A 2-year follow-up to a randomized controlled trial on resistance training in postmenopausal women: vasomotor symptoms, quality of life and cardiovascular risk markers.

Background: Most women experience vasomotor symptoms (VMS) during the menopausal transition. A 15-week resistance training intervention (RTI) significantly reduced moderate-to-severe VMS (MS-VMS) and improved health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and cardiovascular risk markers in postmenopausal women. Whether a short RTI could have long-term effects is unknown.

Mapping and spectroscopy of telecom quantum emitters with confocal laser scanning microscopy.

Efficiently coupling single-photon emitters in the telecommunication C-band that are not deterministically positioned to photonic structures requires both spatial and spectral mapping. This study introduces the photoluminescence mapping of telecom C-band self-assembled quantum dots (QDs) by confocal laser scanning microscopy, a technique previously unexplored in this wavelength range which fulfills these two requirements. We consider the effects of distortions inherent to any imaging system but largely disregarded in prior works to derive accurate coordinates from photoluminescence maps.

Resistance training decreased abdominal adiposity in postmenopausal women.

Objective: To investigate if abdominal adipose tissue volumes and ratios change after a 15-week structured resistance training intervention in postmenopausal women with vasomotor symptoms (VMS).

Study Design: Sixty-five postmenopausal women with VMS and low physical activity were randomized to either three days/week supervised resistance training or unchanged physical activity for 15 weeks. Women underwent clinical anthropometric measurements and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at baseline and after 15 weeks.

Strain-Controlled Quantum Dot Fine Structure for Entangled Photon Generation at 1550 nm.

Entangled photon generation at 1550 nm in the telecom C-band is of critical importance as it enables the realization of quantum communication protocols over long distance using deployed telecommunication infrastructure. InAs epitaxial quantum dots have recently enabled on-demand generation of entangled photons in this wavelength range. However, time-dependent state evolution, caused by the fine-structure splitting, currently limits the fidelity to a specific entangled state.

On-Demand Generation of Entangled Photon Pairs in the Telecom C-Band with InAs Quantum Dots.

Entangled photons are an integral part in quantum optics experiments and a key resource in quantum imaging, quantum communication, and photonic quantum information processing. Making this resource available on-demand has been an ongoing scientific challenge with enormous progress in recent years. Of particular interest is the potential to transmit quantum information over long distances, making photons the only reliable flying qubit.

Effects of resistance training on quality of life in postmenopausal women with vasomotor symptoms.

Objective: Most women experience vasomotor symptoms (VMS) around menopause that may affect quality of life negatively. Effective pharmacological treatment exists but is not recommended for all women, and there is a demand for alternatives to reduce symptoms and improve quality of life. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of a resistance training intervention on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in postmenopausal women with VMS.

Men born small for gestational age or with low birth weight do not improve their rate of reproduction over time: a Swedish population-based study.

Objective: To investigate whether the reduced reproductive rate among men born small for gestational age (SGA) or with low birth weight (LBW) is present after up to 44 years of follow-up.

Design: Population-based register study.

Setting: National registers in Sweden.

[Follow-up study of very low birthweight children in Sweden at the age of 27-28].

Studies show that very low birthweight can be an important risk factor for mental problems, disturbed fertility and neuroendocrine dysregulation. In a regional long-term study 56 of 86 adult individuals 27 to 28 years of age with a very low birthweight were compared with normal birthweight controls. Analyses of self-reported mental health, socio-demographic factors, sex hormone levels, and hair cortisol levels showed no significant differences between the groups.

Resistance training decreases plasma levels of adipokines in postmenopausal women.

Physical inactivity and the onset of menopause increase the risk of cardiovascular disease amongst postmenopausal women. We aim to investigate the effect of resistance training (RT) on plasma levels of selected cytokines, adipokines, myokines, and sex hormones in postmenopausal women with vasomotor symptoms. This was a sub-study of a randomised controlled trial investigating the effects of RT on vasomotor symptoms in postmenopausal women.

Identification of Proteins Associated with the Early Restoration of Insulin Sensitivity After Biliopancreatic Diversion.

Context: Insulin resistance (IR) is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes, diabetic kidney disease, cardiovascular disease and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Biliopancreatic diversion (BPD) is the most effective form of bariatric surgery for improving insulin sensitivity.

Objective: To identify plasma proteins correlating with the early restoration of insulin sensitivity after BPD.

Linguistic Delight Promotes Eating Right: Figurative Language Increases Perceived Enjoyment and Encourages Healthier Food Choices.

The link between poor diet and poor health is well-known. Nevertheless, 90% of Americans are not meeting current dietary guidelines, avoiding nutrient dense foods like vegetables, and opting for high-calorie foods. One of the reasons for this behavior is that healthy options are often considered less enjoyable, compared with less healthy options.

Interprofessional student teams focus on staff issues while learning about quality improvement.

There is a well-known gap between what we know and what we do within healthcare service processes. Models that facilitate quality improvement (QI) have seen used to eliminate these gaps. Knowledge and competence in QI work are necessary for every professional within the healthcare system and are ideally learned through interprofessional collaboration and introduced during undergraduate studies.

Birth characteristics in men with infertility.

Research Question: Are low birth weight, prematurity, being born small for gestational age, or both, associated with a higher risk of male factor infertility in adulthood?

Design: Retrospective study of a clinical sample of 892 men, diagnosed with an infertility factor (male, female, combined or unexplained) together with their female partner at a University Hospital clinic in Sweden between 2005 and 2010. Data on birth weight and gestational age at birth were retrieved from the Swedish Medical Birth Register. The distribution of non-optimal birth characteristics in relation to infertility factor was described.

Being born preterm or with low weight implies a risk of infertility and premature loss of ovarian function; a national register study.

Being born with non-optimal birth characteristics has several long-term consequences on health in general but also for the individual's reproductive pattern. In premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) the follicles are depleted or dysfunctional. This results in menopause before the age of 40, and for most of the affected women, it causes infertility.

Sexual function changes attributed to hormonal contraception use - a qualitative study of women experiencing negative effects.

To increase the understanding of women who experience negative effects on sexual function when using hormonal contraception. We performed 24 in-depth interviews with women who had previously experienced negative sexual function effects while using hormonal contraceptives. The thematic analysis method was used.

Does resistance training have an effect on levels of ferritin and atherogenic lipids in postmenopausal women? - A pilot trial.

The objective of this study was to determine if 15 weeks of resistance training (RT) can alter the levels of blood lipids, body iron status, and oxidative stress in postmenopausal women with vasomotor symptoms. Postmenopausal women enrolled in a randomised controlled trial were allocated to either a sedentary control group (n = 29) or a RT group (n = 26). Blood samples were taken at week-0 and week-15 for all participants.

Self-reported mental health and cortisol activity at 27-28 years of age in individuals born with very low birthweight.

Aim: To assess mental health outcomes of very low birthweight (VLBW, <1500 g) subjects to adulthood and to examine salivary cortisol and hair cortisol levels and their relation to birth characteristics and mental health.

Methods: A Swedish regional cohort of 56 VLBW subjects and 55 full-term controls were assessed at the ages 27-28 with adult self-reported scales and the mean of 2 days diurnal salivary cortisol and hair cortisol. The cohorts had been assessed at 15 years of age with youth self-reported scales.

A survey of young women's perceptions of the influence of the Levonorgestrel-Intrauterine System or copper-intrauterine device on sexual desire.

Objectives: Few studies, with contradictory results, evaluate intrauterine contraceptives (IUC) and sexual function specifically. This study compares perception of sexual desire related to IUC use and aspects of sexual function in women who use the Lng-IUS with those using the Cu-IUD.

Study Design: A secondary analysis regarding IUC use based on a larger cross-sectional survey of contraceptive use in Sweden, conducted in 2013.

Resistance training for hot flushes in postmenopausal women: A randomised controlled trial.

Objectives: To investigate the effect of 15 weeks of resistance training on the frequency of moderate to severe hot flushes in postmenopausal women.

Study Design: Postmenopausal women with at least 4 moderate or severe hot flushes or night sweats per day day were randomized to a 15-week resistance training intervention or unchanged physical activity. Participants did not exercise regularly at baseline and had not used any therapy for hot flushes two months prior to study entry.

Reconfigurable frequency coding of triggered single photons in the telecom C-band.

In this work, we demonstrate reconfigurable frequency manipulation of quantum states of light in the telecom C-band. Triggered single photons are encoded in a superposition state of three channels using sidebands up to 53 GHz created by an off-the-shelf phase modulator. The single photons are emitted by an InAs/GaAs quantum dot grown by metal-organic vapor-phase epitaxy within the transparency window of the backbone fiber optical network.

Diagnostics of DNA fragmentation in human spermatozoa: Are sperm chromatin structure analysis and sperm chromatin dispersion tests (SCD-HaloSpermG2 ) comparable?

Men affected with idiopathic infertility often display basic spermiogramme values similar to fertile individuals, questioning the diagnostic impact of the World Health Organization (WHO) thresholds used. This study explored sperm DNA fragmentation in single ejaculates from 14 fertile donors and 42 patients with idiopathic infertility providing semen for assisted reproductive techniques in a university fertility clinic. Each ejaculate was simultaneously studied for sperm DNA fragmentation by the flow cytometer-based sperm chromatin structure analysis (SCSA) and the new light-microscopy-based sperm chromatin dispersion assay (SCD-HaloSpermG2 ), before and after sperm selection for in vitro fertilisation with a colloid discontinuous gradient.