Maternal and neonatal outcomes in patients with hepatitis C and intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy: The sum of the parts.

ObjectiveHepatitis C virus and intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) are well-known independent risk factors for adverse outcomes in pregnancy. In addition, it is well-established that there is an association between Hepatitis C and ICP. This study's objective was to describe the impact of having both Hepatitis C and ICP on maternal and obstetric outcomes compared to patients having either Hepatitis C or ICP.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study of the Nationwide Readmissions Database, an all-payor sample of discharges from approximately 60% of US hospitalizations. Deliveries at 24-42+ weeks between 10/2015 and 12/2020 were included. Diagnosis of Hepatitis C and ICP, and outcomes related to severe maternal morbidity were identified using International Classification of Disease-10 codes. Patients were categorized based on Hepatitis C and ICP status. Weighted logistic and negative binomial regression analyses were used to evaluate the association between Hepatitis C and ICP status and outcomes, adjusting for patient and hospital characteristics. The primary outcome was any severe maternal morbidity; secondary outcomes included acute respiratory distress syndrome, acute kidney injury, sepsis, gestational diabetes, cesarean delivery, preterm birth, and hospital length of stay. We modeled interaction terms between ICP and Hepatitis C to assess whether there was a greater or lesser effect from having both conditions on outcomes than we would expect from additive combination of the individual components (i.e., synergy or antagonism).ResultsA total of 10,040,850 deliveries between 24-42+ weeks were identified. Of these, 45,368 had Hepatitis C only; 84,582 had ICP only; and 1,967 had both Hepatitis C and ICP. Patients with both Hepatitis C and ICP had 1.5-fold higher odds of developing severe maternal morbidity compared to having neither. There was an also an increased odds of severe maternal morbidity in patients with both Hepatitis C and ICP compared to patients with only Hepatitis C or ICP. Having both was also associated with higher odds of preterm birth and length of stay compared to having only Hepatitis C, only ICP, or neither (preterm birth: aOR 5.09, 95% CI 4.87-5.33 vs. neither; length of stay: 46% mean increase, 95% CI 35-58% vs. neither). Associations were additive-no significant interactions between hepatitis C and cholestasis were found on rates of severe maternal morbidity, acute respiratory distress syndrome, acute kidney injury, sepsis, cesarean section, or preterm birth (all p>0.05), and was minimal for gestational diabetes and length of stay.ConclusionHepatitis C and ICP are independent, additive risk factors for adverse maternal and obstetric outcomes. Despite physiologic plausibility, no evidence of a synergistic effect of these two diagnoses on outcomes was noted. These data may be useful in counseling patients regarding their increased risk of adverse outcomes when ICP presents in association with Hepatitis C versus ICP alone

Measurement of the production of a W boson in association with a charm quark in pp collisions at √s = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The production of a W boson in association with a single charm quark is studied using 4.6 fb−1 of pp collision data at s√ = 7 TeV collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. In events in which a W boson decays to an electron or muon, the charm quark is tagged either by its semileptonic decay to a muon or by the presence of a charmed meson. The integrated and differential cross sections as a function of the pseudorapidity of the lepton from the W-boson decay are measured. Results are compared to the predictions of next-to-leading-order QCD calculations obtained from various parton distribution function parameterisations. The ratio of the strange-to-down sea-quark distributions is determined to be 0.96+0.26−0.30 at Q 2 = 1.9 GeV2, which supports the hypothesis of an SU(3)-symmetric composition of the light-quark sea. Additionally, the cross-section ratio σ(W + +c¯¯)/σ(W − + c) is compared to the predictions obtained using parton distribution function parameterisations with different assumptions about the s−s¯¯¯ quark asymmetry

Search for squarks and gluinos in events with isolated leptons, jets and missing transverse momentum at s√=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The results of a search for supersymmetry in final states containing at least one isolated lepton (electron or muon), jets and large missing transverse momentum with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider are reported. The search is based on proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy s√=8 TeV collected in 2012, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20 fb−1. No significant excess above the Standard Model expectation is observed. Limits are set on supersymmetric particle masses for various supersymmetric models. Depending on the model, the search excludes gluino masses up to 1.32 TeV and squark masses up to 840 GeV. Limits are also set on the parameters of a minimal universal extra dimension model, excluding a compactification radius of 1/R c = 950 GeV for a cut-off scale times radius (ΛR c) of approximately 30

Search for squarks and gluinos with the ATLAS detector in final states with jets and missing transverse momentum using √s=8 TeV proton-proton collision data

A search for squarks and gluinos in final states containing high-p T jets, missing transverse momentum and no electrons or muons is presented. The data were recorded in 2012 by the ATLAS experiment in s√=8 TeV proton-proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider, with a total integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb−1. Results are interpreted in a variety of simplified and specific supersymmetry-breaking models assuming that R-parity is conserved and that the lightest neutralino is the lightest supersymmetric particle. An exclusion limit at the 95% confidence level on the mass of the gluino is set at 1330 GeV for a simplified model incorporating only a gluino and the lightest neutralino. For a simplified model involving the strong production of first- and second-generation squarks, squark masses below 850 GeV (440 GeV) are excluded for a massless lightest neutralino, assuming mass degenerate (single light-flavour) squarks. In mSUGRA/CMSSM models with tan β = 30, A 0 = −2m 0 and μ > 0, squarks and gluinos of equal mass are excluded for masses below 1700 GeV. Additional limits are set for non-universal Higgs mass models with gaugino mediation and for simplified models involving the pair production of gluinos, each decaying to a top squark and a top quark, with the top squark decaying to a charm quark and a neutralino. These limits extend the region of supersymmetric parameter space excluded by previous searches with the ATLAS detector

Evidence for the Higgs-boson Yukawa coupling to tau leptons with the ATLAS detector

Results of a search for H → τ τ decays are presented, based on the full set of proton-proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC during 2011 and 2012. The data correspond to integrated luminosities of 4.5 fb−1 and 20.3 fb−1 at centre-of-mass energies of √s = 7 TeV and √s = 8 TeV respectively. All combinations of leptonic (τ → `νν¯ with ` = e, µ) and hadronic (τ → hadrons ν) tau decays are considered. An excess of events over the expected background from other Standard Model processes is found with an observed (expected) significance of 4.5 (3.4) standard deviations. This excess provides evidence for the direct coupling of the recently discovered Higgs boson to fermions. The measured signal strength, normalised to the Standard Model expectation, of µ = 1.43 +0.43 −0.37 is consistent with the predicted Yukawa coupling strength in the Standard Model

Measurement of the charge asymmetry in dileptonic Decays of top quark pairs in pp collisions at √ s = 7 TeV using the ATLAS detector

A measurement of the top-antitop (tt) charge asymmetry is presented using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.6 fb −1 of LHC pp collisions at a centre- of-mass energy of 7 TeV collected by the ATLAS detector. Events with two charged leptons, at least two jets and large missing transverse momentum are selected. Two observables are studied: A tt/C, based on the reconstructed tt final state. The asymmetries are measured to be A ll/C = 0.024 +/- 0.015 (stat.) +/- 0.009 (syst.) Att/C = 0.021 +/- 0.025 (stat.) +/- 0.017 (syst.) The measured values are in agreement with the Standard Model predictions

Search for direct production of charginos and neutralinos in events with three leptons and missing transverse momentum in √s = 7 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for the direct production of charginos and neutralinos in final states with three electrons or muons and missing transverse momentum is presented. The analysis is based on 4.7 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data delivered by the Large Hadron Collider and recorded with the ATLAS detector. Observations are consistent with Standard Model expectations in three signal regions that are either depleted or enriched in Z-boson decays. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are set in R-parity conserving phenomenological minimal supersymmetric models and in simplified models, significantly extending previous results

Measurement of the charm and beauty structure functions using the H1 vertex detector at HERA

Inclusive charm and beauty cross sections are measured in e − p and e + p neutral current collisions at HERA in the kinematic region of photon virtuality 5≤Q 2≤2000 GeV2 and Bjorken scaling variable 0.0002≤x≤0.05. The data were collected with the H1 detector in the years 2006 and 2007 corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 189 pb−1. The numbers of charm and beauty events are determined using variables reconstructed by the H1 vertex detector including the impact parameter of tracks to the primary vertex and the position of the secondary vertex. The measurements are combined with previous data and compared to QCD predictions

Study of Charm Fragmentation into D^{*\pm} Mesons in Deep-Inelastic Scattering at HERA

The process of charm quark fragmentation is studied using $D^{*\pm}$ meson production in deep-inelastic scattering as measured by the H1 detector at HERA. Two different regions of phase space are investigated defined by the presence or absence of a jet containing the $D^{*\pm}$ meson in the event. The parameters of fragmentation functions are extracted for QCD models based on leading order matrix elements and DGLAP or CCFM evolution of partons together with string fragmentation and particle decays. Additionally, they are determined for a next-to-leading order QCD calculation in the fixed flavour number scheme using the independent fragmentation of charm quarks to $D^{*\pm}$ mesons.Comment: 33 pages, submitted to EPJ