Association between atherosclerosis and osteoporosis, the role of vitamin D

The latest data support the correlation of atherosclerosis and osteoporosis, indicating the parallel progression of two tissue destruction processes with increased fatal and non-fatal coronary events, as well as higher fracture risk. Vitamin D inadequacy associated with low bone mineral density increases fall and fracture risk, leads to secondary hyperparathyroidism, calcifies coronary arteries and significantly increases cardiovascular disease. Randomized clinical trial evidence related to extraskeletal vitamin D outcomes was limited and generally uninformative. A recent recommendation on vitamin D dietary requirements for bone health is 600 IU/d for ages 1-70 years and 800 IU/d for 71 years and older, corresponding to a serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level of at least 20 ng/ml (50 nmol/l). Further large randomized controlled trials are needed to reassess laboratory ranges for 25-hydroxyvitamin D in both diseases, in order to avoid under- and over-treatment problems, and completely clarify the relationship between atherosclerosis and osteoporosis

Structuring perception : how structures of practice influence decision-making at the Court of Justice of the European Union

Defence date: 29 September 2023Examining board: Prof. Dr. Urška Šadl (European University Institute, supervisor); Prof. Dr. Dr. hc. Hans-Wolfgang Micklitz (Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, European University Institute); Prof. Dr. Fernanda G. Nicola (American University Washington College of Law); Ass. Prof. Dr. Salvatore Caserta (Københavns Universitet)This thesis studies the impact of working processes and working culture at the Court of Justice of the European Union on the stabilisation and destabilisation of its decision-making. The theoretical framework is a Bourdieu’s theory of practice. I argue that the simultaneous relative indeterminism and determinism of decision-making, i. e. the fact that it produces relatively consistent outcomes and despite lawyers’ persistent disagreement, can best be explained by seeing it as a struggle among judges who try to enshrine their own perception of the case. However, I consider this struggle as more than a game of politics. The Judges perceptions are based on deeply inculcated schemata of perception. On the national level, these are primarily created by shared legal education and professional socialisation. But Judges at the Court of Justice come from diverse sets of legal systems and professional backgrounds. Hence, the structural factors of the practice at the Court have to carry much of the burden. I identify ten specific factors, such as the assignment of Judge-Rapporteurs, the chamber system, the single voice approach or the Court’s approach to case-law. In two case-studies on gender equality and childcare-related leave cases, I study the impact of these factors. In this area, the Court’s caselaw has often been criticised as incoherent, which allows me to identify competing perceptions. I then examine which structural factors can help to understand periods of increase convergence around a dominant schema, and which are related to periods of more contest and divergence. I find that the impact of the factors varies depending on their mutual interaction with other factors and that, for example, the often-studied Judge-Rapporteur alone cannot explain periods of convergence. The thesis thus furthers our understanding of the judicial process at the Court of Justice by revealing the comprehensive interrelationships between these factors

Hearing Impairment Caused by Noise at the Workplace

Objectives: The aim of this article is to determine the prevalence of hearing impairment caused by noise among workers in two companies in Bosnia and Herzegovina, to correlate hearing loss with age and years of specific work experience, and to indicate the occurrence mechanisms for these impairments. Methods: The study included 60 respondents who were divided into two groups: one group consisted of respondents with hearing impairment, and the second group respondents whose hearing was not impaired. Data were collected over a period of 5 years, by testing with sounds in frequency range 250-8000 Hz, which were graphically represented by audiograms. Statistical processing and comparison of the results of the control group and the group with hearing impairment were performed. Results: The age of the respondents ranged from 31 to 65 years, and the length of service ranged from 1 to 37 years. Hearing impairment was found in 46 workers, while the rest of the respondents had normal hearing. The average value of the hearing threshold in respondents with hearing impairment at 1 kHz was 21 dB, and the average value of hearing impairment was 34.45 dB (mild hearing impairment). Majority of workers have a mild degree of impairment. The largest differences in the audibility threshold between the two groups of workers with and without impairment were noticed at 4 kHz in the age group 46 to 55 years, and in the group with work experience from 21 to 30 years. Conclusion: Workplace noise effects are most clear in the 4 kHz frequency range. The age of the respondents and the years of work experience are significantly correlated with the hearing impairment: older workers and workers with longer work experience have greater hearing impairments

Disease burden of and expectations from surgery in patients prior to total knee arthroplasty:Results of the prospective FInGK study

Background: Disease burden in patients prior to total knee arthroplasty (TKA) varies widely between studies and countries. We aimed to characterize individuals undergoing TKA and examine their expectations from the surgery, focusing on variations in disease burden. Methods: Consecutive patients undergoing primary TKA in a German university hospital were recruited. A questionnaire including information on disease burden, preoperative expectations from surgery, health care utilization, demography, and socioeconomics was collected one day prior to surgery and linked to data from medical records. Patients were categorized into disease burden quartiles using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index’ (WOMAC) total score. Subsequently, study population's characteristics and expectations from surgery were analyzed stratified by disease burden. Results: A total of 196 patients were included (41 % male; mean age: 68.2 years). The median WOMAC was 52.0 (IQR: 41.0–58.0). Patients in Q1 were more often males (Q1: 63 % vs Q4: 29 %) and had a shorter duration of complaints with the impaired knee. They were also less restricted in social participation, reported less often signs of depression, and were less often treated with physiotherapy (Q1: 27 % vs Q4: 54 %). Furthermore, expectations from surgery were highest in patients with a low disease burden. Conclusion: We found large variations in disease burden with a considerable number of patients undergoing TKA whose functional capacity is still maintained and for which guideline-recommended conservative treatment options are not fully exhausted. Further research on this subgroup as well as establishing an international consensus on specific thresholds for TKA indication are needed.</p

Genetic Diversity and Relationships among Local Olive (Olea europeaea L.) Genotypes from Gaziantep Province and Notable Cultivars in Turkey, Based on SSR Markers

Olive and olive oil have a prominent place in the cultures of the countries within the Mediterranean basin including Turkey. The genetic relationships among 30 olive (Olea europaea L.) genotypes sampled from Gaziantep province in Turkey were examined using 10 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers (DCA9, DCA11, DCA15, DCA18UDO4, UDO9, UDO11, UDO12, UDO22, UDO24). Also, three well known Turkish and one foreign olive cultivar were also included within the SSR analysis. The number of alleles per locus of the SSR markers ranged from 5 (DCA15, UDO9) to 14 (DCA9) (average 7.9), for a total of 79 alleles. Similarity coefficients were calculated on the basis of 79 amplified bands. A dendrogram was created according to the 10 SSR markers by the unweighted pair-group method. The banding patterns obtained from the SSR primers allowed all of the genotypes/cultivars to be distinguished. According to the dendrogram, the 33 olive genotypes and cultivars were clustered into five main clusters. The most closely related genotypes were 'Oguzeli 3' and 'Yavuzeli 1' with 0.80 similarity ratio. The most genetically divergent cultivars were 'Yavuzeli 6' and 'Kilis Yaglik' (0.30), 'Yavuzeli 6' and 'Saurani' (0.20), 'Nizip 7' and 'Yavuzeli 4' (0.15), 'Islahiye 5' and 'Nizip Yaglik' (0.10). In conclusion, SSR analysis can be an efficient method for olive genotypes and cultivar identification and can offer valuable informative data to identify olive genotypes and cultivars grown in Turkey

Disease burden of and expectations from surgery in patients prior to total knee arthroplasty:Results of the prospective FInGK study

Background: Disease burden in patients prior to total knee arthroplasty (TKA) varies widely between studies and countries. We aimed to characterize individuals undergoing TKA and examine their expectations from the surgery, focusing on variations in disease burden. Methods: Consecutive patients undergoing primary TKA in a German university hospital were recruited. A questionnaire including information on disease burden, preoperative expectations from surgery, health care utilization, demography, and socioeconomics was collected one day prior to surgery and linked to data from medical records. Patients were categorized into disease burden quartiles using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index’ (WOMAC) total score. Subsequently, study population's characteristics and expectations from surgery were analyzed stratified by disease burden. Results: A total of 196 patients were included (41 % male; mean age: 68.2 years). The median WOMAC was 52.0 (IQR: 41.0–58.0). Patients in Q1 were more often males (Q1: 63 % vs Q4: 29 %) and had a shorter duration of complaints with the impaired knee. They were also less restricted in social participation, reported less often signs of depression, and were less often treated with physiotherapy (Q1: 27 % vs Q4: 54 %). Furthermore, expectations from surgery were highest in patients with a low disease burden. Conclusion: We found large variations in disease burden with a considerable number of patients undergoing TKA whose functional capacity is still maintained and for which guideline-recommended conservative treatment options are not fully exhausted. Further research on this subgroup as well as establishing an international consensus on specific thresholds for TKA indication are needed.</p