Preliminary calibration results for the BATSE instrument on CGRO

Preliminary results pertaining to spectral reconstruction using Burst and Transient Source (BATSE) Large Area Detector measurements of solar flares are presented. The solar flare measurements are currently being used to fine tune the calibration of our data analysis software. The current status of the stability of spectral analysis, given the systematic errors present in burst location, are given. A brief description is given of enhancements to the input data for the atmospheric scattering algorithm that will be implemented in the data analysis software

Attainment of cholesterol target values in Greece: Results from the Dyslipidemia International Study II

Introduction: Current European guidelines recommend treatment with lipid-lowering therapy (LLT) to a low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) target of < 70 mg/dl for patients at very high risk. LDL-C target attainment and use of LLTs in these patients in Greece is not known. Material and methods: The Dyslipidemia International Study (DYSIS) II was a multicenter observational study. The coronary heart disease (CHD) cohort was divided into two groups based on treatment status (on LLT for ≥ 3 months or not on LLT). The acute coronary syndrome (ACS) cohort was evaluated at the time of admission and again 120 ±15 days after admission. Results: In the CHD cohort (n = 499), 457 (91.6%) patients were on LLT. The LDL-C target value was attained by 26.5% of LLT users. Statin monotherapy was used by 77.5% of treated patients, with a mean ± SD atorvastatin dose equivalent of 24 ±16 mg/day. In the ACS cohort (n = 200), 159 (79.5%) patients were on LLT at admission. Mean ± SD LDL-C levels were 108 ±40 mg/dl at admission and 86 ±25 mg/dl at follow-up. LDL-C target value attainment rates were 16.2% at admission and 25.0% at follow-up. At admission, statin monotherapy was used by 86.8% of treated patients. The mean ± SD atorvastatin dose equivalent increased from 20 ±14 mg/day at admission to 29 ±15 mg/day at follow-up. The statin dose was associated with higher odds of LDL-C target value attainment (OR = 1.05, 95% CI: 1.02–1.08). Conclusions: The LDL-C target attainment by very high risk patients in Greece is suboptimal. Increasing the statin dose or combining it with non-statins may improve target value attainment. Copyright © 2018 Termedia & Banac

Available oral lipid-lowering agents could bring most high-risk patients to target: an estimate based on the Dyslipidemia International Study II-Italy

Aims The analysis evaluated the contemporary percentage of patients with established coronary heart disease (CHD) reaching the European guidelines recommended LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) levels of less than 70 mg/dl and the threshold required for proprotein convertase subtlisin/kexin type 9 reimbursement in Italy (100 mg/dl). It also assessed how these percentages would change in case of diffuse use of ezetimibe.Methods The Dyslipidemia International Study II enrolled CHD patients aged at least 18 either on lipid-lowering therapy (LLT) for at least 3 months or not on LLT at the time of the lipid profile. Distribution of LLTs and LDL-C target attainment were assessed. Multivariate logistic regression evaluated predictors of LDL-C target attainment. A 24% LDLC lowering was modeled in patients not taking ezetimibe to assess its potential effects.Results Among 676 Italian CHD patients enrolled, LDL-C concentrations were lower among the 631 patients (93.3%) who were on LLT (82 versus 118 mg/dl; P< 0.001). The LDLC target was attained by 35.4% of patients. Statin dose (median atorvastatin dose 40 mg/day) was the sole significant predictor of LDL-C target attainment The simple addition of ezetimibe in the model reduced the percentage of patients more than 70 and 100 mg/dl from 64.6 to 37.9% and from 25.1 to 11.8%, respectively.Conclusion Despite treatment in more than 90%, only one-third of Italian stable CHD patients attained the recommended LDL-C target Statin dose was the sole predictor of the target achievement The addition of ezetimibe would almost double patients at target and halve the potential candidates for reimbursement of more expensive agents such as proprotein convertase subtlisin/kexin type 9 inhibitors

Use of guideline-recommended management in established coronary heart disease in the observational DYSIS II study

10.1016/j.ijcard.2018.06.008International Journal of Cardiology27021-2

Performance-Based Planning: Perspectives from the United States, Australia, and New Zealand

This article examines the application of performance-based planning at the local level in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. A review of the literature finds that there have been few evaluations of performance-based planning, despite its being used by many governments. The authors provide a comparative review of the experiences of various jurisdictions in implementing this form of zoning and present observations on its relative strengths and weaknesses. Findings suggest that many of the jurisdictions that adopted performance-based planning subsequently abandoned it because of the heavy administrative burden required, and where performance methods survived, they were typically hybridized with traditional zoning. If performance-based approaches continue to be used, there is a need to better understand the administrative and implementation implications of this type of land use regulation