Technical Assessments of Future European Space Transportation Options

The paper describes some of the most recent activities in Germany in the technical assessment of future European launcher architecture. In focus is a joint effort of DLR-SART with German launcher industry in the definition of a next generation upper-medium class expendable TSTO with an initial operational capability after 2020. Involved companies are EADS astrium and MT Aerospace. This DLR-agency funded study WOTAN investigates fully cryogenic launchers as well as those with a combination of solid and cryogenic stages, fulfilling a requirement of 5000 kg single payload into GTO. Solid strap-on boosters should allow both versions further payload growth capability. In its second part the paper analyzes options for new liquid fuel upper stages to be put on the P80 solid first stage of the Vega small launcher. Versions with storable as well as cryogenic propellants are investigated in a preliminary launcher system lay-out and their technical viability is critically assessed

Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the psychotropic drug consumption

International audienceImportance Although the COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on mental health, there is no comprehensive longitudinal study of the entire population of a country without selection bias. Objective The objective of this study was to evaluate the prescription of psychotropic drugs during the COVID-19 pandemic, using data from the French national health data system (SNDS). Design, settings, and participants Prescriptions for psychotropic drugs (antidepressants, anxiolytics, hypnotics, and antipsychotics) from 1 January 2015 to 30 September 2021 were collected from administrative data provided by the SNDS. This database includes more than 99% of the French population, i.e., 67 million people. The data were analyzed using an interrupted time series analysis (ITSA) model. Main outcomes and measures Consumption of psychotropic drugs was aggregated in months and expressed in number of boxes per thousand inhabitants. Results During the study period, more than 1.3 billion boxes of psychotropic medications were dispensed. Comparison of psychotropic drug dispensing before and after the pandemic showed a relative increase of 0.76 (95 CI 0.57 to 0.95, p <0.001) boxes per month per thousand inhabitants, all classes of psychotropic drugs combined. Three classes saw their consumption increase in an almost similar proportion, respectively, by 0.23 (0.15 to 0.32, p <0.001) boxes for antidepressants, 0.27 (0.20 to 0.34, p <0.001) boxes for anxiolytics and 0.23 (0.17 to 0.30, p <0.001) boxes for hypnotics. The change in antipsychotic consumption was very small, with an increase of 0.04 boxes (0.02 to 0.06, p = 0.001) per month per thousand population. Conclusion and relevance The COVID-19 pandemic had led to an increase in the consumption of psychotropic drugs, confirming the significant impact of the pandemic on the mental health of the general population

Author Correction: A ferroptosis-based panel of prognostic biomarkers for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper

Author Correction: A ferroptosis-based panel of prognostic biomarkers for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper

Could conservative iron chelation lead to neuroprotection in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis?

Iron accumulation has been observed in mouse models and both sporadic and familial forms of Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Iron chelation could reduce iron accumulation and the related excess of oxidative stress in the motor pathways. However, classical iron chelation would induce systemic iron depletion. We assess the safety and efficacy of conservative iron chelation (i.e. chelation with low risk of iron depletion) in a murine preclinical model and pilot clinical trial. In Sod1G86R mice, deferiprone increased the mean life span as compared with placebo. The safety was good, without anemia after 12 months of deferiprone in the 23 ALS patients enrolled in the clinical trial. The decreases in the ALS Functional Rating Scale and the body mass index (BMI) were significantly smaller for the first 3 months of deferiprone treatment (30 mg/kg/day) than for the first treatment-free period. Iron levels in the cervical spinal cord, medulla oblongata and motor cortex (according to MRI), as well as cerebrospinal fluid levels of oxidative stress and neurofilament light chains were lower after deferiprone treatment. Our observation leads to the hypothesis that moderate iron chelation regimen that avoids changes in systemic iron levels may constitute a novel therapeutic modality of neuroprotection for ALS

Future European Expendable Launcher Options and Technology Preparation

The paper describes latest results of the most recent activities in Germany in the technical assessment of future European launcher architecture. In a joint effort of DLR-SART with German launcher industry a next generation upper-medium class expendable TSTO and options for new liquid fuel upper stages for the small VEGA-launcher are addressed. The WOTAN study has investigated fully cryogenic launchers as well as those with a combination of solid and cryogenic stages, fulfilling a requirement of at least 5000 kg single payload into GTO. With this study finished, final performance data as well as critical technical and programmatic issues are presented. The VENUS research on potential new VEGA upper stages is now focused on storable and on Vinci-based cryogenic propulsion and includes not only the VEGA solid propellant lower composite, but also its potential more powerful future upgrade. In its second part the paper gives an overview on advanced cryogenic upper-stage technologies presently under investigation in Germany. A research cooperation of German launcher industry, university academia and DLR has been initiated to work jointly on various identified needs

Vidange d’ergol Méthane liquéfié embarqué à bord d’un véhicule de transport spatial

National audienc

Forgiveness of Dolutegravir-Based Triple Therapy Compared with Older Antiretroviral Regimens: A Prospective Multicenter Cohort of Adherence Patterns and HIV-RNA Replication

Average adherence (Av-Adh) and log-transformed treatment interruption (TI) to ARV were prospectively measured over 6 months using electronic drug monitoring (EDM) in several cohorts of PWH. Multivariate linear regression models including baseline confounders explored the influence of EDM-defined adherence (R2) on 6-month log10 HIV-RNA. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to compare the risk of HIV-RNA detection (VR) within subgroups stratified by lower (≤95%) and higher (\u3e95%) Av-Adh. Three hundred ninety-nine PWH were analyzed with different ARVs: dolutegravir (n = 102), raltegravir (n = 90), boosted PI (bPI; n = 107), and NNRTI (n = 100). In the dolutegravir group, the influence of adherence pattern measures on R2 for HIV-RNA levels was marginal (+2%). Av-Adh, TI, and Av-Adh × TI increased the R2 for HIV-RNA levels by 54% and 40% in the raltegravir and bPI treatment groups, respectively. TI increased the R2 for HIV-RNA levels by 36% in the NNRTI treatment group. Compared with the dolutegravir-based regimen, the risk of VR was significantly increased for raltegravir (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 45.6; 95% CI, 4.5–462.1; P = .001), NNRTIs (aOR, 24.8; 95% CI, 2.7–228.4; P = .005), and bPIs (aOR, 28.3; 95% CI, 3.4–239.4; P = .002) in PWH with Av-Adh ≤95%. Among PWH with \u3e95% Av-Adh, there were no significant differences in the risk of VR among the different ARVs. These findings support the concept that dolutegravir in combination with 2 other active ARVs achieves greater virological suppression than older ARVs, including raltegravir, NNRTI, and bPI, among PWH with lower adherence

Neurological Soft Signs and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Biomarker of Severity?

International audienceBackground: The psychophysiological changes for individual suffering from chronic post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) raise to the questions of how facilitate recovery and return to work. Negative alterations in neuro-cognition remain a complaint for patients and participate to long-term functional impairments. Neurological soft signs (NSSs) appear as a candidate for better understanding these complaints. They have been reported in several mental disorders. They are found in several behavioral and/or neurocognitive disorders and are taken into account by psychiatric rehabilitation programs to support recovery. As few studies evaluate NSSs in PTSD, our exploratory study aims to assess NSSs in chronic PTSD and their relationships with PTSD severity.Method: Twenty-two patients with a clinical diagnosis of chronic PTSD were evaluated in terms of PTSD severity (post-traumatic checklist scale, PCL5), NSSs (NSSs psychomotor skills scale, PASS), and well-being upon arrival to the hospital and compared with 15 healthy subjects. Statistical non-parametric analyses assessed the relationships between these variables.Results: PTSD subjects exhibited higher NSSs compared with healthy subjects. NSSs were positively associated with PTSD severity, with negative alterations in cognition and mood, and with impairment in well-being. They were higher in women compared with men. No impact of age was found. Three groups were identified based on the severity of the PTSD. Severe PTSD exhibited NSSs characterized by motor integration alterations.Conclusions: This pilot study suggests that NSSs might be a biomarker of PTSD severity. This proof of concept highlights the need for further research for better evaluating the clinical neuro-functional impairment. This will be helping for defining neurological remediation for promoting PTSD recovery

Influence of Gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) for performance improvement of a-Si:H photovoltaic cells

International audienc