Two-dimensional quantitative near-field phase imaging using square and hexagonal interference devices

We demonstrate the formation of the near field with non-trivial phase distribution using surface plasmon interference devices, and experimental quantitative imaging of that phase with near-field phase microscopy. The phase distribution formed with a single device can be controlled by the polarization of the external illumination and the area of the device assigned to the object wave. A comparison of the experimental data to a numerical electromagnetic model and an analytical model assigns the origin of the near-field phase to the out-of-plane electric component of surface plasmon polaritons, and also verifies the predictive power of the models. We demonstrate a formation of near-field plane waves with different propagation directions on a single device, or even simultaneously at distinct areas of a single device. Our findings open the way to the imaging and tomography of phase objects in the near field

Fluvastatin in the therapy of acute coronary syndrome: Rationale and design of a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (The FACS Trial)[ISRCTN81331696]

BACKGROUND: Activation of inflammatory pathways plays an important contributory role in coronary plaque instability and subsequent rupture, which can lead to the development of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Elevated levels of serum inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP) represent independent risk factors for further cardiovascular events. Recent evidence indicates that in addition to lowering cholesterol levels, statins also decrease levels of inflammatory markers. Previous controlled clinical trials reporting the positive effects of statins in participants with ACS were designed for very early secondary prevention. To our knowledge, no controlled trials have evaluated the potential benefits of statin therapy, beginning immediately at the time of hospital admission. A previous pilot study performed by our group focused on early initiation of cerivastatin therapy. We demonstrated a highly significant reduction in levels of inflammatory markers (CRP and interleukin-6). Based on these preliminary findings, we are conducting a clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of another statin, fluvastatin, as an early intervention in patients with ACS. METHODS: The FACS-trial (Fluvastatin in the therapy of Acute Coronary Syndrome) is a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluating the effects of fluvastatin therapy initiated at the time of hospital admission. The study will enroll 1,000 participants admitted to hospital for ACS (both with and without ST elevation). The primary endpoint for the study is the influence of fluvastatin therapy on levels of inflammatory markers (CRP and interleukin-6) and on pregnancy associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A). A combined secondary endpoint is 30-day and one-year occurrence of death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, recurrent symptomatic ischemia, urgent revascularization, and cardiac arrest. CONCLUSION: The primary objective of the FACS trial is to demonstrate that statin therapy, when started immediately after hospital admission for ACS, results in reduction of inflammation and improvement of prognosis. This study may contribute to new knowledge regarding therapeutic strategies for patients suffering from ACS and may offer additional clinical indications for the use of statins

Fluvastatin in the first-line therapy of acute coronary syndrome: results of the multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (the FACS-trial)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Statins have been proved to be effective in reduction of mortality and morbidity when started in the early secondary prevention in stabilized patients after acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The safety and efficacy of statin administration directly in the first-line therapy in unstable ACS patients is not clear. The aim of our study was, therefore, to assess the effect of statin treatment initiated immediately at hospital admission of patients with ACS.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The trial was stopped prematurely after enrollment of one hundred and fifty-six patients with ACS that were randomized at admission to fluvastatin 80 mg (N = 78) or placebo (N = 78). Study medication was administered immediately after randomization and then once daily for 30 days; all patients were then encouraged to continue in open-label statin therapy and at the end of one-year follow-up 75% in the fluvastatin group and 78% in the placebo group were on statin therapy.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We did not demonstrate any difference between groups in the level of C-reactive protein, interleukin 6, and pregnancy-associated plasma protein A on Day 2 and Day 30 (primary endpoint). Fluvastatin-therapy, however, significantly reduced one-year occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events (11.5% vs. 24.4%, odds ratio (OR) 0.40, 95% CI 0.17-0.95, P = 0.038). This difference was caused mainly by reduction of recurrent symptomatic ischemia (7.7% vs. 20.5%, OR 0.32, 95% CI 0.12-0.88, P = 0.037).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study failed to prove the effect of fluvastatin given as first-line therapy of ACS on serum markers of inflammation and plaque instability. Fluvastatin therapy was, however, safe and it may reduce cardiovascular event rate that supports immediate use of a statin in patients admitted for ACS.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>NCT00171275</p

Safety of intravenous ferric carboxymaltose versus oral iron in patients with nondialysis-dependent CKD: an analysis of the 1-year FIND-CKD trial.

Background: The evidence base regarding the safety of intravenous (IV) iron therapy in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is incomplete and largely based on small studies of relatively short duration. Methods: FIND-CKD (ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT00994318) was a 1-year, open-label, multicenter, prospective study of patients with nondialysis-dependent CKD, anemia and iron deficiency randomized (1:1:2) to IV ferric carboxymaltose (FCM), targeting higher (400-600 µg/L) or lower (100-200 µg/L) ferritin, or oral iron. A post hoc analysis of adverse event rates per 100 patient-years was performed to assess the safety of FCM versus oral iron over an extended period. Results: The safety population included 616 patients. The incidence of one or more adverse events was 91.0, 100.0 and 105.0 per 100 patient-years in the high ferritin FCM, low ferritin FCM and oral iron groups, respectively. The incidence of adverse events with a suspected relation to study drug was 15.9, 17.8 and 36.7 per 100 patient-years in the three groups; for serious adverse events, the incidence was 28.2, 27.9 and 24.3 per 100 patient-years. The incidence of cardiac disorders and infections was similar between groups. At least one ferritin level ≥800 µg/L occurred in 26.6% of high ferritin FCM patients, with no associated increase in adverse events. No patient with ferritin ≥800 µg/L discontinued the study drug due to adverse events. Estimated glomerular filtration rate remained the stable in all groups. Conclusions: These results further support the conclusion that correction of iron deficiency anemia with IV FCM is safe in patients with nondialysis-dependent CKD

Geographical and temporal distribution of SARS-CoV-2 clades in the WHO European Region, January to June 2020

We show the distribution of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) genetic clades over time and between countries and outline potential genomic surveillance objectives. We applied three genomic nomenclature systems to all sequence data from the World Health Organization European Region available until 10 July 2020. We highlight the importance of real-time sequencing and data dissemination in a pandemic situation, compare the nomenclatures and lay a foundation for future European genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2

K0SK0S and K0SK± femtoscopy in pp collisions at √s = 5.02 and 13 TeV

Femtoscopic correlations with the particle pair combinations (KSKS0)-K-0 and (KSK +/-)-K-0 are studied in pp collisions at root s= 5.02 and 13 TeV by the ALICE experiment. At both energies, boson source parameters are extracted for both pair combinations, by fitting models based on Gaussian size distributions of the sources, to the measured two-particle correlation functions. The interaction model used for the (KSKS0)-K-0 analysis includes quantum statistics and strong final-state interactions through the f(0) (980) and a(0) (980) resonances. The model used for the (KSK +/-)-K-0 analysis includes only the final-state interaction through the a(0) resonance. Source parameters extracted in the present work are compared with published values from pp collisions at root s = 7 TeV and the different pair combinations are found to be consistent. From the observation that the strength of the (KSKS0)-K-0 correlations is significantly greater than the strength of the (KSK +/-)-K-0 correlations, the new results are compatible with the a(0) resonance being a tetraquark state of the form (q(1), (q(2)) over bar, s, (s) over bar), where q(1) and q(2) are uor d quarks. (C) 2022 European Organization for Nuclear Research, ALICE. Published by Elsevier B.V

Hypertriton Production in p-Pb Collisions at √sNN = 5.02 TeV

The study of nuclei and antinuclei production has proven to be a powerful tool to investigate the formation mechanism of loosely bound states in high-energy hadronic collisions. The first measurement of the production of ${\rm ^{3}_{\Lambda}\rm H}$ in p-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm{NN}}}$ = 5.02 TeV is presented in this Letter. Its production yield measured in the rapidity interval -1 < y < 0 for the 40% highest multiplicity p-Pb collisions is ${\rm d} N /{\rm d} y =[\mathrm{6.3 \pm 1.8 (stat.) \pm 1.2 (syst.) ] \times 10^{-7}}$. The measurement is compared with the expectations of statistical hadronisation and coalescence models, which describe the nucleosynthesis in hadronic collisions. These two models predict very different yields of the hypertriton in small collision systems such as p-Pb and therefore the measurement of ${\rm d} N /{\rm d} y$ is crucial to distinguish between them. The precision of this measurement leads to the exclusion with a significance larger than 6$\sigma$ of some configurations of the statistical hadronisation, thus constraining the production mechanism of loosely bound states

Measurement of the non-prompt D-meson fraction as a function of multiplicity in proton-proton collisions at s \sqrt{s} = 13 TeV

The fractions of non-prompt (i.e. originating from beauty-hadron decays) D0 and D+ mesons with respect to the inclusive yield are measured as a function of the charged-particle multiplicity in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of √s = 13 TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The results are reported in intervals of transverse momentum (pT) and integrated in the range 1 < pT < 24 GeV/c. The fraction of non-prompt D0 and D+ mesons is found to increase slightly as a function of pT in all the measured multiplicity intervals, while no significant dependence on the charged- particle multiplicity is observed. In order to investigate the production and hadronisation mechanisms of charm and beauty quarks, the results are compared to PYTHIA 8 as well as EPOS 3 and EPOS 4 Monte Carlo simulations, and to calculations based on the colour glass condensate including three-pomeron fusion

General balance functions of identified charged hadron pairs of (pi,K,p) in Pb-Pb collisions at 2.76 TeV

First measurements of balance functions (BFs) of all combinations of identified charged hadron ( π , K, p) pairs in Pb–Pb collisions at √sNN = 2.76 TeV recorded by the ALICE detector are presented. The BF measurements are carried out as two-dimensional differential correlators versus the relative rapidity (delta-y) and azimuthal angle (delta-φ) of hadron pairs, and studied as a function of collision centrality. The delta-φ dependence of BFs is expected to be sensitive to the light quark diffusivity in the quark–gluon plasma. While the BF azimuthal widths of all pairs substantially decrease from peripheral to central collisions, the longitudinal widths exhibit mixed behaviors: BFs of π π and cross-species pairs narrow significantly in more central collisions, whereas those of KK and pp are found to be independent of collision centrality. This dichotomy is qualitatively consistent with the presence of strong radial flow effects and the existence of two stages of quark production in relativistic heavy-ion collisions. Finally, the first measurements of the collision centrality evolution of BF integrals are presented, with the observation that charge balancing fractions are nearly independent of collision centrality in Pb–Pb collisions. Overall, the results presented provide new and challenging constraints for theoretical models of hadron production and transport in relativistic heavy-ion collisions