Examining the impact of obstructive sleep apnea on cognitive function in severe COPD.

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the association between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and cognitive function in patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Methods: Patients with severe COPD, who had not previously been diagnosed with OSA, were recruited between January 2021 and January 2023. To evaluate cognitive function, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), a continuous reaction time test (CRT) and a driving simulator were used.

Strategies to Increase Cervical Cancer Screening With Mailed Human Papillomavirus Self-Sampling Kits: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Optimal strategies for increasing cervical cancer screening may differ by patient screening history and health care setting. Mailing human papillomavirus (HPV) self-sampling kits to individuals who are overdue for screening increases adherence; however, offering self-sampling kits to screening-adherent individuals has not been evaluated in the US.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of direct-mail and opt-in approaches for offering HPV self-sampling kits to individuals by cervical cancer screening history (screening-adherent and currently due, overdue, or unknown).

The Association Between Cognitive Functions and Psychological Factors in Patients with Severe COPD.

Purpose: Patients with COPD experience anxiety, depression, and stress more frequently than in the age and gender-matched general population. This cross-sectional study aimed to examine the relationship between cognitive functions and the psychological factors of anxiety, depression and stress among patients with COPD.

Patients And Methods: Between January 2021 and January 2023, patients with severe COPD were recruited, along with age-matched controls.

Design of a pragmatic randomized controlled trial of home-based human papillomavirus (HPV) self-sampling for increasing cervical cancer screening uptake in a U.S. healthcare system: The STEP trial.

Background: Mailing HPV self-sampling kits to overdue individuals increases cervical cancer screening adherence; offering self-sampling to previously adherent individuals has not been evaluated in the U.S. Given heterogeneity of the U.

Salting Out-Assisted Liquid-Liquid Extraction for Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry Measurement of Tacrolimus, Sirolimus, Everolimus, and Cyclosporine a in Whole Blood.

Background: Therapeutic drug monitoring of the immunosuppressants tacrolimus, sirolimus, everolimus, and cyclosporine A is effectively performed by analyzing whole-blood samples using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. Samples are usually prepared using simple protein precipitation (PPT) with methanol and zinc sulfate (ZnSO4). Significant sample dilution is necessary to obtain clean extracts but may increase the limit of quantification of the method.

Intubation rate, duration of noninvasive ventilation and mortality after noninvasive neurally adjusted ventilatory assist (NIV-NAVA).

Background: Asynchrony is a common problem in patients treated with noninvasive ventilation (NIV). Neurally adjusted ventilatory assist (NAVA) has shown to improve patient-ventilator interaction. However, it is unknown whether NIV-NAVA improves outcomes compared to noninvasive pressure support (NIV-PS).

Taking leave to bleed: Perceptions and attitudes toward menstrual leave policy.

Menstrual leave is offered in some countries and companies; however, there is a lack of research examining perceptions or effects of the policy. We examined the U.S.

Practice-based evidence can help! Using the Group Questionnaire to enhance clinical practice.

Practice-based evidence (Burlingame & Beecher, 2008) is an approach to evidence-based practice that addresses treatment efficacy to remediate clinicians' inability to predict treatment response (Chapman et al., 2012; Hannan et al., 2005).

Thrombin-Mediated Direct Activation of Proteinase-Activated Receptor-2: Another Target for Thrombin Signaling.

Thrombin is known to signal to cells by cleaving/activating a G-protein-coupled family of proteinase-activated receptors (PARs). The signaling mechanism involves the proteolytic unmasking of an N-terminal receptor sequence that acts as a tethered receptor-activating ligand. To date, the recognized targets of thrombin cleavage and activation for signaling are PAR1 and PAR4, in which thrombin cleaves at a conserved target arginine to reveal a tethered ligand.

Age at smoking initiation and self-rated health among second grade high school boys and girls in Scania, Sweden, a cross-sectional study.

Background: Smoking is usually initiated early in life and most adult regular smokers have started smoking before 18 years of age. A younger age at smoking initiation is associated with risk taking behaviours and worse health outcomes regarding psychological and somatic conditions, suggested to be caused by exposure during critical developmental periods. The present study aims to investigate self-rated health among second grade high school boys and girls related to age at smoking initiation (<14 years of age and ≥ 14 years of age) among current and former smokers, compared to never smokers.

The effect of smoking on carotid intima-media thickness progression rate and rate of lumen diameter reduction.

Objective: The purpose of the study was to investigate the long-term associations between smoking habits, environmental tobacco smoke exposure (ETS), carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) progression rate, and rate of lumen diameter reduction in the carotid artery during a 16-year follow-up. Another objective was to investigate if an effect of smoking on progression rate could be explained by increased low grade inflammation.

Methods: The study population included 2992 middle-aged men and women in the 1991-1994 (baseline) and the 2007-2012 (re-examination) investigation of the Malmö Diet and Cancer Study cardiovascular cohort.

[Peritoneal tuberculosis in a 20-year-old Danish woman without known exposure to tuberculosis].

Peritoneal tuberculosis (PT) is very uncommon and presents a diagnostic challenge, especially in women. Patients often present with non-specific symptoms mimicking advanced stage ovarian cancer. In this case a 20-year-old woman without known exposure to tuberculosis presented with abdominal discomfort, ascites, and markedly increased cancer antigen 125 level.

Children treated for severe acute malnutrition experience a rapid increase in physical activity a few days after admission.

Objective: To assess physical activity at admission and during recovery from severe acute malnutrition.

Study Design: Ethiopian children who were admitted with severe acute malnutrition received a clinical examination each week to monitor their recovery during rehabilitation. Using accelerometry (24 h/d for 5 consecutive days) at admission and again after 10 days of rehabilitation, we assessed the level and changes of physical activity.

Economic stress in childhood and adulthood, and self-rated health: a population based study concerning risk accumulation, critical period and social mobility.

Background: Research in recent decades increasingly indicates the importance of conditions in early life for health in adulthood. Only few studies have investigated socioeconomic conditions in both childhood and adulthood in relation to health testing the risk accumulation, critical period, and social mobility hypotheses within the same setting. This study investigates the associations between economic stress in childhood and adulthood, and self-rated health with reference to the accumulation, critical period and social mobility hypotheses in life course epidemiology, taking demographic, social support, trust and lifestyle factors into account.

Maternal educational level, parental preventive behavior, risk behavior, social support and medical care consumption in 8-month-old children in Malmö, Sweden.

Background: The social environment in which children grow up is closely associated with their health. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between maternal educational level, parental preventive behavior, parental risk behavior, social support, and use of medical care in small children in Malmö, Sweden. We also wanted to investigate whether potential differences in child medical care consumption could be explained by differences in parental behavior and social support.

Z-FA-FMK as a novel potent inhibitor of reovirus pathogenesis and oncolysis in vivo.

Background: Respiratory enteric orphan (reo)virus is a promising oncolytic viral candidate. Reoviral anticancer therapy is currently undergoing multiple clinical trials targeting various human cancers; however, there is no effective reoviral inhibitor that can be used to block unwanted reovirus replication during reoviral anticancer therapy.

Methods: Studies were conducted with transformed or normal cells in vitro and in vivo to characterize viral replication in the presence or absence of chemical inhibitors.

Early exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke and the development of allergic diseases in 4 year old children in Malmö, Sweden.

Background: Earlier studies have shown an association between secondhand tobacco smoke and allergy development in children. Furthermore, there is an increased risk of developing an allergy if the parents have an allergy. However, there are only few studies investigating the potential synergistic effect of secondhand tobacco smoke and allergic heredity on the development of an allergy.

Climate change effects on runoff, catchment phosphorus loading and lake ecological state, and potential adaptations.

Climate change may have profound effects on phosphorus (P) transport in streams and on lake eutrophication. Phosphorus loading from land to streams is expected to increase in northern temperate coastal regions due to higher winter rainfall and to a decline in warm temperate and arid climates. Model results suggest a 3.

Proteinases as hormones: targets and mechanisms for proteolytic signaling.

Proteinases, such as kallikrein-related peptidases, trypsin and thrombin, can play hormone-like 'messenger roles in vivo. They can regulate cell signaling by cleaving and activating a novel family of G-protein-coupled proteinase-activated receptors (PARs 1-4) by unmasking a tethered receptor-triggering ligand. Short synthetic PAR-derived peptide sequences (PAR-APs) can selectively activate PARs 1, 2 and 4, causing physiological responses in vitro and in vivo.

Kallikreins and proteinase-mediated signaling: proteinase-activated receptors (PARs) and the pathophysiology of inflammatory diseases and cancer.

Proteinases such as thrombin and trypsin can affect tissues by activating a novel family of G protein-coupled proteinase-activated receptors (PARs 1-4) by exposing a 'tethered' receptor-triggering ligand (TL). Work with synthetic TL-derived PAR peptide sequences (PAR-APs) that stimulate PARs 1, 2 and 4 has shown that PAR activation can play a role in many tissues, including the gastrointestinal tract, kidney, muscle, nerve, lung and the central and peripheral nervous systems, and can promote tumor growth and invasion. PARs may play roles in many settings, including cancer, arthritis, asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, neurodegeneration and cardiovascular disease, as well as in pathogen-induced inflammation.

Immunofluorometric activity-based probe analysis of active KLK6 in biological fluids.

Immunoassay measurements of human kallikrein-related peptidases (KLKs) such as prostate-specific antigen (KLK3) are of great value as diagnostic indices of cancer. Despite extensive knowledge of the abundance of immunoreactive KLKs in normal and cancer-related settings, there is little information available about the proportion of immunoreactive KLK that represents active enzyme in such samples. Using KLK6 as a prototype enzyme, we have developed an assay using a serine proteinase-targeted activity-based probe coupled to antibody capture.

Proteinases, proteinase-activated receptors (PARs) and the pathophysiology of cancer and diseases of the cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, nervous and gastrointestinal systems.

Proteinases like thrombin, trypsin and tissue kallikreins are now known to regulate cell signaling by cleaving and activating a novel family of G-protein-coupled proteinase-activated receptors (PARs 1 to 4) via exposure of a 'tethered' receptor-triggering ligand. On their own, short synthetic peptides based on the 'tethered ligand' sequences of the PARs (PAR-APs) can, in the absence of receptor proteolysis, selectively activate PARs 1, 2 and 4 and cause physiological responses both in vitro and in vivo. Using the PAR-APs as probes in vivo, it has been found that PAR activation can affect the vascular, renal, respiratory, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal and nervous systems (both central and peripheral) and can promote cancer metastasis and invasion.

Proteinase-activated receptors, targets for kallikrein signaling.

Serine proteinases like thrombin can signal to cells by the cleavage/activation of proteinase-activated receptors (PARs). Although thrombin is a recognized physiological activator of PAR(1) and PAR(4), the endogenous enzymes responsible for activating PAR(2) in settings other than the gastrointestinal system, where trypsin can activate PAR(2), are unknown. We tested the hypothesis that the human tissue kallikrein (hK) family of proteinases regulates PAR signaling by using the following: 1) a high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC)-mass spectral analysis of the cleavage products yielded upon incubation of hK5, -6, and -14 with synthetic PAR N-terminal peptide sequences representing the cleavage/activation motifs of PAR(1), PAR(2), and PAR(4); 2) PAR-dependent calcium signaling responses in cells expressing PAR(1), PAR(2), and PAR(4) and in human platelets; 3) a vascular ring vasorelaxation assay; and 4) a PAR(4)-dependent rat and human platelet aggregation assay.

Kallikrein-mediated cell signalling: targeting proteinase-activated receptors (PARs).

We tested the hypothesis that human tissue kallikreins (hKs) may regulate signal transduction by cleaving and activating proteinase-activated receptors (PARs). We found that hK5, 6 and 14 cleaved PAR N-terminal peptide sequences representing the cleavage/activation motifs of human PAR1 and PAR2 to yield receptor-activating peptides. hK5, 6 and 14 activated calcium signalling in rat PAR2-expressing (but not background) KNRK cells.