Upsala journal of medical sciences
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effect of spironolactone on vascular stiffness in hemodialysis patients: a randomized crossover trial.
The role of spironolactone treatment in hemodialysis patients is debated, but a survival benefit is suggested. Mineralocorticoids and chronic kidney disease have been linked to cardiovascular fibrosis. Therefore, we hypothesized that spironolactone would affect vascular stiffness, cardiac systolic, and diastolic function in hemodialysis patients. ⋯ We found no evidence supporting an effect of 12-week administration of spironolactone 50 mg daily on vascular stiffness, cardiac systolic, or diastolic function in hemodialysis patients.
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Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) marks the birth of a new era in physiology and medicine. Within foreseeable future, we will know exactly what genes are expressed - and at what levels - in all the different cell types and subtypes that make up our bodies. We will also learn how a particular cell state, whether it occurs during development, tissue repair, or disease, reflects precise changes in gene expression. ⋯ Moreover, gene expression-based molecular changes dictate states of cellular activity, necessary for angiogenesis, vascular permeability, and immune cell trafficking, i.e. functions necessary for development, inflammation, and repair. These different levels of cellular heterogeneity create a nearly infinite phenotypic diversity among vascular cells. In this review, I summarize and exemplify what scRNAseq has brought to the picture in just a few years and point out where it will take us.
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Early identification of sexual risk taking and exposure to violence is fundamental when seeking to strengthen young people's health. The purpose of this study was to study factors associated with sexual risk taking and ill health, as well as to study gender differences, and the associations amongst exposure to multiple forms of violence, sexual risk taking and ill health. ⋯ Transgender and non-binary youths are exposed to significantly more violence compared to women and men. Experiences of sexual risk taking and ill health demonstrated strong associations with exposure to multiple violence.
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Health-related quality of life as associated with asthma control, psychological status and insomnia.
Asthma is associated not only with lower health-related quality of life (HRQL) but also with psychological health and insomnia. The aim of this study was to investigate associations between HRQL, asthma symptoms, psychological status and insomnia in adults from three Nordic countries. ⋯ In this study, we found that HRQL of life was independently related to the HADS, insomnia and asthma symptoms. Further prospective studies to identify the most efficient target for intervention in order to improve asthma control are needed.
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A variety of non-evidence-based dietary advice on modified fibre and lactose intakes are provided to patients undergoing pelvic radiotherapy to counteract treatment-related bowel symptoms. More knowledge on the nutritional consequences of such advice is needed. This study aimed to explore how advice on modified fibre and lactose intakes during pelvic radiotherapy was associated with nutrient intakes amongst patients with prostate cancer. ⋯ Dietary advice on modified fibre and lactose intake was in most cases not significantly associated with altered nutrient intakes, rather the energy and nutrient intakes were mostly stable during the pelvic radiotherapy. More research is needed on the nutritional consequences of dietary advice on modified fibre and lactose intakes to reach consensus on if they should continue to be provided in the clinic.