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Background Increased postoperative cardiac troponin (cTn) independently predicts short-term mortality. Previous studies suggest that preoperative cTn also predicts major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and mortality after noncardiac surgery. The value of preoperative and perioperative changes in cTn as a prognostic tool for adverse outcomes has been sparsely investigated. Methods and findings
Background: Breakthroughs in the treatment of preterm birth approximately 40 years ago have enabled a generation of preterm survivors to now reach mid-adulthood. Understanding their health sequelae is essential for guiding their long-term care. We did a study to examine preterm birth in relation to mortality into mid-adulthood. Methods: A national cohort study was done of all 4 296 814 singleton l
Background: Malaria is the leading public health problem in Ethiopia. Lack of malaria-specific knowledge has been commonly assumed to be an important barrier to engagement in behaviors that prevent malaria and prompt health seeking behavior. Objective: To assess parents’ knowledge, practice of prevention, treatment seeking and factors associated with malaria prevention among under-five children in
Importance: Preterm birth has previously been associated with increased risks of hypertension and diabetes, but not ischemic heart disease (IHD), in adulthood. The reasons for this lack of association with IHD despite associations with its risk factors have been elusive, but may be associated with methodologic issues, such as survivor bias, in prior studies. Objective: To determine whether preterm
Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive malignancy that carries a high mortality rate. A major contributor to the poor outcome is the lack of effective molecular markers. The purpose of this study was to develop protein markers for improved prognostication and noninvasive diagnosis. A mass spectrometry (MS)-based discovery approach was applied to pancreatic cancer tissues and healthy pancreas. In the v
Microorganisms in soil are commonly limited by available substrate, and removing the limitation will increase activity and growth, with predictable dynamics in growth. The initial phase with a lag period (λ) will usually be followed by exponential growth (also called log phase, with growth rate μ). These two growth phases may be differently affected by environmental conditions, like temperature an
An increasing demand of higher data rates in wireless communication forces the industry to look to higher frequencies to find the required bandwidths. This thesis is about analog transmitters in CMOS for millimeter-wave communication, and it focuses on improving power amplifiers and frequency generation circuits, and increase their efficiency. This thesis starts with an introduction to millimeter-
Knee injury increases the risk of developing knee osteoarthritis (OA). Recent evidence suggests involvement of oxidative stress induced by inflammation and bleeding in the joint. This study investigates the role in this process of α1-microglobulin (A1M), a plasma and tissue antioxidant protein with reducing function, and heme- and radical-binding properties. We studied matched knee synovial fluid
Monoclonal antibodies ofatumumab (anti-CD20) and alemtuzumab (anti-CD52) which are approved for usage in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), efficiently activate the classical complement pathway. However complement is an exhaustible component and high doses of its activators may deplete complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) potential, thus reducing the effect of repeated mAb dosing
This article discusses ineffective knowledge and information communication as an important barrier to improving energy efficiency in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and considers how to make functional communication an enabler of future SME energy-efficiency programmes. Energy audits – important tools when addressing energy efficiency in companies – are often performed by professionals w
BACKGROUND: Special neck support pillows claiming to improve rest and reduce neck pain are currently being advertised.OBJECTIVE: To test whether neck pillows have any positive effect on neck pain and quality of sleep compared with usual pillows and, if so, to find the optimal characteristics of such a pillow.METHODS: Thirty-seven hospital employees and 18 neck patients were asked to test six neck
We used comparative studies to investigate how and why floral and bee fragrances evolve, including courtship odors collected by male Euglossa mixta to form their tibial bouquet, on Coiba Island and other Panama forests. Fragrances of four orchid genera, two used extensively by E. mixta - Coryanthes and Mormodes - and two never used, Clowesia and Catasetum - were also analyzed. From among 636 chemi
Objective To examine trends in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as an underlying cause of death (UCD) in 31 countries across the globe during 1987-2011. Methods Data on mortality and population were collected from the World Health Organization mortality database and the United Nations. Age-standardized mortality rates (ASMR) were calculated by means of direct standardization. We applied joinpoint regress
Screening of 29 strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae revealed that 16/21 serum resistant strains and 0/8 serum sensitive strains bound C4bp. suggesting that C4bp binding to gonococci could contribute to serum resistance. C4bp bound to gonococci retained cofactor (C4b-degrading) function. Using allelic exchange to construct strains with hybrid Por1A/B molecules, we demonstrate that the N-terminal loop
Soil erosion by water is a major cause of landscape degradation in semi-humid to semi-arid Mediterranean environments. Terrain particularly susceptible to the phenomenon witness a combination of erosive soil, unconsolidated rock type, steep slope, high rainfall intensity, active tectonic movement, rapid land use change and intense human interference. Current erosion models (e.g. USLE, RUSLE) are b
Over the past 30 to 40 years comprehensive fishery policies and certification schemes have attempted to halt the rapid decline and exploitation of commercial fish stocks. However, with seafood as one of the most globalized food commodities and the world’s population increasing exponentially, most commercial stocks are thought to be on the brink of collapse. Some estimates exclaiming that all comme
Solar radiation is affected in a variety of different ways through the atmosphere and on its way down to the Earth’s surface. Clouds are the main factor in this attenuation of solar radiation, but aerosols, ozone and other different gases have a significant impact too. Understanding these processes is fundamental to solar forecasting. However, the atmosphere is constantly changing, which makes for
Background: Since 1994 the need for joint sexual and reproductive health (SRH) responsibility between men and women to achieve gender equality and reduce health inequalities has received more attention. The focus has been on young people as they transition into adulthood and are vulnerable to the negative consequences of early pregnancy and childbirth, STIs and early parenthood. Traditionally, con
