Keep calm and carry on (differently): NATO and CSDP after Brexit

This article investigates the impact that Brexit could have on the relationship between NATO and the Common European Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). The relationship between NATO and CSDP has historically not been straightforward and Brexit seems to have intervened as an aggravating factor. In fact, the EU has launched a series of military initiatives and it has now renewed its ambition to create separate military headquarters from NATO. The UK will join countries such as Norway and Turkey in being a member of NATO but not of the EU, affording greater importance to NATO to the detriment of cooperation with its European allies. This article provides an analytical framework to analyse the possible effects of Brexit upon the EU\u2013NATO relationship. In so doing, it lays out three distinct levels of analysis. These are the state level, the inter\u2010organisational level and, finally, the personnel level. The levels of analysis allow us to generate empirical observations, which then lead us to suggest three scenarios for the development of the EU\u2013NATO relationship beyond Brexit

Inhibition of the NLRP3/IL-1β axis protects against sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy

BACKGROUND: Septic cardiomyopathy worsens the prognosis of critically ill patients. Clinical data suggest that interleukin-1β (IL-1β), activated by the NLRP3 inflammasome, compromises cardiac function. Whether or not deleting Nlrp3 would prevent cardiac atrophy and improve diastolic cardiac function in sepsis was unclear. Here, we investigated the role of NLRP3/IL-1β in sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy and cardiac atrophy. METHODS: Male Nlrp3 knockout (KO) and wild-type (WT) mice were exposed to polymicrobial sepsis by caecal ligation and puncture (CLP) surgery (KO, n = 27; WT, n = 33) to induce septic cardiomyopathy. Sham-treated mice served as controls (KO, n = 11; WT, n = 16). Heart weights and morphology, echocardiography and analyses of gene and protein expression were used to evaluate septic cardiomyopathy and cardiac atrophy. IL-1β effects on primary and immortalized cardiomyocytes were investigated by morphological and molecular analyses. IonOptix and real-time deformability cytometry (RT-DC) analysis were used to investigate functional and mechanical effects of IL-1β on cardiomyocytes. RESULTS: Heart morphology and echocardiography revealed preserved systolic (stroke volume: WT sham vs. WT CLP: 33.1 ± 7.2 μL vs. 24.6 ± 8.7 μL, P < 0.05; KO sham vs. KO CLP: 28.3 ± 8.1 μL vs. 29.9 ± 9.9 μL, n.s.; P < 0.05 vs. WT CLP) and diastolic (peak E wave velocity: WT sham vs. WT CLP: 750 ± 132 vs. 522 ± 200 mm/s, P < 0.001; KO sham vs. KO CLP: 709 ± 152 vs. 639 ± 165 mm/s, n.s.; P < 0.05 vs. WT CLP) cardiac function and attenuated cardiac (heart weight-tibia length ratio: WT CLP vs. WT sham: -26.6%, P < 0.05; KO CLP vs. KO sham: -3.3%, n.s.; P < 0.05 vs. WT CLP) and cardiomyocyte atrophy in KO mice during sepsis. IonOptix measurements showed that IL-1β decreased contractility (cell shortening: IL-1β: -15.4 ± 2.3%, P < 0.001 vs. vehicle, IL-1RA: -6.1 ± 3.3%, P < 0.05 vs. IL-1β) and relaxation of adult rat ventricular cardiomyocytes (time-to-50% relengthening: IL-1β: 2071 ± 225 ms, P < 0.001 vs. vehicle, IL-1RA: 564 ± 247 ms, P < 0.001 vs. IL-1β), which was attenuated by an IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA). RT-DC analysis indicated that IL-1β reduced cardiomyocyte size (P < 0.001) and deformation (P < 0.05). RNA sequencing showed that genes involved in NF-κB signalling, autophagy and lysosomal protein degradation were enriched in hearts of septic WT but not in septic KO mice. Western blotting and qPCR disclosed that IL-1β activated NF-κB and its target genes, caused atrophy and decreased myosin protein in myocytes, which was accompanied by an increased autophagy gene expression. These effects were attenuated by IL-1RA. CONCLUSIONS: IL-1β causes atrophy, impairs contractility and relaxation and decreases deformation of cardiomyocytes. Because NLRP3/IL-1β pathway inhibition attenuates cardiac atrophy and cardiomyopathy in sepsis, it could be useful to prevent septic cardiomyopathy

Alpha-decay and spontaneous fission half-lives of super-heavy nuclei around the doubly magic nucleus 270

The α-decay and spontaneous fission half-lives of nuclei around 270Hs are calculated with formulas derived from an in-depth analysis of the available experimental data and of results of theoretical models. The parameters of these formulas result from the fit of half-lives with respect to the reaction energies, the height of the SF barrier and the fissionability. The calculated partial and total half-lives are compared with the experimental data and results of other approximations. Half-life predictions are made for many unknown nuclei