171. Super heavy dark matter from inflationary Schwinger productionMar Bastero-Gil, Paulo B. Ferraz, Lorenzo Ubaldi, Roberto Vega-Morales, 2024, original scientific article Abstract: We consider a simple setup with a dark sector containing dark electrons charged under an Abelian �(1)� gauge symmetry. We show that, if the massless dark photon associated to the �(1)� is produced during inflation in such a way as to form a classical dark electric field, then dark electron-positron pairs are also produced close to the end of inflation via the Schwinger effect even if they are very massive. For large enough dark electric force, dark electrons with masses larger than the Hubble scale can be produced which are nonrelativistic at production and throughout their cosmic evolution. They can account for the dark matter abundance today for masses in the range ∼100 GeV to 1017 GeV and up to 6 orders of magnitude larger than the Hubble scale at the end of inflation where purely gravitational production is exponentially suppressed. We examine the regime where the dark electrons do not thermalize with the dark photons throughout their cosmic history and assume negligible kinetic mixing with the visible �(1) so they remain decoupled from the Standard Model thermal bath as well. Thus, the final dark matter relic abundance is determined only by the initial inflationary Schwinger production and redshifting after reheating.
Published in DiRROS: 04.12.2025; Views: 101; Downloads: 47
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176. Bisphenol A in the urine : association with urinary creatinine, impaired kidney function, use of plastic food and beverage storage products but not with serum anti-müllerian hormone in ovarian malignanciesMateja Sladič, Špela Smrkolj, Gorazd Kavšek, Senka Imamović-Kumalić, Ivan Verdenik, Irma Virant-Klun, 2025, original scientific article Abstract: Bisphenol A (BPA) is a high-production-volume industrial chemical and component of commonly used plastic products. However, it is also an endocrine-disrupting chemical that can negatively affect human health. It is not yet known whether it is associated with the development of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), a severe and highly fatal human disease. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the concentrations of BPA in the urine of women with EOC or epithelial borderline ovarian tumors (EBOTs) using gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) and find their possible associations with kidney function at the molecular level, urine and blood biochemical parameters related to metabolism, anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) (a marker of ovarian reserve/fertility), and lifestyle habits determined via a questionnaire in comparison to healthy controls. The results suggest that the unadjusted or urine-specific-gravity-adjusted BPA levels were significantly increased in women with EOC/EBOT. The unadjusted BPA was significantly positively associated with urinary creatinine (p = 0.007) in all women with EOC/EBOT after adjustment for age, body mass index, and pregnancy using multiple linear regression analysis. This may be related to kidney injury. However, no association was found between urinary BPA and serum AMH levels in women. Women with ovarian malignancies were more exposed to plastic products for storing foods and drinks. Some lifestyle habits, including refilling plastic bottles, correlate with higher urinary BPA levels across the entire cohort of women. When considering EOC or EBOT, it is necessary to consider the potential higher exposure of women to BPA, as reflected in their urine and lifestyle habits.
Keywords: anti-Müllerian hormone, kidney function, lifestyle habits, ovarian cancer, thrombocytes, urine, female exposure
Published in DiRROS: 03.12.2025; Views: 144; Downloads: 55
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177. Residual non-specific and disease-specific inflammatory markers in successfully treated young psoriasis patients : a cross-sectional studyEva Klara Merzel Šabović, Tadeja Kraner Šumenjak, Mojca Božič Mijovski, Miodrag Janić, 2025, original scientific article Abstract: Psoriasis is a chronic, immune-mediated disease. The systemic inflammation triggered by psoriasis contributes significantly to increased cardiovascular risk. While various treatments completely clear the skin, the associated effects on systemic inflammation are not yet clear. We investigated residual systemic inflammation in successfully treated patients. Circulating disease-specific and non-specific inflammatory markers were measured and compared in 80 psoriasis patients (aged 30–45 years) successfully treated with topical therapy, methotrexate, adalimumab, secukinumab or guselkumab, and in 20 healthy controls. Non-specific inflammatory markers (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), complete blood count (CBC) parameters, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), mean platelet volume-to-platelet ratio (MPR), and red blood cell distribution width-to-platelet ratio (RPR)) and disease-specific inflammatory markers (interferon-γ (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-12p70, IL-17, and IL-23) were measured and compared between groups. Disease-specific cytokines (IFN-γ, TNF, IL-1β, IL-12p70, and IL-17, but not IL-23), were significantly elevated in patients compared to controls, while non-specific inflammatory markers showed no differences compared to controls. The residual disease-specific cytokines were similarly elevated in all five treated groups. In addition, they correlated significantly with body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference. Our results suggest that psoriasis patients have elevated residual disease-specific cytokines despite successful treatment, while the non-specific inflammatory markers are similar to those in control subjects. Residual disease-specific inflammatory markers correlated with BMI and waist circumference. A possible beneficial effect of body weight control in psoriasis patients merits further investigation. The study was registered at http://clinicaltrials.gov (identifier: NCT05957120) on July 24, 2023.
Keywords: psoriasis, biologic therapy, infammation, cytokines
Published in DiRROS: 03.12.2025; Views: 124; Downloads: 56
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179. Gender disparity in lipid testing among over 0.5 million adults from Pakistan : females are tested much later despite higher LDL-cholesterol levelsAmjad Nawaz, Madeeha Khan, Quratul Ain, Muhammad Amjad, Jaka Šikonja, Hijab Batool, Mohammad Iqbal Khan, Urh Grošelj, Fouzia Sadiq, 2025, original scientific article Abstract: Background and aims: Dyslipidemia is the major risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD); therefore, its early diagnosis and treatment is necessary. While previous studies in Pakistan focused on general lipid profiles, investigations into gender disparities in lipid testing remain scarce. Therefore, the present study aims to explore the gender disparity in lipid testing and lipid levels among the adult Pakistani population. Methods: The lipid profile data was obtained from a tertiary care hospital and a diagnostic laboratory with centers across Pakistan. Dyslipidemia was defined based on the criteria provided by the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) guidelines. Gender-based differences in lipid levels were analysed by copula decomposition, breaking down dyslipidemia differences into composition and structure effects. Results: A total of 577,489 adults were included in this study. The highest number of tests (n = 86,709, 14.6%) were conducted in individuals aged between 50 to 54 years. Greater number of males (n = 203,415, 64.3%) were tested before the age of 50 years compared to females (n = 113,030, 35.7%). Conversely, after the age of 50 years, number of tests increased notably among females (n = 137,541, 52.7%) compared to males (n = 123,503, 47.3%; p < 0.001). For all comparisons, significant differences were observed for low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides (TG), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels between males and females (p < 0.001), where average levels of LDL-C, TC and HDL-C were higher in females while average TG levels were higher in males. Conclusion: This study highlights the gender disparity in lipid testing in Pakistan, where females undergo lipid testing later in life, despite higher lipid levels compared to males.
Keywords: cardiovascular disease, dyslipidemia, gender disparity, lipid testing, opportunistic testing, Pakistan
Published in DiRROS: 03.12.2025; Views: 108; Downloads: 51
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180. Postprandial time in tight range with faster insulin aspart compared with standard insulin aspart in youth with type 1 diabetes using automated insulin deliveryKlemen Dovč, Charles Spanbauer, Eleonora Chiarle, Nataša Bratina, Elke Fröhlich-Reiterer, Nejka Potočnik, Dessi P. Zaharieva, Tim Hropot, Maria Fritsch, Peter Calhoun, Tadej Battelino, 2025, original scientific article Abstract: Aims The aim of this study was to assess postprandial glycaemic outcomes using automated insulin delivery with faster acting insulin aspart (FIA) or standard insulin aspart (SIA) over 4 weeks in youth (aged 10–18 years) with type 1 diabetes. Materials and Methods We undertook a secondary analysis of postprandial glycaemic outcomes from a double-blind, randomised, crossover study comparing FIA to SIA using an investigational version of MiniMed™ 780G. Endpoints included postprandial time in tight range (70–140 mg/dL; TITR), postprandial glucose excursions and peak glucose, and incremental area under curve (iAUC). Results The mean ± SD age of 30 included participants was 15.0 ± 1.7 years, 47% were male, mean HbA1c was 7.5% ± 0.9% (58 ± 9.8 mmol/mol) and the number of meals per day per participant was 3.2 ± 1.2 meals. Overall, the postprandial outcomes were improved with FIA compared with SIA. Mean glucose at the start of the meal was 151 mg/dL in the FIA group and reached a peak glucose of 194 mg/dL, compared with starting level of 151 mg/dL in the SIA group and a peak of 198 mg/dL (difference in excursion: −3.8 mg/dL; 95% confidence interval −5.8 to −1.7; p <0.001). FIA group also had a 1.9% increase in mean TITR (p = 0.02) and a 2.0-mg/dL decrease in mean iAUC (p = 0.003). Differences in outcomes were the most noticeable for breakfast, meals with a larger amount of carbohydrates (>45 g) and participants with lower insulin-to-carbohydrate ratios.Conclusions Faster insulin formulation with AID improved postprandial glycaemic outcomes and could be a useful therapeutical option in youth with type 1 diabetes that have challenges achieving glycaemic targets.
Keywords: postprandial time in tight, range standard insulin aspart in youth with type 1, automated insulin delivery
Published in DiRROS: 03.12.2025; Views: 89; Downloads: 41
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