Measurements of neutrino oscillation parameters from the T2K experiment using 3.6×1021 protons on target

The T2K experiment presents new measurements of neutrino oscillation parameters using 19.7 ( 16.3 ) × 10 20 protons on target (POT) in (anti-)neutrino mode at the far detector (FD). Compared to the previous analysis, an additional 4.7 × 10 20 POT neutrino data was collected at the FD. Significant improvements were made to the analysis methodology, with the near-detector analysis introducing new selections and using more than double the data. Additionally, this is the first T2K oscillation analysis to use NA61/SHINE data on a replica of the T2K target to tune the neutrino flux model, and the neutrino interaction model was improved to include new nuclear effects and calculations. Frequentist and Bayesian analyses are presented, including results on sin 2 θ 13 and the impact of priors on the δ CP measurement. Both analyses prefer the normal mass ordering and upper octant of sin 2 θ 23 with a nearly maximally CP-violating phase. Assuming the normal ordering and using the constraint on sin 2 θ 13 from reactors, sin 2 θ 23 = 0 . 561 - 0.032 + 0.021 using Feldman-Cousins corrected intervals, and Δ m 32 2 = 2 . 494 - 0.058 + 0.041 × 10 - 3 eV 2 using constant Δ χ 2 intervals. The CP-violating phase is constrained to δ CP = - 1 . 97 - 0.70 + 0.97 using Feldman-Cousins corrected intervals, and δ CP = 0 , π is excluded at more than 90% confidence level. A Jarlskog invariant of zero is excluded at more than 2 σ credible level using a flat prior in δ CP , and just below 2 σ using a flat prior in sin δ CP . When the external constraint on sin 2 θ 13 is removed, sin 2 θ 13 = 28 . 0 - 6.5 + 2.8 × 10 - 3 , in agreement with measurements from reactor experiments. These results are consistent with previous T2K analyses.

Celiac disease: a multi-faceted medical condition

Celiac disease (CD) is a systemic condition of autoimmune origin, affecting genetically predisposed individuals who at some point lose tolerance towards dietary gluten. Prevalence in the general population is 0.5 - 1%, with a higher frequency in women. The most important environmental factor for CD is ingestion of specific gluten peptides. It triggers a sequence of molecular events, involving the intestinal permeability and the immune system, which ends in damage of the intestinal mucosa. A number of studies have demonstrated the correlation between the intestinal microbiota and celiac disease. MicroRNAs through their regulatory role on gene expression have been implicated in the pathogenesis of CD and suggested as potential biomarkers. In the pediatric and adult population, CD displays different clusters of clinical symptoms. Persistent diarrhea, abdominal pain and involuntary weight loss are the classic symptoms of CD. In the majority of cases diagnosis relies on the combination of serum autoantibodies (anti-transglutaminase and anti-endomisium IgA) and duodenal biopsy showing villous atrophy, crypt hyperplasia and intraepithelial lymphocytes. Observance of a lifelong gluten-free diet, which interrupts the immune response to gluten peptides, is the only effective treatment of CD.

Search for Electron Antineutrino Appearance in a Long-Baseline Muon Antineutrino Beam

Electron antineutrino appearance is measured by the T2K experiment in an accelerator-produced antineutrino beam, using additional neutrino beam operation to constrain parameters of the Pontecorvo-Maki-Nakagawa-Sakata (PMNS) mixing matrix. T2K observes 15 candidate electron antineutrino events with a background expectation of 9.3 events. Including information from the kinematic distribution of observed events, the hypothesis of no electron antineutrino appearance is disfavored with a significance of 2.40σ and no discrepancy between data and PMNS predictions is found. A complementary analysis that introduces an additional free parameter which allows non-PMNS values of electron neutrino and antineutrino appearance also finds no discrepancy between data and PMNS predictions.

Bone Marrow Myeloid Cells Regulate Myeloid-Biased Hematopoietic Stem Cells via a Histamine-Dependent Feedback Loop

Myeloid-biased hematopoietic stem cells (MB-HSCs) play critical roles in recovery from injury, but little is known about how they are regulated within the bone marrow niche. Here we describe an auto-/paracrine physiologic circuit that controls quiescence of MB-HSCs and hematopoietic progenitors marked by histidine decarboxylase (Hdc). Committed Hdc⁺ myeloid cells lie in close anatomical proximity to MB-HSCs and produce histamine, which activates the H₂ receptor on MB-HSCs to promote their quiescence and self-renewal. Depleting histamine-producing cells enforces cell cycle entry, induces loss of serial transplant capacity, and sensitizes animals to chemotherapeutic injury. Increasing demand for myeloid cells via lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment specifically recruits MB-HSCs and progenitors into the cell cycle; cycling MB-HSCs fail to revert into quiescence in the absence of histamine feedback, leading to their depletion, while an H₂ agonist protects MB-HSCs from depletion after sepsis. Thus, histamine couples lineage-specific physiological demands to intrinsically primed MB-HSCs to enforce homeostasis.

Burnei's technique of femoral neck variation and valgisation by using the intramedullary rod in Osteogenesis imperfecta

BACKGROUND

Varus or valgus deviations of the femoral neck in osteogenesis imperfecta have been an ignored chapter because the classic correction procedures were applied in medical practice with unsatisfying results. Until the use of telescopic rods, coronal deviations remained unsolved and the distal configuration of the proximal femoral extremity remained uncorrected or partially corrected, which required an extensive use of the wheel chair or bed immobilization of the patient. The concomitant correction of the complex deformities, coxa vara/valga and femoral integrated configuration, have been a progress which allowed the patients to walk with or without support.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study is to present the Burnei's technique, a therapeutic alternative in deformity corrections of the varus or valgus hip in children with osteogenesis imperfecta.

STUDY DESIGN

The paper is about a retrospective study done in a single center, which analyses Burnei technique and other procedures described in literature.

PATIENT SAMPLE

The content of the article is based on a 12 years experience on a batch of 51 patients with osteogenesis imperfecta from which 10 patients (13 hips) presented frontal plane deviations of the femoral neck.

OUTCOME MEASURES

All the patients with osteogenesis imperfecta who presented coxa vara or valga were submitted to investigations with the purpose of measuring blood loss, the possibility of extending the surgical intervention to the leg, the association of severe deformities of the proximal extremity of the femur and the necessity of postoperative intensive care. Burnei's technique: The operation was first performed in 2002. A subtrochanteric osteotomy was made in an oblique cut, from the internal side to the external side and from proximal to distal for coxa vara, or by using a cuneiform resection associated with muscular disinsertions. Only telescopic rods were used for osteosynthesis.

DISCUSSIONS

There are a few articles in literature, which approach corrections of vara or valgus deviations in osteogenesis imperfecta. Some of them are the techniques described by Finidori, Wagner and Fassier.

CONCLUSIONS

Burnei's technique is simple; it corrects the varus and valgus deviations concomitantly with Sofield-Millar. Even though only a telescopic rod is used, no stress fractures were seen postoperatively, deviation recurrence or assembly loss.

[Analysis of premature deaths in the Iaşi district]

Potential years of life lost (PYLL) represent an indicator of premature or untimely death and take into account the age at which deaths occur by giving greater weight to deaths at younger age and lower weight to death at older age.

AIM

This study represents a descriptive analysis of PYLL in district of Iaşi compared to country-wide level, during 2006 year.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

Premature deaths have been assessed using following indicators: PYLL per 1000 population (male, female, total); male : female PYLL ratio; average PYLL per a premature death; average PYLL per death. Confidence interval CI95 has been used for an accurate comparison district of Iaşi - Romania.

RESULTS

The recorded number of PYLL was 67.65 per 1000 population at national level and 54.02 per 1000 population in district of Iaşi (CI95 = 67.55-67.75). The average number of PYLL per a premature death was 18.21 in Iaşi compared to 20.71 for Romania (CI95 = 19.75-21.66), whereas the average number of PYLL per death was 5.6 for both levels. The values of PYLL by gender pointed out 74.59 per 1000 male population and 33.99 per 1000 female population in district of Iaşi.

CONCLUSION

The analysis of the premature deaths in Iasi revealed a lower loss of potential life years compared to values reported at national level. PYLL were twice more frequent among male than women. The favourable findings in Iaşi may be related to a decrease of infant mortality rate, with a significant contribution to PYLL values in this district.

[Evolution of immunity to Toxoplasma gondii in an apparently healthy human population]

In order to detect the evolution of the immune background in infections with T. gondii, investigations were carried out by the indirect immunofluorescence test in 231 apparently healthy subjects, belonging to different age-groups, from three rural localities in Moldavia. A second serologic test was performed after various intervals (6 months, 16 months, 5 years). The results showed that:--The evolution of the immune background appears to be conditioned by the factor time, significant variations only being recorded after longer intervals (5 years).--The immune background is relatively stable and durable; the state of individual immunity, however, although durable appears to be limited in time.--Serologic conversion per age-groups differs, new cases appearing in principle in the 5--9 years age-group and the negative results being obtained in the 10--14 years age-group and after the age of 15 years.--The 5--9 years age-group presents a particular reactivity, evidenced by the high proportion of ascending titers.