We report on the expected sensitivity of dedicated scintillator-based detectors at the LHC for elementary particles with charges much smaller than the electron charge. The dataset provided by a ...prototype scintillator-based detector is used to characterize the performance of the detector and provide an accurate background projection. Detector designs, including a novel slab detector configuration, are considered for the data taking period of the LHC to start in 2022 (Run 3) and for the high luminosity LHC. With the Run 3 dataset, the existence of new particles with masses between 10 MeV and 45 GeV could be excluded at 95% confidence level for charges between 0.003 e and 0.3 e, depending on their mass. With the high luminosity LHC dataset, the expected limits would reach between 10 MeV and 80 GeV for charges between 0.0018 e and 0.3 e, depending on their mass.
OBJECTIVE
To analyse the prognostic value of the percentage of positive biopsy cores (PPBC) in determining the pathological features and biochemical outcome of patients with prostate cancer treated ...by radical prostatectomy, as published data evaluating the prognostic value of PPBC in such patients have limitations.
PATIENTS AND METHODS
A group of 534 patients with clinically localized prostate cancer was selected. The PPBC was defined as the number of positive biopsy cores/total number of biopsy cores × 100, and grouped into categories of <25%, 25.1–50%, 50.1–75% and 75.1–100%. Patients were divided in low‐, intermediate‐ and high‐risk groups according to the usual variables.
RESULTS
The mean follow‐up was 60.5 months. PPBC was associated with the preoperative serum prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) level, biopsy Gleason score and clinical stage. On multivariate analysis, PPBC was a significant predictor of extraprostatic disease and seminal vesicle involvement. Of patients in the four PPBC categories, 16%, 27%, 33% and 60%, respectively, had biochemical recurrence (P < 0.001), and on Cox regression analysis, PPBC was an independent predictor of disease recurrence. After segregating patients into risk groups the PPBC further stratified patients using thresholds of 75% (P = 0.006), 25% (P = 0.026) and 50% (P = 0.011) for low‐, intermediate‐ and high‐risk groups, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS
We confirmed, with a longer follow‐up, the clinical utility of the PPBC in determining the pathological features and biochemical outcome of patients with prostate cancer treated with radical prostatectomy, and established thresholds for use in patients in the three risk groups.
We report on a search for elementary particles with charges much smaller than the electron charge using a data sample of proton-proton collisions provided by the CERN Large Hadron Collider in 2018, ...corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 37.5 fb−1 at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. A prototype scintillator-based detector is deployed to conduct the first search at a hadron collider sensitive to particles with charges ≤ 0.1 e . The existence of new particles with masses between 20 and 4700 MeV is excluded at 95% confidence level for charges between 0.006 e and 0.3 e , depending on their mass. New sensitivity is achieved for masses larger than 700 MeV.
A radiation tolerant integrated circuit for the distribution of clock, trigger and control signals in the Front-End electronics of the CMS End-Cap Muon detector has been developed in the IBM CMOS ...130nm technology. The circuit houses transmitter and receiver interfaces to serial links implementing the FF-LYNX protocol that allows the integrated transmission of triggers and data frames with different latency constraints. Encoder and decoder modules associate signal transitions to FF-LYNX frames. The system and the ASIC architecture and behavior and the results of test and characterization of the ASIC prototypes will be presented.
Approximately 85% of patients who die from prostate cancer present the spread of bone metastases. Even though the radiological appearance of such metastases is osteoblastic, it is now known that ...these lesions coexist in their microenvironment with blastic and lytic lesions. The process always begins with bone lysis by osteoclast proliferation, paralleling nearby bone deposition. The treatment options are palliative and have poor clinical response with short-lived improvement. We have studied the clinical effect of bisphosphonates (clodronate) in the treatment of skeletal complications from prostate cancer.
In an open prospective study, 58 patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer with bone metastases were assessed from November 2000 to September 2003. The mean age was 70.3 y (range: 51-87 y). Bone scintigraphy, plain X-ray, assaying of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and biochemical tests were requested before and following treatment. Patients were previously and subsequently assessed using the visual pain scale (0-10) and Karnofsky's index after the first and second intravenous (i.v.) infusions (administration of i.v. clodronate every 28 days) and every 4-6 months thereafter. Student's t-test was used for statistical analysis.
A total of 53 patients (91.4%) showed improvement after the first and/or second cycle, which persisted for at least 4 months (average 6.3 months). The averages on the visual pain scale improved from 7.4 (range: 2-8) to 2.4 (0-7) and on Karnofsky's index from 43 (32-58) to 73 (50-82). The radiological appearance of the metastases improved in 27 patients (46.5%) and there were few relapses (six patients; 10.3%).
Clodronate was effective in the treatment of skeletal complications from prostate cancer. There was an objective response in 91.4% of treated patients, with a marked improvement in the subjective visual pain scale evaluation as well as on Karnofsky's index, with low side effects.
This study analyzed the total symptom score, irritative and obstructive domains of IPSS questions regarding quality of life and the urodynamic diagnosis in 400 men with LUTS.
Four hundred consecutive ...male patients were prospectively enrolled after being submitted to full urodynamic evaluation and IPSS. Obstructed and non-obstructed patients were compared regarding the symptoms score and quality of life. Results were assessed through Wilcox, ANOVA and Student-t tests.
80.2% were diagnosed as urodynamically obstructed of which 42.4% presented detrusor instability in the filling phase. In obstructed patients there were no statistical difference concerning obstructive or irritative questions from IPSS (p = 0.50). It was not possible either to predict which patients presented detrusor instability based on the questionnaire (p = 0.65). Out of seventy-nine cases unobstructed (19.8%), 65.4% revealed detrusor instability. These cases could not be distinguished from all obstructed men based on the clinical questions measured by IPSS (p = 0.87). Obstructive and irritative questions did not present different indexes than obstructed cases (p = 0.63). Subjective quality of life index did not discriminate obstruction nor it could predict detrusor instability in both groups.
Clinical symptoms and quality of life index measured by the IPSS as well as its obstructive and irritative domains do not have discriminating power to predict the presence of infravesical obstruction in males with LUTS, demanding objective tools to demonstrate obstruction.
Deep-seated sarcomas of the penis Antunes, Alberto A; Nesrallah, Luciano J; Goncalves, Pierre D ...
International Brazilian journal of urology,
06/2005, Letnik:
31, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Mesenchymal neoplasias represent 5% of tumors affecting the penis. Due to the rarity of such tumors, there is no agreement concerning the best method for staging and managing these patients. Sarcomas ...of the penis can be classified as deep-seated if they derive from the structures forming the spongy body and the cavernous bodies. Superficial lesions are usually low-grade and show a small tendency towards distant metastasis. In contrast, deep-seated lesions usually show behavior that is more aggressive and have poorer prognosis. The authors report 3 cases of deep-seated primary sarcomas of the penis and review the literature on this rare and aggressive neoplasia.
The method of exocrine diversion in pancreas allograft continues to be controversial due to the advantages versus disadvantages of bladder versus enteric techniques. Bladder drainage (BD) exposes the ...patient to urological and metabolic problems that may require conversion to enteric drainage (ED). The purpose of this study was to review our initial experience of conversion from BD to ED for patients who underwent pancreas transplantation originally with bladder diversion. Among 114 pancreas transplantation performed with BD, from January 1996 to April 2003, 60 were simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation (SPKT), 35 were pancreas transplantation alone (PA), and 19 were pancreas after kidney transplantations (PAK). Twenty-three (20.2%) cases were excluded due to early death of the patient or the graft, yielding an analyses of 91 patients. Enteric conversion (EC) was performed in 14 (15.4%) patients with a mean follow-up of 15.7 months (range, 3–51 months) after transplantation including 8 (8.8%) SPKT, 4 (4.4%) PAK, and 2 (2.2%) PA. No surgical morbidity or mortality was observed related to EC. All patients had complete resolution of the initial problem with preservation of pancreatic function. EC represents an easy, safe procedure with low morbidity and mortality rates, representing the option of choice for patients with persistent urological or metabolic disturbances.