Borexino calibrations: Hardware, Methods, and Results

Borexino was the first experiment to detect solar neutrinos in real-time in the sub-MeV region. In order to achieve high precision in the determination of neutrino rates, the detector design includes an internal and an external calibration system. This paper describes both calibration systems and the calibration campaigns that were carried out in the period between 2008 and 2011. We discuss some of the results and show that the calibration procedures preserved the radiopurity of the scintillator. The calibrations provided a detailed understanding of the detector response and led to a significant reduction of the systematic uncertainties in the Borexino measurements

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

Recent advances in psychoneuroimmunology: inflammation in psychiatric disorders

Psychiatric disorders are common and complex and their precise biological underpinnings remain elusive. Multiple epidemiological, molecular, genetic and gene expression studies suggest that immune system dysfunction may contribute to the risk for developing psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder. However, the precise mechanisms by which inflammation-related events confer such risk are unclear. In this review, we examine the peripheral and central evidence for inflammation in psychiatric disorders and the potential molecular mechanisms implicated including inhibition of neurogenesis, apoptosis, the HPA-axis, the role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and the interplay between the glutamatergic, dopaminergic and serotonergic neurotransmitter systems