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Introduction: Limited prospective evidence is available to guide selection of first-line maintenance therapy in patients with COPD. This pre-specified analysis of the EMAX trial explored the efficacy and safety of dual-versus mono-bronchodilator therapy in maintenance-naïve and maintenance-treated patients. Methods: The 24-week EMAX trial evaluated lung function, symptoms (including rescue medicat
Background: In randomized trials, Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine has been associated with reduced all-cause mortality. BCG-induced Tuberculin Skin Test (TST) reactions have also been associated with reduced all-cause mortality. We aimed to assess the association between TST responses and subsequent mortality in three birth cohorts and conducted a meta-analysis of existing studies. Methods:
Background and Purpose: Clinicians will increasingly encounter adult patients who were born preterm and will need to understand their long-term sequelae. Adult survivors of preterm birth have been reported to have increased risks of hypertension and other stroke risk factors. However, their stroke risks have seldom been examined and the findings are discrepant, possibly due to small sample sizes,
Background: Aseptic loosening is one of the major reasons for late revision in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The risk of aseptic loosening can be detected using radiostereometric analysis (RSA), whereby micromovements (migration) can be measured, and thus RSA is recommended in the phased introduction of orthopedic implants. Decrease in bone mineral density (BMD), as measured by dual-energy x ray
We studied avian development in 49 to 153 species of temperate and tropical New World passerine birds to determine how growth rates, and incubation and nestling periods, varied in relation to other life-history traits. We collected growth data and generated unbiased mass and tarsus growth rate estimates (mass n = 92 species, tarsus n = 49 species), and measured incubation period (n = 151) and nest
Spectral aerosol light absorption is an important parameter for the assessment of the radiation budget of the atmosphere. Although on-line measurement techniques for aerosol light absorption, such as the Aethalometer and the Particle Soot Absorption Photometer (PSAP), have been available for two decades, they are limited in accuracy and spectral resolution because of the need to deposit the aeroso
Introduction Receiving Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG)-Denmark vaccine at birth has been associated with ∼40% reductions in all-cause neonatal mortality. We evaluated determinants of BCG skin reaction characteristics by age 2 months and tested the association with subsequent mortality. Methods Prospective observational study amalgamating five trials providing BCG-at-birth that were conducted between
The Northern high latitudes are warming twice as fast as the global average, and permafrost has become vulnerable to thaw. Changes to the environment during thaw leads to shifts in microbial communities and their associated functions, such as greenhouse gas emissions. Understanding the ecological processes that structure the identity and abundance (i.e., assembly) of pre- and post-thaw communitiesThe Northern high latitudes are warming twice as fast as the global average, and permafrost has become vulnerable to thaw. Changes to the environment during thaw leads to shifts in microbial communities and their associated functions, such as greenhouse gas emissions. Understanding the ecological processes that structure the identity and abundance (i.e., assembly) of pre- and post-thaw communities
Silver birch (Betula pendula) and three Southeast Asian tropical plant species (Ficus cyathistipula, Ficus benjamina and Caryota millis) from the pantropical fig and palm genera were grown in a purpose-built and environmentcontrolled whole-tree chamber. The volatile organic compounds emitted from these trees were characterised and fed into a linked photochemical reaction chamber where they underwe
In this paper we study the Lilang Super Group in the Spiti area, Indian Himalaya to understand environmental changes in the aftermath of the end-Permian mass extinction. We focus on the Mikin and Kaga Formations, which span the Induan to Ladinian stages of the Lower and Middle Triassic. These strata formed on the southern mid-palaeolatitude margin of East Gondwana and are interpreted as condensed,
Background: Low levels of the soluble tumour necrosis factor-like weak inducer of apoptosis (sTWEAK) and depression are linked to cardiovascular disease. Galectin-3, inadequate glycemic control and low high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol levels were previously linked to depression in these patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). The main aim was to explore whether sTWEAK was associat
Aims/hypothesis: Preterm birth (gestational age <37 weeks) has been associated with insulin resistance early in life. However, no large population-based studies have examined risks of type 1 and type 2 diabetes and potential sex-specific differences from childhood into adulthood. Clinicians will increasingly encounter adults who were born prematurely and will need to understand their long-term ris
The aim of this study was to perform a preliminary assessment of the expected effective dose rate from external exposure to an adult individual staying at that part of the radioactively contaminated territory of the Vetka district of the Gomel region of the Republic of Belarus, from where residents had been resettled after the Chernobyl accident. For this assessment, in summer 2016 and 2018 soil s
Introduction The potential impact of socio-economic condition on virological suppression during antiretroviral treatment (ART) in sub-Saharan Africa is largely unknown. In this case-control study, we compared socio-economic factors among Ethiopian ART recipients with lack of virological suppression to those with undetectable viral load (VL). Methods Cases (VL>1000 copies/ml) and controls (VL<150 c
PURPOSE: Radiological assessment of primary brain neoplasms, both high (HGG) and low grade tumors (LGG), based on contrast-enhancement alone can be inaccurate. We evaluated the radiological value of amide proton transfer weighted (APTw) MRI as an imaging complement for pre-surgical radiological diagnosis of brain tumors.METHODS: Twenty-six patients were evaluated prospectively; (22 males, 4 female
Background: The standard reference region (RR) for amyloid-beta (Aβ) PET studies is the cerebellar grey matter (GMCB), while alternative RRs have mostly been utilized without prior validation against the gold standard. This study compared five commonly used RRs to gold standard plasma input-based quantification using the GMCB. Methods: Thirteen subjects from a test–retest (TRT) study and 30 from a
Background: Mitral valve (MV) and tricuspid valve (TV) apparatus geometry are essential to define mechanisms and etiologies of regurgitation and to inform surgical or transcatheter interventions. Given the increasing use of cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) for the evaluation of valvular heart disease, we aimed to establish CMR-derived age- and sex-specific reference values for mitral annula
The Transfermium Working Group (TWG) was set up in 1986 under the joint auspices of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) and the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP). Its conclusions, duly endorsed by IUPAC and IUPAP, were published in the following three reports: 1. Criteria that must be satisfied for the discovery of a new chemical element to be recognThe Transfermium Working Group (TWG) was set up in 1986 under the joint auspices of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) and the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP). Its conclusions, duly endorsed by IUPAC and IUPAP, were published in the following three reports:1. Criteria that must be satisfied for the discovery of a new chemical element to be recogni
Background High parity has been suggested to increase risk of maternal cardiovascular disease independent of body mass index measured after childbearing. Pregnancy is, however, associated with persistent weight gain and metabolic changes that, independent of parity, increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. It could therefore be questioned if high parity independently increases the risk of card
