Search

Background Overweight and obesity are increasing globally with aging, as are life expectancy and aging‐associated disorders, including calcific aortic stenosis (AS). Studies investigating the correlation between high body mass index (BMI) and AS are contradictory and inconclusive. This study examines a potential association between BMI and AS in women. Methods and Results By linking the Swedish Medical Birth Register and the Swedish National Patient Register, we included women aged 18 to 55 years with a first childbirth from 1981 to 2020. Diagnosis of AS and comorbidities were defined according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes. The women were divided into groups on the basis of BMI. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to investigate the difference in the risk of being diagnosed with AS, with reference BMI 20 to

Objective:. The objective of this study was to evaluate the long-term oncological outcomes of patients with colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM) randomized for associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS) or 2-stage hepatectomy (TSH). Introduction:. For advanced CRLM, TSH or ALPPS may be needed for tumor freedom. The randomized, controlled, multicenter trial LIGRO showed an increased resection rate in patients who underwent ALPPS but no difference in morbidity or mortality. The 2-year survival analysis revealed better overall survival in the ALPPS group. Here, the long-term survival analysis from the LIGRO trial is reported. Methods:. In the LIGRO trial, 100 patients were randomized to TSH or ALPPS, with the option of rescue ALPPS if insufficient growth was found after the initial step of TSH. Patients were enrolled between June 2014 and August 2016. Follow-up data for this study were collected between November 2022 and February 2023. Results:. In total, 16 patients were alive at the end of the follow-up period. The estimated median follow-up time was 93 months. Estimated median overall survival times were 45 months in the ALPPS group and 27 months in the TSH group (P = 0.057), with 5-year survival rates of 31% and 20%, respectively. Positive prognostic factors were liver tumor-free status at the first follow-up and rectal primary tumor. Negative prognostic factors were extrahepatic disease and increasing CLRM size. Conclusion:. Liver tumor-free status is a predictor of long-term survival, along with extrahepatic disease, large CRLM size, and rectal primary tumor. Survival did not significantly differ between patients treated with ALPPS or TSH.

Abstract This study introduces a distributed electrified heating approach that is able to innovate chemical engineering involving endothermic reactions. It enables rapid and uniform heating of gaseous reactants, facilitating efficient conversion and high product selectivity at specific equilibrium. Demonstrated in catalyst-free CH4 pyrolysis, this approach achieves stable production of H2 (530 g h−1 L reactor −1) and carbon nanotube/fibers through 100% conversion of high-throughput CH4 at 1150 °C, surpassing the results obtained from many complex metal catalysts and high-temperature technologies. Additionally, in catalytic CH4 dry reforming, the distributed electrified heating using metallic monolith with unmodified Ni/MgO catalyst washcoat showcased excellent CH4 and CO2 conversion rates, and syngas production capacity. This innovative heating approach eliminates the need for elongated reactor tubes and external furnaces, promising an energy-concentrated and ultra-compact reactor design significantly smaller than traditional industrial systems, marking a significant advance towards more sustainable and efficient chemical engineering society.

Background: Knowledge of prevalence and epidemiology of cystic fibrosis (CF) and healthcare resource use among Finnish people with CF is incomplete. Methods: We conducted a population-based matched cohort study using retrospective real-world data from linked Finnish national registries. Electronic healthcare data and drug purchases of 102 people with CF were analyzed between January 2015 and December 2019 (follow-up). A 5-fold control population was matched by sex, age, and place of residence. Comorbidities and medication use that occurred at any time during follow-up were assessed; annual rates of hospital service use were adjusted for follow-up. Results: The prevalence of CF in Finland was 1.85 per 100,000. Median age at diagnosis was 1 year, with 60 % diagnosed at age 30 times higher in people with CF than matched controls.

Abstract The frequency of skeletal deformations in fish is a common biomarker when investigating the environmental response to effluents of various origins. This study discovered a new biomarker: elevated mineralization levels of the vertebrae in the caudal region of perch Perca fluviatilis. The study was conducted in northern Sweden in lakes receiving discharges from an iron ore mine and adjacent reference lakes. The field observation was followed up with an egg‐hatching experiment showing a similar lake‐specific pattern in hatching and deformation frequencies in larvae.

A Swedish translation of the patient-reported outcome measure for assessing long-term control of atopic dermatitis, Recap of atopic eczema (RECAP), has not been validated. Cross-cultural translation and multi-centre validation of the translated RECAP questionnaire were therefore performed. Disease severity was assessed using the validated Investigator Global Assessment Scale for atopic dermatitis (vIGA-ADTM). The Swedish RECAP was completed by 208 individuals aged 16 years or older with a median age of 36 years (interquartile range [IQR] 27–48). The participants considered the questionnaire suitable for assessing eczema control. The median RECAP score (range 0–28) was 12 (IQR 5–19). The mean and median vIGA-ADTM scores (range 0–4) were 2 (standard deviation [SD] 2) and 3 (IQR 2–4), respectively. A correlation between RECAP and the vIGA-ADTM was observed (p

Abstract Background Diesel exhaust (DE) induces neutrophilia and lymphocytosis in experimentally exposed humans. These responses occur in parallel to nuclear migration of NF-κB and c-Jun, activation of mitogen activated protein kinases and increased production of inflammatory mediators. There remains uncertainty regarding the impact of DE on endogenous antioxidant and xenobiotic defences, mediated by nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) respectively, and the extent to which cellular antioxidant adaptations protect against the adverse effects of DE. Methods Using immunohistochemistry we investigated the nuclear localization of Nrf2 and AhR in the epithelium of endobronchial mucosal biopsies from healthy subjects six-hours post exposure to DE (PM10, 300 µg/m3) versus post-filtered air in a randomized double blind study, as a marker of activation. Cytoplasmic expression of cytochrome P450s, family 1, subfamily A, polypeptide 1 (CYP1A1) and subfamily B, Polypeptide 1 (CYP1B1) were examined to confirm AhR activation; with the expression of aldo–keto reductases (AKR1A1, AKR1C1 and AKR1C3), epoxide hydrolase and NAD(P)H dehydrogenase quinone 1 (NQO1) also quantified. Inflammatory and oxidative stress markers were examined to contextualize the responses observed. Results DE exposure caused an influx of neutrophils to the bronchial airway surface (p = 0.013), as well as increased bronchial submucosal neutrophil (p

Improved efficacy of probiotics can be achieved by using different strategies, including the optimization of production parameters. The impact of fermentation parameters on bacterial physiology is a frequently investigated topic, but what happens during the formulation, i.e., the step where the lyoprotectants are added prior to freeze-drying, is less studied. In addition to this, the focus of process optimization has often been yield and stability, while effects on bioactivity have received less attention. In this work, we investigated different metabolic activities of the probiotic strain Limosilactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 during formulation with the freeze-drying protectant sucrose. We discovered that the strain consumed large quantities of the added sucrose and produced an exopolysaccharide (EPS). Using NMR, we discovered that the produced EPS was a glucan with α-1,4 and α-1,6 glycosidic bonds, but also that other metabolites were produced. The conversion of the lyoprotectant is hereafter designated lyoconversion. By also analyzing the samples with GCMS, additional potential bioactive compounds could be detected. Among these were tryptamine, a ligand for the aryl hydrocarbon receptor, and glycerol, a precursor for the antimicrobial compound reuterin (3-hydroxypropionaldehyde). To exemplify the bioactivity potential of lyoconversion, lyoconverted samples as well as purified EPS were tested in a model for immunomodulation. Both lyoconverted samples and purified EPS induced higher expression levels of IL-10 (2 times) and IL-6 (4–6 times) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells than non-converted control samples. We further found that the initial cultivation of DSM 17938 with sucrose as a sugar substrate, instead of glucose, improved the ability to convert sucrose in the lyoprotectant into EPS and other metabolites. Lyoconversion did not affect the viability of the bacteria but was detrimental to freeze-drying survival, an issue that needs to be addressed in the future. In conclusion, we show that the metabolic activities of the bacteria during the formulation step can be used as a tool to alter the activity of the bacteria and thereby potentially improve probiotic efficacy.

We studied three novel approaches in environmental science communication for experts: gamification, virtual reality, and art-based scenario workshops and analyze participants' perceptions through qualitative interviews and a survey. Four dimensions emerged from the interviews: "enjoyment," "usability," "sociability," and "learning" that were found to be important for scientific communication. The approaches were perceived as enjoyable and beneficial for creating dialogue. However, the simplification of the information reduced its usability for experts. The approaches were found suitable for understanding other participants' viewpoints rather than disseminating knowledge about the content. Experts as a target group require special focus in the development of science communication.