Cost-effectiveness of an insertable cardiac monitor in a high-risk population in the UK.

Objective: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of insertable cardiac monitors (ICMs) compared with standard of care (SoC) for detecting atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients at high risk of stroke (CHADS >2), using a UK National Health Service (NHS) perspective.

Methods: Using patient characteristics and clinical data from the REVEAL AF trial, a Markov model assessed the cost-effectiveness of detecting AF with an ICM compared with SoC. Costs and benefits were extrapolated across modelled patient lifetime.

Influence of salts and natural organic matter on the stability of bacteriophage MS2.

The stability of functionalized nanoparticles generally results from both steric and electrostatic interactions. Viruses like bacteriophage MS2 have adopted similar strategies for stability against aggregation, including a net negative charge under natural water conditions and using polypeptides that form loops extending from the surface of the protein capsid for stabilization. In natural systems, dissolved organic matter can adsorb to and effectively functionalize nanoparticle surfaces, affecting the fate and transport of these nanoparticles.