Ischemic or bleeding events might occur after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), with the potential to hamper clinical outcomes. This study aimed to characterize the average daily ...ischemic risks (ADIRs) and the average daily bleeding risks (ADBRs) over 1-year in all consecutive patients undergoing TAVR.
ADBR included all bleeding events according to VARC-2 definition, and ADIR included cardiovascular deaths, myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke. ADIRs and ADBRs were assessed within different timeframes post TAVR: acute (0–30 days), late (31–180 days), and very late (>181 days). Generalized estimating equations were used to test the least squares mean differences for the pairwise comparison of ADIRs and ADBRs. Our analysis was performed in the overall cohort and according to antithrombotic strategy (LT-OAC vs No LT-OAC).
Ischemic burden was higher than bleeding burden, independently from the indication to LT-OAC, and in all timeframes examined. In the overall population, ADIRs were three-fold ADBRs (0.0467 95% CI, 0.0431–0.0506 vs 0.0179 95% CI, 0.0174–0.0185; p < 0.001*). While ADIR was significantly higher in the acute phase, ADBR was relatively stable in all timeframes analysed. Of note, in LT-OAC population, OAC + SAPT group showed lower ischemic risk and higher bleeding events compared with OAC alone (ADIR: 0.0447 95% CI: 0.0417–0.0477 vs 0.0642 95% CI: 0.0557–0.0728; p < 0.001*, ADBR 0.0395 95% CI: 0.0381–0.0409 vs 0.0147 95% CI: 0.0138–0.0156; p < 0.001*).
In patients undergoing TAVR Average daily risk fluctuates over time. However, ADIRs overcome ADBRs in all timeframes, especially in the acute phase and regardless of antithrombotic strategy adopted.
ADR - average daily risk; ADIR - average daily ischemic risk; ADBR - average daily bleeding risk; LSMD - least mean square difference Display omitted
•This study shows the great variability between ADIR and ADBR in the first 30 days after TAVR, with the highest prevalence of ischemic risk.•ADIR overcome ADBR in all timeframes with greater differences in the acute phase, which might be related to the procedural ischemic factors.•Understanding the time-dependent trend of ADR, highlights how an oversimplified approach, might be inadequate to capture the complexity of the phenomenon.•Bearing this in mind, a tailored antithrombotic strategy could improve clinical outcomes as a result of a balance between ischemic and bleeding risk.
We present an improved version of SOAP named “SOAP-T”, which can generate the radial velocity variations and light curves for systems consisting of a rotating spotted star with a transiting planet. ...This tool can be used to study the anomalies inside transit light curves and the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect, to better constrain the orbital configuration and properties of planetary systems and the active zones of their host stars. Tests of the code are presented to illustrate its performance and to validate its capability when compared with analytical models and real data. Finally, we apply SOAP-T to the active star, HAT-P-11, observed by the NASA Kepler space telescope and use this system to discuss the capability of this tool in analyzing light curves for the cases where the transiting planet overlaps with the star’s spots.
The mass production of new generations of high quality and very performant scintillating crystals requires sophisticated measurement systems and inspection tools in order to have reliable and precise ...data from such anisotropic materials. These measurement systems must be compatible with the industrial requirements and must be able to provide effective feedbacks aimed to the control of the crystals' production quality. In this paper, a set of photoelasticity-based methods, solving the main limits of the presently available inspection systems, is presented. The main characteristics of such methods are the noninvasiveness, precision, and speed, which are well suited for their use in the industrial environment. This paper describes a set of measurement techniques and reports on real experimental data obtained on crystals having different cutting geometries with respect to the optic axes. The use of the proposed measurement methods, from laser conoscopy to laser sphenoscopy, along the optic axis and orthogonal to it, therefore provides a portfolio of noninvasive measurement techniques, and therefore, it is opening valuable space for the quality control of crystals in a production environment, optimizing important aspects such as the time duration of the inspection and its spatial resolution.
Aims. The aim of this work is to search for planets around intermediate-mass stars in open clusters using data from an extensive survey with more than 15 yr of observations. Methods. We obtain ...high-precision radial velocities (RV) with the HARPS spectrograph for a sample of 142 giant stars in 17 open clusters. We fit Keplerian orbits when a significant periodic signal is detected. We also study the variation of stellar activity indicators and line-profile variations to discard stellar-induced signals. Results. We present the discovery of a periodic RV signal compatible with the presence of a planet candidate in the 1.15 Gyr open cluster IC 4651 orbiting the 2.06 M⊙ star No. 9122. If confirmed, the planet candidate would have a minimum mass of 7.2 MJ and a period of 747 days. However, we also find that the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the cross-correlation function (CCF) varies with a period close to the RV, casting doubts on the planetary nature of the signal. We also provide refined parameters for the previously discovered planet around NGC 2423 No. 3, but show evidence that the bisector inverse slope (BIS) of the CCF is correlated with the RV during some of the observing periods. We consider this fact as a warning that this might not be a real planet and that the RV variations could be caused by stellar activity and/or pulsations. Finally, we show that the previously reported signal by a brown dwarf around NGC 4349 No. 127 is presumably produced by stellar activity modulation. Conclusions. The long-term monitoring of several red giants in open clusters has allowed us to find periodic RV variations in several stars. However, we also show that the follow-up of this kind of stars should last more than one orbital period to detect long-term signals of stellar origin. This work highlights the fact that although it is possible to detect planets around red giants, large-amplitude, long-period RV modulations do exist in such stars that can mimic the presence of an orbiting planetary body. Therefore, we need to better understand how such RV modulations behave as stars evolve along the red giant branch and perform a detailed study of all the possible stellar-induced signals (e.g., spots, pulsations, granulation) to comprehend the origin of RV variations.
Studies have produced conflicting results of the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with hepatitis C virus–associated cirrhosis treated with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs). Data ...from clinics are needed to accurately assess the occurrence rate of HCC in patients with cirrhosis in the real world.
We collected data from a large prospective study of 2,249 consecutive patients (mean age = 65.4 years, 56.9% male) with hepatitis C virus–associated cirrhosis (90.5% with Child-Pugh class A and 9.5% with Child-Pugh class B) treated with DAAs from March 2015 through July 2016 at 22 academic and community liver centers in Sicily, Italy. HCC occurrence was evaluated by Kaplan-Meier curves. Cox regression analysis was used to identify variables associated with HCC development.
A sustained virologic response (SVR) was achieved by 2,140 patients (total = 95.2%; 95.9% with Child Pugh class A and 88.3% with Child Pugh class B; P < .001). Seventy-eight patients (3.5%) developed HCC during a mean follow-up of 14 months (range = 6–24 months). At 1 year after exposure to DAAs, HCC developed in 2.1% of patients with Child-Pugh class A with an SVR and 6.6% of patients with no SVR and in 7.8% of patients with Child-Pugh class B with an SVR and 12.4% of patients with no SVR (P < .001 by log-rank test). Albumin level below 3.5 g/dL (hazard ratio = 1.77, 95% confidence interval = 1.12–2.82, P = .015), platelet count below 120 × 109/L (hazard ratio = 3.89, 95% confidence interval = 2.11–7.15, P < .001), and absence of an SVR (hazard ratio = 3.40, 95% confidence interval = 1.89–6.12, P < .001) were independently associated increased risk for HCC. The mean interval from exposure to DAAs to an HCC diagnosis was 9.8 months (range = 2–22 months) and did not differ significantly between patients with (n = 64, 9.2 months) and without (n = 14, 12.0 months) an SVR (P = .11). A larger proportion of patients with an SVR had a single HCC lesion (78% vs 50% without an SVR; P = .009) or an HCC lesion smaller than 3 cm (58% vs 28% without an SVR; P = .07).
In an analysis of data from a large prospective study of patients with hepatitis C virus–associated compensated or decompensated cirrhosis, we found that the SVR to DAA treatment decreased the incidence of HCC over a mean follow-up of 14 months.
In this work, we present the solution of the stellar spot problem using the Kelvin–Stokes theorem. Our result is applicable for any given location and dimension of the spots on the stellar surface. ...We present explicitly the result up to the second degree in the limb-darkening law. This technique can be used to calculate very efficiently mutual photometric effects produced by eclipsing bodies occulting stellar spots and to construct complex spot shapes.
SWEET-Cat updated Sousa, S. G.; Adibekyan, V.; Delgado-Mena, E. ...
Astronomy and astrophysics (Berlin),
12/2018, Letnik:
620
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Context.
Exoplanets have now been proven to be very common. The number of its detections continues to grow following the development of better instruments and missions. One key step for the ...understanding of these worlds is their characterization, which mostly depend on their host stars.
Aims.
We perform a significant update of the Stars With ExoplanETs CATalog (SWEET-Cat), a unique compilation of precise stellar parameters for planet-host stars provided for the exoplanet community.
Methods.
We made use of high-resolution spectra for planet-host stars, either observed by our team or found in several public archives. The new spectroscopic parameters were derived for the spectra following the same homogeneous process (ARES+MOOG). The host star parameters were then merged together with the planet properties listed in exoplanet.eu to perform simple data analysis.
Results.
We present new spectroscopic homogeneous parameters for 106 planet-host stars. Sixty-three planet hosts are also reviewed with new parameters. We also show that there is a good agreement between stellar parameters derived for the same star but using spectra obtained from different spectrographs. The planet-metallicity correlation is reviewed showing that the metallicity distribution of stars hosting low-mass planets (below 30
M
⊕
) is indistinguishable from that from the solar neighborhood sample in terms of metallicity distribution.
Abstract
Objective
Pediatric neuropsychological evaluations are intended to support children in their development and ability to function successfully in their everyday settings; however, limited ...efforts have been made to synthesize the available literature regarding the utility of these evaluations. To improve the impact of pediatric neuropsychological evaluations, a systematic review was conducted to identify components of the assessment and feedback process that are associated with parents’ perception of helpfulness (help parent understand child), usefulness (provide actionable information/elicit change) and overall parent satisfaction.
Data Selection
We followed PRISMA guidelines to conduct a systematic review of the literature to identify research on parental perception of the utility of pediatric neuropsychological evaluations for children aged 3–21 years. We searched PubMed, PsychINFO, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases using the terms “neuropsychology,” “pediatric,” “neuropsychological evaluation,” “neurodevelopmental disorders,” “perceived utility,” and “parental utility.”
Data Synthesis
We identified 1,029 abstracts and after full review included 9 articles in our qualitative synthesis.
Conclusions
Parents generally reported high levels of satisfaction with their child’s evaluation. The research has also suggested that parents find evaluations and feedback helpful for understanding their child’s pattern of strengths and weaknesses. Recommendations from the neuropsychologists provided useful information for obtaining support and eliciting change. Limitations of the studies reviewed included small sample size, variability in methods, and reduced generalizability of results.
SWEET-Cat updated Sousa, S. G.; Adibekyan, V.; Delgado-Mena, E. ...
Astronomy and astrophysics (Berlin),
12/2018, Letnik:
620
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Context. Exoplanets have now been proven to be very common. The number of its detections continues to grow following the development of better instruments and missions. One key step for the ...understanding of these worlds is their characterization, which mostly depend on their host stars. Aims. We perform a significant update of the Stars With ExoplanETs CATalog (SWEET-Cat), a unique compilation of precise stellar parameters for planet-host stars provided for the exoplanet community. Methods. We made use of high-resolution spectra for planet-host stars, either observed by our team or found in several public archives. The new spectroscopic parameters were derived for the spectra following the same homogeneous process (ARES+MOOG). The host star parameters were then merged together with the planet properties listed in exoplanet.eu to perform simple data analysis. Results. We present new spectroscopic homogeneous parameters for 106 planet-host stars. Sixty-three planet hosts are also reviewed with new parameters. We also show that there is a good agreement between stellar parameters derived for the same star but using spectra obtained from different spectrographs. The planet-metallicity correlation is reviewed showing that the metallicity distribution of stars hosting low-mass planets (below 30 M⊕) is indistinguishable from that from the solar neighborhood sample in terms of metallicity distribution.
Assessment of programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC) has emerged as an important predictive biomarker across multiple tumor types. However, manual quantitation of ...PD-L1 positivity can be difficult and leads to substantial inter-observer variability. Although the development of artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms may mitigate some of the challenges associated with manual assessment and improve the accuracy of PD-L1 expression scoring, use of AI-based approaches to oncology biomarker scoring and drug development has been sparse, primarily due to the lack of large-scale clinical validation studies across multiple cohorts and tumor types. We developed AI-powered algorithms to evaluate PD-L1 expression on tumor cells by IHC and compared it with manual IHC scoring in urothelial carcinoma, non-small cell lung cancer, melanoma, and squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (prospectively determined during the phase II and III CheckMate clinical trials). 1,746 slides were retrospectively analyzed, the largest investigation of digital pathology algorithms on clinical trial datasets performed to date. AI-powered quantification of PD-L1 expression on tumor cells identified more PD-L1–positive samples compared with manual scoring at cutoffs of ≥1% and ≥5% in most tumor types. Additionally, similar improvements in response and survival were observed in patients identified as PD-L1–positive compared with PD-L1–negative using both AI-powered and manual methods, while improved associations with survival were observed in patients with certain tumor types identified as PD-L1–positive using AI-powered scoring only. Our study demonstrates the potential for implementation of digital pathology-based methods in future clinical practice to identify more patients who would benefit from treatment with immuno-oncology therapy compared with current guidelines using manual assessment.
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