SUMMARY POINTS: Advances in laboratory techniques have led to a rapidly increasing use of biomarkers in epidemiological studies. Biomarkers of internal dose, early biological change, susceptibility and clinical outcomes are used as proxies for investigating interactions between external and/or endogenous agents and body components or processes. The need for improved reporting of scientific researc

In this retrospective, Dr. Lars Edvinsson recounts early steps and milestones in our understanding of the neuropeptide calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in the trigeminovascular system and its role in migraine. The discovery of the presence and function of CGRP and other neuropeptides in the cerebral vasculature and its sensory innervation is described. He relates the seminal finding that CGR

Fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) is a nonatherosclerotic, noninflammatory angiopathy of unknown cause affecting medium-sized (most commonly renal) arteries and causing renovascular hypertension. The most common medial multifocal type of FMD (with the "string of beads" appearance) is more than four times more prevalent in females than in males. FMD accounts for up to 10% of cases of renovascular hyper

We provide new evidence on the long-run labor market penalty of teenage overweight and obesity using unique and large-scale data on 150,000 male siblings from the Swedish military enlistment. Our empirical analysis provides four important results. First, we provide the first evidence of a large adult male labor market penalty for being overweight or obese as a teenager. Second, we replicate this r

Exercise intolerance is frequent among Fontan patients and an important determinant for quality of life. This study investigated the hemodynamic causes of impaired exercise capacity in Fontan patients with particular focus on the influence of stroke volume index (SVI) and heart rate (HR).

A novel environmentally sound continuous-flow hot water extraction and enzymatic hydrolysis method for determination of quercetin in onion raw materials was successfully constructed using a stepwise optimization approach. In the first step, enzymatic hydrolysis of quercetin-3,4'-diglucoside to quercetin was optimized using a three level central composite design considering temperature (75-95°C), p

Inflammation is a key factor in the development of plaque rupture and acute cardiovascular events. Although imaging techniques can be used to identify vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques, we are lacking non-invasive methods, such as plasma markers of plaque inflammation that could help to identify presence of vulnerable plaques. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether increased plas

Objective A pay-for-performance (P4P) programme for primary care was introduced in 2011 by a Swedish county (with 1.6 million inhabitants). Effects on register entry practice and comparability of data for patients with diabetes mellitus were assessed. Design and setting Observational study analysing short-term outcomes before and after introduction of a P4P programme in the study county as compare

The need for harmonizing laboratory results is particularly intense in the field of quantitative protein assays in consideration of the clinical impact of specific protein measurements and their relevance in monitoring disease. We report the efforts made by the Committee on Plasma Proteins of the IFCC Scientific Division to achieve worldwide comparability in plasma protein results. We focus on the

Deoxyribonucleoside kinases (dNKs) are essential in the mammalian cell but their 'importance' in bacteria, especially aquatic ones, is less clear. We studied two aquatic bacteria, Gram-negative Flavobacterium psychrophilum JIP02/86 and Polaribacter sp. MED152, for their ability to salvage deoxyribonucleosides (dNs). Both had a Gram-positive-type thymidine kinase (TK1), which could phosphorylate th

Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) is a major human pathogen, which evolved numerous successful strategies to colonize the host. In this study, we report a novel mechanism of pneumococcal-host interaction, whereby pneumococci use a host complement protein C1q, primarily involved in the host-defense mechanism, for colonization and subsequent dissemination. Using cell-culture infection assays a

The renal cell carcinomas (RCC) denote a diverse set of neoplasias with unique genetic and histological features. The RCCs emanate from the renal tubule, a highly heterogeneous epithelial structure, and depending on which cell is malignified the resulting cancer displays unique characteristics. Notwithstanding this, the cells of origin for the RCC forms are far from established, and only inferred

The Gram-positive species Streptococcus pneumoniae is a human pathogen causing severe local and life-threatening invasive diseases associated with high mortality rates and death. We demonstrated recently that pneumococcal endopeptidase O (PepO) is an ubiquitously expressed, multifunctional plasminogen and fibronectin binding protein facilitating host cell invasion and evasion of innate immunity. I

Cutaneous human papillomaviruses (HPVs) have been associated with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in case-control studies, but there are limited data from prospective studies assessing whether virus exposure predicts risk of future cancer development. Two major biobanks, the Southern Sweden Microbiology Biobank (1971-2003) and the Janus Biobank (1973-2003) in Norway, containing samples from 850,000

OBJECTIVE: Previous smaller studies have indicated inverse associations between autoantibodies to oxidized low-density lipoprotein epitopes, and cardiovascular disease. The present study investigated associations between autoantibodies against the apolipoprotein B-100 peptides p45 and p210, respectively, and risk of incident cardiovascular disease in a large population-based cohort. APPROACH AND

A methodology for evaluation of natural draft cooling tower (CT) performance and its application is presented. The study establishes the connection between CT performance and power output. It can estimate a change in a CT’s efficiency as well as an increase in power output as a function of cooling water temperature and load to the plant. The methodology consists of three subparts, i.e. Cooling Tow

Do women who have diabetes before menopause have their menopause at an earlier age compared with women without diabetes?