Comparison of the National Bureau of Standards and the Helsinki Temperature Scales and its Effect on the Heat Capacity of Liquid 3He below 10 mK

The Helsinki temperature scale, used earlier in measurements of the heat capacity of liquid 3He (1-10 mK), is compared with the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) noise and nuclear-orientation temperature scale. The superfluid transition temperature (Tc) of 3He at zero pressure and the superconductive transition temperatures of tungsten and beryllium were used as fixed points. Tc on the NBS scale was found to be 1.025 ± 0.02 mK, in close agreement with the Helsinki value 1.04 mK. The results support the Helsinki data on the heat capacity of 3He.Peer reviewe

Gene expression differences between stroke-associated and asymptomatic carotid plaques

Atherosclerotic carotid stenosis is an important risk factor for stroke. Carotid plaques (CPs) causing stroke may present a distinct type of molecular pathology compared with transient ischemic attack (TIA)-associated or asymptomatic plaques. We compared the gene expression profiles of CPs from stroke patients (n = 12) and asymptomatic patients (n = 9), both with similar risk factors and severity of carotid stenosis (>70%). Sixty probes showed over 1.5-fold expression difference at 5% false discovery rate. Functional clustering showed enrichment of genes in 51 GO categories and seven pathways, the most significant of which relate to extracellular-matrix interaction, PPAR gamma signaling, scavanger receptor activity, and lysosomal activity. Differential expression of ten genes was confirmed in an extended replication group (n = 43), where the most significant expression differences were found in CD36 (2.1-fold change, p = 0.005), CD163 (1.7-fold change, p = 0.007) and FABP4 (2.2-fold change, p = 0.015). These include four genes not previously linked to plaque destabilization: GLUL (2.2-fold change, p = 0.016), FUCA1 (2.2-fold change, p = 0.025), IL1RN (1.6-fold change, p = 0.034), and S100A8 (2.5-fold change, p = 0.047). Strong correlations were found to plaque ulceration, plaque hemorrhage, and markers of apoptosis and proliferation (activated caspase 3, TUNEL, and Ki67). Protein expression of these genes was confirmed by immunohistochemistry and was found in the atheromatous areas of CPs critical for plaque destabilization. This study presents a comprehensive transcriptional analysis of stroke-associated CPs and demonstrates a significant transcriptome difference between stroke-associated and asymptomatic CPs. Follow-up studies on the identified genes are needed to define whether they could be used as biomarkers of symptomatic CPs or have a role in plaque destabilization

The Role of Perfusion Computed Tomography in the Prediction of Cerebral Hyperperfusion Syndrome

Hyperperfusion syndrome (HPS) following carotid angioplasty with stenting (CAS) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. At present, there are no reliable parameters to predict HPS. The aim of this study was to clarify whether perfusion computed tomography (CT) is a feasible and reliable tool in predicting HPS after CAS.We performed a retrospective case-control study of 54 patients (11 HPS patients and 43 non-HPS) with unilateral severe stenosis of the carotid artery who underwent CAS. We compared the prevalence of vascular risk factors and perfusion CT parameters including regional cerebral blood volume (rCBV), regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF), and time to peak (TTP) within seven days prior to CAS. Demographic information, risk factors for atherosclerosis, and perfusion CT parameters were evaluated by multivariable logistic regression analysis. The rCBV index was calculated as [(ipsilateral rCBV - contralateral rCBV)/contralateral rCBV], and indices of rCBF and TTP were similarly calculated. We found that eleven patients had HPS, including five with intracranial hemorrhages (ICHs) of whom three died. After a comparison with non-HPS control subjects, independent predictors of HPS included the severity of ipsilateral carotid artery stenosis, 3-hour mean systolic blood pressure (3 h SBP) after CAS, pre-stenting rCBV index >0.15 and TTP index >0.22.The combination of severe ipsilateral carotid stenosis, 3 h SBP after CAS, rCBV index and TTP index provides a potential screening tool for predicting HPS in patients with unilateral carotid stenosis receiving CAS. In addition, adequate management of post-stenting blood pressure is the most important treatable factor in preventing HPS in these high risk patients

Estimated GFR and the Effect of Intensive Blood Pressure Lowering after Acute Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Background: The kidney-brain interaction has been a topic of growing interest. Past studies of the effect of kidney function on intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) outcomes have yielded inconsistent findings. Although the second, main phase of the Intensive Blood Pressure Reduction in Acute Cerebral Hemorrhage Trial (INTERACT2) suggests the effectiveness of early intensive blood pressure (BP) lowering in improving functional recovery after ICH, the balance of potential benefits and harms of this treatment in those with decreased kidney function remains uncertain. Study Design: Secondary analysis of INTERACT2, which randomly assigned patients with ICH with elevated systolic BP (SBP) to intensive (target SBP 90, 60-90, and <60 mL/min/1.73 m2, respectively). Outcomes: The effect of admission eGFR on the primary outcome of death or major disability at 90 days (defined as modified Rankin Scale scores of 3-6) was analyzed using a multivariable logistic regression model. Potential effect modification of intensive BP lowering treatment by admission eGFR was assessed by interaction terms. Results: Of 2,623 included participants, 912 (35%) and 280 (11%) had mildly and moderately/severely decreased eGFRs, respectively. Patients with moderately/severely decreased eGFRs had the greatest risk for death or major disability at 90 days (adjusted OR, 1.82; 95% CI, 1.28-2.61). Effects of early intensive BP lowering were consistent across different eGFRs (P = 0.5 for homogeneity). Limitations: Generalizability issues arising from a clinical trial population. Conclusions: Decreased eGFR predicts poor outcome in acute ICH. Early intensive BP lowering provides similar treatment effects in patients with ICH with decreased eGFRs

Food webs under changing biodiversity - Top-down control

Report on effects of changing predation pressure on benthic and pelagic specie

Thrombolysis outcomes in acute ischemic stroke patients with prior stroke and diabetes mellitus

&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Background:&lt;/b&gt; Patients with concomitant diabetes mellitus (DM) and prior stroke (PS) were excluded from European approval of alteplase in stroke. We examined the influence of DM and PS on the outcomes of patients who received thrombolytic therapy (T; data from Safe Implementation of Thrombolysis in Stroke–International Stroke Thrombolysis Register) compared to nonthrombolyzed controls (C; data from Virtual International Stroke Trials Archive).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Methods:&lt;/b&gt; We selected ischemic stroke patients on whom we held data on age, baseline NIH Stroke Scale score (NIHSS), and 90-day modified Rankin Scale score (mRS). We compared the distribution of mRS between T and C by Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel (CMH) test and proportional odds logistic regression, after adjustment for age and baseline NIHSS, in patients with and without DM, PS, or the combination. We report odds ratios (OR) for improved distribution of mRS with 95% confidence interval (CI) and CMH p value.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Results:&lt;/b&gt; Data were available for 29,500 patients: 5,411 (18.5%) had DM, 5,019 had PS (17.1%), and 1,141 (5.5%) had both. Adjusted mRS outcomes were better for T vs C among patients with DM (OR 1.45 [1.30–1.62], n = 5,354), PS (OR 1.55 [1.40–1.72], n = 4,986), or concomitant DM and PS (OR 1.23 [0.996–1.52], p = 0.05, n = 1,136), all CMH p &#60; 0.0001. These are comparable to outcomes between T and C among patients with neither DM nor PS: OR = 1.53 (1.42–1.63), p &#60; 0.0001, n = 19,339. There was no interaction on outcome between DM and PS with alteplase treatment (tissue plasminogen activator × DM × PS, p = 0.5). Age &#8804;80 years or &#62;80 years did not influence our findings.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Conclusions:&lt;/b&gt; Outcomes from thrombolysis are better than the controls among patients with DM, PS, or both. We find no statistical justification for the exclusion of these patients from receiving thrombolytic therapy.&lt;/p&gt

IV thrombolysis and statins

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether prior statin use affects outcome and intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) rates in stroke patients receiving IV thrombolysis (IVT). METHODS: In a pooled observational study of 11 IVT databases, we compared outcomes between statin users and nonusers. Outcome measures were excellent 3-month outcome (modified Rankin scale 0-1) and ICH in 3 categories. We distinguished all ICHs (ICH(all)), symptomatic ICH based on the criteria of the ECASS-II trial (SICH(ECASS-II)), and symptomatic ICH based on the criteria of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) trial (SICH(NINDS)). Unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals were calculated. RESULTS: Among 4,012 IVT-treated patients, 918 (22.9%) were statin users. They were older, more often male, and more frequently had hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, coronary heart disease, and concomitant antithrombotic use compared with nonusers. Fewer statin users (35.5%) than nonusers (39.7%) reached an excellent 3-month outcome (OR(unadjusted) 0.84 [0.72-0.98], p = 0.02). After adjustment for age, gender, blood pressure, time to thrombolysis, and stroke severity, the association was no longer significant (0.89 [0.74-1.06], p = 0.20). ICH occurred by trend more often in statin users (ICH(all) 20.1% vs 17.4%; SICH(NINDS) 9.2% vs 7.5%; SICH(ECASS-II) 6.9% vs 5.1%). This difference was statistically significant only for SICH(ECASS-II) (OR = 1.38 [1.02-1.87]). After adjustment for age, gender, blood pressure, use of antithrombotics, and stroke severity, the OR(adjusted) for each category of ICH (ICH(all) 1.15 [0.93-1.41]; SICH(ECASS-II) 1.32 [0.94-1.85]; SICH(NINDS) 1.16 [0.87-1.56]) showed no difference between statin users and nonusers. CONCLUSION: In stroke patients receiving IVT, prior statin use was neither an independent predictor of functional outcome nor ICH. It may be considered as an indicator of baseline characteristics that are associated with a less favorable course

Pulse pressure variability is associated with unfavorable outcomes in acute ischaemic stroke patients treated with intravenous thrombolysis

10.1111/ene.14447EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY27122453-246