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Purpose Epidemiologic studies have documented lower rates of active smokers compared to former or non-smokers in symptomatic patients affected by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We assessed the efficacy and safety of nicotine administered by a transdermal patch in critically ill patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. Methods In this multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted in 18 intensive care units in France, we randomly assigned adult patients (non-smokers, non-vapers or who had quit smoking/vaping for at least 12 months) with proven COVID-19 pneumonia receiving invasive mechanical ventilation for up to 72 h to receive transdermal patches containing either nicotine at a daily dose of 14 mg or placebo until 48 h following successful weaning from mechanical ventilation or for a maximum of 30 days, followed by 3-week dose tapering by 3.5 mg per week. Randomization was stratified by centre, non- or former smoker status and Sequential Organ Function Assessment score (< or ≥ 7). The primary outcome was day-28 mortality. Main prespecified secondary outcomes included 60-day mortality, time to successful extubation, days alive and free from mechanical ventilation, renal replacement therapy, vasopressor support or organ failure at day 28. Results Between November 6th 2020, and April 2nd 2021, 220 patients were randomized from 18 active recruiting centers. After excluding 2 patients who withdrew consent, 218 patients (152 [70%] men) were included in the analysis: 106 patients to the nicotine group and 112 to the placebo group. Day-28 mortality did not differ between the two groups (30 [28%] of 106 patients in the nicotine group vs 31 [28%] of 112 patients in the placebo group; odds ratio 1.03 [95% confidence interval, CI 0.57–1.87]; p = 0.46). The median number of day-28 ventilator-free days was 0 (IQR 0–14) in the nicotine group and 0 (0–13) in the placebo group (with a difference estimate between the medians of 0 [95% CI -3–7]). Adverse events likely related to nicotine were rare (3%) and similar between the two groups. Conclusion In patients having developed severe COVID-19 pneumonia requiring invasive mechanical ventilation, transdermal nicotine did not significantly reduce day-28 mortality. There is no indication to use nicotine in this situation. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00134-022-06721-1.

The FPGA implementation of image registration algorithms is a challenging problem due to the limited resources of the hardware and the requirement for real-time processing speeds. Image registration approaches using low bit-resolution images are more feasible for implementation on FPGAs than those using full resolution images because of the significant reduction in hardware resources required. The real-time processing requirement can also be satisfied with the use of simple logic operations such as AND, XOR and NOT instead of more complex computations such as additions and multiplications. This paper presents the implementation of an image registration algorithm on two FPGAs from the SPARTAN-3E family for the case of translational motion.

Forest parameters estimation using polarimetric synthetic aperture radar interferometry (PolInSAR) images is one of the greatest interests in remote sensing applications. Applying the model-based decomposition concept to PolInSAR data opened a new way for forest parameters estimation. However, the method tends to underestimate the forest height due to reflection symmetry assumption and required the numerical solution of nonlinear equation system. In order to overcome these limitations, an improved adaptive decomposition technique with PolInSAR data is proposed. In this approach, an accurate topographical phase and asymmetry volume scattering model are applied to the model-based decomposition technique for polarimetric SAR interferometry image. The accurate topographical phase is first estimated and then used as the initial input parameter to our numerical method. This approach is not only avoiding large error generated by the constant topographical phase in fluctuating forest areas but also improve the accuracy of forest height estimation and the magnitude associated with each mechanism. The performance of proposed method is demonstrated with simulated data from PolSARproSim software and SIR-C/X-SAR spaceborne PolInSAR images over the Tien-Shan areas, China. Experimental results indicate that forest parameters could be effectively extracted by proposed method.

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