Rosuvastatin use reduces thrombin generation potential in patients with venous thromboembolism: a randomized controlled trial

Background Statin therapy could form an alternative prophylactic treatment for venous thromboembolism (VTE) if statins are proven to downregulate hemostasis and prevent recurrent VTE, without increasing bleeding risk. Objectives The STAtins Reduce Thrombophilia (START) trial investigated whether statin affects coagulation in patients with prior VTE. Patients/methods After anticoagulation withdrawal, patients were randomized to rosuvastatin 20 mg day−1 for 4 weeks or no intervention. Plasma samples taken at baseline and at the end of the study were analyzed employing thrombin generation assay. Results and conclusions The study comprised 126 rosuvastatin users and 119 non‐users. Mean age was 58 years, 61% were men, 49% had unprovoked VTE and 75% had cardiovascular (CV) risk factors. Endogenous thrombin potential (ETP) increased from baseline to end of study in non‐statin users (mean 97.22 nm*min; 95% CI, 40.92–153.53) and decreased in rosuvastatin users (mean −24.94 nm*min; 95% CI, −71.81 to 21.93). The mean difference in ETP change between treatments was −120.24 nm*min (95% CI, −192.97 to −47.51), yielding a 10.4% ETP reduction by rosuvastatin. The thrombin peak increased in both non‐statin (mean 20.69 nm; 95% CI, 9.80–31.58) and rosuvastatin users (mean 8.41 nm; 95% CI −0.86 to 17.69). The mean difference in peak change between treatments was −11.88 nm (95% CI, −26.11 to 2.35), yielding a 5% peak reduction by rosuvastatin. Other thrombin generation parameters did not change substantially. The reduction in ETP and peak by rosuvastatin was more pronounced in the subgroups of participants with CV risk factors and with unprovoked VTE. We conclude that rosuvastatin reduces thrombin generation potential in patients who had VTE

Future instrumentation for the study of the Warm-Hot Intergalactic Medium

We briefly review capabilities and requirements for future instrumentation in UV- and X-ray astronomy that can contribute to advancing our understanding of the diffuse, highly ionised intergalactic medium.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Space Science Reviews, special issue "Clusters of galaxies: beyond the thermal view", Editor J.S. Kaastra, Chapter 19; work done by an international team at the International Space Science Institute (ISSI), Bern, organised by J.S. Kaastra, A.M. Bykov, S. Schindler & J.A.M. Bleeke

Isoprenoid thiophenes: Novel products of sediment diagenesis?

Sulphur is a significant component of the organic matter in recent and ancient sediments and in petroleums, yet the precise nature of its association and incorporation is poorly understood. Various sulphur-containing compounds have been recognized in petroleums, but little is known about their origins and mode of generation during sediment burial, and for only a few organo-sulphur compounds with >15 carbon atoms have the structures been determined. Here we identify one of the alkyl thiophenes which occur widely in both recent and ancient deep-sea sediments as 3-methyl-2-(3, 7, 11-trimethyldodecyl)-thiophene, occurring as a limited number of the possible stereoisomers. This compound is presumed to originate from the incorporation of sulphur into chlorophyll-derived phytol, or archaebacterial phytenes or their diagenetic products. Its recognition suggests a novel diagenetic pathway for acyclic isoprenoids involving the introduction of sulphur into specific lipid moieties. Similar, but intermolecular, sulphur incorporation might give rise to sulphurlinked macromolecular materials and thereby contribute significantly to the formation of kerogens

Dependency in community living older adults: experiences and expectations

Poster presentation, Saxion Research Conference 2018, Enschede A descriptive qualitative study. Aim: to dexcribe the lived experiences of older alduts asking for and receiving care ans support, and their expectations about this in the future.&nbsp

The occurence and identification of series of organic sulphur compounds in oils and sediment extracts. I. A study of Rozel Point Oil (USA)

A number of novel series of organic sulphur compounds (OSC) have been identified in several oils and sediment extracts including Rozel Point oil (Box Elder County, Utah, U.S.A.; Miocene. Because the carbon skeletons of the OSC identified have the same structures as the well known hydrocarbons from geological materials these compounds are thought to be products of sulphur incorporation reactions into specific precursors

Particle Tracing Algorithms for 3D Curvilinear Grids

This paper presents a comparison of several particle tracing algorithms on curvilinear grids. The fundamentals of particle tracing algorithms are described and used to split tracing algorithms into basic components. Based on this decomposition, two different strategies for particle tracing are described in greater detail: tracing in computational space and tracing in physical space. Accuracy and speed tests are performed for both types of algorithms. From these tests it is concluded that particle tracing algorithms in physical space generally perform better than algorithms in computational space