Context: The European Association of Urology presents its guidelines for vasectomy. Vasectomy is highly effective, but problems can arise that are related to insufficient preoperative patient information, the surgical procedure, and postoperative follow-up. Objective: These guidelines aim to provide information and recommendations for physicians who perform vasectomies and to promote the provision

Investigations on exposure to electromagnetic have generated conflicting results both in epidemiological and laboratory studies, leaving their possible health consequences largely inconclusive. One of the well-reported reasons for the discrepancies is that there is no generally accepted theory to describe the interactions between the very weak electromagnetic fields and the living cells. This work

We consider model order reduction of positive linear systems and show how a symmetry characterization can be used in order to preserve positivity in balanced truncation. The reduced model has the additional feature of being symmetric.

Minimally modified low density lipoprotein (mmLDL) is a well-known risk factor for coronary artery disease. Upregulation of vascular endothelin type B (ETB) receptors on the vascular smooth muscle cells is predicted to be the molecular mechanism that leads to cardiovascular pathogenesis. The objective of the present study was to examine the hypothesis that mmLDL upregulates ETB receptors in rat co

Secretagogin is a hexa EF-hand Ca(2+)-binding protein expressed in neuroendocrine, pancreatic endocrine and retinal cells. The protein has been noted for its expression in specific neuronal subtypes in the support of hierarchical organizing principles in the mammalian brain. Secretagogin has previously been found to interact with SNAP25 involved in Ca(2+)-induced exocytosis. Here, the cellular int

Background: Sweden is a high endemic region for multiple sclerosis (MS), a neurologic disorder characterized by repeated inflammatory episodes affecting the CNS. The disease has its peak age of onset at approximately 30 years and affects women twice as often as men. The young age of onset makes MS one of the major causes of reduced capacity to work due to neurologic disease in Western society. Nat

Objectives: To describe energy intake and its macronutrient and food sources among 27 regions in 10 countries participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study. Methods: Between 1995 and 2000, 36 034 subjects aged 35-74 years were administered a standardized 24-h dietary recall. Intakes of macronutrients (g/day) and energy (kcal/day) were estimated usin

Purpose - The purpose of this article is to explore themes and challenges in making supply chains environmentally sustainable. Design/methodology/approach - The study began with a systematic review, and content analysis of articles in top-ranking related journals from logistics, transport, sustainability and environmental areas, and ended with research propositions contributing to the further ad

Background: Age-related losses in bone mineral density (BMD), muscle strength, balance, and gait have been linked to an increased risk of falls, fractures and disability, but few prospective studies have compared the timing, rate and pattern of changes in each of these measures in middle-aged and older men and women. This is important so that targeted strategies can be developed to optimise specif

A major interest in the gall-inducing thrips of Australia began with the discovery that some species have eusocial colonies. The origin of social castes remains one of the outstanding questions in evolutionary biology. The inference of the ancestral stage from study of solitary species is important to understanding the evolutionary history of semiochemicals in social species. Here we investigated

The Tn antigen (GalNAc alpha-O-Ser/Thr) as defined by the binding of the lectin, helix pomatia agglutinin (HPA) or anti-Tn monoclonal antibodies, is known to be exposed in a majority of cancers, and it has also been shown to correlate positively with the metastatic capacity in breast carcinoma. The short O-glycan that forms the antigen is carried by a number of different proteins. One potential ca