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Failure of the human heart to maintain sufficient output of blood for the demands of the body, heart failure, is a common condition with high mortality even with modern therapeutic alternatives. To identify molecular determinants of mortality in patients with new-onset heart failure, we performed a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies and follow-up genotyping in independent populations

Even though hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) are characterized by their ability to self-renew and differentiate, they primarily reside in quiescence. Despite the immense importance of this quiescent state, its maintenance and regulation is still incompletely understood. Schlafen2 (Slfn2) is a cytoplasmic protein known to be involved in cell proliferation, differentiation, quiescence, interferon resp

Matola, a major Mozambican city, has witnessed flooding, mainly caused by rainfall. The study aims to produce flood-hazard and flood-risk maps for Matola using the hydrological model TFM-DYN. For 2000, 2020, and 2040, the modeled extent of medium-risk area is 50.6 km2 (13.7%), 44.8 km2 (12.2%), and 39.0 km2 (10.6%) and of high-risk area is 43.3 km2 (11.8%), 31.8 km2 (8.6%), and 28.9 km2 (7.8%), re

Chronic mesenteric ischaemia is a severe and incapacitating disease, causing complaints of post-prandial pain, fear of eating and weight loss. Even though chronic mesenteric ischaemia may progress to acute mesenteric ischaemia, chronic mesenteric ischaemia remains an underappreciated and undertreated disease entity. Probable explanations are the lack of knowledge and awareness among physicians and

Precipitation is intrinsically associated with high uncertainty, which is exacerbated exponentially over time—especially concerning climate change. However, the current design practice in urban drainage infrastructure remains firmly bound to deterministic assumptions regarding the design load. This approach is too simplified—focusing only on the return period of the design event—and ignores the co

Background: Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) activity has been shown to predict calcific aortic valve stenosis (CAVS) outcomes. Our objective was to test the association between plasma Lp-PLA2 activity and genetically elevated Lp-PLA2 mass/activity with CAVS in humans. Methods and results: Lp-PLA2 activity was measured in 890 patients undergoing cardiac surgery, including 476 pati

Small clusters of spherical colloids that mimic real molecules, so-called colloidal molecules, hold great promise as building blocks in bottom-up routes to new materials. However, their typical hard sphere nature has hampered their assembly into ordered structures, largely due to a lack of control in the interparticle interactions. To provide easy external control of the interactions, the present

In the advanced stages, malignant melanoma (MM) has a very poor prognosis. Due to tremendous efforts in cancer research over the last 10 years, and the introduction of novel therapies such as targeted therapies and immunomodulators, the rather dark horizon of the median survival has dramatically changed from under 1 year to several years. With the advent of proteomics, deep-mining studies can reac

Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) represents an attractive therapeutic target in hypertension and heart failure. The biologically active form of ANP is produced by the cardiac serine protease corin, and modulation of its activity might therefore represent a novel approach for ANP augmentation. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are pervasive regulators of gene expression, but their potential role in regulating cor

Purpose – As climate change shocks and stresses increasingly affect urban areas in developingcountries, resilience is imperative for the purposes of preparation, recovery and adaptation. This study aims to investigate demographic characteristics and social networks that influence the household capacity to prepare, recover and adapt when faced with prolonged droughts or erratic rainfall events in M

The emergence of nodding syndrome (NS) in Northern Uganda has generated controversial views with respect to patterns, natural history, and aetiology of the disease which is yet unknown. This study explored spatial patterns of NS using spatial-temporal methods to establish its clustering patterns across both space and time. Village and year of NS onset for individual patients between the years 1990

AimOur aim is to provide a-priori information on air-quality implications of potential future energy carriers in transportation relevant for sustainability, life cycle and health-impact assessments.MethodologyInformation on air- and climate-pollutant formation from energy carriers is collected in detailed laboratory assessments on heavy-duty combustion engines as well as on non-tailpipe emissions.

Precipitation is intrinsically associated with high uncertainty, which is exacerbated exponentially over time—especially concerning climate change. However, the current design practice in urban drainage infrastructure remains firmly bound to deterministic assumptions regarding the design load. This approach is too simplified—focusing only on the return period of the design event—and ignores the co

Background/Aims: Inguinal incisions are a common route of access in vascular surgery. Due to anatomical challenges and a diverse bacterial flora in this area, surgical site infections (SSI) represent a common, debilitating and sometimes life-threatening complication. The INVIPS-Trial evaluates the role of Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) on closed inguinal incisions in elective vascular surg

BACKGROUND: Child stunting is a significant challenge for most districts in Rwanda and much of sub-Saharan Africa and persists despite multisectoral efforts. There is a notable lack of population-based studies examining the correlation between violence against women and child stunting in Rwanda.OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the association between Rwandan women's exposure to intimate partner

Satellite imagery is a potent tool for estimating human wealth and poverty, especially in regions lacking reliable data. This study compares a range of poverty estimation approaches from satellite images, spanning from expert-based to fully machine learning-based methodologies. Human experts ranked clusters from the Tanzania DHS survey using high-resolution satellite images. Then expert-defined fe

Considering that the number of wheelchair users is on the rise at the global level due to population aging, it is crucial to secure their rights to have adequate access to healthcare services. Spatial accessibility to healthcare services has been well recognized to influence people's health. However, research on healthcare accessibility of wheelchair users is scarce. This study proposes a barrier-

BACKGROUND: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) has previously been associated with several comorbidities that may have shared genetic, epigenetic, developmental or environmental origins. PCOS may be influenced by prenatal androgen excess, poor intrauterine or childhood environmental factors, childhood obesity and learned health risk behaviors. We analyzed the association between PCOS and several rel

E-scooter sharing has been commonly used to integrate public transport systems in many cities worldwide. Accurately modeling integration between shared e-scooters and public transport is important for multi-modal urban transportation development and management. However, the effects of catchment size are scarcely considered while modeling their integration by widely adopting the method based on the