ABSTRACT
Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are the first cosmological radio sources that vary on millisecond time-scales, which makes them a unique probe of the Universe. Many proposed applications of FRBs ...require associated redshifts. These can only be obtained by localizing FRBs to their host galaxies and subsequently measuring their redshifts. Upcoming FRB surveys will provide arcsecond localization for many FRBs, not all of which can be followed up with dedicated optical observations. We aim to estimate the fraction of FRB hosts that will be catalogued with redshifts by existing and future optical surveys. We use the population synthesis code frbpoppy to simulate several FRB surveys, and the semi-analytical galaxy formation code galform to simulate their host galaxies. We obtain redshift distributions for the simulated FRBs and the fraction with host galaxies in a survey. Depending on whether FRBs follow the cosmic star formation rate or stellar mass, 20–40 per cent of CHIME FRB hosts will be observed in an SDSS-like survey, all at z < 0.5. The deeper DELVE survey will detect 63–85 per cent of ASKAP FRBs found in its coherent search mode. CHIME FRBs will reach z ∼ 3, SKA1-Mid FRBs z ∼ 5, but ground based follow-up is limited to z ≲ 1.5. We discuss the consequences for several FRB applications. If ∼1/2 of ASKAP FRBs have measured redshifts, 1000 detected FRBs can be used to constrain Ωbh70 to within ∼10 per cent at 95 per cent credibility. We provide strategies for optimized follow-up, when building on data from existing surveys. Data and codes are made available.
Several studies have reported significant health effects of air pollution even at low levels of air pollutants, but in most of theses studies linear nonthreshold relations were assumed. We ...investigated the exposure-response association between ambient particles and mortality in the 22 European cities participating in the APHEA (Air Pollution and Health-A European Approach) project, which is the largest available European database. We estimated the exposure-response curves using regression spline models with two knots and then combined the individual city estimates of the spline to get an overall exposure-response relationship. To further explore the heterogeneity in the observed city-specific exposure-response associations, we investigated several city descriptive variables as potential effect modifiers that could alter the shape of the curve. We conclude that the association between ambient particles and mortality in the cities included in the present analysis, and in the range of the pollutant common in all analyzed cities, could be adequately estimated using the linear model. Our results confirm those previously reported in Europe and the United States. The heterogeneity found in the different city-specific relations reflects real effect modification, which can be explained partly by factors characterizing the air pollution mix, climate, and the health of the population.
BackgroundHigh ambient summer temperatures have been shown to influence daily mortality in cities across Europe. Quantification of the population mortality burden attributable to heat is crucial to ...the development of adaptive approaches. The impact of summer heat on mortality for 15 European cities during the 1990s was evaluated, under hypothetical temperature scenarios warmer and cooler than the mean and under future scenarios derived from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report on Emission Scenarios (SRES).MethodsA Monte Carlo approach was used to estimate the number of deaths attributable to heat for each city. These estimates rely on the results of a Bayesian random-effects meta-analysis that combines city-specific heat-mortality functions.ResultsThe number of heat-attributable deaths per summer ranged from 0 in Dublin to 423 in Paris. The mean attributable fraction of deaths was around 2%. The highest impact was in three Mediterranean cities (Barcelona, Rome and Valencia) and in two continental cities (Paris and Budapest). The largest impact was on persons over 75 years; however, in some cities, important proportions of heat-attributable deaths were also found for younger adults. Heat-attributable deaths markedly increased under warming scenarios. The impact under SRES scenarios was slightly lower or comparable to the impact during the observed hottest year.ConclusionsCurrent high summer ambient temperatures have an important impact on European population health. This impact is expected to increase in the future, according to the projected increase of mean ambient temperatures and frequency, intensity and duration of heat waves.
Purpose
Somatostatin-based radiopeptide treatment is generally performed using the β-emitting radionuclides
90
Y or
177
Lu. The present study aimed at comparing benefits and harms of both therapeutic ...approaches.
Methods
In a comparative cohort study, patients with advanced neuroendocrine tumours underwent repeated cycles of
90
Y-DOTA-TOC or
177
Lu-DOTA-TOC until progression of disease or permanent adverse events. Multivariable Cox regression and competing risks regression were employed to examine predictors of survival and adverse events for both treatment groups.
Results
Overall, 910 patients underwent 1,804 cycles of
90
Y-DOTA-TOC and 141 patients underwent 259 cycles of
177
Lu-DOTA-TOC. The median survival after
177
Lu-DOTA-TOC and after
90
Y-DOTA-TOC was comparable (45.5 months versus 35.9 months, hazard ratio 0.91, 95 % confidence interval 0.63–1.30,
p
= 0.49). Subgroup analyses revealed a significantly longer survival for
177
Lu-DOTA-TOC over
90
Y-DOTA-TOC in patients with low tumour uptake, solitary lesions and extra-hepatic lesions. The rate of severe transient haematotoxicities was lower after
177
Lu-DOTA-TOC treatment (1.4 vs 10.1 %,
p
= 0.001), while the rate of severe permanent renal toxicities was similar in both treatment groups (9.2 vs 7.8 %,
p
= 0.32).
Conclusion
The present results revealed no difference in median overall survival after
177
Lu-DOTA-TOC and
90
Y-DOTA-TOC. Furthermore,
177
Lu-DOTA-TOC was less haematotoxic than
90
Y-DOTA-TOC.
We present the results of the Air Pollution and Health: A European Approach 2 (APHEA2) project on short-term effects of ambient particles on mortality with emphasis on effect modification. We used ...daily measurements for particulate matter less than 10 μm in aerodynamic diameter ( PM10) and/or black smoke from 29 European cities. We considered confounding from other pollutants as well as meteorologic and chronologic variables. We investigated several variables describing the cities' pollution, climate, population, and geography as potential effect modifiers. For the individual city analysis, generalized additive models extending Poisson regression, using a smoother to control for seasonal patterns, were applied. To provide quantitative summaries of the results and explain remaining heterogeneity, we applied second-stage regression models. The estimated increase in the daily number of deaths for all ages for a 10 μ g/ m3increase in daily PM10or black smoke concentrations was 0.6% 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.4-0.8%, whereas for the elderly it was slightly higher. We found important effect modification for several of the variables studied. Thus, in a city with low average NO2, the estimated increase in daily mortality for an increase of 10 μ g/ m3in PM10was 0.19 (95% CI = 0.00-0.41), whereas in a city with high average NO2it was 0.80% (95% CI = 0.67-0.93%); in a relatively cold climate the corresponding effect was 0.29% (95% CI = 0.16-0.42), whereas in a warm climate it was 0.82% (95% CI = 0.69-0.96); in a city with low standardized mortality rate it was 0.80% (95% CI = 0.65-0.95%), and in one with a high rate it was 0.43% (95% CI = 0.24-0.62). Our results confirm those previously reported on the effects of ambient particles on mortality. Furthermore, they show that the heterogeneity found in the effect parameters among cities reflects real effect modification, which is explained by specific city characteristics.
The idea of quality improvement in the management of endometriosis has been brought to attention throughout Europe. This - first and foremost - includes the implementation of centers specialized in ...treating endometriosis. This leads to qualification of both physicians and other medical staff, enforcement of research efforts, and informing the patients, the public, politicians, healthcare providers, and industry. Given limited budgets, focusing on the existing national commitment may be the first step.
Objective: To determine the effect of plasma glucose lowering on coronary circulatory function in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods: Twenty patients with type 2 diabetes and 18 weight-matched ...controls were studied. At baseline, myocardial blood flow (MBF) was measured with 13Nammonia and positron emission tomography at rest, during cold pressor testing (CPT), and during adenosine hyperaemia. In diabetic patients, MBF and blood chemistry were analysed again after 3 months of glucose-lowering treatment with glyburide and metformin. Results: Although hyperaemic MBF did not differ significantly between the patients and controls (1.81 (0.38) v 1.97 (0.43) ml/min/g; mean (SD)), the CPT-induced MBF increase (ΔMBF) was significantly less in diabetic patients than in controls (0.07 (0.07) v 0.25 (0.12) ml/min/g; p<0.001). Treatment with glyburide and metformin significantly decreased plasma glucose concentrations from 207 (76) to 134 (52) mg/dl (p<0.001). This decrease in plasma glucose was paralleled by a significant increase in ΔMBF in response to CPT (0.20 (0.16) from 0.07 (0.07) ml/min/g; p<0.001), which tended to be lower than in controls at baseline (0.20 (0.16) v 0.25 (0.12) ml/min/g; p = NS). The decrease in plasma glucose concentrations correlated significantly with the improvement in ΔMBF in response to CPT (r = 0.67, p<0.01). Conclusions: Type 2 diabetes mellitus is associated with abnormal MBF response to CPT, which can be significantly improved by euglycaemic control with glyburide and metformin. The close association between the decrease in plasma glucose concentration and the improvement in coronary vasomotor function in response to CPT suggests a direct adverse effect of raised plasma glucose concentration on diabetes-related coronary vascular disease.
Relationship Between Increasing Body Weight, Insulin Resistance, Inflammation, Adipocytokine Leptin, and Coronary Circulatory Function
Thomas H. Schindler, Jerson Cardenas, John O. Prior, Alvaro D. ...Facta, Michael C. Kreissl, Xiao-Li Zhang, James Sayre, Magnus Dahlbom, Julio Licinio, Heinrich R. Schelbert
This study provides first evidence that increased body weight, paralleled by insulin-resistance and inflammation, is indeed independently associated with a progressive worsening of coronary circulatory function in individuals without traditional coronary risk factors. This progressive worsening of the coronary circulatory function might provide a mechanistic link between abnormal coronary vasomotion and adverse cardiovascular outcome. Another important finding is that elevated leptin plasma levels and/or leptin-related but still undetermined factors in obesity might exert beneficial effects on the coronary endothelium to counterbalance the adverse effects of increases in body weight on coronary circulatory function, which should be subjected to further studies.
We sought to evaluate effects of obesity, insulin resistance, and inflammation on coronary circulatory function and its relationship to leptin plasma levels.
It is not known whether obesity, commonly paralleled by insulin resistance, inflammation, and leptin, is independently associated with coronary circulatory dysfunction.
Myocardial blood flow (MBF) responses to cold pressor test (CPT) and pharmacologic vasodilation was measured with positron emission tomography and 13N-ammonia. Study participants were divided into three groups based on their body mass index (BMI, kg/m2): control, 20 ≤ BMI <25 (n = 19); overweight, 25 ≤ BMI <30 (n = 21); and obese, BMI >30 (n = 32).
Body mass index was significantly correlated to the Homeostasis Model Assessment Index of insulin resistance and C-reactive protein levels (r = 0.60 and r = 0.47, p < 0.0001). Compared with control subjects, endothelium-related change in MBF (ΔMBF) to CPT progressively declined in overweight and obese groups (0.32 ± 0.09 vs. 0.21 ± 0.19 and 0.07 ± 0.16 ml/g/min; p < 0.03 and p < 0.0001). The dipyridamole-induced total vasodilator capacity was significantly lower in obese than in control subjects (1.77 ± 0.51 vs. 2.04 ± 0.37 ml/g/min, p < 0.02). On multivariate analysis, BMI (p < 0.012) and age (p < 0.035) were significant independent predictors of ΔMBF. Finally, only in the obese group leptin plasma levels significantly correlated with ΔMBF (r = 0.37, p < 0.036).
Increased body weight is independently associated with abnormal coronary circulatory function that progresses from an impairment in endothelium-related coronary vasomotion in overweight individuals to an impairment of the total vasodilator capacity in obese individuals. The findings that elevated leptin plasma levels in patients that are obese might exert beneficial effects on the coronary endothelium to counterbalance the adverse effects of increases in body weight on coronary circulatory function should be tested.
Abnormal coronary endothelial reactivity has been demonstrated in diabetes and is associated with an increased rate of cardiovascular events. Our objectives were to investigate the presence of ...functional coronary circulatory abnormalities over the full spectrum of insulin resistance and to determine whether these would differ in severity with more advanced states of insulin resistance.
Myocardial blood flow (MBF) was measured with positron emission tomography and 13N-ammonia to characterize coronary circulatory function in states of insulin resistance without carbohydrate intolerance (IR), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), and normotensive and hypertensive type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) compared with insulin-sensitive (IS) individuals. Indices of coronary function were total vasodilator capacity (mostly vascular smooth muscle-mediated) during pharmacological vasodilation and the nitric oxide-mediated, endothelium-dependent vasomotion in response to cold pressor testing. Total vasodilator capacity was similar in normoglycemic individuals (IS, IR, and IGT), whereas it was significantly decreased in normotensive (-17%) and hypertensive (-34%) DM patients. Compared with IS, endothelium-dependent coronary vasomotion was significantly diminished in IR (-56%), as well as in IGT and normotensive and hypertensive diabetic patients (-85%, -91%, and -120%, respectively).
Progressively worsening functional coronary circulatory abnormalities of nitric oxide-mediated, endothelium-dependent vasomotion occur with increasing severity of insulin-resistance and carbohydrate intolerance. Attenuated total vasodilator capacity accompanies the more clinically evident metabolic abnormalities in diabetes.
Background: Epidemiologic studies show that high temperatures are related to mortality, but little is known about the exposure-response function and the lagged effect of heat. We report the ...associations between daily maximum apparent temperature and daily deaths during the warm season in 15 European cities. Methods: The city-specific analyses were based on generalized estimating equations and the city-specific results were combined in a Bayesian random effects meta-analysis. We specified distributed lag models in studying the delayed effect of exposure. Time-varying coefficient models were used to check the assumption of a constant heat effect over the warm season. Results: The city-specific exposure-response functions have a V shape, with a change-point that varied among cities. The meta-analytic estimate of the threshold was 29.4°C for Mediterranean cities and 23.3°C for north-continental cities. The estimated overall change in all natural mortality associated with a 1°C increase in maximum apparent temperature above the city-specific threshold was 3.12% (95% credibility interval = 0.60% to 5.72%) in the Mediterranean region and 1.84% (0.06% to 3.64%) in the north-continental region. Stronger associations were found between heat and mortality from respiratory diseases, and with mortality in the elderly. Conclusions: There is an important mortality effect of heat across Europe. The effect is evident from June through August; it is limited to the first week following temperature excess, with evidence of mortality displacement. There is some suggestion of a higher effect of early season exposures. Acclimatization and individual susceptibility need further investigation as possible explanations for the observed heterogeneity among cities.
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