Intra-individual stability of longitudinal urinary steroid profiles in Swedish athletes.

The steroid module of the athlete biological passport (ABP) aims to detect doping with endogenous steroids by longitudinally monitoring epitestosterone (E), testosterone (T), and four metabolically related steroids and their ratios. There are large variations in the urinary levels of the androgen metabolites due to genetic polymorphisms, drug use, menstrual cycle, and other factors. In this study, we aimed to increase our understanding of the natural, within-individual variations of the established ABP markers in males and females over time, looking at samples collected both in and out-of-competition (IC/OOC).

Identification of carotid plaque tissue properties using an experimental-numerical approach.

A biomechanical stress analysis could help to identify carotid plaques that are vulnerable to rupture, and hence reduce the risk of thrombotic strokes. Mechanical stress predictions critically depend on the plaque's constitutive properties, and the present study introduces a concept to derive viscoelastic parameters through an experimental-numerical approach. Carotid plaques were harvested from two patients during carotid endarterectomy (CEA), and, in total, nine test specimens were investigated.