Predictors of Treatment with Duloxetine or Venlafaxine XR among Adult Patients Treated for Depression in Primary Care Practices in the United Kingdom

Background. Knowledge about real-world use of duloxetine and venlafaxine XR to treat depression in the UK is limited. Aims. To identify predictors of duloxetine or venlafaxine XR initiation. Method. Adult depressed patients who initiated duloxetine or venlafaxine XR between January 1, 2006 and September 30, 2007 were identified in the UK's General Practice Research Database. Demographic and clinical predictors of treatment initiation with duloxetine and venlafaxine XR were identified using logistic regression. Results. Patients initiating duloxetine (n = 909) were 4 years older than venlafaxine XR recipients (n = 1286). Older age, preexisting unexplained pain, respiratory disease, and pre-period use of anticonvulsants, opioids, and antihyperlipidemics were associated with increased odds of initiating duloxetine compared to venlafaxine XR. Pre-period anxiety disorder was associated with decreased odds of receiving duloxetine. Conclusion. Initial treatment choice with duloxetine versus venlafaxine XR was primarily driven by patient-specific mental and medical health characteristics. General practitioners in the UK favor duloxetine over venlafaxine XR when pain conditions coexist with depression

Sivers function in light-cone quark model and azimuthal spin asymmetries in pion electroproduction

We perform a calculation of Sivers function in a light-cone SU(6) quark-diquark model with both scalar diquark and vector diquark spectators. We derive the transverse momentum dependent light-cone wave function of the proton by taking into account the Melosh-Wigner rotation. By adopting one-gluon exchange, we obtain a non-vanishing Sivers function of $down$ quark from interference of proton spin amplitudes. We analyze the $\frac{|P_{h\perp}|}{M}$ weighted Sivers asymmetries in $\pi^+$, $\pi^-$ and $\pi^0$ electroproduction off transverse polarized proton target, averaged and not averaged by the kinematics of HERMES experiment.Comment: 17 LaTex pages, 2 figures. Final version for journal publicatio

ZYZ-168 alleviates cardiac fibrosis after myocardial infarction through inhibition of ERK1/2-dependent ROCK1 activation

Selective treatments for myocardial infarction (MI) induced cardiac fibrosis are lacking. In this study, we focus on the therapeutic potential of a synthetic cardio-protective agent named ZYZ-168 towards MI-induced cardiac fibrosis and try to reveal the underlying mechanism. ZYZ-168 was administered to rats with coronary artery ligation over a period of six weeks. Ecocardiography and Masson staining showed that ZYZ-168 substantially improved cardiac function and reduced interstitial fibrosis. The expression of α–smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and Collagen I were reduced as was the activity of matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9). These were related with decreased phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and expression of Rho-associated coiled-coil containing protein kinase 1 (ROCK1). In cardiac fibroblasts stimulated with TGF-β1, phenotypic switches of cardiac fibroblasts to myofibroblasts were observed. Inhibition of ERK1/2 phosphorylation or knockdown of ROCK1 expectedly reduced TGF-β1 induced fibrotic responses. ZYZ-168 appeared to inhibit the fibrotic responses in a concentration dependent manner, in part via a decrease in ROCK 1 expression through inhibition of the phosphorylation status of ERK1/2. For inhibition of ERK1/2 phosphorylation with a specific inhibitor reduced the activation of ROCK1. Considering its anti-apoptosis activity in MI, ZYZ-168 may be a potential drug candidate for treatment of MI-induced cardiac fibrosis

Reactive cyclic phosphonamide flame retardant for epoxy resins

To take the advantage of reactivity of five-membered cyclic phosphorus compounds, 1,2,3-tri-phenyl-1,3,2-diazaphospholidine-2-oxide (TPDPO) was explored as a reactive flame retardant for epoxy resins (EPs). Through model compounds, it has been established that TPDPO selectively reacts with the secondary hydroxyl group and is inert toward both aryl amino groups and epoxide groups. The result of Soxhlet extraction supports that TPDPO is permanently bonded to the cured EPs. At a loading of only 8 wt % (0.74 wt % phosphorus), TPDPO enables the cured epoxy to achieve a UL-94 V0 rating. The thermogravimetric analysis-Fourier transform infrared analyses of the gaseous products suggest that the excellent flame retardancy of EP-TPDPO is partly due to the enhanced dehydration process of the epoxy. Also an increased char yield and the formation of a coherent char layer contribute to the good fire performance of EP-TPDPO. (c) 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020, 137, 47411