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Objectives: We aimed to describe the cardiopulmonary function during exercise and the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with a history of COVID-19 pneumonia, stratified by chest computed tomography (CT) findings at baseline. Methods: Among 77 consecutive patients with COVID-19 who were discharged from the Pulmonology Ward between March 2020 and April 2021, 28 (mean age 54.3 ± 8.6
Ocean evaporation, represented by latent heat flux (LE), plays a crucial role in global precipitation patterns, water cycle dynamics, and energy exchange processes. However, existing bulk methods for quantifying ocean evaporation are associated with considerable uncertainties. The maximum entropy production (MEP) theory provides a novel framework for estimating surface heat fluxes, but its applica
The KEYNOTE-564 trial showed that adjuvant immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy with pembrolizumab, a PD-1 antibody, significantly improved disease-free survival (DFS) and overall (OS) survival in localised clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC) with a high risk of relapse. The TiNivo and CONTACT-03 trials have reported results for subsequent therapy after progression on ICI therapy in the met
The surface of dry or wet asphalt roads reflects partially linearly polarized light, the degree of linear polarization p of which depends on the darkness and roughness of asphalt: the darker and/or the smoother the asphalt, the higher the p of light reflected from it. If the asphalt is sunlit and the direction of view is parallel to the solar-antisolar meridian, then the direction of polarization
In a potato starch factory, potato proteins can also be obtained alongside the main product starch. After the denatured proteins have been withdrawn, the remaining potato fruit juice (PFJ) can be further concentrated through evaporation and used as a fertilizer. However, evaporators are highly energy-intensive. Instead, membrane filtration presents a more energy-efficient alternative for this proc
OBJECTIVES: To reach agreement among experts on visual assessments of postural orientation errors (POEs) during the single-leg squat (SLS), and to use expert agreement assessments as ground truth for machine learning (ML) models to evaluate their ability to classify POEs.DESIGN: Methodological study with mixed-methods design.METHODS: POEs of the lower extremity and trunk were assessed from videos
Background: Rare variants of the triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cell 2 (TREM2) gene are strong risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and drugs targeting the TREM2 protein are being developed. However, it is unknown what the effect of TREM2 variants is on the AD phenotype. Methods: Here we studied a full range of clinical and biomarker measures in a large cohort of TREM2 variant carr
BACKGROUND: Medical students navigate a complex landscape of digital tools with potential to enhance learning. The main objectives of the current study were to investigate which digital resources are being used, which background factors are associated with utilization, perceived advantages and disadvantages of different digital resources, and explore future directions.METHODS: Cross-sectional, nat
Objectives Peak exercise systolic blood pressure (SBP) is associated with future cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality. We aimed to evaluate the predictive value of different SBP patterns at the end of exercise with these outcomes. Methods We studied 6329 adults (45% women) referred for exercise testing, with test duration of 6-14 min, maximal effort and valid SBP measurements at the end of e
Objective: To analyze the outcomes of urgent/emergent endovascular aortic repair of patients with free/contained ruptured thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (rTAAA). Background: Endovascular repair of rTAAA has been scarcely described in emergent setting. Methods: An international multicenter retrospective observational study (ClinicalTrials.govID:NCT05956873) from January 2015 to January 2023 in 6
Background: Keeping the umbilical cord intact the first minutes after delivery is beneficial for both term and preterm infants. However, this may be challenging in caesarean sections (CS) due to lack of mobile resuscitation equipment, maintenance of sterility or concern for excessive maternal blood loss. The objective of this study was to develop and pilot-test extra-uterine placental transfusion
Background: MR-generated acoustic noise may be particularly concerning at 7-Tesla (T) systems. Noise levels can be reduced by altering gradient output using software optimization. However, such alterations might influence image quality or prolong scan times, and these optimizations have not been well characterized. Purpose: To evaluate image quality, sound pressure levels (SPLs), and perceived noi
Labile organic carbon is a major nutrient, controlling microbial activity in aquatic ecosystems and contributing to the global cycling of carbon. During the production and distribution of drinking water, labile carbon fractions often escape treatment, which threatens water quality and biostability. This study proposes and compares two rapid methods for monitoring the production and removal of labi
BACKGROUND: Local resection of early rectal cancer (RC) is a desirable treatment option compared with surgery, offering reduced morbidity, mortality, health care costs and avoidance of stoma. However, local resection is restricted to cases without suspicion of lymph node metastases (LNM). Current methods to diagnose LNM and risk estimations based on histopathology cannot reliably identify patients
BackgroundIt remains unclear as to why some individuals at low risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) develop severe coronary atherosclerosis, while those at high CVD risk may remain free from coronary atherosclerosis.PurposeUsing Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography (CCTA), we aimed to identify factors associated with absence and severe coronary atherosclerosis in subjects from the general popu
Called in after discussions about prognosis between referring clinicians and patients, palliative care consultants sometimes find that the patient does not seem to understand what the referring clinician believes he or she explained. However, holding a more explicit discussion about prognosis may compromise the palliative care clinician's rapport with both the patient and the referring clinician.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) presents complex challenges due to its multifactorial nature, poorly understood etiology, and late detection. The mechanisms through which genetic and modifiable risk factors influence disease susceptibility are under intense investigation, with APOE being the major genetic risk factor for late onset AD. Yet the impact of unique risk factors on brain networks is difficult
Filter exchange imaging (FEXI) is a double diffusion-encoding (DDE) sequence that is specifically sensitive to exchange between sites with different apparent diffusivities. FEXI uses a diffusion-encoding filtering block followed by a detection block at varying mixing times to map the exchange rate. Long mixing times enhance the sensitivity to exchange, but they pose challenges for imaging applicat
Biochemical analyses of blood can decipher physiological conditions of living animals and unravel mechanistic underpinnings of life-history strategies and trade-offs. Yet, researchers in ecology and evolution often face constraints in which methods to apply, not least due to blood volume restrictions or field settings. Here, we test the suitability of a portable biochemical analyser (Zoetis VetSca
