Higher COVID-19 pneumonia risk associated with anti-IFN-α than with anti-IFN-ω auto-Abs in children

We found that 19 (10.4%) of 183 unvaccinated children hospitalized for COVID-19 pneumonia had autoantibodies (auto-Abs) neutralizing type I IFNs (IFN-alpha 2 in 10 patients: IFN-alpha 2 only in three, IFN-alpha 2 plus IFN-omega in five, and IFN-alpha 2, IFN-omega plus IFN-beta in two; IFN-omega only in nine patients). Seven children (3.8%) had Abs neutralizing at least 10 ng/ml of one IFN, whereas the other 12 (6.6%) had Abs neutralizing only 100 pg/ml. The auto-Abs neutralized both unglycosylated and glycosylated IFNs. We also detected auto-Abs neutralizing 100 pg/ml IFN-alpha 2 in 4 of 2,267 uninfected children (0.2%) and auto-Abs neutralizing IFN-omega in 45 children (2%). The odds ratios (ORs) for life-threatening COVID-19 pneumonia were, therefore, higher for auto-Abs neutralizing IFN-alpha 2 only (OR [95% CI] = 67.6 [5.7-9,196.6]) than for auto-Abs neutralizing IFN-. only (OR [95% CI] = 2.6 [1.2-5.3]). ORs were also higher for auto-Abs neutralizing high concentrations (OR [95% CI] = 12.9 [4.6-35.9]) than for those neutralizing low concentrations (OR [95% CI] = 5.5 [3.1-9.6]) of IFN-omega and/or IFN-alpha 2

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

Toxicidade da mistura formulada de imazethapyr e imazapic sobre o azevém em função do teor de umidade do solo Injury caused by the formulated mixture of the herbicide imazethapyr and imazapic in raygrass as affected by soil moisture

Herbicidas do grupo das imidazolinonas têm, em geral, fraca adsorção ao solo e alta solubilidade em água, e, por isso, os níveis de umidade do solo podem alterar a disponibilidade desses herbicidas e seu efeito sobre culturas suscetíveis. Com o objetivo de comparar o efeito de doses da mistura formulada de imazethapyr + imazapic (75 + 25 g i.a. L-1) sobre plantas de azevém, cultivadas em solo com três níveis de umidade, foi realizado um experimento em casa de vegetação, no delineamento em blocos ao acaso com quatro repetições. Os tratamentos foram constituídos pela combinação de sete níveis do fator dose (0, 100, 200, 300, 400, 600 e 800 mL ha-1 do produto formulado), combinados com três níveis do fator umidade do solo (0, -10 e -100 kPa). Houve aumento na toxicidade e na taxa de redução da massa da matéria seca das plantas com o aumento nas doses do herbicida, sendo esses efeitos menores em solo com teor de água de -100 kPa. O teor de água no solo altera a toxicidade da mistura formulada de imazethapyr + imazapic sobre o azevém, sendo a cultura mais afetada em solos com maiores níveis de umidade.<br>The imidazolinone herbicides have, in general, low soil sorption and high water solubility, and for this reason, the levels of soil moisture can affect the availability of these herbicides and their effect on susceptible crops. Aiming at comparing the effect of rates of the formulated mixture of imazethapyr + imazapic (75 + 25 g a.i. L-1) on the growth of ryegrass plants in soil with three levels of moisture, an experiment was performed in greenhouse, in a randomized block design with four replications. The treatments were a combination of seven levels of the factor rate (0, 100, 200, 300, 400, 600 and 800 mL ha-1 of formulated product) combined with three levels of soil moisture factor (0, -10 and -100 kPa). There was an increase in injury and reduction of shoot dry weight with increasing rates of the herbicide, with lower effects in soil with -100 kPa moisture content. The water content in soil alters the injury caused by the formulated mixture imazethapyr + imazapic on ryegrass, with this crop being the most affected in soils with higher moisture levels

Lixiviação de imazethapyr + imazapic em função do manejo de irrigação do arroz Imazethapyr + imazapic leaching in lowland soil as affected by rice irrigation management

Os herbicidas utilizados no sistema Clearfield® de arroz irrigado são persistentes e móveis no solo, portanto práticas de manejo podem influenciar na sua dinâmica no ambiente. O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar o efeito de três manejos de irrigação da cultura do arroz na lixiviação da mistura formulada dos herbicidas imazethapyr e imazapic, em solo de várzea. O experimento consistiu de um ensaio de campo seguido de um bioensaio. As coletas de amostras de solo foram feitas por meio da retirada de monolitos em áreas submetidas aos diferentes manejos de irrigação do experimento de campo. As amostras foram seccionadas em intervalos de 5 cm, até a profundidade de 30 cm. Os tratamentos foram compostos pelos manejos de irrigação por inundação contínua, intermitente e por banhos (fator A) e pelas profundidades do solo de 0 a 30 cm (fator B). Foi efetuada a comparação do crescimento de plantas de arroz não tolerantes aos herbicidas, cultivadas em solo submetido aos manejos de irrigação, com o crescimento das plantas em solo com quantidade conhecida dos herbicidas. A irrigação promoveu movimento vertical do herbicida, porém a diferença entre os manejos de irrigação apenas foi observada na camada superficial do solo (0-5 cm), com menores concentrações na irrigação por banhos. A mistura formulada do herbicida concentrou-se na camada de 5-20 cm de profundidade aos 134 dias após a aplicação.<br>The herbicides used in ClearfieldTM rice technology are persistent and mobile in soil, and thus, management practices can affect its dynamics. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of three different rice irrigation managements on leaching of the formulated mixture of the herbicides imazethapyr and imazapic in lowland soil. This study consisted of a field experiment followed by bioassay. The bioassay was conducted in a greenhouse of the Department of Biology of the Universidade Federal de Santa Maria in 2009. Soil samples were collected from a field experiment submitted to different rice irrigation managements. These samples were sliced at 5 cm intervals up to 30 cm in depth. The treatments included three irrigation managements: continuous flooding, intermittent flooding and flush (factor A) and soil depth of 5 cm intervals, from 0 to 30 cm (factor B). The bioassay compared the growth of non-tolerant rice plants grown in soil subjected to the treatments described above, with the plants grown in soil with a known amount of herbicides. Irrigation promotes vertical movement of the herbicide, but the difference between irrigation management is only observed in the topsoil (0-5 cm), with flush being the treatment with the lower amounts of herbicide at this depth. The herbicide is concentrated at 5-20 cm depth, 134 days after the product is applied in lowland soil