Multi-muon events have been recorded with the ALEPH-detector, located 140 m underground, in parallel with e
+e
− data taking. Benefiting from the high spatial resolution of the ALEPH tracking ...chambers narrowly spaced muons in high multiplicity bundles could be analysed. The bulk of the data can be successfully described by standard production phenomena. The multiplicity distribution favors, though not with very high significance, a chemical composition which changes from light to heavier elements with increasing energy around the “knee”. The five highest multiplicity events, with up to 150 muons within an area of ∼8 m
2, occur with a frequency which is almost an order of magnitude above the simulation. To establish a possible effect, more of these events should be recorded with a larger area detector.
The TOTEM collaboration has measured the proton–proton total cross section at
s
=
13
TeV
with a luminosity-independent method. Using dedicated
β
∗
=
90
m
beam optics, the Roman Pots were inserted ...very close to the beam. The inelastic scattering rate has been measured by the T1 and T2 telescopes during the same LHC fill. After applying the optical theorem the total proton–proton cross section is
σ
tot
=
(
110.6
±
3.4
) mb, well in agreement with the extrapolation from lower energies. This method also allows one to derive the luminosity-independent elastic and inelastic cross sections:
σ
el
=
(
31.0
±
1.7
)
mb
and
σ
inel
=
(
79.5
±
1.8
)
mb
.
The TOTEM experiment at the LHC has performed the first measurement at
s
=
13
TeV
of the
ρ
parameter, the real to imaginary ratio of the nuclear elastic scattering amplitude at
t
=
0
, obtaining the ...following results:
ρ
=
0.09
±
0.01
and
ρ
=
0.10
±
0.01
, depending on different physics assumptions and mathematical modelling. The unprecedented precision of the
ρ
measurement, combined with the TOTEM total cross-section measurements in an energy range larger than
10
TeV
(from 2.76 to
13
TeV
), has implied the exclusion of all the models classified and published by COMPETE. The
ρ
results obtained by TOTEM are compatible with the predictions, from other theoretical models both in the Regge-like framework and in the QCD framework, of a crossing-odd colourless 3-gluon compound state exchange in the
t
-channel of the proton–proton elastic scattering. On the contrary, if shown that the crossing-odd 3-gluon compound state
t
-channel exchange is not of importance for the description of elastic scattering, the
ρ
value determined by TOTEM would represent a first evidence of a slowing down of the total cross-section growth at higher energies. The very low-|
t
| reach allowed also to determine the absolute normalisation using the Coulomb amplitude for the first time at the LHC and obtain a new total proton–proton cross-section measurement
σ
tot
=
(
110.3
±
3.5
)
mb
, completely independent from the previous TOTEM determination. Combining the two TOTEM results yields
σ
tot
=
(
110.5
±
2.4
)
mb
.
Drug-induced psychosis is a frequent side-effect in the treatment of advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). We sought to develop and evaluate a brief instrument for early recognition of drug-induced ...psychosis in PD.
We developed the "Parkinson Psychosis Questionnaire" (PPQ), which consists of screening questions for typical early signs and psychotic symptoms in PD and which quantifies the frequency and severity of four clinical categories-sleep disturbances, hallucinations/illusions, delusions and orientation. We performed an internal validation of the PPQ in 50 unselected patients with parkinsonism. The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and the "Structurized Clinical Interview" (SCID) for DSM IV were applied to the same patients as external references.
Of 50 subjects, 49 suffered from idiopathic PD and one from probable MSA-P. Hoehn and Yahr stages in "on" ranged from 1.5 to 4. Sensitivity of the PPQ test for drug-induced psychosis according to SCID was 100 % (95 % CI: 73.5%, 100%); while specificity was 92.1 % (95% CI: 78.6%, 98.3 %). The PPQ severity score was highly correlated with BPRS. We derived a linear prediction formula, which transformed PPQ into BPRS scores.
The PPQ appears to be a suitable, and easily administered instrument for early diagnosis of drug induced psychosis in routine PD care. Whether the PPQ could also be a valuable tool for monitoring follow-up studies and therapeutic intervention trials remains to be tested.
Background and purpose: The prevalence of the heterozygous G2019S and R1441C/G/H mutations in LRRK2 in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) has shown a great variability depending on the sample ...population. Here we investigated the prevalence of these mutations in a large cohort of German PD patients (n = 1049).
Results: We observed heterozygous G2019S mutations in five patients with apparently sporadic late‐onset PD (LOPD; n = 3) and young‐onset PD (YOPD) (one sporadic and one familial), respectively, resulting in an overall prevalence of 0.5%. No R1441C/G/H mutation was found in our sample.
Discussion: In summary, the overall prevalence of the G2019S mutation in German PD patients is apparently somewhat lower than in patients from other nearby European countries. In contrast to previous reports, the G2019S mutation was also observed in apparently sporadic German LOPD patients.
The TOTEM collaboration has measured the elastic proton-proton differential cross section
d
σ
/
d
t
at
s
=
13
TeV LHC energy using dedicated
β
∗
=
90
m beam optics. The Roman Pot detectors were ...inserted to 10
σ
distance from the LHC beam, which allowed the measurement of the range 0.04 GeV
2
; 4 GeV
2
in four-momentum transfer squared |
t
|. The efficient data acquisition allowed to collect about 10
9
elastic events to precisely measure the differential cross-section including the diffractive minimum (dip), the subsequent maximum (bump) and the large-|
t
| tail. The average nuclear slope has been found to be
B
=
(
20.40
±
0
.
002
stat
±
0
.
01
syst
)
GeV
-
2
in the |
t
|-range 0.04–0.2 GeV
2
. The dip position is
|
t
dip
|
=
(
0.47
±
0
.
004
stat
±
0
.
01
syst
)
GeV
2
. The differential cross section ratio at the bump vs. at the dip
R
=
1.77
±
0
.
01
stat
has been measured with high precision. The series of TOTEM elastic pp measurements show that the dip is a permanent feature of the pp differential cross-section at the TeV scale.
Motor complications in Parkinson’s disease (PD) result from the short half-life and irregular plasma fluctuations of oral levodopa. When strategies of providing more continuous dopaminergic ...stimulation by adjusting oral medication fail, patients may be candidates for one of three device-aided therapies: deep brain stimulation (DBS), continuous subcutaneous apomorphine infusion, or continuous duodenal/jejunal levodopa/carbidopa pump infusion (DLI). These therapies differ in their invasiveness, side-effect profile, and the need for nursing care. So far, very few comparative studies have evaluated the efficacy of the three device-aided therapies for specific motor problems in advanced PD. As a result, neurologists currently lack guidance as to which therapy could be most appropriate for a particular PD patient. A group of experts knowledgeable in all three therapies reviewed the currently available literature for each treatment and identified variables of clinical relevance for choosing one of the three options such as type of motor problems, age, and cognitive and psychiatric status. For each scenario, pragmatic and (if available) evidence-based recommendations are provided as to which patients could be candidates for either DBS, DLI, or subcutaneous apomorphine.
The TOTEM experiment at the CERN LHC has measured elastic proton–proton scattering at the centre-of-mass energy
s
=
8
TeV and four-momentum transfers squared, |
t
|, from
6
×
10
-
4
to 0.2 GeV
2
. ...Near the lower end of the
t
-interval the differential cross-section is sensitive to the interference between the hadronic and the electromagnetic scattering amplitudes. This article presents the elastic cross-section measurement and the constraints it imposes on the functional forms of the modulus and phase of the hadronic elastic amplitude. The data exclude the traditional Simplified West and Yennie interference formula that requires a constant phase and a purely exponential modulus of the hadronic amplitude. For parametrisations of the hadronic modulus with second- or third-order polynomials in the exponent, the data are compatible with hadronic phase functions giving either central or peripheral behaviour in the impact parameter picture of elastic scattering. In both cases, the
ρ
-parameter is found to be
0.12
±
0.03
. The results for the total hadronic cross-section are
σ
tot
=
(
102.9
±
2.3
)
mb and
(
103.0
±
2.3
)
mb for central and peripheral phase formulations, respectively. Both are consistent with previous TOTEM measurements.
Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disorder which causes early sustained disability and quality of life impairment. Recently, a self-reported questionnaire ...focusing on MSA-specific symptoms (Multiple System Atrophy Quality of Life questionnaire, MSA-QoL) was developed in the English language. This article reports the validation of the German translation of the MSA-QoL.
Translation of the MSA-QoL was implemented in a 3-tiered approach including a forward translation, a back translation and an independent review. For the validation study 38 consecutive patients with MSA according to the consensus criteria were recruited by the participating centers in a German-Austrian cohort. Data were analyzed using standard psychometric procedures.
As determined by the independent review, the German translation of the MSA-QoL was classified as fully equivalent to the English version. The validation study confirmed good psychometric properties of the rating scale.
The German translation of the MSA-QoL was shown to be a reliable patient-reported rating scale to determine health-related quality of life in MSA patients.
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