Clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with nonrheumatic streptococcal pharyngitis associated myocarditis.

Background: Reports of nonrheumatic streptococcal pharyngitis associated myocarditis (SPAM) are rare, and its incidence, pathophysiology, and clinical features remain unclear. We evaluated the clinical course and outcome of patients diagnosed with nonrheumatic SPAM, with a particular focus on differentiating it from other etiologies of myocarditis.

Methods: Seventy-nine consecutive individuals (age 32±9 years, 71 men) with clinically diagnosed SPAM were evaluated.

Heavy fermions vs doped Mott physics in heterogeneous Ta-dichalcogenide bilayers.

Controlling and understanding electron correlations in quantum matter is one of the most challenging tasks in materials engineering. In the past years a plethora of new puzzling correlated states have been found by carefully stacking and twisting two-dimensional van der Waals materials of different kind. Unique to these stacked structures is the emergence of correlated phases not foreseeable from the single layers alone.

Giant lattice softening at a Lifshitz transition in SrRuO.

The interplay of electronic and structural degrees of freedom in solids is a topic of intense research. More than 60 years ago, Lifshitz discussed a counterintuitive possibility: lattice softening driven by conduction electrons at topological Fermi surface transitions. The effect that he predicted, however, was small and has not been convincingly observed.

Ion-Selective Scattering Studied Using the Variable-Energy Electron Irradiation in the BaKFeAs Superconductor.

Low-temperature variable-energy electron irradiation was used to induce non-magnetic disorder in a single crystal of a hole-doped iron-based superconductor, Ba1-xKxFe2As2, = 0.80. To avoid systematic errors, the beam energy was adjusted non-consequently for five values between 1.

Core-Excited States and X-ray Absorption Spectra from Multireference Algebraic Diagrammatic Construction Theory.

We report the development and benchmark of multireference algebraic diagrammatic construction theory (MR-ADC) for the simulations of core-excited states and X-ray absorption spectra (XAS). Our work features an implementation that incorporates core-valence separation into the strict and extended second-order MR-ADC approximations (MR-ADC(2) and MR-ADC(2)-X), providing efficient access to high-energy excited states without including inner-shell orbitals in the active space. Benchmark results on a set of small molecules indicate that at equilibrium geometries, the accuracy of MR-ADC is similar to that of single-reference ADC theory when static correlation effects are not important.

Assessing the source of error in the Thomas-Fermi-von Weizsäcker density functional.

We investigate the source of error in the Thomas-Fermi-von Weizsäcker (TFW) density functional relative to Kohn-Sham density functional theory (DFT). In particular, through numerical studies on a range of materials, for a variety of crystal structures subject to strain and atomic displacements, we find that while the ground state electron density in TFW orbital-free DFT is close to the Kohn-Sham density, the corresponding energy deviates significantly from the Kohn-Sham value. We show that these differences are a consequence of the poor representation of the linear response within the TFW approximation for the electronic kinetic energy, confirming conjectures in the literature.

The spontaneous symmetry breaking in TaNiSe is structural in nature.

The excitonic insulator is an electronically driven phase of matter that emerges upon the spontaneous formation and Bose condensation of excitons. Detecting this exotic order in candidate materials is a subject of paramount importance, as the size of the excitonic gap in the band structure establishes the potential of this collective state for superfluid energy transport. However, the identification of this phase in real solids is hindered by the coexistence of a structural order parameter with the same symmetry as the excitonic order.

CoTe : A Quantum Critical Dirac Metal with Strong Spin Fluctuations.

Quantum critical points separating weak ferromagnetic and paramagnetic phases trigger many novel phenomena. Dynamical spin fluctuations not only suppress the long-range order, but can also lead to unusual transport and even superconductivity. Combining quantum criticality with topological electronic properties presents a rare and unique opportunity.

Sex differences of patients with acute chest pain evaluated through a chest pain unit.

Background: Although sex disparities between patients with acute myocardial infarction are well known, the data regarding sex differences among symptomatic patients with acute chest pain (ACP) are limited.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the records of 1000 consecutive patients with ACP and hospitalized in a tertiary medical center chest pain unit (CPU). Patients were divided according to sex.

Thermodynamic stability of Li-B-C compounds from first principles.

Prediction of high- superconductivity in hole-doped LiBC two decades ago has brought about an extensive effort to synthesize new materials with honeycomb B-C layers, but the thermodynamic stability of Li-B-C compounds remains largely unexplored. In this study, we use density functional theory to characterize well-established and recently reported Li-B-C phases. Our calculation of the Li chemical potential in LiBC helps estimate the (,) conditions required for delithiation of the LiBC parent material, while examination of B-C phases helps rationalize the observation of metastable BC polymorphs with honeycomb and diamond-like morphologies.

The burden of heart failure in cardiac intensive care unit: a prospective 7 years analysis.

Aims: The profiles of patients at cardiac intensive care units (CICU) have evolved towards a patient population with an increasing number of co-morbid medical conditions and acute heart failure (HF). The current study was designed to illustrate the burden of HF patients admitted to CICU, and evaluate patient characteristics, in-hospital course and outcomes of CICU patients with HF compared with patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

Methods And Results: A prospective study including all consecutive patients admitted to the CICU at a tertiary medical centre between 2014 and 2020.

C(sp)-H cyanation by a formal copper(iii) cyanide complex.

High-valent metal oxo complexes are prototypical intermediates for the activation and hydroxylation of alkyl C-H bonds. Substituting the oxo ligand with other functional groups offers the opportunity for additional C-H functionalization beyond C-O bond formation. However, few species aside from metal oxo complexes have been reported to both activate and functionalize alkyl C-H bonds.

Suppressed Fluctuations as the Origin of the Static Magnetic Order in Strained Sr_{2}RuO_{4}.

Combining first-principles density-functional calculations and Moriya's self-consistent renormalization theory, we explain the recently reported counterintuitive appearance of an ordered magnetic state in uniaxially strained Sr_{2}RuO_{4} beyond the Lifshitz transition. We show that strain weakens the quantum spin fluctuations, which destroy the static order, more strongly than the tendency to magnetism. A different rate of decrease of the spin fluctuations vs magnetic stabilization energy promotes the onset of a static magnetic order beyond a critical strain.

Usefulness of Coronary Artery Calcium Score to Rule Out Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease Before Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation.

Pretranscatheter aortic valve implantation (pre-TAVI) coronary evaluation using computed tomography coronary angiography (CTA) remains suboptimal. We aimed to evaluate whether coronary artery calcium score (CAC) may rule out obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) pre-TAVI. TAVI candidates (n = 230; mean age 80 ± 8 years), 49% men, underwent preprocedural CTA and invasive coronary angiography.

The Association between Marital Status and Outcomes of Patients Hospitalized with Heart Failure.

Background: Little is known about the association between marital status and long-term outcomes of patients hospitalized with heart failure (HF). We aimed to examine the association between marital status and early as well as long-term outcomes of patients hospitalized with HF.

Method: We analyzed data of 4089 patients hospitalized with HF and were enrolled in the multicenter national survey in Israel between March and April 2003 and were followed until December 2014.

The Prognostic Role of Mitral Valve Regurgitation Severity and Left Ventricle Function in Acute Heart Failure.

Aims: Data about the prognostic interplay between mitral regurgitation MR and left ventricular (LV) function in the outcome of patients admitted with acute heart failure (AHF) are scarce. We evaluated the prognostic impact of MR severity and LV function on mortality and on recurrent heart failure hospitalization (re-HFH) in patients admitted with AHF. Methods and Results: In total, 6843 patients admitted with AHF were evaluated: 2521 patients with LV ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤ 40% (reduced LVEF), 1238 of them (51%) having ≥moderate MR; and 4322 with LVEF > 40% (preserved LVEF), 1175 of them (27%) having ≥moderate MR.

Unconventional Pressure-Driven Metamagnetic Transitions in Topological van der Waals Magnets.

Activating metamagnetic transitions between ordered states in van der Waals magnets and devices bring great opportunities in spintronics. We show that external pressure, which enhances the interlayer hopping without introducing chemical disorders, triggers multiple metamagnetic transitions upon cooling in the topological van der Waals magnets Mn(BiSb)Te, where the antiferromagnetic interlayer superexchange coupling competes with the ferromagnetic interlayer coupling mediated by the antisite Mn spins. The temperature-pressure phase diagrams reveal that while the ordering temperature from the paramagnetic to ordered states is almost pressure-independent, the metamagnetic transitions show nontrivial pressure and temperature dependence, even re-entrance.

Peripheral Arterial Disease in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome: Results From a Large Real-World Registry.

Background: Limited data exist regarding the significance of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

Methods: We evaluated 16,922 consecutive ACS patients who were prospectively included in a national ACS registry. The co-primary endpoint included 30 days major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) (re-infarction, stroke, and/or cardiovascular death) and 1-year mortality.

Hemodynamic Changes After Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation Among Heart Failure Patients With and Without Elevated Pulmonary Vascular Resistance.

Background: Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) may reverse elevated pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) which is associated with worse prognosis in heart failure (HF) patients. We aim to describe the temporal changes in hemodynamic parameters before and after LVAD implantation among patients with or without elevated PVR.

Methods: HF patients who received continuous-flow LVAD (HeartMate 2&3) at a tertiary medical center and underwent right heart catheterization with PVR reversibility study before and after LVAD surgery.

Effect of alloying in monolayer niobium dichalcogenide superconductors.

When sulfur and silicon are incorporated in monolayer 2H-NbSe the superconducting transition temperature, T, has been found to vary non-monotonically. This was assumed to be a manifestation of fractal superconductivity. Using first-principles calculations, we show that the nonmonotonic dependence of T is insufficient evidence for multifractality.

The Impact of Novel Anti-Diabetic Medications on CV Outcomes: A New Therapeutic Horizon for Diabetic and Non-Diabetic Cardiac Patients.

It is estimated that in the past two decades the number of patients diagnosed with diabetes mellites (DM) has doubled. Despite significant progress in the treatment of cardiovascular disease (CVD), including novel anti-platelet agents, effective lipid-lowering medications, and advanced revascularization techniques, patients with DM still are least twice as likely to die of cardiovascular causes compared with their non-diabetic counterparts, and current guidelines define patients with DM at the highest risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). Over the last few years, there has been a breakthrough in anti-diabetic therapeutics, as two novel anti-diabetic classes have demonstrated cardiovascular benefit with consistently reduced MACE, and for some agents, also improvement in heart failure status as well as reduced cardiovascular and all-cause mortality.