Human toxocariasis: contribution by Brazilian researchers

In the present paper the main aspects of the natural history of human infection by Toxocara larvae that occasionally result in the occurrence of visceral and/or ocular larva migrans syndrome were reviewed. The contribution by Brazilian researchers was emphasized, especially the staff of the Tropical Medicine Institute of São Paulo (IMT)

Prognostic Value of N-terminal B-type Natriuretic Peptide in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Multicenter Study

Background: Several models have been developed to help the clinician in risk stratification for Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS),such as the TIMI and GRACE risk scores. However, there is conflicting evidence for the prognostic value of NT-ProBNP in acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Objective: (1) To explore the association of NT-proBNP with 30-day clinical outcome in AMI patients. (2) To compare the prognostic value of NT-proBNP with TIMI and GRACE risk scores in AMI patients. Methods: We conducted a multicenter, prospective observational study recruiting patients presented with AMI between 29-October-2015 and 14-January-2017, involving 1 cardiology referral centre and 4 non-cardiology hospitals. NT-proBNP level (Alere Triage®, US)was measured within 24 hours fromthe diagnosis of AMI. Patientswere followed-up for 1 month. Results: A total of 186 patients were recruited, 143 from tertiary cardiology centre and 43 from non-cardiology hospitals. Mean age was 54.7±10.0 years, 87.6% male and 64% were STEMI. The NT-proBNP level ranged from 60 to 16700pg/ml, with a median of 714pg/ml. Using the 75th centile as the cutoff, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis for the 30-day cardiac related mortality was significantly higher for patient with NT-proBNP level of ≥1600pg/ml (6.4% vs. 0.7%, p=0.02). Cox-regression analysis showed that NT-proBNP level of ≥1600pg/ml was an independent predictor of 30-day cardiac related mortality, regardless of TIMI risk score, GRACE score, LV ejection fraction and study hospitals (HR 9.274, p=0.054, 95%CI 0.965, 89.161). Readmission for heart failure at 30-day was also higher for patient with NT-proBNP level of ≥1600pg/ml (HR 9.308, p=0.053, 95%CI 0.969, 89.492). NT-proBNP level was not associated with all-cause mortality, risk of readmission for ACS, arrhythmia and stroke (pN0.05). By adding 50 score to GRACE risk score for NT-proBNP level of ≥1600pg/ml, combination of GraceNT-proBNP scores of more than 200 appeared to be a better independent predictor for 30-day cardiac related mortality (HR:28.28, p=0.004, 95%CI 2.94, 272.1). ROC analysis showed that this new score had 75% sensitivity and 91.2% specificity in predicting 30-day cardiac related mortality (AUC 0.791, p=0.046). Conclusions: NT-proBNP is a useful point-of-care risk stratification biomarker in AMI. It can be combined to the current risk score model for better risk stratification in AMI patients

Riociguat treatment in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension: Final safety data from the EXPERT registry

Objective: The soluble guanylate cyclase stimulator riociguat is approved for the treatment of adult patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and inoperable or persistent/recurrent chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) following Phase

Open data from the third observing run of LIGO, Virgo, KAGRA, and GEO

The global network of gravitational-wave observatories now includes five detectors, namely LIGO Hanford, LIGO Livingston, Virgo, KAGRA, and GEO 600. These detectors collected data during their third observing run, O3, composed of three phases: O3a starting in 2019 April and lasting six months, O3b starting in 2019 November and lasting five months, and O3GK starting in 2020 April and lasting two weeks. In this paper we describe these data and various other science products that can be freely accessed through the Gravitational Wave Open Science Center at https://gwosc.org. The main data set, consisting of the gravitational-wave strain time series that contains the astrophysical signals, is released together with supporting data useful for their analysis and documentation, tutorials, as well as analysis software packages

Analysis of the queueing system MAP_2/G_2/1/r with absolute priority

Summary (translated from the Russian): "We study a single-server queueing system with a common buffer of limited capacity. Two Markov customer streams arrive into the system. Their service times have arbitrary distribution functions that are different for each customer type. Customers of the first type have absolute priority, and a customer whose service is interrupted is served anew. We derive a matrix algorithm for computing the stationary probabilities of the system states, both at arbitrary moments of time and at arrival or service completion times.

Stationary probabilities of the states of the retrial system MAP/G/1/r with priority servicing of primary customers

Summary (translated from the Russian): "We consider a single-server retrial queueing system with a Markov input flow and bounded queues for both primary and retrial customers. A newly arriving customer is placed in a queue of primary customers or is sent to a queue of retrial customers if all places in the queue of primary customers are occupied, or leaves the system if there are no vacant places in the queue of retrial customers. A customer from the queue of retrial customers can be sent only to a free server. For this system we find the stationary state probabilities in an embedded Markov chain generated by the moments of server release, as well as the stationary time distributions of the number of retrial and primary customers in the system.

Studies of rubidium aluminosilicates as thermionic emitters of Rb+ ions

International Journal of Mass Spectrometry and Ion Processes1342-3221-228IJMP

Analysis of a finite queue with a Markov flow and arbitrary service that depends on the number of customers in the system

Consider a service system of the type MAP/G(k)/1/r with a finite buffer of the size r. Let B_k(t) be the distribution of the service time depending on the number k of the customers in the system at the moment when the current customer starts the service. The input flow is governed by ltimes l matrices Lambda and N. The element lambda_{ij}, inot=j, gives the rate of jump from i to j, and the element n_{ij}, inot=j, gives the rate of joining the queue from the state i and simultaneously starting the generation of a new customer from the state j. The input customer is lost if the buffer is full. This is a Markov model with states (i,0) and (i,n,k,x) where i is the state of input flow, n is the number of customers in the system, x is the time from the last input epoch tau, and k is the number of customers under service at the moment tau. Let us represent the stationary probabilities in the form p_{ink}(x)=[1-B_k(x)]q_{ink}(x). The system of PDE for q_{ink}(x) implies that {overline q}_{nk}(x)^T=(q_{ink}(x), i=1,dots ,l)^T ={overline q}{}_k^T F_{n-k}(x). Here the i,j-th element of the matrix F_{n-k}(x) is the probability that n-k customers from input flow enter the system up to the time x, and the state i of the flow at the moment 0 will be changed for j at the moment x. A recursive procedure for computing {overline q}{}_k^T is developed. The stationary probabilities of the imbedded Markov chain at the input moments {tau_m} are computed as well. The main performance characteristic of the system is the loss probability pi=frac{{overline p}_R^T{overline Lambda}}{lambda} where R=r+1 is the maximal number of customers in the system. A somewhat less conventional characteristic under study is S_k=sum_{n=k}^R p_{n,k}, i.e. the probability that the server works in the regime k

A single-server retrial queueing system with a multidimensional Poisson flow

The authors consider a single server retrial system with a multidimensional Poisson flow. The paper investigates three modifications of the system: (1) with urgent claims, (2) with unurgent claims, (3) with possible opening of the system. For every modification the authors find recurrence formulas of the stationary distributions of the queue length and other characteristics of the system