| 1. |
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| 2. |
- Athan, E., et al.
(författare)
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Influence of vancomycin minimum inhibitory concentration on the outcome of methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus left-sided infective endocarditis treated with antistaphylococcal β-lactam antibiotics: a prospective cohort study by the International Collaboration on Endocarditis
- 2017
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Ingår i: Clinical Microbiology and Infection. - : Elsevier BV. - 1198-743X .- 1469-0691. ; 23, s. 544-549
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- © 2017 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Objectives Left-sided methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) endocarditis treated with cloxacillin has a poorer prognosis when the vancomycin minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) is ≥1.5 mg/L. We aimed to validate this using the International Collaboration on Endocarditis cohort and to analyse whether specific genetic characteristics were associated with a high vancomycin MIC (≥1.5 mg/L) phenotype. Methods All patients with left-sided MSSA infective endocarditis treated with antistaphylococcal β-lactam antibiotics between 2000 and 2006 with available isolates were included. Vancomycin MIC was determined by Etest as either high (≥1.5 mg/L) or low (<1.5 mg/L). Isolates underwent spa typing to infer clonal complexes and multiplex PCR for identifying virulence genes. Univariate analysis was performed to evaluate the association between in-hospital and 1-year mortality, and vancomycin MIC phenotype. Results Sixty-two cases met the inclusion criteria. Vancomycin MIC was low in 28 cases (45%) and high in 34 cases (55%). No significant differences in patient demographic data or characteristics of infection were observed between patients with infective endocarditis due to high and low vancomycin MIC isolates. Isolates with high and low vancomycin MIC had similar distributions of virulence genes and clonal lineages. In-hospital and 1-year mortality did not differ significantly between the two groups (32% (9/28) vs. 27% (9/34), p 0.780; and 43% (12/28) vs. 29% (10/34), p 0.298, for low and high vancomycin MIC respectively). Conclusions In this international cohort of patients with left-sided MSSA endocarditis treated with antistaphylococcal β-lactams, vancomycin MIC phenotype was not associated with patient demographics, clinical outcome or virulence gene repertoire.
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| 3. |
- Rescigno, R., et al.
(författare)
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Performance of the reconstruction algorithms of the FIRST experiment pixel sensors vertex detector
- 2014
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Ingår i: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A. - : Elsevier BV. - 0168-9002 .- 1872-9576. ; 767, s. 34-40
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Hadrontherapy treatments use charged particles (e.g. protons and carbon ions) to treat tumors. During a therapeutic treatment with carbon ions, the beam undergoes nuclear fragmentation processes giving rise to significant yields of secondary charged particles. An accurate prediction of these production rates is necessary to estimate precisely the dose deposited into the tumours and the surrounding healthy tissues. Nowadays, a limited set of double differential carbon fragmentation cross-section is available. Experimental data are necessary to benchmark Monte Carlo simulations for their use in hadrontherapy. The purpose of the FIRST experiment is to study nuclear fragmentation processes of ions with kinetic energy in the range from 100 to 1000 MeV/u. Tracks are reconstructed using information from a pixel silicon detector based on the CMOS technology. The performances achieved using this device for hadrontherapy purpose are discussed. For each reconstruction step (clustering, tracking and vertexing), different methods are implemented. The algorithm performances and the accuracy on reconstructed observables are evaluated on the basis of simulated and experimental data.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Pleskac, R., et al.
(författare)
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The FIRST experiment at GSI
- 2012
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Ingår i: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A. - : Elsevier BV. - 0168-9002 .- 1872-9576. ; 678, s. 130-138
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The FIRST (Fragmentation of Ions Relevant for Space and Therapy) experiment at the SIS accelerator of GSl laboratory in Darmstadt has been designed for the measurement of ion fragmentation crosssections at different angles and energies between 100 and 1000 MeV/nucleon. Nuclear fragmentation processes are relevant in several fields of basic research and applied physics and are of particular interest for tumor therapy and for space radiation protection applications. The start of the scientific program of the FIRST experiment was on summer 2011 and was focused on the measurement of 400 MeV/nucleon C-12 beam fragmentation on thin (8 mm) graphite target. The detector is partly based on an already existing setup made of a dipole magnet (ALADiN). a time projection chamber (TP-MUSIC IV), a neutron detector (LAND) and a time of flight scintillator system (TOFWALL). This pre-existing setup has been integrated with newly designed detectors in the Interaction Region, around the carbon target placed in a sample changer. The new detectors are a scintillator Start Counter, a Beam Monitor drift chamber, a silicon Vertex Detector and a Proton Tagger scintillator system optimized for the detection of light fragments emitted at large angles. In this paper we review the experimental setup, then we present the simulation software, the data acquisition system and finally the trigger strategy of the experiment.
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| 6. |
- Toppi, M., et al.
(författare)
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Measurement of fragmentation cross sections of C-12 ions on a thin gold target with the FIRST apparatus
- 2016
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Ingår i: Physical Review C. - 2469-9985 .- 2469-9993. ; 93:6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A detailed knowledge of the light ions interaction processes with matter is of great interest in basic and applied physics. As an example, particle therapy and space radioprotection require highly accurate fragmentation cross-section measurements to develop shielding materials and estimate acute and late health risks for manned missions in space and for treatment planning in particle therapy. The Fragmentation of Ions Relevant for Space and Therapy experiment at the Helmholtz Center for Heavy Ion research (GSI) was designed and built by an international collaboration from France, Germany, Italy, and Spain for studying the collisions of a C-12 ion beam with thin targets. The collaboration's main purpose is to provide the double-differential cross-section measurement of carbon-ion fragmentation at energies that are relevant for both tumor therapy and space radiation protection applications. Fragmentation cross sections of light ions impinging on a wide range of thin targets are also essential to validate the nuclear models implemented in MC simulations that, in such an energy range, fail to reproduce the data with the required accuracy. This paper presents the single differential carbon-ion fragmentation cross sections on a thin gold target, measured as a function of the fragment angle and kinetic energy in the forward angular region (theta less than or similar to 6 degrees), aiming to provide useful data for the benchmarking of the simulation softwares used in light ions fragmentation applications. The C-12 ions used in the measurement were accelerated at the energy of 400 MeV/nucleon by the SIS (heavy ion synchrotron) GSI facility.
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| 7. |
- Golosio, B., et al.
(författare)
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The FIRST experiment for nuclear fragmentation measurements at GSI
- 2011
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Ingår i: Nuclear Science Symposium and Medical Imaging Conference (NSS/MIC), 2011 IEEE. ; , s. 2277-2280
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Nuclear fragmentation processes are relevant in different fields of physics concerning both basic research and applications. FIRST (Fragmentation of Ions Relevant for Space and Therapy) is an experiment aimed at the measurement of double differential cross sections (DDCS), with respect to kinetic energy and scattering polar angle, of nuclear fragmentation processes relevant for hadron therapy and for space radiation protection applications, in the energy range between 100 and 1000 MeV/u. The experiment was mounted at the GSI laboratories of Darmstadt, in Germany. A first data taking was performed in August 2011, using 400 MeV/u 12C on carbon and gold targets. In this work we present a description of the experimental apparatus and some figures from the data acquisition and from the preliminary work on data analysis
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Van Der Vaart, Thomas W., et al.
(författare)
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External Validation of the 2023 Duke-International Society for Cardiovascular Infectious Diseases Diagnostic Criteria for Infective Endocarditis
- 2024
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Ingår i: Clinical Infectious Diseases. - 1058-4838. ; 78:4, s. 922-929
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background. The 2023 Duke-International Society of Cardiovascular Infectious Diseases (ISCVID) criteria for infective endocarditis (IE) were introduced to improve classification of IE for research and clinical purposes. External validation studies are required. Methods. We studied consecutive patients with suspected IE referred to the IE team of Amsterdam University Medical Center (from October 2016 to March 2021). An international expert panel independently reviewed case summaries and assigned a final diagnosis of "IE"or "not IE,"which served as the reference standard, to which the "definite"Duke-ISCVID classifications were compared. We also evaluated accuracy when excluding cardiac surgical and pathologic data ("clinical"criteria). Finally, we compared the 2023 Duke- ISCVID with the 2000 modified Duke criteria and the 2015 and 2023 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) criteria. Results. A total of 595 consecutive patients with suspected IE were included: 399 (67%) were adjudicated as having IE; 111 (19%) had prosthetic valve IE, and 48 (8%) had a cardiac implantable electronic device IE. The 2023 Duke-ISCVID criteria were more sensitive than either the modified Duke or 2015 ESC criteria (84.2% vs 74.9% and 80%, respectively; P < .001) without significant loss of specificity. The 2023 Duke-ISCVID criteria were similarly sensitive but more specific than the 2023 ESC criteria (94% vs 82%; P < .001). The same pattern was seen for the clinical criteria (excluding surgical/pathologic results). New modifications in the 2023 Duke-ISCVID criteria related to "major microbiological"and "imaging"criteria had the most impact. Conclusions. The 2023 Duke-ISCVID criteria represent a significant advance in the diagnostic classification of patients with suspected IE.
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| 10. |
- Ambrosioni, J., et al.
(författare)
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Epidemiological Changes and Improvement in Outcomes of Infective Endocarditis in Europe in the Twenty-First Century: An International Collaboration on Endocarditis (ICE) Prospective Cohort Study (2000-2012)
- 2023
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Ingår i: Infectious Diseases and Therapy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2193-8229 .- 2193-6382. ; 12:4, s. 1083-1101
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction Infective endocarditis (IE) has undergone important changes in its epidemiology worldwide.Methods The study aimed to compare IE epidemiological features and outcomes according to predefined European regions and between two different time periods in the twenty-first century.Results IE cases from 13 European countries were included. Two periods were considered: 2000-2006 and 2008-2012. Two European regions were considered, according to the United Nations geoscheme for Europe: Southern (SE) and Northern-Central Europe (NCE). Comparisons were performed between regions and periods. A total of 4195 episodes of IE were included, 2113 from SE and 2082 from NCE; 2787 cases were included between 2000 and 2006 and 1408 between 2008 and 2012. Median (IQR) age was 63.7 (49-74) years and 69.4% were males. Native valve IE (NVE), prosthetic valve IE (PVE), and device-related IE were diagnosed in 68.3%, 23.9%, and 7.8% of cases, respectively; 52% underwent surgery and 19.3% died during hospitalization. NVE was more prevalent in NCE, whereas device-related IE was more frequent in SE. Higher age, acute presentation, hemodialysis, cancer, and diabetes mellitus all were more prevalent in the second period. NVE decreased and PVE and device-related IE both increased in the second period. Surgical treatment also increased from 48.7% to 58.4% (p < 0.01). In-hospital and 6-month mortality rates were comparable between regions and significantly decreased in the second period.Conclusions Despite an increased complexity of IE cases, prognosis improved in recent years with a significant decrease in 6-month mortality. Outcome did not differ according to the European region (SE versus NCE).
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| 11. |
- Casolino, M., et al.
(författare)
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The altcriss project on board the International Space Station
- 2007
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Ingår i: Advances in Space Research. - : Elsevier BV. - 1879-1948 .- 0273-1177. ; 40:11, s. 1746-1753
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Alteriss project aims to perform a long term survey of the radiation environment on board the International Space Station. Measurements are being performed with active and passive devices in different locations and orientations of the Russian segment of the station. The goal is to perform a detailed evaluation of the differences in particle fluence and nuclear composition due to different shielding material and attitude of the station. The Sileye-3/Alteino detector is used to identify nuclei up to Iron in the energy range above similar or equal to 60 MeV/n. Several passive dosimeters (TLDs, CR39) are also placed in the same location of Sileye-3 detector. Polyethylene shielding is periodically interposed in front of the detectors to evaluate the effectiveness of shielding on the nuclear component of the cosmic radiation. The project was submitted to ESA in reply to the AO in the Life and Physical Science of 2004 and data taking began in December 2005. Dosimeters and data cards are rotated every 6 months: up to now three launches of dosimeters and data cards have been performed and have been returned with the end of expedition 12 and 13. (C) 2007 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of COSPAR.
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| 12. |
- Hidalgo, N. F., et al.
(författare)
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Beta-Hemolytic Streptococcal Infective Endocarditis: Characteristics and Outcomes From a Large, Multinational Cohort
- 2020
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Ingår i: Open Forum Infectious Diseases. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 2328-8957. ; 7:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background. Beta-hemolytic streptococci (BHS) are an uncommon cause of infective endocarditis (IE). The aim of this study was to describe the clinical features and outcomes of patients with BHS IE in a large multinational cohort and compare them with patients with viridans streptococcal IE. Methods. The International Collaboration on Endocarditis Prospective Cohort Study (ICE-PCS) is a large multinational database that recruited patients with IE prospectively using a standardized data set. Sixty-four sites in 28 countries reported patients prospectively using a standard case report form developed by ICE collaborators. Results. Among 1336 definite cases of streptococcal IE, 823 were caused by VGS and 147 by BHS. Patients with BHS IE had a lower prevalence of native valve (P < .005) and congenital heart disease predisposition (P = .002), but higher prevalence of implantable cardiac device predisposition (P < .005). Clinically, they were more likely to present acutely (P < .005) and with fever (P = .024). BHS IE was more likely to be complicated by stroke and other systemic emboli (P < .005). The overall in-hospital mortality of BHS IE was significantly higher than that of VGS IE (P = .001). In univariate analysis, variables associated with in-hospital mortality for BHS IE were age (odds ratio [OR], 1.044; P = .004), prosthetic valve IE (OR, 3.029; P = .022), congestive heart failure (OR, 2.513; P = .034), and stroke (OR, 3.198; P = .009). Conclusions. BHS IE is characterized by an acute presentation and higher rate of stroke, systemic emboli, and in-hospital mortality than VGS IE. Implantable cardiac devices as a predisposing factor were more often found in BHS IE compared with VGS IE.
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| 13. |
- Manzoni, Claudia, et al.
(författare)
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Genome-wide analyses reveal a potential role for the MAPT, MOBP, and APOE loci in sporadic frontotemporal dementia
- 2024
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Ingår i: American Journal of Human Genetics. - 0002-9297. ; 111:7, s. 1316-1329
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is the second most common cause of early-onset dementia after Alzheimer disease (AD). Efforts in the field mainly focus on familial forms of disease (fFTDs), while studies of the genetic etiology of sporadic FTD (sFTD) have been less common. In the current work, we analyzed 4,685 sFTD cases and 15,308 controls looking for common genetic determinants for sFTD. We found a cluster of variants at the MAPT (rs199443; p = 2.5 × 10−12, OR = 1.27) and APOE (rs6857; p = 1.31 × 10−12, OR = 1.27) loci and a candidate locus on chromosome 3 (rs1009966; p = 2.41 × 10−8, OR = 1.16) in the intergenic region between RPSA and MOBP, contributing to increased risk for sFTD through effects on expression and/or splicing in brain cortex of functionally relevant in-cis genes at the MAPT and RPSA-MOBP loci. The association with the MAPT (H1c clade) and RPSA-MOBP loci may suggest common genetic pleiotropy across FTD and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) (MAPT and RPSA-MOBP loci) and across FTD, AD, Parkinson disease (PD), and cortico-basal degeneration (CBD) (MAPT locus). Our data also suggest population specificity of the risk signals, with MAPT and APOE loci associations mainly driven by Central/Nordic and Mediterranean Europeans, respectively. This study lays the foundations for future work aimed at further characterizing population-specific features of potential FTD-discriminant APOE haplotype(s) and the functional involvement and contribution of the MAPT H1c haplotype and RPSA-MOBP loci to pathogenesis of sporadic forms of FTD in brain cortex.
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| 14. |
- Kreuzer, M., et al.
(författare)
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Multidisciplinary European Low Dose Initiative (MELODI) : strategic research agenda for low dose radiation risk research
- 2018
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Ingår i: Radiation and Environmental Biophysics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0301-634X .- 1432-2099. ; 57:1, s. 5-15
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- MELODI (Multidisciplinary European Low Dose Initiative) is a European radiation protection research platform with focus on research on health risks after exposure to low-dose ionising radiation. It was founded in 2010 and currently includes 44 members from 18 countries. A major activity of MELODI is the continuous development of a long-term European Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) on low-dose risk for radiation protection. The SRA is intended to identify priorities for national and European radiation protection research programs as a basis for the preparation of competitive calls at the European level. Among those key priorities is the improvement of health risk estimates for exposures close to the dose limits for workers and to reference levels for the population in emergency situations. Another activity of MELODI is to ensure the availability of European key infrastructures for research activities, and the long-term maintenance of competences in radiation research via an integrated European approach for training and education. The MELODI SRA identifies three key research topics in low dose or low dose-rate radiation risk research: (1) dose and dose rate dependence of cancer risk, (2) radiation-induced non-cancer effects and (3) individual radiation sensitivity. The research required to improve the evidence base for each of the three key topics relates to three research lines: (1) research to improve understanding of the mechanisms contributing to radiogenic diseases, (2) epidemiological research to improve health risk evaluation of radiation exposure and (3) research to address the effects and risks associated with internal exposures, differing radiation qualities and inhomogeneous exposures. The full SRA and associated documents can be downloaded from the MELODI website (http://www.melodi-online.eu/sra.html).
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| 15. |
- Albani, D, et al.
(författare)
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Insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor polymorphism rs2229765 and circulating interleukin-6 level affect male longevity in a population-based prospective study (Treviso Longeva--TRELONG).
- 2011
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Ingår i: The Aging Male. - 1368-5538. ; 14:4, s. 257-264
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) signaling modulation has been associated with increased lifespan in model organisms, while high levels of circulating interleukin-6 (IL-6) are a marker of disability and mortality. In the prospective, population-based "Treviso Longeva"--TRELONG Study from Italy (n = 668, age range 70-105.5 years at baseline, followed for seven years) we investigated the effects of survival on the IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1R) gene polymorphism rs2229765, the IL-6 gene promoter polymorphism rs1800795, and plasma concentrations of IGF-1 and IL-6, alone or in combination. We found a sex-dependent effect for the IGF-1R rs2229765 polymorphism, as male carriers of the homozygous A/A genotype survived longer, while the IL-6 rs1800795 genotype did not influence overall or sex-specific longevity. Higher IL-6 levels were more detrimental for survival among males than females, while IGF-1 had no dose-response effect. These findings sustain the hypothesis that sex-specific longevity relies on detectable differences in genetic and biochemical parameters between males and females.
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| 16. |
- Athan, Eugene, et al.
(författare)
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Clinical characteristics and outcome of infective endocarditis involving implantable cardiac devices
- 2012
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Ingår i: JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association. - : American Medical Association (AMA). - 0098-7484 .- 1538-3598. ; 307, s. 1727-1735
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context: Infection of implantable cardiac devices is an emerging disease with significant morbidity, mortality, and health care costs. Objectives: To describe the clinical characteristics and outcome of cardiac device infective endocarditis (CDIE) with attention to its health care association and to evaluate the association between device removal during index hospitalization and outcome. Design, Setting, and Patients: Prospective cohort study using data from the International Collaboration on Endocarditis-Prospective Cohort Study (ICE-PCS), conducted June 2000 through August 2006 in 61 centers in 28 countries. Patients were hospitalized adults with definite endocarditis as defined by modified Duke endocarditis criteria. Main Outcome Measures: In-hospital and 1-year mortality. Results: CDIE was diagnosed in 177 (6.4% [95% CI, 5.5%-7.4%]) of a total cohort of 2760 patients with definite infective endocarditis. The clinical profile of CDIE included advanced patient age (median, 71.2 years [interquartile range, 59.8-77.6]); causation by staphylococci (62 [35.0% {95% CI, 28.0%-42.5%}] Staphylococcus aureus and 56 [31.6% {95% CI, 24.9%-39.0%}] coagulase-negative staphylococci); and a high prevalence of health care-associated infection (81 [45.8% {95% CI, 38.3%- 53.4%}]). There was coexisting valve involvement in 66 (37.3% [95% CI, 30.2%- 44.9%]) patients, predominantly tricuspid valve infection (43/177 [24.3%]), with associated higher mortality. In-hospital and 1-year mortality rates were 14.7% (26/177 [95% CI, 9.8%-20.8%]) and 23.2% (41/177 [95% CI, 17.2%-30.1%]), respectively. Proportional hazards regression analysis showed a survival benefit at 1 year for device removal during the initial hospitalization (28/141 patients [19.9%] who underwent device removal during the index hospitalization had died at 1 year, vs 13/34 [38.2%] who did not undergo device removal; hazard ratio, 0.42 [95% CI, 0.22- 0.82]). Conclusions: Among patients with CDIE, the rate of concomitant valve infection is high, as is mortality, particularly if there is valve involvement. Early device removal is associated with improved survival at 1 year. ©2012 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.
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| 17. |
- Durante, M., et al.
(författare)
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All the fun of the FAIR: fundamental physics at the facility for antiproton and ion research
- 2019
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Ingår i: Physica Scripta. - : IOP Publishing. - 1402-4896 .- 0031-8949. ; 94:3
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR) will be the accelerator-based flagship research facility in many basic sciences and their applications in Europe for the coming decades. FAIR will open up unprecedented research opportunities in hadron and nuclear physics, in atomic physics and nuclear astrophysics as well as in applied sciences like materials research, plasma physics and radiation biophysics with applications towards novel medical treatments and space science. FAIR is currently under construction as an international facility at the campus of the GSI Helmholtzzentrum for Heavy-Ion Research in Darmstadt, Germany. While the full science potential of FAIR can only be harvested once the new suite of accelerators and storage rings is completed and operational, some of the experimental detectors and instrumentation are already available and will be used starting in summer 2018 in a dedicated research program at GSI, exploiting also the significantly upgraded GSI accelerator chain. The current manuscript summarizes how FAIR will advance our knowledge in various research fields ranging from a deeper understanding of the fundamental interactions and symmetries in nature to a better understanding of the evolution of the Universe and the objects within.
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| 18. |
- Durante-Mangoni, Emanuele, et al.
(författare)
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Current features of infective endocarditis in elderly patients: Results of the international collaboration on endocarditis prospective cohort study
- 2008
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Ingår i: Archives of Internal Medicine. - : American Medical Association (AMA). - 0003-9926 .- 1538-3679. ; 168, s. 2095-2103
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Elderly patients are emerging as a population at high risk for infective endocarditis (IE). However, adequately sized prospective studies on the features of IE in elderly patients are lacking. Methods: In this multinational, prospective, observational cohort study within the International Collaboration on Endocarditis, 2759 consecutive patients were enrolled from June 15, 2000, to December 1, 2005; 1056 patients with IE 65 years or older were compared with 1703 patients younger than 65 years. Risk factors, predisposing conditions, origin, clinical features, course, and outcome of IE were comprehensively analyzed. Results: Elderly patients reported more frequently a hospitalization or an invasive procedure before IE onset. Diabetes mellitus and genitourinary and gastrointestinal cancer were the major predisposing conditions. Blood culture yield was higher among elderly patients with IE. The leading causative organism was Staphylococcus aureus, with a higher rate of methicillin resistance. Streptococcus bovis and enterococci were also significantly more prevalent. The clinical presentation of elderly patients with IE was remarkable for lower rates of embolism, immune-mediated phenomena, or septic complications. At both echocardiography and surgery, fewer vegetations and more abscesses were found, and the gain in the diagnostic yield of transesophageal echocardiography was significantly larger. Significantly fewer elderly patients underwent cardiac surgery (38.9% vs 53.5%; P < .001). Elderly patients with IE showed a higher rate of in-hospital death (24.9% vs 12.8%; P < .001), and age older than 65 years was an independent predictor of mortality. Conclusions: In this large prospective study, increasing age emerges as a major determinant of the clinical characteristics of IE. Lower rates of surgical treatment and high mortality are the most prominent features of elderly patients with IE. Efforts should be made to prevent health care-associated acquisition and improve outcomes in this major subgroup of patients with IE. ©2008 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.
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| 19. |
- Gallucci, M, et al.
(författare)
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Factors related to disability: Evidence from the "Treviso Longeva (TRELONG) Study"
- 2010
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Ingår i: Archives of gerontology and geriatrics. - : Elsevier BV. - 1872-6976 .- 0167-4943. ; 52:3, s. 309-16
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Prolongation of life is an important public health goal as long as there is an emphasis on the quality of life (QoL) and independent living. Diminishing abilities to ambulate and participate in activities of daily living point to a serious decline in functional health, increasing the risk of institutionalization and death. In our work we found a pattern of factors associated with disability, especially cognitive impairment, as well as stroke, physical activity and performance, reading, and the nutritional biomarkers, blood albumin and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). The attention to this cluster of markers, suggesting multidimensional prevention, may have unexpected good effects against disability.
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| 20. |
- Gustafson, Deborah, 1966, et al.
(författare)
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Body Mass Index, Cognition, Disability, APOE Genotype, and Mortality: The "Treviso Longeva" Study
- 2012
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Ingår i: American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. - 1064-7481. ; 20:7, s. 594-602
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: The concurrent contributions of dynamic, interrelated late-life parameters, such as bodymass index (BMI), cognition, and physical functioning on mortality in the elderly are unclear, as is the influence of APOE genotype. We explored these measures in relation to 7-year mortality in long-lived Italian elderly. Design: A representative, age-stratified, population sample. Setting: The Treviso Longeva (TRELONG) Study, in Treviso, Italy. Participants: Three hundred eleven men and 357 women, aged 70 years and older (mean age 84 +/- 8 years). Measurements: Seven-year mortality, BMI, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score, Activities of Daily Living (ADL), APOE genotype, and a variety of clinical and survey data. Results: In separate age-and sex-adjusted analyses, BMI <18.5 kg/m(2), MMSE <= 24, and ADL <6, were associated with greater 7-year mortality among adults aged 70 years and older. In a multivariate model including all factors, MMSE <= 24, and ADL <6 were associated with greater mortality; BMI >= 30 kg/m(2) was protective. There were no interactions between BMI, MMSE, or ADL. When excluding those dying within 3 years of baseline, only an MMSE <= 24 was related to mortality. APOE epsilon 4 was not related to mortality. Conclusion: Higher MMSE score, higher ADL score, and higher BMI, independent of age, sex, and other factors, are markers for longer life among northern Italian adults aged 70 years or older. Global cognition, BMI, and physical functioning, assessed by short, simple tests are profound indicators of death within less than a decade. (Am J Geriatr Psychiatry 2012; 20:594-602)
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| 21. |
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| 22. |
- Kristoffersson, Anders N., 1985-, et al.
(författare)
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Population pharmacokinetics of colistin and the relation to survival in critically ill patients infected with colistin susceptible and carbapenem-resistant bacteria
- 2020
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Ingår i: Clinical Microbiology and Infection. - : Elsevier BV. - 1198-743X .- 1469-0691. ; 26:12, s. 1644-1650
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVES: The aim was to analyse the population pharmacokinetics of colistin and to explore the relationship between colistin exposure and time to death.METHODS: Patients included in the AIDA randomized controlled trial were treated with colistin for severe infections caused by carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. All subjects received a 9 million units (MU) loading dose, followed by a 4.5 MU twice daily maintenance dose, with dose reduction if creatinine clearance (CrCL) < 50 mL/min. Individual colistin exposures were estimated from the developed population pharmacokinetic model and an optimized two-sample per patient sampling design. Time to death was evaluated in a parametric survival analysis.RESULTS: Out of 406 randomized patients, 349 contributed pharmacokinetic data. The median (90% range) colistin plasma concentration was 0.44 (0.14-1.59) mg/L at 15 minutes after the end of first infusion. In samples drawn 10 hr after a maintenance dose, concentrations were >2 mg/L in 94% (195/208) and 44% (38/87) of patients with CrCL ≤120 mL/min, and >120 mL/min, respectively. Colistin methanesulfonate sodium (CMS) and colistin clearances were strongly dependent on CrCL. High colistin exposure to MIC ratio was associated with increased hazard of death in the multivariate analysis (adjusted hazard ratio (95% CI): 1.07 (1.03-1.12)). Other significant predictors included SOFA score at baseline (HR 1.24 (1.19-1.30) per score increase), age and Acinetobacter or Pseudomonas as index pathogen.DISCUSSION: The population pharmacokinetic model predicted that >90% of the patients had colistin concentrations >2 mg/L at steady state, but only 66% at 4 hr after start of treatment. High colistin exposure was associated with poor kidney function, and was not related to a prolonged survival.
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| 23. |
- Luoni, F., et al.
(författare)
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Total nuclear reaction cross-section database for radiation protection in space and heavy-ion therapy applications
- 2021
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Ingår i: New Journal of Physics. - : IOP Publishing. - 1367-2630. ; 23:10
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Realistic nuclear reaction cross-section models are an essential ingredient of reliable heavy-ion transport codes. Such codes are used for risk evaluation of manned space exploration missions as well as for ion-beam therapy dose calculations and treatment planning. Therefore, in this study, a collection of total nuclear reaction cross-section data has been generated within a GSI-ESA-NASA collaboration. The database includes the experimentally measured total nucleus-nucleus reaction cross-sections. The Tripathi, Kox, Shen, Kox-Shen, and Hybrid-Kurotama models are systematically compared with the collected data. Details about the implementation of the models are given. Literature gaps are pointed out and considerations are made about which models fit best the existing data for the most relevant systems to radiation protection in space and heavy-ion therapy.
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| 24. |
- Stoehlker, Th., et al.
(författare)
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APPA at FAIR : From fundamental to applied research
- 2015
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Ingår i: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B. - : Elsevier BV. - 0168-583X .- 1872-9584. ; 235, s. 680-685
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- FAIR with its intense beams of ions and antiprotons provides outstanding and worldwide unique experimental conditions for extreme matter research in atomic and plasma physics and for application oriented research in biophysics, medical physics and materials science. The associated research programs comprise interaction of matter with highest electromagnetic fields, properties of plasmas and of solid matter under extreme pressure, density, and temperature conditions, simulation of galactic cosmic radiation, research in nanoscience and charged particle radiotherapy. A broad variety of APPA-dedicated facilities including experimental stations, storage rings, and traps, equipped with most sophisticated instrumentation will allow the APPA community to tackle new challenges. The worldwide most intense source of slow antiprotons will expand the scope of APPA related research to the exciting field of antimatter.
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| 25. |
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| 26. |
- La Tessa, C., et al.
(författare)
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Out-of-field dose studies with an anthropomorphic phantom : Comparison of X-rays and particle therapy treatments
- 2012
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Ingår i: Radiotherapy and Oncology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0167-8140 .- 1879-0887. ; 105:1, s. 133-138
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background and purpose: Characterization of the out-of-field dose profile following irradiation of the target with a 3D treatment plan delivered with modern techniques. Methods: An anthropomorphic RANDO phantom was irradiated with a treatment plan designed for a simulated 5×2×5cm 3 tumor volume located in the center of the head. The experiment was repeated with all most common radiation treatment types (photons, protons and carbon ions) and delivery techniques (Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy, passive modulation and spot scanning). The measurements were performed with active diamond detector and passive thermoluminescence (TLD) detectors to investigate the out-of-field dose both inside and outside the phantom. Results: The highest out-of-field dose values both on the surface and inside the phantom were measured during the treatment with 25 MV photons. In the proximity of the Planned Target Volume (PTV), the lowest lateral dose profile was observed for passively modulated protons mainly because of the presence of the collimator in combination with the chosen volume shape. In the far out-of-field region (above 100 mm from the PTV), passively modulated ions were characterized by a less pronounced dose fall-off in comparison with scanned beams. Overall, the treatment with scanned carbon ions delivered the lowest dose outside the target volume. Conclusions: For the selected PTV, the use of the collimator in proton therapy drastically reduced the dose deposited by ions or photons nearby the tumor. Scanning modulation represents the optimal technique for achieving the highest dose reduction far-out-of-field.
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| 27. |
- Norbury, John W., et al.
(författare)
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Are Further Cross Section Measurements Necessary for Space Radiation Protection or Ion Therapy Applications? Helium Projectiles
- 2020
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Physics. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2296-424X. ; 8
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The helium ((Formula presented.) He) component of the primary particles in the galactic cosmic ray spectrum makes significant contributions to the total astronaut radiation exposure. (Formula presented.) He ions are also desirable for direct applications in ion therapy. They contribute smaller projectile fragmentation than carbon ((Formula presented.) C) ions and smaller lateral beam spreading than protons. Space radiation protection and ion therapy applications need reliable nuclear reaction models and transport codes for energetic particles in matter. Neutrons and light ions ((Formula presented.) H, (Formula presented.) H, (Formula presented.) H, (Formula presented.) He, and (Formula presented.) He) are the most important secondary particles produced in space radiation and ion therapy nuclear reactions; these particles penetrate deeply and make large contributions to dose equivalent. Since neutrons and light ions may scatter at large angles, double differential cross sections are required by transport codes that propagate radiation fields through radiation shielding and human tissue. This work will review the importance of (Formula presented.) He projectiles to space radiation and ion therapy, and outline the present status of neutron and light ion production cross section measurements and modeling, with recommendations for future needs.
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