Diagnosis and treatment of acute myocarditis in Portugal. Data from the national multicenter registry on myocarditis

Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author 2017.Introduction: The diagnosis of acute myocarditis (aMyo) needs a high level of suspicion. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) may contribute to the diagnosis; but endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) is considered the gold standard, although used infrequently worldwide. Short-term course, albeit unpredictable is usually benign and treatment is mainly supportive. Objectives: To assess the usual care attitudes regarding hospitalized patients (pts) with a diagnosis of aMyo in Portugal, report patient's clinical profiles and current therapeutic approaches, and assess the relevance of CMR to eventual changes in management and/or therapeutic decisions. Methods: Prospective nationwide survey of admitted aMyo pts during a 2-year period (25.04.13–15). Electronic CRFs were completed with admission/discharge data, diagnostic tests, treatments and open-ended questions to evaluate physician's opinions and conclusions. Results: 248 pts from 18 centers were included, 98% caucasian, 35±14 (18–84) years old, 83% male. A recent infectious disease was detected in 57.5% (upper respiratory tract in 71.2%) and 23% had been previously treated with antibiotics. On admission, presentation included angina-like thoracic pain (96%), non-CV symptoms- 58.4% (fever-71%, respiratory- 52.8%, GI- 28.1%), heart failure (HF)- 5.4% and cardiogenic shock- 0.8%; abnormal ECG - 82% (mostly ST elevation-78.5%); increased troponin levels in 95%; echo (in 94%pts) showed left ventricular dilatation (LVD) - 5.7%, segmental LV wall abnormalities (segmAbn) - 34%, reduced LV ejection fraction (RLVEF) - 21% and pericardial effusion (PE) - 11.7%. CMR (in 57%pts), didn't change the management in 70% of cases. Coronary angiography (in 40%) revealed significant CAD in 7.4%. EMB was diagnostic in the 2 pts in which was performed (due to severe progressive HF). Multiple viral serologies (in 32.4% pts) were conclusive in only 0.5%. Most pts were treated with NSAIDs, 39% received ACEi or ARB, 36% a beta-blocker (BB) and 8.4% diuretics; 3.4% needed inotropes. Only 1 death occurred (shock). At discharge, an abnormal ECG persisted in 64.4% of pts; echo (in 50.4%) showed LVD in 6%, segmAbn in 24.6%, RLVEF in 14.6% and PE in 10.2%. Most pts (88.2%) were discharged on NSAIDs, 37.6% on ACEi or ARB, 30.36% on BB, and 6.47% on diuretics. Final diagnosis was aMyo in 54.4% (probable/possible in 96.9% and definitive in only 3.1%) and myopericarditis in 45.6%. Diagnostic criteria were “clinical” in 96.4%, supported by lab results in 87.7% and ECG in 68.8%. Echo or CMR contribution in supporting “clinical diagnosis”, was 38.3% and 48.6% respectively. Disease course was in most cases “mild” (87%). Conclusions: Echo and CMR were performed in most pts with aMyo but diagnosis remained mostly “clinical” according to treating physicians. EMB was very rarely performed. Treatment was largely empirical but an “overuse” of CV drugs and NSAIDs was observed.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Algas verdes coloniais em riachos de Unidades de Conservação do Sul do Brasil: taxonomia e aspectos ecológicos Colonial green algae from streams of Conservation Units in Southern Brazil: taxonomy and ecological aspects

Espécies de algas verdes coloniais de 10 Unidades de Conservação da região Sul do Brasil foram investigadas. As amostragens foram conduzidas em 105 segmentos de riachos consistindo em transeções de 10 metros de comprimento. Além dos dados biológicos, foram mensuradas algumas variáveis ambientais: profundidade, velocidade da correnteza, temperatura da água, turbidez, condutividade específica, pH, oxigênio dissolvido e nutrientes (nitrogênio total e ortofosfato). Foram registradas três espécies de algas verdes coloniais [Ecballocystis pulvinata Bohlin var. pulvinata, Tetraspora gelatinosa (Vaucher) Desvaux e Tetraspora lubrica (Roth) C. Agardh] as quais foram descritas e ilustradas. Baseando-se nos dados ambientais, foram observados alguns padrões de distribuição ecológica destas espécies, entre os quais a ocorrência de E. pulvinata var. pulvinata em ambientes com temperatura da água e velocidade da correnteza mais elevadas, enquanto as espécies de Tetraspora ocorreram tipicamente em ambientes com valores mais baixos de nitrogênio total, ortofosfato e condutividade específica.AbstractSpecies of colonial green algae from 10 Conservation Units from the Southern Brazil were surveyed. The samplings were carried out in 105 stream reaches, consisting of 10 m length transects. In addition to biological data, some environmental variables were measured: depth, current velocity, water temperature, turbidity, specific conductance, pH, dissolved oxygen and nutrients (total nitrogen and orthophosphate). Three species of colonial green algae [Bohlin Ecballocystis pulvinata var. pulvinata, Tetraspora gelatinosa (Vaucher) Desvaux and T. lubrica (Roth) C Agard] were recorded and these species were described and illustrated. Based on the environmental data, it was observed some patterns of ecological distribution, including the occurrence of E. pulvinata var. pulvinata in environments with higher water temperature and current velocity values, while Tetraspora species typically occurred in environments with lower total nitrogen, orthophosphate and specific conductance values

Searching for Heavy Dark Matter near the Planck Mass with XENON1T

Multiple viable theoretical models predict heavy dark matter particles with a mass close to the Planck mass, a range relatively unexplored by current experimental measurements. We use 219.4 days of data collected with the XENON1T experiment to conduct a blind search for signals from Multiply-Interacting Massive Particles (MIMPs). Their unique track signature allows a targeted analysis with only 0.05 expected background events from muons. Following unblinding, we observe no signal candidate events. This work places strong constraints on spin-independent interactions of dark matter particles with a mass between 1$\times$10$^{12}\,$GeV/c$^2$ and 2$\times$10$^{17}\,$GeV/c$^2$. In addition, we present the first exclusion limits on spin-dependent MIMP-neutron and MIMP-proton cross-sections for dark matter particles with masses close to the Planck scale.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure

Cosmogenic background simulations for the DARWIN observatory at different underground locations

Xenon dual-phase time projections chambers (TPCs) have proven to be a successful technology in studying physical phenomena that require low-background conditions. With 40t of liquid xenon (LXe) in the TPC baseline design, DARWIN will have a high sensitivity for the detection of particle dark matter, neutrinoless double beta decay ($0\nu\beta\beta$), and axion-like particles (ALPs). Although cosmic muons are a source of background that cannot be entirely eliminated, they may be greatly diminished by placing the detector deep underground. In this study, we used Monte Carlo simulations to model the cosmogenic background expected for the DARWIN observatory at four underground laboratories: Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS), Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF), Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane (LSM) and SNOLAB. We determine the production rates of unstable xenon isotopes and tritium due to muon-included neutron fluxes and muon-induced spallation. These are expected to represent the dominant contributions to cosmogenic backgrounds and thus the most relevant for site selection

Cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and diabetes mortality burden of cardiometabolic risk factors from 1980 to 2010: A comparative risk assessment

Background: High blood pressure, blood glucose, serum cholesterol, and BMI are risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and some of these factors also increase the risk of chronic kidney disease and diabetes. We estimated mortality from cardiovascular diseases, chronic kidney disease, and diabetes that was attributable to these four cardiometabolic risk factors for all countries and regions from 1980 to 2010. Methods: We used data for exposure to risk factors by country, age group, and sex from pooled analyses of population-based health surveys. We obtained relative risks for the effects of risk factors on cause-specific mortality from meta-analyses of large prospective studies. We calculated the population attributable fractions for each risk factor alone, and for the combination of all risk factors, accounting for multicausality and for mediation of the effects of BMI by the other three risks. We calculated attributable deaths by multiplying the cause-specific population attributable fractions by the number of disease-specific deaths. We obtained cause-specific mortality from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors 2010 Study. We propagated the uncertainties of all the inputs to the final estimates. Findings: In 2010, high blood pressure was the leading risk factor for deaths due to cardiovascular diseases, chronic kidney disease, and diabetes in every region, causing more than 40% of worldwide deaths from these diseases; high BMI and glucose were each responsible for about 15% of deaths, and high cholesterol for more than 10%. After accounting for multicausality, 63% (10·8 million deaths, 95% CI 10·1-11·5) of deaths from these diseases in 2010 were attributable to the combined effect of these four metabolic risk factors, compared with 67% (7·1 million deaths, 6·6-7·6) in 1980. The mortality burden of high BMI and glucose nearly doubled from 1980 to 2010. At the country level, age-standardised death rates from these diseases attributable to the combined effects of these four risk factors surpassed 925 deaths per 100 000 for men in Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia, but were less than 130 deaths per 100 000 for women and less than 200 for men in some high-income countries including Australia, Canada, France, Japan, the Netherlands, Singapore, South Korea, and Spain. Interpretation: The salient features of the cardiometabolic disease and risk factor epidemic at the beginning of the 21st century are high blood pressure and an increasing effect of obesity and diabetes. The mortality burden of cardiometabolic risk factors has shifted from high-income to low-income and middle-income countries. Lowering cardiometabolic risks through dietary, behavioural, and pharmacological interventions should be a part of the global response to non-communicable diseases. Funding: UK Medical Research Council, US National Institutes of Health. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd

Doping liquid argon with xenon in ProtoDUNE Single-Phase: effects on scintillation light

Doping of liquid argon TPCs (LArTPCs) with a small concentration of xenon is a technique for light-shifting and facilitates the detection of the liquid argon scintillation light. In this paper, we present the results of the first doping test ever performed in a kiloton-scale LArTPC. From February to May 2020, we carried out this special run in the single-phase DUNE Far Detector prototype (ProtoDUNE-SP) at CERN, featuring 720 t of total liquid argon mass with 410 t of fiducial mass. A 5.4 ppm nitrogen contamination was present during the xenon doping campaign. The goal of the run was to measure the light and charge response of the detector to the addition of xenon, up to a concentration of 18.8 ppm. The main purpose was to test the possibility for reduction of non- uniformities in light collection, caused by deployment of photon detectors only within the anode planes. Light collection was analysed as a function of the xenon concentration, by using the pre-existing photon detection system (PDS) of ProtoDUNE-SP and an additional smaller set-up installed specifically for this run. In this paper we first summarize our current understanding of the argon-xenon energy transfer process and the impact of the presence of nitrogen in argon with and without xenon dopant. We then describe the key elements of ProtoDUNE-SP and the injection method deployed. Two dedicated photon detectors were able to collect the light produced by xenon and the total light. The ratio of these components was measured to be about 0.65 as 18.8 ppm of xenon were injected. We performed studies of the collection efficiency as a function of the distance between tracks and light detectors, demonstrating enhanced uniformity of response for the anode-mounted PDS. We also show that xenon doping can substantially recover light losses due to contamination of the liquid argon by nitrogen

Global Roadkill Data: a dataset on terrestrial vertebrate mortality caused by collision with vehicles

Roadkill is widely recognized as one of the primary negative effects of roads on many wildlife species and also has socioeconomic impacts when they result in accidents. A comprehensive dataset of roadkill locations is essential to evaluate the factors contributing to roadkill risk and to enhance our comprehension of its impact on wildlife populations and socioeconomic dimensions. We undertook a compilation of roadkill records, encompassing both published and unpublished data gathered from road surveys or opportunistic sources. GLOBAL ROADKILL DATA includes 208,570 roadkill records of terrestrial vertebrates from 54 countries across six continents, encompassing data collected between 1971 and 2024. This dataset serves to minimise the collection of redundant data and acts as a valuable resource for local and macro scale analysis regarding rates of roadkill, road- and landscape-related features associated with risk of roadkill, vulnerability of species to road traffic, and populations at risk of local extinction. The objective of this dataset is to promote scientific progress in infrastructure ecology and terrestrial vertebrate conservation while limiting the socio-economic costs

The track-length extension fitting algorithm for energy measurement of interacting particles in liquid argon TPCs and its performance with ProtoDUNE-SP data

This paper introduces a novel track-length extension fitting algorithm for measuring the kinetic energies of inelastically interacting particles in liquid argon time projection chambers (LArTPCs). The algorithm finds the most probable offset in track length for a track-like object by comparing the measured ionization density as a function of position with a theoretical prediction of the energy loss as a function of the energy, including models of electron recombination and detector response. The algorithm can be used to measure the energies of particles that interact before they stop, such as charged pions that are absorbed by argon nuclei. The algorithm's energy measurement resolutions and fractional biases are presented as functions of particle kinetic energy and number of track hits using samples of stopping secondary charged pions in data collected by the ProtoDUNE-SP detector, and also in a detailed simulation. Additional studies describe the impact of the dE/dx model on energy measurement performance. The method described in this paper to characterize the energy measurement performance can be repeated in any LArTPC experiment using stopping secondary charged pions

The DUNE far detector vertical drift technology. Technical design report

DUNE is an international experiment dedicated to addressing some of the questions at the forefront of particle physics and astrophysics, including the mystifying preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early universe. The dual-site experiment will employ an intense neutrino beam focused on a near and a far detector as it aims to determine the neutrino mass hierarchy and to make high-precision measurements of the PMNS matrix parameters, including the CP-violating phase. It will also stand ready to observe supernova neutrino bursts, and seeks to observe nucleon decay as a signature of a grand unified theory underlying the standard model. The DUNE far detector implements liquid argon time-projection chamber (LArTPC) technology, and combines the many tens-of-kiloton fiducial mass necessary for rare event searches with the sub-centimeter spatial resolution required to image those events with high precision. The addition of a photon detection system enhances physics capabilities for all DUNE physics drivers and opens prospects for further physics explorations. Given its size, the far detector will be implemented as a set of modules, with LArTPC designs that differ from one another as newer technologies arise. In the vertical drift LArTPC design, a horizontal cathode bisects the detector, creating two stacked drift volumes in which ionization charges drift towards anodes at either the top or bottom. The anodes are composed of perforated PCB layers with conductive strips, enabling reconstruction in 3D. Light-trap-style photon detection modules are placed both on the cryostat's side walls and on the central cathode where they are optically powered. This Technical Design Report describes in detail the technical implementations of each subsystem of this LArTPC that, together with the other far detector modules and the near detector, will enable DUNE to achieve its physics goals