| 1. |
- Fomalont, E. B., et al.
(författare)
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THE 2014 ALMA LONG BASELINE CAMPAIGN: AN OVERVIEW
- 2015
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal Letters. - : American Astronomical Society. - 2041-8213 .- 2041-8205. ; 808:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A major goal of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is to make accurate images with resolutions of tens of milliarcseconds, which at submillimeter (submm) wavelengths requires baselines up to similar to 15 km. To develop and test this capability, a Long Baseline Campaign (LBC) was carried out from 2014 September to late November, culminating in end-to-end observations, calibrations, and imaging of selected Science Verification (SV) targets. This paper presents an overview of the campaign and its main results, including an investigation of the short-term coherence properties and systematic phase errors over the long baselines at the ALMA site, a summary of the SV targets and observations, and recommendations for science observing strategies at long baselines. Deep ALMA images of the quasar 3C 138 at 97 and 241 GHz are also compared to VLA 43 GHz results, demonstrating an agreement at a level of a few percent. As a result of the extensive program of LBC testing, the highly successful SV imaging at long baselines achieved angular resolutions as fine as 19 mas at similar to 350 GHz. Observing with ALMA on baselines of up to 15 km is now possible, and opens up new parameter space for submm astronomy.
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| 2. |
- Remme, W. J., et al.
(författare)
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Carvedilol protects better against vascular events than metoprolol in heart failure: results from COMET
- 2007
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Ingår i: Journal of the American College of Cardiology. - 1558-3597. ; 49:9, s. 963-71
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVES: We explored whether vascular protection by carvedilol could contribute to its superior effects in the treatment of heart failure (HF) compared with metoprolol tartrate in the COMET (Carvedilol Or Metoprolol European Trial) study. BACKGROUND: Full adrenergic blockade by carvedilol and additional (e.g., antioxidative) properties may lead to vascular protection relative to beta-1 blockade alone, and contribute to its efficacy in HF treatment. METHODS: Three thousand twenty-nine patients with HF due to ischemic (51%) or idiopathic cardiomyopathy (44%) were randomized double-blind to carvedilol (n = 1,511) or metoprolol (n = 1,518) and followed for 58 months. Vascular end points were cardiovascular death, stroke, stroke death, myocardial infarction (MI), and unstable angina. RESULTS: The effect of carvedilol on cardiovascular death improved consistently in subgroups with prespecified baseline variables. Myocardial infarctions were reported in 69 carvedilol and 94 metoprolol patients (hazard ratio [HR] 0.71, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.52 to 0.97, p = 0.03). Cardiovascular death or nonfatal MI combined were reduced by 19% in carvedilol (HR 0.81, 95% CI 0.72 to 0.92, p = 0.0009 vs. metoprolol). Unstable angina was reported as an adverse event in 56 carvedilol and in 77 metoprolol patients (HR 0.71, 95% CI 0.501 to 0.998, p = 0.049). A stroke occurred in 65 carvedilol and 80 metoprolol patients (HR 0.79, 95% CI 0.57 to 1.10). Stroke or MI combined occurred in 130 carvedilol and 168 metoprolol patients (HR 0.75, 95% CI 0.60 to 0.95, p = 0.015), and fatal MI or fatal stroke occurred in 34 carvedilol and in 72 metoprolol patients (HR 0.46, 95% CI 0.31 to 0.69, p = 0.0002). Death after a nonfatal MI or stroke occurred in 61 of 124 carvedilol and in 106 of 160 metoprolol patients (HR 0.66, 95% CI 0.48 to 0.90, p = 0.0086). CONCLUSIONS: Carvedilol improves vascular outcomes better than metoprolol. These results suggest a ubiquitous protective effect of carvedilol against major vascular events.
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| 3. |
- Torp-Pedersen, C., et al.
(författare)
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The safety of amiodarone in patients with heart failure
- 2007
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Ingår i: J Card Fail. - 1532-8414. ; 13:5, s. 340-5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Uncertainty persists about the safety and efficacy of amiodarone for the management of heart failure. METHODS AND RESULTS: We randomized 3029 patients with chronic heart failure to receive carvedilol or metoprolol and followed patients for a median of 58 months. One hundred fifty-five of 1466 patients in New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class II and 209 of 1563 in Class III or IV received amiodarone at baseline. Persistence with amiodarone treatment was high and 66% received amiodarone after 4 years. During follow-up, 38.7% and 58.9% of patients receiving amiodarone in NYHA Classes II and III + IV died versus 26.2% and 43.3% not receiving amiodarone (P < .001). This difference was maintained in multivariable analysis (hazard ratio [HR] 1.5, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.2-1.7, P < .001). The difference was explained by an increased risk of death due to circulatory failure (HR 2.4, CI 1.9-3.1, P < .001) in patients receiving amiodarone. Sudden death was not different (HR 1.07, CI 0.8-1.4, P = .7). The increased risk was similar across NYHA classes with HR of 1.60 (CI 1.2-2.1, P < .001) in NYHA Class II versus 1.58 (CI 1.3-1.9, P < .001) in Classes III + IV. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with amiodarone was associated with an increased risk of death from circulatory failure independent of functional class.
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| 4. |
- Komajda, M., et al.
(författare)
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The impact of new onset anaemia on morbidity and mortality in chronic heart failure: results from COMET
- 2006
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Ingår i: European heart journal. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0195-668X .- 1522-9645. ; 27:12, s. 1440-6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- AIMS: Anaemia is a common comorbidity in chronic heart failure (CHF). The predictors of new onset anaemia (NOA) and its long-term prognostic value, particularly in patients treated with beta-blockers, are not known. METHODS AND RESULTS: In COMET, 3029 patients with CHF in NYHA II-IV and EF <35% were randomized to carvedilol or metoprolol tartrate and were followed for an average of 58 months. Plasma haemoglobin (Hb) concentrations were measured at a central laboratory at randomization, at four monthly intervals for the first year and annually thereafter. According to WHO criteria, anaemia was defined when Hb measured <13 g/dL for men and <12 g/dL for women. We considered anaemia to be severe when Hb <11.5 g/dL for men and <10.5 g/dL for women. The baseline mean Hb was 14.2 +/- 1.5 g/dL (n = 2996) and 15.9% of patients had anaemia (males, 16.0%; females, 15.2%). At baseline, severe anaemia was found in 3.3% of patients (males, 3.6%; females, 2.0%). During the study, all-cause mortality (RR 1.47) death or hospitalization (RR 1.28), and heart failure hospitalization (RR 1.43, all P < 0.0001) were higher in anaemic when compared with non-anaemic patients. In patients without anaemia at baseline, at the end of the study, the cumulative frequency of NOA was 28.1% in males and 27.0% in females. NOA increased over time from 14.2% at year 1 to 27.5% at year 5. Predictors of NOA were: higher age, diuretic dose, creatinine (all P < 0.0001), higher serum potassium, lower serum sodium, body mass index, and use of aldosterone antagonists, carvedilol, and digitalis (all P < 0.03). Treatment with carvedilol (vs. metoprolol tartrate) was associated with a 24% increased risk to develop NOA (P = 0.0047), but not severe anaemia (P = 0.18). Patients with a Hb decrease of >3 g/dL (RR 3.37, P < 0.0001) or of 2.0-3.0 g/dL (RR 1.47, P = 0.011) from baseline had an increased subsequent mortality when compared with patients having Hb increases of 0-1.0 g/dL. CONCLUSION: In stable ambulatory CHF patients, development of NOA is frequent and can be predicted by a set of clinical variables. Decreases in Hb over time relate to future increased morbidity and mortality.
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| 5. |
- Remme, W. J., et al.
(författare)
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Effect of carvedilol and metoprolol on the mode of death in patients with heart failure
- 2007
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Ingår i: Eur J Heart Fail. - : Wiley. - 1388-9842 .- 1879-0844. ; 9:11, s. 1128-35
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: In the COMET study, carvedilol improved survival compared to metoprolol tartrate in 3029 patients with NYHA II-IV heart failure and EF <35%, followed for an average of 58 months. AIMS: To evaluate whether the effect on overall mortality was specific for a particular mode of death. This may help to identify the mechanism of the observed difference. METHODS: Of the 1112 total deaths, 972 were adjudicated as cardiovascular, including 480 sudden, 365 circulatory failure (CF) and 51 stroke deaths. For each mode of death, the effect of pre-specified baseline variables was assessed, including sex, age, NYHA class, aetiology, heart rate, systolic blood pressure, EF, atrial fibrillation, previous myocardial infarction or hypertension, renal function, concomitant medication, and study treatment allocation. RESULTS: In multivariate Cox regression analyses, compared to metoprolol, carvedilol reduced cardiovascular (RR 0.80, CI 0.7-0.91, p=0.0009), sudden (RR 0.77, CI 0.64-0.93, p=0.0073) and stroke deaths (RR 0.37, CI 0.19-0.71, p=0.0027) with a non-significant trend for CF death (RR 0.83, CI 0.66-1.04, p=0.07). Treatment benefit with carvedilol did not differ between modes of death, except for a greater reduction in stroke death with carvedilol (competing risk analysis, p=0.0071 vs CF death). There were no interactions between treatment allocation and baseline characteristics. CONCLUSION: Mortality reduction with carvedilol compared to metoprolol appears relatively non-specific and could be consistent with a superior effect of carvedilol on cardiac function, arrhythmias or, in view of the greater reduction in stroke deaths, on vascular events.
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| 6. |
- Moullet, A., et al.
(författare)
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Constraining the volcanic contribution to Io's atmosphere with ALMA maps
- 2014
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Ingår i: American Astronomical Society, Division of Planetary Sciences Meeting 46. ; #46:#411.01, s. 1-
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Io's atmosphere, which requires a continuous replenishment, is mostly likely fed by volcanic plume outgassing and SO2 frost sublimation, but the relative contributions of the different sources is still poorly understood. One way to retrace the atmospheric origin is to establish with good precision the location of the atmosphere.We used the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) to map simultaneously the distribution of SO2, SO and KCl. The observations obtained, while achieving only a modest improvement in angular resolution (down to 0.45" in the longitudinal direction), are of much better quality than previous (sub)millimeter maps thanks to the high sensitivity of ALMA. The maps clearly demonstrate that each atmospheric component displays a strikingly different spatial distribution. SO2, the main component, appears to be relatively spread out in a latitudinally-bound equatorial band, which is consistent both with previous HST observations and the hypothesis of a mainly sublimation-sustained bulk atmosphere on the day-side. On the other hand, KCl, for which we are presenting the first significant detection, is limited to small unresolved areas. This suggests it is only present in active volcanic plumes and quickly condenses once outside the plumes. Finally the SO distribution roughly traces the spread out distribution of SO2, but its offset emission maximum is indicative of an additional distinct source.
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| 7. |
- Moullet, A., et al.
(författare)
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EXPLORING IO'S ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION WITH APEX: FIRST MEASUREMENT OF (SO2)-S-34 AND TENTATIVE DETECTION OF KCl
- 2013
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 1538-4357 .- 0004-637X. ; 776:1, s. 32 (pp. 1-9)
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The composition of Io's tenuous atmosphere is poorly constrained. Only the major species SO2 and a handful of minor species have been positively identified, but a variety of other molecular species should be present, based on thermochemical equilibrium models of volcanic gas chemistry and the composition of Io's environment. This paper focuses on the spectral search for expected yet undetected molecular species (KCl, SiO, S2O) and isotopes ((SO2)-S-34). We analyze a disk-averaged spectrum of a potentially line-rich spectral window around 345 GHz, obtained in 2010 at the APEX 12 m antenna. Using different models assuming either extended atmospheric distributions or a purely volcanically sustained atmosphere, we tentatively measure the KCl relative abundance with respect to SO2 and derive a range of 4 x 10(-4)-8 x 10(-3). We do not detect SiO or S2O and present new upper limits on their abundances. We also present the first measurement of the S-34/S-32 isotopic ratio in gas phase on Io, which appears to be twice as high as the Earth and interstellar medium reference values. Strong lines of SO2 and SO are also analyzed to check for longitudinal variations of column density and relative abundance. Our models show that, based on their predicted relative abundance with respect to SO2 in volcanic plumes, both the tentative KCl detection and SiO upper limit are compatible with a purely volcanic origin for these species.
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