We present an improved search for neutrinoless double-beta (0νββ) decay of ^{136}Xe in the KamLAND-Zen experiment. Owing to purification of the xenon-loaded liquid scintillator, we achieved a ...significant reduction of the ^{110m}Ag contaminant identified in previous searches. Combining the results from the first and second phase, we obtain a lower limit for the 0νββ decay half-life of T_{1/2}^{0ν}>1.07×10^{26} yr at 90% C.L., an almost sixfold improvement over previous limits. Using commonly adopted nuclear matrix element calculations, the corresponding upper limits on the effective Majorana neutrino mass are in the range 61-165 meV. For the most optimistic nuclear matrix elements, this limit reaches the bottom of the quasidegenerate neutrino mass region.
Aerosols emitted in densely populated and industrialized Indo-Gangetic Plain, one of the most polluted regions in the world, modulate regional climate, monsoon, and Himalayan glacier retreat. Thus, ...this region is important for understanding aerosol perturbations and their resulting impacts on atmospheric changes during COVID-19 lockdown period, a natural experimental condition created by the pandemic. By analyzing 5 years (2016–2020) data of aerosols and performing a radiative transfer calculation, we found that columnar and near-surface aerosol loadings decreased, leading to reductions in radiative cooling at the surface and top of the atmosphere and atmospheric warming during lockdown period. Further, satellite data analyses showed increases in cloud optical thickness and cloud-particle effective radius and decrease in lower tropospheric air temperature during lockdown period. These results indicate critical influences of COVID-19 lockdown on regional climate and water cycle over Indo-Gangetic Plain, emphasizing need for further studies from modeling perspectives.
Summary
Pre-existing inflammation, corticosteroid therapy, periapical periodontitis, longer duration of denosumab therapy, and female sex were significantly associated with an increased risk of ...denosumab-related osteonecrosis of the jaw after tooth extraction in patients with cancer on oncologic doses of denosumab. A short drug holiday did not protect against this complication.
Introduction
This study retrospectively investigated the relationship between various risk factors, including brief discontinuation of denosumab, and development of denosumab-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (DRONJ) after tooth extraction in patients with cancer who were receiving oncologic doses of this agent.
Methods
Data were collected on demographic characteristics, duration of denosumab therapy, whether or not denosumab was discontinued before tooth extraction (drug holiday), duration of discontinuation, presence of pre-existing inflammation, and whether or not additional surgical procedures were performed. Risk factors for DRONJ after tooth extraction were evaluated by univariate and multivariate analyses.
Results
A total of 136 dental extractions were performed in 72 patients (31 men, 41 women) with cancer who were receiving oncologic doses of denosumab. Post-extraction DRONJ was diagnosed in 39 teeth (28.7%) in 25 patients. Tooth extraction was significantly associated with development of DRONJ only in patients with pre-existing inflammation (odds ratio OR 243.77), those on corticosteroid therapy (OR 73.50), those with periapical periodontitis (OR 14.13), those who had been taking oncologic doses of denosumab for a longer period (OR 4.69), and in women (OR 1.04). There was no significant difference in the occurrence of DRONJ between patients who had a drug holiday before tooth extraction and those who did not.
Conclusions
These findings suggest that inflamed teeth should be extracted immediately in patients with cancer who are receiving oncologic doses of denosumab. Drug holidays have no significant impact on the risk of DRONJ.
Summary
Root amputation, immunosuppressive therapy, mandibular tooth extraction, pre-existing inflammation, and longer duration of treatment with bone-modifying agents were significantly associated ...with an increased risk of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw. Hopeless teeth should be extracted without drug holiday before the development of inflammation in cancer patients receiving high-dose bone-modifying agents.
Introduction
No studies have comprehensively analyzed the influence of pre-existing inflammation, surgical procedure–related factors such as primary wound closure, demographic factors, and drug holiday on the incidence of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ). The purpose of this study was to retrospectively investigate the relationships between these various factors and the development of MRONJ after tooth extraction in cancer patients receiving high-dose bone-modifying agents (BMAs) such as bisphosphonates or denosumab.
Methods
Risk factors for MRONJ after tooth extraction were evaluated with univariate and multivariate analyses. The following parameters were investigated in all patients: demographics, type and duration of BMA use, whether BMA use was discontinued before tooth extraction (drug holiday), the duration of such discontinuation, the presence of pre-existing inflammation, and whether additional surgical procedures (e.g., incision, removal of bone edges, root amputation) were performed.
Results
We found that root amputation (OR = 22.62), immunosuppressive therapy (OR = 16.61), extraction of mandibular teeth (OR = 12.14), extraction of teeth with pre-existing inflammation, and longer duration (≥ 8 months) of high-dose BMA (OR = 7.85) were all significantly associated with MRONJ.
Conclusions
Tooth extraction should not necessarily be postponed in cancer patients receiving high-dose BMA. The effectiveness of a short-term drug holiday was not confirmed, as drug holidays had no significant impact on MRONJ incidence. Tooth extraction may be acceptable during high-dose BMA therapy until 8 months after initiation.
ABSTRACT In the late stages of nuclear burning for massive stars (M > 8 M ), the production of neutrino-antineutrino pairs through various processes becomes the dominant stellar cooling mechanism. As ...the star evolves, the energy of these neutrinos increases and in the days preceding the supernova a significant fraction of emitted electron anti-neutrinos exceeds the energy threshold for inverse beta decay on free hydrogen. This is the golden channel for liquid scintillator detectors because the coincidence signature allows for significant reductions in background signals. We find that the kiloton-scale liquid scintillator detector KamLAND can detect these pre-supernova neutrinos from a star with a mass of 25 M at a distance less than 690 pc with 3 significance before the supernova. This limit is dependent on the neutrino mass ordering and background levels. KamLAND takes data continuously and can provide a supernova alert to the community.
We report the experimental observation of dielectric relaxation by quantum critical magnons. Complex capacitance measurements reveal a dissipative feature with a temperature-dependent amplitude due ...to low-energy lattice excitations and an activation behavior of the relaxation time. The activation energy softens close to a field-tuned magnetic quantum critical point at H=H_{c} and follows single-magnon energy for H>H_{c}, showing its magnetic origin. Our study demonstrates the electrical activity of coupled low-energy spin and lattice excitations, an example of quantum multiferroic behavior.
We report observations from space using ultraviolet (UV) radiance for significant enhancement of ozone in the lower troposphere over central and eastern China (CEC). The recent retrieval products of ...the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) onboard the Earth Observing System (EOS) Aura satellite revealed the spatial and temporal variation of ozone distributions in multiple layers in the troposphere. We compared the OMI-derived ozone over Beijing with airborne measurements by the Measurement of Ozone and Water Vapor by Airbus In-Service Aircraft (MOZAIC) program. The correlation between OMI and MOZAIC ozone in the lower troposphere was reasonable, which assured the reliability of OMI ozone retrievals in the lower troposphere under enhanced ozone conditions. The ozone enhancement was clearly observed over CEC, with Shandong Province as its center, and was most notable in June in any given year. Similar seasonal variations were observed throughout the 9-year OMI measurement period of 2005 to 2013. A considerable part of this ozone enhancement could be attributed to the emissions of ozone precursors from industrial activities and automobiles, and possibly from open crop residue burning (OCRB) after the winter wheat harvest. The ozone distribution presented in this study is also consistent with some model studies. The lower tropospheric ozone distribution is first shown from OMI retrieval in this study, and the results will be useful in clarifying any unknown factors that influence ozone distribution by comparison with model simulations.
We have analyzed the column-averaged CH4 concentration (xCH4) using scanning imaging absorption spectrometer for atmospheric chartography (SCIAMACHY) and compared the data with the bottom–up emission ...inventory data sets and other satellite-derived indices such as the land-surface water coverage (LSWC) and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). The geographical distribution of high CH4 values corresponds to strong emissions from regions where rice is cultivated, as indicated in the inventory maps. The Pearson's correlation coefficients (r) between xCH4 and the rice emission inventory data are observed to be greater than ~0.6 over typical rice fields, with outstanding r-values of ~0.8 in the Ganges Basin, Myanmar, and Thailand. This suggests that the emission of CH4 from rice cultivation mainly controls the seasonality of the CH4 concentration over such regions. The correlation between xCH4 and LSWC and NDVI is also as large as 0.6. In Southeast Asia, the r-values of xCH4 with bottom–up inventory data that includes all categories are not as high as those with the emission, as estimated from the rice category only. This is indicative of the relative importance of rice emissions among all other emission categories in Southeast Asia.
•SCIAMACHY revealed seasonal variation of CH4 over Monsoon Asia.•The CH4 concentration over Monsoon Asia enhances in wet season.•Enhancement of the methane correlates to the land-surface water coverage.•Strong CH4 emission from rice paddies is suggested in wet season.
Background The presence of virilizing signs associated with high serum androgen levels in postmenopausal women is rare. Virilizing ovarian tumors (VOTs) and ovarian stromal hyperthecosis (OH) are the ...most common etiologies in virilized postmenopausal women. The differential diagnosis between these two conditions is often difficult. Objective To evaluate the contribution of clinical features, hormonal profiles and radiological studies to the differential diagnosis of VOT and OH. Design A retrospective study. Setting A tertiary center. Main outcome measures Clinical data, hormonal status (T, E2, LH and FSH), pelvic images (transvaginal sonography and MRI) and anatomopathology were reviewed. Patients Thirty-four postmenopausal women with a diagnosis of VOT (13 women) and OH (21 women) were evaluated retrospectively. Results Clinical signs of hyperandrogenism were more prevalent in the VOT group than the OH group. Although the VOT group showed higher T and E2 levels and lower gonadotropin levels than the OH group, a great overlap occurred among the hormone levels. A pelvic MRI provided an accurate differentiation of these two conditions. Conclusion In this group of patients, the main features contributing to the differential diagnosis of VOT and OH were serum levels of testosterone and gonadotropins and the presence of an ovarian nodule identified on the MRI. Although the association of clinical, hormonal and radiological features contributes to the differential diagnosis of these two conditions, histopathological analysis remains the gold standard for the diagnosis of ovarian hyperandrogenism in postmenopausal women.
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