On the nature of the FBS blue stellar objects and the completeness of the Bright Quasar Survey. II

In Paper I (Mickaelian et al. 1999), we compared the surface density of QSOs in the Bright Quasar Survey (BQS) and in the First Byurakan Survey (FBS) and concluded that the completeness of the BQS is of the order of 70% rather than 30-50% as suggested by several authors. A number of new observations recently became available, allowing a re-evaluation of this completeness. We now obtain a surface density of QSOs brighter than B = 16.16 in a subarea of the FBS covering ~2250 deg^2, equal to 0.012 deg^-2 (26 QSOs), implying a completeness of 53+/-10%.Comment: LaTeX 2e, 11 pages, 3 tables and 3 figures (included in text). To appear in Astrophysics. Uses a modified aaspp4.sty (my_aaspp4.sty), included in packag

Amplitude analysis of gamma n --> pi- p data above 1 GeV

We report a new extraction of nucleon resonance couplings using pi- photoproduction cross sections on the neutron. The world database for the process gamma n --> pi- p above 1 GeV has quadrupled with the addition of new differential cross sections from the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS) at Jefferson Lab in Hall B. Differential cross sections from CLAS have been improved with a new final-state interaction determination using a diagramatic technique taking into account the NN and piN final-state interaction amplitudes. Resonance couplings have been extracted and compared to previous determinations. With the addition of these new cross sections, significant changes are seen in the high-energy behavior of the SAID cross sections and amplitudes.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, 2 table

Plasma levels of matrix metalloproteinase-2, -3, -10, and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 are associated with vascular complications in patients with type 1 diabetes: The EURODIAB Prospective Complications Study

Impaired regulation of extracellular matrix remodeling by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP) may contribute to vascular complications in patients with type 1 diabetes. We investigated associations between plasma MMP-1, -2, -3, -9, -10 and TIMP-1, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) or microvascular complications in type 1 diabetic patients. We also evaluated to which extent these associations could be explained by low-grade inflammation (LGI) or endothelial dysfunction (ED). Methods: 493 type 1 diabetes patients (39.5 ± 9.9 years old, 51% men) from the EURODIAB Prospective Complications Study were included. Linear regression analysis was applied to investigate differences in plasma levels of MMP-1, -2, -3, -9, -10, and TIMP-1 between patients with and without CVD, albuminuria or retinopathy. All analyses were adjusted for age, sex, duration of diabetes, Hba1c and additionally for other cardiovascular risk factors including LGI and ED. Results: Patients with CVD (n = 118) showed significantly higher levels of TIMP-1 [β = 0.32 SD (95%CI: 0.12; 0.52)], but not of MMPs, than patients without CVD (n = 375). Higher plasma levels of MMP-2, MMP-3, MMP-10 and TIMP-1 were associated with higher levels of albuminuria (p-trends were 0.028, 0.004, 0.005 and 0.001, respectively). Severity of retinopathy was significantly associated with higher levels of MMP-2 (p-trend = 0.017). These associations remained significant after further adjustment for markers of LGI and ED. Conclusions: These data support the hypothesis that impaired regulation of matrix remodeling by actions of MMP-2, -3 and-10 and TIMP-1 contributes to the pathogenesis of vascular complications in type 1 diabetes

Relationship Between Risk Factors and Mortality in Type 1 Diabetic Patients in Europe: The EURODIAB Prospective Complications Study (PCS)

OBJECTIVE—The purpose of this study was to examine risk factors for mortality in patients with type 1 diabetes

Bezlotoxumab for Prevention of Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection

BACKGROUND Clostridium difficile is the most common cause of infectious diarrhea in hospitalized patients. Recurrences are common after antibiotic therapy. Actoxumab and bezlotoxumab are human monoclonal antibodies against C. difficile toxins A and B, respectively. METHODS We conducted two double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trials, MODIFY I and MODIFY II, involving 2655 adults receiving oral standard-of-care antibiotics for primary or recurrent C. difficile infection. Participants received an infusion of bezlotoxumab (10 mg per kilogram of body weight), actoxumab plus bezlotoxumab (10 mg per kilogram each), or placebo; actoxumab alone (10 mg per kilogram) was given in MODIFY I but discontinued after a planned interim analysis. The primary end point was recurrent infection (new episode after initial clinical cure) within 12 weeks after infusion in the modified intention-to-treat population. RESULTS In both trials, the rate of recurrent C. difficile infection was significantly lower with bezlotoxumab alone than with placebo (MODIFY I: 17% [67 of 386] vs. 28% [109 of 395]; adjusted difference, −10.1 percentage points; 95% confidence interval [CI], −15.9 to −4.3; P<0.001; MODIFY II: 16% [62 of 395] vs. 26% [97 of 378]; adjusted difference, −9.9 percentage points; 95% CI, −15.5 to −4.3; P<0.001) and was significantly lower with actoxumab plus bezlotoxumab than with placebo (MODIFY I: 16% [61 of 383] vs. 28% [109 of 395]; adjusted difference, −11.6 percentage points; 95% CI, −17.4 to −5.9; P<0.001; MODIFY II: 15% [58 of 390] vs. 26% [97 of 378]; adjusted difference, −10.7 percentage points; 95% CI, −16.4 to −5.1; P<0.001). In prespecified subgroup analyses (combined data set), rates of recurrent infection were lower in both groups that received bezlotoxumab than in the placebo group in subpopulations at high risk for recurrent infection or for an adverse outcome. The rates of initial clinical cure were 80% with bezlotoxumab alone, 73% with actoxumab plus bezlotoxumab, and 80% with placebo; the rates of sustained cure (initial clinical cure without recurrent infection in 12 weeks) were 64%, 58%, and 54%, respectively. The rates of adverse events were similar among these groups; the most common events were diarrhea and nausea. CONCLUSIONS Among participants receiving antibiotic treatment for primary or recurrent C. difficile infection, bezlotoxumab was associated with a substantially lower rate of recurrent infection than placebo and had a safety profile similar to that of placebo. The addition of actoxumab did not improve efficacy. (Funded by Merck; MODIFY I and MODIFY II ClinicalTrials.gov numbers, NCT01241552 and NCT01513239.

Beam asymmetry Σ for π+ and π0 photoproduction on the proton for photon energies from 1.102 to 1.862 GeV

Beam asymmetries for the reactions gamma p -> p pi0 and gamma p -> n pi+ have been measured with the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS) and a tagged, linearly polarized photon beam with energies from 1.102 to 1.862 GeV. A Fourier moment technique for extracting beam asymmetries from experimental data is described. The results reported here possess greater precision and finer energy resolution than previous measurements. Our data for both pion reactions appear to favor the SAID and Bonn-Gatchina scattering analyses over the older Mainz MAID predictions. After incorporating the present set of beam asymmetries into the world database, exploratory fits made with the SAID analysis indicate that the largest changes from previous fits are for properties of the Delta(1700) 3/2- and Delta(1905) 5/2+ states.Comment: 24 pages 20 figure

Health care-associated pneumonia: Identification and initial management in the ED

Traditionally, pneumonia is categorized by epidemiologic factors into community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP), and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). Microbiologic studies have shown that the organisms which cause infections in HAP and VAP differ from CAP in epidemiology and resistance patterns. Patients with HAP or VAP are at higher risk for harboring resistant organisms. Other historical features that potentially place patients at a higher risk for being infected with resistant pathogens and organisms not commonly associated with CAP include history of recent admission to a health care facility, residence in a long-term care or nursing home facility, attendance at a dialysis clinic, history of recent intravenous antibiotic therapy, chemotherapy, and wound care. Because these "risk factors" have health care exposure as a common feature, patients presenting with pneumonia having these historical features have been more recently categorized as having health care-associated pneumonia (HCAP). This publication was prepared by the HCAP Working Group, which is comprised of nationally recognized experts in emergency medicine, infectious diseases, and pulmonary and critical care medicine. The aim of this article is to create awareness of the entity known as HCAP and to provide knowledge of its identification and initial management in the emergency department. © 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved