Hidden sodium in effervescent-tablet dietary supplements and over-the-counter drugs: a comparative cross-sectional study

Objective Dietary sodium intake represents a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and mortality. The study sought to analyse the sodium content of effervescent dietary supplements and drugs in Germany and the USA. Design Comparative cross-sectional study. Setting and methods The sodium content of 39 dietary supplement effervescent tablets available in Germany was measured in May and June 2022 using optical emission spectrometry with inductively coupled argon plasma. The sodium content of 33 common pharmacyonly effervescent tablets (over-the-counter (OTC) drugs) in Germany was obtained from the summary of product characteristics. We compared the sodium content of the measured German dietary supplement effervescent tablets to that of 51 dietary supplement effervescent tablets available in the USA (data: National Institutes of Health’s Dietary Supplement Label Database). Results The measured sodium content in the German dietary supplements was 283.9±122.6 mg sodium/tablet, equivalent to 14±6% of the maximum recommended daily sodium intake (MRDSI). Vitamin products had the highest (378.3±112.8 mg, 19±6% of MRDSI), and calcium products had the lowest mean sodium content (170.4±113.2 mg, 9±6% of MRDSI). Vitamin products contained significantly more sodium than magnesium (378.3 mg vs 232.7 mg; p=0.004), calcium (378.3 mg vs 170.4 mg; p=0.006) and mineral products (378.3 mg vs 191.6 mg; p=0.048). The sodium content measured in products available in Germany was higher when compared with the declared sodium content on the label of the products sold in the USA (283.9 mg vs 190.0 mg; p<0.001). The median summary of product characteristics-declared sodium content of a single dose of the German OTC drugs was 157.0 mg (IQR: 98.9–417.3 mg); pain/common cold drugs contained the most sodium (median: 452.1 mg; IQR: 351.3–474.0 mg). Conclusion Effervescent tablets of nutritional supplements and OTC drugs contain high amounts of sodium, which often is not disclosed

Neue Einblicke in das Gravettien von Willendorf II: Die Steinartefakte der Grabung 1993

The well-dated stratigraphic sequence of Willendorf II is a reference site for the Upper Palaeolithic in general and the Gravettian in particular. In 1993, a joint team of the Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique (Brussels, Belgium) and the University of Vienna carried out excavations at this loess site in the Danube valley known since the end of the 19th century. During the excavation season, the team recovered 391 artefacts. The majority attributed to AH 6 and 8. We performed a technological study based on an attribute analysis of the lithic artefacts. This study demonstrates that the assemblages of AH 6 and 8 differ significantly in terms of technology and techno-economy. AH 6 has a high proportion of non-local erratic flint. The unidirectional reduction strategy aimed at the production of bladelets, especially on high-quality raw materials, to further modify them into backed elements that could be used as projectiles. In addition to the unidirectional, volumetric reduction strategy, burins were also exploited as bladelet cores. Apart from the manufacture of backed elements, the tool spectrum contains burins, end scrapers and pieces with edge retouch. AH 8 is dominated by local raw materials, such as quartzite and siliceous limestone. The unidirectional reduction strategy aimed at the production of blades. The toolkit includes a range of different tool types. Splintered pieces occur most frequently. Furthermore, pointed blades, burins, end scrapers, edge retouches, truncations, a borer with edge retouch, and a notched piece are among the tools. The differences between AH 6 and AH 8 and the similarities of AH 6 to AH 5 and AH 6 of the old excavations highlight that the AH 6 and AH 8 of the 1993 excavations do not belong to the same phase of the Gravettian technocomplex. The hunter-gatherers of AH 6 show technological, techno-economic and socio-technological behaviours more likely to correspond to an early Gravettian, while AH 8 shows diagnostic features of the Pavlovian and thereby confirming the dominant view of researchers that AH 8 of Willendorf II belongs to the Pavlovian.P. R. Nigsts Forschungen wurden durch Fördermittel von folgenden Institutionen finanziert: Leakey Foundation, Europäische Kommission (EC FP7 Career Integration Grant, Projekt „NEMO-ADAP“, Nr. 322261), Sir Isaac Newton Trust, British Academy (British Academy/Leverhulme Small Grant), Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, Universität Wien, Hugo Obermaier Preis 2006, und Hochschuljubiläumsfonds der Stadt Wien. M. D. Boschs Forschungen wurden durch Fördermittel von der Europäische Kommission (EC H2020 Marie Skłodowska Curie program EF, Projekt „EU-Beads”, Nr. 656325) finanziert

Early modern human settlement of Europe north of the Alps occurred 43,500 years ago in a cold steppe-type environment.

The first settlement of Europe by modern humans is thought to have occurred between 50,000 and 40,000 calendar years ago (cal B.P.). In Europe, modern human remains of this time period are scarce and often are not associated with archaeology or originate from old excavations with no contextual information. Hence, the behavior of the first modern humans in Europe is still unknown. Aurignacian assemblages--demonstrably made by modern humans--are commonly used as proxies for the presence of fully behaviorally and anatomically modern humans. The site of Willendorf II (Austria) is well known for its Early Upper Paleolithic horizons, which are among the oldest in Europe. However, their age and attribution to the Aurignacian remain an issue of debate. Here, we show that archaeological horizon 3 (AH 3) consists of faunal remains and Early Aurignacian lithic artifacts. By using stratigraphic, paleoenvironmental, and chronological data, AH 3 is ascribed to the onset of Greenland Interstadial 11, around 43,500 cal B.P., and thus is older than any other Aurignacian assemblage. Furthermore, the AH 3 assemblage overlaps with the latest directly radiocarbon-dated Neanderthal remains, suggesting that Neanderthal and modern human presence overlapped in Europe for some millennia, possibly at rather close geographical range. Most importantly, for the first time to our knowledge, we have a high-resolution environmental context for an Early Aurignacian site in Central Europe, demonstrating an early appearance of behaviorally modern humans in a medium-cold steppe-type environment with some boreal trees along valleys around 43,500 cal B.P.We thank the Leakey Foundation (2006–2012), Max Planck Society (2006–2012), University of Vienna (2006–2011), Hugo Obermaier Society (2006), Federal Office for Scientific Affairs of the State of Belgium (projects Sc-004, Sc-09, MO/36/021), and the Hochschuljubiläumsfonds of the City of Vienna (2007) for funding our research. We further acknowledge the support of the Department of Prehistory (Natural History Museum, Vienna, Austria; W. Antl-Weiser), Marktgemeinde Aggsbach (H. Gerstbauer), Museumsverein Willendorf (K. Kappelmüller), and the Satzl and Perzl families.This is the accepted manuscript version of the article. The final version is available from PNAS at http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2014/09/16/1412201111.abstract

Analysis of the Origin of Atypical Scanning Laser Polarimetry Patterns by Polarization-Sensitive Optical Coherence Tomography

PURPOSE. To analyze the physical origin of atypical scanning laser polarimetry (SLP) patterns. To compare polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) scans to SLP images. To present a method to obtain pseudo-SLP images by PS-OCT that are free of atypical artifacts. METHODS. Forty-one eyes of healthy subjects, subjects with suspected glaucoma, and patients with glaucoma were imaged by SLP (GDx VCC) and a prototype spectral domain PS-OCT system. The PS-OCT system acquires three-dimensional (3D) datasets of intensity, retardation, and optic axis orientation simultaneously within 3 seconds. B-scans of intensity and retardation and en face maps of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) retardation were derived from the 3D PS-OCT datasets. Results were compared with those obtained by SLP. RESULTS. Twenty-two eyes showed atypical retardation patterns, and 19 eyes showed normal patterns. From the 22 atypical eyes, 15 showed atypical patterns in both imaging modalities, five were atypical only in SLP images, and two were atypical only in PS-OCT images. In most (15 of 22) atypical cases, an increased penetration of the probing beam into the birefringent sclera was identified as the source of atypical patterns. In such cases, the artifacts could be eliminated in PS-OCT images by depth segmentation and exclusion of scleral signals. CONCLUSIONS. PS-OCT provides deeper insight into the contribution of different fundus layers to SLP images. Increased light penetration into the sclera can distort SLP retardation patterns of the RNFL. (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2008;49:5366 -5372

Mechanical thrombectomy in intermediate- and high-risk acute pulmonary embolism: hemodynamic outcomes at three months

Background Mechanical thrombectomy has been shown to reduce thrombus burden and pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) and to improve right ventricular (RV) function in patients with high-risk or intermediate-high-risk pulmonary embolism (PE). As hemodynamic data after mechanical thrombectomy for PE are scarce, we aimed to assess the hemodynamic effects of mechanical thrombectomy in acute PE with right heart overload. Methods In this prospective, open-label study, patients with acute symptomatic, computed tomographydocumented PE with signs of right heart overload underwent mechanical thrombectomy using the FlowTriever System. Right heart catheterization was performed immediately before and after thrombectomy and after three months. Transthoracic echocardiography was performed before thrombectomy, discharge, and at three months. This analysis was done after 20 patients completed three months of follow-up. Results Twenty-nine patients (34% female) underwent mechanical thrombectomy, of which 20 completed three months follow-up with right heart catheterization. Most patients were at high (17%) or intermediate-high (76%) risk and had bilateral PE (79%). Before thrombectomy, systolic PAP (sPAP) was severely elevated (mean 51.3±11.6 mmHg). Mean sPAP dropped by -15.0 mmHg (95% confidence interval [CI]: -18.9 to -11.0; p<0.001) immediately after the procedure and continued to decrease from post-thrombectomy to three months (-6.4 mmHg, 95% CI: -10-0 to -2.9; p=0.002). RV/left ventricular (LV) ratio immediately reduced within two days by -0.37 (95% CI: -0.47 to -0.27; p<0.001). The proportion of patients with a tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE)/sPAP ratio<0.31 mm/mmHg decreased from 28% at baseline to 0% before discharge and at three months (p=0.007). There were no procedurerelated major adverse events. Conclusions Mechanical thrombectomy for acute PE was safe and immediately reduced PAP and improved right heart function. The reduction in PAP was maintained at three months follow-up

Modelado de las propiedades polarimétricas de la córnea humana: comparación con medidas in vitro mediante PS-OCT

In this work, we propose a corneal structural model with different fibril arrangements and compare them with in vitro Polarization Sensitive Optical Coherence Tomography (PS-OCT) measurements. The model is based on a stack of lamellae, represented by Jones theory. Each lamella has a preferred fast axis orientation according to the fibril structure and a birefringence. Optical radiation is parallel to the eye optical axis. A third of the lamellae are arbitrarily oriented. Several fibril configurations were modelled: preferentially horizontal and vertical fibrils; preferentially vertical and radial fibrils; circularly and radially oriented fibrils; and a configuration in which fibrils form arcs that join opposite points of a cross defined over the corneal surface. We also modelled the rotation of the previous configurations and compared them with PS-OCT measurements of in vitro tilted corneas

COVID-19 in children and adolescents in Europe: a multinational, multicentre cohort study

Background To date, few data on paediatric COVID-19 have been published, and most reports originate from China. This study aimed to capture key data on children and adolescents with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection across Europe to inform physicians and health-care service planning during the ongoing pandemic. Methods This multicentre cohort study involved 82 participating health-care institutions across 25 European countries, using a well established research network—the Paediatric Tuberculosis Network European Trials Group (ptbnet)—that mainly comprises paediatric infectious diseases specialists and paediatric pulmonologists. We included all individuals aged 18 years or younger with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, detected at any anatomical site by RT-PCR, between April 1 and April 24, 2020, during the initial peak of the European COVID-19 pandemic. We explored factors associated with need for intensive care unit (ICU) admission and initiation of drug treatment for COVID-19 using univariable analysis, and applied multivariable logistic regression with backwards stepwise analysis to further explore those factors significantly associated with ICU admission. Findings 582 individuals with PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection were included, with a median age of 5·0 years (IQR 0·5–12·0) and a sex ratio of 1·15 males per female. 145 (25%) had pre-existing medical conditions. 363 (62%) individuals were admitted to hospital. 48 (8%) individuals required ICU admission, 25 (4%) mechanical ventilation (median duration 7 days, IQR 2–11, range 1–34), 19 (3%) inotropic support, and one (<1%) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Significant risk factors for requiring ICU admission in multivariable analyses were being younger than 1 month (odds ratio 5·06, 95% CI 1·72–14·87; p=0·0035), male sex (2·12, 1·06–4·21; p=0·033), pre-existing medical conditions (3·27, 1·67–6·42; p=0·0015), and presence of lower respiratory tract infection signs or symptoms at presentation (10·46, 5·16–21·23; p<0·0001). The most frequently used drug with antiviral activity was hydroxychloroquine (40 [7%] patients), followed by remdesivir (17 [3%] patients), lopinavir–ritonavir (six [1%] patients), and oseltamivir (three [1%] patients). Immunomodulatory medication used included corticosteroids (22 [4%] patients), intravenous immunoglobulin (seven [1%] patients), tocilizumab (four [1%] patients), anakinra (three [1%] patients), and siltuximab (one [<1%] patient). Four children died (case-fatality rate 0·69%, 95% CI 0·20–1·82); at study end, the remaining 578 were alive and only 25 (4%) were still symptomatic or requiring respiratory support. Interpretation COVID-19 is generally a mild disease in children, including infants. However, a small proportion develop severe disease requiring ICU admission and prolonged ventilation, although fatal outcome is overall rare. The data also reflect the current uncertainties regarding specific treatment options, highlighting that additional data on antiviral and immunomodulatory drugs are urgently needed. Funding ptbnet is supported by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit