Tunnelling rates for the nonlinear Wannier-Stark problem

We present a method to numerically compute accurate tunnelling rates for a Bose-Einstein condensate which is described by the nonlinear Gross-Pitaevskii equation. Our method is based on a sophisticated real-time integration of the complex-scaled Gross-Pitaevskii equation, and it is capable of finding the stationary eigenvalues for the Wannier-Stark problem. We show that even weak nonlinearities have significant effects in the vicinity of very sensitive resonant tunnelling peaks, which occur in the rates as a function of the Stark field amplitude. The mean-field interaction induces a broadening and a shift of the peaks, and the latter is explained by analytic perturbation theory

Biomedical and therapeutic applications of biosurfactants

During the last years, several applications of biosurfactants with medical purposes have been reported. Biosurfactants are considered relevant molecules for applications in combating many diseases and as therapeutic agents due to their antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral activities. Furthermore, their role as anti-adhesive agents against several pathogens illustrate their utility as suitable anti-adhesive coating agents for medical insertional materials leading to a reduction of a large number of hospital infections without the use of synthetic drugs and chemicals. Biomedical and therapeutic perspectives of biosurfactants applications are presented and discussed in this chapter

Carotenoid responses to environmental stimuli: integrating redox and carbon controls into a fruit model

Carotenoids play an important role in plant adaptation to fluctuating environments as well as in the human diet by contributing to the prevention of chronic diseases. Insights have been gained recently into the way individual factors, genetic, environmental or developmental, control the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway at the molecular level. The identification of the rate-limiting steps of carotenogenesis has paved the way for programmes of breeding, and metabolic engineering, aimed at increasing the concentration of carotenoids in different crop species. However, the complexity that arises from the interactions between the different factors as well as from the coordination between organs remains poorly understood. This review focuses on recent advances in carotenoid responses to environmental stimuli and discusses how the interactions between the modulation factors and between organs affect carotenoid build-up. We develop the idea that reactive oxygen species/redox status and sugars/carbon status can be considered as integrated factors that account for most effects of the major environmental factors influencing carotenoid biosynthesis. The discussion highlights the concept of carotenoids or carotenoid-derivatives as stress signals that may be involved in feedback controls. We propose a conceptual model of the effects of environmental and developmental factors on carotenoid build-up in fruits. This review presents an assessment of the current understanding of how the different environmental factors and their interactions influence carotenoid accumulation at the organ level. We develop the idea that environmental factors converge to modulate reactive oxygen species (ROS)/redox status (influenced by oxidative stress), and sugars/carbon status (which results from the balance between carbon gains and losses, and allocation between competing organs) and in this way regulate carotenoid accumulation. The discussion highlights the concept of carotenoids or carotenoidderivatives as stress signals that may be involved in feedback controls. We propose a conceptual model of the effects of environmental and developmental factors that accounts for the known roles played by ROS and sugars on carotenoid build-up in fruits

Effects of blood pressure-lowering drugs in heart failure: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

We aimed to combine evidence from all heart failure trials that have investigated the effects of drugs with blood pressure (BP)-lowering properties to assess the extent to which such drugs reduce BP in heart failure, the association between the net change in BP between treatment arms and cause-specific outcomes and whether treatment effects (efficacy and safety) vary according to baseline BP. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis including randomized clinical trials of drugs with BP-lowering properties in patients with chronic heart failure with at least 300 patient-years follow-up. We included a total of 37 trials (91 950 patients) and showed that treatment with drugs with BP-lowering properties resulted in a small but significant decrease in SBP in patients with heart failure with no evidence that the efficacy and safety of those drugs varied according to baseline BP

Blood pressure and risk of venous thromboembolism: a cohort analysis of 5.5 million UK adults and Mendelian randomization studies

AIM: Evidence for the effect of elevated blood pressure on the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) has been conflicting. We sought to assess the association between systolic blood pressure and the risk of VTE. METHODS AND RESULTS: Three complementary studies comprising an observational cohort analysis, a one-sample and two-sample Mendelian randomization were conducted using data from 5,588,280 patients registered in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) dataset and 432,173 UK Biobank participants with valid genetic data. Summary statistics of International Network on Venous Thrombosis (INVENT) genome-wide association meta-analysis was used for two-sample Mendelian randomization. The primary outcome was the first occurrence of VTE event, identified from hospital discharge reports, death registers, and/or primary care records. In the CPRD cohort, 104,017 (1.9%) patients had a first diagnosis of VTE during the 9.6-year follow-up. Each 20 mmHg increase in systolic blood pressure was associated with a 7% lower risk of VTE (hazard ratio 0.93, 95% CI [0.92 to 0.94]). Statistically significant interactions were found for sex and body mass index, but not for age and subtype of VTE (pulmonary embolism and deep venous thrombosis). Mendelian randomization studies provided strong evidence for the association between systolic blood pressure and VTE, both in the one-sample (odds ratio [OR]: 0.69 [95% CI 0.57 to 0.83] and two-sample analyses (OR 0.80, 95% CI [0.70 to 0.92]). CONCLUSIONS: We found an increased risk of VTE with lower blood pressure and this association was independently confirmed in two Mendelian randomization analyses. The benefits of blood pressure reduction are likely to outweigh the harms in most patient groups, but in people with predisposing factors for VTE, further blood pressure reduction should be made cautiously. TRANSLATIONAL PERSPECTIVE: In a large-scale population cohort, with over 100,000 first episodes of VTE and a median follow-up of about 10 years, we found a 7% higher risk of VTE for each 20 mmHg lower systolic blood pressure. The association was comparable when we examined pulmonary embolism and deep venous thrombosis separately, and persisted after taking into account age and other factors, including anticoagulant treatment during follow-up. These results were confirmed using two independent Mendelian randomization studies. Although the beneficial effects of blood pressure-lowering are likely to outweigh any harms in most patient groups, clinicians should be aware of the potential risk of VTE from antihypertensive therapy, in particular in people who have predisposing factors for VTE