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Background: Colon capsule endoscopy (CCE) offers direct mucosal visualisation without sedation or gas insufflation required in conventional colonoscopy (CC). However, evidence for the role of CCE as an adjunct or alternative to CC remains equivocal. In this observational cohort study, we report our experience of using CCE to investigate patients with suspected colon pathology at a tertiary referra
Background: When discontinuation in COPD randomized controlled trials (RCTs) is unevenly distributed between treatments (differential dropout), the capacity to demonstrate treatment effects may be reduced. We investigated the impact of the time of differential dropout on exacerbation outcomes in RCTs, in relation to study duration and COPD severity. Methods: A post hoc analysis of 2,345 patients f
Background: Dark skin and low exposure to sunlight increase the risk of Vitamin D insufficiency in children. Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the amount of Vitamin D needed to ascertain that most children > 4 y of age attain sufficient serum25-hydroxyVitamin D [S-25(OH)D; i.e.,≥50 nmol/L] during winter regardless of latitude and skin color. Design: In a longitudinal, double-blind, r
High-risk (HR) human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is an established cause of malignant disease. We used a societal perspective to estimate the cost of HR HPV-related cervical, vulvar, vaginal, anal, and penile precancer and cancer, and oropharyngeal cancer in Sweden in 2006, 1 year before HPV vaccination became available in the country. Materials and methods This prevalence-based cost-of-illness
OBJECTIVE:: Caesarean section (C-section) is associated with various immune-mediated diseases in the offspring. We investigated the relationship between mode of delivery and celiac disease (CD) and CD autoimmunity (CDA) in a multinational birth cohort. METHODS:: From 2004 to 2010 infants from the general population who tested positive for HLA DR3-DQ2 or DR4-DQ8 were enrolled in The Environmental D
Chromosome banding analysis of 11 short-term cultured gallbladder carcinomas revealed acquired clonal aberrations in seven tumors (five primary and two metastases). Three of these had one clone, whereas the remaining four were cytogenetically heterogeneous, displaying two to seven aberrant clones. Of a total of 21 abnormal clones, 18 had highly complex karyotypes and three exhibited simple numeric
OBJECTIVE:: Although recent studies have indicated that both orthostatic hypotension and orthostatic hypertension (OHTN) independently predict cardiovascular events, the underlying mechanisms are still debatable. METHODS:: A total of 700 nondiabetic adults (43% men, age 64 years) were examined by orthostatic blood pressure (BP) test, carotid artery ultrasonography, and biochemical tests including
OBJECTIVE: Topical negative pressure therapy has excellent healing effects in poststernotomy mediastinitis. Topical negative pressure therapy reduces bacterial counts, increases wound edge microvascular blood flow and granulation tissue formation, and facilitates healing. No study has yet been performed to examine the effect of topical negative pressure on the blood and fluid content in the sterna
OBJECTIVE: Mediolateral knee movement can be assessed visually with clinical tests. A knee-medial-to-foot position is associated with an increased risk of knee injuries and pathologies. However, the implications of such findings on daily tasks are not well understood. The aim of this study was to investigate if a knee-medial-to-foot position assessed during a clinical test was associated with alte
BACKGROUND: Ghana's maternal mortality ratio remains high despite efforts made to meet Millennium Development Goal 5. A number of studies have been conducted on maternal mortality in Ghana; however, little is known about how the causes of maternal mortality are distributed in different socio-demographic subgroups. Therefore the aim of this study was to assess and analyse the causes of maternal mor
Context and Objective: Metabolic and body compositional consequences of GH deficiency (GHD) in adults are associated with a phenotype similar to the metabolic syndrome (MetS). Patients: We assessed MetS prevalence in adult GHD patients (n = 2531) enrolled in the Hypopituitary Control and Complications Study. Prevalence was assessed at baseline and after 3 yr of GH replacement in a subset of 346 ad
OBJECTIVE:: To assess the prognostic value of continuous amplitude-integrated electroencephalogram in comatose survivors after cardiac arrest and treated with hypothermia. DESIGN:: Prospective observational study. SETTING:: General intensive care unit at a university hospital. PATIENTS:: Comatose patients after cardiac arrest and treated with hypothermia. INTERVENTIONS:: Patients were sedated and
OBJECTIVES: Alzheimer disease (AD) can now be diagnosed in subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) using biomarkers. However, little is known about the rate of decline in those subjects. In this cohort study, we aimed to assess the conversion rate to dementia and identify prognostic markers in subjects with MCI and evidence of amyloid pathology. METHODS: We pooled subjects from the VU Un
Objective. To investigate whether rates of cartilage loss differ in knees with frequent baseline pain versus those without pain, after adjustment for radiographic osteoarthritis (OA) stage. Methods. One knee in each of 718 Osteoarthritis Initiative participants was examined: 310 with calculated Kellgren/Lawrence (K/L) grade 2, 299 with calculated K/L grade 3, and 109 with calculated K/L grade 4. T
Introduction: The potential association between hypo-and hyperthyroid disorders and breast cancer has been investigated in a large number of studies during the last decades without conclusive results. This prospective cohort study investigated prediagnostic levels of thyrotropin (TSH) and triiodothyronine (T3) in relation to breast cancer incidence in pre- and postmenopausal women. Methods: In the
PURPOSE: To compare progressive dynamic, relative quantitative changes in glycans associated with retinal proteins of wild type (wt) and retinal degeneration 1 (rd1) mice during neonatal development and degeneration of retinae. METHODS: Proteins extracted from retinae of postnatal day 2 (PN2), PN7, PN14 wt and rd1 mice were labeled with Cy3-fluorescent dye. Glycome of these proteins was quantified
Purpose: To assess and correlate the levels of inflammatory mediators in the eyes from non-diabetic and diabetic subjects without retinopathy (NDR), with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) or with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) to corresponding erum levels. Methods: The levels of interleukin 1β, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were analysed by an EL
Background: The effects on left and right ventricular (LV, RV) volumes during physical exercise remains controversial. Furthermore, no previous study has investigated the effects of exercise on longitudinal contribution to stroke volume (SV) and the outer volume variation of the heart. The aim of this study was to determine if LV, RV and total heart volumes (THV) as well as cardiac pumping mechani
The ability of thermoresponsive, amine-functionalized microgel particles to take part in microgelmicrogel inter-cross-linking has previously been reported in the literature, in connection to applications such as for example the formation of stimuli-responsive colloidal gels and colloidosomes [1]. This thesis deals with the synthesis of such thermoresponsive, cross-linkable microgels and their subs
