The quality of warfarin therapy and CHA(2)DS(2)-VASc score associate with the incidence of myocardial infarction and cardiovascular outcome in patients with atrial fibrillation : data from the nationwide FinWAF Registry

Aims The impact of the quality of warfarin therapy on cardiovascular outcomes excluding stroke is largely unknown. The aims of this study were to evaluate the association between the warfarin control and the incidence and outcome of myocardial infarction (MI) and to validate the predictive value of the CHA2DS2-VASc score for MI in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients taking warfarin. Methods and results The nationwide FinWAF Registry consists of 54 568 AF patients (mean age 73.31 +/- 10.7 years, 52% men) taking warfarin. The quality of warfarin therapy was assessed continuously by calculating the time in therapeutic range within a 60-day window using the Rosendaal method (TTR60). Adjusted Cox proportional hazards models were prepared for the incidence of MI and cardiovascular mortality in six different TTR60 categories. During the 3.2 +/- 1.6 years of follow-up, the annual incidence of MI (95% confidence interval) was 3.3% (3.0-3.5%), 2.9% (2.6-3.3%), 2.4% (2.1-2.7%), 1.9% (1.7-2.2%), 1.7% (1.5-2.0%), and 1.2% (1.1-1.3%) among patients with TTR60 80%, respectively. Well-managed warfarin therapy (TTR60 >80%) was associated also with a lower cardiovascular mortality, whereas a high CHA(2)DS(2)-VASc score correlated with poor outcome. Conclusion Cardiovascular outcome was superior among AF patients with good warfarin control and in those with a low CHA(2)DS(2)-VASc score. The inverse association between the TTR60 and incidence of MI and cardiovascular mortality indicate that in AF patients the quality of warfarin therapy is critical not only for prevention of stroke but also with regard to cardiovascular outcome.Peer reviewe

Association between neighbourhood characteristics and antidepressant use at older ages : a register-based study of urban areas in three European countries

Background Research evidence on the association between neighbourhood characteristics and individual mental health at older ages is inconsistent, possibly due to heterogeneity in the measurement of mental-health outcomes, neighbourhood characteristics and confounders. Register-based data enabled us to avoid these problems in this longitudinal study on the associations between socioeconomic and physical neighbourhood characteristics and individual antidepressant use in three national contexts. Methods We used register-based longitudinal data on the population aged 50+ from Turin (Italy), Stockholm (Sweden), and the nine largest cities in Finland linked to satellite-based land-cover data. This included individual-level information on sociodemographic factors and antidepressant use, and on neighbourhood socioeconomic characteristics, levels of urbanicity, green space and land-use mix (LUM). We assessed individual-level antidepressant use over 6 years in 2001-2017 using mixed-effects logistic regression. Results A higher neighbourhood proportion of low-educated individuals predicted lower odds for antidepressant use in Turin and Stockholm when individual-level sociodemographic factors were controlled for. Urbanicity predicted increased antidepressant use in Stockholm (OR=1.02; 95% CI 1.01 to 1.03) together with more LUM (OR=1.03; 1.01-1.05) and population density (OR=1.08; 1.05-1.10). The two latter characteristics also predicted increased antidepressant use in the Finnish cities (OR=1.05; 1.02-1.08 and OR=1.14; 1.02-1.28, respectively). After accounting for all studied neighbourhood and individual characteristics of the residents, the neighbourhoods still varied by odds of antidepressant use. Conclusions Overall, the associations of neighbourhood socioeconomic and physical characteristics with older people's antidepressant use were small and inconsistent. However, we found modest evidence that dense physical urban environments predicted higher antidepressant use among older people in Stockholm and the Finnish cities.Peer reviewe

Artturi Assists Finnish Advisers and Farmers to Succeed in Grass-Based Dairy Production

Artturi is a collective name for a wide range of services. It is a common tool for different bodies who share an interest in strengthening grass-based dairy production in Finland: research, advisory service and industries. The Service is named after A. I. (Artturi Ilmari) Virtanen, the Finnish scientist who was awarded the Nobel prize in 1945, partly based on his work in developing the ensiling process of grass. The Artturi web site is available in Internet at: http://www.agronet.fi/artturi. Access to Artturi Services is free and no registration is required. The language used is Finnish. During summer 2003, 15,000 visits were recorded at the web site

LCL problems on grids

Peer reviewe

Investigating elastic relaxation effects on the optical properties of functionalised calcium carbonate compacts using optics-based Heckel analysis

Heckel analysis is a widely used method for the characterisation of the compression behaviour of pharmaceutical samples during the preparation of solid dosage formulations. The present study introduces an optical version of the Heckel equation that is based on a combination of the conventional Heckel equation together with the linear relationship defined between the effective terahertz (THz) refractive index and the porosity of pharmaceutical tablets. The proposed optical Heckel equation allows us to, firstly, calculate the zero-porosity refractive index, and, secondly, predict the in-die development of the effective refractive index as a function of the compressive pressure during tablet compression. This was demonstrated for five batches of highly porous functionalised calcium carbonate (FCC) excipient compacts. The close match observed between the estimated in-die effective refractive index and the measured/out-of-die effective THz refractive index supports the validity of the proposed form of the equation. By comparing the measured and estimated in-die tablet properties, a clear change in the porosity and hence, the effective refractive index, due to post-compression elastic relaxation of the FCC compacts, has been observed. We have, therefore, proposed a THz-based compaction setup that will permit in-line monitoring of processes during tablet compression. We envisage that this new approach in tracking powder properties introduced in this preliminary study will lead to the onset of further extensive and detailed future studies

Association between neighbourhood characteristics and antidepressant use at older ages: A register-based study of urban areas in three European countries

Background: Research evidence on the association between neighbourhood characteristics and individual mental health at older ages is inconsistent, possibly due to heterogeneity in the measurement of mental-health outcomes, neighbourhood characteristics and confounders. Register-based data enabled us to avoid these problems in this longitudinal study on the associations between socioeconomic and physical neighbourhood characteristics and individual antidepressant use in three national contexts. Methods: We used register-based longitudinal data on the population aged 50+ from Turin (Italy), Stockholm (Sweden), and the nine largest cities in Finland linked to satellite-based land-cover data. This included individual-level information on sociodemographic factors and antidepressant use, and on neighbourhood soci

Report on the Workshop on Transversal Variables. (Linking economic and biological effort data (call) design). 19th -23rd January 2015

The Workshop on the Transversal Variables took place in Zagreb from the 19th to 23rd of January, 2015 mainly to tackle the issues related to the increasing need of having fisheries fleet economic data and fisheries biologic data on a level of disaggregation that would allow a proper interoperability between datasets to underpin bioeconomic modelling. For that, several analyses were carried out and conclusions taken. These analyses were : 1. comparison of economic and biological effort data calls both with respect to their level of resolution and the landings and effort values obtained from equivalent aggregations was performed. This was compared to what would be needed in order to undertake bioeconomic modelling for a chosen management plan. 2. The description of how MS are calculating effort variables and a proposal on the way forward to harmonize approaches, 3. Conclusions on how to harmonize levels of resolution, the variable definitions and the codification in use amongst data calls, in order to make them comparable and based on coherent standard codifications.JRC.G.3-Maritime affair