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- Andrady, Anthony, et al.
(författare)
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Environmental effects of ozone depletion and its interaction with climate change: Progress report 2007
- 2008
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Ingår i: Photochemical and Photobiological Sciences. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1474-9092 .- 1474-905X. ; 7:1, s. 15-27
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- This year theMontreal Protocol celebrates its 20th Anniversary. In September 1987, 24 countries signed the ‘Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer’. Today 191 countries have signed and have met strict commitments on phasing out of ozone depleting substances with the result that a 95% reduction of these substances has been achieved. The Montreal Protocol has also contributed to slowing the rate of global climate change, since most of the ozone depleting substances are also effective greenhouse gases. Even though much has been achieved, the future of the stratospheric ozone layer relies on full compliance of the Montreal Protocol by all countries for the remaining substances, including methyl bromide, as well as strict monitoring of potential risks from the production of substitute chemicals. Also the ozone depleting substances existing in banks and equipment need special attention to prevent their release to the stratosphere. Since many of the ozone depleting substances already in the atmosphere are long-lived, recovery cannot be immediate and present projections estimate a return to pre-1980 levels by 2050 to 2075. It has also been predicted that the interactions of the effects of the ozone layer and that of other climate change factors will become increasingly important.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Rudakov, D. L., et al.
(författare)
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Dust measurements in tokamaks (invited)
- 2008
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Ingår i: Review of Scientific Instruments. - : AIP Publishing. - 0034-6748 .- 1089-7623. ; 79:10, s. 10F303-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Dust production and accumulation present potential safety and operational issues for the ITER. Dust diagnostics can be divided into two groups: diagnostics of dust on surfaces and diagnostics of dust in plasma. Diagnostics from both groups are employed in contemporary tokamaks; new diagnostics suitable for ITER are also being developed and tested. Dust accumulation in ITER is likely to occur in hidden areas, e.g., between tiles and under divertor baffles. A novel electrostatic dust detector for monitoring dust in these regions has been developed and tested at PPPL. In the DIII-D tokamak dust diagnostics include Mie scattering from Nd:YAG lasers, visible imaging, and spectroscopy. Laser scattering is able to resolve particles between 0.16 and 1.6 mu m in diameter; using these data the total dust content in the edge plasmas and trends in the dust production rates within this size range have been established. Individual dust particles are observed by visible imaging using fast framing cameras, detecting dust particles of a few microns in diameter and larger. Dust velocities and trajectories can be determined in two-dimension with a single camera or three-dimension using multiple cameras, but determination of particle size is challenging. In order to calibrate diagnostics and benchmark dust dynamics modeling, precharacterized carbon dust has been injected into the lower divertor of DIII-D. Injected dust is seen by cameras, and spectroscopic diagnostics observe an increase in carbon line (CI, CII, C(2) dimer) and thermal continuum emissions from the injected dust. The latter observation can be used in the design of novel dust survey diagnostics.
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| 4. |
- Andrady, Anthony, et al.
(författare)
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Environmental effects of ozone depletion and its interactions with climate
- 2009
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Ingår i: Photochemical and Photobiological Sciences. - 1474-9092. ; 8:1, s. 13-22
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- After the enthusiastic celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer in 2007, the work for the protection of the ozone layer continues. The Environmental Effects Assessment Panel is one of the three expert panels within theMontreal Protocol. This “EEAP” deals with the increase of the UV irradiance on the Earth’s surface and its effects on human health, animals, plants, biogeochemistry, air quality and materials. For the past few years, interactions of ozone depletion with climate change have also been considered. It has become clear that the environmental problems will be long-lasting. In spite of the fact that the worldwide production of ozone depleting chemicals has already been reduced by 95%, the environmental disturbances are expected to persist for about the next half a century, even if the protective work is actively continued, and completed. The latest full report was published in Photochem. Photobiol. Sci., 2007, 6, 201–332, and the last progress report in Photochem. Photobiol. Sci., 2008, 7, 15–27. The next full report on environmental effects is scheduled for the year 2010. The present progress report 2008 is one of the short interim reports, appearing annually.
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| 5. |
- Amundadottir, Laufey, et al.
(författare)
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Genome-wide association study identifies variants in the ABO locus associated with susceptibility to pancreatic cancer.
- 2009
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Ingår i: Nature Genetics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1061-4036 .- 1546-1718. ; 41, s. 986-990
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We conducted a two-stage genome-wide association study of pancreatic cancer, a cancer with one of the lowest survival rates worldwide. We genotyped 558,542 SNPs in 1,896 individuals with pancreatic cancer and 1,939 controls drawn from 12 prospective cohorts plus one hospital-based case-control study. We conducted a combined analysis of these groups plus an additional 2,457 affected individuals and 2,654 controls from eight case-control studies, adjusting for study, sex, ancestry and five principal components. We identified an association between a locus on 9q34 and pancreatic cancer marked by the SNP rs505922 (combined P = 5.37 x 10(-8); multiplicative per-allele odds ratio 1.20; 95% confidence interval 1.12-1.28). This SNP maps to the first intron of the ABO blood group gene. Our results are consistent with earlier epidemiologic evidence suggesting that people with blood group O may have a lower risk of pancreatic cancer than those with groups A or B.
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| 7. |
- Kenchaiah, S., et al.
(författare)
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Body mass index and prognosis in patients with chronic heart failure: insights from the Candesartan in Heart failure: Assessment of Reduction in Mortality and morbidity (CHARM) program
- 2007
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Ingår i: Circulation. - 1524-4539. ; 116:6, s. 627-36
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: In individuals without known cardiovascular disease, elevated body mass index (BMI) (weight/height2) is associated with an increased risk of death. However, in patients with certain specific chronic diseases, including heart failure, low BMI has been associated with increased mortality. METHODS AND RESULTS: We examined the influence of BMI on prognosis using Cox proportional hazards models in 7599 patients (mean age, 65 years; 35% women) with symptomatic heart failure (New York Heart Association class II to IV) and a broad spectrum of left ventricular ejection fractions (mean, 39%) in the Candesartan in Heart failure: Assessment of Reduction in Mortality and morbidity (CHARM) program. During a median follow-up of 37.7 months, 1831 patients died. After adjustment for potential confounders, compared with patients with BMI between 30 and 34.9, patients in lower BMI categories had a graded increase in the risk of death. The hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) were 1.22 (1.06 to 1.41), 1.46 (1.24 to 1.71), and 1.69 (1.43 to 2.01) among those with BMI of 25 to 29.9, 22.5 to 24.9, and < 22.5, respectively. The increase in risk of death among patients with BMI > or = 35 was not statistically significant (hazard ratio, 1.17; 95% confidence interval, 0.95 to 1.43). The association between BMI and mortality was not altered by age, smoking status, or left ventricular ejection fraction (P for interaction >0.20). However, lower BMI was associated with a greater risk of all-cause death in patients without edema but not in patients with edema (P for interaction <0.0001). Lower BMI was associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular death and noncardiovascular death. Baseline BMI did not influence the risk of hospitalization for worsening heart failure or due to all causes. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with symptomatic heart failure and either reduced or preserved left ventricular systolic function, underweight or low BMI was associated with increased mortality, primarily in patients without evidence of fluid overload (edema).
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| 8. |
- Kober, L., et al.
(författare)
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Previously known and newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation: a major risk indicator after a myocardial infarction complicated by heart failure or left ventricular dysfunction
- 2006
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Ingår i: European journal of heart failure. - 1388-9842. ; 8:6, s. 591-8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- AIMS: To characterize the relationship between known and newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation (AF) and the risk of death and major cardiovascular (CV) events in patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI) complicated by heart failure (HF) and/or left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD). METHODS: The VALIANT trial enrolled 14,703 individuals with acute MI complicated by HF and/or LVSD. AF was assessed at presentation and at randomization (median 4.9 days after symptom onset). Primary outcomes were risk of death and major CV events 3 years following acute MI. RESULTS: A total of 1812 with current AF (AF between presentation and randomization), 339 patients with prior AF (history of AF without current AF), and 12,509 without AF were enrolled. Patients with AF were older; had more prior HF, angina, and MI, and received beta-blockers and thrombolytics less often than those without AF. Three-year mortality estimates were 20% in those without AF, 37% with current AF, and 38% with prior AF. Compared with patients without AF, the multivariable adjusted HR of death was 1.25 (1.03-1.52; p=0.03) for prior AF and 1.32 (1.20-1.45; p<0.0001) for current AF. HR for major CV events was 1.15 (0.98-1.35; p=0.08) and 1.21 (1.12-1.31; p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: AF is associated with greater long-term mortality and adverse CV events with acute MI complicated by HF or LVSD.
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| 10. |
- McMurray, J. J., et al.
(författare)
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Design of the Reduction of Events with Darbepoetin alfa in Heart Failure (RED-HF): a Phase III, anaemia correction, morbidity-mortality trial
- 2009
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Ingår i: European Journal of Heart Failure. - 1879-0844. ; 11:8, s. 795-801
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Patients with heart failure (HF) and anaemia have greater functional impairment, worse symptoms, increased rates of hospital admission, and a higher risk of death, compared with non-anaemic HF patients. Whether correcting anaemia can improve outcomes is unknown. OBJECTIVE: The Reduction of Events with Darbepoetin alfa in Heart Failure trial (RED-HF; Clinical Trials.gov NCT 003 58215) was designed to evaluate the effect of the long-acting erythropoietin-stimulating agent darbepoetin alfa on mortality and morbidity (and quality of life) in patients with HF and anaemia. METHODS: Approximately 2600 patients with New York Heart Association class II-IV, an ejection fraction < or =40%, and a haemoglobin (Hb) consistently < or =12.0 g/dL but > or =9.0 g/dL will be enrolled. Patients are randomized 1:1 to double-blind subcutaneous administration of darbepoetin alfa or placebo. Investigators are also blinded to Hb measurements and darbepoetin alfa is dosed to achieve an Hb concentration of 13.0 g/dL (but not exceeding 14.5 g/dL) with sham adjustments of the dose of placebo. The primary endpoint is the time to death from any cause or first hospital admission for worsening HF, whichever occurs first. The study will complete when approximately 1150 subjects experience a primary endpoint.
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