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Objective: Targeted Health Dialogues (THD) is a public health intervention program that aims at preventing cardiovascular disease. THDs were implemented in the Swedish region Scania, in 2020, with the novelty of being conducted in a metropolitan area with a multiethnic population.This study investigated the prevalence of obesity among 40-year-old THD participants in Scania by region of birth, and its associations with self-efficacy and additional metabolic risk factors. Methods: Cross-sectional data were retrieved from measurements in the THDs. Study participants included 1831 40-year-olds. Differences in characteristics by region of birth were assessed using chi-squared and ANOVA tests. The associations between overweight, obesity, and high waist-hip ratio (WHR) and self-efficacy and metabolic risk factors (blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, plasma glucose) were assessed using binominal and ordinal logistic regression, adjusted for sex and education and tested for interactions by region of birth. Results: 35.1 % of the participants were overweight (BMI 25–29.9), and 18.7 % were obese (BMI ≥30) with the highest levels among participants born outside Sweden (p = 0.005). Abdominal obesity was also more prevalent among participants born outside Sweden (p = 0.002). Obesity was associated with increased odds of having low self-efficacy (OR per BMI-level: 1.48 (CI 1.24–1.76) and additional metabolic risk factors. No interactions with region of birth were detected. Conclusions: The prevalence of obesity differed between region of birth and obesity was associated with having low self-efficacy. These findings underline the need to customise lifestyle interventions in a multiethnic population to increase health equity.

Summary:. Regenerative peripheral nerve interface (RPNI) surgery has been demonstrated to be an effective tool as an interface for neuroprosthetics. Additionally, it has been shown to be a reproducible and reliable strategy for the active treatment and for prevention of neuromas. The purpose of this article is to provide a comprehensive review of RPNI surgery to demonstrate its simplicity and empower reconstructive surgeons to add this to their armamentarium. This article discusses the basic science of neuroma formation and prevention, as well as the theory of RPNI. An anatomic review and discussion of surgical technique for each level of amputation and considerations for other etiologies of traumatic neuromas are included. Lastly, the authors discuss the future of RPNI surgery and compare this with other active techniques for the treatment of neuromas.

The focus of this paper is on the theoretical interpretation of Low Field Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (LF-NMR) data regarding hydrogels architecture and on the most interesting applications of LF-NMR presented by this research group at the 6th IAPC Symposium held in Zagreb (HR) on September 2017. Particular attention is devoted to the determination of the mesh size distribution of gels polymeric network and the determination of the pore size distribution of microporous systems such as scaffolds, bones, and porous gels. In addition, we report on a very recent application of LF-NMR for monitoring lung functioning in patients suffering from chronic pulmonary diseases like cystic fibrosis. The main findings of this work consist in providing a very simple and accurate approximation of a general theory devoted to evaluating the relation existing among four fundamental polymeric network parameters, i.e. the polymer volume fraction inside the hydrogel, mesh size, hydraulic radius, and the radius of the cylinder ideally embedding each polymeric network chain. Furthermore, we demonstrated the potentiality of LF-NMR in the characterization of different polymeric systems among which the sputum of patients suffering from chronic pulmonary diseases appears the most innovative application for its simplicity, rapidity, effectiveness, and potential impact in the everyday clinic.

Background: Male breast cancer (MBC) is a rare disease and little is known about its etiopathogenesis. Array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) provides a method to quantitatively measure the changes of DNA copy number and to map them directly onto the complete linear genome sequences. The aim of this study was to investigate DNA imbalances by aCGH and compare them with a female breast cancer dataset.

Pelvic bone metastases frequently result in severe pain and disability. Open surgical reconstruction is associated with a high complication and mortality rate. Percutaneous screw fixation is a minimally invasive treatment that is safe and effective for the management of periacetabular metastases. This article details our technique for pelvic screw fixation, including (1) perioperative care, (2) navigation and needle guidance, (3) access, (4) biopsy and ablation, (5) screw placement, and (6) cement augmentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The working hypothesis is put forward that Lethal Yellowing (LY) disease of coconut originated in Southeast Asia, where the disease is now endemic due to the prevalence of locally resistant to moderately resistant varieties. The suggestion is made that LY is co‑identical with other lethal diseases of coconut characterized by different symptorn expression. These differences are due to certain morphological and physiological characteristics inherent in coconut 'groups' of different origin. A hypothesis is also advanced on the existence of different strains of LY, which would explain the differences in susceptibility of certain varieties when grown in different locations. The need for coordinated research to confirm or reject these hypotheses is discussed.

Research on the nature of esca started in 1898 in France and continued there until 1926. Two lignicolous basidiomycetes (Stereum hirsutum and Fomes igniarius) were believed to be the causal organisms of an internal wood decay. Studies conducted by Petri in Sicily in 1912 revealed that fungi of the genera Cephalosporium and Acremonium were causing alterations around and far away from wounds. In 1959 in California, the pathogenicity of Cephalosporium species and the wood-rotting ability of Fomes igniarius were proved. In the 90’s numerous studies were conducted in France, Italy, South Africa and California, and important advances were made in understanding the etiology and epidemiology of the disease.

Powdery mildew disease of suger beet has been known for many years in Europe and the Middle East, but it was seldom seen in California before 1974. The sudden and widespread occurrence of the disease in 1974 throughout the western United States is difficult to explain but probably was due to the introduction or development of a virulent race of the pathogen in or near the Imperial Valley, from where it rapidly spread by windblown spores to other areas. The continued presence of the disease in all areas in 1975 and 1976 indicates that a pathogenic race of this fungus disease is here to stay.

WHEN THE GRAPE integrated control project was started in 1961, the grape leafhopper, Erythroneura elegantula Osborn, was believed to be the primary pest of vineyards in the San Joaquin Valley. Also, it was believed that chemical treatments to control this insect were responsible for the increase of secondary pests such as spider mites. The basic aim of these studies was to determine what levels of leafhoppers could be tolerated without need of chemical treatments.

Graft transmission studies provide further evidence that quick decline pears is caused by a virus and that, under experimental conditions, it cause the disease in the absence of pear psylla.

The Levelized Cost Of Energy (LCOE) of a Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plant strongly depends on the costs and efficiency of the solar field. A three-fold configuration has to be considered to optimize the chosen technology: Thermal Energy Storage (TES), Heat Transfer Fluid (HTF) and the concentration system technology. Direct Steam Generation (DSG) represents a realistic alternative to the existing HTF solutions (molten salt or diathermic oil) as it uses water to feed the plant and get steam to be potentially directly injected in the steam turbine. When applied to parabolic trough, the whole plant is undergoing a sequence of technological new problems [1] presently under further investigation within the CSP community, as for instance dedicated innovative thermal energy storage systems [2]; the equilibrium between costs and efficiency is yet to have been exhaustively defined and leaves therefore large room for investigation and research. This paper will be dealing with the dedicated efforts provided by Archimede Solar Energy to its DSG solar receiver (HCEDSG-12), presenting the solution chosen to get rid of the extremely hard operating conditions. Results obtained from half a year-long real plant investigation will be discussed, demonstrating the technical feasibility of this intriguing technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Sex-determining region Y (Sry) is a transcription factor. Our research group has shown that there are multiple copies of Sry in Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) and spontaneous hypertensive (SHR) rats, and that they have novel functions separate from testes determination. Objective: We hypothesized that exogenously delivered Sry3 to the normotensive WKY male kidney would activate the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) and raise blood pressure (BP), based on previous in vitro studies. Methods: Sry3 or control vector was electroporated to the left kidney of male WKY rats and the following measurements were taken: BP by telemetry, renin-angiotensin measures by radioimmunoassay, plasma and tissue catecholamines by HPLC with electrochemical detection, sodium by flame photometry, and inulin by ELISA. Results: Sry3 increased BP 10 to 20 mm Hg compared with controls (P < 0.01) and produced a significant 40% decrease in urine sodium compared with controls (P < 0.05). Sry3 increased renal angiotensin II and plasma renin activity by >100% compared with controls (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, respectively). Conclusion: The findings presented here confirm and extend the argument for Sry3 as one of the genes responsible for the SHR hypertensive Y chromosome phenotype and are consistent with increased tissue RAS activity due to Sry3 and increased sodium reabsorption. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The generation of panels of somatic cell hybrids specific for chimpanzee, gorilla, orangutan, and olive baboon is reported. The chromosome content of each hybrid clone was characterized using reverse painting on human normal metaphases and by the use of appropriate sequence tag sites (STSs), one for each chromosome arm. These resources can be advantageously exploited in the characterization of chromosome architecture of different primate species, with special reference to the discrimination of inter- and intra-chromosomal arrangement of segmental duplications. Copyright © 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]