The Advanced Mo-based Rare process Experiment (AMoRE)-Pilot experiment is an initial phase of the AMoRE search for neutrinoless double beta decay of
100
Mo, with the purpose of investigating the ...level and sources of backgrounds. Searches for neutrinoless double beta decay generally require ultimately low backgrounds. Surface
α
decays on the crystals themselves or nearby materials can deposit a continuum of energies that can be as high as the
Q
-value of the decay itself and may fall in the region of interest (ROI). To understand these background events, we studied backgrounds from radioactive contaminations internal to and on the surface of the crystals or nearby materials with Geant4-based Monte Carlo simulations. In this study, we report on the measured
α
energy spectra fitted with the corresponding simulated spectra for six crystal detectors, where sources of background contributions could be identified through high energy
α
peaks and continuum parts in the energy spectrum for both internal and surface contaminations. We determine the low-energy contributions from internal and surface
α
contaminations by extrapolating from the
α
background fitting model.
Objective
To describe the health characteristics of individuals with low HbA1c levels and evaluate the association between HbA1c level and disability or all-cause mortality in non-diabetic older ...adults.
Design
Prospective observational cohort study.
Setting
Seongnam, Gyeongi Province, Korea.
Participants
Among the 1,000 community-dwelling Koreans ≥ 65 years of age who were followed for 5 years, 760 non-diabetic individuals were analyzed.
Measurements
Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and Instrumental ADL (IADL) were evaluated and mortality data were obtained from the National Statistics Office of Korea.
Results
The mean age was 76.3 (SD 9.0) years, and 319 subjects (42.0%) were male. Lower level of HbA1c was associated with less frequent hypertension and less frequent use of aspirin or statin, and lower values of body mass index, hematocrit, total iron-binding capacity, albumin, and cholesterol level. The participants were categorized into 3 groups according to their HbA1c (group I, < 5.5%; group II, 5.5∼5.9%; and group III, 6.0 ∼ 6.4%). Although, there was no significant difference in functional status according to baseline HbA1c level, disability was more frequently observed as the HbA1c level decrease (18.3% in group I, 12.5% in group II, and 5.3% in group III, p=0.029) at the 5-year follow-up evaluation. There were 172 deaths (22.6%) during the follow-up period. There was no significant difference in mortality among the groups, however, group I had a 2.071-fold higher risk for the incident disability or mortality over group III after adjusting age, gender, and possible confounder (95% CI: 1.040 ∼ 4.124, p=0.038).
Conclusions
Lower level of HbA1c was associated with an increased risk of disability in non-diabetic older adults.
To compare rates of microvascular complications in adolescents with type 1 diabetes treated with continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) versus multiple daily injections (MDI).
Prospective ...cohort of 989 patients (aged 12-20 years; diabetes duration >5 years) treated with CSII or MDI for >12 months. Microvascular complications were assessed from 2000-14: early retinopathy (seven-field fundal photography), peripheral nerve function (thermal and vibration threshold testing), autonomic nerve abnormality (heart rate variability analysis of electrocardiogram recordings) and albuminuria (albumin creatinine ratio/timed overnight albumin excretion). Generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used to examine the relationship between treatment and complications rates, adjusting for socio-economic status (SES) and known risk factors including HbA1c and diabetes duration.
Comparing CSII with MDI: HbA1C was 8.6% 70mmol/mol vs. 8.7% 72 mmol/mol) (p = 0.7), retinopathy 17% vs. 22% (p = 0.06); microalbuminuria 1% vs. 4% (p = 0.07), peripheral nerve abnormality 27% vs. 33% (p = 0.108) and autonomic nerve abnormality 24% vs. 28% (p = 0.401). In multivariable GEE, CSII use was associated with lower rates of retinopathy (OR 0.66, 95% CI 0.45-0.95, p = 0.029) and peripheral nerve abnormality (OR 0.63, 95% CI 0.42-0.95, p = 0.026), but not albuminuria (OR 0.46, 95% CI 0.10-2.17, p = 0.33). SES was not associated with any of the complication outcomes.
In adolescents, CSII use is associated with lower rates of retinopathy and peripheral nerve abnormality, suggesting an apparent benefit of CSII over MDI independent of glycemic control or SES.
We present measurements of the first to fourth moments of the lepton mass squared $q$2 of $B$ → $X_cℓ\overline{ν}_ℓ$ decays for $ℓ = e, μ$ and with $X_c$ a hadronic system containing a charm quark. ...These results use a sample of electron-positron collisions at the $Υ$($4S$) resonance corresponding to 62.8 fb-1 of integrated luminosity and collected by the Belle II 2 experiment in 2019 and 2020. To identify the $X_c$ system and reconstruct $q$2, one of the $B$ mesons from an $Υ$($4S$) → $B\overline{B}$ decay is fully reconstructed in a hadronic decay mode using a multivariate $B$ tagging algorithm. We report raw and central moments for $q$2 > 1.5 $GeV$2=$c$4 up to $q$2 > 8.5 $GeV$2=$c$4, probing up to 77% of the accessible $B$ → $X_cℓ\overline{ν}_ℓ$ phase space. This is the first measurement of moments in the experimentally challenging range of 1.5; 2.5 $GeV$2=$c$4. The results can be used for a new determination of |$V_{cb}$| using inclusive $B$ → $X_cℓ\overline{ν}_ℓ$ decays.
Purpose: Evidence exists that changes in language performance may be an early indicator of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), often a harbinger of dementing disease. The purpose of this study was the ...evaluation of language performance in individuals at risk for MCI by virtue of age and self-concern and its relation to performance on tests of memory, visuospatial function, and mental status. Method: Eighty-three individuals 55 years or older were administered the Arizona Battery for Communication Disorders of Dementia (Bayles & Tomoeda, 1993), a standardized battery with normative data from 86 healthy older adults (HOAs) and 86 individuals with Alzheimer's dementia, the most common dementing disease. A performance criterion of 1-1.5 "SD"s below the mean of HOAs defined MCI, as recommended in the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition." We hypothesized that (a) the majority of at-risk participants would score 1 "SD" or more below the mean of HOAs on 1 or more subtests and (b) language performance tests would present a greater challenge than memory, mental status, and visuospatial construction tests. Results: Both hypotheses were confirmed. Sixty-two participants (74.6%) met the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition," criteria on at least 1 subtest. Moreover, language subtests were those most likely to elicit a performance 1 SD or more below the mean of HOAs. Conclusions: Language performance deficits can appear early before impairment in episodic memory, visuospatial construction ability, or mental status in individuals at risk for MCI. Speech-language pathologists are uniquely qualified to identify subtle changes in language, and standardized language tests with normative data should be used when testing for MCI.
Studies aimed at predicting individual responsiveness to preoperative chemoradiation therapy (CRT) are urgently needed, especially considering the risks associated with poorly responsive patients.
A ...3-step strategy for the determination of CRT sensitivity is proposed based on (1) the screening of a human genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array in correlation with histopathologic tumor regression grade (TRG); (2) clinical association analysis of 113 patients treated with preoperative CRT; and (3) a cell-based functional assay for biological validation.
Genome-wide screening identified 9 SNPs associated with preoperative CRT responses. Positive responses (TRG 1-3) were obtained more frequently in patients carrying the reference allele (C) of the SNP CORO2A rs1985859 than in those with the substitution allele (T) (P=.01). Downregulation of CORO2A was significantly associated with reduced early apoptosis by 27% (P=.048) and 39% (P=.023) in RKO and COLO320DM colorectal cancer cells, respectively, as determined by flow cytometry. Reduced radiosensitivity was confirmed by colony-forming assays in the 2 colorectal cancer cells (P=.034 and .015, respectively). The SNP FAM101A rs7955740 was not associated with radiosensitivity in the clinical association analysis. However, downregulation of FAM101A significantly reduced early apoptosis by 29% in RKO cells (P=.047), and it enhanced colony formation in RKO cells (P=.001) and COLO320DM cells (P=.002).
CRT-sensitive SNP markers were identified using a novel 3-step process. The candidate marker CORO2A rs1985859 and the putative marker FAM101A rs7955740 may be of value for the prediction of radiosensitivity to preoperative CRT, although further validation is needed in large cohorts.
Botrytis cinerea, the gray mold fungus, is an important plant pathogen. Field populations are characterized by variability with regard to morphology, the mode of reproduction (conidiation or ...sclerotia formation), the spectrum of secondary metabolites (SM), and virulence. Natural variation in bcvel1 encoding the ortholog of Aspergillus nidulans VeA, a member of the VELVET complex, was previously shown to affect light-dependent differentiation, the formation of oxalic acid (OA), and virulence. To gain broader insight into the B. cinerea VELVET complex, an ortholog of A. nidulans LaeA, BcLAE1, a putative interaction partner of BcVEL1, was studied. BcVEL1 but not its truncated versions interacts with BcLAE1 and BcVEL2 (VelB ortholog). In accordance with the expected common as well as specific functions of BcVEL1 and BcLAE1, the deletions of both genes result in similar though not identical phenotypes. Both mutants lost the ability to produce OA, to colonize the host tissue, and to form sclerotia. However, mutants differ with regard to aerial hyphae and conidia formation. Genome-wide expression analyses revealed that BcVEL1 and BcLAE1 have common and distinct target genes. Some of the genes that are underexpressed in both mutants, e.g., those encoding SM-related enzymes, proteases, and carbohydrate-active enzymes, may account for their reduced virulence.
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