[Association between body mass index and risk of lung cancer in non-smoking males: a prospective cohort study]

Objective: To assess the association between baseline body mass index (BMI) and risk of lung cancer in non-smoking males. Methods: A dynamic non-smoking male cohort was established on May, 2006. Baseline information on demography, lifestyle, such as smoking status and alcohol consumption, anthropometry, such as body height and weight, were collected during the baseline interview, and the information of newly-diagnosed lung cancer cases were also collected during the follow-up period. Multivariable Cox proportional-hazards regression model was used to analyze the association between baseline BMI and lung cancer in non-smoking males. Results: By December 31, 2011, a total of 48 799 male non-smokers had been assessed in the study and there were 214 620.18 person-years of follow-up and 4.40 years of average follow-up period. During follow-up, 198 lung cancer cases were identified among the 48 799 non-smoking males. Compared with those with normal BMI (kg/m²) (18.5≤BMI<24.0), the hazard ratio (95%CI) of lung cancer were 1.14(0.53-2.45), 0.57(0.41-0.78) and 0.61(0.38-0.97) for underweight (BMI<18.5), overweight (24.0≤BMI<28.0) and obese males (≥28.0), respectively, after adjustment for potential confounding factors, including age, education level, alcohol consumption, physical activity, history of diabetes and work environment. Baseline BMI was negatively associated with the risk of lung cancer in non-smoking males and the risk would be reduced by 22% (HR=0.78, 95% CI: 0.64-0.95) for per 5 kg/m² BMI increase. The negative association between BMI and risk of lung cancer was significant among non-smoking males who aged ≥50 years, and in those who had physical exercise <4 times/week, never drunk and worked above the coal mine, and for per 5 kg/m² BMI increase, the risk of lung cancer would be reduced by 26%(HR=0.74, 95%CI: 0.60-0.92), 24%(HR=0.76, 95%CI: 0.62-0.95), 20% (HR=0.80, 95%CI: 0.65-1.00) and 23% (HR=0.77, 95%CI: 0.61-0.97), respectively. The result was similar after excluding the cancer patients newly diagnose within 1-year and their contribution person years. Conclusion: Baseline BMI might be negatively associated with risk of lung cancer in non-smoking males.

Measurement of the [Formula: see text] cross section in pp collisions at [Formula: see text] TeVand limits on anomalous gauge couplings

A measurement of the W boson pair production cross section in proton-proton collisions at [Formula: see text] TeV is presented. The data collected with the CMS detector at the LHC correspond to an integrated luminosity of 19.4[Formula: see text]. The [Formula: see text] candidates are selected from events with two charged leptons, electrons or muons, and large missing transverse energy. The measured [Formula: see text] cross section is [Formula: see text], consistent with the standard model prediction. The [Formula: see text] cross sections are also measured in two different fiducial phase space regions. The normalized differential cross section is measured as a function of kinematic variables of the final-state charged leptons and compared with several perturbative QCD predictions. Limits on anomalous gauge couplings associated with dimension-six operators are also given in the framework of an effective field theory. The corresponding 95 % confidence level intervals are [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], in the HISZ basis.

[Body mass index and the risk of lung cancer incidence in smokers: a prospective cohort study]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effect of baseline body mass index (BMI) on the risk of lung cancer incidence in male smokers.

METHODS

All the male employees and retirees of the Kailuan Group were recruited in the Chinese Kailuan Male Cohort Study, and they had been experienced routine physical examinations every two years since May, 2006. Up to 31st December 2011, a total of 3 rounds physical examinations had been completed. A total of 42 718 male smokers candidates from the Chinese Kailuan Male Cohort Study were enrolled in the present study. The date of entering this study was defined as that of taking first check-up, and the date of end-of-observation was defined as that of cancer diagnosis, death or end of follow-up (31 December 2011). Information on demographics, lifestyle such as smoking, alcohol consumption, anthropometries such as height and weight, as well as the information of newly-diagnosed cancer cases, were collected at the baseline investigation. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to investigate the association between levels of the baseline BMI and risk of lung cancer.

RESULTS

Of the 42 718 male smokers, there were 181 998.09 person-years of follow-up, taking 4.26 years of average follow-up period. During follow-up, 234 new lung cancer cases were identified among the 42 718 male smokers and the crude incidence density was 128.57/100 000. After the factors adjustment for age, education level, alcohol consumption, physical activity, work environment and cumulative smoking levels (pack-years), compared with subjects of normal BMI group, hazard ratio and 95% confidence intervals of lung cancer for subjects of underweight, overweight, and obesity were 1.63 (0.79-3.37), 0.79 (0.57-1.09) and 0.50 (0.27-0.91), respectively. After the facotors adjustment for age, education level, alcohol consumption, physical activity, work environment and cumulative smoking levels (pack-years), compared with subjects of normal BMI, hazard ratio and 95% confidence intervals of lung cancer for subjects of obesity among subjects who aged 50 years or above, smoked more than 20 pack-years, and exercised less than 4 times per week were 0.33 (0.15-0.71), 0.27 (0.10-0.75), and 0.44 (0.20-0.96), respectively. Obesity subjects who worked above the well had decreased risk of lung cancer (HR=0.38, 95% CI: 0.15-0.96) compared with normal BMI ones who worked above the well.

CONCLUSION

BMI was negatively correlated with the risk of lung cancer in male smokers. As for male smokers, one of the most effective approaches to prevent and control the lung cancer has been shown to quit smoking and keep fit.

Autophagy Modulates Cell Mineralization on Fluorapatite-Modified Scaffolds

As a major intracellular degradation and recycling machinery, autophagy plays an important role in maintaining cellular homeostasis and remodeling during normal development. Our previous study showed that fluorapatite (FA) crystal-coated electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) was capable of inducing differentiation and mineralization of human dental pulp stem cells. However, how autophagy changes and whether autophagy plays a vital role during these processes is still unknown. In this study, we seeded STEMPRO human adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) on both PCL+FA and PCL scaffolds to investigate the osteogenic inductive ability of FA crystals and we observed the autophagy changes of these cells. Scanning electron microscopy and fluorescence microscopy images, along with DNA quantitation, showed that both PCL+FA and PCL scaffolds could sustain ASC growth but only the PCL+FA scaffold could sustain cell mineralization. This was confirmed by alkaline phosphatase activity and Alizarin red and Von Kossa staining results. The autophagy RT2 Profiler polymerase chain reaction array analysis showed many autophagy-related genes changes during ASC differentiation. Western blot analysis indicated that several autophagy-related proteins fluctuated during the procedure. Among them, the microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3)-II protein changes of the ASCs grown on the 2- or 3-dimensional environments at 6 h, 12 h, 1 d, 3 d, 7 d, 14 d, and 21 d reached a peak value at day 7 during osteogenesis. At earlier stages (from day 0 to day 3), the addition of autophagy inhibitors (3-mathyladenine, bafilomycin A1, and NH4Cl) attenuated the expression of osteogenic related markers (osteopontin, alkaline phosphatase activity, Alizarin red, and Von Kossa) compared with the control group. All data indicated that autophagy played an important role in ASC differentiation on the PCL+FA scaffold. Inhibition of autophagy before day 3 strongly inhibited osteogenic differentiation and mineralization of ASCs in the 3-dimensional model. This observation further elucidates the mechanism of autophagy in mesenchymal stem cell osteogenic differentiation.

Measurement of differential cross sections for Higgs boson production in the diphoton decay channel in pp collisions at [Formula: see text]

A measurement is presented of differential cross sections for Higgs boson (H) production in pp collisions at [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]. The analysis exploits the [Formula: see text] decay in data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.7[Formula: see text] collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC. The cross section is measured as a function of the kinematic properties of the diphoton system and of the associated jets. Results corrected for detector effects are compared with predictions at next-to-leading order and next-to-next-to-leading order in perturbative quantum chromodynamics, as well as with predictions beyond the standard model. For isolated photons with pseudorapidities [Formula: see text], and with the photon of largest and next-to-largest transverse momentum ([Formula: see text]) divided by the diphoton mass [Formula: see text] satisfying the respective conditions of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], the total fiducial cross section is [Formula: see text][Formula: see text].

In Vitro Generation of Murine Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells from Common Lymphoid Progenitors using the AC-6 Feeder System

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) are powerful type I interferon (IFN-I) producing cells that are activated in response to infection or during inflammatory responses. Unfortunately, study of pDC function is hindered by their low frequency in lymphoid organs, and existing methods for in vitro DC generation predominantly favor the production of cDCs over pDCs. Here we present a unique approach to efficiently generate pDCs from common lymphoid progenitors (CLPs) in vitro. Specifically, the protocol described details how to purify CLPs from bone marrow and generate pDCs by coculturing with γ-irradiated AC-6 feeder cells in the presence of Flt3 ligand. A unique characteristic of this culture system is that the CLPs migrate underneath the AC-6 cells and become cobblestone area-forming cells, a critical step for expanding pDCs. Morphologically distinct DCs, namely pDCs and cDCs, were generated after approximately 2 weeks with a composition of 70-90% pDCs under optimal conditions. Typically, the number of pDCs generated by this method is roughly 100-fold of the number of CLPs seeded. Therefore, this is a novel system with which to robustly generate the large numbers of pDCs required to facilitate further studies into the development and function of these cells.

Measurement of the differential cross section for top quark pair production in pp collisions at [Formula: see text]

The normalized differential cross section for top quark pair ([Formula: see text]) production is measured in pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8[Formula: see text] at the CERN LHC using the CMS detector in data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.7[Formula: see text]. The measurements are performed in the lepton[Formula: see text]jets ([Formula: see text][Formula: see text]jets) and in the dilepton ([Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text]) decay channels. The [Formula: see text] cross section is measured as a function of the kinematic properties of the charged leptons, the jets associated to b quarks, the top quarks, and the [Formula: see text] system. The data are compared with several predictions from perturbative quantum chromodynamic up to approximate next-to-next-to-leading-order precision. No significant deviations are observed relative to the standard model predictions.

Measurements of the [Formula: see text][Formula: see text] production cross sections in the [Formula: see text] channel in proton-proton collisions at [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] and combined constraints on triple gauge couplings

Measurements of the [Formula: see text][Formula: see text] production cross sections in proton-proton collisions at center-of-mass energies of 7 and 8[Formula: see text] are presented. Candidate events for the leptonic decay mode [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] denotes an electron or a muon, are reconstructed and selected from data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.1 (19.6)[Formula: see text] at 7 (8)[Formula: see text] collected with the CMS experiment. The measured cross sections, [Formula: see text] at 7[Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text] at 8[Formula: see text], are in good agreement with the standard model predictions with next-to-leading-order accuracy. The selected data are analyzed to search for anomalous triple gauge couplings involving the [Formula: see text][Formula: see text] final state. In the absence of any deviation from the standard model predictions, limits are set on the relevant parameters. These limits are then combined with the previously published CMS results for [Formula: see text][Formula: see text] in 4[Formula: see text] final states, yielding the most stringent constraints on the anomalous couplings.

Efficient Generation of Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell from Common Lymphoid Progenitors by Flt3 Ligand

Dendritic cells (DCs), including conventional DCs (cDCs) and plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) are critical for initiating and controlling the immune response. However, study of DC, particularly pDC, function is hampered by their low frequency in lymphoid organs, and existing methods for in vitro DC generation preferentially favor the production of cDCs over pDCs. Here, we demonstrated that pDCs could be efficiently generated in vitro from common lymphoid progenitors (CLPs) using Flt3 ligand (FL) in three different culture systems, namely feeder-free, BM-feeder and AC-6-feeder. This was in stark contrast to common DC progenitors (CDPs), in which cDCs were prominently generated under the same conditions. Moreover, the efficiency and function of pDCs generated from these three systems varied. While AC-6 system showed the greatest ability to support pDC development from CLPs, BM-feeder system was able to develop pDCs with better functionality. pDCs could also be expanded in vivo using hydrodynamic gene transfer of FL, which was further enhanced by the combined treatment of FL and IFN-α. Interestingly, IFN-α selectively promoted the proliferation of CLPs and not CDPs, which might contribute to enhanced pDC development. Together, we have defined conditions for in vitro and in vivo generation of pDCs, which may be useful for investigating the biology of pDCs.

Constraints on the pMSSM, AMSB model and on other models from the search for long-lived charged particles in proton-proton collisions at [Formula: see text]

Stringent limits are set on the long-lived lepton-like sector of the phenomenological minimal supersymmetric standard model (pMSSM) and the anomaly-mediated supersymmetry breaking (AMSB) model. The limits are derived from the results presented in a recent search for long-lived charged particles in proton-proton collisions, based on data collected by the CMS detector at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV at the Large Hadron Collider. In the pMSSM parameter sub-space considered, 95.9 % of the points predicting charginos with a lifetime of at least 10 ns are excluded. These constraints on the pMSSM are the first obtained at the LHC. Charginos with a lifetime greater than 100 ns and masses up to about 800 GeV in the AMSB model are also excluded. The method described can also be used to set constraints on other models.

Evidence for Collective Multiparticle Correlations in p-Pb Collisions

The second-order azimuthal anisotropy Fourier harmonics, v2, are obtained in p-Pb and PbPb collisions over a wide pseudorapidity (η) range based on correlations among six or more charged particles. The p-Pb data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35  nb-1, were collected during the 2013 LHC p-Pb run at a nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of 5.02  TeV by the CMS experiment. A sample of semiperipheral PbPb collision data at √sNN=2.76  TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.5  μb-1 and covering a similar range of particle multiplicities as the p-Pb data, is also analyzed for comparison. The six- and eight-particle cumulant and the Lee-Yang zeros methods are used to extract the v2 coefficients, extending previous studies of two- and four-particle correlations. For both the p-Pb and PbPb systems, the v2 values obtained with correlations among more than four particles are consistent with previously published four-particle results. These data support the interpretation of a collective origin for the previously observed long-range (large Δη) correlations in both systems. The ratios of v2 values corresponding to correlations including different numbers of particles are compared to theoretical predictions that assume a hydrodynamic behavior of a p-Pb system dominated by fluctuations in the positions of participant nucleons. These results provide new insights into the multiparticle dynamics of collision systems with a very small overlapping region.

Distributions of topological observables in inclusive three- and four-jet events in pp collisions at [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]

This paper presents distributions of topological observables in inclusive three- and four-jet events produced in pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7[Formula: see text] with a data sample collected by the CMS experiment corresponding to a luminosity of 5.1[Formula: see text]. The distributions are corrected for detector effects, and compared with several event generators based on two- and multi-parton matrix elements at leading order. Among the considered calculations, MadGraph interfaced with pythia6 displays the overall best agreement with data.

Constraints on parton distribution functions and extraction of the strong coupling constant from the inclusive jet cross section in pp collisions at [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]

The inclusive jet cross section for proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7[Formula: see text] was measured by the CMS Collaboration at the LHC with data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.0[Formula: see text]. The measurement covers a phase space up to 2[Formula: see text] in jet transverse momentum and 2.5 in absolute jet rapidity. The statistical precision of these data leads to stringent constraints on the parton distribution functions of the proton. The data provide important input for the gluon density at high fractions of the proton momentum and for the strong coupling constant at large energy scales. Using predictions from perturbative quantum chromodynamics at next-to-leading order, complemented with electroweak corrections, the constraining power of these data is investigated and the strong coupling constant at the Z boson mass [Formula: see text] is determined to be [Formula: see text], which is in agreement with the world average.

Search for a standard model Higgs boson produced in association with a top-quark pair and decaying to bottom quarks using a matrix element method

A search for a standard model Higgs boson produced in association with a top-quark pair and decaying to bottom quarks is presented. Events with hadronic jets and one or two oppositely charged leptons are selected from a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.5[Formula: see text] collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC in [Formula: see text] collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8[Formula: see text]. In order to separate the signal from the larger [Formula: see text]  + jets background, this analysis uses a matrix element method that assigns a probability density value to each reconstructed event under signal or background hypotheses. The ratio between the two values is used in a maximum likelihood fit to extract the signal yield. The results are presented in terms of the measured signal strength modifier, [Formula: see text], relative to the standard model prediction for a Higgs boson mass of 125[Formula: see text]. The observed (expected) exclusion limit at a 95 % confidence level is [Formula: see text] (3.3), corresponding to a best fit value [Formula: see text].

Search for dark matter, extra dimensions, and unparticles in monojet events in proton-proton collisions at [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]

Results are presented from a search for particle dark matter (DM), extra dimensions, and unparticles using events containing a jet and an imbalance in transverse momentum. The data were collected by the CMS detector in proton-proton collisions at the LHC and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 19.7[Formula: see text]at a centre-of-mass energy of 8[Formula: see text]. The number of observed events is found to be consistent with the standard model prediction. Limits are placed on the DM-nucleon scattering cross section as a function of the DM particle mass for spin-dependent and spin-independent interactions. Limits are also placed on the scale parameter [Formula: see text] in the Arkani-Hamed, Dimopoulos, and Dvali (ADD) model of large extra dimensions, and on the unparticle model parameter [Formula: see text]. The constraints on ADD models and unparticles are the most stringent limits in this channel and those on the DM-nucleon scattering cross section are an improvement over previous collider results.

Nuclear effects on the transverse momentum spectra of charged particles in pPb collisions at [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]

Transverse momentum spectra of charged particles are measured by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC in pPb collisions at [Formula: see text][Formula: see text], in the range [Formula: see text][Formula: see text] and pseudorapidity [Formula: see text] in the proton-nucleon center-of-mass frame. For [Formula: see text][Formula: see text], the charged-particle production is asymmetric about [Formula: see text], with smaller yield observed in the direction of the proton beam, qualitatively consistent with expectations from shadowing in nuclear parton distribution functions (nPDF). A pp reference spectrum at [Formula: see text][Formula: see text] is obtained by interpolation from previous measurements at higher and lower center-of-mass energies. The [Formula: see text] distribution measured in pPb collisions shows an enhancement of charged particles with [Formula: see text][Formula: see text] compared to expectations from the pp reference. The enhancement is larger than predicted by perturbative quantum chromodynamics calculations that include antishadowing modifications of nPDFs.

Measurement of J/ψ and ψ(2S) Prompt Double-Differential Cross Sections in pp Collisions at sqrt[s]=7 TeV

The double-differential cross sections of promptly produced J/ψ and ψ(2S) mesons are measured in pp collisions at sqrt[s]=7 TeV, as a function of transverse momentum p_{T} and absolute rapidity |y|. The analysis uses J/ψ and ψ(2S) dimuon samples collected by the CMS experiment, corresponding to integrated luminosities of 4.55 and 4.90 fb^{-1}, respectively. The results are based on a two-dimensional analysis of the dimuon invariant mass and decay length, and extend to p_{T}=120 and 100 GeV for the J/ψ and ψ(2S), respectively, when integrated over the interval |y|<1.2. The ratio of the ψ(2S) to J/ψ cross sections is also reported for |y|<1.2, over the range 10<p_{T}<100 GeV. These are the highest p_{T} values for which the cross sections and ratio have been measured.

Precise determination of the mass of the Higgs boson and tests of compatibility of its couplings with the standard model predictions using proton collisions at 7 and 8[Formula: see text]

Properties of the Higgs boson with mass near 125[Formula: see text] are measured in proton-proton collisions with the CMS experiment at the LHC. Comprehensive sets of production and decay measurements are combined. The decay channels include [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text] pairs. The data samples were collected in 2011 and 2012 and correspond to integrated luminosities of up to 5.1[Formula: see text] at 7[Formula: see text] and up to 19.7[Formula: see text] at 8[Formula: see text]. From the high-resolution [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] channels, the mass of the Higgs boson is determined to be [Formula: see text]. For this mass value, the event yields obtained in the different analyses tagging specific decay channels and production mechanisms are consistent with those expected for the standard model Higgs boson. The combined best-fit signal relative to the standard model expectation is [Formula: see text] at the measured mass. The couplings of the Higgs boson are probed for deviations in magnitude from the standard model predictions in multiple ways, including searches for invisible and undetected decays. No significant deviations are found.

Measurement of the inclusive 3-jet production differential cross section in proton-proton collisions at 7 TeV and determination of the strong coupling constant in the TeV range

This paper presents a measurement of the inclusive 3-jet production differential cross section at a proton-proton centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5[Formula: see text]collected with the CMS detector. The analysis is based on the three jets with the highest transverse momenta. The cross section is measured as a function of the invariant mass of the three jets in a range of 445-3270 GeV and in two bins of the maximum rapidity of the jets up to a value of 2. A comparison between the measurement and the prediction from perturbative QCD at next-to-leading order is performed. Within uncertainties, data and theory are in agreement. The sensitivity of the observable to the strong coupling constant [Formula: see text] is studied. A fit to all data points with 3-jet masses larger than 664 GeV gives a value of the strong coupling constant of [Formula: see text].