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BACKGROUND: Atrial septal pacing (ASP) has been shown to shorten P-wave duration (PWD) and reduce recurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with bradyarrhythmias. However, variability of interatrial connections and atrial conduction properties may explain ASP's modest clinical benefit. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of ASP site on the duration of the paced P wave. METHODS
Background/Objectives:Dietary addition of either conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) or n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LC-PUFAs) has been shown to alter adiposity and circulating lipids, risk markers of cardiovascular diseases. However, CLA may decrease insulin sensitivity, an effect that may be reversed by n-3 LC-PUFA. Thus, the potential of CLA plus n-3 LC-PUFA to affect insulin secr
Objective. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) continues to be an important cause of morbidity, mortality and healthcare costs in the western world. Although smoking is an important trigger of COPD, other factors such as chronic inflammation and malnutrition are known to influence its development. Because coeliac disease (CD) is characterized both by dysregulated inflammation and malnutri
Background Family history is a strong risk factor for prostate cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate whether increased diagnostic activity is related to the incidence of prostate cancer among brothers of men with prostate cancer. Methods Data were from the nationwide population-based Prostate Cancer Database Sweden (PCBaSe Sweden), which includes data from the National Prostate Cancer R
BACKGROUND: Butterflies of the subtribe Mycalesina have radiated successfully in almost all habitat types in Africa, Madagascar, the Indian subcontinent, Indo-China and Australasia. Studies aimed at understanding the reasons behind the evolutionary success of this spectacular Old World butterfly radiation have been hampered by the lack of a stable phylogeny for the group. Here, we have reconstruct
Background and purpose: Statin treatment may ameliorate viral infection-induced exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which exhibit Th2-type bronchial inflammation. Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), a hub cytokine switching on Th2-inflammation, is overproduced in viral and dsRNA-stimulated bronchial epithelial cells from COPD donors. Hence, TSLP may be causally involve
OBJECTIVE: To identify factors predicting response to first TNF blocking treatment course in patients with established RA with a special focus on gender differences. METHODS: Patients with active RA initiating their first treatment course of TNF-blocking therapy were enrolled. The study period was March 1999 through September 2006. The prospective protocol included information on demographics, cli
Respiratory symptoms among hairdressers are often ascribed to the use of bleaching powders that contain persulfate salts. Such salts can act as allergens and airway irritants but the mechanisms behind the negative health effects are not fully known. In order to understand why some hairdressers experience respiratory symptoms during, and after, sessions of hair bleaching, it is of importance to cha
Background: The role of non-group A streptococci and Fusobacterium necrophorum in pharyngotonsillitis has been disputed and few prospective studies have evaluated the effect of antibiotic treatment. This study uses registry data to investigate the relation between antibiotic prescription for pharyngotonsillitis in primary healthcare and return visits for pharyngotonsillitis, complications, and ton
This study in the Amhara and Oromia regions of Ethiopia assessed the outcomes of tuberculosis (TB) treatment among children younger than 15 years. Retrospective data were collected on treatment outcomes and their determinants for children with TB for the cohorts of 2012-2014 enrolled in 40 hospitals and 137 health centers. Chi-square tests, t-tests, and logistic regression were used for the analys
Background: Second primary cancers (SPCs) are important clinically as they may negatively influence patient survival and they may tell about therapeutic side effects and general causes of cancer. Population-based literature concerning SPCs after hepatobiliary cancers is limited and here we assess risks of SPCs after hepatocellular cancer (HCC), and cancers of the gallbladder, bile ducts and ampull
There is an increasing recognition that, although the climate change and biodiversity crises are fundamentally connected, they have been primarily addressed independently and a more integrated global approach is essential to tackle these two global challenges. Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are hailed as a pathway for promoting synergies between the climate change and biodiversity agendas. There are
To assess (1) global longitudinal strain (GLS) by feature tracking cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) in the sub-acute and chronic phases after ST-elevation infarction (STEMI) and compare to GLS in healthy controls, and (2) the evolution of GLS and regional longitudinal strain (RLS) over time, and their relationship to infarct location and size. Seventy-seven patients from the CHILL-MI-trial (NCT013
Aims: Neurotensin (NT) is a gut hormone that promotes lipids absorption and controls appetite. Elevated circulating pro-NT, the stable precursor of NT, is associated with cardiovascular (CV) disease, metabolic syndrome (MS) and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Features of MS and insulin resistance are reported also in type 1 diabetes (T1D), with detrimental impact on the overall CV risk profile. Aims of the
This review aimed to summarize and estimate the TB treatment success rate and factors associated with unsuccessful TB treatment outcomes in Africa. Potentially eligible primary studies were retrieved from PubMed and Google Scholar. The risk of bias and quality of studies was assessed using The Joanna Briggs Institute’s (JBI) appraisal criteria, while heterogeneity across studies was assessed using
Substance use disorders (SUDs) are important risk factors for suicide, yet little is known about how suicide risks vary by specific SUDs. We examined these risks for the first time in a large general population to facilitate comparisons across SUDs. A national cohort study was conducted of all 6,947,191 adults in Sweden. SUDs (opioid, sedative/hypnotic, hallucinogen, cannabis, amphetamine, cocaine
OBJECTIVE: This analysis aimed to compare failure to rescue (FTR) after pancreatoduodenectomy across the Atlantic. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: FTR, or mortality after development of a major complication, is a quality metric originally created to compare hospital results. FTR has been studied in North American and Northern European patients undergoing pancreatoduodenectomy (PD). However, a direct comp
BACKGROUND: ECG abnormalities are associated with adverse outcomes in the general population, but their prognostic significance in severe mental illness (SMI) remains unexplored. We investigated associations between no, minor, and major ECG abnormalities and fatal cardiovascular disease (CVD) among patients with SMI compared with controls without mental illness. METHODS AND RESULTS: We cross-linke
Background: The contribution of endothelial injury in the pathogenesis of COVID-19-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and resulting respiratory failure remains unclear. Plasma endostatin, an endogenous inhibitor of angiogenesis and endothelial dysfunction is upregulated during hypoxia, inflammation and progress of pulmonary disease. Aim: To investigate if plasma endostatin is as
