Stent-Save a Life international survey on the practice of primary percutaneous coronary intervention during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aim: To assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on admissions of patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) in countries participating in the Stent-Save a Life (SSL) global initiative. Methods and Results: We conducted a multicenter observational survey to collect data on patient admissions for ACS, ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and PPCI in participating SSL member countries through a period during the COVID-19 outbreak (March and April 2020) compared with the equivalent period in 2019. Of the 32 member countries of the SSL global initiative, 17 agreed to participate in the survey (three in Africa, five in Asia, six in Europe and three in Latin America). Overall reductions of 27.5% and 20.0% were observed in admissions for ACS and STEMI, respectively. The decrease in PPCI was 26.7%. This trend was observed in all except two countries. In these two, the pandemic peaked later than in the other countries. Conclusions: This survey shows that the COVID-19 outbreak was associated with a significant reduction in hospital admissions for ACS and STEMI as well as a reduction in PPCI, which can be explained by both patient- and system-related factors.

Objetivos: Avaliar o impacto da pandemia COVID-19 nas admissões de doentes com síndromes coronárias agudas (SCA) e angioplastia coronária primária (PPCI) em países que participam da iniciativa global Stent-Save a Life (SSL). Métodos e resultados: Realizámos estudo observacional multicêntrico para coletar dados sobre admissões de doentes por ACS, STEMI e PPCI nos países participantes no SSL durante um período do surto COVID-19 (março e abril de 2020) em comparação com o período homólogo de 2019. Dos 32 países membros da iniciativa global SSL, 17 aceitaram participar no estudo (3 de África, 5 da Ásia, 6 da Europa e 3 da América Latina (LATAM)). Observámos uma redução global de 27,5% e 20,0% nos internamentos com SCA e STEMI, respetivamente. A diminuição do PPCI foi de 26,7%. Essa tendência foi observada em todos os países, exceto dois. Nestes dois países, a pandemia atingiu o pico mais tarde do que nos restantes. Conclusões: Este estudo mostra que o surto de COVID-19 foi associado a uma redução significativa de admissões hospitalares por SCA e STEMI, bem como uma redução de PPCI, o que pode ser explicado por fatores relacionados com o doente e com o sistema.

Micro-Spec: an ultracompact, high-sensitivity spectrometer for far-infrared and submillimeter astronomy.

High-performance, integrated spectrometers operating in the far-infrared and submillimeter ranges promise to be powerful tools for the exploration of the epochs of reionization and initial galaxy formation. These devices, using high-efficiency superconducting transmission lines, can achieve the performance of a meter-scale grating spectrometer in an instrument implemented on a 4 inch silicon wafer. Such a device, when combined with a cryogenic telescope in space, provides an enabling capability for studies of the early universe. Here, the optical design process for Micro-Spec (µ-Spec) is presented, with particular attention given to its two-dimensional diffractive region, where the light of different wavelengths is focused on the different detectors. The method is based on the stigmatization and minimization of the light path function in this bounded region, which results in an optimized geometrical configuration. A point design with an efficiency of ~90% has been developed for initial demonstration and can serve as the basis for future instruments. Design variations on this implementation are also discussed, which can lead to lower efficiencies due to diffractive losses in the multimode region.

Compact micromachined infrared bandpass filters for planetary spectroscopy.

The future needs of space-based, observational planetary and astronomy missions include low mass and small volume radiometric instruments that can operate in high-radiation and low-temperature environments. Here, we focus on a central spectroscopic component, the bandpass filter. We model the bandpass response of the filters to target the wavelength of the resonance peaks at 20, 40, and 60 µm and report good agreement between the modeled and measured response. We present a technique of using standard micromachining processes for semiconductor fabrication to make compact, free-standing, resonant, metal mesh filter arrays with silicon support frames. The process can be customized to include multiple detector array architectures, and the silicon frame provides lightweight mechanical support with low form factor.