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Background: The role of inflammatory and hemodynamic stress biomarkers in heart failure (HF) patients treated de novo with beta-blockers has been poorly studied. Methods: A total of 86 patients (age 56 +/- 9 years, 81 men) with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) < 40% and previously not treated with beta-blockers were initiated on carvedilol. At baseline and 12 months later we performed ech

Structural compromise of the tumor suppressor gene, PTEN occurs in 10% of melanoma specimens and loss of PTEN expression through DNA methylation of the PTEN promoter region has also been reported in a number of other malignancies. However, the role of PTEN promoter methylation in melanoma is not well understood. We thus sought to elucidate the prevalence of PTEN promoter methylation in melanoma sp

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

Quadrivalent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine has been shown to provide protection from HPV 6/11/16/18-related cervical, vaginal, and vulvar disease through 3 years. We provide an update on the efficacy of the quadrivalent HPV vaccine against high-grade cervical, vaginal, and vulvar lesions based on end-of-study data from three clinical trials. Additionally, we stratify vaccine efficacy by sever

Background The aim of this study was to investigate gene transfer to human umbilical cord blood (CB) CD34(+)/CD38(low) and NOD/SCID repopulating cells using oncoretroviral vectors and to compare the transduction efficiency using three different viral envelopes. Methods CB cells were transduced on Retronectin using an MSCV-based vector with the gene for GFP (MGIN), which was packaged into three dif

Direct electron transfer (DET) reactions of recombinant tobacco peroxidase (rTOP), namely direct electroreduction of Compound I/ Compound II and heme Fe3+/2+ conversion, were studied on gold electrodes. rTOP of wild type, non-glycosylated, was produced using, an Escherichia coli expression system. At pH 5.0, the redox potential for direct electrochemical transformation of the Fe3+/2+ of the peroxi

The apolipoprotein (apoE) epsilon4 allele was studied in fronto-temporal dementia (FTD), a diagnostic category including the specific disorders Pick's disease and frontal lobe degeneration of non-Alzheimer type (FLD). These dementing diseases have neuronal and synaptic degeneration in common with Alzheimer's disease (AD), for which the presence of the apoE epsilon4 allele is a known risk factor, a

Aims/hypothesis Post-translational modifications, such as isomerisation of native proteins, may create new antigenic epitopes and play a role in the development of the autoimmune response. Protein-L-isoaspartate (D-aspartate) O-methyltransferase (PIMT), encoded by the gene PCMT1, is an enzyme that recognises and repairs isomerised Asn and Asp residues in proteins. The aim of this study was to asse

Aims/hypothesis Most studies of diet in glucose intolerance and type 2 diabetes have focused on intakes of fat, carbohydrate, fibre, fruits and vegetables. Instead, we aimed to compare diets that were available during human evolution with more recently introduced ones. Methods Twenty-nine patients with ischaemic heart disease plus either glucose intolerance or type 2 diabetes were randomised to re

We conducted pooled and meta-analyses of the association of the calpain-10 gene (CAPN10) polymorphisms SNP-43, Indel-19 and SNP-63 individually and as haplotypes with type 2 diabetes (T2D) in 3237 patients and 2935 controls of European ancestry. In the pooled analyses, the common SNP-43*G allele was associated with modest but statistically significant increased risk of T2D (odds ratio (OR) = 1.11

PURPOSE: This study aimed to examine the associations between the intake of high- and low-fat fermented dairy (cheese and fermented milk), their proteomic profiles, and mortality risk.METHODS: This cohort study included 25,187 participants (mean age 57.7 years, 60.9% females). Fermented dairy intake was assessed by a modified diet history method. In a random subset of this cohort (n = 4359), we co

BACKGROUND: Post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection, or long COVID, include diverse symptoms and remain a major concern worldwide. This study investigates the occurrence of depression, anxiety, fatigue, and headache 1 year prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (2019), 12 months prior to, and 6 months after long COVID diagnosis in individuals diagnosed with long COVID and matched population-based cont

Background: We set out to profile the immune mechanisms active in treatment-naïve oligoarticular JIA (oJIA) to improve the knowledge of its immunopathogenesis, to identify potential biomarkers that can aid diagnosis, predictions and that correlate with clinical disease parameters. Methods: Using Olink proteomics (inflammation panel measuring 92 markers), we defined and compared the inflammation pr

Forward osmosis (FO) and membrane distillation (MD) have emerged as promising processes for seawater desalination. One of the key factors influencing the FO process is the selection of a suitable draw solution (DS), which should exhibit high osmotic pressure and easy regeneration through a secondary process such as MD. Thermo-responsive polymers having ethylene oxide (EO) and propylene oxide (PO)

Background: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is invariably fatal but there are large variations in the rate of progression. The lack of predictability can make it difficult to plan clinical interventions. This includes the requirement for gastrostomy where early or late placement can adversely impact quality of life and survival. Methods: We designed a model to predict the timing of gastrostomy

Objective: To investigate the development of sexual activity, sexual function, and body image in women with primary vulvar cancer from the time of diagnosis to 24 months after the end of treatment. Methods: This nationwide prospective cohort study assessed health-related quality of life in women with newly diagnosed vulvar cancer using validated patient-reported outcome measures (EORTC-QLQ-VU34 [E

Objective Individuals with SLE commonly report chest pain or discomfort. We performed cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) to differentiate coronary artery disease (CAD), coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD), pericarditis and myocarditis in individuals with SLE who presented with chest symptoms. We also assessed the clinical utility of CMR. Methods Adults with SLE were included if reporting

INTRODUCTION: In Sweden, most older adults continue to age in dwellings they have lived in for many years, with a small proportion relocating. Longitudinal studies examining relocation histories, especially among younger old adults and those beyond frail populations, are scarce. This study aimed to describe individuals who stayed in their homes (stayers) and those who relocated (movers) while iden