Strong diamagnetic response and specific heat anomaly above T_c in underdoped La_(2-x)Sr_xCuO_4

By measuring AC susceptibility using a very low amplitude of the AC field (<1 mG) it is shown that underdoped samples of La_(2-x)Sr_xCuO_4 (LASCO), are diamagnetic in a temperature region above T_c up to a temperature T^*. This behavior is only observed with AC fields along the c-axis whereas for fields in the ab-plane no diamagnetism above Tc was detected. The diamagnetism is almost frequency independent in the frequency range 0.1-10 kHz. At T* a broad step anomaly in the specific heat is inferred through measurements of the elastic constant c33. We suggest that the observed diamagnetism and the anomaly in the elastic constant are associated with the existence of phase incoherent Cooper pairs between Tc and T*.Comment: 5 pages 7 figures, to appear in Phys. rev

Simvastatin is associated with reduced risk of acute pancreatitis: findings from a regional integrated healthcare system

OBJECTIVE: To characterise the relationship between simvastatin and risk of acute pancreatitis (AP). DESIGN: We conducted a retrospective cohort study (2006–2012) on data from an integrated healthcare system in southern California. Exposure to simvastatin was calculated from time of initial dispensation until 60 days following prescription termination. AP cases were defined by ICD-9 CM 577.0 and serum lipase≥3 times normal. Patients were censored at death, last follow-up, and onset of AP or end-of-study. Incidence rate of pancreatitis among simvastatin users was compared with the adult reference population. Robust Poisson regression was used to generate risk ratio (RR) estimates for simvastatin use adjusted for age, gender, race/ethnicity, gallstone-related disorders, hypertriglyceridaemia, smoking and alcohol dependence. Analysis was repeated for atorvastatin. RESULTS: Among 3 967 859 adult patients (median duration of follow-up of 3.4 years), 6399 developed an initial episode of AP. A total of 707 236 patients received simvastatin during the study period. Patients that received simvastatin were more likely to have gallstone-related disorders, alcohol dependence or hypertriglyceridaemia compared with the reference population. Nevertheless, risk of AP was significantly reduced with simvastatin use, crude incidence rate ratio 0.626 (95% CL 0.588, 0.668), p<0.0001. In multivariate analysis, simvastatin was independently associated with reduced risk of pancreatitis, adjusted RR 0.29 (95% CL 0.27, 0.31) after adjusting for age, gender, race/ethnicity, gallstone disorders, alcohol dependence, smoking and hypertriglyceridaemia. Similar results were noted with atorvastatin, adjusted RR 0.33 (0.29, 0.38). CONCLUSIONS: Use of simvastatin was independently associated with reduced risk of AP in this integrated healthcare setting. Similar findings for atorvastatin suggest a possible class effect

Validation of EN ISO method 10273 : Detection of pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica in foods

EN ISO 10273 method for the detection of pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica in foods was validated in the project Mandate M/381 funded by European Commission. A total of 14 laboratories from five European countries participated in the interlaboratory study (ILS) organized during 2013 and 2014. Before the ILS, the method was revised by an international group of experts and the performance of the revised method was assessed in an ILS study. The results are published as a part of the standard EN ISO 10273 revision. The study included three rounds with different sample types; raw milk, iceberg lettuce and minced meat, inoculated with a low and high level of pathogenic Y. enterocolitica strains representing major pathogenic bioserotypes 4/O:3 and 2/O:9. The homogeneity and stability of the samples were verified before dispatching them to the laboratories. The results demonstrated the method sensitivity of 96% in raw milk, 97% in minced meat, and 98% in lettuce at high inoculation level of pathogenic Y. enterocolitica. The specificity was 100% in raw milk, 96% in minced meat, and 98% in lettuce. The level of detection, LOD50, varied between study rounds, being 9.4 CFU/25 ml in raw milk, 9.9 CFU/25 g in minced meat and 63 CFU/25 g in lettuce samples. During the study, confirmation by using real-time PCR method ISO/TS 18867 together with pyrazinamidase testing was also validated, as alternative to conventional biochemical confirmation. When comparing different isolation steps used in the revised method during the study rounds, PSB enrichment and plating on CIN after alkaline (KOH) treatment showed the highest sensitivity (52–92%) in raw milk and minced meat samples. In lettuce samples, however, ITC with KOH treatment before plating on CIN showed higher sensitivity (64% at low level; 82% at high level) than plating on CIN from PSB with KOH treatment (44% at low level; 74% at high level). Statistical analysis of different isolation steps supported the use of two enrichment media, PSB and ITC, in the revised method. Recovery of pathogenic Y. enterocolitica on CIN was most efficient after KOH treatment and, based on the analysis, plating on CIN agar without KOH treatment could be left as optional procedure in the method