Background: Surgical mortality data are collected routinely in high-income countries, yet virtually no low-or middle-income countries have outcome surveillance in place. The aim was prospectively to collect worldwide mortality data following emergency abdominal surgery, comparing findings across countries with a low, middle or high Human Development Index (HDI).Methods: This was a prospective, multicentre, cohort study. Self-selected hospitals performing emergency surgery submitted prespecified data for consecutive patients from at least one 2-week interval during July to December 2014. Postoperative mortality was analysed by hierarchical multivariable logistic regression.

We propose two classes of consistent tests in parametric econometric models defi ned through multiple conditional moment restrictions. The fi rst type of tests relies on nonparametric estimation, while the second relies on a functional of a marked empirical process. For both tests, a simulation procedure for obtaining critical values is shown to be asymptotically valid. Finite sample performances of the tests are investigated by means of several Monte-Carlo experiments. 2 3 4 Tests convergents de restrictions de moments conditionnelsRÉSUMÉ. -Nous proposons deux classes de tests convergents de la spécifi cation paramétrique de modèles économétriques défi nis par des restrictions de moments conditionnels. La première est basée sur l'estimation non-paramétrique, la seconde sur une fonctionnelle d'un processus empirique marqué. Pour les deux types de tests, une procédure de simulation permet d'obtenir des valeurs critiques asymptotiquement valides. Le comportement en petits échantillons de ces tests est étudié par des simulations.We thank the editor and two referees for their comments. We acknowledge fi nancial support from: the Spanish Ministry of Technology (Dirección General de Enseñanza Superior) under grant R000238212, Asociación Mexicana de Cultura, Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT) under project grant J38276D, and the European Commission through research training grant ERBFMBICT961595.

The MitraClip device affects MV geometry in FMR patients by increasing mitral annular ellipticity and coaptation area.

'Multimodality' imaging--the side-by-side interpretation of data obtained from various noninvasive imaging techniques, such as echocardiography, radionuclide techniques, multidetector CT (MDCT), and MRI--allows anatomical, morphological, and functional data to be combined, increases diagnostic accuracy, and improves the efficacy of cardiovascular interventions and clinical outcomes. During the past decade, advances in software and hardware have allowed co-registration of various imaging modalities, resulting in cardiac 'hybrid' or 'fusion' imaging. In this Review, we discuss the roles of both multimodality and hybrid imaging in three broad areas of cardiology--coronary artery disease (CAD), heart failure, and valvular heart disease. In the evaluation of CAD, integration of either single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) or PET with CT coronary angiography provides both morphological and functional data in a single procedure. Accordingly, the functional consequences (myocardial hypoperfusion on SPECT or PET) of anatomical pathology (coronary anatomy on MDCT or MRI) can be assessed. Co-registration of PET and MRI data sets to provide cellular and molecular information on plaque composition and stability is now possible. Furthermore, novel imaging modalities have been implemented to guide electrophysiological and transcatheter-based procedures, such as cardiac resynchronization therapy (an established treatment for patients with heart failure), and transcatheter valve repair or replacement procedures.

We consider the optimal control of the harvesting of the diffusive degenerate elliptic logistic equation. Under certain assumptions, we prove the existence and uniqueness of an optimal control. Moreover, the optimality system and a characterization of the optimal control are also derived. Sub-supersolution method, singular eigenvalue problem and differentiability with respect to the positive cone are the techniques used to get our results.