68 research outputs found
Influence of applying different units of measurement on reporting antimicrobial consumption data for pig farms
Background: Antimicrobial use in livestock is one of the factors contributing to selection and spread of resistant microorganisms in the environment. National ve
Extensions of superalgebras of Krichever-Novikov type
An explicit construction of central extensions of Lie superalgebras of
Krichever-Novikov type is given. In the case of Jordan superalgebras related to
the superalgebras of Krichever-Novikov type we calculate a 1-cocycle with
coefficients in the dual space
Limited effects of intravenous paracetamol on patent ductus arteriosus in very low birth weight infants with contraindications for ibuprofen or after ibuprofen failure
Finding the optimal pharmacological treatment of a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in preterm neonates remains challenging. There is a growing interest in paracetamol as a new drug for PDA closure. In this prospective observational cohort study, we evaluated the effectiveness of intravenous paracetamol in closing a PDA in very low birth weight infants with a hemodynamically significant PDA who either did not respond to ibuprofen or had a contraindication for ibuprofen. They received high-dose paracetamol therapy (15 mg/kg/6 h intravenous) for 3–7 days. Cardiac ultrasounds were performed before and 3 and 7 days after treatment. Thirty-three patients were included with a median gestational age of 251/7 weeks (IQR 1.66), a median birth weight of 750 g (IQR 327), and a median postnatal age of 14 days (IQR 12). Paracetamol was ineffective in 27/33 patients (82 %). Even more, after previous exposure to ibuprofen, this was even 100 %. Conclusion: In this study, paracetamol after ibuprofen treatment failure was not effective for PDA closure in VLBW infants. From the findings of this study, paracetamol treatment for PDA closure cannot be recommended for infants with a postnatal age >2 weeks. Earlier treatment with paracetamol for PDA might be more effective.What is known:• The ductus arteriosus fails to close after birth in 30 to 60 % of prematurely born neonates and is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in these infants.• Paracetamol gained importance as an alternative drug in PDA closure.What is new:• Paracetamol for PDA closure after ibuprofen treatment failure was not effective in VLBW infants.• Effect of paracetamol on PDA closure was observed when given as primary treatment
Tumor infiltrating effector memory Antigen-Specific CD8+ T Cells predict response to immune checkpoint therapy
Immune checkpoint therapy (ICT) results in durable responses in individuals with some cancers, but not all patients respond to treatment. ICT improves CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) function, but changes in tumor antigen-specific CTLs post-ICT that correlate with successful responses have not been well characterized. Here, we studied murine tumor models with dichotomous responses to ICT. We tracked tumor antigen-specific CTL frequencies and phenotype before and after ICT in responding and non-responding animals. Tumor antigen-specific CTLs increased within tumor and draining lymph nodes after ICT, and exhibited an effector memory-like phenotype, expressing IL-7R (CD127), KLRG1, T-bet, and granzyme B. Responding tumors exhibited higher infiltration of effector memory tumor antigen-specific CTLs, but lower frequencies of regulatory T cells compared to non-responders. Tumor antigen-specific CTLs persisted in responding animals and formed memory responses against tumor antigens. Our results suggest that increased effector memory tumor antigen-specific CTLs, in the presence of reduced immunosuppression within tumors is part of a successful ICT response. Temporal and nuanced analysis of T cell subsets provides a potential new source of immune based biomarkers for response to ICT
Quasi-Monte Carlo rules for numerical integration over the unit sphere
We study numerical integration on the unit sphere using equal weight quadrature rules, where the weights are such
that constant functions are integrated exactly.
The quadrature points are constructed by lifting a -net given in the
unit square to the sphere by means of an area
preserving map. A similar approach has previously been suggested by Cui and
Freeden [SIAM J. Sci. Comput. 18 (1997), no. 2].
We prove three results. The first one is that the construction is (almost)
optimal with respect to discrepancies based on spherical rectangles. Further we
prove that the point set is asymptotically uniformly distributed on
. And finally, we prove an upper bound on the spherical cap
-discrepancy of order (where denotes the
number of points). This slightly improves upon the bound on the spherical cap
-discrepancy of the construction by Lubotzky, Phillips and Sarnak [Comm.
Pure Appl. Math. 39 (1986), 149--186]. Numerical results suggest that the
-nets lifted to the sphere have spherical cap
-discrepancy converging with the optimal order of
Point sets on the sphere with small spherical cap discrepancy
In this paper we study the geometric discrepancy of explicit constructions of
uniformly distributed points on the two-dimensional unit sphere. We show that
the spherical cap discrepancy of random point sets, of spherical digital nets
and of spherical Fibonacci lattices converges with order . Such point
sets are therefore useful for numerical integration and other computational
simulations. The proof uses an area-preserving Lambert map. A detailed analysis
of the level curves and sets of the pre-images of spherical caps under this map
is given
A nationwide follow-up study of occupational organic dust exposure and risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
Objectives To study exposure-response relations
between cumulative organic dust exposure and incident
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among
subjects employed in the Danish farming and wood
industry.
Methods We studied exposure-response relations
between cumulative organic dust exposure and incident
COPD (1997–2013) among individuals born during
1950–1977 in Denmark ever employed in the farming
or wood industry (n=1 75 409). Industry-specific
employment history (1964–2007), combined with
time-dependent farming and wood industry-specific
exposure matrices defined cumulative exposure. We used
logistic regression analysis with discrete survival function
adjusting for age, sex and calendar year. Adjustment for
smoking status was explored in a subgroup of 4023 with
smoking information available.
Results Cumulative organic dust exposure was inversely
associated with COPD (adjusted rate ratios (RRadj
(95% CIs) of 0.90 (0.82 to 0.99), 0.76 (0.69 to 0.84) and
0.52 (0.47 to 0.58) for intermediate-low, intermediatehigh and high exposure quartiles, respectively, compared
with the lowest exposure quartile). Lagging exposure 10
years was not consistently suggestive of an association
between cumulative exposure and COPD; RRadj (95% CI):
1.05 (0.94 to 1.16), 0
Monitoring of Farm-Level Antimicrobial Use to Guide Stewardship: Overview of Existing Systems and Analysis of Key Components and Processes
peer-reviewedThe acknowledgment of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as a major health challenge in humans, animals and plants, has led to increased efforts to reduce antimicrobial use (AMU). To better understand factors influencing AMR and implement and evaluate stewardship measures for reducing AMU, it is important to have sufficiently detailed information on the quantity of AMU, preferably at the level of the user (farmer, veterinarian) and/or prescriber or provider (veterinarian, feed mill). Recently, several countries have established or are developing systems for monitoring AMU in animals. The aim of this publication is to provide an overview of known systems for monitoring AMU at farm-level, with a descriptive analysis of their key components and processes. As of March 2020, 38 active farm-level AMU monitoring systems from 16 countries were identified. These systems differ in many ways, including which data are collected, the type of analyses conducted and their respective output. At the same time, they share key components (data collection, analysis, benchmarking, and reporting), resulting in similar challenges to be faced with similar decisions to be made. Suggestions are provided with respect to the different components and important aspects of various data types and methods are discussed. This overview should provide support for establishing or working with such a system and could lead to a better implementation of stewardship actions and a more uniform communication about and understanding of AMU data at farm-level. Harmonization of methods and processes could lead to an improved comparability of outcomes and less confusion when interpreting results across systems. However, it is important to note that the development of systems also depends on specific local needs, resources and aims
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