Shell potentials for microgravity Bose-Einstein condensates

Extending the understanding of Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) physics to new geometries and topologies has a long and varied history in ultracold atomic physics. One such new geometry is that of a bubble, where a condensate would be confined to the surface of an ellipsoidal shell. Study of this geometry would give insight into new collective modes, self-interference effects, topology-dependent vortex behavior, dimensionality crossovers from thick to thin shells, and the properties of condensates pushed into the ultradilute limit. Here we discuss a proposal to implement a realistic experimental framework for generating shell-geometry BEC using radiofrequency dressing of magnetically-trapped samples. Such a tantalizing state of matter is inaccessible terrestrially due to the distorting effect of gravity on experimentally-feasible shell potentials. The debut of an orbital BEC machine (NASA Cold Atom Laboratory, aboard the International Space Station) has enabled the operation of quantum-gas experiments in a regime of perpetual freefall, and thus has permitted the planning of microgravity shell-geometry BEC experiments. We discuss specific experimental configurations, applicable inhomogeneities and other experimental challenges, and outline potential experiments.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure

Randomized controlled trial of cyclic and continuous therapy with trospium and solifenacin combination for severe overactive bladder in elderly patients with regard to patient compliance

Objectives: The aim of the study was to increase the efficiency of treatment for severe symptoms of overactive bladder (OAB) with antimuscarinic drugs in elderly men and women. Methods: A total of 341 patients over 65 years of age (average age 69.9; 186 women and 155 men) with severe symptoms of OAB (frequency of incontinence episodes [IEs] ≥ 3/day) underwent examination. Patients were distributed into three main groups: A ( n = 58; trospium 60 mg/day + solifenacin 20): three cycles, each cycle 8 weeks, with an 8-week interval; B ( n = 55; trospium 30 mg/day + solifenacin 10), regimen was the same as in group A; C ( n = 62; trospium 30 mg/day + solifenacin 10) daily during 1 year. Results: The most successful treatment for the clinical and urodynamic symptoms of OAB was observed in group A, without an increase in the quantity or intensity of side effects (IEs = 4.8 (0.9) → 1.4 (0.8); p ≤ 0.01). Groups B and C also demonstrated positive effects for most of the markers for lower urinary tract state with statistical significance p ≤ 0.01. Nonparametric correlation between decrease in IEs and relative number of patients who accurately fulfilled prescriptions was in group A, r = 0.53, p ≤ 0.05; in group B, r = 0.61; p ≤ 0.05; in group C, r = 0.55, p ≤ 0.05. Conclusions: Cyclic therapy with two different spectrum antimuscarinics appears to be effective for controlling severe OAB in elderly patients. One-year cyclic therapy with a trospium and solifenacin combination provides a high compliance level (76–84%). However, continuous therapy with standard doses of trospium and solifenacin results in low adherence and high rates of treatment withdrawals (≥ 66%) despite satisfactory clinical and urodynamic results

A new tool for self-evaluation of adherence to antimuscarinic drugs treatment in patients with urinary incontinence

Abstract objective: To evaluate the validity of the Medication Adherence Self-Report Inventory (MASRI) questionnaire in determining antimuscarinic drugs adherence in patients with urinary incontinence (UI). Patients and methods: In all, 629 patients [355 (56.4%) women and 274 (43.6%) men], aged 18â65â¯years, were included. All patients were prescribed antimuscarinic drugs and treatment adherence was tested at the start, and after 4, 8 and 12â¯weeks using the MASRI. The standard of external monitoring was the Brief Medication Questionnaire (BMQ) and visual count of the remaining pills. The functional status of the lower urinary tract was tested using voiding diaries and uroflowmetry. Results: The correlation between indicators of adherence according to the MASRI and screen mode of the BMQ was râ¯=â¯0.84 (Pâ¯â¤â¯0.01), râ¯=â¯0.72 (Pâ¯â¤â¯0.01), râ¯=â¯0.7 (Pâ¯â¤â¯0.05) at 4, 8 and 12â¯weeks of follow-up, respectively, which indicated a satisfactory competitive validity. In the study of the discriminant validity, we found that non-adherent patients were correctly identified according to the MASRI in 96.2%, 96.9% and 96.2% of cases at 4, 8 and 12â¯weeks of follow-up, respectively. The values of the positive likelihood ratio (7.92, 10.81, and 12.8 at 4, 8 and 12â¯weeks of follow-up, respectively) were quite acceptable for the adherence forecast. The receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed a failure of the null hypothesis of the excess/insufficient discrimination power of the MASRI. The correlation between the percentage of non-adherent patients and the percentage of patients with impaired lower urinary tract function according to uroflowmetry data was râ¯=â¯0.55 (Pâ¯â¤â¯0.05) at 4â¯weeks; râ¯=â¯0.59 (Pâ¯â¤â¯0.05) at 8â¯weeks; and râ¯=â¯0.62 (Pâ¯â¤â¯0.01) at 12â¯weeks. Conclusion: The MASRI questionnaire is highly constructive, competitive, has discriminant validity, and is suitable for self-assessment of treatment adherence in patients with UI taking antimuscarinics. Using the MASRI is less costly and faster compared with other assessment tools. Keywords: Self-evaluation, Questionnaire, Antimuscarinic, Adherence, Urinary incontinenc