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BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that osteoblasts are involved in the regulation of haematopoietic stem cells. Whether osteocalcin, which is derived from osteoblasts and is metabolically active, influences blood haemoglobin (Hb) levels is not known.OBJECTIVE: To determine whether plasma osteocalcin is a determinant of Hb in elderly men.METHODS: A total of 993 men (mean age 75.3 ± 3.2 years) parti
Background and aims: Previous studies reported divergent results on whether metabolically healthy obesity is associated with increased coronary artery calcium and carotid plaques. We investigated this in a cross-sectional fashion in a large, well-defined, middle-aged population using coronary CT angiography (CCTA) and carotid ultrasound. Methods: In the SCAPIS study (50–65 years, 51% female), CCTA
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most aggressive diseases and is characterized by high chemoresistance, leading to the lack of effective therapeutic approaches and grim prognosis. Despite increasing understanding of the mechanisms of chemoresistance in cancer and the role of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters in this resistance, the therapeutic potential of their pharmaco
Ligand stimulation of the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) beta-receptor leads to activation of its intrinsic tyrosine kinase and autophosphorylation of the intracellular part of the receptor. The autophosphorylated tyrosine residues mediate interactions with downstream signal transduction molecules and thereby initiate different signalling pathways. A pathway leading to activation of the GTP
Autoimmune regulator (AIRE) is a transcriptional regulator expressed in the thymus and necessary for maintaining immunological self-tolerance. Extra-thymic AIRE expression is rare and a role for AIRE in tumor-associated innate immune cells has not yet been established. In this study we show that AIRE is expressed in human pro-tumor neutrophils. In breast cancer, AIRE was primarily located to tumor
Colour polymorphism can be maintained by colour morph-specific benefits across environmental conditions. Currently, the amount and the duration of snow cover during winter decrease especially in northern latitudes, which can alter the potential for camouflage of animals with light and dark morphs. Tawny owls, Strix aluco, are colour-polymorphic avian predators with dark (brown) and light (grey) co
This study examines trait-level sense of self in 32 participants with varying meditation experience, with a special focus on the sense of self-boundaries and the sense of being a subject of experience, what is here referred to as perspectival ownership of experience. Results from qualitative and quantitative analyses of in-depth phenomenological interviews suggested a quadratic relation between se
In the reality of Israel’s educational system, it is highly unlikely that Arab and Jewish students will ever meet at school. Within this state-segregated context, bilingual multicultural education, while having the potential to act as a catalyst for change and promote intercultural dialogue, remains on the brim of academic interests. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the complex interplay o
This study examines the relationship between various types of external support and the duration of intrastate conflicts. Between 1975 and 2017, the majority of conflicts received external support in one shape or form and the effects of internationalising conflicts through the provision of external support are multiple. Existing literature has found that external involvement generally prolongs the
In this qualitative and poststructuralist policy analysis, the Swedish Crime policy is examined as it is expressed through three political documents from three different parties during the post-election period of October 2022-March 2024. Using Laclau and Mouffe’s discourse theory, with its Lacanian influence on the subject, this paper investigates the political language used in the policy area dur
The Romanian healthcare system faces various structural issues such as corruption, underfunding, and lack of modernization. As hospitals make every effort to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic around the country, there have been two deadly hospital fires. This study strives to reconstruct and evaluate Romanian President Klaus Iohannis’ arguments given in favor of health reform in response to the two
Students performs differently in international comparable school evaluations such as TIMSS and PISA. One possible explanation discussed in economic research literature is that differences in the amount of instruction time across countries are the reason for international gaps in student performance. Using a within-student between-subject fixed effects model and the data from the TIMSS 2019 evaluat
This paper investigates the recruitment of foreign fighters to the Kurdish armed forces YPG and YPJ, who combat the jihadist Islamic State in Western Kurdistan. The research question addresses the mystery of how people with no ties to the conflict area can be motivated to risk their lives in a distant conflict abroad, when they could just choose not to. David Malet´s theory of the framing of the c
Cigarette smoking is a risk factor for osteoporosis and bone fracture. Moreover, smoking causes exposure to cadmium, which is a known risk factor for osteoporosis. It is hypothesized that part of smoking-induced osteoporosis may be mediated via cadmium from tobacco smoke. We investigated this hypothesis using mediation analysis in a Swedish cohort of elderly men. This study was performed in 886 el
Social media companies have resorted to censorship to suppress misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic. This is not the most prudent solution though given the uncertainties about the disease.
The stellar-to-halo mass relation (SHMR) is not only one of the main sources of information we have on the connection between galaxies and their dark matter haloes, but also an important indicator of the performance of galaxy formation models. Here, we use one of the largest sample of galaxies with both high-quality rotation curves and near-infrared surface photometry, and perform a detailed compa
This paper is arguing that China’s political and economic opening in 1978, also referred to as China’s open door policy, was initiated by a change within China’s institutions affecting the political as well as the economic system. Since the opening in 1978 up until today (2012), constant economic reforms and developments as well as political progress can be observed. Domestic examples of China’s p
Background: Black carbon (BC) is an air pollutant of growing concern due to its adverse impacts on health and climate. Growing evidence suggests that BC could have a number of negative impacts on morbidity and mortality, but more evidence is needed. Objective: The objectives of this study are to quantify any associations between BC exposure and cause-specific (cardiovascular and cancer) mortality
