Background/Purpose: The need for transitional care has gained increased focus in the treatment of patients with congenital colorectal disorders. We aimed to acquire in-depth knowledge about the experiences of adult patients with Hirschsprung's disease (HD) and their suggestions for transitional care. Methods: Binational study applying gender equal focus group interviews (FGI). Results: Seventeen (

Preeclampsia is one of the most common causes of perinatal and maternal morbidity/ mortality. One suggested environmental risk factor is exposure to endocrine-disrupting pollutants such as per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The present case-control study in southern Sweden aims to investigate the hypothesized association between serum concentrations of PFAS in early pregnancy and the risk

Abstract: Progranulin is a glycoprotein marking chronic inflammation in obesity and type 2 diabetes. Previous studies suggested PSRC1 (proline and serine rich coiled-coil 1) to be a target of genetic variants associated with serum progranulin levels. We aimed to identify potentially functional variants and characterize their role in regulation of PSRC1. Phylogenetic module complexity analysis (PMC

Renewable diesel fuels have the potential to reduce net CO2 emissions, and simultaneously decrease particulate matter (PM) emissions. This study characterized engine-out PM emissions and PM-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation potential. Emissions from a modern heavy-duty diesel engine without external aftertreatment devices, and fueled with petroleum diesel, hydrotreated vegetable oil

Affibody molecules are the most studied class of engineered scaffold proteins (ESPs) in radionuclide molecular imaging. Attempts to use affibody molecules directly labelled with radiometals for targeted radionuclide therapy were hampered by the high uptake and retention of radioactivity in kidneys. Several promising strategies have been implemented to circumvent this problem. Here, we investigated

Prominent features of HD neuropathology are the intranuclear and cytoplasmic inclusions of huntingtin and striatal and cortical neuronal cell death. Recently, synaptic defects have been reported on HD-related studies, including impairment of neurotransmitter release and alterations of synaptic components. However, the definite characteristics of synapse dysfunction and the underlying mechanisms re

Background: Several neurotransmitters are expressed in the neurons of the trigeminal ganglion. One such signalling molecule is the pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide (PACAP). PACAP signalling has been suggested to have a possible role in the pathophysiology of primary headaches. Objective: The present study was designed to investigate the relationship between PACAP and calcitonin gene-

Differences in public health approaches to control the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic could largely explain substantial variations in epidemiological indicators (such as incidence and mortality) between the West and the East. COVID-19 revealed vulnerabilities of most western countries' healthcare systems in their response to the ongoing public health crisis. Hence, western countries

In this work, compliant mechanisms are designed by using multi-objective topology optimization, where maximization of the output displacement and minimization of the strain are considered simultaneously. To quantify the strain, we consider typical measures of strain, which are based on the p-norm, and a new class of strain quantifying functions, which are based on the variance of the strain. The t

Background: The lack of access to essential surgical care in low-income countries is aggravated by emigration of locally-trained surgical specialists to more affluent regions. Yet, the global diaspora of surgeons, obstetricians, and anesthesiologists from low-income and middle-income countries has never been fully described and compared with those who have remained in their country of origin. It i

Purpose: Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) is used for (re)staging prostate cancer (PCa) and as a biomarker for evaluating response to therapy, but lacks established response criteria. A panel of PCa experts in nuclear medicine, radiology, and/or urology met on February 21, 2020, in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, to formulate criteri

The pandemic of COVID-19 is a global challenge for health care, and dermatologists are not standing apart from trying to meet this challenge. The European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) has collected recommendations from its Task Forces (TFs) related to COVID-19. The Journal of the EADV has established a COVID-19 Special Forum giving free access to related articles. The psychosocial

In warm humid tropical climates, the outdoor environment defines the lives of the majority of the population in terms of social and economic aspects. Improvement of the outdoor thermal environment encourages social and economic prosperity of the urbanites. This paper explores urbanites’ thermal comfort in the informal urban fabric of warm humid Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Simultaneously, the study co

The association between contextual factors and health inequalities is well documented, also in Brazil. However, questions about how contextual factors actually affect health and well-being persist. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore how contextual factors-i.e., social stratification and neighborhood opportunity structures-are manifested in the lives of the residents of a vulnerable d

The purpose of the study is to identify and explore different applications of blockchain technology in supply chain management and suggest a framework for their analysis. The study addresses researchers' conflicting opinions regarding the hype of blockchain and clarifies which minor applications are hyped and which are currently more applicable. That helps supply chain practitioners appraise the d

In high-income countries, parental age at first birth has increased and this postponement increases the risk of involuntary childlessness or having fewer children than desired. This interview study was conducted in Denmark and Sweden among childless men (n = 29) in their last year of an education. The aim was to explore the role of individual and societal factors on fertility decision-making and m

Objective: This study aims to test a Chinese cross-cultural adaptation of the English version of the Person-Centred Care Assessment Tool (P-CAT)and evaluate its psychometric properties. Design: P-CAT was translated/back-translated using established procedures before the psychometric evaluation of the Chinese version was made. Setting: Two hospitals covering urban and suburban areas of Kunming in tOBJECTIVE: This study aims to test a Chinese cross-cultural adaptation of the English version of the Person-Centred Care Assessment Tool (P-CAT) and evaluate its psychometric properties.DESIGN: P-CAT was translated/back-translated using established procedures before the psychometric evaluation of the Chinese version was made.SETTING: Two hospitals covering urban and suburban areas of Kunming in th

Background: ECG changes after revascularization predicts improved outcome for patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Worst lead residual (WLR) ST deviation and resolution of worst lead ST elevation (rST elevation) are simple measures that can be obtained early after PCI. The objective of the current study was to investigate whether simple ECG measures, obtained one hour followin

Background: Melanoma is a type of superficial tumor. As advanced melanoma has a poor prognosis, early detection and therapy are essential to reduce melanoma-related deaths. To that end, there is a need to develop a quantitative method for diagnosing melanoma. This paper reports the development of such a diagnostic system using hyperspectral data (HSD) and a convolutional neural network, which is a