The goal of the NEXT collaboration is the sensitive search of the neutrino-less double beta decay (
β
β
0
ν
) of
1
3
6
Xe at the LSC. After a successful R&D phase, a first large-scale prototype of a ...high-pressure gas-Xenon electroluminescent TPC (NEW) is being operated at LSC since 2016. NEW is a 10-kg radiopure detector meant to understand the relevant backgrounds for the
β
β
0
ν
search and to perform a measurement of the two neutrino mode of the double beta decay (
β
β
2
ν
). The first phase of the NEW physics program comprises the commissioning of the detector and the data taking with calibration sources. This phase has allowed to understand the detector capabilities in terms of energy resolution and event topology reconstruction. The operation of NEW is setting the grounds for the construction of the NEXT-100 detector: a TPC holding 100 kg of
1
3
6
Xe and reaching a sensitivity to the
β
β
0
ν
half-life of
6
×
1
0
2
5
y after 3 years of data taking. The latest results of the NEW detector as well as the status of the NEXT-100 project are presented.
Objective
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating, and currently incurable, neuromuscular disease in which oxidative stress and mitochondrial impairment are contributing to neuronal ...loss. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), an antioxidant and mitochondrial cofactor, has shown promise in ALS transgenic mice, and in clinical trials for neurodegenerative diseases other than ALS. Our aims were to choose between two high doses of CoQ10 for ALS, and to determine if it merits testing in a Phase III clinical trial.
Methods
We designed and implemented a multicenter trial with an adaptive, two‐stage, bias‐adjusted, randomized, placebo‐controlled, double‐blind, Phase II design (n = 185). The primary outcome in both stages was a decline in the ALS Functional Rating Scale‐revised (ALSFRSr) score over 9 months. Stage 1 (dose selection, 35 participants per group) compared CoQ10 doses of 1,800 and 2,700mg/day. Stage 2 (futility test, 75 patients per group) compared the dose selected in Stage 1 against placebo.
Results
Stage 1 selected the 2,700mg dose. In Stage 2, the pre‐specified primary null hypothesis that this dose is superior to placebo was not rejected. It was rejected, however, in an accompanying prespecified sensitivity test, and further supplementary analyses. Prespecified secondary analyses showed no significant differences between CoQ10 at 2,700mg/day and placebo. There were no safety concerns.
Interpretation
CoQ10 at 2,700mg daily for 9 months shows insufficient promise to warrant Phase III testing. Given this outcome, the adaptive Phase II design incorporating a dose selection and a futility test avoided the need for a much larger conventional Phase III trial. Ann Neurol 2009;66:235–244
Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an immune‐mediated disorder with a variable response to treatment. In this study, patients with refractory MG who were treated with rituximab were identified. A review of ...patients referred to the Yale Neuromuscular Clinic was performed. Patients with refractory MG who were treated with rituximab were reviewed for response to treatment. Patients who had muscle‐specific kinase (MuSK+) or acetylcholine receptor (AChR+) antibodies were included. Six patients were identified who met the criteria described. All patients tolerated rituximab without side effects and had a reduced need for immunosuppressants and/or improvement in clinical function. Patients with refractory MG appeared to respond to rituximab in this small, retrospective study. This result suggests that a larger, prospective trial is indicated. Muscle Nerve, 2009
Although different techniques are used to search for the neutrinoless double beta decay, the common challenges for all the existing or planned experiments are to achieve a good energy resolution and ...large background rejection factors. The NEXT collaboration addresses these two challenges with a high-pressure gas-Xenon TPC. Natural Xenon consists of almost 9% of 136Xe, a ββ0ν candidate emitter, and can be easily enriched. When used as a calorimeter, 136Xe yields an excellent energy resolution. This fact, combined with the expected long life of the ββ2ν mode, accounts for negligible intrinsic backgrounds up to masses of 1 ton. Furthermore, external backgrounds can be rejected with high efficiency by means of the electron tracking capabilities of the TPC. A detector containing about 100 kg of enriched Xenon is expected to be installed at Canfranc Underground Laboratory (LSC) within the next 5 years, with the twofold aim of exploring the degenerated hierarchy of the neutrino mass and providing deep understanding of the experimental techniques which allow extrapolation to larger detectors.
The band has spread its message that HIV does not cause AIDS at concerts 6, and it lists the HIV denial group "Alive and Well" as a worthy cause on its Web site ...(http://www.foofighters.com/community_cause.html). Unscientific alternative medical modalities have made significant inroads into the institutions of health care through political means, despite a continued lack of scientific legitimacy: vaccines are characterized as dangerous instead of life-saving; psychiatry is mocked by celebrities and others in the public eye.
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