BACKGROUND: Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), such as PCBs, DDT and dioxins have in several cross-sectional studies shown strong associations with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Reversed causality can however not be excluded. The aim of this case-control study was to evaluate whether POPs concentration is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A case-control study was pe

Abstract The identification of patients carrying extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing bacteria is important, since these patients are at risk of receiving inappropriate empirical therapy if they become infected. The purpose of this study was to investigate the occurrence of ESBL-producing bacteria in patients with travellers' diarrhoea. Patients with travellers' diarrhoea (N = 242) ha

What mechanisms are needed in a cognitive system, such as an animal or a robot, and how do these mechanisms interact with each other? The thesis presents a study of this problem within the field of behavior-based systems and artificial neural networks. The thesis brings together ideas from behavior-based robotics, control theory and machine learning and combines them with models from ethology, ps

Thymic expression of insulin has been suggested to play a major role in negative selection of autoreactive T cells and tolerance induction against pancreatic beta cells. Furthermore, the expression of insulin in peripheral antigen-presenting cells (APC) has been clearly demonstrated but whether thymic negative selection and tolerance induction also depends on peripheral influx of self-antigens (Ag

Background and purpose The effect of oral snuff on bone healing is virtually unknown. In vitro data have indicated that delay in bone healing in smokers may be the result of components of smoke other than nicotine. We compared the time for bone healing after high tibial osteotomy in snuffers, smokers, and in control subjects who did not use snuff or cigarettes. Patients and methods 175 male patien

To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of adiposity and its links to cardiometabolic disease risk, we conducted a genome-wide association meta-analysis of body fat percentage (BF%) in up to 100,716 individuals. Twelve loci reached genome-wide significance (P

Objective. In the European Association of Urology guidelines on prostate cancer an extended pelvic lymphadenectomy (ePLND) is now recommended, instead of a dissection limited to the obturator fossae (lPLND). This recommendation relies on studies reporting that metastatic disease is identified twice as often with ePLND as with lPLND, with only moderately increased complications. However, these stud

Study the relationship between inhalation of airborne particles in a pulp and paper mill and markers of inflammation and coagulation in blood.

BackgroundThe presence of orthostatic hypotension (OH) predicts all-cause mortality and incident cardiovascular disease. Whether or not OH is associated with the development of heart failure (HF) remains unknown.MethodsIn this Swedish population-based prospective study (the Malmö Preventive Project), the incidence of HF in relation to baseline OH, defined as decrease in systolic (SBP) >/=20 mm Hg

A resolution model for evolutionary conflicts of interest is proposed. We assume that two conflicting parties originally have different evolutionarily stable strategies (ESS) with respect to a continuous variable, but that only one value of the variable is simultaneously possible. Individuals from the two parties meet in antagonistic encounters. The side that invests more in the antagonistic behav