Matrix metalloproteinase-9 mediated shedding of syndecan-4 in glomerular endothelial cells.

Background: Diabetic nephropathy is the most common cause of end-stage renal failure in the western world and Asia. The mechanisms are not fully elucidated, but disruption of glomerular endothelial glycocalyx and shedding of its components including syndecans has been implicated.

Aims: We hypothesize that reduced glomerular filtration in diabetes is caused by disruption of endothelial glycocalyx in glomeruli, including increased shedding of syndecan-4.

Patients' views on a new treatment for Bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder combining physical exercise and dietary therapy (the PED-t). A qualitative study.

A new group based treatment for patients with bulimia nervosa (BN) and binge eating disorder (BED), combining guided Physical Exercise and Dietary therapy (PED-t), has shown the capacity to alleviate BN and BED symptoms. The PED-t is run by therapists with a professional background in sport sciences and nutrition, which in many clinical settings is an uncommon group of professionals. The symptom reduction effects using the PED-t need validation from patients who have been given this kind of treatment, as negative experiences may impinge further clinical implementation.

Second re-irradiation: A delicate balance between safety and efficacy.

Except for straightforward palliative indications such as painful bone metastases, re-irradiation is often characterized by a narrow therapeutic window and the potential for decreased efficacy and increased toxicity, especially if the cumulative total dose from both courses is high. Second re-irradiations tend to pose even bigger challenges and are thus offered in a restrictive manner to highly selected patients on a case-by-case basis. Normal tissue dose constraints are still an area of active investigation.

Hippocampal subfields in adolescent anorexia nervosa.

Patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) exhibit volume reduction in cerebral gray matter (GM), and several studies report reduced hippocampus volume. The hippocampal subfields (HS) are functionally and structurally distinct, and appear to respond differently to neuropathology. The aim of this study was to investigate HS volumes in adolescent females with restrictive AN compared to a healthy age-matched control group (HC).

Flagella-mediated secretion of a novel cytotoxin affecting both vertebrate and invertebrate hosts.

Using as an infection host model for predator interactions, we discovered a bacterial cytotoxin, MakA, whose function as a virulence factor relies on secretion via the flagellum channel in a proton motive force-dependent manner. The MakA protein is expressed from the polycistronic (otility-ssociated lling factor) operon. Bacteria expressing induced dramatic changes in intestinal morphology leading to a defecation defect, starvation and death in .

Integrative metabolic and transcriptomic profiling of prostate cancer tissue containing reactive stroma.

Reactive stroma is a tissue feature commonly observed in the tumor microenvironment of prostate cancer and has previously been associated with more aggressive tumors. The aim of this study was to detect differentially expressed genes and metabolites according to reactive stroma content measured on the exact same prostate cancer tissue sample. Reactive stroma was evaluated using histopathology from 108 fresh frozen prostate cancer samples gathered from 43 patients after prostatectomy (Biobank1).

Direct Measurement of the Magnitude of the van der Waals Interaction of Single and Multilayer Graphene.

Vertical stacking of monolayers via van der Waals (vdW) assembly is an emerging field that opens promising routes toward engineering physical properties of two-dimensional materials. Industrial exploitation of these engineering heterostructures as robust functional materials still requires bounding their measured properties so as to enhance theoretical tractability and assist in experimental designs. Specifically, the short-range attractive vdW forces are responsible for the adhesion of chemically inert components and are recognized to play a dominant role in the functionality of these structures.

Single-Input and Multiple-Output Surface Acoustic Wave Sensing for Damage Quantification in Piezoelectric Sensors.

The main aim of the paper is damage detection at the microscale in the anisotropic piezoelectric sensors using surface acoustic waves (SAWs). A novel technique based on the single input and multiple output of Rayleigh waves is proposed to detect the microscale cracks/flaws in the sensor. A convex-shaped interdigital transducer is fabricated for excitation of divergent SAWs in the sensor.

Do Norwegian Sami and non-indigenous individuals understand questions about mental health similarly? A SAMINOR 2 study.

The Western culturally developed Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL-10) is a self-report measure of mental distress widely used for both clinical and epidemiological purposes - also in the multiethnic epidemiological SAMINOR studies in Northern Norway, but without any proper cross-cultural validation. Our objective was to test invariance of the HSCL-10 measurements among Sami and the non-indigenous majority population in Northern Norway (participants in the SAMINOR 2 study) and whether the previously used HSCL-10 cut-off level (1.85) fits the Sami subgroups in the study.

Correction to: Assessing the causal relationship between obesity and venous thromboembolism through a Mendelian Randomization study.

The co-author name Immaculata DeVivo was incorrectly published. The correct name is given below.

Epigenome-wide association study of adiposity and future risk of obesity-related diseases.

Background: Obesity is an established risk factor for several common chronic diseases such as breast and colorectal cancer, metabolic and cardiovascular diseases; however, the biological basis for these relationships is not fully understood. To explore the association of obesity with these conditions, we investigated peripheral blood leucocyte (PBL) DNA methylation markers for adiposity and their contribution to risk of incident breast and colorectal cancer and myocardial infarction.

Methods: DNA methylation profiles (Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip) from 1941 individuals from four population-based European cohorts were analysed in relation to body mass index, waist circumference, waist-hip and waist-height ratio within a meta-analytical framework.

Parental and child factors associated with participation in a randomised control trial of an Internet-assisted parent training programme.

Background: Parental training is an effective way to treat and prevent children's conduct problems, but knowledge of who participates in such initiatives is limited.

Method: This study examined child and family factors associated with participation in an Internet-assisted parent training programme. The parents of 4-year-old children with high levels of disruptive behaviour in a region of Finland were offered the opportunity to participate in a randomised controlled trial of the Strongest Families Smart Website intervention (SFSW).

How physiotherapists supervise to enhance practical skills in dedicated aides of toddlers with cerebral palsy: A qualitative observational study.

Background: Physiotherapy from an early age is considered important for children with cerebral palsy (CP). In preschool, dedicated aides are responsible for the daily follow-up and training under the supervision of a physiotherapist (PT). Knowledge is sparse regarding what is created and achieved in clinical practice involving triads (i.

Contribution of Patient-reported Symptoms Before Palliative Radiotherapy to Development of Multivariable Prognostic Models.

Background/aim: Typically, prognostic scores predicting survival in patients with metastatic cancer are based on disease- and patient-related factors, such as extent of metastases, age and performance status. Patient-reported symptoms have been included less often. Our group has assessed all patients with the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS, a one-sheet questionnaire addressing 11 major symptoms and wellbeing on a numeric scale of 0-10) before palliative radiotherapy (PRT) since 2012.

Does parental mental health moderate the effect of a telephone and internet-assisted remote parent training for disruptive 4-year-old children?

This study explores the moderators affecting the success of an Internet-based and telephone assisted remote parent training intervention and compares them to an educational control group. We prospectively identified 464 parents who reported at a health check that their 4-year-old children showed elevated levels of externalizing behavior. The moderators explored included parental attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and parental distress.

How Should Palliative Thoracic Radiotherapy Be Fractionated for Octogenarians with Lung Cancer?

Background/aim: Geriatric oncology practice should be based on dedicated studies and real-world experience. Therefore, we evaluated survival outcomes after palliative thoracic radiotherapy in octogenarian patients with lung cancer and analyzed prognostic factors.

Patients And Methods: We carried out a retrospective analysis of 51 patients with a median age of 83 years.

Does Marital Status Influence Levels of Anxiety and Depression Before Palliative Radiotherapy?

Background/aim: To evaluate whether or not single patients report increased levels of anxiety and depression, compared to married or partnered patients scheduled to receive palliative radiotherapy. In principle, different levels of social support might cause such disparities.

Patients And Methods: Retrospective comparison of two groups of patients (28% single, overall 100 patients), who scored their symptoms before palliative radiotherapy with the Edmonton symptom assessment system (ESAS).

Tissue analyses reveal a potential immune-adjuvant function of FAP-1 positive fibroblasts in non-small cell lung cancer.

Objectives: Selective targeting of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) has been proposed to synergize with immune-checkpoint inhibitors. While the roles of CAFs in cancer development are well described, their immune-regulatory properties remain incompletely understood. This study investigates correlations between CAF and immune-markers in tumor stroma from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, and examines whether a combination of CAF and immune cell scores impact patient prognosis.

Does Patient-reported Dyspnea Reflect Thoracic Disease Characteristics in Patients with Incurable Cancer?

Background/aim: A considerable proportion of patients with incurable cancer experience dyspnea. This study evaluates associations between the feeling of dyspnea, as quantified by radiotherapy patients scoring their symptoms before palliative treatment with the Edmonton symptom assessment system (ESAS), and potential underlying causes.

Patients And Methods: Retrospective comparison of the incidence of different parameters that could cause a feeling of dyspnea in two groups, patients with no or minimal dyspnea (ESAS score 0-2) and those with dyspnea scores >2.

Patient-reported symptoms before palliative radiotherapy predict survival differences.

Background: Widely used prognostic scores, e. g., for brain or bone metastases, are based on disease- and patient-related factors such as extent of metastases, age and performance status, which were available in the databases used to develop the scores.

No overdiagnosis in the Norwegian Breast Cancer Screening Program estimated by combining record linkage and questionnaire information in the Norwegian Women and Cancer study.

Background: The Norwegian Breast Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP) was implemented across the country in 2005 and has been criticised for potential 'overdiagnosis', i.e. a breast cancer diagnosis that otherwise would not have been detected or treated in a woman's lifetime.

Hazard Characterization of Modified Vaccinia Virus Ankara Vector: What Are the Knowledge Gaps?

Modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) is the vector of choice for human and veterinary applications due to its strong safety profile and immunogenicity in vivo. The use of MVA and MVA-vectored vaccines against human and animal diseases must comply with regulatory requirements as they pertain to environmental risk assessment, particularly the characterization of potential adverse effects to humans, animals and the environment. MVA and recombinant MVA are widely believed to pose low or negligible risk to ecosystem health.

Transcriptomic Landscape of Treatment-Naïve Ulcerative Colitis.

Background And Aims: Ulcerative colitis [UC] is a chronic inflammatory disease that effects the gastrointestinal tract and is considered one of the most prominent and common forms of inflammatory bowel disease [IBD]. This study aimed to define and describe the entire transcriptomic landscape in a well-stratified, treatment-naïve UC patient population compared with control patients by using next-generation technology, RNA-Seq.

Methods: Mucosal biopsies from treatment-naïve UC patients [n = 14], and healthy controls [n = 16] underwent RNA-Seq.

A prospective evaluation of plasma phospholipid fatty acids and breast cancer risk in the EPIC study.

Background: Intakes of specific fatty acids have been postulated to impact breast cancer risk but epidemiological data based on dietary questionnaires remain conflicting.

Materials And Methods: We assessed the association between plasma phospholipid fatty acids and breast cancer risk in a case-control study nested within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study. Sixty fatty acids were measured by gas chromatography in pre-diagnostic plasma phospholipids from 2982 incident breast cancer cases matched to 2982 controls.