Polyomaviruses infect many species, including humans. So far, 15 polyomaviruses have been described in humans, but it remains to be established whether all of these are genuine human polyomaviruses. The most recent polyomavirus to be detected in a person is Quebec polyomavirus (QPyV), which was identified in a metagenomic analysis of a stool sample from an 85-year-old hospitalized man. We used PCR ...

Objectives - To assess the prevalence and determinants of xerostomia among adults and identify how many of the ones experiencing xerostomia have Sicca and Sjogren's syndromes.<p> <p>Materials and methods - This cross-sectional study included 1405 35–74-year-old Lithuanians (51.7% response rate) from the five largest Lithuanian cities and 10 peri-urban and rural areas that were randomly selected ...

Introduksjon Lungekreft er et stort helse- og samfunnsmessig problem i den vestlige verden. Lungekreft i sene stadier gir betydelige plager med blant annet dyspnø og smerter. De terapeutiske virkemidler man kan tilby i dag, har liten suksess i å behandle metastatisk sykdom. I Norge er den totale dødelighet på nesten 90 %. Det finnes få effektive diagnostiske verktøy for tidlig oppdaging av lungekreft. ...

Background & aims: Circulating levels of acylcarnitines (ACs) have been associated with the risk of various diseases such as cancer and type 2 diabetes. Diet and lifestyle factors have been shown to influence AC concentrations but a better understanding of their biological, lifestyle and metabolic determinants is needed. <p><p>Methods: Circulating ACs were measured in blood by targeted (15 ACs) and ...

Background - In addition to patient evaluations, caregiver evaluations and experiences are important indicators of the quality of health services. The aim of this study was to examine determinants of caregiver satisfaction with and perceived benefit of child neurodevelopmental assessment in neuropaediatric clinics.<p> <p>Methods - The study was conducted among caregivers of children and adolescents ...

This paper discusses whether baseline demographic, socio-economic, health variables, length of follow-up and method of contacting the participants predict non-response to the invitation for a second assessment of lifestyle factors and body weight in the European multi-center EPIC-PANACEA study. Over 500.000 participants from several centers in ten European countries recruited between 1992 and 2000 ...

<p><i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> is a Gram-positive opportunistic pathogen responsible for a range of infections that can lead to fatal invasive diseases such as pneumonia or osteomyelitis. Approximately 30% of the healthy adult population are persistently colonized by <i>S. aureus</i> strains in their anterior nares. The molecular mechanism underlying <i>S. aureus</i> colonization and infection ...

<p><I>Background</I>: Tn916 and Tn1545 are paradigms of a large family of related, broad host range, conjugative transposons that are widely distributed in bacteria and contribute to the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Variation in the copy number (CN) of Tn916-Tn1545 elements and the circularization ratio (CR) may play an important role in propagation of ARGs carried by these ...

Dry mucus in the oral cavity is uncomfortable for patients and can lead to other additional illnesses. Reduced or absence of saliva secretion, caused by the diseases, side effects of drugs, aging, or radiotherapy, can result in issues related to xerostomia and dental health. A system that could contribute to increased hydration of the mucus would reduce the discomfort for the patient. In addition, ...