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The Loess Plateau is one of the most severely affected regions in China by soil erosion, where vegetation restoration is the principal strategy for soil and water conservation. Runoff and sediment reduction benefits (RRB and SRB) are key indicators used to evaluate the effectiveness of vegetation measures. While numerous observational and experimental studies have explored the effects of different

Aims/hypothesisObservational studies indicate that type 2 diabetes mellitus and fasting glucose levels are associated with a greater risk for hip fracture, smaller bone area and higher bone mineral density (BMD). However, these findings may be biased by residual confounding and reverse causation. Mendelian randomisation (MR) utilises genetic variants as instruments for exposures in an attempt to a

Azurocidin is a multifunctional endotoxin-binding serine protease homolog synthesized during the promyelocytic stage of neutrophil development. To characterize the biosynthesis and processing of azurocidin, cDNA encoding human preproazurocidin was stably transfected to the rat basophilic leukemia cell line RBL-1 and the murine myeloblast-like cell line 32D cl3; cell lines previously utilized to st

Background: In COPD, the balance between matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their natural inhibitors [tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs)] is shifted towards excessive degradation, reflected in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) as increased MMP concentrations. Because of their critical role in lung homeostasis, MMP activity is tightly regulated, but to what extent this regulation occurs t

Introduction: The pulmonary oxygen uptake is reduced during apnea, compared to eupneic baseline, preserving the pulmonary oxygen store. This study elucidates the time course for this reduction, comparing it to the time course for apnea-induced cardiovascular responses. Methods and results: Experiments involved two groups, performing apneas during rest, both without and with cold-water face immersi

Introduction: Knee pain increases the risk of developing chronic widespread pain (CWP) and knee osteoarthritis (KOA). The prevalence of CWP and KOA has increased, and there is a need for early prevention. Therefore, the aim was to examine the associations of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and lifestyle habits with chronic pain at a two-year follow-up in individuals with knee pain. Methods:

AIMS: Patients with heart failure (HF) and iron deficiency experience poor health-related quality of life (HRQoL). We evaluated the impact of intravenous (IV) ferric carboxymaltose (FCM) vs. placebo on HRQoL for the AFFIRM-AHF population.METHODS AND RESULTS: The baseline 12-item Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ-12), which was completed for 1058 (535 and 523) patients in the FCM and p

Cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality is high in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Most patients reveal a high prevalence of CV risk factors such as diabetes or arterial hypertension and many have manifest cardiovascular disease (CVD), such as coronary artery disease and chronic heart failure with an increased risk of clinical events including sudden cardiac death. Diabetes mellitu

Background Limited data exist on long-term survival of patients requiring admission to intensive care units (ICUs). The aim of this study was to investigate long-term survival of ICU patients in Iceland and assess changes over a 15-year period. Methods Data were collected on age, gender, admission cause, length of stay, comorbidities, mechanical ventilation and survival of patients 18 years and ol

INTRODUCTION: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common problem in hospitalized patients, requiring extensive treatment and carries a high mortality rate. This study was designed to assess the epidemiology of AKI, and risk factors and outcome of patients with severe AKI in a tertiary care university hospital in Iceland.MATERIAL AND METHODS: All adult patients with measured serum creatinine (SCr) in La

The mammary parenchyma is a complex arrangement of tissues that can greatly vary among individuals, potentially masking cancers in breast screening images. In this work, we propose a Simplex-based method to simulate anatomical patterns and textures seen in digital breast tomosynthesis. Our approach involves selecting appropriate Simplex noise parameters to represent distinct categories of breast p

Purpose: To translate, validate, and evaluate the psychometric properties of the German version of Keratoconus Outcomes Research Questionnaire (KORQ). Methods: This prospective study included 3 phases. In phase 1, the KORQ was translated in a standardized way; in phase 2, Rasch validation was performed; in phase 3, the validated questionnaire was evaluated in a separate patient cohort. All patient

Background. Pain is common in Parkinson's disease (PD) and impairs quality of life. The King's PD pain questionnaire (KPPQ) is a standardized, reliable, and valid self-administered questionnaire for screening of pain in PD. We developed a linguistically validated German version of the KPPQ and applied it to a cohort with fluctuating PD. Methods. The interculturally adapted German translation was p

The S-scheme mechanism in photocatalysis offers a promising approach to significantly enhance photoreductive activity. Here, using Bi dots as electronic media, and by changing the amount of added C@CuO on the surface of flower-shaped Bi2MoO6, a diverse range of CBM-x heterojunctions, were synthesized using a multi-step approach that incorporated solvothermal preparation and calcination methods. CB

Low-temperature combustion (LTC) concepts, such as homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) and partially premixed combustion (PPC), aim to reduce in-cylinder temperatures in internal combustion engines, thereby lowering emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and soot. These LTC concepts are particularly attractive for decarbonizing conventional diesel engines using renewable fuels such as metha

The Last Hour is one of plan b's series of works with spontaneous, real time text. Like How Do You Keep Talking, what we say is not rehearsed or set but happens in the moment. We set ourselves the task of saying everything we have left out of our relationship until now, as if we had one last hour together. We sit behind a long table with two microphones, dressed formally as if attending a press co

Introduction: This study aimed to understand the influence of diet and nutrition items on gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with Hirschsprung Disease (HD). Method: An online questionnaire was created to obtain patient-reported outcomes using the multinational Holistic Care in Hirschsprung Disease Network. This was distributed in Dutch, English, German, Italian, Polish, and Swedish via patient

Objectives: IgA vasculitis (IgAV) in adults has been relatively under-investigated. Since outcomes are worse in other forms of vasculitis with increasing age, we investigated the outcomes of IgAV comparing younger adults (18-34), middle-aged adults (35-64) and elderly patients (≥64 years) focusing on kidney outcomes. Methods: We identified patients with renal biopsy-confirmed IgAV nephritis and co

Externally bonded reinforcement (EBR) was used to increase load bearing capacity of light weight aggregate concrete (LWA) masonry walls subjected to eccentric axial compression. Ladder type masonry reinforcement, high strength steel wire strips and glass fiber mesh were used for strengthening of eleven, 2.4 m high, 0.5 m long and 0.1 m thick walls. The reinforcement was applied on the dry wall sur