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Substance use is a significant problem that plagues many individuals and families. Of the millions needing substance use related services, a fraction of those receive treatment in an inpatient trea...

The incidence of taste disturbance after stapes surgery is high (61.9%), whereas the majority (94.8%) recovers within 1 year. More severe surgical nerve trauma caused more disturbance, implying that the nerve should be handled carefully during surgery.Patients operated on for otosclerosis seem more often to complain about post-operative taste disturbance than those operated on for chronic otitis media, although the chorda tympani nerve more seldom becomes maltreated in stapedotomy. These observations seem paradoxical. It is unclear to what extent a post-operative taste disturbance affects the quality-of-life. This study aims to shed light on the occurrence of post-operative taste disturbances, on possible prognostic factors, and to what extent post-operative taste disturbance impairs the quality-of-life.One hundred and thirty-four adults undergoing primary stapedotomy were included. Questionnaires on taste disturbance and quality-of-life (SF-36) were answered before and after surgery, until 1 year post-operatively.Eighty-three (61.9%) study persons reported post-operative taste disturbance. Seven (5.2%) reported persisting disturbance at 1 year. Surgically more traumatized chorda tympani nerves correlated with more severe taste disturbance post-operatively than less traumatized. Taste disturbance at 1 year post-operatively correlate with a decrease of the physical function domain in the SF-36.

To investigate sexual experiences, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and use of condoms in relation to human papillomavirus (HPV)-vaccination status in female high school students.In 2013, 355 female students with a median age of 18 years from randomly selected high schools in Sweden answered a classroom questionnaire on sexual experiences and HPV-vaccination status.In total 227/348 (65%) of the women reported having received at least one HPV vaccine dose. Median age at first intercourse was 15 and 16 years respectively, in the 141/227 (62%) vaccinated after, and the 86/227 (38%) vaccinated before their sexual debut. There were no differences between the HPV-vaccinated and non-vaccinated groups regarding condom use, STIs, and experiences of oral and anal sex, or friends- with-benefit relationships. However, having had sexual intercourse and 'one-night stands' were more common in the vaccinated group (both p0.05).Many students (62%) were vaccinated against HPV, with two-thirds after their sexual debut. There were no differences in condom use and STIs, and only a few differences in sexual experiences between the HPV-vaccinated and non-vaccinated groups. Initiating HPV vaccination before sexual debut is important, as is information about the link between HPV, sexual behaviour and cancer.

The results indicate that electrogustometry and the filter paper disc method are reliable methods to measure taste with a high degree of reproducibility.To thoroughly evaluate the reliability of electrogustometry and the filter paper disc method for taste assessments.Thirty-nine healthy test persons without any history of chronic middle ear disease, aged between 27 and 62 years, were recruited. In all, 772 electrogustometry and 30 filter paper disc assessments were made. A nerve decay test was performed, with measures taken before and after eating sweet, sour, bitter, salt, a mild or spicy meal, after smoking, and after taking Swedish tobacco snuff ('snus'), as well as before and after local anesthesia of the tongue. Measurements were performed on 5 consecutive days and repeatedly during 1 day. The correlation between electrogustometry and the filter paper disc method was also studied.The results indicate that electrogustometry and the filter paper disc method are reliable methods to measure taste with a high degree of reproducibility. The only actions causing significant changes in the electrogustometry readings were eating a bitter substance and having local anesthesia of the tongue. The correlation between the methods was statistically significant except for the bitter flavor, where the correlation was just below the level of significance.

Nasal congestion caused by mucosal swelling and conch hypertrophy impairs breathing and causes snoring and headaches. Treatment of conch hypertrophy with radiofrequency (RF) allows reduction of mucosal swelling, minimization of hyperplasia, and decreased mucus production. This treatment provides a clinically significant improvement in snoring, headaches, and mouth breathing.To compare the efficacy of RF surgery to nasal steroid; each method used separately and both in combination.This was a consecutive randomized study, which included 84 patients with 3 outpatient visits, where the first visit included a complete medical history, assessment of ENT status, and skin tests. Nasal flow measured with rhinomanometry was done at the first visit and then before and after each treatment. Patients were asked to respond to a questionnaire at the first visit and after each subsequent treatment. Thereafter the variables were analyzed with established statistical methods.Measurement of variables and patient questionnaire responses showed a clear improvement in several symptoms, such as sneezing and headache, and a clinically significant improvement in nasal congestion and snoring.

Since 1985, SKB has successfully operated a sea transport system for transport of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste to the intermediate storage facility, Clab and the final repository, SFR, in Sweden. The main components in the system are the ship M/S Sigyn, transport casks for spent fuel and core components, IP2 containers and terminal vehicles.

Ribonuclease MRP is a eukaryotic ribonucleoprotein complex consisting of one RNA molecule and 7-10 protein subunits. One important function of MRP is to catalyze an endonucleolytic cleavage during processing of rRNA precursors. RNase MRP is evolutionary related to RNase P which is critical for tRNA processing. A large number of MRP RNA sequences that now are available have been used to identify conserved primary and secondary structure features of the molecule. MRP RNA has structural features in common with P RNA such as a conserved catalytic core, but it also has unique features and is characterized by a domain highly variable between species. Information regarding primary and secondary structure features is of interest not only in basic studies of the function of MRP RNA, but also because mutations in the RNA give rise to human genetic diseases such as cartilage-hair hypoplasia.

The Concise Encyclopedia of Statistics, by Yadolah Dodge, New York, Springer, 2008, x+616 pp., £191.50 or US$299.00 (hardback), ISBN 978-0-387-31742-7 Instead of trying to give a comprehensive cove...

Three types of new boots have been developed within the new Swedish battle dress system. The approach adopted was that of user-oriented product development, starting from human requirements and stressing the properties required of the products in use. In this particular case, the work started from considering the requirements for healthy feet in contrast to previous work starting from an established last The assessed footwear requirements were listed as 14 points, based on literature and in vivo studies of the biomechanical and physiological functions of feet, and interviews with the final users, the soldiers. The combination of footwear that best fulfilled the requirements and minimized the conflicts was established. Special development studies concerning the shape of the last, the model design, the choice of materials and soling techniques were carried out. Based on this knowledge, prototypes were developed, laboratory tested and evaluated in consecutive wear trials. The final solutions were built up as...