostication could leave patients in a sev

BACKGROUND: The overall incidence of colorectal carcinoma is declining in Western populations; however, single country series demonstrate an increase in young-onset (

Purpose: Prolonged weightlessness exposure generates cardiovascular deconditioning, with potential implications on ECG circadian rhythms. Head-down (− 6°) tilt (HDT) bed rest is a ground-based analogue model for simulating the effects of reduced motor activity and fluids redistribution occurring during spaceflight. Our aim was to evaluate the impact of 60-day HDT on the circadianity of RR and vent

PURPOSE: Reliable molecular diagnostic tools are still unavailable for making informed treatment decisions and monitoring the response in patients with castration resistant prostate cancer. We evaluated the significance of whole blood circulating androgen receptor transcripts of full length (AR-FL) and splice variants (AR-V1, AR-V3 and AR-V7) as biomarkers of abiraterone acetate treatment resistan

OBJECTIVES: Exposure to high-molecular-weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) may cause cancer in chimney sweeps and creosote-exposed workers, however, knowledge about exposure to low-molecular-weight PAHs in relation to cancer risk is limited. In this study, we aimed to investigate occupational exposure to the low-molecular-weight PAHs phenanthrene and fluorene in relation to different ca

Objective: To review the Anorectal Malformation Network experience with perineal groove (PG) focusing on its clinical characteristics and management. Study design: Data on patients with PG managed at 10 participating Anorectal Malformation Network centers in 1999-2019 were collected retrospectively by questionnaire. Results: The cohort included 66 patients (65 females) of median age 1.4 months at

BACKGROUND: Insomnia is a global problem and an important risk factor for patients living with cardiovascular disease (CVD), causing poor well-being and worsening disease prognosis. Yet, there is a lack of effective intervention strategies targeting sleep problems. To deliver patient-centered interventions and achieve good quality of sleep for this group, the own experiences of patients with CVD n

We write with great concern in response to the recent systematic review and meta-analysis of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) by Uhre et al.1 Although the authors’ results consistently support the clinical efficacy of CBT for pediatric OCD, we expect that, much like ourselves, readers will be confused by the discordant and inappropriate conclusion

This paper investigates potential factors that control the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Spring Persistence Barrier (SPB) strength in two different ENSO regimes and apply it to explain the ENSO SPB strength modulation after the 21st century. In a damped, noise-driven model, the theoretical solution of SPB strength illustrates that a weaker ENSO growth rate strengthens SPB. In the self-sustai

Background: Selection and selection bias are terms that lack consistent definitions and have varying meaning and usage across disciplines. There is also confusion in current definitions between underlying mechanisms that lead to selection and their consequences. Consequences of selection on study validity must be judged on a case-by-case basis depending on research question, study design and analy

BACKGROUND: The behaviour of blood-sucking arthropods is a crucial determinant of blood protozoan distribution and hence of host-parasite coevolution, but it is very challenging to study in the wild. The molecular identification of parasite lineages in vectors can be a useful key to understand the behaviour and transmission patterns realised by these vectors. METHODS: In this study, we collected b

BACKGROUND: We are exposed to several chemicals such as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in our everyday lives. Prior evidence has suggested that POPs may have adverse effects on reproductive function by disrupting hormone synthesis and metabolism. While there is age-related decline of fertility, the use of hormonal combined oral contraceptives (COCs) and its association to return of fertility