B-type natriuretic peptide: powerful predictor of endstage chronic heart failure in individuals with systolic dysfunction of the systemic right ventricle

Aim To assess whether B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) can serve as a predictor of end-stage chronic heart failure (CHF) in patients with severe systolic dysfunction of the systemic right ventricle (SRV). Methods We performed a retrospective analysis in 28 patients with severe systolic dysfunction of the SRV (ejection fraction 23 ± 6%) who were evaluated as heart transplant (HTx) candidates between May 2007 and October 2014. The primary endpoints of the study (end-stage CHF) were progressive CHF, urgent HTx, and ventricular assist device (VAD) implantation. Plasma BNP levels were measured using a chemiluminescent immunoassay. Results During median follow-up of 29 months (interquartile range, 9-50), 3 patients died of progressive CHF, 5 patients required an urgent HTx, and 6 patients underwent VAD implantation. BNP was a strong predictor of end-stage CHF (hazard ratio per 100 ng/L: 1.079, 95% confidence interval, 1.042-1.117, P<0.001). The following variables with corresponding areas under the curve (AUC) were identified as the most significant predictors of end-stage CHF: BNP (AUC 1.00), New York Heart Association functional class class III or IV (AUC 0.98), decompensated CHF in the last year (AUC 0.96), and systolic dysfunction of the subpulmonal ventricle (AUC 0.96). Conclusion BNP is a powerful predictor of end-stage CHF in individuals with systolic dysfunction of the SRV

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements