Queer cultures are vibrant components of the constantly transforming societies of the 21st century. This is both socially and anthropologically recognizable, as well as individually readable. ...Categories such as wealth, success, amusement, but also sexuality and beauty have undergone major changes within queer subcultures and have influenced the reality of life for the general public. The entanglements in heteronormative systems and capitalist orders are increasingly putting a queer point of view under pressure, so that the question seems justified: What makes someone or something queer?
Queere Kulturen sind lebendige Bestandteile von sich stetig transformierende Gesellschaften des 21. Jahrhunderts. Dies ist sowohl sozial-anthropologisch erkennbar, als auch individuell ablesbar. Kategorien wie Wohlstand, Erfolg, Amüsement, aber auch Sexualität und Schönheit haben innerhalb queerer Subkulturen eine starke Veränderung erfahren und gleichsam so manche Lebensrealität einer allgemeinen Öffentlichkeit beeinflusst. Die Verstrickungen in heteronormative Systeme und kapitalistische Ordnungen bringen einen queeren Standpunkt zunehmend in Bedrängnis, sodass die Frage berechtigt erscheint: Was macht jemanden oder etwas queer?
Objectives
To evaluate the clinical utility of the urinary bladder cancer antigen test UBC® Rapid for the diagnosis of bladder cancer (BC) and to develop and validate nomograms to identify patients ...at high risk of primary BC.
Patients and Methods
Data from 1787 patients from 13 participating centres, who were tested between 2012 and 2020, including 763 patients with BC, were analysed. Urine samples were analysed with the UBC® Rapid test. The nomograms were developed using data from 320 patients and externally validated using data from 274 patients. The diagnostic accuracy of the UBC® Rapid test was evaluated using receiver‐operating characteristic curve analysis. Brier scores and calibration curves were chosen for the validation. Biopsy‐proven BC was predicted using multivariate logistic regression.
Results
The sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve for the UBC® Rapid test were 46.4%, 75.5% and 0.61 (95% confidence interval CI 0.58–0.64) for low‐grade (LG) BC, and 70.5%, 75.5% and 0.73 (95% CI 0.70–0.76) for high‐grade (HG) BC, respectively. Age, UBC® Rapid test results, smoking status and haematuria were identified as independent predictors of primary BC. After external validation, nomograms based on these predictors resulted in areas under the curve of 0.79 (95% CI 0.72–0.87) and 0.95 (95% CI: 0.92–0.98) for predicting LG‐BC and HG‐BC, respectively, showing excellent calibration associated with a higher net benefit than the UBC® Rapid test alone for low and medium risk levels in decision curve analysis. The R Shiny app allows the results to be explored interactively and can be accessed at www.blucab‐index.net.
Conclusion
The UBC® Rapid test alone has limited clinical utility for predicting the presence of BC. However, its combined use with BC risk factors including age, smoking status and haematuria provides a fast, highly accurate and non‐invasive tool for screening patients for primary LG‐BC and especially primary HG‐BC.
Was macht jemanden oder etwas queer? Welche Veränderungen hat Queerness angestoßen? Und gibt es queer überhaupt noch? Queere Kulturen sind lebendige Bestandteile von sich stetig transformierenden ...Gesellschaften des 21. Jahrhunderts. Kategorien wie Wohlstand, Erfolg und Amüsement, aber auch Sexualität und Schönheit haben innerhalb queerer Subkulturen eine starke Veränderung erfahren und gleichsam so manche Lebensrealität einer allgemeinen Öffentlichkeit beeinflusst. Martin J. Gössl arbeitet heraus, wie die Verstrickungen in heteronormative Systeme und kapitalistische Ordnungen einen queeren Standpunkt zunehmend in Bedrängnis bringen.
Was macht jemanden oder etwas queer? Welche Veränderungen hat Queerness angestoßen? Und gibt es queer überhaupt noch? Queere Kulturen sind lebendige Bestandteile von sich stetig transformierenden ...Gesellschaften des 21. Jahrhunderts. Kategorien wie Wohlstand, Erfolg und Amüsement, aber auch Sexualität und Schönheit haben innerhalb queerer Subkulturen eine starke Veränderung erfahren und gleichsam so manche Lebensrealität einer allgemeinen Öffentlichkeit beeinflusst. Martin J. Gössl arbeitet heraus, wie die Verstrickungen in heteronormative Systeme und kapitalistische Ordnungen einen queeren Standpunkt zunehmend in Bedrängnis bringen.
Geschlechterrollen, sexuelle Orientierungen und Identitäten, Machtgefälle sowie vieles mehr sind schon seit Jahrzehnten im Fokus gender- und queertheoretischer Wissenschaften. Tiefgreifende Analysen, ...statistische Erhebungen und interdisziplinäre Forschungsvorhaben führen dabei neue und wichtige Erkenntnisse zu Tage.Doch wie hat sich dadurch unsere moderne Gesellschaft verändert? Dieser Frage stellt sich Martin J. Gössl und setzt hierfür die Ergebnisse der Wissenschaft realen Gegebenheiten gegenüber: Geschlecht, Sexualität, Liebe, Schönheit, Perfektion oder Intimität - also Wirklichkeiten gelebter Existenzen - finden eine Reflexion auf queerer Basis.
The aim of this study was to compare 5-year cardiovascular, renal, and bioprosthetic valve durability outcomes in patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) undergoing ...transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) or surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR).
Patients with severe AS and CKD undergoing TAVR or SAVR are a challenging, understudied clinical subset.
Intermediate-risk patients with moderate to severe CKD (estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 mL/min/m
) from the PARTNER (Placement of Aortic Transcatheter Valve) 2A trial (patients randomly assigned to SAPIEN XT TAVR or SAVR) and SAPIEN 3 Intermediate Risk Registry were pooled. The composite primary outcome of death, stroke, rehospitalization, and new hemodialysis was evaluated using Cox regression analysis. Patients with and without perioperative acute kidney injury (AKI) were followed through 5 years. A core laboratory-adjudicated analysis of structural valve deterioration and bioprosthetic valve failure was also performed.
The study population included 1,045 TAVR patients (512 SAPIEN XT, 533 SAPIEN 3) and 479 SAVR patients. At 5 years, SAVR was better than SAPIEN XT TAVR (52.8% vs 68.0%; P = 0.04) but similar to SAPIEN 3 TAVR (52.8% vs 58.7%; P = 0.89). Perioperative AKI was more common after SAVR than TAVR (26.3% vs 10.3%; P < 0.001) and was independently associated with long-term outcomes. Compared with SAVR, bioprosthetic valve failure and stage 2 or 3 structural valve deterioration were significantly greater for SAPIEN XT TAVR (P < 0.05) but not for SAPIEN 3 TAVR.
In intermediate-risk patients with AS and CKD, SAPIEN 3 TAVR and SAVR were associated with a similar risk for the primary endpoint at 5 years. AKI was more common after SAVR than TAVR, and SAPIEN 3 valve durability was comparable with that of surgical bioprostheses.
Previous studies have reported the existence of two counter-rotating stellar discs in the early-type spiral galaxy NGC 7217. We have obtained high-resolution optical spectroscopic data (R ≈ 9000) ...with the new fibre-based Integral Field Unit instrument VIRUS-W at the 2.7-m telescope of the McDonald Observatory in Texas. Our analysis confirms the existence of two components. However, we find them to be corotating. The first component is the more luminous (≈77 per cent of the total light), has the higher velocity dispersion (≈170 km s−1) and rotates relatively slowly (projected v
max = 50 km s−1). The lower luminosity second component (≈23 per cent of the total light) has a low velocity dispersion (≈20 km s−1) and rotates quickly (projected v
max = 150 km s−1). The difference in the kinematics of the two stellar components allows us to perform a kinematic decomposition and to measure the strengths of their Mg and Fe Lick indices separately. The rotational velocities and dispersions of the less luminous and faster component are very similar to those of the interstellar gas as measured from the O iii emission. Morphological evidence of active star formation in this component further suggests that NGC 7217 may be in the process of (re)growing a disc inside a more massive and higher dispersion stellar halo. The kinematically cold and regular structure of the gas disc in combination with the central almost dust-free morphology allows us to compare the dynamical mass inside of the central 500 pc with predictions from a stellar population analysis. We find agreement between the two if a Kroupa stellar initial mass function is assumed.
Purpose
Cranberry juice (CJ) contains a remarkably high concentration of polyphenols, considered to be beneficial for cardiovascular and bone health. The current double-blind, randomized study was ...designed to test whether daily consumption of double-strength Ocean Spray light CJ (2 × 230 ml) over 4 months has beneficial effects on vascular function and on endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) carrying the osteoblastic marker osteocalcin in particular.
Methods
A total of 84 participants (49.5 ± 16.2 years) with peripheral endothelial dysfunction and cardiovascular risk factors were enrolled in this double-blind, randomized, controlled trial (69 completed the 4-month protocol—32 in the CJ group and 37 in the placebo group, respectively). Vascular responses to reactive hyperemia were measured non-invasively by peripheral arterial tonometry (EndoPAT). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were stained for EPC markers, as well as osteocalcin, and counted by flow cytometry.
Results
Baseline characteristics were similar in both groups. The effect of CJ on peripheral endothelial function and on circulating EPC counts (CD34
+
/CD133
+
/KDR
+
) did not change during the study. A high percentage of EPCs expressed osteocalcin (59.4 ± 35.7%). CJ, as compared to placebo, induced a decrease in the fraction of EPCs expressing osteocalcin (−8.64 ± 48.98 and 19.13 ± 46.11%, respectively,
p
= 0.019). Systemic levels of the adhesion marker ICAM correlated significantly with the number of EPCs expressing osteocalcin.
Conclusions
The study demonstrated that long-term supplementation of polyphenol-rich CJ did not improve peripheral endothelial function. However, the decrease in the fraction of osteocalcin+ EPCs suggests a potential beneficial effect of polyphenol-rich CJ.
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