Comprehensive dissection of prevalence rates, sex differences, and blood level-dependencies of clozapine-associated adverse drug reactions

Clozapine is often underused due to concerns about adverse drug reactions (ADRs) but studies into their prevalences are inconclusive. We therefore comprehensively examined prevalences of clozapineassociated ADRs in individuals with schizophrenia and demographic and clinical factors associated with their occurrence. Data from a multi-center study (n=698 participants) were collected. The mean number of ADRs during clozapine treatment was 4.8, with 2.4% of participants reporting no ADRs. The most common ADRs were hypersalivation (74.6%), weight gain (69.3%), and increased sleep necessity (65.9%), all of which were more common in younger participants. Participants with lower BMI prior to treatment were more likely to experience significant weight gain (>10%). Constipation occurred more frequently with higher clozapine blood levels and doses. There were no differences in ADR prevalence rates between participants receiving clozapine monotherapy and polytherapy. These findings emphasize the high prevalence of clozapine-associated ADRs and highlight several demographic and clinical factors contributing to their occurrence. By understanding these factors, clinicians can better anticipate and manage clozapine-associated ADRs, leading to improved treatment outcomes and patient well-being

The first-order structural transition in NiO at high pressure

The physics of NiO under applied pressure has long been debated and the material has been a key contributor to our understanding of Mott insulators and strongly correlated materials more generally. Here, the authors perform high-pressure X-ray diffraction measurements reporting a pressure-induced structural phase transition for NiO, which they suggest is linked with the metal-insulator transition of this system

Equation of state and high-pressure phase behaviour of SrCO3_3

The high-pressure phase transition of strontianite (SrCO$_3$) was investigated at ambient temperature by means of powder and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The samples were compressed in a diamond anvil cell to a maximum pressure of 49 GPa. Structure refinements confirm the existence of SrCO$_3$ in the low pressure aragonite-type phase Pmcn (62) up to about 26 GPa. Above this pressure, SrCO3 transforms into a high-pressure phase with post-aragonite crystal structure Pmmn (59). Fitting the volume extracted from the compression data to the third-order Birch–Murnaghan equation of state for the low-pressure phase of SrCO$_3$ yields K$_0$=62.7(6) GPa and K′$_0$=3.2(1), and for the high-pressure phase this yields K$_0$=103(10) GPa and K′$_0$=2.3(6). The unit cell parameters change non-uniformly, with the c axis being 4 times more compressible than the a and b axes. Our results unequivocally show the existence of a Pmmn structure in SrCO$_3$ above 26 GPa and provide important structural parameters for this phase

Equation of state and high-pressure phase behaviour of SrCO3

The high-pressure phase transition of strontianite (SrCO3) was investigated at ambient temperature by means of powder and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The samples were compressed in a diamond anvil cell to a maximum pressure of 49 GPa. Structure refinements confirm the existence of SrCO3 in the low pressure aragonite-type phase Pmcn (62) up to about 26 GPa. Above this pressure, SrCO3 transforms into a high-pressure phase with post-aragonite crystal structure Pmmn (59). Fitting the volume extracted from the compression data to the third-order Birch–Murnaghan equation of state for the low-pressure phase of SrCO3 yields K0=62.7(6) GPa and K′0=3.2(1), and for the high-pressure phase this yields K0=103(10) GPa and K′0=2.3(6). The unit cell parameters change non-uniformly, with the c axis being 4 times more compressible than the a and b axes. Our results unequivocally show the existence of a Pmmn structure in SrCO3 above 26 GPa and provide important structural parameters for this phase

Laser heating system at the Extreme Conditions Beamline, P02.2, PETRA III

A laser heating system for samples confined in diamond anvil cells paired within situ X-ray diffraction measurements at the Extreme Conditions Beamlineof PETRA III is presented. The system features two independent laserconfigurations (on-axis and off-axis of the X-ray path) allowing for a broadrange of experiments using different designs of diamond anvil cells. The powerof the continuous laser source can be modulated for use in various pulsed laserheating or flash heating applications. An example of such an application isillustrated here on the melting curve of iron at megabar pressures. The opticalpath of the spectroradiometry measurements is simulated with ray-tracingmethods in order to assess the level of present aberrations in the system and theresults are compared with other systems, that are using simpler lens optics.Based on the ray-tracing the choice of the first achromatic lens and other aspectsfor accurate temperature measurements are evaluated