Multiwavelength observations of GRB 140629A: a long burst with an achromatic jet break in the optical and X-ray afterglow

We investigate the long gamma-ray burst (GRB) 140629A through multiwavelength observations to derive the properties of the dominant jet and its host galaxy. Methods. The afterglow and host galaxy observations were taken in the optical (Swift/UVOT and various facilities worldwide), infrared (Spitzer), and X-rays (Swift/XRT) between 40 s and 3 yr after the burst trigger. Results. Polarisation observations by the MASTER telescope indicate that this burst is weakly polarised. The optical spectrum contains absorption features, from which we confirm the redshift of the GRB as originating at z=2.276 +/- 0.001. We performed spectral fitting of the X-rays to optical afterglow data and find there is no strong spectral evolution. We determine the hydrogen column density N-H to be 7.2 x 10(21) cm(-2) along the line of sight. The afterglow in this burst can be explained by a blast wave jet with a long-lasting central engine expanding into a uniform medium in the slow cooling regime. At the end of energy injection, a normal decay phase is observed in both the optical and X-ray bands. An achromatic jet break is also found in the afterglow light curves similar to 0.4 d after trigger. We fit the multiwavelength data simultaneously with a model based on a numerical simulation and find that the observations can be explained by a narrow uniform jet in a dense environment with an opening angle of 6.7 degrees viewed 3.8 degrees off-axis, which released a total energy of 1.4 x 10(54) erg. Using the redshift and opening angle, we find GRB 140629A follows both the Ghirlanda and Amati relations. From the peak time of the light curve, identified as the onset of the forward shock (181s after trigger), the initial Lorentz factor (Gamma(0)) is constrained in the range 82-118. Fitting the host galaxy photometry, we find the host to be a low mass, star-forming galaxy with a star formation rate of log (SFR) 1.1(-0.4)(+0.9) M(circle dot)log(SFR)=1.1-0.4+0.9M circle dot$\log\mathrm{(SFR)}=1.1_{-0.4}{+0.9}\,M_\odot$ yr(-1). We obtain a value of the neutral hydrogen density by fitting the optical spectrum, log N-HI=21.0 +/- 0.3, classifying this host as a damped Lyman-alpha. High ionisation lines (NV, SiIV) are also detected in the spectrum.© ESO 2019Acknowledge the support by the program of China Scholarships Council (CSC) under the Grant no. 201406660015. We also acknowledge support from the Spanish MINEICO ministry and European FEDER funds AYA-2015-71718-R. SRO gratefully acknowledges the support of the Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship. RS-R acknowledges support from ASI (Italian Space Agency) through the Contract no. 2015-046-R.0 and from European Union Horizon 2020 Programme under the AHEAD project (grant agreement no. 654215). MASTER equipment is supported by Lomonosov MSU Development Program and by Moscow Union OPTIKA. VL,EG, NT, VK are supported by BRICS RFBR grant 17-52-80133. MASTER-Tunka equipment is supported of Russian Federation Ministry of Science and High Education (grants 2019-05-592-0001-7293 and 2019-05-595-0001-2496). B.-B.Z. acknowledges support from the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2018YFA0404204), and NSFC-11833003. S.B.P. acknowledges BRICS grant DST/IMRCD/BRICS/Pilotcall/ProFCheap/2017(G) for this work. I.D. acknowledges L. Piro his invitation and financial support to visit and work at IAPS (Rome). We also acknowledge the use of the public data from the Swift data archive. We thank the excellent support form the GTC staff which is located at Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos at Canary Islands (Spain). Thanks to the data support by NASA with Spitzer Space Telescope. SP and RB acknowledge support from RBRF grant 17-52-80139 BRICS-a. IHP acknowledges support from NRF 2018R1A2A1A05022685. Finally, we want to thank the anonymous referee for his/her comments, which have substantially improved the manuscrip

Association between presence of the metabolic syndrome and its components with carotid intima-media thickness and carotid and femoral plaque area: a population study

Abstract. Background: We aimed to explore the association between presence and number of components of the Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) and subclinical atherosclerosis outcomes (common carotid intima media thickness, plaque presence and sum of plaque area) in both the carotid and femoral bifurcations. Methods. Cross-sectional analysis of 771 volunteers from the ongoing epidemiological Cyprus Study (46% male; mean age = 60.1 ± 9.8). (a) Carotid intima-media thickness (IMTcc), (b) sum of plaque area in the carotid bifurcations (sum of the largest plaques in each carotid bifurcation-SPAcar), (c) sum of plaque area in the femoral bifurcations (sum of the largest plaques in each femoral bifurcation-SPAfem) and (d) sum of plaque area in both carotid and femoral bifurcations (sum of the areas of the largest plaques present in each of the four bifurcations-SPA) were measured at baseline using ultrasound. Presence and number of components of the MetS was ascertained using the National Cholesterol Education Program ATPIII definition and their association tested using multivariable regression models. Results: MetS was present in 259 (33.6%) individuals and was associated with a 0.02 mm increase in IMTcc (95% CI: 0.00 to 0.04, p = 0.047) after adjustment for age, sex, family history of CVD, alcohol consumption (BU/week) and smoking (pack-years). Each additional component of the MetS was associated with a 16% higher SPA (95% CI: 6.8% to 25.2%, p§ssub§for trend§esub§ = 0.001), a 10% higher SPAcar (95% CI: 5% to 24%, p§ssub§for trend§esub§ = 0.003) and a 14% higher SPAfem in the adjusted model. Conclusions: We confirm an association between the MetS and IMTcc as well as report for the first time an association between the MetS and its components and femoral plaque area, in a general population over 40 years of age. Having any risk factors for the MetS increases the risk for subclinical atherosclerosis, with the risk increasing with each additional component. Using the dichotomous definition of the MetS may be overlooking the risk for subclinical atherosclerosis -and by inference future cardiovascular events- associated with having less than 3 risk factors

Global perspective of familial hypercholesterolaemia: a cross-sectional study from the EAS Familial Hypercholesterolaemia Studies Collaboration (FHSC)

Background The European Atherosclerosis Society Familial Hypercholesterolaemia Studies Collaboration (FHSC) global registry provides a platform for the global surveillance of familial hypercholesterolaemia through harmonisation and pooling of multinational data. In this study, we aimed to characterise the adult population with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia and described how it is detected and managed globally. Methods Using FHSC global registry data, we did a cross-sectional assessment of adults (aged 18 years or older) with a clinical or genetic diagnosis of probable or definite heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia at the time they were entered into the registries. Data were assessed overall and by WHO regions, sex, and index versus non-index cases. Findings Of the 61 612 individuals in the registry, 42 167 adults (21 999 [53·6%] women) from 56 countries were included in the study. Of these, 31 798 (75·4%) were diagnosed with the Dutch Lipid Clinic Network criteria, and 35 490 (84·2%) were from the WHO region of Europe. Median age of participants at entry in the registry was 46·2 years (IQR 34·3–58·0); median age at diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolaemia was 44·4 years (32·5–56·5), with 40·2% of participants younger than 40 years when diagnosed. Prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors increased progressively with age and varied by WHO region. Prevalence of coronary disease was 17·4% (2·1% for stroke and 5·2% for peripheral artery disease), increasing with concentrations of untreated LDL cholesterol, and was about two times lower in women than in men. Among patients receiving lipid-lowering medications, 16 803 (81·1%) were receiving statins and 3691 (21·2%) were on combination therapy, with greater use of more potent lipid-lowering medication in men than in women. Median LDL cholesterol was 5·43 mmol/L (IQR 4·32–6·72) among patients not taking lipid-lowering medications and 4·23 mmol/L (3·20–5·66) among those taking them. Among patients taking lipid-lowering medications, 2·7% had LDL cholesterol lower than 1·8 mmol/L; the use of combination therapy, particularly with three drugs and with proprotein convertase subtilisin–kexin type 9 inhibitors, was associated with a higher proportion and greater odds of having LDL cholesterol lower than 1·8 mmol/L. Compared with index cases, patients who were non-index cases were younger, with lower LDL cholesterol and lower prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular diseases (all p<0·001). Interpretation Familial hypercholesterolaemia is diagnosed late. Guideline-recommended LDL cholesterol concentrations are infrequently achieved with single-drug therapy. Cardiovascular risk factors and presence of coronary disease were lower among non-index cases, who were diagnosed earlier. Earlier detection and greater use of combination therapies are required to reduce the global burden of familial hypercholesterolaemia. Funding Pfizer, Amgen, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Sanofi–Aventis, Daiichi Sankyo, and Regeneron