In this work, a simple technique to obtain the hysteresis loops of magnetic beads (Spherotech Inc.) in liquid suspension is presented. The magnetic measurements were taken in a DC Magnetic Property ...Measurement System (MPMS-SQUID sensor). Samples were based on ferromagnetic beads (surface-functionalized NH
2, mean diameter 4.32
μm) prepared in three conditions: dry, suspended in sucrose solution and in suspension after functionalization with fluorophore. Special small containers (1.3
cm long) made of non magnetic plastic were designed to hold the beads in liquid. The results indicate that the bead's remnant magnetization is half of the value at maximum applied field in all cases. However, due to the additional degrees of rotational freedom, beads suspended in a liquid do not present coercivity. The use of ferromagnetic beads and magnetic elements of different architectures for applications in bioassays is also discussed.
Durante el 2016 la Red Sismológica Nacional (RSN: UCR-ICE) registró 4594 sismos de los cuales 210 fueron sentidos por la población. En Costa Rica se percibieron 13 sismos con magnitud Mw > 5,0. La ...mayoría (86%) de los sismos percibidos fueron superficiales (< 30 km) y el 93% tuvo una magnitud (Mw) de entre 2,0 y 4,9. El fallamiento local y regional provocó el 68% de los sismos, seguido por el proceso de subducción de la placa del Coco que originó el 30%. Las zonas con la mayor concentración de sismos en el 2016 fueron las cordilleras volcánicas de Guanacaste y Central, la zona de Los Santos y un área al sureste de la península de Nicoya. La intensidad máxima observada en el 2016 dentro de Costa Rica fue de VI+ (Mercalli Modificada) debido a los sismos de Capellades (Mw 5,5) y Bijagua (Mw 5,4).
Patients who have had an acute coronary syndrome are at high risk for recurrent ischemic cardiovascular events. We sought to determine whether alirocumab, a human monoclonal antibody to proprotein ...convertase subtilisin-kexin type 9 (PCSK9), would improve cardiovascular outcomes after an acute coronary syndrome in patients receiving high-intensity statin therapy.
We conducted a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 18,924 patients who had an acute coronary syndrome 1 to 12 months earlier, had a low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol level of at least 70 mg per deciliter (1.8 mmol per liter), a non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level of at least 100 mg per deciliter (2.6 mmol per liter), or an apolipoprotein B level of at least 80 mg per deciliter, and were receiving statin therapy at a high-intensity dose or at the maximum tolerated dose. Patients were randomly assigned to receive alirocumab subcutaneously at a dose of 75 mg (9462 patients) or matching placebo (9462 patients) every 2 weeks. The dose of alirocumab was adjusted under blinded conditions to target an LDL cholesterol level of 25 to 50 mg per deciliter (0.6 to 1.3 mmol per liter). The primary end point was a composite of death from coronary heart disease, nonfatal myocardial infarction, fatal or nonfatal ischemic stroke, or unstable angina requiring hospitalization.
The median duration of follow-up was 2.8 years. A composite primary end-point event occurred in 903 patients (9.5%) in the alirocumab group and in 1052 patients (11.1%) in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 0.85; 95% confidence interval CI, 0.78 to 0.93; P<0.001). A total of 334 patients (3.5%) in the alirocumab group and 392 patients (4.1%) in the placebo group died (hazard ratio, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.73 to 0.98). The absolute benefit of alirocumab with respect to the composite primary end point was greater among patients who had a baseline LDL cholesterol level of 100 mg or more per deciliter than among patients who had a lower baseline level. The incidence of adverse events was similar in the two groups, with the exception of local injection-site reactions (3.8% in the alirocumab group vs. 2.1% in the placebo group).
Among patients who had a previous acute coronary syndrome and who were receiving high-intensity statin therapy, the risk of recurrent ischemic cardiovascular events was lower among those who received alirocumab than among those who received placebo. (Funded by Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals; ODYSSEY OUTCOMES ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01663402 .).
Abstract The renal epithelium is sensitive to changes in blood potassium (K + ). We identify the basolateral K + channel, Kir4.2, as a mediator of the proximal tubule response to K + deficiency. Mice ...lacking Kir4.2 have a compensated baseline phenotype whereby they increase their distal transport burden to maintain homeostasis. Upon dietary K + depletion, knockout animals decompensate as evidenced by increased urinary K + excretion and development of a proximal renal tubular acidosis. Potassium wasting is not proximal in origin but is caused by higher ENaC activity and depends upon increased distal sodium delivery. Three-dimensional imaging reveals Kir4.2 knockouts fail to undergo proximal tubule expansion, while the distal convoluted tubule response is exaggerated. AKT signaling mediates the dietary K + response, which is blunted in Kir4.2 knockouts. Lastly, we demonstrate in isolated tubules that AKT phosphorylation in response to low K + depends upon mTORC2 activation by secondary changes in Cl - transport. Data support a proximal role for cell Cl - which, as it does along the distal nephron, responds to K + changes to activate kinase signaling.
Lipoprotein(a) concentration is associated with cardiovascular events. Alirocumab, a proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitor, lowers lipoprotein(a) and low-density lipoprotein ...cholesterol (LDL-C).
A pre-specified analysis of the placebo-controlled ODYSSEY Outcomes trial in patients with recent acute coronary syndrome (ACS) determined whether alirocumab-induced changes in lipoprotein(a) and LDL-C independently predicted major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE).
One to 12 months after ACS, 18,924 patients on high-intensity statin therapy were randomized to alirocumab or placebo and followed for 2.8 years (median). Lipoprotein(a) was measured at randomization and 4 and 12 months thereafter. The primary MACE outcome was coronary heart disease death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, or hospitalization for unstable angina.
Baseline lipoprotein(a) levels (median: 21.2 mg/dl; interquartile range IQR: 6.7 to 59.6 mg/dl) and LDL-C corrected for cholesterol content in lipoprotein(a) predicted MACE. Alirocumab reduced lipoprotein(a) by 5.0 mg/dl (IQR: 0 to 13.5 mg/dl), corrected LDL-C by 51.1 mg/dl (IQR: 33.7 to 67.2 mg/dl), and reduced the risk of MACE (hazard ratio HR: 0.85; 95% confidence interval CI: 0.78 to 0.93). Alirocumab-induced reductions of lipoprotein(a) and corrected LDL-C independently predicted lower risk of MACE, after adjustment for baseline concentrations of both lipoproteins and demographic and clinical characteristics. A 1-mg/dl reduction in lipoprotein(a) with alirocumab was associated with a HR of 0.994 (95% CI: 0.990 to 0.999; p = 0.0081).
Baseline lipoprotein(a) and corrected LDL-C levels and their reductions by alirocumab predicted the risk of MACE after recent ACS. Lipoprotein(a) lowering by alirocumab is an independent contributor to MACE reduction, which suggests that lipoprotein(a) should be an independent treatment target after ACS. (ODYSSEY Outcomes: Evaluation of Cardiovascular Outcomes After an Acute Coronary Syndrome During Treatment With Alirocumab; NCT01663402)
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The advent of new spaceborne imaging spectrometers offers new opportunities for ecologists to map vegetation traits at global scales. However, to date most imaging spectroscopy studies exploiting ...satellite spectrometers have been constrained to the landscape scale. In this paper we present a new method to map vegetation traits at the landscape scale and upscale trait maps to the continental level, using historical spaceborne imaging spectroscopy (Hyperion) to derive estimates of leaf mass per area, nitrogen, and carbon concentrations of forests in Québec, Canada. We compare estimates for each species with reference field values and obtain good agreement both at the landscape and continental scales, with patterns consistent with the leaf economic spectrum. By exploiting the Hyperion satellite archive to map these traits and successfully upscale the estimates to the continental scale, we demonstrate the great potential of recent and upcoming spaceborne spectrometers to benefit plant biodiversity monitoring and conservation efforts.
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