Identifying masked uncontrolled hypertension in the community pharmacy setting

© 2015 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. Masked uncontrolled hypertension (MUCH) is associated with an increased cardiovascular risk. This condition is frequent in the community pharmacy (i.e., CP-MUCH), but there is no evidence on the factors associated with its presence in that setting. The aim of this analysis was to explore these factors. A sample of 98 treated hypertensive patients from the MEPAFAR study, with normal community pharmacy blood pressure (CPBP <135/85 mmHg), were analyzed. Blood pressure (BP) was also measured at home (4 days) and monitored for 24 h. CP-MUCH was identified when either ambulatory (daytime) or home BP averages were equal to or higher than 135/85 mmHg. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was carried out to identify the factors associated with CP-MUCH. The prevalence of CP-MUCH tends to be higher as systolic and diastolic CPBP increase, reaching 47% in patients with both systolicand diastolic CPBP equal to or higher than 123 mmHg and 79 mmHg, respectively.The multivariate regression analysis showed only systolic CPBP as an independent factor of CP-MUCH [≥123 mmHg: odds ratio=16.46 (P=0.012); from 115 to 122.9 mmHg: odds ratio=10.74 (P=0.036); systolic CPBP <115 mmHg as the reference]. Further assessment, using ambulatory and/or home BP monitoring, is recommended in patients with normal CPBP, but systolic CPBP equal to or higher than 115 mmHg. A more feasible approach would be evaluating patients with systolic CPBP equal to or higher than 123 mmHg and diastolic CPBP equal to or higher than 79 mmHg

Pressure induced enhancement of the magnetic ordering temperature in rhenium(IV) monomers

Materials that demonstrate long-range magnetic order are synonymous with information storage and the electronics industry, with the phenomenon commonly associated with metals, metal alloys or metal oxides and sulfides. A lesser known family of magnetically ordered complexes are the monometallic compounds of highly anisotropic d-block transition metals; the ‘transformation’ from isolated zero-dimensional molecule to ordered, spin-canted, three-dimensional lattice being the result of through-space interactions arising from the combination of large magnetic anisotropy and spin-delocalization from metal to ligand which induces important intermolecular contacts. Here we report the effect of pressure on two such mononuclear rhenium(IV) compounds that exhibit long-range magnetic order under ambient conditions via a spin canting mechanism, with Tc controlled by the strength of the intermolecular interactions. As these are determined by intermolecular distance, ‘squeezing’ the molecules closer together generates remarkable enhancements in ordering temperatures, with a linear dependence of Tc with pressure

Personalized monitoring of electrical remodelling during atrial fibrillation progression via remote transmissions from implantable devices

Atrial electrical remodelling (AER) is a transitional period associated with the progression and long-term maintenance of atrial fibrillation (AF). We aimed to study the progression of AER in individual patients with implantable devices and AF episodes. Observational multicentre study (51 centres) including 4618 patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillator and results þ/resynchronization therapy (ICD/CRT-D) and 352 patients (2 centres) with pacemakers (median follow-up: 3.4 years). Atrial activation rate (AAR) was quantified as the frequency of the dominant peak in the signal spectrum of AF episodes with atrial bipolar electrograms. Patients with complete progression of AER, from paroxysmal AF episodes to electrically remodelled persistent AF, were used to depict patient-specific AER slopes. A total of 34 712 AF tracings from 830 patients (87 with pacemakers) were suitable for the study. Complete progression of AER was documented in 216 patients (16 with pacemakers). Patients with persistent AF after completion of AER showed ∼30% faster AAR than patients with paroxysmal AF. The slope of AAR changes during AF progression revealed patient-specific patterns that correlated with the time-to-completion of AER (R = 0.85). Pacemaker patients were older than patients with ICD/CRT-Ds (78.3 vs. 67.2 year olds, respectively, P < 0.001) and had a shorter median time-to-completion of AER (24.9 vs. 93.5 days, respectively, P = 0.016). Remote transmissions in patients with ICD/CRT-D devices enabled the estimation of the time-to-completion of AER using the predicted slope of AAR changes from initiation to completion of electrical remodelling (R = 0.45). The AF progression shows patient-specific patterns of AER, which can be estimated using available remote-monitoring technology

Personalized monitoring of electrical remodelling during atrial fibrillation progression via remote transmissions from implantable devices

Aims: Atrial electrical remodelling (AER) is a transitional period associated with the progression and long-term maintenance of atrial fibrillation (AF). We aimed to study the progression of AER in individual patients with implantable devices and AF episodes. Methods and results: Observational multicentre study (51 centres) including 4618 patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillator +/-resynchronization therapy (ICD/CRT-D) and 352 patients (2 centres) with pacemakers (median follow-up: 3.4 years). Atrial activation rate (AAR) was quantified as the frequency of the dominant peak in the signal spectrum of AF episodes with atrial bipolar electrograms. Patients with complete progression of AER, from paroxysmal AF episodes to electrically remodelled persistent AF, were used to depict patient-specific AER slopes. A total of 34 712 AF tracings from 830 patients (87 with pacemakers) were suitable for the study. Complete progression of AER was documented in 216 patients (16 with pacemakers). Patients with persistent AF after completion of AER showed ∼30% faster AAR than patients with paroxysmal AF. The slope of AAR changes during AF progression revealed patient-specific patterns that correlated with the time-to-completion of AER (R2 = 0.85). Pacemaker patients were older than patients with ICD/CRT-Ds (78.3 vs. 67.2 year olds, respectively, P < 0.001) and had a shorter median time-to-completion of AER (24.9 vs. 93.5 days, respectively, P = 0.016). Remote transmissions in patients with ICD/CRT-D devices enabled the estimation of the time-to-completion of AER using the predicted slope of AAR changes from initiation to completion of electrical remodelling (R2 = 0.45). Conclusion: The AF progression shows patient-specific patterns of AER, which can be estimated using available remote-monitoring technology

Enantiopure Conducting Salts of Dimethylbis(ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene (DM-BEDT-TTF) with the Hexachlororhenate(IV) Anion

International audienc

Interferon-Gamma Release Assays Differentiate Between Mycobacterium avium Complex and Tuberculous Lymphadenitis in Children

OBJECTIVES: To assess the performance of interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) in the differential diagnosis between Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) and tuberculosis (TB) in children affected with subacute/chronic submandibular/cervical lymphadenitis. STUDY DESIGN: Multicenter observational study comparing children with microbiologically-confirmed MAC lymphadenitis from the European NontuberculouS MycoBacterial Lymphadenitis in childrEn (ENSeMBLE) study with children with TB lymphadenitis from the Spanish Network for the Study of Pediatric TB (pTBred) database. RESULTS: Overall, 78 patients with MAC and 34 with TB lymphadenitis were included. Among MAC cases, 44/74 (59.5%) had positive tuberculin skin test (TST) results at the 5 mm cutoff, compared with 32/33 (97%) TB cases (p<0.001); at the 10 mm cutoff TST results were positive in 23/74 (31.1%) vs. 26/31 (83.9%), respectively (P < .001). IGRA results were positive in only 1/32 (3.1%) MAC cases who had undergone IGRA testing, compared with 21/23 (91.3%) TB cases (p<0.001). Agreement between TST and IGRA results was poor in MAC (23.3%;κ=0.017), but good in TB cases (95.6%;κ=0.646). IGRAs had a specificity of 96.9% (95%CI:84.3-99.8%), positive predictive value (PPV) of 95.4% (95%CI:78.2-99.8%), and negative predictive value (NPV) of 93.9% (95%CI:80.4-98.9%) for TB lymphadenitis. CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to TST, IGRAs have high specificity, NPV and PPV for TB lymphadenitis in children with subacute/chronic lymphadenopathy, and consequently can help to discriminate between TB and MAC disease. Therefore, IGRAs are useful tools in the diagnostic work-up of children with lymphadenopathy, particularly when culture- and PCR-results are negative

Evolutionary relationships among barley and <i>Arabidopsis</i> core circadian clock and clock-associated genes

The circadian clock regulates a multitude of plant developmental and metabolic processes. In crop species, it contributes significantly to plant performance and productivity and to the adaptation and geographical range over which crops can be grown. To understand the clock in barley and how it relates to the components in the Arabidopsis thaliana clock, we have performed a systematic analysis of core circadian clock and clock-associated genes in barley, Arabidopsis and another eight species including tomato, potato, a range of monocotyledonous species and the moss, Physcomitrella patens. We have identified orthologues and paralogues of Arabidopsis genes which are conserved in all species, monocot/dicot differences, species-specific differences and variation in gene copy number (e.g. gene duplications among the various species). We propose that the common ancestor of barley and Arabidopsis had two-thirds of the key clock components identified in Arabidopsis prior to the separation of the monocot/dicot groups. After this separation, multiple independent gene duplication events took place in both monocot and dicot ancestors. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00239-015-9665-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Discovery and mass measurement of the hot, transiting, Earth-sized planet, GJ 3929 b

Full list of authors: Kemmer, J.; Dreizler, S.; Kossakowski, D.; Stock, S.; Quirrenbach, A.; Caballero, J. A.; Amado, P. J.; Collins, K. A.; Espinoza, N.; Herrero, E.; Jenkins, J. M.; Latham, D. W.; Lillo-Box, J.; Narita, N.; Pallé, E.; Reiners, A.; Ribas, I.; Ricker, G.; Rodríguez, E.; Seager, S.; Vanderspek, R.; Wells, R.; Winn, J.; Aceituno, F. J.; Béjar, V. J. S.; Barclay, T.; Bluhm, P.; Chaturvedi, P.; Cifuentes, C.; Collins, K. I.; Cortés-Contreras, M.; Demory, B. -O.; Fausnaugh, M. M.; Fukui, A.; Gómez Maqueo Chew, Y.; Galadí-Enríquez, D.; Gan, T.; Gillon, M.; Golovin, A.; Hatzes, A. P.; Henning, Th.; Huang, C.; Jeffers, S. V.; Kaminski, A.; Kunimoto, M.; Kürster, M.; López-González, M. J.; Lafarga, M.; Luque, R.; McCormac, J.; Molaverdikhani, K.; Montes, D.; Morales, J. C.; Passegger, V. M.; Reffert, S.; Sabin, L.; Schöfer, P.; Schanche, N.; Schlecker, M.; Schroffenegger, U.; Schwarz, R. P.; Schweitzer, A.; Sota, A.; Tenenbaum, P.; Trifonov, T.; Vanaverbeke, S.; Zechmeister, M.We report the discovery of GJ 3929 b, a hot Earth-sized planet orbiting the nearby M3.5 V dwarf star, GJ 3929 (G 180-18, TOI-2013). Joint modelling of photometric observations from TESS sectors 24 and 25 together with 73 spectroscopic observations from CARMENES and follow-up transit observations from SAINT-EX, LCOGT, and OSN yields a planet radius of Rb = 1.150 ± 0.040 R⊕, a mass of Mb = 1.21 ± 0.42 M⊕, and an orbital period of Pb = 2.6162745 ± 0.0000030 d. The resulting density of ρb = 4.4 ± 1.6 g cm−3 is compatible with the Earth’s mean density of about 5.5 g cm−3. Due to the apparent brightness of the host star (J = 8.7 mag) and its small size, GJ 3929 b is a promising target for atmospheric characterisation with the JWST. Additionally, the radial velocity data show evidence for another planet candidate with P[c] = 14.303 ± 0.035 d, which is likely unrelated to the stellar rotation period, Prot = 122 ± 13 d, which we determined from archival HATNet and ASAS-SN photometry combined with newly obtained TJO data. © ESO 2022.This paper is based on observations made with the MuSCAT3 instrument, developed by the Astrobiology Center and under financial supports by JSPS KAKENHI (JP18H05439) and JST PRESTO (JPMJPR1775), at Faulkes Telescope North on Maui, HI, operated by the Las Cumbres Observatory. This work includes observationscarried out at the Observatorio Astronómico Nacional on the Sierra de San Pedro Mártir (OAN-SPM), Baja California, México. We acknowledge financial support from the Agencia Estatal de Investigación of the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades and the ERDF through projects PID2019-109522GB-C5[1:4], PID2019-107061GB-C64, PID2019-110689RB-100, ESP2017-87676-C5-1-R, and the Centre of Excellence “Severo Ochoa” and “María de Maeztu” awards to the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (CEX2019-000920-S), Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (SEV-2017-0709), and Centro de Astrobiología (MDM-2017-0737), the Swiss National Science Foundation (PP00P2-163967 and PP00P2-190080), the Centre for Space and Habitability of the University of Bern, the National Centre for Competence in Research PlanetS, supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft priority program SPP 1992 “Exploring the Diversity of Extrasolar Planets” (JE 701/5-1), the Excellence Cluster ORIGINS, which is funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft under Germany’s Excellence Strategy (EXC-2094 – 390783311), NASA (NNX17AG24G), JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP18H05439, JST CREST Grant Number JPMJCR1761, the Astrobiology Center of National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS) (Grant Number AB031010), the UNAM-DGAPA PAPIIT (BG-101321), the “la Caixa” Foundation (100010434), the European Union Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie (No. 847648, fellowship code LCF/BQ/PI20/11760023), and the Generalitat de Catalunya/CERCA programme. Data were partly collected with the 90-cm telescope at Observatorio de Sierra Nevada (OSN), operated by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucí a (IAA, CSIC). We deeply acknowledge the OSN telescope operators for their very appreciable support.Peer reviewe