We also consider incorporating uncertainty of the external information in the inference procedure. Simulation studies show that, by incorporating the additional summary information, the proposed estimators enjoy a substantial gain in efficiency over the conventional approach. A data analysis of a pancreatic cancer cohort study is presented to illustrate the methods and theory. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.BACKGROUND The pathophysiology of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is complex and multifactorial. Chronotropic incompetence (ChI) has emerged as a crucial pathophysiological mechanism. Beta-blockers, drugs with negative chronotropic effects, are commonly used in HFpEF, although current evidence does not support its routine use in these patients. HYPOTHESIS We postulate beta-blockers may have deleterious effects in HFpEF and ChI. This work aims to evaluate the short-term effect of beta-blockers withdrawal on functional capacity assessed by the maximal oxygen uptake (peakVO2) in patients with HFpEF and ChI. METHODS This is a prospective, crossover, randomized (11) and multicenter study. After randomization, the clinical and cardiac rhythm will be continuously registered for 30 days.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/ipi-549.html  PeakVO2 is assessed by cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) at 15 and 30 days in both groups. Secondary endpoints include quality of life, cognitive, and safety assessment. Patients with stable HFpEF, functional class New York Heart Association (NYHA) II-III, chronic treatment with beta-blockers, and ChI will be enrolled. A sample size estimation [alfa 0.05, power 90%, a 20% loss rate, and delta change of mean peakVO2 +1.2 mL/kg/min (SD ± 2.0)] of 52 patients is necessary to test our hypothesis. RESULTS Patients started enrolling in October 2018. As January 14th, 2020, 28 patients have been enrolled. It is projected to enroll the last patient at the end of July 2020. CONCLUSIONS Optimizing therapy that improves functional capacity remains an unmeet priority in HFpEF. Deprescribing beta-blockers in patients with HFpEF and ChI seems a plausible intervention to improve functional capacity. This trial is an attempt towards precision medicine in this complex syndrome. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03871803. © 2020 The Authors. Clinical Cardiology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.INTRODUCTION Primary aldosteronism (PA) contributed to the cardiovascular disease and metabolic alterations independent of the blood pressure level. Evidence exists that aldosterone excess also affects calcium and mineral homeostasis. PA subjects have been shown to have greater prevalence of vitamin D deficiency. However, the impact of vitamin D treatment in this population has never been assessed. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to evaluate the effect of vitamin D treatment on clinical and biochemical outcomes of PA patients. METHODS Two hundred forty hypertensive subjects were screened, 31 had positive ARR, and 17 patients with newly confirmed PA following positive confirmatory test that has not been subjected for definitive treatment were enrolled. Clinical parameter (blood pressure) and biochemical parameters (renal profile, plasma aldosterone concentration, plasma renin activity, serum calcium, vitamin D, intact parathyroid hormone, 24-hour urinary calcium) were measured at baseline and 3 months of treatment with Bio-D3 capsule. Primary outcomes were the changes in the blood pressure and biochemical parameters. RESULTS About 70% of our PA subjects have low vitamin D levels at baseline. Three months following treatment, there were significant (a) improvement in 25(OH)D levels; (b) reduction in systolic blood pressure and plasma aldosterone concentration; and (c) improvement in the eGFR. The vitamin D deficient subgroup has the greatest magnitude of the systolic blood pressure reduction following treatment. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrated significant proportion of PA patients has vitamin D insufficiency. Vitamin D treatment improves these interrelated parameters possibly suggesting interplay between vitamin D, aldosterone, renal function and the blood pressure. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.BACKGROUND Most single-donor platelet (SDP) donors transition to plateletpheresis after prior red blood cell (RBC) donation. Recruitment may follow identification of a high platelet count, a marker associated with iron depletion (ID). SDP donors may have underrecognized risk for iron depletion. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS To assess the prevalence of ID, we performed ferritin testing on male plateletpheresis donors with hemoglobin levels less than 13.5 g/dL. Multivariable logistic regression identified risk factors for low ferritin (LF; ferritin ≤26 ng/mL) and absent iron stores (AIS; ferritin less then 12 ng/mL). To assess the impact of notifying donors of LF results, we compared donation behavior of "Test" subjects before and after sending an LF notification letter to that of "Control" subjects before and after increasing the minimum hemoglobin for male donors. An electronic survey to Test donors inquired about iron supplementation practices. RESULTS Prevalence of LF was 50% and AIS was 23%, with increase in risk associated with more frequent SDP donation, both controlling for RBC donation and in donors with no recent RBC donations. Donation frequency after intervention declined less in 1272 Test donors (19%, from 13.9 to 11.2 annualized donations) than in 878 Control donors (49%, from 12.3 to 6.3 donations). Only 20% of Test donors reported taking supplemental iron when they received the LF letter; 64% of those not taking iron initiated iron supplementation following the letter. CONCLUSIONS Donors were responsive to notification of LF and attendant messaging on iron supplementation. Ferritin testing potentially benefits donor health and a stable platelet supply. © 2020 AABB.AIM Poor cognitive scores and low serum iron have been reported among chronically undernourished children from the Santal tribe, West Bengal. Our aim was to investigate the association between iron status and non-verbal cognitive development. METHODS We randomly selected 170 children (52.9% boys) aged 5-12 years from the Purulia district of West Bengal during 2007-2008 and assessed their iron status haemoglobin concentration, serum concentration of iron, ferritin, transferrin, total iron-binding capacity and transferrin saturation. Their non-verbal cognitive development was assessed using the Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices. RESULTS The haemoglobin concentration, serum iron, serum ferritin and transferrin saturation levels of the 27 children with an intellectual deficit and the 32 who had a below average intelligence quotient (IQ) were significantly lower (P  less then  .05) than the 65 children with an average IQ. A large number of boys (55.6%) and girls (41.7%) who have an intellectual deficit had stage III iron depletion.