Author Correction: Cross-ancestry genome-wide association analysis of corneal thickness strengthens link between complex and Mendelian eye diseases.

Emmanuelle Souzeau, who contributed to analysis of data, was inadvertently omitted from the author list in the originally published version of this Article. This has now been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the Article

Pre-hospital ECG for acute coronary syndrome in urban India: A cost-effectiveness analysis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in India have increased pre-hospital delay and low rates of thrombolytic reperfusion. Use of ECG could reduce pre-hospital delay among patients who first present to a general practitioner (GP). We assessed whether performing ECG on patients with acute chest pain would improve long-term outcomes and be cost-effective.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We created a Markov model of urban Indian patients presenting to a GP with acute chest pain to compare a GP's performing an ECG versus not performing one. Variables describing the accuracy of a GP's referral decision in chest pain and ACS, ACS treatment patterns, the effectiveness of thrombolytic reperfusion, and costs were derived from Indian data where available and other developed world studies. The model was used to estimate the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of the intervention in 2007 US dollars per quality adjusted life years (QALY) gained.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Under baseline assumptions, the ECG strategy cost an additional $12.65 per QALY gained compared to no ECG. Sensitivity analyses around the cost of the ECG, cost of thrombolytic, and referral accuracy of the GP yielded ICERs for the ECG strategy ranging between cost-saving and$1124/QALY. All results indicated the intervention is cost-effective under current World Health Organization recommendations.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>While direct presentation to the hospital with acute chest pain is preferable, in urban Indian patients presenting first to a GP, an ECG performed by the GP is a cost-effective strategy to reduce disability and mortality. This strategy should be clinically studied and considered until improved emergency transport services are available.</p

Klinische Sportmedizin

Aim. The human bodys ability to sense positions of body parts in the three dimensional space is defined as the joint position sense (JPS). Worsening of JPS due to acute local fatigue in e.g. shoulder joints coincides with a decline of handball specific abilities such as throwing accuracy. The purpose of our study was to determine the influence of acute global fatigue induced by a simulated handball match on local JPS of shoulders, hips and knees. Methods. Male elite handball players (n=18) were tested before (PRE) and after (POST) a simulated handball match using an angle reproduction test in shoulders, knees, and hips, respectively. The simulated handball match comprised a distance of 4680m, 81 accelerations, 9 throws, 18 jumps, 180 ball-contacts, 234 changes in direction, 225 changes in speed in 45 minutes 27 seconds. Results. JPS in athletes shoulders (PRE: 5.3; POST: 8.8;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;: 3.4; p=0.023) and hips (PRE: 2.8; POST: 6.1;&amp;nbsp; : 3.2; p=0.004) decreased significantly whereas knees (PRE: 6.4; POST: 7.3;&amp;nbsp; : 0.9; p=0.561) were not affected by the simulated handball match. Conclusion. JPS worsened after a simulated handball match in shoulders and hips of male elite handball players, but remained unchanged in athletes knees. The decreased potential in JPS in shoulder and hip joints may impair the accuracy in throwing and speed in side cuts and could thereby have a detrimental effect in a professional handball game.Key Words: angle reproduction, hip, knee, shoulder, proprioception

Carbonaceous Aerosol Characteristics in Outdoor and Indoor Environments of Nanchang, China, during Summer 2009

A study of carbonaceous aerosol was initiated in Nanchang, a city in eastern China, for the first time. Daily and diurnal (daytime and nighttime) PM(2.5) (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter &lt;= 2.5 mu m) samples were collected at an outdoor site and in three different indoor environments (common office, special printing and copying office, and student dormitory) in a campus of Nanchang University during summer 2009 (5-20 June). Daily PM(10) (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter &lt;= 10 mu m) samples were collected only at the outdoor site, whereas PM(2.5) samples were collected at both indoor and outdoor sites. Loaded PM(2.5) and PK(10) samples were analyzed for organic and elemental carbon (OC, EC) by thermal/optical reflectance following the Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments-Advanced (IMPROVE-A) protocol. Ambient mass concentrations of PM(10) and PM(2.5) in Nanchang were compared with the air quality standards in China and the United States, and revealed high air pollution levels in Nanchang. PM(2.5) accounted for about 70% of PM(10), but the ratio of OC and EC in PM(2.5) to that in PK(10) was higher than 80%, which indicated that OC and EC were mainly distributed in the fine particles. The variations of carbonaceous aerosol between daytime and nighttime indicated that OC was released and formed more rapidly in daytime than in nighttime. OC/EC ratios were used to quantify secondary organic carbon (SOC). The differences in SOC and SOC/OC between daytime and nighttime were useful in interpreting the secondary formation mechanism. The results of (1) OC and EC contributions to PM(2.5) at indoor sites and the outdoor site; (2) indoor-outdoor correlation of OC and EC; (3) OC-EC correlation; and (4) relative contributions of indoor and outdoor sources to indoor carbonaceous aerosol indicated that OC indoor sources existed in indoor sites, with the highest OC emissions in 12 (the special printing and copying office), and that indoor EC originated from outdoor sources. The distributions of eight carbon fractions in emissions from the printer and copier showed obviously high OC1 (&gt; 20%) and OC2 (similar to 30%), and obviously low EC1-OP (a pyrolyzed carbon fraction) (&lt; 10%), when compared with other sources.</p

Characteristics of carbonaceous aerosol in PM2.5: Pearl Delta RiverRegion, China

Simultaneous measurements of atmospheric organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC) and water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) were made at four sampling sites, namely Guangzhou (GZ), Zhaoqing (ZQ), PolyU Campus (PU) and Hok Tsui (HT), in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region between 14 August 2006 and 28 August 2007. The highest concentrations of total carbon (TC) were found at the medium-scale roadside site (PU) and the lowest were found at the regional-scale site (HT). Among the four sampling sites, the average WSOC at ZQ showed the highest concentrations, while the lowest were seen at HT. OC and EC concentrations revealed spring/summer minima and autumn/winter maxima at all sites except PU, which had a consistently high EC concentration all over the year. The highest WSOC/OC ratio was found at ZQ with an average of 0.41, suggesting that the OC was more oxidized in the atmosphere of the semi-rural site. The lowest WSOC/OC was found at the roadside site of PU. Moreover, the WSOC/OC ratio increased in autumn, when the photochemical reactions are the most active in the PRD region. This can be attributed to aging and atmospheric processing of the organic compounds during their transportation, or to the formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA). Average annual secondary organic carbon (SOC) concentrations in PM2.5 were estimated to be 2.2 and 3.5 &mu;g m&minus;3 for GZ and ZQ, comprising 33.5% and 42.8% of the corresponding OC concentrations, respectively. The results indicate that SOC is significant in the PRD region, and its formation mostly occurs within the region.</p