A longitudinal molecular study of the ecology of malaria infections in free-ranging mandrills

Unravelling the determinants of host variation in susceptibility and exposure to parasite infections, infection dynamics and the consequences of parasitism on host health is of paramount interest to understand the evolution of complex host-parasite interactions. In this study, we evaluated the determinants, temporal changes and physiological correlates of Plasmodium infections in a large natural population of mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx). Over six consecutive years, we obtained detailed parasitological and physiological data from 100 male and female mandrills of all ages. The probability of infection by Plasmodium gonderi and P. mandrilli was elevated (ca. 40%) but most infections were chronical and dynamic, with several cases of parasite switching and clearance. Positive co-infections also occurred between both parasites. Individual age and sex influenced the probability of infections with some differences between parasites: while P. mandrilli appeared to infect its hosts rather randomly, P. gonderi particularly infected middle-aged mandrills. Males were also more susceptible to P. gonderi than females and were more likely to be infected by this parasite at the beginning of an infection by the simian immunodeficiency virus. P. gonderi, and to a lesser extent P. mandrilli, influenced mandrills’ physiology: skin temperatures and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio were both impacted, generally depending on individual age and sex. These results highlight the ecological complexity of Plasmodium infections in nonhuman primates and the efforts that need to be done to decipher the epidemiology of such parasites.

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Longitudinal epidemiological and physiological data on Plasmodium infection obtained from a wild primate population.

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Elevated chronical infections by two species of Plasmodium.

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Contrasted dynamics of infection and physiological effects of P. gonderi and P. mandrilli.

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Elevated parasitaemia (P. gonderi) in male mandrills in primo-infection by the simian immunodeficiency virus.

Structure-activity relationship study: Mechanism of cyto-genotoxicity of Nitropyrazole-derived high energy density materials family

Stringent toxicological tests have to be performed prior to the industrial development of alternative chemicals particularly high energy dense materials (HEDMs) such as explosives. The properties (e.g., power, stability) of these compounds are constantly being improved, the current axis of research being the nitration of nitrogen heterocycles leading to HEDMs such as nitropyrazole-derived molecules. However, except for 3,4,5-trinitropyrazole (3,4,5-TNP), which was shown to be highly toxic in mice, the toxicological impact of these HEDMs has so far not been investigated. Furthermore, as industrials are strongly advised to develop alternative safety testing assays to in vivo experiments, we herein focused on determining the cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of seven Nitropyrazole-derived HEDMs on three rodent cell lines (mouse embryonic BALB/3T3 clone A31 cells, Chinese hamster ovary cells CHO-K1 and mouse lymphoma L5178Y TK +/- clone (3.7.2C) cells), two human fibroblast lines (CRC05, PFS04062) and on the human hepatic HepaRG model (both in proliferative and differentiated cells). A stronger cytotoxic effect was observed for 1,3-dinitropyrazole (1, 3-DNP) and 3,4,5-TNP in all cell lines, though differentiated HepaRG cells clearly displayed fewer likely due to the metabolism and elimination of these molecules by their functional biotransformation pathways. At the mechanistic level, the sub-chronic cytotoxic and genotoxic effects were linked to ROS/RNS production (experimental assays), HA2.X and to transcriptomic data highlighting the increase in DNA repair mechanisms.

GloPID-R report on chikungunya, o'nyong-nyong and Mayaro virus, part 2: Epidemiological distribution of o'nyong-nyong virus

The GloPID-R (Global Research Collaboration for Infectious Disease Preparedness) chikungunya (CHIKV), o'nyong-nyong (ONNV) and Mayaro virus (MAYV) Working Group has been established to identify gaps of knowledge about the natural history, epidemiology and medical management of infection by these viruses, and to provide adapted recommendations for future investigations. Here, we present a report dedicated to ONNV epidemiological distribution. Two large-scale ONNV outbreaks have been identified in Africa in the last 60 years, interspersed with sporadic serosurveys and case reports of returning travelers. The assessment of the real scale of ONNV circulation in Africa remains a difficult task and surveillance studies are necessary to fill this gap. The identification of ONNV etiology is made complicated by the absence of multiplex tools in co-circulation areas and that of reference standards, as well as the high cross-reactivity with related pathogens observed in serological tests, in particular with CHIKV. This is a specific obstacle for seroprevalence studies, that necessitate an improvement of serological tools to provide robust results. The scarcity of existent genetic data currently limits molecular epidemiology studies. ONNV epidemiology would also benefit from reinforced entomological and environmental surveillance. Finally, the natural history of the disease deserves to be further investigated, with a specific attention paid to long-term complications. Considering our incomplete knowledge on ONNV distribution, GloPID-R CHIKV, ONNV and MAYV experts recommend that a major effort should be done to fill existing gaps.

Premaxillary abscess without bony erosion: An unusual complication of pediatric acute maxillary sinusitis

OBJECTIVES

To report an unusual complication of pediatric acute maxillary sinusitis: premaxillary abscess. To describe clinical, radiological and biological presentation, treatment strategy and progression.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A retrospective study included all pediatric patients treated for premaxillary abscess complicating acute maxillary sinusitis in two ENT reference centers between 1999 and 2017. Disease history, clinical presentation, biological and radiological findings, treatment modalities and progression were studied.

RESULTS

Ten patients were included, with a mean age of 10±4.2 years. All presented with fever, rhinorrhea and premaxillary edema. Contrast-enhanced CT scan systematically found complete opacity of the maxillary sinus, without bone lysis, and extensive effusion along the intersinonasal wall up to the premaxillary region, extending in 3 cases back toward the parapharyngeal space. Bacteriology isolated Streptococcus anginosus most frequently (n=4; 40%). Treatment comprised intravenous wide-spectrum antibiotics, with surgical drainage of the abscess if>10mm (n=9; 90%). Seven of these 9 patients (78%) had recurrent abscess requiring surgical revision and 3 (33%) required a third drainage. All patients were cured without sequelae at 1 month.

CONCLUSION

In case of acute maxillary sinusitis with premaxillary edema, premaxillary abscess should be suspected. The high recurrence rate argues for maximalist surgery associated to close clinical monitoring with radiological examination.

Inverse identification of a higher order viscous parameter of rigid porous media in the high frequency domain

In this paper, a modeling extension for the description of wave propagation in rigid porous media at high frequencies is used. To better characterize the visco-inertial and thermal interactions between the fluid and the structure in this regime, two additional characteristic viscous and thermal surfaces Σ and Σ^' are taken into account, as initially introduced in Kergomard, Lafarge, and Gilbert [Acta Acust. Acust. 99(4), 557-571 (2013)]. This extends the modeling order of the dynamic tortuosity and compressibility. A sensitivity analysis is performed on the additional parameters, showing that only the viscous surface Σ has an influence on transmitted waves in the high frequency regime, for materials having a low viscous characteristic length. A general Bayesian inference is then conducted to infer simultaneously the posterior probability densities of the parameters associated with the visco-inertial effects, i.e., the porosity, tortuosity, the viscous characteristic length, and the viscous characteristic surface. The proposed method is based on the measurement of waves transmitted by a slab of rigid porous material in the time domain. Bayesian inference results obtained on three different porous materials are presented.

Observation of Ξ(1620)^{0} and Evidence for Ξ(1690)^{0} in Ξ_{c}^{+}→Ξ^{-}π^{+}π^{+} Decays

We report the first observation of the double strange baryon Ξ(1620)^{0} in its decay to Ξ^{-}π^{+} via Ξ_{c}^{+}→Ξ^{-}π^{+}π^{+} decays based on a 980  fb^{-1} data sample collected with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e^{+}e^{-} collider. The mass and width are measured to be 1610.4±6.0(stat)_{-4.2}^{+6.1} (syst)  MeV/c^{2} and 59.9±4.8(stat)_{-7.1}^{+2.8}(syst)  MeV, respectively. We obtain 4.0σ evidence of the Ξ(1690)^{0} with the same data sample. These results shed light on the structure of hyperon resonances with strangeness S=-2.

Observation of Transverse Λ/Λ[over ¯] Hyperon Polarization in e^{+}e^{-} Annihilation at Belle

We report the first observation of the spontaneous polarization of Λ and Λ[over ¯] hyperons transverse to the production plane in e^{+}e^{-} annihilation, which is attributed to the effect arising from a polarizing fragmentation function. For inclusive Λ/Λ[over ¯] production, we also report results with subtracted feed-down contributions from Σ^{0} and charm. This measurement uses a dataset of 800.4  fb^{-1} collected by the Belle experiment at or near a center-of-mass energy of 10.58 GeV. We observe a significant polarization that rises with the fractional energy carried by the Λ/Λ[over ¯] hyperon.

Search for a Light CP-odd Higgs Boson and Low-Mass Dark Matter at the Belle Experiment

We report on the first Belle search for a light CP-odd Higgs boson, A^{0}, that decays into low mass dark matter, χ, in final states with a single photon and missing energy. We search for events produced via the dipion transition ϒ(2S)→ϒ(1S)π^{+}π^{-}, followed by the on-shell process ϒ(1S)→γA^{0} with A^{0}→χχ, or by the off-shell process ϒ(1S)→γχχ. Utilizing a data sample of 157.3×10^{6} ϒ(2S) decays, we find no evidence for a signal. We set limits on the branching fractions of such processes in the mass ranges M_{A^{0}}<8.97  GeV/c^{2} and M_{χ}<4.44  GeV/c^{2}. We then use the limits on the off-shell process to set competitive limits on WIMP-nucleon scattering in the WIMP mass range below 5  GeV/c^{2}.

Neurotherapeutic potential of erythropoietin after ischemic injury of the central nervous system

Erythropoietin (EPO) is one of the most successful biopharmaceuticals in history and is used for treating anemia of different origins. However, it became clear that EPO could also work in a neuroprotective, antiapoptotic, antioxidative, angiogenetic and neurotropic way. It causes stimulation of cells to delay cell apoptosis, especially in the central nervous system. In rodent models of focal cerebral ischemia, EPO showed an impressive reduction of infarct size by 30% and improvement of neurobehavioral outcome by nearly 40%. A large animal model dealing with ischemia and reperfusion of the spinal cord showed that EPO could reduce the risk of spinal cord injury significantly. In addition, some clinical studies tested whether EPO works in real live clinical settings. One of the most promising studies showed the innocuousness and improvements in follow-up, outcome scales and in infarct size, of EPO-use in humans suffering from ischemic stroke. Another study ended unfortunately in a negative outcome and an increased overall death rate in the EPO group. The most possible reason was the involvement of patients undergoing simultaneously systemic thrombolysis with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator. An experimental study on rats demonstrated that administration of EPO might exacerbate tissue plasminogen activator-induced brain hemorrhage without reducing the ischemic brain damage. This case shows clearly how useful animal models can be to check negative side effects of a treatment before going into clinical trials. Other groups looked in human trials at the effects of EPO on the outcome after ischemic stroke, relation to circulating endothelial progenitor cells, aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage, traumatic brain injury, hemoglobin transfusion thresholds and elective first-time coronary artery bypass surgery. Most of the results were positive, but are based mostly on small group sizes. However, some of the most neglected facts when focusing on experimental setups of ischemia of the central nervous system are issues like age and comorbidities. It might be extremely worthy to consider these points for future projects, because EPO might influence all these factors.

First Evidence for cos2β>0 and Resolution of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa Quark-Mixing Unitarity Triangle Ambiguity

We present first evidence that the cosine of the CP-violating weak phase 2β is positive, and hence exclude trigonometric multifold solutions of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) Unitarity Triangle using a time-dependent Dalitz plot analysis of B^{0}→D^{(*)}h^{0} with D→K_{S}^{0}π^{+}π^{-} decays, where h^{0}∈{π^{0},η,ω} denotes a light unflavored and neutral hadron. The measurement is performed combining the final data sets of the BABAR and Belle experiments collected at the ϒ(4S) resonance at the asymmetric-energy B factories PEP-II at SLAC and KEKB at KEK, respectively. The data samples contain (471±3)×10^{6}BB[over ¯] pairs recorded by the BABAR detector and (772±11)×10^{6}BB[over ¯] pairs recorded by the Belle detector. The results of the measurement are sin2β=0.80±0.14(stat)±0.06(syst)±0.03(model) and cos2β=0.91±0.22(stat)±0.09(syst)±0.07(model). The result for the direct measurement of the angle β of the CKM Unitarity Triangle is β=[22.5±4.4(stat)±1.2(syst)±0.6(model)]°. The measurement assumes no direct CP violation in B^{0}→D^{(*)}h^{0} decays. The quoted model uncertainties are due to the composition of the D^{0}→K_{S}^{0}π^{+}π^{-} decay amplitude model, which is newly established by performing a Dalitz plot amplitude analysis using a high-statistics e^{+}e^{-}→cc[over ¯] data sample. CP violation is observed in B^{0}→D^{(*)}h^{0} decays at the level of 5.1 standard deviations. The significance for cos2β>0 is 3.7 standard deviations. The trigonometric multifold solution π/2-β=(68.1±0.7)° is excluded at the level of 7.3 standard deviations. The measurement resolves an ambiguity in the determination of the apex of the CKM Unitarity Triangle.

Observation of ϒ(2S)→γη_{b}(1S) Decay

We report the observation of ϒ(2S)→γη_{b}(1S) decay based on an analysis of the inclusive photon spectrum of 24.7  fb^{-1} of e^{+}e^{-} collisions at the ϒ(2S) center-of-mass energy collected with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e^{+}e^{-} collider. We measure a branching fraction of B[ϒ(2S)→γη_{b}(1S)]=(6.1_{-0.7-0.6}^{+0.6+0.9})×10^{-4} and derive an η_{b}(1S) mass of 9394.8_{-3.1-2.7}^{+2.7+4.5}  MeV/c^{2}, where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively. The significance of our measurement is greater than 7 standard deviations, constituting the first observation of this decay mode.

Acoustical modeling and Bayesian inference for rigid porous media in the low-mid frequency regime

In this article, a modeling extension for the description of wave propagation in porous media at low-mid frequencies is introduced. To better characterize the viscous and inertial interactions between the fluid and the structure in this regime, two additional terms described by two parameters α ₁ and α ₂ are taken into account in the representation of the dynamic tortuosity in a Laurent-series on frequency. The model limitations are discussed. A sensitivity analysis is performed, showing that the influence of α ₁ and α ₂ on the acoustic response of porous media is significant. A general Bayesian inference is then conducted to infer, simultaneously, the posterior probability densities of the model parameters. The proposed method is based on the measurement of waves transmitted by a slab of rigid porous material, using a temporal model for the direct and inverse transmission problem. Bayesian inference results obtained on three different porous materials are presented, which suggests that the two additional parameters are accessible and help reduce systematic errors in the identification of other parameters: porosity, static viscous permeability, static viscous tortuosity, static thermal permeability, and static thermal tortuosity.

A highly accurate measurement of resonator Q-factor and resonance frequency

The microwave cavity perturbation method is often used to determine material parameters (electric permittivity and magnetic permeability) at high frequencies, and it relies on the measurement of the resonator parameters. We present a method to determine the Q-factor and resonance frequency of microwave resonators which is conceptually simple but provides a sensitivity for these parameters which overcomes those of existing methods by an order of magnitude. The microwave resonator is placed in a feedback resonator setup, where the output of an amplifier is connected to its own input with the resonator as a bandpass filter. After reaching steady-state oscillation, the feedback circuit is disrupted by a fast microwave switch, and the transient signal, which emanates from the resonator, is detected using down-conversion. The Fourier transform of the resulting time-dependent signal yields directly the resonance profile of the resonator. Albeit the method being highly accurate, this comes with a conceptual simplicity, ease of implementation, and lower circuit cost. We compare existing methods for this type of measurement to explain the sensitivity of the present technique, and we also make a prediction for the ultimate accuracy for the resonator Q and f ₀ determination.

Intravenous hydrogen sulfide does not induce neuroprotection after aortic balloon occlusion-induced spinal cord ischemia/reperfusion injury in a human-like porcine model of ubiquitous arteriosclerosis

Objective

In rodents, intravenous sulfide protected against spinal cord ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury during aortic balloon occlusion. We investigated the effect of intravenous sulfide on aortic occlusion-induced porcine spinal cord I/R injury.

Methods

Anesthetized and mechanically ventilated “familial hypercholesterolemia Bretoncelles Meishan” (FBM) pigs with high-fat-diet-induced hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis were randomized to receive either intravenous sodium sulfide 2 h (initial bolus, 0.2 mg kg body weight (bw)⁻¹; infusion, 2 mg kg bw⁻¹ h⁻¹; n = 4) or vehicle (sodium chloride, n = 4) prior to 45 min of thoracic aortic balloon occlusion and for 8 h during reperfusion (infusion, 1 mg kg bw⁻¹ h⁻¹). During reperfusion, noradrenaline was titrated to maintain blood pressure at above 80% of the baseline level. Spinal cord function was assessed by motor evoked potentials (MEPs) and lower limb reflexes using a modified Tarlov score. Spinal cord tissue damage was evaluated in tissue collected at the end of experiment using hematoxylin and eosin and Nissl staining.

Results

A balloon occlusion time of 45 min resulted in marked ischemic neuron damage (mean of 16% damaged motoneurons in the anterior horn of all thoracic motor neurons) in the spinal cord. In the vehicle group, only one animal recovered partial neuronal function with regain of MEPs and link motions at each time point after deflating. All other animals completely lost neuronal functions. The intravenous application of sodium sulfide did not prevent neuronal cell injury and did not confer to functional recovery.

Conclusion

In a porcine model of I/R injury of the spinal cord, treatment with intravenous sodium sulfide had no protective effect in animals with a pre-existing arteriosclerosis.

Non-calorimetric determination of absorbed power during magnetic nanoparticle based hyperthermia

Nanomagnetic hyperthermia (NMH) is intensively studied with the prospect of cancer therapy. A major challenge is to determine the dissipated power during in vivo conditions and conventional methods are either invasive or inaccurate. We present a non-calorimetric method which yields the heat absorbed during hyperthermia: it is based on accurately measuring the quality factor change of a resonant radio frequency circuit which is employed for the irradiation. The approach provides the absorbed power in real-time, without the need to monitor the sample temperature as a function of time. As such, it is free from the problems caused by the non-adiabatic heating conditions of the usual calorimetry. We validate the method by comparing the dissipated power with a conventional calorimetric measurement. We present the validation for two types of resonators with very different filling factors: a solenoid and a so-called birdcage coil. The latter is a volume coil, which is generally used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) under in vivo condition. The presented method therefore allows to effectively combine MRI and thermotherapy and is thus readily adaptable to existing imaging hardware.

Observation of an Excited Ω^{-} Baryon

Using data recorded with the Belle detector, we observe a new excited hyperon, an Ω^{*-} candidate decaying into Ξ^{0}K^{-} and Ξ^{-}K_{S}^{0} with a mass of 2012.4±0.7(stat)±0.6(syst)  MeV/c^{2} and a width of Γ=6.4_{-2.0}^{+2.5}(stat)±1.6(syst)  MeV. The Ω^{*-} is seen primarily in ϒ(1S),ϒ(2S), and ϒ(3S) decays.

Giant microwave absorption in fine powders of superconductors

Enhanced microwave absorption, larger than that in the normal state, is observed in fine grains of type-II superconductors (MgB2 and K3C60) for magnetic fields as small as a few % of the upper critical field. The effect is predicted by the theory of vortex motion in type-II superconductors, however its direct observation has been elusive due to skin-depth limitations; conventional microwave absorption studies employ larger samples where the microwave magnetic field exclusion significantly lowers the absorption. We show that the enhancement is observable in grains smaller than the penetration depth. A quantitative analysis on K3C60 in the framework of the Coffey-Clem (CC) theory explains well the temperature dependence of the microwave absorption and also allows to determine the vortex pinning force constant.

Search for B^{-}→μ^{-}ν[over ¯]_{μ} Decays at the Belle Experiment

We report the results of a search for the rare, purely leptonic decay B^{-}→μ^{-}ν[over ¯]_{μ} performed with a 711  fb^{-1} data sample that contains 772×10^{6}  BB[over ¯] pairs, collected near the ϒ(4S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e^{+}e^{-} collider. The signal events are selected based on the presence of a high momentum muon and the topology of the rest of the event showing properties of a generic B-meson decay, as well as the missing energy and momentum being consistent with the hypothesis of a neutrino from the signal decay. We find a 2.4 standard deviation excess above background including systematic uncertainties, which corresponds to a branching fraction of B(B^{-}→μ^{-}ν[over ¯]_{μ})=(6.46±2.22±1.60)×10^{-7} or a frequentist 90% confidence level interval on the B^{-}→μ^{-}ν[over ¯]_{μ} branching fraction of [2.9,10.7]×10^{-7}.

Bayesian inference for the ultrasonic characterization of rigid porous materials using reflected waves by the first interface

The purpose of this paper is to present a method for the ultrasonic characterization of air-saturated porous media, by solving the inverse problem using only the reflected waves from the first interface to infer the porosity, the tortuosity, and the viscous and thermal characteristic lengths. The solution of the inverse problem relies on the use of different reflected pressure signals obtained under multiple obliquely incident waves, in the time domain. In this paper, the authors propose to solve the inverse problem numerically with a first level Bayesian inference method, summarizing the authors' knowledge on the inferred parameters in the form of posterior probability densities, exploring these densities using a Markov-Chain Monte-Carlo approach. Despite their low sensitivity to the reflection coefficient, it is still possible to extract the knowledge of the viscous and thermal characteristic lengths, allowing the simultaneous determination of all the physical parameters involved in the expression of the reflection operator. To further constrain the problem and guide the inference, the knowledge of a particular incident angle is used at one's advantage in order to more precisely define the thermal length, by effectively yielding a statistical relationship between tortuosity and characteristic length ratio.

Modulatory Effects of a Novel Cyclized Peptide in Reducing the Expression of Markers Linked to Alzheimer's Disease

Despite many studies attempt to identify the primary mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease (AD), the key events still remain elusive. We have previously shown that a peptide cleaved from the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) C-terminus (T14) can play a pivotal role as a signaling molecule in neurodegeneration, via its interaction with the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. The main goal of this study is to determine whether a cyclized variant (NBP14) of the toxic AChE-derived peptide can antagonize the effects of its linear counterpart, T14, in modulating well-known markers linked to neurodegeneration. We investigate this hypothesis applying NBP14 on ex-vivo rat brain slices containing the basal forebrain. Western blot analysis revealed an inhibitory action of NBP14 on naturally occurring T14 peptide, as well as on endogenous amyloid beta, whereas the expression of the nicotinic receptor and phosphorylated Tau was relatively unaffected. These results further confirm the neurotoxic properties of the AChE-peptide and show for the first time in an ex-vivo preparation the possible neuroprotective activity of NBP14, over a protracted period of hours, indicating that T14 pathway may offer a new prospect for therapeutic intervention in AD pathobiology.

Pathophysiology of chronic limb ischemia

Chronic ischemia of the lower extremities is an everyday problem in vascular surgery clinics. In Germany, approximately 3% of all hospitalizations are due to peripheral artery disease (PAD), with critical limb ischemia (CLI) in particular showing a rapid increase. The consequences of chronic undersupply range from reduced walking distance to loss of limbs. At the beginning there are stress factors, such as hyperlipidemia (LDL), free radicals, arterial hypertension, infections or subclinical inflammation that interfere with endothelial homeostasis and cause endothelial dysfunction with increased permeability. Cells of the immune system are attracted and migrate into the vascular wall, where they lead to the degradation of matrix components and destabilization of the plaque. By changing the phenotype of smooth muscle cells and macrophages towards osteoclast-like cells, bone-like hardening of the vessel wall takes place. Above a vessel wall thickness of approximately 100 µm, hypoxia-induced factor (HIF-1α) is intensified by the lack of oxygen, which leads to an increase in growth factors, such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). This promotes angiogenesis, but it is not sufficient to compensate for a stenosed artery. Arteriogenesis refers to the growth of existing collateral vessels. The driving forces are the pressure gradient before and after the stenosis and the shear forces acting on the vessel walls. In the case of progressive stenosis, the compensatory capacities can be overtaxed and a manifest hypoxia in the tissue with regression of the obtained vascular structures and tissue atrophy occurs.

International consensus (ICON) on management of otitis media with effusion in children

Otitis media with effusion (OME) is a common childhood disease defined as the presence of liquid in the middle ear without signs or symptoms of acute ear infection. Children can be impacted mainly with hearing impairment and/or co-occurring recurrent acute otitis media (AOM) thus requiring treatment. Although many meta-analyses and national guidelines have been issued, management remains difficult to standardize, and use of surgical and medical treatments continue to vary. We convened an international consensus conference as part of the 2017 International Federation of Oto-rhino-laryngological Societies Congress, to identify best practices in OME management. Overall, regional differences were minor and consensual management was obtained on several important issues. At initial assessment, although a thorough medical examination is necessary to seek reflux, allergy or nasal obstruction symptoms; an age-appropriate auditory test is the only assessment required in children without abnormal history. Non-surgical treatments poorly address the underlying problem of an age-dependent dysfunctional Eustachian tube; auto-inflation seems to be the only beneficial, low-risk and low-cost non-surgical therapy. There was a clear international recommendation against using steroids, antibiotics, decongestants or antihistamines to treat OME, because of side-effects, cost issues and no convincing evidence of long-term effectiveness. Decisions to insert tympanostomy ventilation tubes should be based on an auditory test but also take into account the child's context and overall hearing difficulties. Tubes significantly improve hearing and reduce the number of recurrent AOM with effusion while in place. Adjuvant adenoidectomy should be considered in children over four years of age, and in those with significant nasal obstruction or infection.

International consensus (ICON) on functional and aesthetic rhinoplasty

During the 2017 IFOS international congress in Paris, a roundtable discussion on the topic of functional and aesthetic rhinoplasty was organised. Five experts, from the five continents and renown in the field of rhinoplasty, were brought together to discuss the issue from an international perspective and to put forward a consensus or on the contrary practical differences. Five questions were put to the experts beforehand to guarantee independent answers, which were then discussed during the roundtable. The questions were the following: - What are the age limits for achieving a rhinoplasty? - Do you use objective measurements before, during and after surgery? (facial landmarks, airflow, peroperative measurements) - How do you manage the preoperative general information and computer imaging of the patient? - What are the indications in your practice to perform a CT-scan or endoscopic examination before doing a rhinoplasty? - What kind of graft or prosthesis do you use for an augmentation rhinoplasty? This paper offers a synthesis of the roundtable based on the experts' answers to the different questions.

Evidence for Isospin Violation and Measurement of CP Asymmetries in B→K^{*}(892)γ

We report the first evidence for isospin violation in B→K^{*}γ and the first measurement of the difference of CP asymmetries between B^{+}→K^{*+}γ and B^{0}→K^{*0}γ. This analysis is based on the data sample containing 772×10^{6}BB[over ¯] pairs that was collected with the Belle detector at the KEKB energy-asymmetric e^{+}e^{-} collider. We find evidence for the isospin violation with a significance of 3.1σ, Δ_{0+}=[+6.2±1.5(stat)±0.6(syst)±1.2(f_{+-}/f_{00})]%, where the third uncertainty is due to the uncertainty on the fraction of B^{+}B^{-} to B^{0}B[over ¯]^{0} production in ϒ(4S) decays. The measured value is consistent with predictions of the standard model. The result for the difference of CP asymmetries is ΔA_{CP}=[+2.4±2.8(stat)±0.5(syst)]%, consistent with zero. The measured branching fractions and CP asymmetries for charged and neutral B meson decays are the most precise to date. We also calculate the ratio of branching fractions of B^{0}→K^{*0}γ to B_{s}^{0}→ϕγ.

Search for CP Violation and Measurement of the Branching Fraction in the Decay D^{0}→K_{S}^{0}K_{S}^{0}

We report a study of the decay D^{0}→K_{S}^{0}K_{S}^{0} using 921  fb^{-1} of data collected at or near the ϒ(4S) and ϒ(5S) resonances with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric energy e^{+}e^{-} collider. The measured time-integrated CP asymmetry is A_{CP}(D^{0}→K_{S}^{0}K_{S}^{0})=(-0.02±1.53±0.02±0.17)%, and the branching fraction is B(D^{0}→K_{S}^{0}K_{S}^{0})=(1.321±0.023±0.036±0.044)×10^{-4}, where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second is systematic, and the third is due to the normalization mode (D^{0}→K_{S}^{0}π^{0}). These results are significantly more precise than previous measurements available for this mode. The A_{CP} measurement is consistent with the standard model expectation.

Open vascular treatment of median arcuate ligament syndrome

Background

Median arcuate ligament syndrome is a rare condition with abdominal symptoms. Accepted treatment options are open release of median arcuate ligament, laparoscopic release of edian arcuate ligament, robot-assisted release of median arcuate ligament and open vascular treatment. Here we aimed to evaluate the central priority of open vascular therapy in the treatment of median arcuate ligament syndrome.

Methods

We conducted a monocentric retrospective study between January 1996 and June 2016. Thirty-one patients with median arcuate ligament syndrome underwent open vascular surgery, including division of median arcuate ligament in 17 cases, and vascular reconstruction of the celiac artery in 14 cases.

Results

In a 20-year period, 31 patients (n = 26 women, n = 5 men) were treated with division of median arcuate ligament (n = 17) or vascular reconstruction in combination with division of median arcuate ligament (n = 14). The mean age of patients was 44.8 ± 15.13 years. The complication rate was 16.1% (n = 5). Revisions were performed in 4 cases. The 30-day mortality rate was 0%. The mean in-hospital stay was 10.7 days. Follow-up data were obtained for 30 patients. The mean follow-up period was 52.2 months (range 2–149 months). Patients were grouped into a decompression group (n = 17) and revascularisation group (n = 13). The estimated Freedom From Symptoms rates were 93.3, 77.8, and 69.1% for the decompression group and 100, 83.3, and 83.3% for the revascularisation group after 12, 24 and 60 months respectively. We found no significant difference in the Freedom From Re-Intervention CA rates of the decompression (100% at 12, 24 and 60 months post-surgery) and revascularisation (100% at 12 months, and 91.7% at 24 and 60 months post-surgery) groups during follow-up (p = 0.26).

Conclusions

Open vascular treatment of median arcuate ligament syndrome is a safe, low mortality-risk procedure, with low morbidity rate. Treatment choice depends on the clinical and morphological situation of each patient.

Higgs physics at the CLIC electron-positron linear collider

The Compact Linear Collider (CLIC) is an option for a future [Formula: see text] collider operating at centre-of-mass energies up to [Formula: see text], providing sensitivity to a wide range of new physics phenomena and precision physics measurements at the energy frontier. This paper is the first comprehensive presentation of the Higgs physics reach of CLIC operating at three energy stages: [Formula: see text], 1.4 and [Formula: see text]. The initial stage of operation allows the study of Higgs boson production in Higgsstrahlung ([Formula: see text]) and [Formula: see text]-fusion ([Formula: see text]), resulting in precise measurements of the production cross sections, the Higgs total decay width [Formula: see text], and model-independent determinations of the Higgs couplings. Operation at [Formula: see text] provides high-statistics samples of Higgs bosons produced through [Formula: see text]-fusion, enabling tight constraints on the Higgs boson couplings. Studies of the rarer processes [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] allow measurements of the top Yukawa coupling and the Higgs boson self-coupling. This paper presents detailed studies of the precision achievable with Higgs measurements at CLIC and describes the interpretation of these measurements in a global fit.