We report on a search for a phase transition from ordinary nuclear matter to a state of deconfined quarks and gluons as predicted by lattice QCD calculations. A new measurement of charmonium ...production in Pb-Pb interactions at 158 GeV/
c per nucleon agrees with our previous results and confirms the anomalous J/
ψ suppression we had already observed on a significantly smaller data sample. New event selection and analysis techniques show that, for peripheral collisions, the J/
ψ cross-section per nucleon-nucleon collision agrees with the precise suppression pattern inferred from a wide range of measurements extending from p-p up to S-U collisions. As the collisions become more central, the Pb-Pb cross-section exhibits a clear departure from this normal behaviour. The onset of the anomalous J/
ψ suppression reported here is the first clear observation of a threshold effect in heavy ion collisions and can be considered as a strong indication of the production of a deconfined quark-gluon phase in central Pb-Pb collisions.
The multiplicity and pseudorapidity distributions of inclusive photons have been measured at forward rapidities ( ) in proton-proton collisions at three center-of-mass energies, Formula omitted 0.9, ...2.76 and 7 TeV using the ALICE detector. It is observed that the increase in the average photon multiplicity as a function of beam energy is compatible with both a logarithmic and a power-law dependence. The relative increase in average photon multiplicity produced in inelastic pp collisions at 2.76 and 7 TeV center-of-mass energies with respect to 0.9 TeV are 37.2 Formula omitted 0.3 % (stat) 8.8 % (sys) and 61.2 Formula omitted 0.3 % (stat) 7.6 % (sys), respectively. The photon multiplicity distributions for all center-of-mass energies are well described by negative binomial distributions. The multiplicity distributions are also presented in terms of KNO variables. The results are compared to model predictions, which are found in general to underestimate the data at large photon multiplicities, in particular at the highest center-of-mass energy. Limiting fragmentation behavior of photons has been explored with the data, but is not observed in the measured pseudorapidity range.
Pelvic floor rehabilitation is frequently recommended for defecation disorders, in both constipation and fecal incontinence. However, the lack of patient selection, together with the variety of ...rehabilitation methods and protocols, often jeopardize the results of this approach, causing difficulty in evaluating outcomes and addressing proper management, and above all, in obtaining scientific evidence for the efficacy of these methods for specific indications. The authors represent different gastroenterological and surgical scientific societies in Italy, and their aim was to identify the indications and agree on treatment protocols for pelvic floor rehabilitation of patients with defecation disorders. This was achieved by means of a modified Delphi method, utilizing a working team (10 members) which developed the statements and a consensus group (15 members, different from the previous ones) which voted twice also suggesting modifications of the statements.
(ProQuest: ... denotes formulae and/or non-USASCII text omitted; see image) The production of the strange and double-strange baryon resonances (..., ...) has been measured at mid-rapidity (... ...) ...in proton-proton collisions at ... ... 7 TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. Transverse momentum spectra for inelastic collisions are compared to QCD-inspired models, which in general underpredict the data. A search for the ... pentaquark, decaying in the ... channel, has been carried out but no evidence is seen.
Small fiber neuropathy (SFN) is a well-defined chronic painful condition causing severe individual and societal burden. While mood disorders have been described, cognitive and behavioral profiles of ...SFN patients has not been investigated.
Thirty-four painful SFN patients underwent comprehensive cognitive, behavioral, psychological, quality of life (QoL), and personality assessment using validated questionnaires. As control samples, we enrolled 36 patients with painful peripheral neuropathy (PPN) of mixed etiology and 30 healthy controls (HC). Clinical measures of neuropathic pain, duration, frequency, and intensity of pain at the time of assessment were recorded. Between-group and correlation analyses were performed and corrected for multiple comparisons.
No differences in clinical measures were found between SFN and PPN, and all groups had similar cognitive profiles. SFN patients showed higher levels of anxiety and alexithymia (p < .005) compared to PPN and HC, considering also pain intensity. Maladaptive coping strategies characterized both patient groups, but only SFN revealed higher levels of acceptance of pain (p < .05). Pain intensity and neuropathic symptoms were associated with mood, low QoL and catastrophism (p < .001), particularly, the higher the perceived pain intensity, the higher the use of maladaptive coping strategies (p < .001). The personality assessment revealed significant feelings of worthlessness and somatization traits both in SFN and PPN (p < .002 vs HC).
our results suggest that SFN patients had a normal-like cognitive profile, while their behavioral profile is characterized by mood disorders, alexithymia, maladaptive coping strategies, and poor QoL, as other chronic pain conditions, possibly related to pain intensity. Personality assessment suggests that somatization and feelings of worthlessness, which may worsen the neuropsychological profile, deserve clinical attention when considering patients' therapeutic approaches. At the same time, the high level of acceptance of pain is promising for therapeutic approaches based on psychological support.
The production of vector mesons φ, ρ and ω has been measured in Pb–Pb collisions at 158 GeV/c per nucleon incident momentum at the CERN/SPS. The muon spectrometer of experiment NA50 detects φ, ρ and ...ω mesons via their μ+μ− decay channel in the collision center of mass rapidity range 0⩽yCM⩽1. The results reported here show that the relative production of the φ compared to the (ρ+ω) and the φ multiplicity per participant nucleon (Npart) increase with the centrality of the collision. On the other hand, the (ρ+ω) multiplicity per participant does not exhibit any Npart dependence within our errors. The inverse slope parameter as deduced from an exponential fit to the φ transverse mass distribution is 228±10 MeV. Our results are compared with those obtained by experiment NA49 and with theoretical calculations.
Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCLs) have a poor prognosis and, to date, there are no reliable predictive biomarkers of response. In this work we explored the prognostic impact of cell-free DNA ...(cfDNA) concentration in 75 newly diagnosed patients enrolled in a prospective multicenter study. Pre-treatment cfDNA was strongly associated with clinical risk factors and was identified as a superior predictor for shorter progression-free survival in multivariable analysis, outweighing canonical risk parameters. Furthermore, we identified a cfDNA value above which survival worsens. In conclusion, pre-treatment cfDNA concentration represents an easily usable predictive biomarker that is highly associated with survival of PTCL patients.
Charmonium suppression in Pb-Pb collisions at 158 GeV/c per nucleon is investigated in detail with the study of the transverse momentum distributions of J/
ψ as a function of the centrality of the ...collision. It is shown that the observed J/
ψ suppression in Pb-Pb interactions is particularly significant mainly at low transverse momentum where it strongly depends on centrality. For peripheral Pb-Pb collisions, the transverse momentum dependence of the J/
ψ cross section is, as a function of centrality, qualitatively similar to the dependence observed in p-A and S-U collisions. Comparing peripheral and central Pb-Pb collisions, the data show a relative suppression in the whole
p
T
range although its amplitude significantly decreases with increasing
p
T
and becomes almost
p
T
independent for the highest
p
T
values.
Genetic factors are believed to affect risk for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), but there have been no sufficiently powered and adequately sized studies. To identify DNA variants associated with IBS ...risk, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of the large UK Biobank population-based cohort, which includes genotype and health data from 500,000 participants.
We studied 7,287,191 high-quality single nucleotide polymorphisms in individuals who self-reported a doctor’s diagnosis of IBS (cases; n = 9576) compared to the remainder of the cohort (controls; n = 336,499) (mean age of study subjects, 40–69 years). Genome-wide significant findings were further investigated in 2045 patients with IBS from tertiary centers and 7955 population controls from Europe and the United States, and a small general population sample from Sweden (n = 249). Functional annotation of GWAS results was carried out by integrating data from multiple biorepositories to obtain biological insights from the observed associations.
We identified a genome-wide significant association on chromosome 9q31.2 (single nucleotide polymorphism rs10512344; P = 3.57 × 10–8) in a region previously linked to age at menarche, and 13 additional loci of suggestive significance (P < 5.0×10–6). Sex-stratified analyses revealed that the variants at 9q31.2 affect risk of IBS in women only (P = 4.29 × 10–10 in UK Biobank) and also associate with constipation-predominant IBS in women (P = .015 in the tertiary cohort) and harder stools in women (P = .0012 in the population-based sample). Functional annotation of the 9q31.2 locus identified 8 candidate genes, including the elongator complex protein 1 gene (ELP1 or IKBKAP), which is mutated in patients with familial dysautonomia.
In a sufficiently powered GWAS of IBS, we associated variants at the locus 9q31.2 with risk of IBS in women. This observation may provide additional rationale for investigating the role of sex hormones and autonomic dysfunction in IBS.
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