Omecamtiv mecarbil in chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, GALACTIC‐HF: baseline characteristics and comparison with contemporary clinical trials

Aims: The safety and efficacy of the novel selective cardiac myosin activator, omecamtiv mecarbil, in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is tested in the Global Approach to Lowering Adverse Cardiac outcomes Through Improving Contractility in Heart Failure (GALACTIC‐HF) trial. Here we describe the baseline characteristics of participants in GALACTIC‐HF and how these compare with other contemporary trials. Methods and Results: Adults with established HFrEF, New York Heart Association functional class (NYHA) ≥ II, EF ≤35%, elevated natriuretic peptides and either current hospitalization for HF or history of hospitalization/ emergency department visit for HF within a year were randomized to either placebo or omecamtiv mecarbil (pharmacokinetic‐guided dosing: 25, 37.5 or 50 mg bid). 8256 patients [male (79%), non‐white (22%), mean age 65 years] were enrolled with a mean EF 27%, ischemic etiology in 54%, NYHA II 53% and III/IV 47%, and median NT‐proBNP 1971 pg/mL. HF therapies at baseline were among the most effectively employed in contemporary HF trials. GALACTIC‐HF randomized patients representative of recent HF registries and trials with substantial numbers of patients also having characteristics understudied in previous trials including more from North America (n = 1386), enrolled as inpatients (n = 2084), systolic blood pressure < 100 mmHg (n = 1127), estimated glomerular filtration rate < 30 mL/min/1.73 m2 (n = 528), and treated with sacubitril‐valsartan at baseline (n = 1594). Conclusions: GALACTIC‐HF enrolled a well‐treated, high‐risk population from both inpatient and outpatient settings, which will provide a definitive evaluation of the efficacy and safety of this novel therapy, as well as informing its potential future implementation

Highly Stable, Flexible Isfet pH Sensor Using Sorted Semiconducting SWNTs in Aqueous Solution

Flexible sensors enable gathering of information from nonplanar surfaces, which facilitates huge data collection tasks. Monitoring of pH levels in industrial wastewater is one example. For this purpose, stable, reliable flexible pH sensors are required to monitor pH in pipes or containers. Carbon nanotube field-effect transistors (CNT-FETs) are attractive transducers for flexible sensors because of their multiple functionalities, such as good electrical properties and mechanical flexibility. However, semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (s-SWNTs) must be separated from metallic SWNTs of high purity for channel materials to be used in CNT-FETs. Here, we developed a simple method to sort s-SWNTs in an aqueous system using only dispersion and centrifugation. This sorting method is much less expensive than other techniques, such as density gradient ultracentrifugation, agarose-gel chromatography, or selective sorting by conjugated polymers. These sorted s-SWNTs result in high-performance CNT-FETs with electrical hysteresis reduced to almost zero and improved bias stability. Importantly, this method demonstrates the importance of the solubility parameter between polymers and water for CNT-FET hysteresis. The resulting carbon nanotubes also have high uniformity of characteristics, making them valuable as transducers for flexible sensors. Furthermore, real-time pH monitoring using ion-sensitive, field-effect transistors (ISFETs) based on CNT-FET is demonstrated in a drainage pipe