Heterogeneity of asthma and difficulty in achieving optimal control are the major challenges in the management of asthma. To help attain the best possible clinical outcomes in patients with asthma, several guidelines provide recommendations for patients who will require a referral to a specialist. Such referrals can help in clearing the uncertainty from the initial diagnosis, provide tailored trea

Introduction: The primary aim of this study was to compare the objective and subjective outcomes and short-term complication rates of an adjustable single-incision mini-sling (SIMS) vs. standard mid-urethral slings (SMUS). The secondary aim was to report pain perception and complications at the one-year follow up. Material and methods: The study was designed as a multicenter prospective randomized

Parenting support constitutes a long-established part of both the Swedish and the German portfolio of public social services. It originated in the 1920s in Germany, the 1930s in Sweden. Support measures and underlying philosophies have steadily changed in both countries, thereafter. The 1990s saw a new ‘turn to parenting’ and also new measures in Sweden and Germany. In this article, we ask how par„Parenting“ und „Parenting Support“ in Deutschland und Schweden. Konvergenz und fortdauernde Unterschiede.

Stretching of DNA in nanoscale confinement allows for several important studies. The genetic contents of the DNA can be visualized on the single DNA molecule level and both the polymer physics of confined DNA and also DNA/protein and other DNA/DNA-binding molecule interactions can be explored. This chapter describes the basic steps to fabricate the nanostructures, perform the experiments and analy

Until very recently, Germany belonged to the ‘familialist’ group of welfare states, which offered cash rather than services to married couples and families. Sweden, in contrast, belonged to the ‘non-familialist’ counterpart, fostering gender equality in employment and family care via public services and extended reconciliation measures for decades. During the 2000s, however, Germany eventually enaAbstractUntil very recently, Germany belonged to the ‘familialist’ group of welfare states, which offered cash rather than services to married couples and families. Sweden, in contrast, belonged to the ‘non-familialist’ counterpart, fostering gender equality in employment and family care via public services and extended reconciliation measures for decades. During the 2000s, however, Germany eventu

Background: C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 8 (CXCL8) is a multi-functional chemokine and has important roles during tumor formation and development. It was previously reported that increased CXCL8 protein levels occurred in certain patients. Materials and Methods: In the present study, we examined levels of CXCL8 mRNA in breast cancer tissues and analyzed its levels in correlation to patients' clini

The SNP variant rs2943650 near IRS1 gene locus was previously associated with decreased body fat and IRS1 gene expression as well as an adverse metabolic profile in humans. Here, we hypothesize that these effects may be mediated by an interplay with epigenetic alterations. We measured IRS1 promoter DNA methylation and mRNA expression in paired human subcutaneous and omental visceral adipose tissue

Objective. To estimate the extent that overweight/obesity, smoking, and alcohol are associated with prevalence and longitudinal changes of radiographic hand osteoarthritis (OA). Methods. Participants from the Osteoarthritis Initiative (n = 1232) were included, of whom 994 had 4-year followup data. In analyses on incident hand OA, only persons without hand OA at baseline were included (n = 406). Ou

Premise of research. A major aim in plant research is to understand the micro-and macroevolutionary processes generating the great diversity of mating systems and floral traits found in flowering plants. Using Collinsia heterophylla, a mixed-mating species in a genus with described variation in selfing rate and associated floral traits among species, we investigated (i) intraspecific selfing rate

The oncogenic D816V mutation of the KIT receptor is well characterized in systemic mastocytosis and acute myeloid leukemia. Although KITD816V has been found in melanoma, its function and involvement in this malignancy is not understood. Here we show that KITD816V induces tyrosine phosphorylation of MITF through a triple protein complex formation between KIT, MITF, and SRC family kinases. In turn,

Proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controllers are very common in the process industry. In a regular factory there may be hundreds or thousands of them in use. Each of these controllers needs to be tuned, and even though the PID controller is simple, tuning the controllers still requires several hours of work and adequate knowledge in order to achieve a desired performance. Because of that, ma

Nutritional epidemiology is an inherently complex and multifaceted research area. Dietary intake is a complex exposure and is challenging to describe and assess, and links between diet, health, and disease are difficult to ascertain. Consequently, adequate reporting is necessary to facilitate comprehension, interpretation, and generalizability of results and conclusions. The STrengthening the Repo

Background and purpose The objective of this study was to estimate the level of health outcomes and resource use at a hospital level during the first year after a stroke, and to identify any potential differences between hospitals after adjusting for patient characteristics (case mix). Method Data from several registries were linked on individual level: seven regional patient administrative system

Issues surrounding relationships between different writings and questions regarding literary dependence are ubiquitous in New Testament scholarship. This study aims to answer questions concerning how one is to understand the way that early Christian writers used other Christian writings: Are any typical characteristics discernible regarding the earliest use of Christian writings? Were they memoriz

Purpose: To evaluate the utility of preoperative diagnostic models for ovarian cancer based on ultrasound and/or biomarkers for referring patients to specialized oncology care. The investigated models were RMI, ROMA, and 3 models from the International Ovarian Tumor Analysis (IOTA) group [LR2, ADNEX, and the Simple Rules risk score (SRRisk)]. Experimental Design: A secondary analysis of prospectiv

Cancer immunotherapy can result in durable tumor regressions in some patients. However, patients who initially respond often experience tumor progression. Here, we report mechanistic evidence of tumoral immune escape in an exemplary clinical case: a patient with metastatic melanoma who developed disease recurrence following an initial, unequivocal radiologic complete regression after T-cell–based

Background/purpose: Biliary atresia is the most common reason for newborn cholestasis and pediatric liver transplantation. Even after normalization of serum bilirubin after portoenterostomy, most patients require liver transplantation by adulthood due to expanding fibrosis. We addressed contemporary outcomes of biliary atresia in the Nordic countries. Methods: Data on center and patients character

Introduction: Despite spectacular progress in cellular transplantology, there are still many concerns about the fate of transplanted cells. More preclinical studies are needed, especially on large animal models, to bridge the translational gap between basic research and the clinic. Herein, we propose a novel approach in analysis of cell transplantation effects in large animals explants using in vi

Recent work has expanded our knowledge in somatic genetic events related to melanoma progression. It has become increasingly clear that multiple genetic events are required for melanoma to develop and that melanoma is a vastly heterogeneous disease. Signaling pathways that are essential for tumor progression have been pinpointed due to recent technological developments, which has led to the vigoro