Acetylene, an important petrochemical feedstock, is the starting chemical to produce many polymer products. Separating C2H2 from its by-product mixtures is still an energy-consuming process and remains challenging. Here, we present a metal-organic framework[Zn2(bpy)(btec)], with a desirable pore geometry and highly stable framework, which demonstrated a high separation performance of C2H2 from simulated mixtures. With the desirable pore dimension and hydrogen bonding sites, Zn2(bpy)(btec) shows by far the both highest C2H2/CO2 and C2H2/CO2 uptake ratios, very high adsorption selectivities and moderately C2H2 uptake of 93.5 cm3•cm−3 under 298 K and 1 atm. Not only straightforwardly produced high purity of C2H4, but also recovered high purity of C2H2 (>98%) in the regeneration process (>92% recovery). More notably, Zn2(bpy)(btec) can be straightforwardly synthesized at a large scale under environmentally friendly conditions, and its good water/chemical stability, thermostability, and cyclic stability highlight the promise of this molecular sieving material for industrial C2H2 separation.

I found the article "Training Efforts in the Exascale Computing Project" enjoyable to read and very informative. I believe this information will be useful to CiSE readers looking for resources on training in scientific computation on HPC settings, as well as those looking for lessons on how to set up training for the type of topics described in the article.For those readers who are not familiar yet with the concepts of exascale computing and might not understand why there is a need for specialized training to enable exascale computing use, it would be beneficial to give some brief examples of the differences software developers will encounter or need to take into account when developing any type of software/applications for exascale. Additionally, it would be helpful to have some categorization of the offered and planned training topics so as to clarify whether they are being created to be useful in general for software development, useful for HPC software development, or are specific to exascale software development.

DNA-binding proteins, performing an indispensable function in the maintenance of genetic information and holding significances for biomedical research, are inefficiently identified by traditional experimental methods due to their huge quantities. On the contrary, the machine learning method as an emerging technique demonstrates satisfactory speed and decent accuracy. Thus, this work focuses on extracting four different features from primary and secondary sequence features, i.e., RS, PseAACS, PSSM-ACCT and PSSM-DWT. With the LASSO dimension reduction method, we experiment on the combination of feature submodels to obtain the optimized number of top rank features. These features are input into the training Ensemble subspace discriminant descriptor to predict the DNA-binding proteins. Three different datasets are adopted to evaluate the performances of the as-proposed approach in this work. The PDB1075 and PDB594 datasets are adopted for the 5-fold Cross-Validation, and the PDB186 is used for the independent experiment. In the 5-fold Cross-Validation, the PDB1075 and PDB594 both show extremely high precision reaching 86.98% and 88.2%, respectively, while the accuracy of independent experiment is 75.8%, which suggests that the methodology proposed in this work is capable of predicting DNA-binding proteins effectively.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a newly erupted respiratory infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has swept across the most of countries. The laboratory characteristics of COVID-patients accompanied with cancer and the risk factors for disease progression and survival of this particular population were few reported. Methods: We enrolled 585 confirmed COVID-19 patients admitted to our hospitals with measured interleukin-6 level on admission. Laboratory tests and outcome were extracted from electronic medical records. Data was divided to cancer group and non-cancer group to explorer the risk factors of progression and survival. Findings: A total of 44 patients with different cancer type (cancer group) and 487 patients without cancer (non-cancer group) were included. Cancer group had significant higher levels of NEUT, NLR, IL-6, and CRP than non-cancer group, but lymphocyte count and ALB were lower. Cancer group showed significantly higher progression rate (42·1% vs 22·5%) and mortality (27·27% vs 11·91%) than non-cancer group. Elevated IL-6 and CRP were the risk factors associated with progression among moderate patients and death in-hospital (all p<0·05) in non- cancer group. This correlation was not observed in caner group. Interpretation: IL-6, CRP, NEUT, and NLR were elevated in COVID-19 patients with cancer, with lower level of LYMP and ALB. IL-6 and CRP were positively correlated with progression and poor outcome in patients without cancer. As one of combined diseases, despite malignancy history did not directly affect the prognosis of COVID-19, but it could play a role in the poorer outcome through release of IL-6 and CRP.

Background: The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) posed an enormous threat to public health. The use of antiviral drugs in patients with this disease have triggered people’s attentions. Whether interferon alfa-2b or Kaletra plus interferon alfa-2b treatment can against SARS-CoV-2 was unknown. Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of 123 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients between Jan.13 2020 and Apr. 23. All patients received standard supportive care and regular clinical monitoring, patients were assigned to standard care group (n=12), interferon alfa-2b group (n=44), and combination Kaletra plus interferon alfa-2b group (n=67) according to their therapies. The primary endpoint was the duration of oxygen-support requirement and virus clearance time. The associations of therapies with these outcomes were assessed by Cox proportional hazards regression. Results: Baseline clinical characteristics were similar among 3 groups (p＞0.05). There was no significant associations of Kaletra /interferon alfa-2b with faster SARS-CoV-2 RNA clearance (HR, 0.85 [95% CI, 0.45–1.61]; P = 0.61 in interferon alfa-2b group vs HR, 0.59 [95% CI, 0.32–1.11]; P = 0.10 in Kaletra plus interferon alfa-2b group). The duration of oxygen-support requirement in therapy groups similarly showed no significant associations. There were no differences among 3 groups in the incidence of adverse events (p＞0.05). Conclusions: In patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, no benefit was observed with interferon alfa-2b and Kaletra plus interferon alfa-2b treatment beyond standard care. Further trials in appropriately randomized design may contribute to validate the effective role and safety profile of the test drugs.

Biodiesel viscosity is one of the most important parameters in terms of impact on motor performance. In this study, an effective equation introduces for the kinematic viscosity of the biodiesel mixture which can be used for a wide range of temperatures and for different volume fraction systems for biodiesel mixtures. This equation is based on 1215 data from the literature. And the ability of this equation was compared with the other equations such as Arrhenius, Kendall & Monroe and Bingham. The results show that the new equation has better performance (lower AARE%)than the mentioned equations, and the mean error of this equation is 3.309%.

The application of nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC) in UV filters encapsulation was found to enhance its safe use. In this work, kenaf seed oil-NLC (KSO-NLC) co-loaded with UV filters encapsulated was used as an active ingredient in α-tocopherol cream to develop a photoprotective prototype. It was then subjected to further analysis to determine the physical properties storage stability and cytotoxicity. The ratio of KSO-NLC to α-tocopherol cream was optimised based on the SPF value using UV transmittance analyser. The physical properties of the samples were analysed and the amount of α-tocopherol was quantified by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC). The optimised sample was then evaluated for in vitro antioxidant activities using DPPH and ABTS assays. Meanwhile, in vitro cytotoxicity was studied on normal human dermal fibroblast (NHDF) cell line using MTT and CCK-8 assays. The sample produced by KSO-NLC to α-tocopherol cream in ratio 1:2 (N3) showed SPF value > 50. Besides, the samples showed microbial stability and sustainable α-tocopherol content upon 12 weeks of storage. The cytotoxicity evaluation of N3 and α-tocopherol cream (N5) showed > 100 % cell proliferation indicated there is no side effect on the cell growth, yet it triggered the cell proliferation with the presence of bioactive compounds. Overall, the results herein gathered are very promising towards the development of new green cosmetic formulations with the utilisation of KSO-NLC and palm-based α-tocopherol cream.

Ozone has been fascinated by researchers as an outstanding disinfectant due to its oxidizing properties. It can react with unsaturated substrates chemically, which results in active ozonized compounds. In literature, ozonized olive oil was characterized by different factors such as peroxide value (PV), a significant feature to define the quality of oils. It has been proven previously that even minor changes in the reaction conditions can effect on the PV. In this study, peroxide content was evaluated in extra virgin olive oil and its ozonized form under various conditions including variable temperatures, sample amounts and reaction times. The results indicated that although iodometric method is an official technique for determining the PV of oils, but also dependent to the amount, temperature and time for ozonized olive oil.

ABSTRACT Background and objectives Glomerular C3 deposition is often observed in renal biopsies of patients with IgA nephropathy (IgAN), however, the relationship between the level of C3 deposition and the long-term prognosis of IgAN have rarely been reported. In this observational cohort study, we aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of glomerular C3 deposition in the progression of IgAN. Materials and Methods From June 2009 to June 2010, a total of 136 adult patients with IgAN were enrolled in the study. Glomerular deposition of the complement protein C3, immune complexes, and inflammatory cells were detected in renal biopsy tissue. The level of renal lesions, glomerular immune complexes, and the density of interstitial inflammatory cells were analyzed. Based on an average of 105 months of follow-up, the predictive value of glomerular C3 deposition for IgAN progression was investigated. Results Of the 136 patients, 102 patients were classified into the glomerular C3low group and 34 patients were classified into the glomerular C3high group. Patients in C3high group had more immune complexes deposition than those in C3low group. In C3high group, the degree of renal lesion and interstitial fibrosis were severer compared to C3low group. Renal biopsy in C3high group presented with higher density of interstitial inflammatory cells that in C3low group. The density of glomerular C3 deposition was associated with poor renal survival over a 105-month follow-up. Conclusions The high density of glomerular C3 deposition was associated with severity of renal lesions and predicted a long-term poor renal survival for IgAN patients.

A document by Diana Margarida Pinho. Click on the document to view its contents.

Background: Successful active surveillance for infectious disease leads to increased case detection and better management outcomes. Because of that, the National Tuberculosis Programme (NTP), Ghana introduced Symptoms-Based Screening (SBS) Tool for TB case finding. Despite these efforts, Ghana has not achieved the 10% target of TB screening in all out-patient departments attendees as recommended by the NTP. Therefore, this study determined the challenges and limitations of the SBS Tool used for active tuberculosis case finding in Ghana. Methods: This study targeted presumptive TB patients resident in Ho Municipality, Ghana. Presumptive TB patients, recruited from Ho Teaching and Ho Municipal Hospitals, were screened with the SBS tool and presumed TB patients tested for M. tuberculosis using microscopy and positive samples confirmed by geneXpert technique. Also health personnel were interviewed to assess the user-friendliness, challenges and limitations associated with the SBS tool. Chi square association of categorical data was done by STATA version 14.1. P-values <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: From both hospitals, 636 presumptive patients and 24 health workers participated in this study. Of the total patients screened, 1.73% had active tuberculosis. Coughing for > 2 weeks (x2=24.8; p<0.05); chest pains (x2=28.3; p<0.01) and night sweat (x2=34.8; p<0.05) associated significantly with M. tuberculosis infection status. The main challenge associated with the SBS tool was its unfriendliness for administration while lack of enough indicators to identify other vulnerable individuals to TB (diabetics, cigarette smokers, alcoholics, immunocompromised and malnourished individuals) limited the sensitivity of the tool. Conclusion: The SBS tool was found not to be sensitive enough to identify infected cases. Inclusion of signs and symptoms of diabetes, immuno-suppression and malnutrition in the current tool and subsequent training of all relevant health personnel on the use of the tool could contribute to increase the sensitivity of the tool.

Aim: Asian patients are known to be more prone to bleeding complications than patients of other ethnicities. Therefore, there are possibilities of other risk factors that should be given special consideration for dosage adjustment in this specific ethnic group. This study aimed to investigate the risk factors for bleeding complications in Asian patients under appropriate edoxaban dosage regimens. Methods: Data on patients taking proper dosages, based on the Lixiana package insert, were analyzed. Univariate and multivariable analyses were conducted to evaluate associations between risk factors and bleeding outcomes. Subgroup analysis was performed on high-risk patients for bleeding complications whose edoxaban dose was reduced according to the package insert. Results: A total of 346 patients were included. Among them, 32 patients experienced bleeding complications. Patients with either weights of less than or equal to 60 kg and with cancer showed around 3.3- and 3.4-fold increased risk of bleeding complications compared to heavier patients ( > 60 kg) and those without cancer, respectively. In subgroup analysis with high-risk patients who took low-dose edoxaban (15 mg and 30 mg), weights of less than or equal to 60 kg remained a significant factor for bleeding outcomes. Conclusion: This study showed that weights of less than or equal to 60 kg and the presence of cancers could affect bleeding complications which occurred despite proper edoxaban treatment in Asian patients. Therefore, more strict dosage guideline could be considered in populations with high proportions of Asian ethnicities.

Background: There is no consensus on the timing of pulmonary valve replacement (PVR) in these patients or the impact of PVR on the subsequent development of fatal arrhythmias such as ventricular tachycardia. We have assessed the incidence of ventricular arrhythmias in patients with PVR versus those without PVR in patients with TOF. Methods: We performed an aggregate data meta-analysis on 12 studies with 1,740 patients on the development of ventricular arrhythmias following initial repair, comparing patients who had PVR years after initial repair versus those who had no further intervention. We also performed a meta-regression analysis to evaluate the effect of preoperative and postoperative right ventricular end-diastolic volume (RV-EDV) and QRS on the incidence of ventricular arrhythmias. Results: Among 1,740 patients with TOF, ventricular arrhythmias in patients with PVR were reduced by almost 60% than patients without PVR (OR 0.40, 95% CI 0.219-0.725, p <0.003). Similar results were noted in both fixed- and random-effects models. The standardized difference in means for RV-EDV after PVR showed a statistically significant reduction after PVR (random-effects model: -1.44, SE = 0.188, p < 0.0001). Patients also had a statistically significant increase in RV-EF and reduction QRS as well as increase in RV-EF following PVR. Neither pre-operative RV-EDV nor QRS duration was associated with statistically significant coefficients for changes in the incidence of VT by meta-regression. Conclusion: For TOF survivors after repair, there was a markedly reduced rate of ventricular arrhythmias in patients who received PVR compared to patients without PVR.

Introduction High-grade atrioventricular block (AVB) requiring cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) following transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is an important post-procedural complication. Risk prediction models have been developed to identify patients in sinus rhythm at risk for CIED placement following TAVR. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is frequently present in patients referred for TAVR and no risk prediction model has been developed for these patients. This study was undertaken to assess the accuracy of utilizing a previously validated risk prediction model in patients with pre-existing atrial fibrillation (1). Methods and Results This single center, retrospective study analyzed patients with pre-existing AF who underwent TAVR from July 2015 to November 2019. A summative risk prediction score was calculated using a previously described risk prediction model based on the use of a self-expanding valve (1 point), hypertension (1 point), and right bundle branch block on baseline electrocardiogram (2 points), and omitting pre-existing first degree AVB. The model demonstrated good predictive accuracy with an ideal linear regression in calibration plot (R2 = 0.778) and AUC in ROC of 0.652 (95% confidence interval 0.558 – 0.745). Conclusions Our previously validated risk prediction model accurately predicts the risk of post-TAVR CIED implantation in patients with pre-existing AF.

Idiopathic ventricular arrhythmias (VA) is defined as premature ventricular complexes (PVCs) or ventricular tachycardias (VT) that occur in the absence of structural heart disease. Endocardial radiofrequency (RF) ablation is often curative for idiopathic VA. The success of the procedure depends on the ability to localize the abnormal foci accurately. These arrhythmias typical originate from the right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT), specifically from the superior septal aspect, but can also originate from the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) and the coronary cusps.1 The QRS electrocardiogram (ECG) characteristics have been helpful in patients with VAs, patient with accessory pathways and patients who have pacemakers.2 VAs originating from the RVOT have typical ECG findings with a left bundle branch block (LBBB) morphology and an inferior axis.3In the current issue of the Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology, Hisazaki et al. describe five patients with idiopathic VA suggestive of RVOT origin and who required ablation in the left-sided outflow tract (OT) in addition to the initial ablation in the RVOT for cure to be achieved. Patients exhibited monomorphic, LBBB QRS pattern with an inferior axis on ECG, consistent with the morphology of VAs originating from the RVOT. Interestingly, all patients had a common distinct ECG pattern: qs or rs (r ≤ 5 mm) pattern in lead I, Q wave ratio[aVL/aVR]>1, and dominant S-waves in leads V1 and V2. Mapping of the right ventricle demonstrated early local activation time during the VA in the posterior portion of the RVOT, matching the QRS morphology obtained during pacemapping. Despite RF energy delivery to the RV, the VAs recurred shortly after ablation in four patients and had no effect at all in one patient. A change in the QRS morphology was noted on the ECG that had never been observed before the procedure. The new patterns were suggestive of left-sided OT origin: the second VAs exhibited an increase in the Q wave ratio [aVL/aVR] and R wave amplitude in lead V1, decrease in the S wave amplitude in lead V1, and a counterclockwise rotation of the precordial R-wave transition. Early activation of the second VA could not be found in the RVOT, and the earliest activation time after mapping the LV was found to be relatively late. Real-time intracardiac echocardiography and 3D mapping systems were used to determine the location immediately contralateral to the initial ablation site in the RVOT. Energy was then delivered to that site which successfully eliminated the second VA. The authors postulated that the second VAs shared the same origins as the first VAs, and the change in QRS morphology is likely attributed to a change in the exit point or in the pathway from the origin to the exit point. The authors further explained that the VAs originated from an intramural area of the superior basal LV surrounded by the RVOT, LVOT and the transitional zone from the great cardiac vein to the anterior interventricular vein (GCV-AIV).A limitation of this study is that GCV-AIV ablation was not attempted; however, the authors’ approach is safer and was successful in eliminating VA. Another limitation is that left-sided OT mapping was not initially performed. Nevertheless, given the ECG characteristics, local activation time, and mapping, it was appropriate to attempt a RVOT site ablation.Overall, the authors should be commended for their effort to describe in detail patients with idiopathic VAs that required ablation in the left-sided OT following ablation in the RVOT. Although change in QRS morphology after ablation has been previously described, the authors were the first to describe the ECG patterns of these patients.4–7 The results of this study have important clinical implications. First, the authors have demonstrated the importance of anatomical approach from the left-sided OT for cure to be achieved. Second, insight into the location of the origin of the VA may be helpful to physicians managing patients with VAs from the RVOT. Finally, continuous monitoring of the ECG during ablation for a change in QRS morphology should be considered to identify patients who will require further ablation. We have summarized in Table 1 important ECG characteristics indicative VA of specific origins, based on the findings of this study and previous studies in the literature.3,8–15

The findings of the prior studies investigating the resistin levels in Crohn’s disease (CD) patients and ulcerative colitis (UC) patients are inconsistent. Hence we performed the meta-analysis to systematically evaluate the serum levels of resistin in CD and UC, as well as in healthy individuals. PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) (as of April 30, 2020) were searched to collect all relevant published articles. We calculated the pooled standard mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) by R software. Eight articles including 438 CD patients and 358 controls, and 9 articles including 391 UC patients and 438 controls were enrolled. The results showed that resistin levels were significantly elevated in patients with CD (SMD = 1.76, 95% CI: 0.64 to 2.88, p = 0.002) and UC (SMD = 2.10, 95% CI: 1.03 to 3.17, p < 0.001) compared with healthy controls. Our findings indicate that the elevated levels of serum resistin were associated with CD and UC.

Introduction: The CA of AF may cause ridge edema, which may affect the safety of LAAC.Patients undergoing LAAC (left atrial appendage closure) with and without catheter ablation (CA) of atrial fibrillation (AF) were compared. METHODS: AF patients (N = 98) who went through LAAC (combined CA+LAAC procedures group; N=51), alone (LAAC group; N = 47) received transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) pre-procedural, intra-procedural and six-weeks post-procedure. The depth and ostial diameter of LAA, device compression, residual leak, and ridge thickness were evaluated in the patients. A comparison of patients having undergone combined and single procedures was done post-implantation. Finally, images of LAA and primary clinical characteristics were compared. RESULTS: TEE at six-weeks after implantation identified 27 patients with a residual leak (19 in the combined procedures group and 8 in the alone group; p = 0.04). A significantly higher rate of new residual leak was observed in the combined procedures group (25.5% vs 8.5%; p = 0.03). In the combined procedures group, a statistically significant lower amount of device compression ratio was also noted at implant as compared with that of six-weeks follow-up (22.44 ± 3.90 vs 19.59 ± 5.39; p = 0.03). No difference at significance level was found between both groups in all-cause, or cardiovascular deaths, and TIA/stroke/system embolism. CONCLUSIONS: Combined procedures of CA and LAAC for AF are feasible and safe, however, during follow-up, it might cause enhanced residual leak and smaller device compression ratio.

Li-rich layered Mn-based oxides (LMOs) have attracted much attention due to their potential in various applications as cathode materials with high energy density. However, these cathode materials still suffer from drawbacks such as poor rate capability and voltage decay which makes further investigation vital and rational. Herein, the doping strategy is employed to investigate the effect of TM = Ti, Cu, and Zn on Li2Mn0.5TM0.5O3 for improving electrochemical performances of Li2MnO3. The electrochemical properties such as voltage, electrical conductivity, safety, structural stability, and kinetics and mechanism of Li-ion diffusion are evaluated and compared. All doped cathodes decrease the voltage reduction and improve the electrical conductivity coefficient in comparison with LMO. Ti dopants exhibit the potential to increase the maximum voltage of LMO and structural stability. Doping Zn and Cu elements can delay the oxygen loss which leads to a higher life cycle and safety. Also, the substitution of Zn dopants decreases the energy barrier against Li-ion diffusion and consequently, the lower Li-ion diffusion coefficient is expected. Using Ti, Cu, and Zn with α = 0.5 in Li2Mn0.5TMαO3 may furthermore open a door for the synthesis of lithium-rich materials with enhanced performance.

Pulmonary Vein Isolation (PVI) remains the cornerstone for catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF). Achieving durable PVI safely with Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation (RFCA) has proven challenging until recently, even with the use of Contact Force (CF) sensing catheters and electroanatomical mapping1. Ablation success rates improve markedly, including in persistent AF, when permanent PVI can be achieved1,2, which only underscores the critical role of the Pulmonary Veins (PV) in AF arrhythmogenesis.Historically, the only way to assess PVI durability has been through invasive electrophysiology study, with all its associated risk, inconvenience, and costs. This price appears particularly galling to pay if the PVs are found to be isolated at repeat study, as is now becoming increasingly common3. Multiple randomised studies have failed to show additional benefit from ablating extra-PV structures4,5, and the best outcomes following repeat AF ablation procedures are restricted to those where PV reconnection is identified and treated6. As such, there remains a pressing need for a non-invasive tool that can accurately assess PVI durability, and ideally, the size and location of residual gaps. As Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has increasingly been shown capable of delineating atrial scar, there is much anticipation that it may serve this important purpose7.RFCA and Cryoballoon ablation (CBA) are by far the most common modalities used for PVI, and there is remarkable equivalence in their clinical results8. However, the handling of the two technologies in the catheter laboratory is very different, and ultrahigh density mapping has shown important differences in the number and location of chronic gaps between the two9. The use of MRI in characterizing these differences has not been well described so far.In this issue of the journal, Kurose and colleagues present a small but elegant study10, in which 30 consecutive patients who underwent PVI (18 with CBA, 12 with RFCA) were assessed by LGE-MRI two months later, where lesion width and visual gap(s) around each vein were assessed. The RF applications were delivered using a CF sensing catheter, with a target lesion size index (LSI) of 5, and an inter-lesion distance of <6mm. They found that the mean lesion width on MRI was significantly wider in the CBA group (8.1±2.2 mm) as compared to the RFCA group (6.3±2.2 mm), p=0.032. However, there were more visual gaps seen in the CBA group, especially in the bottom segments of the two inferior veins. In the RFCA group, gaps were seen most often seen in the left posterior segments where the target LSI value could not be achieved because of esopheageal temperature rise. Furthermore, the number of gaps visualised on MRI was linked to freedom from AF at 12 months; receiver operating characteristic curve analysis suggested a cut off value of less than 5 visual gaps per patient as being predictive of a good outcome.The authors deserve to be congratulated for their study, which builds on their previous work where LGE-MRI was used to compare chronic lesions between CBA and RFCA with non-CF sensing catheters11. It is notable that whilst the lesion width in their previous study was also significantly greater in the CBA group than the RFCA group, the mean number of gaps in the RFCA group was higher. This suggests that the modern technique of delivering LSI-guided contiguous RFCA lesions has resulted in a material improvement in PVI durability, something that is borne out in clinical studies too3.Some limitations of the work should be mentioned. Patients were not randomised to RFCA or CBA; rather, patients undergoing CBA were pre-selected with those with left common PV or large PVs excluded. The ablation technique used for CBA was unusual in that the use of RFCA was allowed if PVI could not be achieved after a single 3-minute freeze. This low bar for defining CBA failure led to as many as 3 patients out of 25 being excluded from the study. Many readers will feel that the mean procedural times of 129 minutes and fluoroscopy times of 39 minutes for CBA are much longer than what is the norm today. They may also find the RF powers used in this study unusual; only 30W was used on the anterior wall, and 20-25W on the posterior wall, which was reduced even further if esophageal temperature rise was observed. The field is moving towards using higher power short duration (HPSD) RF applications, and as HPSD lesions have been shown to be wider12, it is possible that the gaps on the posterior wall identified in this study may not have been present had HPSD applications been used. Finally, the definition of visual gap on MRI used in this study, a non-LGE site larger than 4 mm, almost certainly overestimated the number of true gaps. For instance, the authors observed at least one visual gap in each of the 16 segments around the PVs in more than 10% CB patients; this is at odds with data obtained with ultrahigh density mapping9, and also with the good clinical outcomes reported here. Future research should look at correlating these MRI-visualised gaps with actual gaps seen on repeat electrophysiological study, so that the clinical significance of these can be better defined.What can we take away from this study? Firstly, the use of MRI to assess post-ablation scar is now a reality in many labs, allowing assessment of PVI durability to help decide whether or not to offer a repeat procedure to a patient with AF recurrence. Secondly, the evolution of the RFCA technique to include target lesion indices and inter-lesion distance has made RFCA at least as effective as CBA in achieving durable PVI. Finally, this is an area ripe for further research, and we look forward to similarly valuable contributions from Kurose and colleagues in the future.

The current COVID-19 global pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) of probable bat origin, has highlighted the ongoing need for a One Health response to emerging zoonotic disease events, which are significantly increasing over time. Understanding the human-animal interface and its relevance to disease transmission remains a critical control point for many emerging zoonoses. Determination of the susceptibility of various animal species to infection with SARS-CoV-2 and the role of animals in the epidemiology of the disease will be critical to informing appropriate human and veterinary public health responses to this pandemic. A scoping literature review was conducted to collect, evaluate and present the available research evidence regarding SARS-CoV-2 infections in animals. Experimental studies have successfully demonstrated SARS-CoV-2 infection and transmission in cats, ferrets, hamsters, bats and non-human primates under experimental settings. Dogs appear to have limited susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2, while other domestic species including pigs and poultry do not appear susceptible. Naturally occurring SARS-CoV-2 infections in animals appear uncommon, with 14 pets, 8 captive big cats and an unreported number of farmed mink testing positive to date. Infections typically appear asymptomatic in dogs, while clinical signs of respiratory and/or gastrointestinal disease tend to be mild to moderate in felines, and severe to fatal in mink. Most animal cases have been infected by close contact with COVID-19 patients. In domestic settings, viral transmission is self-limiting, however in high density animal environments there can be sustained between-animal transmission. To date, two potential cases of animal-to-human transmission are being investigated, on infected mink farms. Given the millions of COVID-19 cases worldwide and ongoing potential for further zoonotic and anthroponotic viral transmission, further research and surveillance activities are needed to definitively determine the role of animals in community transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

Soil aggregates are the basic unit structing soils, and their stability is an important index for soil degradation. However, current methodologies rarely assess the influence of primary soil particles on soil aggregates distribution for different breakdown mechanisms. The purpose of this study was to fill this gap in the literature by developing a new method that separates the primary soil particles from the soil aggregates for different breakdown mechanisms with a series of in-lab experiments. The whole soil sample was treated by fast wetting, slow wetting, and mechanical breakdown by pre-wetting and stirring to simulate the different breakdown mechanisms of slaking, differential swelling of clays, and mechanical breakdown by raindrop impact, respectively. Then, attempts were made to separate the primary soil particles from the soil aggregates of various particle size fractions by using sodium hexametaphosphate and hydrogen peroxide to eliminate the influence of the primary soil particles on the soil aggregate distribution. Four soils collected from different areas with different soil textures were used to assess the soil aggregate distribution by using the new method to highlight the importance of separating the primary soil particles from the soil aggregate for different breakdown mechanisms. The results indicated that the primary soil particles have much greater influence on the micro-aggregates than on macro-aggregates. Different breakdown mechanisms and soil types could affect the influence of the primary soil particles affects the on soil aggregate distribution. This study highlights the influence of separate primary soil particles on soil aggregate distribution for different breakdown mechanisms.

Quantifying the magnitude of phenotypic plasticity to compare among species, populations, cultivars, or genotypes is important for revealing the ecological and evolutionary significance of plastic responses to various abiotic and biotic factors. Commonly used plasticity estimators have occasionally been found to generate different species’ plasticity rankings. However, we do not know how frequent this incongruence is or the factors that influence the occurrence thereof; nor do we know which plasticity estimator is more reliable. We first addressed these problems using a theoretical framework, revealing inherent conflicts between the reaction norm slope and plasticity indices, and the conditions affecting these conflicts. We then empirically tested the effects of the estimators on interspecific plasticity differences by reanalyzing 1248 sets of relevant data, confirming the predictions derived from our theoretical framework. Finally, we show through theoretical analyses that the reaction norm slope is more reliable than plasticity indices for interspecific comparisons.

Several strains of the novel Coronavirus have been identified and countries around the world are conducting research to identify, map and compare each type. Its infection can manifest with symptoms ranging from uncomplicated non-specific illness to a more damaging syndrome that include mild to moderate pneumonia (Co-vid 19 pneumonia broadly categorised into the phenotypes: L-type and H-type); Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome; Sepsis and Septic shock. Although, this virus has a low mortality rate, the danger lies in its virulence and transmission dynamics. With more and more cases being reported, researchers and clinicians are promptly identifying and triaging the cases for treatment. Till date, there has been no drug identified to be efficacious cure for this infection. Using the WHO guidelines as a base, various medical institutions are continuously updating their guidelines for the identification and therapeutic management of persons infected with Co-vid 19, with a strong emphasis on IPC measures. The guidelines also highlight detailed supportive treatment including supplemental oxygen therapy, ventilation, intubation and management of specific complications. The current treatment is tailored to patient centred management for the existing co-morbidities and appreciate a progress in the prognosis. What is needed at this hour however, is a definitive drug therapy or vaccine. Different countries are rushing to find this and various trials are already underway. The aim of this article is thus to review salient features of specific therapies being used now and summarise the different clinical trials being conducted so as to stay abreast of the possible treatment modalities.

In the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic, what are the lessons clinical pharmacology could learn to improve our teaching practice and involvement in research and ethics committees to make sure we are better prepared for the next emergency. Is there something in the light of the hydroxychloroquine hype that we as clinical pharmacologists or our professional societies could have done better? We propose updating the way we teach about drug development, rules and ethics of off-label prescribing and critical appraisal of primary sources when guidelines and top-level evidence are not available. Clinical pharmacology should play a leading role in the future re-definition of processes and guidelines for emergencies such as the one we faced in 2020.