The Changing Landscape for Stroke\ua0Prevention in AF: Findings From the GLORIA-AF Registry Phase 2

Background GLORIA-AF (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation) is a prospective, global registry program describing antithrombotic treatment patterns in patients with newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation at risk of stroke. Phase 2 began when dabigatran, the first non\u2013vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC), became available. Objectives This study sought to describe phase 2 baseline data and compare these with the pre-NOAC era collected during phase 1. Methods During phase 2, 15,641 consenting patients were enrolled (November 2011 to December 2014); 15,092 were eligible. This pre-specified cross-sectional analysis describes eligible patients\u2019 baseline characteristics. Atrial fibrillation disease characteristics, medical outcomes, and concomitant diseases and medications were collected. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results Of the total patients, 45.5% were female; median age was 71 (interquartile range: 64, 78) years. Patients were from Europe (47.1%), North America (22.5%), Asia (20.3%), Latin America (6.0%), and the Middle East/Africa (4.0%). Most had high stroke risk (CHA2DS2-VASc [Congestive heart failure, Hypertension, Age  6575 years, Diabetes mellitus, previous Stroke, Vascular disease, Age 65 to 74 years, Sex category] score  652; 86.1%); 13.9% had moderate risk (CHA2DS2-VASc = 1). Overall, 79.9% received oral anticoagulants, of whom 47.6% received NOAC and 32.3% vitamin K antagonists (VKA); 12.1% received antiplatelet agents; 7.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. For comparison, the proportion of phase 1 patients (of N = 1,063 all eligible) prescribed VKA was 32.8%, acetylsalicylic acid 41.7%, and no therapy 20.2%. In Europe in phase 2, treatment with NOAC was more common than VKA (52.3% and 37.8%, respectively); 6.0% of patients received antiplatelet treatment; and 3.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. In North America, 52.1%, 26.2%, and 14.0% of patients received NOAC, VKA, and antiplatelet drugs, respectively; 7.5% received no antithrombotic treatment. NOAC use was less common in Asia (27.7%), where 27.5% of patients received VKA, 25.0% antiplatelet drugs, and 19.8% no antithrombotic treatment. Conclusions The baseline data from GLORIA-AF phase 2 demonstrate that in newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation patients, NOAC have been highly adopted into practice, becoming more frequently prescribed than VKA in Europe and North America. Worldwide, however, a large proportion of patients remain undertreated, particularly in Asia and North America. (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation [GLORIA-AF]; NCT01468701

Syntheses and Molecular Structures of Monomeric and Hydrogen-Bonded Dimeric Dawson-Type Trialuminum-Substituted Polyoxotungstates Derived under Acidic and Basic Conditions

The syntheses and molecular structures of the two types of α-Dawson-type trialuminum-substituted polyoxometalates, [B-α-H₃P₂W₁₅O₅₉{Al­(OH₂)}₃]^6– (<b>1</b>) and [B-α-H₃P₂W₁₅O₅₉{Al­(OH)}₂{Al­(OH₂)}]₂^16– (<b>2</b>), are described herein. The potassium and cesium salts of <b>1</b>, K₆[B-α-H₃P₂W₁₅O₅₉{Al­(OH₂)}₃]·14H₂O (<b>K-1</b>), and Cs₆[B-α-H₃P₂W₁₅O₅₉{Al­(OH₂)}₃]·13H₂O (<b>Cs-1</b>) were formed by a stoichiometric reaction in water of trilacunary α-Dawson polyoxotungstate with aluminum nitrate under acidic conditions (pH ∼3). The potassium/sodium and tetramethylammonium/sodium salts of <b>2</b>, K₁₄Na₂[B-α-H₃P₂W₁₅O₅₉{Al­(OH)}₂{Al­(OH₂)}]₂·30H₂O (<b>KNa-2</b>) and [(CH₃)₄N]₁₄Na₂[B-α-H₃P₂W₁₅O₅₉{Al­(OH)}₂{Al­(OH₂)}]₂·39H₂O (<b>TMANa-2</b>) were obtained under basic conditions (pH ∼9). These compounds were characterized by X-ray structure analyses, elemental analyses, thermogravimetric/differential thermal analyses, Fourier transform infrared, and solution ³¹P, ²⁷Al, and ¹⁸³W NMR spectroscopy. The polyoxoanion <b>1</b> is a monomeric, α-Dawson-type structure, resulting in an overall <i>C</i>_3<i>v</i> symmetry, while the polyoxoanion <b>2</b> is a hydrogen-bonded dimeric structure, resulting in an overall <i>S</i>₃ symmetry in the solid state. The pH dependence of polyoxoanions <b>1</b> and <b>2</b> in aqueous solution was also investigated by ³¹P NMR spectroscopy

SHORT GRAIN1 Decreases Organ Elongation and Brassinosteroid Response in Rice1[W][OA]

We identified a short-grain mutant (Short grain1 (Sg1) Dominant) via phenotypic screening of 13,000 rice (Oryza sativa) activation-tagged lines. The causative gene, SG1, encodes a protein with unknown function that is preferentially expressed in roots and developing panicles. Overexpression of SG1 in rice produced a phenotype with short grains and dwarfing reminiscent of brassinosteroid (BR)-deficient mutants, with wide, dark-green, and erect leaves. However, the endogenous BR level in the SG1 overexpressor (SG1:OX) plants was comparable to the wild type. SG1:OX plants were insensitive to brassinolide in the lamina inclination assay. Therefore, SG1 appears to decrease responses to BRs. Despite shorter organs in the SG1:OX plants, their cell size was not decreased in the SG1:OX plants. Therefore, SG1 decreases organ elongation by decreasing cell proliferation. In contrast to the SG1:OX plants, RNA interference knockdown plants that down-regulated SG1 and a related gene, SG1-LIKE PROTEIN1, had longer grains and internodes in rachis branches than in the wild type. Taken together, these results suggest that SG1 decreases responses to BRs and elongation of organs such as seeds and the internodes of rachis branches through decreased cellular proliferation