Scope of practice and in-country distribution of surgical providers in low-income countries remains insufficiently described. Through a nationwide comprehensive inventory of surgical procedures and providers in Sierra Leone, we aimed to present the geographic distribution, medical training, and productivity of surgical providers in a low-income country.

Immune responses against LDL antigens have been found to play an important modulatory role in atherosclerosis. Immunization with homologous oxidized LDL, as well as human apolipoprotein B100 (ApoB)-derived peptides, inhibit atherosclerosis in hypercholesterolemic animal models of atherosclerosis. However, the role of antigen-specific Th2 responses in atherosclerosis remains to be fully clarified.

A compact system for high-resolution spectroscopy and quantitative photon flux and brilliance measurements of pulsed soft x-ray sources is described. The calibrated system combines a novel elliptical off-axis reflection zone plate with charge-coupled device detection for simultaneous spectral and spatial measurements. Experiments on a water-window droplet-target laser-plasma source demonstrate lam

Transient experiments for the Eemian (128-113 ky BP) were performed with a complex, coupled earth system model, including atmosphere, ocean, terrestrial biosphere and marine biogeochemistry. In order to investigate the effect of land surface parameters (background albedo, vegetation and tree fraction and roughness length) on the simulated changes during the Eemian, simulations with interactive cou

Background:Tasquinimod is a quinoline-3-carboxamide derivative with anti-angiogenic activity. Two open-label phase I clinical trials in patients were conducted to evaluate the safety and tolerability of tasquinimod, with additional pharmacokinetic and efficacy assessments.Methods:Patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer with no previous chemotherapy were enrolled in this study. The patie

Differentiation between early-phase arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) and right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT)-ventricular tachycardia (VT) can be challenging, and correct diagnosis is important. We compared electrocardiogram (ECG) parameters and morphological right ventricular (RV) abnormalities and investigated if ECG and cardiac imaging can help to discriminate early-phas

A roller coaster ride comes to an end. Magnets on the train induce eddy currents in the braking fins, giving a smooth rise in braking force as the remaining kinetic energy is absorbed by the brakes and converted to thermal energy. In this paper an IR camera was used to monitor the temperature of the first braking fin, before, during and after the passage of a train. In addition, the resulting acce

Osteoporosis is common in the elderly, and it is associated with lifetime exposure to endogenous hormones and vitamin D intake, both of which are associated with cancer development. The association of osteoporosis with subsequent cancer has not been established, and hence we examined here the overall and site-specific cancer risks among Swedish individuals after hospitalization for osteoporosis. P

Previous research has shown -125 mmHg to be the optimal negative pressure for creating an environment that promotes wound healing, and this has therefore been adopted as a standard pressure for patients with deep sternal wound infection. However, it has not yet been clearly shown that -125 mmHg is the optimal pressure from a haemodynamic point of view. Furthermore, there have been reports of cardi

Summary Background, objectives and methods: An accurate, sensitive and precise assay for reliable determination of the ristocetin cofactor activity of von Willebrand factor (VWF:RCo) in plasma and von Willebrand Factor (VWF)-containing concentrates has been evaluated. The assay is based on a commercially available automated protocol with modifications including a combination of adding additional r

PURPOSE: Endothelin (ET)-1 has been implicated in the atherosclerotic process and during inflammation. Similarity in the development process of giant cell arteritis (GCA) and atherosclerosis exists. Several ET receptor antagonists have been developed, principally to target cardiovascular disease states. High doses of corticosteroids currently are used in the treatment of GCA, whereas other treatme

PURPOSE: Randomized multiple myeloma (MM) studies show improved response rates and better progression-free survival for newer therapies. However, a less pronounced effect has been found for overall survival (OS). Using population-based data including detailed treatment information for individual patients, we assessed survival patterns for all patients diagnosed with MM in Malmö, Sweden from 1950 t

The fifth harmonic of a 60-fs 10-Hz terawatt titanium:sapphire laser generated in Xe gas is used to ionize Xe and Kr atoms by nonresonant two-photon absorption and At atoms through a quasiresonant three-photon process. At relatively low harmonic yields, the variation of the number of Kr and Xe ions with the number of harmonic photons is quadratic. At high harmonic yields, it deviates from a quadra

The nonrandom behavior of the outputs of a random S-box can be exploited when constructing distinguishers for cryptographic primitives. Different methods of constructing samples from the outputs have been used in the literature. However, it has been unclear exactly how these methods differ and which method is optimal. We analyze four different sampling techniques. We prove that two of these sampli

We compared the incidence of cancer among Turkish, Chilean, and North African (NA) first-generation immigrants with residents in their countries of origin and native Swedes. The Swedish Family-Cancer Database was used to calculate age-standardized incidence rates. We compared the age-standardized incidence rates for immigrants with those in the Cancer Incidence in Five Continents report. All-cance

Phthalates, a class of chemicals used as plasticizers, are economically important due to several industrial applications. Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is the most commonly used phthalate plasticizer, and it has been described as a potent antiandrogen in males. In this study, lactating dams were exposed via oral gavage to corn oil (vehicle) and DEHP (1, 10, and 100 mg/kg body weight) from pos