Long term persistence and risk factors for anorectal symptoms following low anterior resection for rectal cancer

BACKGROUND

Rectal cancer is commonly treated by chemoradiation therapy, followed by the low anterior resection anal sphincter-preserving surgery, with a temporary protecting ileostomy. After reversal of the stoma a condition known as low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) can occur characterized by a combination of symptoms such as urgent bowel movements, lack of control over bowel movements, and difficulty fully emptying the bowels. These symptoms have a significant negative impact on the quality of life for individuals who have survived the cancer. Currently, there is limited available data regarding the presence, risk factors, and effects of treatment for these symptoms during long-term follow-up.

AIMS

To evaluate long term outcomes of low anterior resection surgery and its correlation to baseline anorectal manometry (ARM) parameters and physiotherapy with anorectal biofeedback (BF) treatment.

METHODS

One hundred fifteen patients (74 males, age 63 ± 11) who underwent low anterior resection surgery for rectal cancer were included in the study. Following surgery, patients were managed by surgical and oncologic team, with more symptomatic LARS patients referred for further evaluation and treatment by gastroenterologists. At follow up, patients were contacted and offered participation in a long term follow up by answering symptom severity and quality of life (QOL) questionnaires.

RESULTS

80 (70%) patients agreed to participate in the long term follow up study (median 4 years from stoma reversal, range 1-8). Mean time from surgery to stoma closure was 6 ± 4 months. At long term follow up, mean LARS score was 30 (SD 11), with 55 (69%) patients classified as major LARS (score > 30). Presence of major LARS was associated with longer time from surgery to stoma reversal (6.8 vs. 4.8 months; p = 0.03) and with adjuvant chemotherapy (38% vs. 8%; p = 0.01). Patients initially referred for ARM and BF were more likely to suffer from major LARS at long term follow up (64% vs. 16%, p < 0.001). In the subgroup of patients who underwent perioperative ARM (n = 36), higher maximal squeeze pressure, higher maximal incremental squeeze pressure and higher rectal pressure on push were all associated with better long-term outcomes of QOL parameters (p < 0.05 for all). 21(54%) of patients referred to ARM were treated with BF, but long term outcomes for these patients were not different from those who did not perform BF.

CONCLUSIONS

A significant number of patients continue to experience severe symptoms and a decline in their quality of life even 4 years after undergoing low anterior resection surgery. Prolonged time until stoma reversal and adjuvant chemotherapy emerged as the primary risk factors for a negative prognosis. It is important to note that referring patients for anorectal physiology testing alone tended to predict poorer long-term outcomes, indicating the presence of selection bias. However, certain measurable manometric parameters could potentially aid in identifying patients who are at a higher risk of experiencing unfavorable functional outcomes. There is a critical need to enhance current treatment options for this patient group.

Blood group O: A novel risk factor for increased postpartum blood loss?

INTRODUCTION

Blood group O is known to be associated with lower levels of von Willebrand factor (VWF) and with increased bleeding complications. The influence of blood group O on postpartum blood loss was assessed by a few studies, however, without adjustment for important obstetric risk factors for postpartum blood loss.

AIM

Aim of this study was to investigate whether women with blood group O exhibit increased blood loss after delivery in consideration of established risk factors for postpartum bleeding.

METHODS

A total of 1487 patients were prospectively included into this cohort study. Blood loss was assessed by estimated blood loss (in mL), and drop of haemoglobin (Δ haemoglobin) was calculated. Association of blood loss with risk factors (such as blood group O, cervical tears, morbidly adherent placenta, placenta praevia and uterine atony amongst others) was assessed with appropriate tests. Significant variables were entered into a stepwise multivariate regression analysis.

RESULTS

Women with blood group O showed a significantly higher blood loss when compared to women with blood group non-O (529.2 mL ± 380.4 mL and 490.5 mL ± 276.4 mL, respectively, P = .024)). The increased blood loss in women with blood group O remained significant after multivariate regression analysis (difference 47 mL, P = .019).

CONCLUSION

This is the first study reporting significantly increased blood loss following delivery in women with blood group O after adjustment for major risk factors for postpartum blood loss. Albeit having a statistically significant, but clinically minor effect on absolute blood loss, blood group O carriers may suffer from aggravated bleeding in the presence of additional obstetric bleeding pathologies.

Small bowel fed response as measured by wireless motility capsule: Comparative analysis in healthy, gastroparetic, and constipated subjects

BACKGROUND

Small bowel fed response is an increased contractile activity pattern following the ingestion of a meal. Postprandial motility is traditionally evaluated using small bowel manometry. Wireless motility capsule (WMC) is an ingestible wireless capsule that measures pH, temperature, and intraluminal pressure. The primary aim of the study was to assess small bowel fed response captured with the non-invasive WMC. The secondary aim was to compare the fed response patterns between healthy subjects and patients with motility disorders of gastroparesis and constipation.

METHODS

All subjects had 250 cc Ensure^® meal 6 hours after WMC ingestion. Frequency of contractions (Ct), area under the curve (AUC), and motility index (MI) were analyzed during 30 minutes of pre-prandial baseline and 60 minutes postprandially in 20-minute windows.

KEY RESULTS

One hundred and eighty-eight subjects (107 healthy, 23 gastroparetics, 58 constipated) were analyzed. Healthy: Ct, AUC, and MI all increased significantly immediately after meal ingestion (P < .01). Motility parameters peak at 20-40 minutes postmeal. The motor activity decreased at the end of postprandial hour, but was still significantly higher than the fasting baseline (P < .01). Gastroparetics: All motility parameters failed to increase significantly compared to the baseline throughout the entire postprandial hour. Constipated: The fed response was similar to healthy subjects.

CONCLUSIONS AND INFERENCES

The small bowel fed response was readily observed in healthy and chronic constipation subjects with WMC but is blunted in gastroparetics. A blunted small bowel fed response suggests neuropathic changes outside the stomach and may contribute to postprandial symptoms.

Isothermal microcalorimetry - A quantitative method to monitor Trypanosoma congolense growth and growth inhibition by trypanocidal drugs in real time

Trypanosoma congolense is a protozoan parasite that is transmitted by tsetse flies, causing African Animal Trypanosomiasis, also known as Nagana, in sub-Saharan Africa. Nagana is a fatal disease of livestock that causes severe economic losses. Two drugs are available, diminazene and isometamidium, yet successful treatment is jeopardized by drug resistant T. congolense. Isothermal microcalorimetry is a highly sensitive tool that can be used to study growth of the extracellular T. congolense parasites or to study parasite growth inhibition after the addition of antitrypanosomal drugs. Time of drug action and time to kill can be quantified in a simple way by real time heat flow measurements. We established a robust protocol for the microcalorimetric studies of T. congolense and developed mathematical computations in R to calculate different parameters related to growth and the kinetics of drug action. We demonstrate the feasibility and benefit of the method exemplary with the two standard drugs, diminazene aceturate and isometamidium chloride. The method and the mathematical approach can be translated to study other pathogenic or non-pathogenic cells if they are metabolically active and grow under axenic conditions.

•

Isothermal microcalorimetry enables heat flow measurement of T. congolense in real-time.

•

Heat flow measurements correlate with number of viable cells.

•

Growth and drug-induced growth inhibition can be deducted from heat flow curves.

•

Pharmacodynamic drug action parameters can be computed from heat flow curves.

•

This method is a valuable tool in the drug discovery process against T. congolense.

264 EFFECT OF SEASON ON CRYOCAPACITATION OF BUFFALO (BUBALUS BUBALIS) SEMEN

Buffalo are short-day breeders; at our latitudes, reproductive activity improves during autumn. Although extensive studies have been conducted on the female, seasonal variations were also reported on post-thaw motility and membrane integrity of buffalo sperm (Andrabi 2009 Reprod. Domest. Anim. 44, 552–569). It was reported that cryopreservation induces capacitation-like changes in buffalo spermatozoa, assessed by both chlortetracycline (CTC) fluorescent and protein tyrosine phosphorylation assays (Kadirvel et al. 2011 Theriogenology 75, 1630–1639; Elkhawagah et al. 2014 J. Buffalo Sci. 3, 3–11). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of season on cryocapacitation of buffalo semen. At least two ejaculates were collected from 4 bulls during 2 seasons with different daylength: spring (low season) and autumn (peak season). Each ejaculate was diluted at 37°C with BioXcell extender to a final concentration of 30 × 106 spermatozoa per mL. After 4 h at 4°C, straws were frozen in an automated system. Immediately after thawing, sperm motility was evaluated by phase-contrast microscopy and viability, as well as capacitation status, were assessed by CTC fluorescent staining, as reported (Kadirvel et al. 2011 Theriogenology 75, 1630–1639). Briefly, sperm suspensions were first stained with 0.1 µg mL–1 Hoechst 33258 for 2 min. Then, equal volumes of sperm suspension and CTC solution (750 mM CTC, 5 mM cysteine in 130 mM NaCl, and 20 mM Tris-HCl) were mixed at room temperature, and glutaraldehyde (12.5%) was added. Sperm suspensions were mounted on slides and stored at 4°C overnight (in the dark). Each sample was assessed twice under a microscope equipped with phase contrast and epifluorescent optics. At least 100 spermatozoa per slide were evaluated and classified into 3 CTC staining patterns: 1) uniform bright fluorescence over the entire head (uncapacitated spermatozoa, pattern F); 2) fluorescence-free band in the post-acrosomal region (capacitated spermatozoa, pattern B); and 3) dull fluorescence over the entire head, except for a thin punctuate band of fluorescence along the equatorial segment (acrosome-reacted spermatozoa, pattern AR). Data were analysed by chi-square. There were no differences in sperm viability between seasons (78.4 and 76.4%, respectively, in autumn and spring). However, post-thaw motility increased (P < 0.05) in autumn (60.0%) compared with spring (50.0%). The percentage of sperm displaying CTC pattern F increased in autumn compared with spring (40.5 and 27.3%, respectively; P < 0.01), whereas the percentage of sperm with both pattern B (57.9 and 66.6%, respectively; P < 0.01) and AR (1.6 and 6.1%, respectively; P < 0.01) decreased. The number of bulls and ejaculates used in this study was too low to draw definitive conclusions. However, these findings suggested that capacitation-like changes after sperm cryopreservation may be reduced during the favourable season in buffalo.

Energy dependence of the transverse momentum distributions of charged particles in pp collisions measured by ALICE

Differential cross sections of charged particles in inelastic pp collisions as a function of p_T have been measured at [Formula: see text] at the LHC. The p_T spectra are compared to NLO-pQCD calculations. Though the differential cross section for an individual [Formula: see text] cannot be described by NLO-pQCD, the relative increase of cross section with [Formula: see text] is in agreement with NLO-pQCD. Based on these measurements and observations, procedures are discussed to construct pp reference spectra at [Formula: see text] up to p_T=50 GeV/c as required for the calculation of the nuclear modification factor in nucleus-nucleus and proton-nucleus collisions.

Directed flow of charged particles at midrapidity relative to the spectator plane in Pb-Pb collisions at √(s(NN))=2.76 TeV

The directed flow of charged particles at midrapidity is measured in Pb-Pb collisions at √(s(NN))=2.76 TeV relative to the collision symmetry plane defined by the spectator nucleons. A negative slope of the rapidity-odd directed flow component with approximately 3 times smaller magnitude than found at the highest RHIC energy is observed. This suggests a smaller longitudinal tilt of the initial system and disfavors the strong fireball rotation predicted for the LHC energies. The rapidity-even directed flow component is measured for the first time with spectators and found to be independent of pseudorapidity with a sign change at transverse momenta p(T) between 1.2 and 1.7  GeV/c. Combined with the observation of a vanishing rapidity-even p(T) shift along the spectator deflection this is strong evidence for dipolelike initial density fluctuations in the overlap zone of the nuclei. Similar trends in the rapidity-even directed flow and the estimate from two-particle correlations at midrapidity, which is larger by about a factor of 40, indicate a weak correlation between fluctuating participant and spectator symmetry planes. These observations open new possibilities for investigation of the initial conditions in heavy-ion collisions with spectator nucleons.

K(S)0 and Λ production in Pb-Pb collisions at √(s(NN))=2.76 TeV

The ALICE measurement of K(S)(0) and Λ production at midrapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at √(s(NN))=2.76 TeV is presented. The transverse momentum (p(T)) spectra are shown for several collision centrality intervals and in the p(T) range from 0.4 GeV/c (0.6 GeV/c for Λ) to 12 GeV/c. The p(T) dependence of the Λ/K(S)(0) ratios exhibits maxima in the vicinity of 3 GeV/c, and the positions of the maxima shift towards higher p(T) with increasing collision centrality. The magnitude of these maxima increases by almost a factor of three between most peripheral and most central Pb-Pb collisions. This baryon excess at intermediate p(T) is not observed in pp interactions at √s=0.9 TeV and at √s=7 TeV. Qualitatively, the baryon enhancement in heavy-ion collisions is expected from radial flow. However, the measured p(T) spectra above 2 GeV/c progressively decouple from hydrodynamical-model calculations. For higher values of p(T), models that incorporate the influence of the medium on the fragmentation and hadronization processes describe qualitatively the p(T) dependence of the Λ/K(S)(0) ratio.

Charmonium and e+e- pair photoproduction at mid-rapidity in ultra-peripheral Pb-Pb collisions at [Formula: see text]

The ALICE Collaboration at the LHC has measured the J/ψ and ψ' photoproduction at mid-rapidity in ultra-peripheral Pb-Pb collisions at [Formula: see text]. The charmonium is identified via its leptonic decay for events where the hadronic activity is required to be minimal. The analysis is based on an event sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of about 23 μb-1. The cross section for coherent and incoherent J/ψ production in the rapidity interval -0.9 Collapse

Key Words Collapse

MESH Headings Collapse

Grants Collapse

J/ψ elliptic flow in Pb-Pb collisions at √(s(NN))=2.76 TeV

We report on the first measurement of inclusive J/ψ elliptic flow v2 in heavy-ion collisions at the LHC. The measurement is performed with the ALICE detector in Pb-Pb collisions at √(s(NN))=2.76 TeV in the rapidity range 2.5<y<4.0. The dependence of the J/ψ v2 on the collision centrality and on the J/ψ transverse momentum is studied in the range 0≤p(T)<10 GeV/c. For semicentral Pb-Pb collisions at √(s(NN))=2.76 TeV, an indication of nonzero v2 is observed with a largest measured value of v2=0.116±0.046(stat)±0.029(syst) for J/ψ in the transverse momentum range 2≤p(T)<4 GeV/c. The elliptic flow measurement complements the previously reported ALICE results on the inclusive J/ψ nuclear modification factor and favors the scenario of a significant fraction of J/ψ production from charm quarks in a deconfined partonic phase.

D meson elliptic flow in noncentral Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[sNN]=2.76 Tev

Azimuthally anisotropic distributions of D0, D+, and D*+ mesons were studied in the central rapidity region (|y|<0.8) in Pb-Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy sqrt[sNN]=2.76  TeV per nucleon-nucleon collision, with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The second Fourier coefficient v2 (commonly denoted elliptic flow) was measured in the centrality class 30%-50% as a function of the D meson transverse momentum pT, in the range 2-16  GeV/c. The measured v2 of D mesons is comparable in magnitude to that of light-flavor hadrons. It is positive in the range 2<pT<6  GeV/c with 5.7σ significance, based on the combination of statistical and systematic uncertainties.

Measurement of inelastic, single- and double-diffraction cross sections in proton-proton collisions at the LHC with ALICE

Measurements of cross sections of inelastic and diffractive processes in proton-proton collisions at LHC energies were carried out with the ALICE detector. The fractions of diffractive processes in inelastic collisions were determined from a study of gaps in charged particle pseudorapidity distributions: for single diffraction (diffractive mass MX <200 GeV/c2) [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text], respectively at centre-of-mass energies [Formula: see text]; for double diffraction (for a pseudorapidity gap Δη>3) σDD/σINEL=0.11±0.03,0.12±0.05, and [Formula: see text], respectively at [Formula: see text]. To measure the inelastic cross section, beam properties were determined with van der Meer scans, and, using a simulation of diffraction adjusted to data, the following values were obtained: [Formula: see text] mb at [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] at [Formula: see text]. The single- and double-diffractive cross sections were calculated combining relative rates of diffraction with inelastic cross sections. The results are compared to previous measurements at proton-antiproton and proton-proton colliders at lower energies, to measurements by other experiments at the LHC, and to theoretical models.

Antiprotozoal activity of Khaya anthotheca, (Welv.) C.D.C. a plant used by chimpanzees for self-medication

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Khaya species, endemic to Africa and Madagascar, continues to be valuable in indigenous traditional medicine. Their bitter tasting barks are decocted to treat fevers, several febrile conditions, microbial infections and worm infestations. In the Budongo rain forest of Western Uganda, non-human primates, especially chimpanzees and baboons, have been observed to eat the bitter non-nutritious bark and occasionally the seed.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Extracts were prepared by sequential fractionation with solvents of increasing polarities and assayed using standard procedures. Bioassay guided purification of the petroleum ether extract by column chromatography yielded three pure limonoids, Grandifolione (1), 7-deacetylkhivorin (2) and 1,3-deacetyldeoxyhavenensin (3). The antitrypanosomal, antileishmanial and antiplasmodial activities of pure compounds (1) and (2) were evaluated in vitro against Plasmodium falciparum K1, Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense STIB 900, Trypanosoma cruzi trypomastigotes (Tulahuen C4), and axenic Leishmania donovani MHOMET-67/L82 and for cytotoxicity against L6 rat skeletal myoblast cells, in parallel with standard drugs.

RESULTS

Of the four extracts tested, the petroleum ether extract showed activity against Plasmodium falciparum (IC50 0.955 μg/ml) and Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense (IC50 5.72 μg/ml). The pure compounds (1) and (2) demonstrated activity against Plasmodium falciparum (KI strain) and marginal activities against Trypanosoma brucei brucei, Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania donovani.

CONCLUSION

The present study provides evidence justifying the use of Khaya preparations in traditional medicine to treat fevers and microbial infections. The observed antiprotozoal activity of grandifolione and 7-deacetylkhivorin from the seed of Khaya anthotheca further confirms the ethnomedicinal potential of this plant and supports the hypothesis that non-human hominids (chimpanzees and baboons) too, eat the bitter bark and seeds for self-medication and in general, the use of Khaya plant material for medication by humans in disease endemic tropical areas. The antiprotozoal activity of gradifolione, and, the antitrypanosomal and antileishmanial activities of 7-deacetylkhivorin are reported here for the first time.

Net-charge fluctuations in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[sNN]=2.76 TeV

We report the first measurement of the net-charge fluctuations in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[sNN]=2.76  TeV, measured with the ALICE detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The dynamical fluctuations per unit entropy are observed to decrease when going from peripheral to central collisions. An additional reduction in the amount of fluctuations is seen in comparison to the results from lower energies. We examine the dependence of fluctuations on the pseudorapidity interval, which may account for the dilution of fluctuations during the evolution of the system. We find that the fluctuations at the LHC are smaller compared to the measurements at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, and as such, closer to what has been theoretically predicted for the formation of a quark-gluon plasma.

Transverse momentum distribution and nuclear modification factor of charged particles in p+Pb collisions at sqrt[s(NN)] = 5.02 TeV

The transverse momentum (p(T)) distribution of primary charged particles is measured in minimum bias (non-single-diffractive) p+Pb collisions at sqrt[s(NN)]=5.02 TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The p(T) spectra measured near central rapidity in the range 0.5<p(T) <20 GeV/c exhibit a weak pseudorapidity dependence. The nuclear modification factor R(pPb) is consistent with unity for p(T) above 2 GeV/c. This measurement indicates that the strong suppression of hadron production at high p(T) observed in Pb+Pb collisions at the LHC is not due to an initial-state effect. The measurement is compared to theoretical calculations.

Pseudorapidity density of charged particles in p+Pb collisions at √(s(NN))=5.02 TeV

The charged-particle pseudorapidity density measured over four units of pseudorapidity in nonsingle-diffractive p+Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair √(s(NN))=5.02 TeV is presented. The average value at midrapidity is measured to be 16.81±0.71 (syst), which corresponds to 2.14±0.17 (syst) per participating nucleon, calculated with the Glauber model. This is 16% lower than in nonsingle-diffractive pp collisions interpolated to the same collision energy and 84% higher than in d+Au collisions at s√(s(NN))=0.2 TeV. The measured pseudorapidity density in p+Pb collisions is compared to model predictions and provides new constraints on the description of particle production in high-energy nuclear collisions.

Charge separation relative to the reaction plane in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[s(NN)] = 2.76 TeV

Measurements of charge-dependent azimuthal correlations with the ALICE detector at the LHC are reported for Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[s(NN)] = 2.76 TeV. Two- and three-particle charge-dependent azimuthal correlations in the pseudorapidity range |η| < 0.8 are presented as a function of the collision centrality, particle separation in pseudorapidity, and transverse momentum. A clear signal compatible with a charge-dependent separation relative to the reaction plane is observed, which shows little or no collision energy dependence when compared to measurements at RHIC energies. This provides a new insight for understanding the nature of the charge-dependent azimuthal correlations observed at RHIC and LHC energies.

Pion, kaon, and proton production in central Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[s(NN)] = 2.76 TeV

In this Letter we report the first results on π(±), K(±), p, and p production at midrapidity (|y|<0.5) in central Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[s(NN)] = 2.76 TeV, measured by the ALICE experiment at the LHC. The p(T) distributions and yields are compared to previous results at sqrt[s(NN)] = 200 GeV and expectations from hydrodynamic and thermal models. The spectral shapes indicate a strong increase of the radial flow velocity with sqrt[s(NN)], which in hydrodynamic models is expected as a consequence of the increasing particle density. While the K/π ratio is in line with predictions from the thermal model, the p/π ratio is found to be lower by a factor of about 1.5. This deviation from thermal model expectations is still to be understood.

Measurement of the cross section for electromagnetic dissociation with neutron emission in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[s(NN)] = 2.76 TeV

The first measurement of neutron emission in electromagnetic dissociation of ^{208}Pb nuclei at the LHC is presented. The measurement is performed using the neutron zero degree calorimeters of the ALICE experiment, which detect neutral particles close to beam rapidity. The measured cross sections of single and mutual electromagnetic dissociation of Pb nuclei at sqrt[s(NN)]=2.76 TeV with neutron emission are σ(singleEMD)=187.4 ± 0.2(stat)(-11.2)(+13.2) (syst) b and σ(mutualEMD) = 5.7 ± 0.1(stat) ± 0.4(syst) b, respectively. The experimental results are compared to the predictions from a relativistic electromagnetic dissociation model.

Production of muons from heavy flavor decays at forward rapidity in pp and Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[s(NN)]=2.76 TeV

The ALICE Collaboration has measured the inclusive production of muons from heavy-flavor decays at forward rapidity, 2.5<y<4, in pp and Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[s(NN)]=2.76  TeV. The p(t)-differential inclusive cross section of muons from heavy-flavor decays in pp collisions is compared to perturbative QCD calculations. The nuclear modification factor is studied as a function of p(t) and collision centrality. A weak suppression is measured in peripheral collisions. In the most central collisions, a suppression of a factor of about 3-4 is observed in 6<p(t)<10  GeV/c. The suppression shows no significant p(t) dependence.

J/ψ suppression at forward rapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at √s(NN) = 2.76 TeV

The ALICE experiment has measured the inclusive J/ψ production in Pb-Pb collisions at √s(NN) = 2.76 TeV down to zero transverse momentum in the rapidity range 2.5 < y < 4. A suppression of the inclusive J/ψ yield in Pb-Pb is observed with respect to the one measured in pp collisions scaled by the number of binary nucleon-nucleon collisions. The nuclear modification factor, integrated over the 0%-80% most central collisions, is 0.545 ± 0.032(stat) ± 0.083(syst) and does not exhibit a significant dependence on the collision centrality. These features appear significantly different from measurements at lower collision energies. Models including J/ψ production from charm quarks in a deconfined partonic phase can describe our data.

Comparative analysis of phase III migrating motor complexes in stomach and small bowel using wireless motility capsule and antroduodenal manometry

BACKGROUND

  Assessment of phase III MMC is often not performed due to the invasive nature of antroduodenal manometry used to detect it. The aim of the study was to evaluate the ability of wireless motility capsule (WMC) to detect phase III MMC and correlate it with the simultaneous measurements by antroduodenal manometry (ADM).

METHODS

  Eighteen patients underwent simultaneous ADM and WMC. MMCs were identified first on ADM and then correlated with WMC events occurring simultaneously. Frequency of contractions per min, AUC, MI, and criteria for amplitude thresholds of contractions representing MCCs on WMC tracings were defined.

KEY RESULTS

  In 18 patients, a total of 29 MMCs were recorded by ADM. WMC detected 86% of MMC events measured by ADM. Hundred percent (10/10) of MMCs in stomach were detected by WMC, whereas 79% (15/19) of MMCs were detected in SB. The sensitivity and specificity of WMC high amplitude contractions to represent phase III MMC were 90% and 71.8% in the stomach; 73.7% and 84.7% in SB, respectively, and negative predictive value was 99.9% in both regions.

CONCLUSIONS & INFERENCES

  Wireless motility capsule was able to detect the phase III MMCs as the high amplitude contractions with good fidelity. WMC does not detect the propagation of MMC. Using the pressure thresholds, WMC can detect high amplitude contraction representing phase III MMC with favorable sensitivity/specificity profile and 99.9% negative predictive value. This observation may have clinical significance, as the absence of high amplitude contractions recorded by WMC during fasting state suggests absence of MMCs.

Particle-yield modification in jetlike azimuthal dihadron correlations in Pb-Pb collisions at √s(NN)=2.76 TeV

The yield of charged particles associated with high-p(t) trigger particles (8<p(t)<15 GeV/c) is measured with the ALICE detector in Pb-Pb collisions at √s(NN)=2.76 TeV relative to proton-proton collisions at the same energy. The conditional per-trigger yields are extracted from the narrow jetlike correlation peaks in azimuthal dihadron correlations. In the 5% most central collisions, we observe that the yield of associated charged particles with transverse momenta p(t)>3 GeV/c on the away side drops to about 60% of that observed in pp collisions, while on the near side a moderate enhancement of 20%-30% is found.

J/ψ polarization in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV

The ALICE Collaboration has studied J/ψ production in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV at the LHC through its muon pair decay. The polar and azimuthal angle distributions of the decay muons were measured, and results on the J/ψ polarization parameters λ(θ) and λ(φ) were obtained. The study was performed in the kinematic region 2.5<y<4, 2<p(t)<8 GeV/c, in the helicity and Collins-Soper reference frames. In both frames, the polarization parameters are compatible with zero, within uncertainties.

The potential of secondary metabolites from plants as drugs or leads against protozoan neglected diseases - part II

Infections with protozoan parasites are a major cause of disease and mortality in many tropical countries of the world. Diseases caused by species of the genera Trypanosoma (Human African Trypanosomiasis and Chagas Disease) and Leishmania (various forms of Leishmaniasis) are among the seventeen "Neglected Tropical Diseases" (NTDs) defined by the WHO. Furthermore, malaria (caused by various Plasmodium species) can be considered a neglected disease in certain countries and with regard to availability and affordability of the antimalarials. Living organisms, especially plants, provide an innumerable number of molecules with potential for the treatment of many serious diseases. The current review attempts to give an overview on the potential of such plant-derived natural products as antiprotozoal leads and/or drugs in the fight against NTDs. In part I, a general description of the diseases, the current state of therapy and need for new therapeuticals, assay methods and strategies applied in the search for new plant derived natural products against these diseases and an overview on natural products of terpenoid origin with antiprotozoal potential were given. The present part II compiles the current knowledge on natural products with antiprotozoal activity that are derived from the shikimate pathway (lignans, coumarins, caffeic acid derivatives), quinones of various structural classes, compounds formed via the polyketide pathways (flavonoids and related compounds, chromenes and related benzopyrans and benzofurans, xanthones, acetogenins from Annonaceae and polyacetylenes) as well as the diverse classes of alkaloids. In total, both parts compile the literature on almost 900 different plant-derived natural products and their activity data, taken from over 800 references. These data, as the result of enormous efforts of numerous research groups world-wide, illustrate that plant secondary metabolites represent an immensely rich source of chemical diversity with an extremely high potential to yield a wealth of lead structures towards new therapies for NTDs. Only a small percentage, however, of the roughly 200,000 plant species on earth have been studied chemically and only a small percentage of these plants or their constituents has been investigated for antiprotozoal activity. The repository of plant-derived natural products hence deserves to be investigated even more intensely than it has been up to present.

Higher harmonic anisotropic flow measurements of charged particles in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt(s(NN)) = 2.76 TeV

We report on the first measurement of the triangular v3, quadrangular v4, and pentagonal v5 charged particle flow in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt(s(NN)) = 2.76  TeV measured with the ALICE detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. We show that the triangular flow can be described in terms of the initial spatial anisotropy and its fluctuations, which provides strong constraints on its origin. In the most central events, where the elliptic flow v2 and v3 have similar magnitude, a double peaked structure in the two-particle azimuthal correlations is observed, which is often interpreted as a Mach cone response to fast partons. We show that this structure can be naturally explained from the measured anisotropic flow Fourier coefficients.

Centrality dependence of the charged-particle multiplicity density at midrapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[s(NN)] = 2.76 TeV

The centrality dependence of the charged-particle multiplicity density at midrapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=2.76  TeV is presented. The charged-particle density normalized per participating nucleon pair increases by about a factor of 2 from peripheral (70%-80%) to central (0%-5%) collisions. The centrality dependence is found to be similar to that observed at lower collision energies. The data are compared with models based on different mechanisms for particle production in nuclear collisions.

Elliptic flow of charged particles in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[S(NN)] = 2.76 TeV

We report the first measurement of charged particle elliptic flow in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[S(NN)] =2.76 TeV with the ALICE detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The measurement is performed in the central pseudorapidity region (|η|<0.8) and transverse momentum range 0.2<p t<5.0 GeV/c. The elliptic flow signal v₂, measured using the 4-particle correlation method, averaged over transverse momentum and pseudorapidity is 0.087 ± 0.002(stat) ± 0.003(syst) in the 40%-50% centrality class. The differential elliptic flow v₂ p t reaches a maximum of 0.2 near p t =3 GeV/c. Compared to RHIC Au-Au collisions at sqrt[S(NN)] 200 GeV, the elliptic flow increases by about 30%. Some hydrodynamic model predictions which include viscous corrections are in agreement with the observed increase.

Charged-particle multiplicity density at midrapidity in central Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[S(NN)] = 2.76 TeV

The first measurement of the charged-particle multiplicity density at midrapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair √ S NN = 2.76 TeV is presented. For an event sample corresponding to the most central 5% of the hadronic cross section, the pseudorapidity density of primary charged particles at midrapidity is 1584 ± 4(stat) ± 76(syst), which corresponds to 8.3 ± 0.4(syst) per participating nucleon pair. This represents an increase of about a factor 1.9 relative to pp collisions at similar collision energies, and about a factor 2.2 to central Au-Au collisions at √ S NN = 2.76 TeV. This measurement provides the first experimental constraint for models of nucleus-nucleus collisions at LHC energies.

Antiplasmodial, anti-trypanosomal, anti-leishmanial and cytotoxicity activity of selected Tanzanian medicinal plants

The antiplasmodial, anti-trypanosomal and anti-leishmanial activity of 25 plant extracts obtained from seven Tanzanian medicinal plants: Annickia (Enantia) kummeriae (Annonaceae), Artemisia annua (Asteraceae), Pseudospondias microcarpa (Anacardiaceae), Drypetes natalensis (Euphorbiaceae), Acridocarpus chloropterus (Malpighiaceae), Maytenus senegalensis (Celastraceae) and Neurautanenia mitis (Papilonaceae), were evaluated in vitro against Plasmodium falciparum K1, Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense STIB 900 and axenic Leishmania donovani MHOM-ET-67/82. Out of the 25 extracts tested, 17 showed good antiplasmodial activity (IC50 0.04-5.0 microg/ml), 7 exhibited moderate anti-trypanosomal activity (IC50 2.3-2.8 microg/ml), while 5 displayed mild anti-leishmanial activity (IC50 8.8-9.79 microg/ml). A. kummeriae, A. annua, P. microcarpa, D. natalensis, M. senegalensis and N. mitis extracts had good antiplasmodial activity (IC50 0.04-2.1 microg/ml) and selectivity indices (29.2-2,250 microg/ml). The high antiplasmodial, moderate anti-trypanosomal and mild anti-leishmanial activity make these plants good candidates for bioassay-guided isolation of anti-protozoal compounds which could serve as new lead structures for drug development.

Midrapidity antiproton-to-proton ratio in pp collisons at sqrt[s]=0.9 and 7 TeV measured by the ALICE experiment

The ratio of the yields of antiprotons to protons in pp collisions has been measured by the ALICE experiment at sqrt[s]=0.9 and 7 TeV during the initial running periods of the Large Hadron Collider. The measurement covers the transverse momentum interval 0.45<p_{t}<1.05  GeV/c and rapidity |y|<0.5. The ratio is measured to be R_{|y|<0.5}=0.957±0.006(stat)±0.014(syst) at 0.9 TeV and R_{|y|<0.5}=0.991±0.005(stat)±0.014(syst) at 7 TeV and it is independent of both rapidity and transverse momentum. The results are consistent with the conventional model of baryon-number transport and set stringent limits on any additional contributions to baryon-number transfer over very large rapidity intervals in pp collisions.

Leishmanicidal activity of new megazol derivatives

A series of thirteen new megazol derivatives, designed exploring the molecular hybridization approach between megazol (3) and heterocombretastatins (2), was synthesized. These new compounds were tested for in vitro antiparasitic activity upon axenic amastigotes of Leishmania donovani. Biological results led us to identify a new potent megazol derivative (4g), which presents an IC(50) = 0.081microg/mL, more active tham the reference drug miltefosine (IC(50) = 0.131microg/mL).

Sigma-2 receptor expression in bovine papillomavirus-associated urinary bladder tumours

The expression of sigma-2 receptors was investigated in nine urothelial tumours of the urinary bladder of cattle. Each tumour was associated with the presence of DNA of bovine papillomavirus type-2 (BPV-2) and expression of the E5 viral oncoprotein. Five tumours were classified as low-grade carcinoma on the basis of morphological criteria and calculation of mean nuclear area (MNA) and mean nuclear perimeter (MNP). Four tumours were classified as high-grade carcinoma. Sigma-2 receptors were overexpressed in both types of carcinoma. In control normal bovine bladder tissue the density of receptors (expressed as the B(max)) was 0.37 pmol/mg of protein. Low-grade carcinomas had a mean B(max) of 1.37+/-0.32 pmol/mg of protein (range 1.03-1.86) and in high-grade carcinomas the mean B(max) was 10.9+/-2.8 pmol/mg of protein (range 8.2-14). The difference in B(max) between low- and high-grade carcinomas was statistically significant (P=0.0001).