Blood pressure and LDL-cholesterol targets for prevention of recurrent strokes and cognitive decline in the hypertensive patient: design of the European Society of Hypertension-Chinese Hypertension League Stroke in Hypertension Optimal Treatment randomized trial.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The SBP values to be achieved by antihypertensive therapy in order to maximize reduction of cardiovascular outcomes are unknown; neither is it clear whether in patients with a previous cardiovascular event, the optimal values are lower than in the low-to-moderate risk hypertensive patients, or a more cautious blood pressure (BP) reduction should be obtained. Because of the uncertainty whether 'the lower the better' or the 'J-curve' hypothesis is correct, the European Society of Hypertension and the Chinese Hypertension League have promoted a randomized trial comparing antihypertensive treatment strategies aiming at three different SBP targets in hypertensive patients with a recent stroke or transient ischaemic attack. As the optimal level of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level is also unknown in these patients, LDL-C-lowering has been included in the design. PROTOCOL DESIGN: The European Society of Hypertension-Chinese Hypertension League Stroke in Hypertension Optimal Treatment trial is a prospective multinational, randomized trial with a 3 × 2 factorial design comparing: three different SBP targets (1, <145-135; 2, <135-125; 3, <125 mmHg); two different LDL-C targets (target A, 2.8-1.8; target B, <1.8 mmol/l). The trial is to be conducted on 7500 patients aged at least 65 years (2500 in Europe, 5000 in China) with hypertension and a stroke or transient ischaemic attack 1-6 months before randomization. Antihypertensive and statin treatments will be initiated or modified using suitable registered agents chosen by the investigators, in order to maintain patients within the randomized SBP and LDL-C windows. All patients will be followed up every 3 months for BP and every 6 months for LDL-C. Ambulatory BP will be measured yearly. OUTCOMES: Primary outcome is time to stroke (fatal and non-fatal). Important secondary outcomes are: time to first major cardiovascular event; cognitive decline (Montreal Cognitive Assessment) and dementia. All major outcomes will be adjudicated by committees blind to randomized allocation. A Data and Safety Monitoring Board has open access to data and can recommend trial interruption for safety. SAMPLE SIZE CALCULATION: It has been calculated that 925 patients would reach the primary outcome after a mean 4-year follow-up, and this should provide at least 80% power to detect a 25% stroke difference between SBP targets and a 20% difference between LDL-C targets.

The relationship between parental practices and suicidal behaviors in Québec adolescents

Sommaire Cette thèse examine les liens entre la présence de risques suicidaires chez les adolescents et leur perception des pratiques de chacun de leurs parents. L’étude a examiné l’association entre le comportement suicidaire et différents aspects des pratiques parentales incluant l’affection, l’exercice du contrôle comportemental et psychologique ainsi que les conflits entre parent et adolescents. La thèse a également examiné l’effet du statut matrimonial des parents sur le comportement suicidaire chez les jeunes. Le dernier objectif de l’étude a été d’explorer le rôle du sexe de l’adolescent comme facteur de vulnérabilité face au suicide. L’échantillon de l’étude était composé 1096 adolescents Montréalais, âgés de 11 à 18 ans. L’échantillon était également réparti entre filles et garçons, fréquentant deux écoles secondaires de la région de Montréal, dans la province du Québec au Canada. Il y avait deux groupes à l’étude : le groupe suicidaire et le groupe non-suicidaire. Le premier groupe incluait les sujets présentant des idéations suicidaires et ceux ayant fait une ou plusieurs tentatives de suicide. Un questionnaire auto-rapporté fut administré à chaque sujet pour évaluer les dimensions suivantes auprès de la mère et du père : le niveau de proximité affective, le niveau de supervision parentale, le contrôle comportemental et le contrôle psychologique, la tolérance à l’égard des amis, ainsi que la fréquence et l’impact émotionnel des conflits. Une échelle a également évalué la présence éventuelle de comportements suicidaires chez les jeunes. Dans le but de tester l’hypothèse de base de l’étude, une série d’analyses descriptives et une MANCOVA ont été réalisées. L’hypothèse générale de la thèse postulant que les adolescents ayant des risques suicidaires présenteraient des relations plus problématiques avec leurs parents fut confirmée. En contrôlant l’effet de la détresse psychologique des adolescents, les analyses ont mené à la conclusion que, dans les familles biparentales, un faible niveau de proximité affective avec la mère, une fréquence plus élevée de conflits avec la mère, un excès du contrôle psychologique et un plus faible niveau de supervision maternelle, présentaient des liens significatifs avec le comportement suicidaire chez les adolescents. Indépendamment de la structure familiale, les caractéristiques suivantes du père étaient respectivement perçues par l’adolescent comme ayant des liens significatifs avec le comportement suicidaire des adolescents: faible proximité affective, impact émotionnel et fréquence élevée des conflits ainsi que le manque de supervision. Ces résultats ont été interprétés à la lumière des théories de la socialisation qui mettent l’accent sur le rôle central de la qualité des liens affectifs entre parents et adolescents, comme facteur de protection contre les risques suicidaires. Les résultats ont aussi révélé que les filles adolescentes sont plus exposées aux risques suicidaires tels que tentatives et idéations suicidaires. Les conclusions de cette étude soulignent le besoin urgent de recherches plus poussées sur le comportement suicidaire des adolescents et leurs liens avec les facteurs familiaux, en tenant compte du statut matrimonial des parents. La thèse met également l’accent sur la nécessité de mettre en place des programmes de prévention auprès des adolescents présentant des risques suicidaires élevés.

Short-term storage and mental speed account for the relationship between working memory and fluid intelligence. 'El almacenamiento a corto plazo y la velocidad mental dan cuenta de la relaci??n entre memoria de trabajo e inteligencia fluida'

Resumen tomado de la publicaci??n

A happy marriage between developmental psychology and neuroscience, yes but... with some problems. 'Un matrimonio feliz entre la psicología evolutiva y la neurociencia, sí pero... con algunos problemas'.

Resumen basado en el de la publicación

Shadows of the living dead-potential dangers of unsafe encounters between development psychology and neurosceince. ' Sombras de los muertos vivientes : riesgos de las relaciones inseguras entre psicología y neurociencia del desarrollo'

Resumen basado en el del autor

Comparison of subcellular partitioning, distribution, and internal speciation of Cu between Cu-tolerant and naive populations of Dendrodrilus rubidus Savigny

When considering contaminated site ecology and ecological risk assessment a key question is whether organisms that appear unaffected by accumulation of contaminants are tolerant or resistant to those contaminants. A population of Dendrodrilus rubidus Savigny earthworms from the Coniston Copper Mines, an area of former Cu mining, exhibit increased tolerance and accumulation of Cu relative to a nearby non-Cu exposed population. Distribution of total Cu between different body parts (posterior, anterior, body wall) of the two populations was determined after a 14 day exposure to 250 mg Cu kg(-1) in Cu-amended soil. Cu concentrations were greater in Coniston earthworms but relative proportions of Cu in different body parts were the same between populations. Cu speciation was determined using extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (EXAFS). Cu was coordinated to 0 atoms in the exposure soil but to S atoms in the earthworms. There was no difference in this speciation between the different earthworm populations. In another experiment earthworms were exposed to a range of Cu concentrations (200-700 mg Cu kg(-1)). Subcellular partitioning of accumulated Cu was determined. Coniston earthworms accumulated more Cu but relative proportions of Cu in the different fractions (cytosol > granular > tissue fragments, cell membranes, and intact cells) were the same between populations. Results suggest that Coniston D. rubidus are able to survive in the Cu-rich Coniston Copper Mines soil through enlargement of the same Cu storage reservoirs that exist in a nearby non-Cu exposed population.

Mediating between hearer's and speaker's views in the generation of adaptive explanations

In this article, we examine the case of a system that cooperates with a “direct” user to plan an activity that some “indirect” user, not interacting with the system, should perform. The specific application we consider is the prescription of drugs. In this case, the direct user is the prescriber and the indirect user is the person who is responsible for performing the therapy. Relevant characteristics of the two users are represented in two user models. Explanation strategies are represented in planning operators whose preconditions encode the cognitive state of the indirect user; this allows tailoring the message to the indirect user's characteristics. Expansion of optional subgoals and selection among candidate operators is made by applying decision criteria represented as metarules, that negotiate between direct and indirect users' views also taking into account the context where explanation is provided. After the message has been generated, the direct user may ask to add or remove some items, or change the message style. The system defends the indirect user's needs as far as possible by mentioning the rationale behind the generated message. If needed, the plan is repaired and the direct user model is revised accordingly, so that the system learns progressively to generate messages suited to the preferences of people with whom it interacts.

Physical interpretation of the spectral radiative signature in the transition zone between cloud-free and cloudy regions

One-second-resolution zenith radiance measure- ments from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement pro- gram’s new shortwave spectrometer (SWS) provide a unique opportunity to analyze the transition zone between cloudy and cloud-free air, which has considerable bearing on the aerosol indirect effect. In the transition zone, we find a re- markable linear relationship between the sum and difference of radiances at 870 and 1640 nm wavelengths. The intercept of the relationship is determined primarily by aerosol prop- erties, and the slope by cloud properties. We then show that this linearity can be predicted from simple theoretical con- siderations and furthermore that it supports the hypothesis of inhomogeneous mixing, whereby optical depth increases as a cloud is approached but the effective drop size remains un- changed.

The relationship between the ITCZ and the Southern Hemispheric eddy-driven jet

We study the effect of a thermal forcing confined to the midlatitudes of one hemisphere on the eddy-driven jet in the opposite hemisphere. We demonstrate the existence of an “interhemispheric teleconnection,” whereby warming (cooling) the Northern Hemisphere causes both the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) and the Southern Hemispheric midlatitude jet to shift northward (southward). The interhemispheric teleconnection is effected by a change in the asymmetry of the Hadley cells: as the ITCZ shifts away from the Equator, the cross-equatorial Hadley cell intensifies, fluxing more momentum toward the subtropics and sustaining a stronger subtropical jet. Changes in subtropical jet strength, in turn, alter the propagation of extratropical waves into the tropics, affecting eddy momentum fluxes and the eddy-driven westerlies. The relevance of this mechanism is demonstrated in the context of future climate change simulations, where shifts of the ITCZ are significantly related to shifts of the Southern Hemispheric eddy-driven jet in austral winter. The possible relevance of the proposed mechanism to paleoclimates is discussed, particularly with regard to theories of ice age terminations.

Pollinator conservation: the difference between managing for pollination services and preserving pollinator diversity

Our review looks at pollinator conservation and highlights the differences in approach between managing for pollination services and preserving pollinator diversity. We argue that ecosystem service management does not equal biodiversity conservation, and that maintaining species diversity is crucial in providing ecosystem resilience in the face of future environmental change. Management and policy measures therefore need to focus on species not just in human dominated landscapes but need to benefit wider diversity of species including those in specialised habitats. We argue that only by adopting a holistic ecosystem approach we can ensure the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and ecosystem services in the long-term.

Effects of strontium and calcium simultaneous substitution on electrical and structural properties of Pb1-x-y Ca (x) Sr (y) TiO3 thin films

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Combined D0 measurements constraining the CP-violating phase and width difference in the B-s(0) system

We combine the D0 measurement of the width difference between the light and heavy B-s(0) mass eigenstates and of the CP-violating mixing phase determined from the time-dependent angular distributions in the B-s(0)-> J/psi phi decays along with the charge asymmetry in semileptonic decays also measured with the D0 detector. With the additional constraint from the world average of the flavor-specific B-s(0) lifetime, we obtain Delta Gamma(s)equivalent to(Gamma(L)-Gamma(H))=0.13 +/- 0.09 ps(-1) and vertical bar phi(s)vertical bar=0.70(-0.47)(+0.39) or Delta Gamma(s)=-0.13 +/- 0.09 ps(-1) and vertical bar phi(s)vertical bar=2.44(-0.39)(+0.47). The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 1.1 fb(-1) accumulated with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider.

Measurement of the lifetime difference in the B-s(0) system

We present a study of the decay B-s(0)-> J/psi phi. We obtain the CP-odd fraction in the final state at time zero R-perpendicular to = 0.16 +/- 0.10 (stat) +/- 0.02(syst), the average lifetime of the (B-s(0), (B) over bar (0)(s)) system, (tau) over bar (B-s(0)) = 1.39(-0.16)(+0.13)(stat)(-0.02)(+0.01)(syst) ps, and the relative width difference between the heavy and light mass eigen-states, Delta Gamma/(Gamma) over bar = (Gamma(L) - Gamma(H))/(Gamma) over bar = 0.24(-0.38)(+0.28)(stat)(-0.04)(+0.03)(syst). With the additional constraint from the world average of the B-s(0) lifetime measurements using semileptonic decays, we find (tau) over bar (B-s(0)) = 1.39 +/- 0.06 ps and Delta Gamma/(Gamma) over bar = 0.25(-0.15)(+0.14). For the ratio of the B-s(0) and B-0 lifetimes we obtain (tau) over bar (B-s(0))/tau(B-s(0)) = 0.91 +/- 0.09(stat) +/- 0.003(syst).

Lifetime difference and CP-violating phase in the B-s(0) system

From an analysis of the decay B-s(0)-> J/psi phi, we obtain the width difference between the light and heavy mass eigenstates Delta Gamma equivalent to(Gamma(L)-Gamma(H))=0.17 +/- 0.09(stat)+/- 0.02(syst) ps(-1) and the CP-violating phase phi(s)=-0.79 +/- 0.56(stat)(-0.01)(+0.14)(syst). Under the hypothesis of no CP violation (phi(s)equivalent to 0), we obtain 1/Gamma=tau/(B-s(0))=1.52 +/- 0.08(stat)(-0.03)(+0.01)(syst) ps and Delta Gamma=0.12(-0.10)(+0.08)(stat)+/- 0.02(syst) ps(-1). The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of about 1.1 fb(-1) accumulated with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron collider. This is the first direct measurement of the CP-violating mixing phase in the B-s(0) system.