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OBJECTIVES: the purpose of this study was to assess the predictive accuracy of conventional cardiovascular risk factors for incident heart failure and atrial fibrillation, and the added benefit of multiple biomarkers reflecting diverse pathophysiological pathways. BACKGROUND: heart failure and atrial fibrillation are interrelated cardiac diseases associated with substantial morbidity and mortality
Malignant melanoma is a heterogeneous, malignant neoplastic disease, most often originating in the skin. Melanoma is characterized by a high mutational load and has a vastly variable prognosis, depending on disease stage. Genetic aberrations in the mitogen-activating protein kinase (MAPK) pathway are important in melanoma, of which mutations in BRAF and NRAS are the most common. Additionally, recu
Background: We aimed to investigate the diagnostic performance of S100 as an outcome predictor after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and the potential influence of two target temperatures (33 °C and 36 °C) on serum levels of S100. Methods: This is a substudy of the Target Temperature Management after Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (TTM) trial. Serum levels of S100 were measured a posteriori
OBJECTIVE: To study intra-aneurysm sac pressure and subsequent abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) diameter changes in patients without endoleaks that remain unchanged in AAA diameter more than 1 year after endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR). METHODS: A total of 23 patients underwent direct intra-aneurysm sac pressure (DISP) measurements 16 months (IQR: 14-35 months) after EVAR. Tip-pressure sensors
Since the 1970s, the practice of conscripting, enlisting or recruiting children into armed groups or forces has become increasingly common, and many children are used for various tasks in conflicts around the globe. Children are easily persuaded or forced into such armed groups or forces, and they suffer great harm from exposure to violence. Girls are generally recruited in the same manner as boys
In an urbanizing world, challenged by climate change and rising temperatures, street vegetation can help mitigate urban temperatures. However, scaling the understanding of street vegetation’s cooling effects from local observations to the city level introduces challenges. While several studies have assessed the influence of street greenery on land surface temperature (LST) at the city scale using
The main goal of this thesis is to examine the causal effect of the hybrid war with Ukraine beginning from 2014 on Russian export of services towards its main services importers in Belarus, Kazakhstan, China, Cyprus, Switzerland, Germany, United States of America, United Kingdom, Türkiye in years 2006-2020 with the execeptions of 2010 and 2011 due to data limitations. This is done employing a syth
33Background: PSMA PET has been shown to detect more metastasis and alter management at biochemical recurrence (BCR), but it remains to be determined that it changes oncologic outcome. We assessed the quantitative parameters on 18F-DCFPyL PET at BCR and evaluated their association with tumor volume, metastatic locations with the subsequent biochemical progression free survival (bPFS). Methods: Thi
Background: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has traditionally been preferred over computed tomography (CT) for segmentation of intracranial structures due to its superior low contrast resolution. However, a reliable CT-based segmentation could improve patient management when MRI is not practical. Despite advancements in CT imaging, such as enhanced tissue differentiation using virtual monoenerget
Background: Mammography screening programmes have been widely implemented across European countries over the past 40 years with the main aim to detect breast cancer earlier and thereby reduce breast cancer mortality. This study aimed to analyse and compare changes over time in breast cancer incidence, by stage at diagnosis, and breast cancer mortality across countries in relation to the timing of
BACKGROUND: Early-life exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) may impact the developing lungs and immune system and increase the risk of childhood asthma, but no studies have been conducted in a high-exposed population. The objective of this study was to estimate associations between prenatal PFAS exposure and childhood incidence of asthma and wheeze in Blekinge County, Sweden, whe
BACKGROUND: Spinal cord injury (SCI) may, and often does, profoundly reshape daily life, altering physical abilities, social roles, and personal identities. While assistive technologies, including assistive robotics, are often framed as solutions to re-establish independence, their adoption is shaped by practical, emotional, and social considerations as well as functional qualities. Individuals wi
Aims Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is one of the most common anxiety disorders and is associated with significant impairment and societal costs. The association between SAD and mortality remains poorly understood, partly because in epidemiological research it is rarely studied independently from other anxiety disorders. In this population-based matched cohort and sibling control study, we estimate
Background: Apolipoprotein B (apoB) is a well-known risk factor for atherosclerosis. However, studies examining its relation to atrial fibrillation (AF) have produced conflicting results and suggested possible sex-specific differences. This study investigated the sex-specific associations between serum apoB concentrations and incident AF and offer insight into the inconsistencies in previous resea
Multiple sclerosis leads to diffuse damage of the central nervous system, affecting also the normal-appearing white matter. Demyelination and axonal degeneration reduce regional fractional anisotropy in normal-appearing white matter, which can be routinely mapped with diffusion tensor imaging. However, the standard fractional anisotropy metric is also sensitive to physiological variations in orien
Background: Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) are common in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) dementia, but substantial heterogeneity exists in the manifestation of NPS. Sex differences may explain this clinical variability. We aimed to investigate the sex differences in the prevalence and severity of NPS in AD dementia. Methods: Literature searches were conducted in Embase, MEDLINE/PubMed,
Background: In sub-Saharan Africa, truckers and female sex workers (FSWs) have high HIV risk and face challenges accessing HIV testing. Adding HIV self-testing (HIVST) to standard of care (SOC) programs increases testing rates. However, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. HIVST may decrease barriers (inconvenient clinic hours, confidentiality concerns) and thus we would expect a gr
Background and aim: To date, few studies have focused on the health effects of pesticide exposure among avocado farmworkers. We examined the association of exposure to insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides with cognitive and mental health outcomes among these avocado workers from Michoacan, Mexico. Materials and methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 105 avocado farmworkers between Ma
