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  • Open Access
    Authors: 
    Benson J. Ouma; John M. Ssenkusu; Estela Shabani; Dibyadyuti Datta; Robert O. Opoka; Richard Idro; Paul Bangirana; Gregory S. Park; Moses Joloba; Kevin C. Kain; +2 more

    OBJECTIVES: Evaluate the relationship between endothelial activation, malaria complications, and long-term cognitive outcomes in severe malaria survivors. DESIGN: Prospectively cohort study of children with cerebral malaria, severe malarial anemia, or community children. SETTING: Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala, Uganda. SUBJECTS: Children 18 months to 12 years old with severe malaria (cerebral malaria, n = 253 or severe malarial anemia, n = 211) or community children (n = 206) were followed for 24 months. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Children underwent neurocognitive evaluation at enrollment (community children) or a week following hospital discharge (severe malaria) and 6, 12, and 24 months follow-up. Endothelial activation was assessed at admission on plasma samples (von Willebrand factor, angiopoietin-1 and angiopoietin-2, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1, soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, soluble E-Selectin, and P-Selectin). False discovery rate was used to adjust for multiple comparisons. Severe malaria was associated with widespread endothelial activation compared with community children (p < 0.0001 for all markers). Acute kidney injury was independently associated with changes in von Willebrand factor, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1, soluble E-Selectin, P-Selectin, and angiopoietin-2 (p < 0.0001 for all). A log(10) increase in angiopoietin-2 was associated with lower cognitive z scores across age groups (children < 5, β −0.42, 95% CI, −0.69 to −0.15, p = 0.002; children ≥ 5, β −0.39, 95% CI, −0.67 to −0.11, p = 0.007) independent of disease severity (coma, number of seizures, acute kidney injury) and sociodemographic factors. Angiopoietin-2 was associated with hemolysis (lactate dehydrogenase, total bilirubin) and inflammation (tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-10). In children with cerebral malaria who had a lumbar puncture performed, angiopoietin-2 was associated with blood-brain barrier dysfunction, and markers of neuroinflammation and injury in the cerebrospinal fluid (tumor necrosis factor-α, kynurenic acid, tau). CONCLUSIONS: These data support angiopoietin-2 as a measure of disease severity and a risk factor for long-term cognitive injury in children with severe malaria.

  • Open Access
    Authors: 
    Marie Scully; Javier de la Rubia; Katerina Pavenski; Ara Metjian; Paul Knoebl; Flora Peyvandi; Spero R. Cataland; Paul Coppo; Johanna A. Kremer Hovinga Strebel; Jessica Minkue Mi Edou; +4 more
    Publisher: American Society of Hematology

    Abstract Background: The post-HERCULES trial (NCT02878603) evaluated long-term safety and efficacy of caplacizumab in patients with acquired thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (aTTP; also known as immune-mediated TTP), and efficacy of repeated use of caplacizumab for aTTP recurrence. Methods: Patients who completed the HERCULES trial were invited to participate in the post-HERCULES study and attend twice-yearly visits for 3 years. In case of aTTP recurrence, patients could receive open-label (OL) caplacizumab with therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) and immunosuppression (IST). Safety was assessed during the overall study period (intention-to-observe [ITO] population) and during recurrences. TTP-related events (recurrence, mortality, or major thromboembolic events) were assessed in the efficacy ITO population. The ITO population (n=104) included all enrolled patients, grouped by whether they received caplacizumab during HERCULES (randomized or switched to OL after exacerbation). The efficacy ITO population (n=78) included those without aTTP recurrence during HERCULES or prior to the beginning of post-HERCULES. The recurrence population (n=19) included patients with ≥1 recurrence during post-HERCULES; the repeat-use population (n=9) was a subset treated at least twice with caplacizumab (received caplacizumab in HERCULES or treated twice in post-HERCULES). Pharmacodynamics and immunogenicity were assessed in the ITO population. The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Results: Of 104 patients enrolled in post-HERCULES, 75 were treated with caplacizumab along with TPE+IST during HERCULES (caplacizumab group) and 29 were treated with TPE+IST only (placebo group). During the overall post-HERCULES study period, incidence of adverse events (AEs) and serious AEs was similar between the groups. In the ITO population, recurrence occurred in 11/75 patients (15%) in the caplacizumab group and 8/29 patients (28%) in the placebo group. In the efficacy ITO population, TTP-related events occurred in 8% of patients (4/49) randomized to caplacizumab versus 38% (11/29) randomized to placebo (Table 1). Prior rituximab use during HERCULES was similar in both groups (21/49 patients [43%] randomized to caplacizumab and 12/29 [41%] randomized to placebo). Incidence of recurrence by prior rituximab use (with vs without) was 10% (2/21) versus 7% (2/28) among patients randomized to caplacizumab, and 17% (2/12) versus 35% (6/17) among patients randomized to placebo. Of 19 patients with ≥1 recurrence, 13 were treated with caplacizumab and 6/13 received concomitant rituximab. Recurrences were resolved (12/13) or resolving (1/13) for all patients treated with caplacizumab, including 9 patients with repeat caplacizumab use. One patient who did not receive caplacizumab in either HERCULES or post-HERCULES died as an outcome of recurrence. Safety profile of caplacizumab for treatment of recurrence was consistent with that observed in HERCULES (Table 2) . The most common treatment-emergent AEs (TEAEs) with caplacizumab during the first recurrence (n=13) were headache and constipation (n=3 each). In the repeat-use population (n=9), bleeding events were reported in 5/9 patients (56%) for the first recurrence; 2 patients had a serious treatment-related TEAE of genitourinary or gastrointestinal bleeding; 2 patients had treatment-emergent anti-drug antibodies (ADAs) positive in a functional neutralizing antibody assay. No apparent impact of treatment-emergent ADAs on RICO activity or change from baseline in von Willebrand factor antigen concentration was found. Conclusions: The long-term safety profile of patients exposed to caplacizumab together with TPE+IST was similar to those who received IST+TPE only, with no observed increases in recurrence of aTTP. Repeat caplacizumab use was efficacious, with no evidence of safety concerns or boosting of ADA response. Funding: This research was funded by Ablynx, a Sanofi company. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Scully: Shire: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Sanofi: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Octopharma: Speakers Bureau. de la Rubia: Ablynx/Sanofi: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb,: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Celgene, Takeda, Janssen, Sanofi: Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES; Sanofi: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Consultancy; AbbVie: Consultancy; Bristol Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel Accommodations; GSK: Consultancy. Pavenski: Alexion: Honoraria, Research Funding; Bioverativ: Research Funding; Ablynx: Honoraria, Research Funding; Octapharma: Research Funding; Shire: Honoraria. Metjian: Momenta/Johnson & Johnson, Sanofi Aventis, Takeda: Research Funding; Ablynx/Sanofi: Consultancy; Sanofi Aventis, Takeda: Other: Advisory. Knoebl: Ablynx/Sanofi: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Shire/Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; CSL Behring: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Roche: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Novo Nordisk: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Peyvandi: Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria; Sanofi: Consultancy, Honoraria; Sobi: Consultancy, Honoraria. Cataland: Alexion: Consultancy, Research Funding; Ablynx/Sanofi: Consultancy, Research Funding; Takeda: Consultancy; Sanofi Genzyme: Consultancy. Coppo: Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Sanofi Aventis, Octapharma AG: Consultancy, Other: Advisory; Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Sandoz, Sanofi Aventis, Takeda: Other: Speakers Bureau; Ablynx/Sanofi: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Shire: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Kremer Hovinga Strebel: Ablynx/Sanofi: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Speaker at symposia; Shire: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; CSL Behring: Other: Speaker at symposia; Roche: Other: Speaker at symposia; Siemens: Other: Speaker at symposia. Minkue Mi Edou: Sanofi: Current Employment, Other: May hold shares and/or stock options. de Passos Sousa: Sanofi: Current Employment, Other: May hold shares and/or stock options. Callewaert: Sanofi: Current Employment, Other: May hold shares and/or stock options. Gunawardena: Sanofi: Current Employment, Other: May hold shares and/or stock options. Lin: Sanofi: Current Employment, Other: May hold shares and/or stock options.

  • Open Access

    For longitudinal studies with multivariate observations, we propose statistical methods to identify clusters of archetypal subjects by using techniques from functional data analysis and to relate longitudinal patterns to outcomes. We demonstrate how this approach can be applied to examine associations between multiple time-varying exposures and subsequent health outcomes, where the former are recorded sparsely and irregularly in time, with emphasis on the utility of multiple longitudinal observations in the framework of dimension reduction techniques. In applications to children's growth data, we investigate archetypes of infant growth patterns and identify subgroups that are related to cognitive development in childhood. Specifically, "Stunting" and "Faltering" time-dynamic patterns of head circumference, body length and weight in the first 12 months are associated with lower levels of long-term cognitive development in comparison to "Generally Large" and "Catch-up" growth. Our findings provide evidence for the statistical association between multivariate growth patterns in infancy and long-term cognitive development.

  • Open Access
    Authors: 
    Nizar J. Bahlis; Rachid Baz; Simon J. Harrison; Hang Quach; Shir-Jing Ho; Annette Juul Vangsted; Philippe Moreau; Simon D. J. Gibbs; Ahmed Salem; Jeremy A. Ross; +6 more
    Publisher: American Society of Hematology

    Background: Novel and more effective therapies for multiple myeloma (MM) have led to increasing overall survival, but most patients (pts) will eventually relapse or become refractory (RR). The proteasome inhibitor (PI) bortezomib (V), the anti-CD38 antibody daratumumab (D), and dexamethasone (d) are key agents for combination therapy in first-line and RR settings. Venetoclax (Ven) is a highly selective, potent, oral BCL-2 inhibitor that induces apoptosis in BCL-2-dependent MM cells in vitro. Encouraging clinical efficacy has been observed with Ven monotherapy in t(11;14) pts, and with VenV in pts irrespective of disease genetic background. In view of MM intraclonal heterogeneity, the addition of D to Ven +/- PI is postulated to further enhance antitumor activity of Ven-based regimens in RRMM. Methods: M15-654 (NCT03314181) is an ongoing Phase 1/2, nonrandomized, multicenter study of combination therapy consisting of VenDd +/- V in pts with RRMM. The primary objective is to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and preliminary efficacy of VenDd +/- V. In Part 1, VenDd was evaluated in t(11;14) MM pts who received ≥1 prior line of therapy that included a PI and an immunomodulatory drug (IMiD). In Part 2, VenDVd was evaluated in MM pts irrespective of t(11;14) status who were non-refractory to PIs and received 1 - 3 prior lines of therapy. Each regimen was evaluated in a dose escalation and expansion phase. In each part, Ven dose escalation was initiated at 400 mg daily (QD) and escalated to 800 mg QD if acceptable safety and tolerability were observed. Escalation cohorts had ≥3 pts, and escalation decisions were based on a Bayesian optimal interval design and the number of pts with a dose limiting toxicity (DLT). In Part 1, cycles (C) were 28-day: Ven QD + D 16 mg/kg intravenous (IV) (C1, 2: Days 1, 8, 15, 22; C3 - 6: Days 1, 15; C7+: Day 1) + d 40 mg total weekly. In Part 2, C1 - 8 were 21-day, C9+ were 28-day: Ven QD + D 16 mg/kg IV (C1 - 3: Days 1, 8, 15; C4+: Day 1) + V 1.3 mg/m2 subcutaneous (C1 - 8, Days 1, 4, 8, 11) + d 20 mg (C1 - 3: Days 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 11, 12, 15; C4 - 8, Days 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 11, 12) and 40 mg weekly for C9+. Results: As of 13 May 2019, 48 pts were enrolled. Of 24 t(11;14) pts treated in Part 1 with VenDd, median age was 63 (range, 51 - 76), median prior lines of therapy was 2.5 (range, 1 - 8), 14 (58%) had ISS II/III disease, and 24 (100%) received both prior PI and IMiD (46% refractory to PI, 71% refractory to IMiD, 42% double refractory). Of 24 pts treated in Part 2 with VenDVd, median age was 64 (range, 41 - 80), median prior lines of therapy was 1 (range, 1 - 3), 14 (58%) had ISS II/III disease, and 6 (25%) were t(11;14). Twenty-two (92%) pts received prior PI, 17 (71%) received prior IMiD (33% refractory), and 15 (63%) received prior PI + IMiD. The most common adverse events (AEs; VenDd/VenDVd) were fatigue (54%/21%), diarrhea (50%/42%), nausea (33%/38%), insomnia (29%/42%), cough (21%/8%), headache (21%/4%), upper respiratory tract infection (21%/17%), constipation (8%/33%), infusion related reaction (8%/33%), peripheral neuropathy (4%/25%), and dyspepsia (4%/21%). Grade 3/4 AEs were seen in 63%/54% of pts. The most common Grade 3/4 AEs in pts receiving VenDd were neutropenia (13%), fatigue, hyperglycemia, and hypertension (8% each); in pts receiving VenDVd, the most common were insomnia (17%), diarrhea, and thrombocytopenia (8% each). There were 6 pts with infection-related Grade 3/4 AEs (3 VenDd, 3 VenDVd). No AEs of tumor lysis syndrome were observed. Eleven pts had a serious AE (5 VenDd, 6 VenDVd), the most common being pyrexia in 3 pts. One pt treated with VenDd had a DLT of febrile neutropenia, and 1 pt treated with VenDVd died due to progressive disease. No infection-related deaths were seen. Pharmacokinetic analyses demonstrated that addition of D and V did not impact Ven exposure. Median time on study is 3.6 months (m; 8.1 m escalation, 2.8 m expansion) in the VenDd arm and 3.1 m (5.8 m escalation, 2.4 m expansion) in the VenDVd arm. The objective response rate (ORR) was 92% and 88% in pts receiving VenDd and VenDVd, respectively (Table). Conclusions: This first analysis of pts treated with VenDd +/- V demonstrate a tolerable safety profile with encouraging efficacy, notably among t(11;14) pts treated with VenDd who had an ORR of 92%. No new safety signals were observed. Although the study is currently on partial clinical hold, enrolled pts continue to be followed. Analysis will be updated at presentation. Disclosures Bahlis: Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria; AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria. Baz:Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; AbbVie: Research Funding; Merck: Research Funding; Sanofi: Research Funding; Karyopharm: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Harrison:Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Janssen Cilag: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; GSK: Consultancy, Research Funding; AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: investigator on studies, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Quach:Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Karyopharm: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; GSK: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Sanofi: Research Funding; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Ho:Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Vangsted:Oncopeptides: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Sanofi: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Honoraria; Jansen: Honoraria. Moreau:Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria; AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria. Gibbs:BMS: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Pfizer: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Salem:AbbVie: Employment, Other: Stock/stock options. Ross:AbbVie: Employment, Other: Stock/stock options. Pesko:AbbVie: Employment, Other: Stock/stock options. Westrup:AbbVie: Employment, Other: Stock/stock options. Vue:AbbVie: Employment, Other: Stock/stock options. Maciag:AbbVie: Employment, Other: Stock/stock options. Bueno:AbbVie: Employment, Other: Stock/stock options. Kaufman:Takeda: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy; AbbVie: Consultancy; Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University: Employment; Pharmacyclics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Incyte: Consultancy; Karyopharm: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; TG Therapeutics: Consultancy; Janssen: Honoraria; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy. OffLabel Disclosure: Venetoclax is a BCL-2 inhibitor that is FDA-approved in some indications. This presentation will focus on venetoclax for treatment of multiple myeloma, which is not an approved indication.

  • Publication . Other literature type . Article . 2018
    Open Access
    Authors: 
    Anna-Maria Carvalho; Vincent Poirier;
    Publisher: CMA Impact Inc.

    As emergency physicians with a subspecialty in aviation medicine, we agree with Dr. Rieb’s response[1][1] to an analysis article by Kodama and colleagues[2][2] that having naloxone on board is a necessary tool to treat the increasingly common medical emergency of opioid intoxication. Some airlines

  • Open Access
    Authors: 
    Evon S. Ereifej; Courtney E. Shell; Jonathon S. Schofield; Hamid Charkhkar; Ivana Cuberovic; Alan D. Dorval; Emily L. Graczyk; Takashi D. Y. Kozai; Kevin J. Otto; Dustin J. Tyler; +6 more

    Objective Recent advances in neural engineering have restored mobility to people with paralysis, relieved symptoms of movement disorders, reduced chronic pain, restored the sense of hearing, and provided sensory perception to individuals with sensory deficits. Approach This progress was enabled by the team-based, interdisciplinary approaches used by neural engineers. Neural engineers have advanced clinical frontiers by leveraging tools and discoveries in quantitative and biological sciences and through collaborations between engineering, science, and medicine. The movement toward bioelectronic medicines, where neuromodulation aims to supplement or replace pharmaceuticals to treat chronic medical conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and psychiatric disorders is a prime example of a new frontier made possible by neural engineering. Although one of the major goals in neural engineering is to develop technology for clinical applications, this technology may also offer unique opportunities to gain insight into how biological systems operate. Main results Despite significant technological progress, a number of ethical and strategic questions remain unexplored. Addressing these questions will accelerate technology development to address unmet needs. The future of these devices extends far beyond treatment of neurological impairments, including potential human augmentation applications. Our task, as neural engineers, is to push technology forward at the intersection of disciplines, while responsibly considering the readiness to transition this technology outside of the laboratory to consumer products. Significance This article aims to highlight the current state of the neural engineering field, its links with other engineering and science disciplines, and the challenges and opportunities ahead. The goal of this article is to foster new ideas for innovative applications in neurotechnology.

  • Open Access English
    Authors: 
    Bowles, KR; Pugh, DA; Farrell, K; Han, N; TCW, J; Liu, Y; Liang, SA; Qian, L; Bendl, J; Fullard, JF; +24 more
    Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

    Abstract Parkinson’s disease (PD) and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) are clinically similar neurodegenerative movement disorders that display unique neuropathological features (i.e. Lewy body pathology and Tau pathology, respectively). While each disorder has distinct clinical and genetic risk factors, both are associated with the MAPT 17q.21.31 locus H1 haplotype. This suggests a pleiotropic effect of this genomic region. To better understand the genetic contribution of this region to these diseases, we fine-mapped the apparent pleiotropy of this locus. Our study indicates that PD and PSP are associated with different sub-haplotypes of the H1 clade. PD-associated sub-haplotypes were associated with altered LRRC37A copy number and expression, which, like other PD risk-associated genes, we hypothesize to be most relevant to astroglial function. In contrast, PSP was associated with grossly altered LD structure across the 17q21.31 locus, and risk-associated variants were found to impact chromatin structure in both neurons and microglia. We conclude that the contribution of the 17q21.31 locus to multiple disorders is a result of its structural and haplotypic complexity, which in turn impacts the regulation of multiple genes and neural cell types. This raises the possibility of novel disease-specific pathogenic mechanisms driven by 17q21.31 structural variation and altered epigenetic regulation that appear to converge on glial function and gene expression. By fine-mapping the association of H1 with PD and PSP, we have begun to untangle the apparent pleiotropy of this locus, and gain better insight into the mechanism of each disease, which will guide future functional analyses and disease models for PD and PSP.

  • Open Access
    Authors: 
    Johannes Thrul; Kira E. Riehm; Joanna E. Cohen; G. Caleb Alexander; Jon S. Vernick; Ramin Mojtabai;
    Project: NIH | Diagnostic, treatment, an... (5F31MH124330-02), NIH | Clean Indoor Air Laws, Ci... (5R01DA042738-02), CIHR

    Background Tobacco policies, including clean indoor air laws and cigarette taxes, increase smoking cessation in part by stimulating the use of cessation treatments. We explored whether the associations between tobacco policies and treatment use varies across sociodemographic groups. Methods We used data from 62,165 U.S. adult participants in the 2003 and 2010/11 Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey (TUS-CPS) who reported smoking cigarettes during the past-year. We built on prior structural equation models used to quantify the degree to which smoking cessation treatment use (prescription medications, nicotine replacement therapy, counseling/support groups, quitlines, and internet resources) mediated the association between clean indoor air laws, cigarette excise taxes, and recent smoking cessation. In the current study, we added selected moderators to each model to investigate whether associations between tobacco polices and smoking cessation treatment use varied by sex, race/ethnicity, education, income, and health insurance status. Results Associations between clean indoor air laws and the use of prescription medication and nicotine replacement therapies varied significantly between racial/ethnic, age, and education groups in 2003. However, none of these moderation effects remained significant in 2010/11. Higher cigarette excise taxes in 2010/2011 were associated with higher odds of using counseling among older adults and higher odds of using prescription medications among younger adults. No other moderator reached statistical significance. Smoking cessation treatments did not mediate the effect of taxes on smoking cessation in 2003 and were not included in these analyses. Conclusions Sociodemographic differences in associations between clean indoor air laws and smoking cessation treatment use have decreased from 2003 to 2010/11. In most cases, policies appear to stimulate smoking cessation treatment use similarly across varied sociodemographic groups.

  • Closed Access
    Authors: 
    Aboutaleb Haddadi; Ilhan Kocar; Ulas Karaagac; Henry Gras; Evangelos Farantatos;
    Publisher: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

    Large-scale integration of wind generation changes the power swing characteristics of a power system and may result in the misoperation of legacy power swing protection schemes. This paper presents a qualitative study on the impact of wind generation on power swing protection. The objective is to provide an understanding of the problem through case studies and present possible solutions and adjustments in protection schemes to ensure the efficiency of protection under large-scale integration of wind generation. The misoperation of power swing protection functions, namely power swing blocking and out-of-step tripping (OST), as a result of increased wind generation levels, are shown through case studies. It is also shown that the electrical center of a power system may move due to wind generation. In this case, it would be necessary to revise the optimal location of the OST protection. Finally, the impact of various factors, such as wind generator type, control scheme and fault-ride-through function, and wind generation level and capacity are investigated to determine the key features that need to be accounted for in practical protection studies.

  • Open Access
    Authors: 
    Hao Zhang; Dongdong Chen; Seok-Bum Ko;
    Publisher: Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET)
    Project: NSERC

    A high performance and energy efficient single-precision and double-precision merged floating-point adder based on the two-path FP addition algorithm designed and implemented on field programmable gate array (FPGA) is presented. With a fully pipelined architecture, the proposed adder can accomplish one double-precision addition or two parallel single-precision additions in six clock cycles. The proposed architecture is designed based on the double-precision adder and each major component is segmented to support dual single-precision operations. In addition, all the components of the proposed adder are optimised for mapping on FPGA. The proposed architecture is implemented on both Altera Stratix-III and Xilinx Virtex-5 devices and it has a faster clock frequency when compared with the double-precision intellectual property (IP) core adder provided by the FPGA vendors. Since the dual single-precision operations support, the proposed adder has higher throughput compared with the single-precision IP core adder. In addition, the proposed adder has better energy efficiency compared with both single-precision and double-precision IP core adder. The implementation results of the proposed adder on the latest Altera Arria-10 and Xilinx Virtex-7 devices are provided. A direct implementation of the proposed architecture on STM-90 nm technology ASIC platform is also performed.

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147,671 Research products, page 1 of 14,768
  • Open Access
    Authors: 
    Benson J. Ouma; John M. Ssenkusu; Estela Shabani; Dibyadyuti Datta; Robert O. Opoka; Richard Idro; Paul Bangirana; Gregory S. Park; Moses Joloba; Kevin C. Kain; +2 more

    OBJECTIVES: Evaluate the relationship between endothelial activation, malaria complications, and long-term cognitive outcomes in severe malaria survivors. DESIGN: Prospectively cohort study of children with cerebral malaria, severe malarial anemia, or community children. SETTING: Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala, Uganda. SUBJECTS: Children 18 months to 12 years old with severe malaria (cerebral malaria, n = 253 or severe malarial anemia, n = 211) or community children (n = 206) were followed for 24 months. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Children underwent neurocognitive evaluation at enrollment (community children) or a week following hospital discharge (severe malaria) and 6, 12, and 24 months follow-up. Endothelial activation was assessed at admission on plasma samples (von Willebrand factor, angiopoietin-1 and angiopoietin-2, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1, soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, soluble E-Selectin, and P-Selectin). False discovery rate was used to adjust for multiple comparisons. Severe malaria was associated with widespread endothelial activation compared with community children (p < 0.0001 for all markers). Acute kidney injury was independently associated with changes in von Willebrand factor, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1, soluble E-Selectin, P-Selectin, and angiopoietin-2 (p < 0.0001 for all). A log(10) increase in angiopoietin-2 was associated with lower cognitive z scores across age groups (children < 5, β −0.42, 95% CI, −0.69 to −0.15, p = 0.002; children ≥ 5, β −0.39, 95% CI, −0.67 to −0.11, p = 0.007) independent of disease severity (coma, number of seizures, acute kidney injury) and sociodemographic factors. Angiopoietin-2 was associated with hemolysis (lactate dehydrogenase, total bilirubin) and inflammation (tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-10). In children with cerebral malaria who had a lumbar puncture performed, angiopoietin-2 was associated with blood-brain barrier dysfunction, and markers of neuroinflammation and injury in the cerebrospinal fluid (tumor necrosis factor-α, kynurenic acid, tau). CONCLUSIONS: These data support angiopoietin-2 as a measure of disease severity and a risk factor for long-term cognitive injury in children with severe malaria.

  • Open Access
    Authors: 
    Marie Scully; Javier de la Rubia; Katerina Pavenski; Ara Metjian; Paul Knoebl; Flora Peyvandi; Spero R. Cataland; Paul Coppo; Johanna A. Kremer Hovinga Strebel; Jessica Minkue Mi Edou; +4 more
    Publisher: American Society of Hematology

    Abstract Background: The post-HERCULES trial (NCT02878603) evaluated long-term safety and efficacy of caplacizumab in patients with acquired thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (aTTP; also known as immune-mediated TTP), and efficacy of repeated use of caplacizumab for aTTP recurrence. Methods: Patients who completed the HERCULES trial were invited to participate in the post-HERCULES study and attend twice-yearly visits for 3 years. In case of aTTP recurrence, patients could receive open-label (OL) caplacizumab with therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) and immunosuppression (IST). Safety was assessed during the overall study period (intention-to-observe [ITO] population) and during recurrences. TTP-related events (recurrence, mortality, or major thromboembolic events) were assessed in the efficacy ITO population. The ITO population (n=104) included all enrolled patients, grouped by whether they received caplacizumab during HERCULES (randomized or switched to OL after exacerbation). The efficacy ITO population (n=78) included those without aTTP recurrence during HERCULES or prior to the beginning of post-HERCULES. The recurrence population (n=19) included patients with ≥1 recurrence during post-HERCULES; the repeat-use population (n=9) was a subset treated at least twice with caplacizumab (received caplacizumab in HERCULES or treated twice in post-HERCULES). Pharmacodynamics and immunogenicity were assessed in the ITO population. The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Results: Of 104 patients enrolled in post-HERCULES, 75 were treated with caplacizumab along with TPE+IST during HERCULES (caplacizumab group) and 29 were treated with TPE+IST only (placebo group). During the overall post-HERCULES study period, incidence of adverse events (AEs) and serious AEs was similar between the groups. In the ITO population, recurrence occurred in 11/75 patients (15%) in the caplacizumab group and 8/29 patients (28%) in the placebo group. In the efficacy ITO population, TTP-related events occurred in 8% of patients (4/49) randomized to caplacizumab versus 38% (11/29) randomized to placebo (Table 1). Prior rituximab use during HERCULES was similar in both groups (21/49 patients [43%] randomized to caplacizumab and 12/29 [41%] randomized to placebo). Incidence of recurrence by prior rituximab use (with vs without) was 10% (2/21) versus 7% (2/28) among patients randomized to caplacizumab, and 17% (2/12) versus 35% (6/17) among patients randomized to placebo. Of 19 patients with ≥1 recurrence, 13 were treated with caplacizumab and 6/13 received concomitant rituximab. Recurrences were resolved (12/13) or resolving (1/13) for all patients treated with caplacizumab, including 9 patients with repeat caplacizumab use. One patient who did not receive caplacizumab in either HERCULES or post-HERCULES died as an outcome of recurrence. Safety profile of caplacizumab for treatment of recurrence was consistent with that observed in HERCULES (Table 2) . The most common treatment-emergent AEs (TEAEs) with caplacizumab during the first recurrence (n=13) were headache and constipation (n=3 each). In the repeat-use population (n=9), bleeding events were reported in 5/9 patients (56%) for the first recurrence; 2 patients had a serious treatment-related TEAE of genitourinary or gastrointestinal bleeding; 2 patients had treatment-emergent anti-drug antibodies (ADAs) positive in a functional neutralizing antibody assay. No apparent impact of treatment-emergent ADAs on RICO activity or change from baseline in von Willebrand factor antigen concentration was found. Conclusions: The long-term safety profile of patients exposed to caplacizumab together with TPE+IST was similar to those who received IST+TPE only, with no observed increases in recurrence of aTTP. Repeat caplacizumab use was efficacious, with no evidence of safety concerns or boosting of ADA response. Funding: This research was funded by Ablynx, a Sanofi company. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Scully: Shire: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Sanofi: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Octopharma: Speakers Bureau. de la Rubia: Ablynx/Sanofi: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb,: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Celgene, Takeda, Janssen, Sanofi: Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES; Sanofi: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Consultancy; AbbVie: Consultancy; Bristol Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel Accommodations; GSK: Consultancy. Pavenski: Alexion: Honoraria, Research Funding; Bioverativ: Research Funding; Ablynx: Honoraria, Research Funding; Octapharma: Research Funding; Shire: Honoraria. Metjian: Momenta/Johnson & Johnson, Sanofi Aventis, Takeda: Research Funding; Ablynx/Sanofi: Consultancy; Sanofi Aventis, Takeda: Other: Advisory. Knoebl: Ablynx/Sanofi: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Shire/Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; CSL Behring: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Roche: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Novo Nordisk: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Peyvandi: Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria; Sanofi: Consultancy, Honoraria; Sobi: Consultancy, Honoraria. Cataland: Alexion: Consultancy, Research Funding; Ablynx/Sanofi: Consultancy, Research Funding; Takeda: Consultancy; Sanofi Genzyme: Consultancy. Coppo: Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Sanofi Aventis, Octapharma AG: Consultancy, Other: Advisory; Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Sandoz, Sanofi Aventis, Takeda: Other: Speakers Bureau; Ablynx/Sanofi: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Shire: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Kremer Hovinga Strebel: Ablynx/Sanofi: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Speaker at symposia; Shire: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; CSL Behring: Other: Speaker at symposia; Roche: Other: Speaker at symposia; Siemens: Other: Speaker at symposia. Minkue Mi Edou: Sanofi: Current Employment, Other: May hold shares and/or stock options. de Passos Sousa: Sanofi: Current Employment, Other: May hold shares and/or stock options. Callewaert: Sanofi: Current Employment, Other: May hold shares and/or stock options. Gunawardena: Sanofi: Current Employment, Other: May hold shares and/or stock options. Lin: Sanofi: Current Employment, Other: May hold shares and/or stock options.

  • Open Access

    For longitudinal studies with multivariate observations, we propose statistical methods to identify clusters of archetypal subjects by using techniques from functional data analysis and to relate longitudinal patterns to outcomes. We demonstrate how this approach can be applied to examine associations between multiple time-varying exposures and subsequent health outcomes, where the former are recorded sparsely and irregularly in time, with emphasis on the utility of multiple longitudinal observations in the framework of dimension reduction techniques. In applications to children's growth data, we investigate archetypes of infant growth patterns and identify subgroups that are related to cognitive development in childhood. Specifically, "Stunting" and "Faltering" time-dynamic patterns of head circumference, body length and weight in the first 12 months are associated with lower levels of long-term cognitive development in comparison to "Generally Large" and "Catch-up" growth. Our findings provide evidence for the statistical association between multivariate growth patterns in infancy and long-term cognitive development.

  • Open Access
    Authors: 
    Nizar J. Bahlis; Rachid Baz; Simon J. Harrison; Hang Quach; Shir-Jing Ho; Annette Juul Vangsted; Philippe Moreau; Simon D. J. Gibbs; Ahmed Salem; Jeremy A. Ross; +6 more
    Publisher: American Society of Hematology

    Background: Novel and more effective therapies for multiple myeloma (MM) have led to increasing overall survival, but most patients (pts) will eventually relapse or become refractory (RR). The proteasome inhibitor (PI) bortezomib (V), the anti-CD38 antibody daratumumab (D), and dexamethasone (d) are key agents for combination therapy in first-line and RR settings. Venetoclax (Ven) is a highly selective, potent, oral BCL-2 inhibitor that induces apoptosis in BCL-2-dependent MM cells in vitro. Encouraging clinical efficacy has been observed with Ven monotherapy in t(11;14) pts, and with VenV in pts irrespective of disease genetic background. In view of MM intraclonal heterogeneity, the addition of D to Ven +/- PI is postulated to further enhance antitumor activity of Ven-based regimens in RRMM. Methods: M15-654 (NCT03314181) is an ongoing Phase 1/2, nonrandomized, multicenter study of combination therapy consisting of VenDd +/- V in pts with RRMM. The primary objective is to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and preliminary efficacy of VenDd +/- V. In Part 1, VenDd was evaluated in t(11;14) MM pts who received ≥1 prior line of therapy that included a PI and an immunomodulatory drug (IMiD). In Part 2, VenDVd was evaluated in MM pts irrespective of t(11;14) status who were non-refractory to PIs and received 1 - 3 prior lines of therapy. Each regimen was evaluated in a dose escalation and expansion phase. In each part, Ven dose escalation was initiated at 400 mg daily (QD) and escalated to 800 mg QD if acceptable safety and tolerability were observed. Escalation cohorts had ≥3 pts, and escalation decisions were based on a Bayesian optimal interval design and the number of pts with a dose limiting toxicity (DLT). In Part 1, cycles (C) were 28-day: Ven QD + D 16 mg/kg intravenous (IV) (C1, 2: Days 1, 8, 15, 22; C3 - 6: Days 1, 15; C7+: Day 1) + d 40 mg total weekly. In Part 2, C1 - 8 were 21-day, C9+ were 28-day: Ven QD + D 16 mg/kg IV (C1 - 3: Days 1, 8, 15; C4+: Day 1) + V 1.3 mg/m2 subcutaneous (C1 - 8, Days 1, 4, 8, 11) + d 20 mg (C1 - 3: Days 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 11, 12, 15; C4 - 8, Days 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 11, 12) and 40 mg weekly for C9+. Results: As of 13 May 2019, 48 pts were enrolled. Of 24 t(11;14) pts treated in Part 1 with VenDd, median age was 63 (range, 51 - 76), median prior lines of therapy was 2.5 (range, 1 - 8), 14 (58%) had ISS II/III disease, and 24 (100%) received both prior PI and IMiD (46% refractory to PI, 71% refractory to IMiD, 42% double refractory). Of 24 pts treated in Part 2 with VenDVd, median age was 64 (range, 41 - 80), median prior lines of therapy was 1 (range, 1 - 3), 14 (58%) had ISS II/III disease, and 6 (25%) were t(11;14). Twenty-two (92%) pts received prior PI, 17 (71%) received prior IMiD (33% refractory), and 15 (63%) received prior PI + IMiD. The most common adverse events (AEs; VenDd/VenDVd) were fatigue (54%/21%), diarrhea (50%/42%), nausea (33%/38%), insomnia (29%/42%), cough (21%/8%), headache (21%/4%), upper respiratory tract infection (21%/17%), constipation (8%/33%), infusion related reaction (8%/33%), peripheral neuropathy (4%/25%), and dyspepsia (4%/21%). Grade 3/4 AEs were seen in 63%/54% of pts. The most common Grade 3/4 AEs in pts receiving VenDd were neutropenia (13%), fatigue, hyperglycemia, and hypertension (8% each); in pts receiving VenDVd, the most common were insomnia (17%), diarrhea, and thrombocytopenia (8% each). There were 6 pts with infection-related Grade 3/4 AEs (3 VenDd, 3 VenDVd). No AEs of tumor lysis syndrome were observed. Eleven pts had a serious AE (5 VenDd, 6 VenDVd), the most common being pyrexia in 3 pts. One pt treated with VenDd had a DLT of febrile neutropenia, and 1 pt treated with VenDVd died due to progressive disease. No infection-related deaths were seen. Pharmacokinetic analyses demonstrated that addition of D and V did not impact Ven exposure. Median time on study is 3.6 months (m; 8.1 m escalation, 2.8 m expansion) in the VenDd arm and 3.1 m (5.8 m escalation, 2.4 m expansion) in the VenDVd arm. The objective response rate (ORR) was 92% and 88% in pts receiving VenDd and VenDVd, respectively (Table). Conclusions: This first analysis of pts treated with VenDd +/- V demonstrate a tolerable safety profile with encouraging efficacy, notably among t(11;14) pts treated with VenDd who had an ORR of 92%. No new safety signals were observed. Although the study is currently on partial clinical hold, enrolled pts continue to be followed. Analysis will be updated at presentation. Disclosures Bahlis: Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria; AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria. Baz:Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; AbbVie: Research Funding; Merck: Research Funding; Sanofi: Research Funding; Karyopharm: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Harrison:Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Janssen Cilag: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; GSK: Consultancy, Research Funding; AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: investigator on studies, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Quach:Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Karyopharm: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; GSK: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Sanofi: Research Funding; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Ho:Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Vangsted:Oncopeptides: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Sanofi: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Honoraria; Jansen: Honoraria. Moreau:Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria; AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria. Gibbs:BMS: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Pfizer: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Salem:AbbVie: Employment, Other: Stock/stock options. Ross:AbbVie: Employment, Other: Stock/stock options. Pesko:AbbVie: Employment, Other: Stock/stock options. Westrup:AbbVie: Employment, Other: Stock/stock options. Vue:AbbVie: Employment, Other: Stock/stock options. Maciag:AbbVie: Employment, Other: Stock/stock options. Bueno:AbbVie: Employment, Other: Stock/stock options. Kaufman:Takeda: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy; AbbVie: Consultancy; Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University: Employment; Pharmacyclics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Incyte: Consultancy; Karyopharm: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; TG Therapeutics: Consultancy; Janssen: Honoraria; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy. OffLabel Disclosure: Venetoclax is a BCL-2 inhibitor that is FDA-approved in some indications. This presentation will focus on venetoclax for treatment of multiple myeloma, which is not an approved indication.

  • Publication . Other literature type . Article . 2018
    Open Access
    Authors: 
    Anna-Maria Carvalho; Vincent Poirier;
    Publisher: CMA Impact Inc.

    As emergency physicians with a subspecialty in aviation medicine, we agree with Dr. Rieb’s response[1][1] to an analysis article by Kodama and colleagues[2][2] that having naloxone on board is a necessary tool to treat the increasingly common medical emergency of opioid intoxication. Some airlines

  • Open Access
    Authors: 
    Evon S. Ereifej; Courtney E. Shell; Jonathon S. Schofield; Hamid Charkhkar; Ivana Cuberovic; Alan D. Dorval; Emily L. Graczyk; Takashi D. Y. Kozai; Kevin J. Otto; Dustin J. Tyler; +6 more

    Objective Recent advances in neural engineering have restored mobility to people with paralysis, relieved symptoms of movement disorders, reduced chronic pain, restored the sense of hearing, and provided sensory perception to individuals with sensory deficits. Approach This progress was enabled by the team-based, interdisciplinary approaches used by neural engineers. Neural engineers have advanced clinical frontiers by leveraging tools and discoveries in quantitative and biological sciences and through collaborations between engineering, science, and medicine. The movement toward bioelectronic medicines, where neuromodulation aims to supplement or replace pharmaceuticals to treat chronic medical conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and psychiatric disorders is a prime example of a new frontier made possible by neural engineering. Although one of the major goals in neural engineering is to develop technology for clinical applications, this technology may also offer unique opportunities to gain insight into how biological systems operate. Main results Despite significant technological progress, a number of ethical and strategic questions remain unexplored. Addressing these questions will accelerate technology development to address unmet needs. The future of these devices extends far beyond treatment of neurological impairments, including potential human augmentation applications. Our task, as neural engineers, is to push technology forward at the intersection of disciplines, while responsibly considering the readiness to transition this technology outside of the laboratory to consumer products. Significance This article aims to highlight the current state of the neural engineering field, its links with other engineering and science disciplines, and the challenges and opportunities ahead. The goal of this article is to foster new ideas for innovative applications in neurotechnology.

  • Open Access English
    Authors: 
    Bowles, KR; Pugh, DA; Farrell, K; Han, N; TCW, J; Liu, Y; Liang, SA; Qian, L; Bendl, J; Fullard, JF; +24 more
    Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

    Abstract Parkinson’s disease (PD) and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) are clinically similar neurodegenerative movement disorders that display unique neuropathological features (i.e. Lewy body pathology and Tau pathology, respectively). While each disorder has distinct clinical and genetic risk factors, both are associated with the MAPT 17q.21.31 locus H1 haplotype. This suggests a pleiotropic effect of this genomic region. To better understand the genetic contribution of this region to these diseases, we fine-mapped the apparent pleiotropy of this locus. Our study indicates that PD and PSP are associated with different sub-haplotypes of the H1 clade. PD-associated sub-haplotypes were associated with altered LRRC37A copy number and expression, which, like other PD risk-associated genes, we hypothesize to be most relevant to astroglial function. In contrast, PSP was associated with grossly altered LD structure across the 17q21.31 locus, and risk-associated variants were found to impact chromatin structure in both neurons and microglia. We conclude that the contribution of the 17q21.31 locus to multiple disorders is a result of its structural and haplotypic complexity, which in turn impacts the regulation of multiple genes and neural cell types. This raises the possibility of novel disease-specific pathogenic mechanisms driven by 17q21.31 structural variation and altered epigenetic regulation that appear to converge on glial function and gene expression. By fine-mapping the association of H1 with PD and PSP, we have begun to untangle the apparent pleiotropy of this locus, and gain better insight into the mechanism of each disease, which will guide future functional analyses and disease models for PD and PSP.

  • Open Access
    Authors: 
    Johannes Thrul; Kira E. Riehm; Joanna E. Cohen; G. Caleb Alexander; Jon S. Vernick; Ramin Mojtabai;
    Project: NIH | Diagnostic, treatment, an... (5F31MH124330-02), NIH | Clean Indoor Air Laws, Ci... (5R01DA042738-02), CIHR

    Background Tobacco policies, including clean indoor air laws and cigarette taxes, increase smoking cessation in part by stimulating the use of cessation treatments. We explored whether the associations between tobacco policies and treatment use varies across sociodemographic groups. Methods We used data from 62,165 U.S. adult participants in the 2003 and 2010/11 Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey (TUS-CPS) who reported smoking cigarettes during the past-year. We built on prior structural equation models used to quantify the degree to which smoking cessation treatment use (prescription medications, nicotine replacement therapy, counseling/support groups, quitlines, and internet resources) mediated the association between clean indoor air laws, cigarette excise taxes, and recent smoking cessation. In the current study, we added selected moderators to each model to investigate whether associations between tobacco polices and smoking cessation treatment use varied by sex, race/ethnicity, education, income, and health insurance status. Results Associations between clean indoor air laws and the use of prescription medication and nicotine replacement therapies varied significantly between racial/ethnic, age, and education groups in 2003. However, none of these moderation effects remained significant in 2010/11. Higher cigarette excise taxes in 2010/2011 were associated with higher odds of using counseling among older adults and higher odds of using prescription medications among younger adults. No other moderator reached statistical significance. Smoking cessation treatments did not mediate the effect of taxes on smoking cessation in 2003 and were not included in these analyses. Conclusions Sociodemographic differences in associations between clean indoor air laws and smoking cessation treatment use have decreased from 2003 to 2010/11. In most cases, policies appear to stimulate smoking cessation treatment use similarly across varied sociodemographic groups.

  • Closed Access
    Authors: 
    Aboutaleb Haddadi; Ilhan Kocar; Ulas Karaagac; Henry Gras; Evangelos Farantatos;
    Publisher: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

    Large-scale integration of wind generation changes the power swing characteristics of a power system and may result in the misoperation of legacy power swing protection schemes. This paper presents a qualitative study on the impact of wind generation on power swing protection. The objective is to provide an understanding of the problem through case studies and present possible solutions and adjustments in protection schemes to ensure the efficiency of protection under large-scale integration of wind generation. The misoperation of power swing protection functions, namely power swing blocking and out-of-step tripping (OST), as a result of increased wind generation levels, are shown through case studies. It is also shown that the electrical center of a power system may move due to wind generation. In this case, it would be necessary to revise the optimal location of the OST protection. Finally, the impact of various factors, such as wind generator type, control scheme and fault-ride-through function, and wind generation level and capacity are investigated to determine the key features that need to be accounted for in practical protection studies.

  • Open Access
    Authors: 
    Hao Zhang; Dongdong Chen; Seok-Bum Ko;
    Publisher: Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET)
    Project: NSERC

    A high performance and energy efficient single-precision and double-precision merged floating-point adder based on the two-path FP addition algorithm designed and implemented on field programmable gate array (FPGA) is presented. With a fully pipelined architecture, the proposed adder can accomplish one double-precision addition or two parallel single-precision additions in six clock cycles. The proposed architecture is designed based on the double-precision adder and each major component is segmented to support dual single-precision operations. In addition, all the components of the proposed adder are optimised for mapping on FPGA. The proposed architecture is implemented on both Altera Stratix-III and Xilinx Virtex-5 devices and it has a faster clock frequency when compared with the double-precision intellectual property (IP) core adder provided by the FPGA vendors. Since the dual single-precision operations support, the proposed adder has higher throughput compared with the single-precision IP core adder. In addition, the proposed adder has better energy efficiency compared with both single-precision and double-precision IP core adder. The implementation results of the proposed adder on the latest Altera Arria-10 and Xilinx Virtex-7 devices are provided. A direct implementation of the proposed architecture on STM-90 nm technology ASIC platform is also performed.