Contrast-induced acute kidney injury following coronary angiography in patients with end-stage liver disease

Background: Contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CIAKI) following coronary angiography is frequently observed in the general population. End-stage liver disease (ESLD) patients are at a particularly increased risk for development of CIAKI following coronary angiography due to preexisting renal hypoperfusion. Methods: We performed a retrospective study of 544 consecutive cardiac catheterizations in ESLD patients from December 2003 to May 2013 to calculate the incidence of CIAKI post-coronary angiography and to identify risk factors for CIAKI. CIAKI was defined as a serum creatinine increase of either \u3e/= 25% or \u3e/= 0.5 mg/dL from baseline within 72 hours. Multivariable and Cox regression analysis was performed for development of CIAKI and all-cause mortality, respectively. Results: Overall, 179 cases of coronary angiography were included in the final analysis. CIAKI occurred in 23% of patients. All-cause mortality was 52% in the CIAKI group and 37% in the non-CIAKI group, with a mean follow-up of 2.2 +/- 3.8 years. Multivariable analysis identified intensive care unit admission (OR 2.72, CI 1.05-7.01, p \u3c 0.05) and baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (OR 1.02, CI 1.002-1.035, p \u3c 0.05) as independent predictors of CIAKI. Cox regression analysis identified pre-angiography beta-blocker use (HR 2.13, CI 1.04-4.38, p \u3c 0.05), international normalized ratio (HR 1.37, CI 1.05-1.78, p \u3c 0.05) and Mehran risk score (HR 1.13, CI 1.02-1.25, p \u3c 0.05) as independent predictors of all-cause mortality. Conclusions: CIAKI in ESLD patients undergoing coronary angiography occurs at a moderately elevated rate when compared to the general population

Understanding Health-Seeking Behavior of People with Diabetes during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Facility Based Cross-Sectional Study Conducted in Ahmedabad, India

Objective: The study was conducted to understand health-seeking behavior (HSB) of people with diabetes during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Materials and methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted at All India Institute of Diabetes and Research (AIIDR), Swasthya Diabetes Care in Ahmedabad, India. Data were collected with the help of a structured questionnaire. Response rate was 97%. One hundred thirty-eight participants who visited the hospital during the month of May 2022 were included and interviewed after obtaining informed consent.Results: Of the study participants (n = 138), 43.5% were female, while 56.5% were male. The mean age of study participants was 51.22. Out of 138 participants, 18.1% (n = 25) had type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) and 81.9% (n = 113) had type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D). It was found that 55.7% faced delay in regular checkups, 39.8% used telemedicine to avoid travelling to hospital in fear of getting COVID infection, 7.8% faced delay in consuming medicines due to unavailability of medicines. Regular intake of medicines/insulin altered for 40.5% of study participants. 54.3% of our study participants felt fear while visiting the laboratory to measure their blood glucose level. Conclusions: Uncertainties created by COVID-19 pandemic have affected HSB of people with diabetes in terms of access to healthcare facilities, medicine adherence, laboratory testing, self-management habits. Knowledge shared here can help program planners to identify influencing factors and implement appropriate interventions. This understanding also helps in setting the stage for the formulation of effective diabetesrelated educational programs which might help for future pandemic

An exploratory mixed methods study of the acceptability and effectiveness of mindfulness -based cognitive therapy for patients with active depression and anxiety in primary care

BACKGROUND: Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is an 8-week course developed for patients with relapsing depression that integrates mindfulness meditation practices and cognitive theory. Previous studies have demonstrated that non-depressed participants with a history of relapsing depression are protected from relapse by participating in the course. This exploratory study examined the acceptability and effectiveness of MBCT for patients in primary care with active symptoms of depression and anxiety METHODS: 13 patients with recurrent depression or recurrent depression and anxiety were recruited to take part in the study. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted three months after completing the MBCT programme. A framework approach was used to analyse the data. Beck depression inventories (BDI-II) and Beck anxiety inventories (BAI) provided quantitative data and were administered before and three months after the intervention. RESULTS: The qualitative data indicated that mindfulness training was both acceptable and beneficial to the majority of patients. For many of the participants, being in a group was an important normalising and validating experience. However most of the group believed the course was too short and thought that some form of follow up was essential. More than half the patients continued to apply mindfulness techniques three months after the course had ended. A minority of patients continued to experience significant levels of psychological distress, particularly anxiety. Statistically significant reductions in mean depression and anxiety scores were observed; the mean pre-course depression score was 35.7 and post-course score was 17.8 (p = 0.001). A similar reduction was noted for anxiety with a mean pre-course anxiety score of 32.0 and mean post course score of 20.5 (p = 0.039). Overall 8/11 (72%) patients showed improvements in BDI and 7/11 (63%) patients showed improvements in BAI. In general the results of the qualitative analysis agreed well with the quantitative changes in depression and anxiety reported. CONCLUSION: The results of this exploratory mixed methods study suggest that mindfulness based cognitive therapy may have a role to play in treating active depression and anxiety in primary care

Safety and efficacy of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine (AZD1222) against SARS-CoV-2: an interim analysis of four randomised controlled trials in Brazil, South Africa, and the UK.

BACKGROUND: A safe and efficacious vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), if deployed with high coverage, could contribute to the control of the COVID-19 pandemic. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine in a pooled interim analysis of four trials. METHODS: This analysis includes data from four ongoing blinded, randomised, controlled trials done across the UK, Brazil, and South Africa. Participants aged 18 years and older were randomly assigned (1:1) to ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine or control (meningococcal group A, C, W, and Y conjugate vaccine or saline). Participants in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group received two doses containing 5 × 1010 viral particles (standard dose; SD/SD cohort); a subset in the UK trial received a half dose as their first dose (low dose) and a standard dose as their second dose (LD/SD cohort). The primary efficacy analysis included symptomatic COVID-19 in seronegative participants with a nucleic acid amplification test-positive swab more than 14 days after a second dose of vaccine. Participants were analysed according to treatment received, with data cutoff on Nov 4, 2020. Vaccine efficacy was calculated as 1 - relative risk derived from a robust Poisson regression model adjusted for age. Studies are registered at ISRCTN89951424 and ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04324606, NCT04400838, and NCT04444674. FINDINGS: Between April 23 and Nov 4, 2020, 23 848 participants were enrolled and 11 636 participants (7548 in the UK, 4088 in Brazil) were included in the interim primary efficacy analysis. In participants who received two standard doses, vaccine efficacy was 62·1% (95% CI 41·0-75·7; 27 [0·6%] of 4440 in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group vs71 [1·6%] of 4455 in the control group) and in participants who received a low dose followed by a standard dose, efficacy was 90·0% (67·4-97·0; three [0·2%] of 1367 vs 30 [2·2%] of 1374; pinteraction=0·010). Overall vaccine efficacy across both groups was 70·4% (95·8% CI 54·8-80·6; 30 [0·5%] of 5807 vs 101 [1·7%] of 5829). From 21 days after the first dose, there were ten cases hospitalised for COVID-19, all in the control arm; two were classified as severe COVID-19, including one death. There were 74 341 person-months of safety follow-up (median 3·4 months, IQR 1·3-4·8): 175 severe adverse events occurred in 168 participants, 84 events in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group and 91 in the control group. Three events were classified as possibly related to a vaccine: one in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group, one in the control group, and one in a participant who remains masked to group allocation. INTERPRETATION: ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 has an acceptable safety profile and has been found to be efficacious against symptomatic COVID-19 in this interim analysis of ongoing clinical trials. FUNDING: UK Research and Innovation, National Institutes for Health Research (NIHR), Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Lemann Foundation, Rede D'Or, Brava and Telles Foundation, NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Thames Valley and South Midland's NIHR Clinical Research Network, and AstraZeneca

Safety and efficacy of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine (AZD1222) against SARS-CoV-2: an interim analysis of four randomised controlled trials in Brazil, South Africa, and the UK

Background A safe and efficacious vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), if deployed with high coverage, could contribute to the control of the COVID-19 pandemic. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine in a pooled interim analysis of four trials. Methods This analysis includes data from four ongoing blinded, randomised, controlled trials done across the UK, Brazil, and South Africa. Participants aged 18 years and older were randomly assigned (1:1) to ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine or control (meningococcal group A, C, W, and Y conjugate vaccine or saline). Participants in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group received two doses containing 5 × 1010 viral particles (standard dose; SD/SD cohort); a subset in the UK trial received a half dose as their first dose (low dose) and a standard dose as their second dose (LD/SD cohort). The primary efficacy analysis included symptomatic COVID-19 in seronegative participants with a nucleic acid amplification test-positive swab more than 14 days after a second dose of vaccine. Participants were analysed according to treatment received, with data cutoff on Nov 4, 2020. Vaccine efficacy was calculated as 1 - relative risk derived from a robust Poisson regression model adjusted for age. Studies are registered at ISRCTN89951424 and ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04324606, NCT04400838, and NCT04444674. Findings Between April 23 and Nov 4, 2020, 23 848 participants were enrolled and 11 636 participants (7548 in the UK, 4088 in Brazil) were included in the interim primary efficacy analysis. In participants who received two standard doses, vaccine efficacy was 62·1% (95% CI 41·0–75·7; 27 [0·6%] of 4440 in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group vs71 [1·6%] of 4455 in the control group) and in participants who received a low dose followed by a standard dose, efficacy was 90·0% (67·4–97·0; three [0·2%] of 1367 vs 30 [2·2%] of 1374; pinteraction=0·010). Overall vaccine efficacy across both groups was 70·4% (95·8% CI 54·8–80·6; 30 [0·5%] of 5807 vs 101 [1·7%] of 5829). From 21 days after the first dose, there were ten cases hospitalised for COVID-19, all in the control arm; two were classified as severe COVID-19, including one death. There were 74 341 person-months of safety follow-up (median 3·4 months, IQR 1·3–4·8): 175 severe adverse events occurred in 168 participants, 84 events in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group and 91 in the control group. Three events were classified as possibly related to a vaccine: one in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group, one in the control group, and one in a participant who remains masked to group allocation. Interpretation ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 has an acceptable safety profile and has been found to be efficacious against symptomatic COVID-19 in this interim analysis of ongoing clinical trials

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570

The use of surfactants to aid and improve the leaching of low grade copper ores

Copper heap leach operations often suffer from reduced efficiency due to long leach times and variable recoveries. Surfactants have been considered as an option in increasing the leachability of ores. Improvements in overall copper extraction have been noted with their use, though testing has only been conducted on a limited scale. The molecular function of surfactants in heap leaching has not been extensively studied and is not well explored. The work in this thesis was aimed at better understanding and characterizing the function of the surfactants. Work was performed with surfactants developed by BASF specifically for heap leaching. Initial experimentation consisted of using flooded vats to compare copper extraction from ores. Leach solution with and without surfactant was fed to the ores. The presence of surfactants was noted to increase the overall copper recovered by approximately 2-3%. Interfacial tension measurements were performed to determine the changes imparted onto the acidic leach solution by the surfactants. Hanging drops were used to determine the activity at the air-liquid boundary. It was found that at the surfactant concentrations used in heap leaching, the interfacial tension of the fluid changed very little, from about 71 mN/m to 69.5 mN/m. The contact angle was determined to better understand the interaction between the acidic media and the ore. This was obtained using capillary wicking and Washburn’s equation. Ore was finely ground and packed into particle beds. Leach liquid with surfactant was introduced to these beds. The rate of permeating fluid flow was monitored against time. The affinity of the liquid for the solid surface dictated the rate of uptake. Washburn’s equation allowed for the contact angle to be calculated from these results. It was found that surfactants lowered the contact angle of liquid on solid by up to 3 degrees. The combination of results indicated that the surfactants increases the affinity between the solid and liquid by reducing the contact angle. In a heap, this allows acid to ingress further into sub-surface regions of ore particles. As a result, leachability of the ore is increased as harder to reach minerals can be accessed.Applied Science, Faculty ofMaterials Engineering, Department ofGraduat

Implications of Government Intervention in Foreign Direct Investment: the E-commerce Sector in India

The last few decades have seen significant changes in the international investment landscape and foreign direct investment (FDI) has remained an integral part of it. Since the turn of the century, with an increase in the importance and usage of internet by businesses, the digital platforms of e-commerce have transformed the way in which firms conduct business across international borders. The laws governing the functioning of this sector play a huge role in its future growth. India has demonstrated massive growth in the last few years and its e-commerce sector, in particular, has grown markedly. Today, the sector has reached a market value of approximately US$20 billion and it is expected to reach US$120 billion by 2020. Since the liberalisation of the Indian economy in 1991, the Indian government has encouraged foreign investment in various sectors of the economy from manufacturing, infrastructure, to IT and business services. India brought further reforms in 2016 when they relaxed screening processes for foreign investors to encourage them to participate in the e-commerce sector. This recent introduction of policy reforms in the e-commerce sector has raised fears among industry experts that the policy has the potential to have negative implications in the Indian market. The aim of this dissertation is to analyse the potential consequences of the recently introduced e-commerce policy on the Indian retail sector. The research question guiding this study is “How is the recent government permission of 100% FDI in the e-commerce sector in India expected to impact the Indian retail sector?”. A qualitative analytical stance with interpretivism as the research paradigm has been adopted for this study. Within that, a thematic analysis of secondary sources of data was conducted to derive key themes and acquire a better understanding of the research topic. The results of this research study suggest that the introduction of the recent e-commerce policy has significantly changed the market conditions in the e-commerce sector in India. The policy has shown signs of reducing predatory pricing, and it has raised hopes of achieving a level playing field in the retail market. However, the policy has also brought on negative implications like the reappearance of fraudulent transactions, negative impact of increased foreign competition on homegrown companies, less e-commerce, and a continuing violation of rules. This has raised fears that the new policy is too restrictive in its effect on controlling the market, and that it will bring negative implications for the retail sector, instead of positive, in the long run. Additionally, there is also evidence of fears that the policy has sparked a speculative bubble in the retail industry, which potentially brings grave consequences for the Indian economy if and when it bursts. Therefore, it is concluded that the government of India needs to play a stronger role in controlling foreign participation in its domestic e-commerce sector and that it needs to come up with a better policy framework to control market conditions and restore equilibrium to ensure sustainable growth of the e-commerce and retail sector in India