Structure of CSS and CSS-T Quantum Codes

We investigate CSS and CSS-T quantum error-correcting codes from the point of view of their existence, rarity, and performance. We give a lower bound on the number of pairs of linear codes that give rise to a CSS code with good correction capability, showing that such pairs are easy to produce with a randomized construction. We then prove that CSS-T codes exhibit the opposite behaviour, showing also that, under very natural assumptions, their rate and relative distance cannot be simultaneously large. This partially answers an open question on the feasible parameters of CSS-T codes. We conclude with a simple construction of CSS-T codes from Hermitian curves. The paper also offers a concise introduction to CSS and CSS-T codes from the point of view of classical coding theory

ALGEBRAIC GEOMETRY CODES OVER ABELIAN SURFACES CONTAINING NO ABSOLUTELY IRREDUCIBLE CURVES OF LOW GENUS

We provide a theoretical study of Algebraic Geometry codes constructed from abelian surfaces defined over finite fields. We give a general bound on their minimum distance and we investigate how this estimation can be sharpened under the assumption that the abelian surface does not contain low genus curves. This approach naturally leads us to consider Weil restrictions of elliptic curves and abelian surfaces which do not admit a principal polarization

Antithrombotic Management during Percutaneous Mitral Valve Repair with the Mitraclip System in a Patient with Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia

Interventional cardiology procedures require full anticoagulation to prevent thrombus formation on catheters and devices with potential development of embolic complications. Bivalirudin, a short half-life direct thrombin inhibitor, has been largely used during percutaneous coronary interventions and represents the preferred alternative to heparin in patients with heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). However, few data are available about intraprocedural use of bivalirudin during transcatheter structural heart disease interventions. Activated clotting time (ACT) monitoring during bivalirudin infusion pre- sents some limitations and it is not mandatory. We report a case of bivalirudin use in a patient with type-2 HIT during percutaneous mitral valve repair with the Mitraclip system (Abbott, Abbott Park, Illinois, United States). Despite use of standard bivalirudin dose (0.75 mg/kg bolus and 1.4 mg/kg/min infusion—reduced infusion rate was motivated by a glomerular filtration rate of 37 mL/min), the patient developed a large thrombus on the second clip during its orientation toward the mitral orifice. ACT was measured at that time and was suboptimal (240 seconds). The case was successfully managed with clip and thrombus retrieval, adjunctive 0.3 mg/kg bivalirudin bolus and increased infusion rate, and clip repositioning with ACT monitoring. This report makes the case for mandatory ACT checking and drug titration during high-risk catheter–based structural heart disease interventions, even when thromboprophylaxis is performed with bivalirudin. Additional coagulation tests may be useful to monitor bivalirudin response in similar cases

Differences in cardiac phenotype and natural history of laminopathies with and without neuromuscular onset

Objective: To investigate differences in cardiac manifestations of patients affected by laminopathy, according to the presence or absence of neuromuscular involvement at presentation.Methods: We prospectively analyzed 40 consecutive patients with a diagnosis of laminopathy followed at a single centre between 1998 and 2017. Additionally, reports of clinical evaluations and tests prior to referral at our centre were retrospectively evaluated.Results: Clinical onset was cardiac in 26 cases and neuromuscular in 14. Patients with neuromuscular presentation experienced first symptoms earlier in life (11 vs 39 years; p < 0.0001) and developed atrial fibrillation/flutter (AF) and required pacemaker implantation at a younger age (28 vs 41 years [p = 0.013] and 30 vs 44 years [p = 0.086] respectively), despite a similar overall prevalence of AF (57% vs 65%; p = 0.735) and atrio-ventricular (A-V) block (50% vs 65%; p = 0.500). Those with a neuromuscular presentation developed a cardiomyopathy less frequently (43% vs 73%; p = 0.089) and had a lower rate of sustained ventricular tachyarrhythmias (7% vs 23%; p = 0.387). In patients with neuromuscular onset rhythm disturbances occurred usually before evidence of cardiomyopathy. Despite these differences, the need for heart transplantation and median age at intervention were similar in the two groups (29% vs 23% [p = 0.717] and 43 vs 46 years [p = 0.593] respectively).Conclusions: In patients with laminopathy, the type of disease onset was a marker for a different natural history. Specifically, patients with neuromuscular presentation had an earlier cardiac involvement, characterized by a linear and progressive evolution from rhythm disorders (AF and/or A-V block) to cardiomyopathy

Usefulness of Electrocardiographic Patterns at Presentation to Predict Long-term Risk of Cardiac Death in Patients With Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

The objective of this study was to investigate the prognostic significance of 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) patterns in a large multicenter cohort of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy; 1,004 consecutive patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and a recorded standard ECG (64% men, mean age 50 ± 16 years) were evaluated at 4 Italian centers. The study end points were sudden cardiac death (SCD) or surrogates, including appropriate implanted cardiac defibrillator discharge and resuscitated cardiac arrest and major cardiovascular events (including SCD or surrogates and death due to heart failure, cardioembolic stroke, or heart transplantation). Prevalence of baseline electrocardiographic characteristics was: normal ECG 4%, ST-segment depression 56%, pseudonecrosis waves 33%, "pseudo-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI)" pattern 17%, QRS duration ≥120 ms 17%, giant inverted T waves 6%, and low QRS voltages 3%. During a mean follow-up of 7.4 ± 6.8 years, 77 patients experienced SCD or surrogates and 154 patients experienced major cardiovascular events. Independent predictors of SCD or surrogates were unexplained syncope (hazard ratio [HR] 2.5, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.4 to 4.5, p = 0.003), left ventricular ejection fraction <50% (HR 3.5, 95% CI 1.9 to 6.7, p = 0.0001), nonsustained ventricular tachycardia (HR 1.7, 95% CI 1.1 to 2.6, p = 0.027), pseudo-STEMI pattern (HR 2.3, 95% CI 1.4 to 3.8, p = 0.001), QRS duration ≥120 ms (HR 1.8, 95% CI 1.1 to 3.0, p = 0.033), and low QRS voltages (HR 2.3, 95% CI 1.01 to 5.1, p = 0.048). Independent predictors of major cardiovascular events were age (HR 1.02, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.03, p = 0.0001), LV ejection fraction <50% (HR 3.73, 95% CI 2.39 to 5.83, p = 0.0001), pseudo-STEMI pattern (HR 1.66, 95% CI 1.13 to 2.45, p = 0.010), QRS duration ≥120 ms (HR 1.69, 95% CI 1.16 to 2.47, p = 0.007), and prolonged QTc interval (HR 1.68, 95% CI 1.21 to 2.34, p = 0.002). In conclusion, a detailed qualitative and quantitative electrocardiographic analyses provide independent predictors of prognosis that could be integrated with the available score systems to improve the power of the current model

RNAcentral : a hub of information for non-coding RNA sequences

RNAcentral is a comprehensive database of non-coding RNA (ncRNA) sequences, collating information on ncRNA sequences of all types from a broad range of organisms. We have recently added a new genome mapping pipeline that identifies genomic locations for ncRNA sequences in 296 species. We have also added several new types of functional annotations, such as tRNA secondary structures, Gene Ontology annotations, and miRNA-target interactions. A new quality control mechanism based on Rfam family assignments identifies potential contamination, incomplete sequences, and more. The RNAcentral database has become a vital component of many workflows in the RNA community, serving as both the primary source of sequence data for academic and commercial groups, as well as a source of stable accessions for the annotation of genomic and functional features. These examples are facilitated by an improved RNAcentral web interface, which features an updated genome browser, a new sequence feature viewer, and improved text search functionality. RNAcentral is freely available at https://rnacentral.org