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BACKGROUND AND AIM: Progression to fibrosis in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with an increased risk of liver-related events, overall mortality and possibly metabolic comorbidities. Our aim was to determine if non-invasive fibrosis scoring systems can predict the future risk of diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease (CVD), chronic kidney disease (CKD), liver-related eve

Birds possess a magnetic sense and rely on the Earth's magnetic field for orientation during migration. However, the geomagnetic field can be altered by solar activity at relative unpredictable intervals. How birds cope with the temporal geomagnetic variations caused by solar storms during migration is still unclear. We addressed this question by reproducing the effect of a solar storm on the geom

Several invertebrate and vertebrate species have been shown to align their body relative to the geomagnetic field. Many hypotheses have been proposed to explain the adaptive significance of magnetic body alignment outside the context of navigation. However, experimental evidence to investigate alternative hypotheses is still limited. We present a new setup to track the preferential body alignment

The shortest light pulses produced to date are of the order of a few tens of attoseconds, with central frequencies in the extreme UV range and bandwidths exceeding tens of electronvolts. They are often produced as a train of pulses separated by half the driving laser period, leading in the frequency domain to a spectrum of high, odd-order harmonics. As light pulses become shorter and more spectral

The crystal structure of a material has a large impact on the electronic and material properties such as band alignment, bandgap energy, and surface energies. Au-seeded III–V nanowires are promising structures for exploring these effects, since for most III–V materials they readily grow in either wurtzite or zinc blende crystal structure. In III–Sb nanowires however, wurtzite crystal structure gro

Data on longitudinal lung function change in the elderly are scarce. Uncertainty remains about whether to use absolute or relative change and how it relates to subject demographics.We studied absolute and relative forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) change in a population-based geriatric sample using a repeated measurements model adjusted for age, sex, smoking ha

Alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) is a hereditary disorder. AATD is a known risk factor for the development of emphysema and liver disease. A cohort of severe (PiZZ) and moderate (PiSZ) AAT-deficient newborn infants was identified by the Swedish national neonatal AAT screening in 1972-1974 and has been followed up since birth. Our aim was to study survival in this cohort up to 43-45 years of a

Purpose: Speech signal degradation such as a voice disorder presented in quiet or in combination with multi-talker babble noise could affect listening comprehension in children with hearing impairment. This study aims to investigate the effects of voice quality and multi-talker babble noise on passage comprehension in children with using cochlear implants (CIs) and/or hearing aids (HAs). It also a

Background Renal elimination normally decreases with age. Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) carry a risk of additional kidney damage. Objective The aims of this study were to assess the prevalence of NSAIDs in the elderly (aged ≥ 65) population in Sweden, explore reasons for any possible differences in the level of use and assess their kidney functions. Setting Data were obtained from t

Nanoparticles exposed to biological fluids adsorb biomolecules on their surface forming a biomolecular corona. This corona determines, on a molecular level, the interactions and impact the newly formed complex has on cells and organisms. The corona formation as well as the physiological and toxicological relevance are commonly investigated. However, an acknowledged but rarely addressed problem in

Encapsulated Haemophilus influenzae strains belong to type-specific genetic lineages. Reliable capsule typing requires PCR, but a more efficient method would be useful. We evaluated capsule typing by using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. Isolates of all capsule types (a–f and nontypeable; n = 258) and isogenic capsule transformants (types a

Conjugated polymers have been widely studied as flexible, versatile semiconductors in organic electronics. However, the material stability is one of the problems limiting their applications. Thus, understanding the degradation process of conjugated polymers is crucial. In this work, we monitored the chain scission of the model polymer MEH-PPV in chloroform solutions under different conditions by a

OBJECTIVE To examine whether the 1-h blood glucose measurement would be a more suitable screening tool for assessing the risk of diabetes and its complications than the 2-h measurement. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We conducted a prospective population-based cohort study of 4,867men, randomly selected fromprespecified birth cohorts between 1921 and 1949,who underwent an oral glucose tolerance test

Objective. To evaluate the Bristol Rheumatoid Arthritis Fatigue Multidimensional Questionnaire (BRAFMDQ), the revised Bristol Rheumatoid Arthritis Numerical Rating Scales (BRAF-NRS V2) and the Rheumatoid Arthritis Impact of Disease (RAID) scale in six countries. Methods. We surveyed RA patients in France, Germany, The Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK, including the HAQ, 36-item Short Form Hea

We present a method for estimating the trap distributions on each of the surfaces in a multi-gate MOSFET. We perform I-V hysteresis measurements on InGaAs Tri-gate MOSFETs with various channel widths (25, 60 and 100 nm) from which top surface and side wall trap distributions are determined. We show that the total trap distribution of a device can be expressed as a linear combination of the top sur

A rigid mineral-based deposit, termed ultra-high temperature (UHT) fouling, is formed on heat exchanger surfaces during milk processing at 140 °C. The removal of this type of fouling is for the first time assessed using a laser triangulation sensor and a camera, to measure changes in the thickness and to visualize structural changes in the fouling in situ. The process was monitored during both the

Background: The prevailing diagnostic criteria for CKD are age-independent, but have been challenged in light of the eGFR decline associated with normal aging. The stages of CKD communicate magnitude of risk of ESRD, cardiovascular morbidity, and mortality. Aims: This study aims to provide more insight into the morbidity and mortality associated with eGFR levels corresponding to the current CKD st

Purpose: Coffee and tea constituents have shown several anti-carcinogenic activities in cellular and animal studies, including against thyroid cancer (TC). However, epidemiological evidence is still limited and inconsistent. Therefore, we aimed to investigate this association in a large prospective study. Methods: The study was conducted in the EPIC (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer

Background. Opioid agonist treatment (OAT), for the treatment of heroin dependence, has been reported to improve overall health and lower mortality. Drug use and retention in treatment have often been used as measures of treatment success. More recently, however, researchers have suggested that measurements of quality of life should be an outcome in substance use treatment evaluations. In a recent