A search for resonances decaying into a Higgs boson and a new particle X in the XH → qqbb final state with the ATLAS detector

A search for heavy resonances decaying into a Higgs boson (H) and a new particle (X) is reported, utilizing 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data at collected during 2015 and 2016 with the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The particle X is assumed to decay to a pair of light quarks, and the fully hadronic final state is analysed. The search considers the regime of high XH resonance masses, where the X and H bosons are both highly Lorentz-boosted and are each reconstructed using a single jet with large radius parameter. A two-dimensional phase space of XH mass versus X mass is scanned for evidence of a signal, over a range of XH resonance mass values between 1 TeV and 4 TeV, and for X particles with masses from 50 GeV to 1000 GeV. All search results are consistent with the expectations for the background due to Standard Model processes, and 95% CL upper limits are set, as a function of XH and X masses, on the production cross-section of the resonance

Risk profiles and one-year outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation in India: Insights from the GARFIELD-AF Registry.

BACKGROUND: The Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF) is an ongoing prospective noninterventional registry, which is providing important information on the baseline characteristics, treatment patterns, and 1-year outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). This report describes data from Indian patients recruited in this registry. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 52,014 patients with newly diagnosed AF were enrolled globally; of these, 1388 patients were recruited from 26 sites within India (2012-2016). In India, the mean age was 65.8 years at diagnosis of NVAF. Hypertension was the most prevalent risk factor for AF, present in 68.5% of patients from India and in 76.3% of patients globally (P < 0.001). Diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD) were prevalent in 36.2% and 28.1% of patients as compared with global prevalence of 22.2% and 21.6%, respectively (P < 0.001 for both). Antiplatelet therapy was the most common antithrombotic treatment in India. With increasing stroke risk, however, patients were more likely to receive oral anticoagulant therapy [mainly vitamin K antagonist (VKA)], but average international normalized ratio (INR) was lower among Indian patients [median INR value 1.6 (interquartile range {IQR}: 1.3-2.3) versus 2.3 (IQR 1.8-2.8) (P < 0.001)]. Compared with other countries, patients from India had markedly higher rates of all-cause mortality [7.68 per 100 person-years (95% confidence interval 6.32-9.35) vs 4.34 (4.16-4.53), P < 0.0001], while rates of stroke/systemic embolism and major bleeding were lower after 1 year of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Compared to previously published registries from India, the GARFIELD-AF registry describes clinical profiles and outcomes in Indian patients with AF of a different etiology. The registry data show that compared to the rest of the world, Indian AF patients are younger in age and have more diabetes and CAD. Patients with a higher stroke risk are more likely to receive anticoagulation therapy with VKA but are underdosed compared with the global average in the GARFIELD-AF. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION-URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01090362

Risk-mitigating behaviours in people with inflammatory skin and joint disease during the COVID-19 pandemic differ by treatment type : a cross-sectional patient survey*

Altres ajuts: Department of Health via the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR); St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust; King's College London; NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre; Psoriasis Association. Wellcome Senior Research Fellowship in Clinical Science (205039/Z/16/Z); Health Data Research UK (grant no. LOND1); Health Data Research UK (grant no. MR/S003126/1); UK MRC, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council; Economic and Social Research Council; Department of Health and Social Care (England); Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government Health; Social Care Directorates; Health and Social Care Research and Development Division (Welsh Government); Public Health Agency (Northern Ireland); British Heart Foundation; Wellcome Trust; NIHR Academic Clinical Lectureship through the University of Manchester; NIHR Emeritus Senior Investigator (MR/101 1808/1); NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre.Background: Registry data suggest that people with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) receiving targeted systemic therapies have fewer adverse coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outcomes compared with patients receiving no systemic treatments. Objectives: We used international patient survey data to explore the hypothesis that greater risk-mitigating behaviour in those receiving targeted therapies may account, at least in part, for this observation. Methods: Online surveys were completed by individuals with psoriasis (globally) or rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) (UK only) between 4 May and 7 September 2020. We used multiple logistic regression to assess the association between treatment type and risk-mitigating behaviour, adjusting for clinical and demographic characteristics. We characterized international variation in a mixed-effects model. Results: Of 3720 participants (2869 psoriasis, 851 RMDs) from 74 countries, 2262 (60·8%) reported the most stringent risk-mitigating behaviour (classified here under the umbrella term 'shielding'). A greater proportion of those receiving targeted therapies (biologics and Janus Kinase inhibitors) reported shielding compared with those receiving no systemic therapy [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1·63, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1·35-1·97]. The association between targeted therapy and shielding was preserved when standard systemic therapy was used as the reference group (OR 1·39, 95% CI 1·23-1·56). Shielding was associated with established risk factors for severe COVID-19 [male sex (OR 1·14, 95% CI 1·05-1·24), obesity (OR 1·37, 95% CI 1·23-1·54), comorbidity burden (OR 1·43, 95% CI 1·15-1·78)], a primary indication of RMDs (OR 1·37, 95% CI 1·27-1·48) and a positive anxiety or depression screen (OR 1·57, 95% CI 1·36-1·80). Modest differences in the proportion shielding were observed across nations. Conclusions: Greater risk-mitigating behaviour among people with IMIDs receiving targeted therapies may contribute to the reported lower risk of adverse COVID-19 outcomes. The behaviour variation across treatment groups, IMIDs and nations reinforces the need for clear evidence-based patient communication on risk-mitigation strategies and may help inform updated public health guidelines as the pandemic continues

Water deficit and nitrogen nutrition of crops. A review

Among the environmental factors that can be modified by farmers, water and nitrogen are the main ones controlling plant growth. Irrigation and fertilizer application overcome this effect, if adequately used. Agriculture thus consumes about 85% of the total fresh water used worldwide. While only 18% of the world’s cultivated areas are devoted to irrigated agriculture, this total surface represents more than 45% of total agricultural production. These data highlight the importance of irrigated agriculture in a framework where the growing population demands greater food production. In addition, tighter water restrictions and competition with other sectors of society is increasing pressure to diminish the share of fresh water for irrigation, thus resulting in the decrease in water diverted for agriculture.The effect of water and nutrient application on yield has led to the overuse of these practices in the last decades. This misuse of irrigation and fertilizers is no longer sustainable, given the economic and environmental costs. Sustainable agriculture requires a correct balance between the agronomic, economic and environmental aspects of nutrient management. The major advances shown in this review are the following: (1) the measurement of the intensity of drought and N deficiency is a prerequisite for quantitative assessment of crop needs and management of both irrigation and fertilizer application. The N concentration of leaves exposed to direct irradiance allows both a reliable and high-resolution measurement of the status and the assessment of N nutrition at the plant level. (2) Two experiments on sunflower and on tall fescue are used to relate the changes in time and irrigation intensity to the crop N status, and to introduce the complex relationships between N demand and supply in crops. (3) Effects of water deficits on N demand are reviewed, pointing out the high sensitivity of N-rich organs versus the relative lesser sensitivity of organs that are poorer in N compounds. (4) The generally equal sensitivities of nitrifying and denitrifying microbes are likely to explain many conflicting results on the impact of water deficits on soil mineral N availability for crops. (5) The transpiration stream largely determines the availability of mineral N in the rhizosphere. This makes our poor estimate of root densities a major obstacle to any precise assessment of N availability in fertilized crops. (6) The mineral N fluxes in the xylem are generally reduced under water deficit and assimilation is generally known to be more sensitive to water scarcity. (7) High osmotic pressures are maintained during grain filling, which enables the plant to recycle large amounts of previously assimilated N. Its part in the total grain N yield is therefore generally higher under water deficits. (8) Most crop models currently used in agronomy use N and water efficiently but exhibit different views on their interaction

Biosynthesis, transport, and modification of lipid A

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is the major surface molecule of Gram-negative bacteria and consists of three distinct structural domains: O-antigen, core, and lipid A. The lipid A (endotoxin) domain of LPS is a unique, glucosamine-based phospholipid that serves as the hydrophobic anchor of LPS and is the bioactive component of the molecule that is associated with Gram-negative septic shock. The structural genes encoding the enzymes required for the biosynthesis of Escherchia coli lipid A have been identified and characterized. Lipid A is often viewed as a constitutively synthesized structural molecule. However, determination of the exact chemical structures of lipid A from diverse Gram-negative bacteria shows that the molecule can be further modified in response to environmental stimuli. These modifications have been implicated in virulence of pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria and represent one of the molecular mechanisms of microbial surface remodeling used by bacteria to help evade the innate immune response. The intent of this review is to discuss the enzymatic machinery involved in the biosynthesis of lipid A, transport of the molecule, and finally, those enzymes involved in the modification of its structure in response to environmental stimuli