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- Krebs, Frederik C, et al.
(author)
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A round robin study of flexible large-area roll-to-roll processed polymer solar cell modules
- 2009
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In: SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS. - : Elsevier BV. - 0927-0248. ; 93:11, s. 1968-1977
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A round robin for the performance of roll-to-roll coated flexible large-area polymer solar-cell modules involving 18 different laboratories in Northern America, Europe and Middle East is presented. The study involved the performance measurement of the devices at one location (Riso DTU) followed by transportation to a participating laboratory for performance measurement and return to the starting location (Riso DTU) for re-measurement of the performance. It was found possible to package polymer solar-cell modules using a flexible plastic barrier material in such a manner that degradation of the devices played a relatively small role in the experiment that has taken place over 4 months. The method of transportation followed both air-mail and surface-mail paths.
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- Burney, P., et al.
(author)
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A case-control study of the relation between plasma selenium and asthma in European populations : a GAL2EN project
- 2008
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In: Allergy. European Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. - : Wiley. - 0105-4538 .- 1398-9995. ; 63:7, s. 865-871
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: There is evidence that selenium levels are relatively low in Europe and may be falling. Low levels of selenium or low activity of some of the enzymes dependent on selenium have been associated with asthma. METHODS: The GA(2)LEN network has organized a multicentre case-control study in Europe to assess the relation of plasma selenium to asthma. The network compared 569 cases in 14 European centres with a diagnosis of asthma and reporting asthma symptoms in the last 12 months with 576 controls from the same centres with no diagnosis of asthma and no asthmatic symptoms in the last 12 months. RESULTS: All cases and controls were selected from the same population defined by age and place of residence. Mean plasma selenium concentrations among the controls ranged from 116.3 microg/l in Palermo to 67.7 microg/l in Vienna and 56.1 microg/l among the children in Oslo. Random effects meta-analysis of the results from the centres showed no overall association between asthma and plasma selenium [odds ratio (OR)/10 microg/l increase in plasma selenium: 1.04; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.89-1.21] though there was a significantly protective effect in Lodz (OR: 0.48; 95% CI: 0.29-0.78) and a marginally significant adverse effect in Amsterdam (OR: 1.68; 95% CI: 0.98-2.90) and Ghent (OR: 1.35; 95% CI: 1.03-1.77). CONCLUSION: This study does not support a role for selenium in protection against asthma, but effect modification and confounding cannot be ruled out.
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- Shaheen, H I, et al.
(author)
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Phenotypic and genotypic analysis of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli in samples obtained from Egyptian children presenting to referral hospitals.
- 2009
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In: Journal of clinical microbiology. - 1098-660X. ; 47:1, s. 189-97
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Hospital surveillance was established in the Nile River Delta to increase the understanding of the epidemiology of diarrheal disease among Egyptian children. Between September 2000 and August 2003, samples obtained from children less than 5 years of age who had diarrhea and who were seeking hospital care were cultured for enteric bacteria. Colonies from each culture with a morphology typical of that of Escherichia coli were tested for the heat-labile (LT) and heat-stable (ST) toxins by a GM-1-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and colonization factor (CF) antigens by an immunodot blot assay. Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) isolates were recovered from 320/1,540 (20.7%) children, and ETEC isolates expressing a known CF were identified in 151/320 (47%) samples. ST CFA/I, ST CS6, ST CS14, and LT and ST CS5 plus CS6 represented 75% of the CFs expressed by ETEC isolates expressing a detectable CF. Year-to-year variability in the proportion of ETEC isolates that expressed a detectable CF was observed (e.g., the proportion that expressed CFA/I ranged from 10% in year 1 to 21% in year 3); however, the relative proportions of ETEC isolates expressing a CF were similar over the reporting period. The proportion of CF-positive ETEC isolates was higher among isolates that expressed ST. ETEC isolates expressing CS6 were isolated significantly less often (P < 0.001) than isolates expressing CFA/I in children less than 1 year of age. Macrorestriction profiling of CFA/I-expressing ETEC isolates by using the restriction enzyme XbaI and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis demonstrated a wide genetic diversity among the isolates that did not directly correlate with the virulence of the pathogen. The genome plasticity demonstrated in the ETEC isolates collected in this work suggests an additional challenge to the development of a globally effective vaccine for ETEC.
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- Shaheen, S., et al.
(author)
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The relation between paracetamol use and asthma : a GA2LEN European case-control study
- 2008
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In: European Respiratory Journal. - : European Respiratory Society (ERS). - 0903-1936 .- 1399-3003. ; 32:5, s. 1231-1236
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Studies from the UK and USA suggest that frequent use of paracetamol (acetaminophen) may increase the risk of asthma, but data across Europe are lacking. As part of a multicentric case-control study organised by the Global Allergy and Asthma European Network (GA(2)LEN), it was examined whether or not frequent paracetamol use is associated with adult asthma across Europe. The network compared 521 cases with a diagnosis of asthma and reporting of asthma symptoms within the last 12 months with 507 controls with no diagnosis of asthma and no asthmatic symptoms within the last 12 months across 12 European centres. All cases and controls were selected from the same population, defined by age (20-45 yrs) and place of residence. In a random effects meta-analysis, weekly use of paracetamol, compared with less frequent use, was strongly positively associated with asthma after controlling for confounders. There was no evidence for heterogeneity across centres. No association was seen between use of other analgesics and asthma. These data add to the increasing and consistent epidemiological evidence implicating frequent paracetamol use in asthma in diverse populations.
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- Al-Adili, N, et al.
(author)
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Survival, family conditions and nutritional status of motherless orphans in the West Bank, Palestine
- 2008
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In: Scandinavian journal of public health. - : SAGE Publications. - 1403-4948 .- 1651-1905. ; 36:3, s. 292-297
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aims: This study describes survival, family care and growth of the orphans of women dying at reproductive age (15—49 years) in the West Bank, Palestine, in 2000 and 2001. Methods: One hundred and sixty-seven children who were below 5 years of age at the time of the mother's death were identified. Three had died soon after birth. The family situation for the remaining 164 children was recorded. A planned baseline study could not be done at that time, due to the escalating political violence in the study area. In 2004, an average of 3 years after the mother's death, all orphan families were contacted. Of the 164 orphans, six had left the country with their fathers, and six could not be reached, due to restricted mobility. Home interviews were conducted with the 148 orphans' custodians/care-takers. Family situation and orphans' health status as judged by the interviewees were investigated, and are presented in descriptive statistics. Orphan weight and height were measured, and rates of wasting and stunting were calculated and analysed by gender. Results: The most striking finding is the high survival rate among the orphans. With the exception of the three neonatal deaths, all orphans who could be reached were alive. Almost all lived with their fathers, most of whom had remarried shortly after the death of their wives, and a stepmother had joined the family in 85% of the cases. Of the orphans under 5 years of age at the time of the interview, 8.8% and 17.6%, respectively, suffered from wasting and stunting, all of whom were girls. These rates were higher than those in the national data from 2003 for Palestinian children. Conclusions: Early family reconstruction is suggested to be a contributing factor to the high survival rate. Close monitoring of motherless orphans' health and nutritional status, with a special emphasis on orphan girls, should be ensured.
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