Risk profiles and one-year outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation in India: Insights from the GARFIELD-AF Registry.

BACKGROUND: The Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF) is an ongoing prospective noninterventional registry, which is providing important information on the baseline characteristics, treatment patterns, and 1-year outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). This report describes data from Indian patients recruited in this registry. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 52,014 patients with newly diagnosed AF were enrolled globally; of these, 1388 patients were recruited from 26 sites within India (2012-2016). In India, the mean age was 65.8 years at diagnosis of NVAF. Hypertension was the most prevalent risk factor for AF, present in 68.5% of patients from India and in 76.3% of patients globally (P < 0.001). Diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD) were prevalent in 36.2% and 28.1% of patients as compared with global prevalence of 22.2% and 21.6%, respectively (P < 0.001 for both). Antiplatelet therapy was the most common antithrombotic treatment in India. With increasing stroke risk, however, patients were more likely to receive oral anticoagulant therapy [mainly vitamin K antagonist (VKA)], but average international normalized ratio (INR) was lower among Indian patients [median INR value 1.6 (interquartile range {IQR}: 1.3-2.3) versus 2.3 (IQR 1.8-2.8) (P < 0.001)]. Compared with other countries, patients from India had markedly higher rates of all-cause mortality [7.68 per 100 person-years (95% confidence interval 6.32-9.35) vs 4.34 (4.16-4.53), P < 0.0001], while rates of stroke/systemic embolism and major bleeding were lower after 1 year of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Compared to previously published registries from India, the GARFIELD-AF registry describes clinical profiles and outcomes in Indian patients with AF of a different etiology. The registry data show that compared to the rest of the world, Indian AF patients are younger in age and have more diabetes and CAD. Patients with a higher stroke risk are more likely to receive anticoagulation therapy with VKA but are underdosed compared with the global average in the GARFIELD-AF. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION-URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01090362

The turbulence structure of the flow in a 90#deg C# pipe junction A comparison of numerical predictions to experimental laser doppler and particle image velocimetry results

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:DX204331 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Fabrication of PVDF/PMMA Polymer for Sustainable Energy Harvesting

Abstract: The synthesis of blends that combine properties of two or more polymeric materials is increasingly investigated due to the versatility of the synthesis and its growing potential for many applications, including sustainability. Their characteristics are defined mainly by the synthesis conditions. Therefore, this paper details the synthesis process of easy-to-handle films using mixing method. The procedures and drawbacks found during the preparation of composite films are described. Polymeric compounds formed by the mixture of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) are addressed, varying the concentration, and evaluating their impact on the piezoelectric capacity. Films were formed through the spin-coating technique and characterized by optical and holographic microscopes. The results showed that composites with a concentration of 50 wt.% or larger of PVDF in the blend acquire a morphology with a granular appearance, however at lower concentrations they present a homogeneous morphology similar to that of PMMA. A homogeneous distribution of PVDF in the PMMA stands out. However, excessive contents of PMMA are associated to peaks and non-uniformities detected like multicolored regions by digital holography. Controlled strength-strain laboratory tests allowed to evaluate the film blends performance. The results indicate noticeable improvements in voltage output for a composition 70wt% PVDF and 30 wt% PMMA