The use of enhanced half-life (EHL) FVIII has improved the quality of prophylaxis in haemophilia A, but with a benefit that may vary from one patient to another. We analysed the pharmacokinetic data obtained with efmoroctocog alfa (rFVIII-Fc) in 114 patients and, in 47 cases, compared them to those previously measured with non-EHL FVIII. The in vivo recovery (IVR) of rFVIII-Fc measured with one stage clotting assay (OSA) and chromogenic assay (CSA) was 2.2 and 2.8 IU/mL per IU/kg, respectively. The median half-life (T1/2 ) of rFVIII-Fc was 14.5 hours whatever the FVIIIC assay used, but variable and correlated with preinfusion VWFAg levels (r = .76). Both IVR and T1/2 were lower in patients under 12 years old (2.4 IU/mL per IU/kg and 11.1 hours, respectively; CSA). PK study of rFVIII-Fc vs non-EHL FVIII showed a T1/2 ratio of 1.4 in favour of rFVIII-Fc, regardless of the patient's age. However the relative increase in T1/2 with rFVIII-Fc was lower than 30% in one-third of patients evaluated, particularly when the previous FVIII administered was a BHK-derived product. This study therefore suggests that analysis of individual PK profile in response to a specific FVIII concentrate is potentially useful before a switch in haemophilia A patients. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.INTRODUCTION We aimed to assess the predictors of new supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) and the association of new SVT with subsequent clinical outcomes among mild heart failure (HF) patients. METHODS AND RESULTS The study population comprised patients enrolled in MADIT-CRT, after exclusion of patients with atrial arrhythmias before enrollment (N = 325). Multivariate analysis was used to identify predictors of new-onset SVT and the association of time-dependent development of SVT with subsequent ventricular tachyarrhythmic events (VTEs), HF-hospitalizations, and death. SVT burden was categorized into three groups based on the number of episodes per patient; (a) Low 6-fold increased risk for all-cause mortality (HR = 6.5; 95% CI 2.3-18.7; P  less then  .001), but not with HF hospitalizations (HR = 2.2; 95% CI 0.7-7.2; P = .17). Intermediate, and high SVT-burden were each independent risk factors for death when compared with Low burden (HR = 9.1; P = .03, and HR = 19.4; P  less then  .001; respectively). CONCLUSIONS In patients with mild HF, the development of new-onset SVT after device implantation is related to distinct baseline clinical and epidemiologic characteristics and is associated with a significant increase in subsequent adverse outcomes, including VTEs and death. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.BACKGROUND AND AIMS Sustained psychosocial support via online social groups may help former tobacco users maintain abstinence. This study aims to examine the effectiveness of participating in a WhatsApp social group for long-term smoking cessation. DESIGN Two-arm, open-labelled, pragmatic, individually randomized controlled trial SETTING All participants are service users of smoking cessation clinics, and all interventions are delivered via mobile phones. PARTICIPANTS 1,008 adult quitters who self-report no tobacco use in the past 3 to 30 days INTERVENTIONS The intervention group (n=504) will join a WhatsApp social group to receive standardized and theory-based reminders of smoking relapse prevention and participate in discussion with other WhatsApp group members using their own mobile phones. All social groups will be led by counselors or specialist nurse practitioners. The control group (n=504) will receive similar reminders via short messages to their own mobile phones, but will not interact with other participants. The intervention duration for both groups is 8 weeks. Both groups will receive a booklet at baseline about how to prevent smoking relapse. MEASUREMENTS The primary outcome is biochemically validated tobacco abstinence at 12 months after consent. COMMENTS The findings will provide evidence concerning the utility of operating online social group discussion for prevention of smoking relapse and sustaining long-term abstinence. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.Theileria equi Mehlhorn and Schein, 1998 (Piroplasmida Babesiidae) is an important tick-borne pathogen of horses that is highly endemic in many parts of the world, including Israel. The present study evaluated the potential roles of five hard tick species [Hyalomma excavatum Koch, 1844; Hyalomma marginatum Koch, 1844; Rhipicephalus turanicus Pomerantsev 1936; Rhipicephalus annulatus Say, 1821; Haemaphysalis parva (Neumann, 1897) (all Ixodida Ixodidae)], previously found to infest horses in Israel, in acting as vectors for piroplasmosis. For this, DNA was extracted from whole ticks and, when possible, from the salivary glands in each species (n = 10-59). Polymerase chain reaction amplification and sequencing of the 18S rRNA gene were used to detect T. equi in 48 of the 127 ticks (37.8%) and in 21 of the 90 extracted salivary glands (23.3%) in all five species. All but two sequences were classified as T. equi genotype A; the remaining two were classified as genotype D.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/mdivi-1.html  The findings of this study point to Ha. parva and R. annulatus as potential novel vectors of T. equi, and suggest that parasite genotype selection occurs within the tick vector. © 2020 The Royal Entomological Society.Inherited arrhythmia syndromes have traditionally been viewed as monogenic forms of disease whose pathophysiology is driven by a single highly penetrant rare genetic variant. Although an accurate depiction of a proportion of genetic variants, the variable penetrance frequently noted in genotype positive families and the presence of sporadic genotype negative cases have long highlighted a more nuanced truth being operative. Coupled with our more recent recognition that many rare variants implicated in inherited arrhythmia syndromes possess unexpectedly high allele frequencies within the general population, these observations have contributed to the realization that a spectrum of pathogenicity exists among clinically relevant genetic variants. Notably, variable mutation pathogenicity and corresponding variable degrees of penetrance emphasize a limitation of contemporary guidelines, which attempt to dichotomize genetic variants as pathogenic or benign. Recognition of the existence of low and intermediate penetrant variants insufficient to be causative for disease in isolation has served to emphasize the importance of additional genetic, clinical, and environmental factors in the pathogenesis of rare inherited arrhythmia syndromes.