Corneal deformation dynamics are associated with the retinal nerve fiber layer progression rate in glaucoma suspects and early manifest glaucoma patients

Farshad Abedi, Antonia Kolovos, Anna Waldie, Jude Fitzgerald, Mona Awadalla, Robert Casson, Stuart L Graham, Paul R Healey, Amirul Islam, Miriam Keane, John Landers, Jamie E Crai

Effects of Anacetrapib in Patients with Atherosclerotic Vascular Disease

BACKGROUND: Patients with atherosclerotic vascular disease remain at high risk for cardiovascular events despite effective statin-based treatment of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels. The inhibition of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) by anacetrapib reduces LDL cholesterol levels and increases high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels. However, trials of other CETP inhibitors have shown neutral or adverse effects on cardiovascular outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 30,449 adults with atherosclerotic vascular disease who were receiving intensive atorvastatin therapy and who had a mean LDL cholesterol level of 61 mg per deciliter (1.58 mmol per liter), a mean non-HDL cholesterol level of 92 mg per deciliter (2.38 mmol per liter), and a mean HDL cholesterol level of 40 mg per deciliter (1.03 mmol per liter). The patients were assigned to receive either 100 mg of anacetrapib once daily (15,225 patients) or matching placebo (15,224 patients). The primary outcome was the first major coronary event, a composite of coronary death, myocardial infarction, or coronary revascularization. RESULTS: During the median follow-up period of 4.1 years, the primary outcome occurred in significantly fewer patients in the anacetrapib group than in the placebo group (1640 of 15,225 patients [10.8%] vs. 1803 of 15,224 patients [11.8%]; rate ratio, 0.91; 95% confidence interval, 0.85 to 0.97; P=0.004). The relative difference in risk was similar across multiple prespecified subgroups. At the trial midpoint, the mean level of HDL cholesterol was higher by 43 mg per deciliter (1.12 mmol per liter) in the anacetrapib group than in the placebo group (a relative difference of 104%), and the mean level of non-HDL cholesterol was lower by 17 mg per deciliter (0.44 mmol per liter), a relative difference of -18%. There were no significant between-group differences in the risk of death, cancer, or other serious adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with atherosclerotic vascular disease who were receiving intensive statin therapy, the use of anacetrapib resulted in a lower incidence of major coronary events than the use of placebo. (Funded by Merck and others; Current Controlled Trials number, ISRCTN48678192 ; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01252953 ; and EudraCT number, 2010-023467-18 .)

The Crescent Lake copper deposit, central Newfoundland: deep levels of a volcanogenic hydrothermal system?

The Crescent Lake Mine, near the village of Robert's Arm in central Newfoundland, produced small tonnages of high-grade copper ore from quartz veins in the late 1800's and the 1920's. Although a Crescent Lake-type deposit is not a viable exploration target in itself, its presence has been used to suggest a potential for either volcanogenic massive sulphides (VMS) such as the nearby Pilley's Island deposit, or for mesothermal or epithermal gold. Field relationships, petrography, geochemistry, mineral chemistry, and fluid inclusion and stable isotopic studies are used to constrain the genesis of the deposit Mineralization occurs in four sulphide stages and a late oxide stage, distinguished by ore microscopy. Sphalerite, galena, chalcopyrite, and newly recognized carrollite were deposited with quartz between two pyrite stages. Covellite and iron oxides indicate later oxidation. Fluid inclusions in vein quartz are aqueous fluid-vapour type with no daughter crystals, no CO2 or CH4, no boiling, and a narrow range of salinities (~ 3-7% NaCl equiv). The sulphides were likely deposited from homogeneous fluids at ?430 m depth. The wide range of homogenization temperatures (~112-250°C) can be interpreted as the result of either changing temperature or fluctuating fluid pressures during the episodic crack-seal vein formation. Ore-related chlorite has a distinctive blue birefringence and higher Fe/Fe+Mg values (- 0.51 vs. 0.42) than chlorite in barren host rock, similar to other VMS deposits. The average calculated crystallization temperature of hydrothermal chlorite (240 ± 2°C) is close to the maximum fluid inclusion homogenization temperatures and likely closer to the true fluid trapping temperature. Sulphur isotope determinations (δ34Spy ≈ 5.4; δ34Scp ≈ 2.8; δ34Scp ≈ 2.2) are similar to the Gull Pond VMS deposit; they indicate isotopic disequilibrium between coeval sulphides but a homogeneous sulphur source during the ore-forming event. This study concludes that the Crescent Lake copper deposit is most likely part of a volcanogenic hydrothermal stockwork, possibly genetically related to the Pilley's Island deposit. RÉSUMÉ La mine de Crescent Lake, située dans la région centrale de Terre-Neuve à proximité du village de Robert's Arm, produisit de faibles tonnages de minerai à forte teneur en cuivre, issu de veines de quartz, vers la fin des années 1800 et dans les années 1920. Bien qu'un gite de type Crescent Lake tout seul ne constitue pas une cible d'exploration viable, sa présence a été utilisée pour suggérer l’éventualité' soit d'amas sulfurés volcanogènes (ASV), tel que le gite avoisinant de Pilley's Island, soit d'or méso-ou épithermal. La confrontation des données concemant les rapports sur le terrain, la pétrographie, la géochimie, la chimie des minéraux, ainsi que l'étude des inclusions fluides et des isotopes stables, est employée pour définir la genèse du gite. La minéralisation se présente sous forme de quatre stades à sulfures et d'un stade tardif à oxydes, que Ton reconnait &#xE-; l'aide de la microscopie métalIographique. La sphalérite, la galène, la chalcopyrite ainsi qu'une carrollite découverte récemment, se sont accumulées avec du quartz entre deux stades à pyrite. De la covellite et des oxydes de fer témoignent d'une oxydation ulterieure. Les inclusions fluides au sein du quartz filonien sont du type à fluide aqueux et vapeur, sans crystaux rejetons, CO2, CH4 ni ébullition, et montrent une garrune peu étendue de salinitis (-3-7% équiv. NaCl). Il semble que les sulfures aient précipité à partir de fluides homogènes à une profondeur dépassant 430 m. Les valeurs Ires dispersées des températures d'homogèneisation (-112-250°C) pourraient resulter soit de changements de température, soit de fluctuations dans la préssion du fluide, durant la formation épisodique de filons par colmatage de fractures en traction. La chlorite alliée au minerai possede une birefringence bleue caractéristique et des valeurs plus élevées du rapport Fe/Fe+Mg (- 0.51 vs. 0.42) que la chlorite présente dans laroche encaissante stérile, ce qui s'apparente aux autres gisements ASV. La moyenne calcuiée des températures de cristallisation de la chlorite hydrothermale (240 ± 2°C) se situe près des températures maximales d'homogèneisation des inclusions fluides et s'approche vraisemblablement plus des températures réelles de capture des fluides. Le dosage des isotopes du soufire (δ34Spy ≈ 5.4; δ34Scp ≈ 2.8; δ34Scp ≈ 2.2) ressemble à celui du gisement ASV de Gull Pond; il ufmoigne d'un déséquilibre isotopique entre des sulfures synchrones mais aussi d'une source homogène du soufire durant l’épisode métallogène. Une conclusion de cette étude est que le gite cuprifère de Crescent Lake fait le plus vraisemblablement partie d 'un stockwerk volcanogène hydrothermal, possiblement relié par sa genèse au gite de Pilley's Island. [Traduit par le journal

Fish mucous cocoons: the ‘mosquito nets’ of the sea

Mucus performs numerous protective functions in vertebrates, and in fishes may defend them against harmful organisms, although often the evidence is contradictory. The function of the mucous cocoons that many parrotfishes and wrasses sleep in, while long used as a classical example of antipredator behaviour, remains unresolved. Ectoparasitic gnathiid isopods (Gnathiidae), which feed on the blood of fish, are removed by cleaner fish during the day; however, it is unclear how parrotfish and wrasse avoid gnathiid attacks at night. To test the novel hypothesis that mucous cocoons protect against gnathiids, we exposed the coral reef parrotfish Chlorurus sordidus (Scaridae) with and without cocoons to gnathiids overnight and measured the energetic content of cocoons. Fish without mucous cocoons were attacked more by gnathiids than fish with cocoons. The energetic content of mucous cocoons was estimated as 2.5 per cent of the fish's daily energy budget fish. Therefore, mucous cocoons protected against attacks by gnathiids, acting like mosquito nets in humans, a function of cocoons and an efficient physiological adaptation for preventing parasite infestation that is not used by any other animal