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A genetic algorithm for optimal placement of optical fibers in arbitrary geometries for interstitial photodynamic therapy has been developed. Based on calculated fiber positions, the diffuse light distribution is simulated by solving the diffusion equation by means of the finite element method and the treatment time is calculated. Utilizing an instrument for interstitial photodynamic therapy that
Platelet-derived growth factor-B (PDGFB) is necessary for normal cardiovascular development, but the relative importance of different cellular sources of PDGFB has not been established. Using Cre-lox techniques, we show here that genetic ablation of Pdgfb in endothelial cells leads to impaired recruitment of pericytes to blood vessels. The endothelium-restricted Pdgfb knockout mutants also develop
Objective:: Our aim was to explore the presence of symptoms, symptom relief, and other key aspects of palliative care during the final week of life among older people residing in nursing homes. Method:: Our study employed data from the Swedish Palliative Care Register on all registered individuals aged 60 and older who had died in nursing homes during the years 2011 and 2012. Variables pertaining
The number of patients affected by Alzheimer's disease among the population is currently growing, while the availability of resources for their assistance is decreasing. A solution for this problem is provided by the use of Ambient Assisted Living technologies, with the objectives to prolong the independent living of patients at home, to relieve assistance burden on caregivers, and to improve care
BACKGROUND: Increased intraocular pressure (IOP) has been shown to be one of the most important risk factors for developing glaucoma. Yet it has not been clearly demonstrated that IOP-lowering treatment can reduce the incidence of glaucoma damage in patients with ocular hypertension. The aim of the current paper was to report the results of a long-term study addressing this very problem.METHODS: W
Combating climate change and transitioning to fossil-free energy are two central and interdependent challenges facing humanity today. Governing the nexus of these challenges is complex, and includes multiple intergovernmental and transnational institutions. This book analyses the governance interactions between such institutions, and explores their consequences for legitimacy and effectiveness. Us
The emergence of new high brilliance and high coherence facilities such as X-ray Free Electron Lasers (XFELs) and 4th generation synchrotrons open a new era in X-ray optics. Dynamical diffraction effects before disregarded are starting to play a role in the beam control of large scale facilities. In the case of XFEL facilities the temporal characteristics of the dynamical diffraction by thin perfe
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate levels of perceived family cohesion during childhood, teenage years, and young adulthood in cancer-bereaved youths compared with non-bereaved peers.METHODS: In this nationwide, population-based study, 622 (73%) young adults (aged 18-26) who had lost a parent to cancer 6 to 9 years previously, when they were teenagers (aged 13-16), and 330 (78%) n
We study the spectral phase introduced by parametric amplification and how high extraction efficiency of energy leads to deterioration of the phase. Avoiding this regime, and using a pulse shaper, we achieve high-contrast ultrashort pulses.
Aims: Infectious complications frequently occur in intensive care unit patients admitted after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. There is debate on the effects of temperature management on the incidence of infections, as well as on the efficacy and choice of antibiotic prophylaxis. In this substudy of the targeted temperature management (TTM) trial, we describe the microbiological profile of infecti
Introduction: A subgroup of severe Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) patients, known as ultra-severe (us-TBI), is most commonly defined as a post-resuscitation Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) of 3–5. There is uncertainty on whether these critically injured patients can benefit from neurosurgical intervention. Research question: The available evidence regarding the decision-making and outcome following managem
Background In adults with serious respiratory illness, breathlessness is prevalent and associated with reduced health-related quality of life. The aim of this review was to assess the impact of breathing techniques on breathlessness in adults with serious respiratory illness. Methods Electronic databases were searched to identify randomised controlled trials testing breathing techniques (technique
Aim: The study was designed to document the incidence of non-immune hydrops fetalis (NIHF) at birth and characterise associated outcomes and obstetric complications. Methods: Data on more than 1.9 million births were extracted from the Swedish Birth Register for 1997-2015. Pregnancies not affected by NIHF served as controls. National registers on mortality and hospitalisations provided follow-up i
Background: Home oxygen therapy (HOT) improves survival in patients with hypoxaemic chronic respiratory disease. Most patients evaluated for HOT are former or active smokers. Oxygen accelerates combustion and smoking may increase the risk of burn injuries and fire hazards; therefore, it is considered a contraindication for HOT in many countries. However, there is variability in the practices and p
Background: Predicting severe preeclampsia with need for intensive care is challenging. To better predict high-risk pregnancies to prevent adverse outcomes such as eclampsia is still an unmet need worldwide. In this study we aimed to develop a prediction model for severe outcomes using routine biomarkers and clinical characteristics. Methods: We used machine learning models based on data from an i
This is an account that should be heard of an important struggle: the struggle of a large group of experts who came together at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic to warn the world about the risk of airborne transmission and the consequences of ignoring it. We alerted the World Health Organization (WHO) about the potential significance of the airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and the urgent
Background: Bioactive adrenomedullin (bio-ADM) is a vasoactive peptide with a key role in reducing vascular hyperpermeability and improving endothelial stability during infection, but it also has vasodilatory properties. Bioactive ADM has not been studied in conjunction with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), but it has recently been shown to correlate with outcomes after severe COVID-19.
A sports-related concussion (SRC) is most commonly sustained in contact sports, and is defined as a mild traumatic brain injury. An exercise-induced elevation of core body temperature is associated with increased brain temperature that may accelerate secondary injury processes following SRC, and exacerbate the brain injury. In a recent pilot study, acute head-neck cooling of 29 concussed ice hocke
