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Introduction: Exposure to environmental chemicals during fetal development may increase the risk of testicular germ cell cancer (TGCC), but few studies have tested the hypothesis. We focused on organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), previously investigated in relation to other male reproductive health outcomes. Methods: We conducted a nested case-control study of 33

BACKGROUND: Risk stratification tools for paediatric community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in well-resourced settings are scarce. We prospectively developed models to predict CAP severity within a multinational cohort of paediatric emergency departments (EDs). Our primary objective was to develop a risk prediction model to discriminate between mild CAP and moderate or severe CAP to assist clinicians

Geomatics is a domain that has gained relevance and importance within the field of Architecture and the Built Environment. Typically, Geomatics education in Delft, Lund, Bochum, Leuven, and Zagreb was best characterised as lecture-based: traditional and relatively passive. This has changed fundamentally after March 2020. In this article, we analyse the development towards more active learning and

Measurement of biosphere-atmosphere exchange of various greenhouse gases requires different techniques. In case of carbon dioxide, the net ecosystem exchange (NEE) is usually measured by the eddy covariance method. In the lack of these measurements in forests, the carbon dioxide uptake can be estimated by detecting changes in sequestrated carbon stocks or by using tree growth (dendrometric) measur

Systemic immunization with soluble flagellin (sFliC) from Salmonella Typhimurium induces mucosal responses, offering potential as an adjuvant platform for vaccines. Moreover, this engagement of mucosal immunity is necessary for optimal systemic immunity, demonstrating an interaction between these two semi-autonomous immune systems. Although TLR5 and CD103+CD11b+ cDC2 contribute to this process, th

Gas-liquid mass transfer in wastewater treatment processes has received considerable attention over the last decades from both academia and industry. Indeed, improvements in modelling gas-liquid mass transfer can bring huge benefits in terms of reaction rates, plant energy expenditure, acid-base equilibria and greenhouse gas emissions. Despite these efforts, there is still no universally valid cor

Progress in the definition of the roles of various costimulators and cytokines in determining the type and height of immune responses has made it important to explore genetically altered tumor cells expressing such molecules for therapeutic immunizations. We have studied the effect of therapeutic subcutaneous (s.c.) immunizations on the growth of preexisting intracerebral brain tumor isografts in

Background: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) exhibits immunological heterogeneity that influences outcomes of immunochemotherapy, with CD8+ T cells playing a critical role in patient prognosis. Methods: We integrated single-cell and bulk transcriptome data to establish a CD8⁺ T cell–associated prognostic signature. Single-cell RNA sequencing data from 29 samples (28 individuals), including DL

Cytolysin A (ClyA) is a pore-forming protein from a strongly silenced gene in non-pathogenic Escherichia coli, including typical commensal isolates in the intestinal microbiome of healthy mammalian hosts. Upon overproduction, ClyA-expressing bacteria display a cytolytic phenotype. However, it remains unclear whether sublytic amounts of native ClyA play a role in commensal E. coli-host interactions

The detailed pathways of photoactivity on ultrafast time scales are a topic of contemporary interest. Using a tabletop apparatus based on a laser plasma X-ray source and an array of cryogenic microcalorimeter X-ray detectors, we measured a transient X-ray absorption spectrum during the ferrioxalate photoreduction reaction. With these high-efficiency detectors, we observe the Fe K edge move to lowe

Since 1955, a form of diabetes in lean, young (BMI <18·5 kg/m2, age <30 years) individuals with a history suggestive of undernutrition from before birth and throughout childhood has been described in the literature. In 1985, WHO formally classified it as malnutrition-related diabetes, but subsequently removed the classification in 1999 over a disagreement as to whether undernutrition was a suffici

We present a new suite of edge ('Engineering Dwarfs at Galaxy formation's Edge') cosmological zoom simulations. The suite includes 15 radiation-hydrodynamical dwarf galaxies covering the ultrafaint to the dwarf irregular regime () to enable comparisons with observed scaling relations. Each object in the suite is evolved at high resolution () and includes stellar radiation, winds, and supernova fee

BACKGROUND: Dapagliflozin improved cardiometabolic outcomes following myocardial infarction in patients without prior type-2 diabetes (T2DM) in the DAPA-MI (dapagliflozin in patients with myocardial infarction) trial. The effect of glycemic status and body mass index (BMI) post–myocardial infarction requires elucidation. METHODS: Participants with T2DM diagnosis, without baseline hemoglobin A1c, o

Extracellular matrix (ECM) is a dynamic 3-dimensional network of macromolecules that provides structural support for the cells and tissues. Accumulated knowledge clearly demonstrated over the last decade that ECM plays key regulatory roles since it orchestrates cell signaling, functions, properties and morphology. Extracellularly secreted as well as cell-bound factors are among the major members o

The plasma proteins alpha1-microglobulin (alpha1-m) and bikunin are synthesized in the liver as a common precursor which is cleaved just before secretion. Half of plasma alpha1-m is covalently linked to fibronectin and alpha1-inhibitor-3, and more than 95% of bikunin is part of pre-alpha-inhibitor, inter-alpha-inhibitor and related large molecules. Both alpha1-m and bikunin have been shown to be i

The most widely used model for rheumatoid arthritis is the collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) in mice. This model has gained acceptance since it is reproducible, well defined and has proven useful for development of new therapies for rheumatoid arthritis, as exemplified by the most recent advancement using TNFalpha neutralization treatment. The collagen-induced arthritis model, however, represents o

Melatonin is produced in the dark by the pineal gland and is a key regulator of circadian and seasonal rhythms. A low melatonin level was reported in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), but the underlying cause of this deficit was unknown. The ASMT gene, encoding the last enzyme of melatonin synthesis, is located on the pseudo-autosomal region 1 of the sex chromosomes, deleted in sev

Adenylate kinases (AKs) play important roles in nucleotide metabolism in all organisms and in cellular energetics by means of phosphotransfer networks in eukaryotes. The crystal structure of a human AK named AK6 was determined by in-house sulfur single-wavelength anomalous dispersion phasing methods and refined to 2.0-A resolution with a free R factor of 21.8%. Sequence analyses revealed that huma

The role of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and Shiga-like toxin (SLT) in the pathogenesis of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) was studied in a mouse model. Mice inoculated intragastrically with Escherichia coli O157:H7 developed gastrointestinal, neurologic, and systemic symptoms, necrotic foci in the colon, glomerular and tubular histopathology, and fragmented erythrocytes. LPS-responder (C3H/HeN) mice