Non-inferiority of dose reduction versusstandard dosing of TNF-inhibitors in axial spondyloarthritis

Objective: the objective was to determine if dose reduction is non-inferior to full-dose TNFi to maintain low disease activity (LDA) in patients already in remission with TNFi, in axial spondyloarthritis. Methods: randomized, parallel, non-inferiority, open-label multicentre clinical trial. Patients were eligible if they had axial spondyloarthritis and had been in clinical remission for ≥ 6 months with any available TNFi (adalimumab, etanercept, infliximab, golimumab) at the dose recommended by product labelling. Patients were randomized by automated central allocation to continue the same TNFi dose schedule, or to reduce the dose by roughly half according to the protocol. The main outcome was the proportion of subjects with LDA after 1 year. Serious adverse reactions or infections were recorded. Results: the trial stopped due to end of the funding period, after 126 patients were randomized; 113 patients (84.1% male, mean age (SD) 45.6 (13.0) years) were included in the main per-protocol subset. Non-inferiority was concluded for LDA at 1 year (47/55 (83.8%) patients in the full-dose and 48/58 (81.3%) patients in the reduced-dose arm, adjusted difference (95% CI) − 2.5% (− 16.6% to 11.7%)). Serious adverse reactions or infections were reported in 7/62 patients (11.3%) assigned to full dose and 2/61 patients (3.3%) assigned to reduced dose (p value = 0.164). Conclusion: in patients with ankylosing spondylitis in clinical remission for at least 6 months, dose reduction is non-inferior to full TNF inhibitor doses to maintain LDA after 1 year. Serious adverse events may be less frequent with reduced doses

Evaluation of dose reduction versus standard dosing for maintenance of remission in patients with spondyloarthritis and clinical remission with anti-TNF (REDES-TNF): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: dose reduction schedules of tumor necrosis factor antagonists (anti-TNF) as maintenance therapy in patients with spondyloarthritis are used empirically in clinical practice, despite the lack of clinical trials providing evidence for this practice. Methods/Design: to address this issue the Spanish Society of Rheumatology (SER) and Spanish Society of Clinical Pharmacology (SEFC) designed a 3-year multicenter, randomized, open-label, controlled clinical trial (2 years for inclusion and 1 year of follow-up). The study is expected to include 190 patients with axial spondyloarthritis on stable maintenance treatment (≥4 months) with any anti-TNF agent at doses recommended in the summary of product characteristics. Patients will be randomized to either a dose reduction arm or maintenance of the dosing regimen as per the official labelling recommendations. Randomization will be stratified according to the anti-TNF agent received before study inclusion. Patient follow-up, visit schedule, and examinations will be maintained as per normal clinical practice recommendations according to SER guidelines. The study aims to test the hypothesis of noninferiority of the dose reduction strategy compared with standard treatment. The first patients were recruited in July 2012, and study completion is scheduled for the end of April 2015. Discussion: The REDES-TNF study is a pragmatic clinical trial that aims to provide evidence to support a medical decision now made empirically. The study results may help inform clinical decisions relevant to both patients and healthcare decision makers

Observation of Five New Narrow Ω0c States Decaying to Ξ+cK−

The Ξc+K- mass spectrum is studied with a sample of p p collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.3 fb-1, collected by the LHCb experiment. The Ξc+ is reconstructed in the decay mode p K-π+. Five new, narrow excited Ωc0 states are observed: the Ωc(3000 )0, Ωc(3050 )0, Ωc(3066 )0, Ωc(3090 )0, and Ωc(3119 )0. Measurements of their masses and widths are reported

Search for the Decays Bs0→τ+τ- and B0→τ+τ-

A search for the rare decays Bs0→τ+τ- and B0→τ+τ- is performed using proton-proton collision data collected with the LHCb detector. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb-1 collected in 2011 and 2012. The τ leptons are reconstructed through the decay τ-→π-π+π-ντ. Assuming no contribution from B0→τ+τ- decays, an upper limit is set on the branching fraction B (Bs0→τ+τ- )<6.8 ×10-3 at the 95% confidence level. If instead no contribution from Bs0→τ+τ- decays is assumed, the limit is B (B0→τ+τ- )<2.1 ×10-3 at the 95% confidence level. These results correspond to the first direct limit on B (Bs0→τ+τ- ) and the world's best limit on B (B0→τ+τ- )

Study of J/ψ Production in Jets

The production of J /ψ mesons in jets is studied in the forward region of proton-proton collisions using data collected with the LHCb detector at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The fraction of the jet transverse momentum carried by the J /ψ meson, z (J /ψ ) ≡pT(J /ψ )/pT(jet ) , is measured using jets with pT(jet )>20 GeV in the pseudorapidity range 2.5 <η (jet )<4.0 . The observed z (J /ψ ) distribution for J /ψ mesons produced in b -hadron decays is consistent with expectations. However, the results for prompt J /ψ production do not agree with predictions based on fixed-order nonrelativistic QCD. This is the first measurement of the pT fraction carried by prompt J /ψ mesons in jets at any experiment

Measurement of the B0s→μ+μ− Branching Fraction and Effective Lifetime and Search for B0→μ+μ− Decays

A search for the rare decays Bs0→μ+μ- and B0→μ+μ- is performed at the LHCb experiment using data collected in p p collisions corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 4.4 fb-1. An excess of Bs0→μ+μ- decays is observed with a significance of 7.8 standard deviations, representing the first observation of this decay in a single experiment. The branching fraction is measured to be B (Bs0→μ+μ- )=(3.0 ±0. 6-0.2+0.3) ×10-9 , where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. The first measurement of the Bs0→μ+μ- effective lifetime, τ (Bs0→μ+μ- )=2.04 ±0.44 ±0.05 ps , is reported. No significant excess of B0→μ+μ- decays is found, and a 95% confidence level upper limit, B (B0 →μ+μ-) <3.4 ×10-10 , is determined. All results are in agreement with the standard model expectations

Measurement of Bs0 and Ds- meson lifetimes

We report on a measurement of the flavor-specific Bs0 lifetime and of the Ds- lifetime using proton-proton collisions at center-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV, collected by the LHCb experiment and corresponding to 3.0 fb-1 of integrated luminosity. Approximately 407 000 Bs0→Ds(*)-μ+νμ decays are partially reconstructed in the K+K-π-μ+ final state. The Bs0 and Ds- natural widths are determined using, as a reference, kinematically similar B0→D(*)-μ+νμ decays reconstructed in the same final state. The resulting differences between widths of Bs0 and B0 mesons and of Ds- and D- mesons are ΔΓ(B )=-0.0115 ±0.0053 (stat ) ±0.0041 (syst ) ps-1 and ΔΓ(D )=1.0131 ±0.0117 (stat ) ±0.0065 (syst ) ps-1, respectively. Combined with the known B0 and D- lifetimes, these yield the flavor-specific Bs0 lifetime, τBs 0 fs =1.547 ±0.013 (stat ) ±0.010 (syst ) ±0.004 (τB) ps and the Ds- lifetime, τDs-=0.5064 ±0.0030 (stat ) ±0.0017 (syst ) ±0.0017 (τD) ps . The last uncertainties originate from the limited knowledge of the B0 and D- lifetimes. The results improve upon current determinations

First Observation of a Baryonic B0s Decay

We report the first observation of a baryonic Bs0 decay, Bs0→p Λ ¯K- , using proton-proton collision data recorded by the LHCb experiment at center-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.0 fb-1. The branching fraction is measured to be B (Bs0→p Λ ¯ K- )+B (Bs0→p ¯ Λ K+ )=[5.46 ±0.61 ±0.57 ±0.50 (B )±0.32 (fs/fd)] ×10-6 , where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic, the third uncertainty accounts for the experimental uncertainty on the branching fraction of the B0→p Λ ¯π- decay used for normalization, and the fourth uncertainty relates to the knowledge of the ratio of b -quark hadronization probabilities fs/fd

Search for the doubly heavy Ξbc0 baryon via decays to D 0 pK −

A search for the doubly heavy Ξ0bc baryon using its decay to the D0pK- final state is performed using proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV collected by the LHCb experiment between 2016 and 2018, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.4 fb−1. No significant signal is found in the invariant mass range from 6.7 to 7.2 GeV/c2. Upper limits are set at 95% credibility level on the ratio of the Ξ0bc production cross-section times its branching fraction to D0pK− relative to that of the Λ0b→D0pK− decay. The limits are set as a function of the Ξ0bc mass and lifetime hypotheses, in the rapidity range from 2.0 to 4.5 and in the transverse momentum region from 5 to 25 GeV/c. Upper limits range from 1.7 × 10−2 to 3.0 × 10−1 for the considered Ξ0bc mass and lifetime hypotheses

Los tesoros ocultos del Museo del Prado

Looking at the Madonna by Antonello of Messina in the Palazzo Abatellis in Palermo, we are faced with (at least) three questions. Is the Virgin of the Annunciation, the Immaculate Mother of God who is about to receive the news that she is going to carry the Son of God in her womb? Or is it a portrait, perhaps of a person we know or could know? But does it matter? No. What matters is that we respond to her as if she were a human being, not a divine or transcendent being, as if she were someone we could meet, even in our wildest dreams. What matters is that almost instantly it arouses our interest, that with the right hand it seems to force us to stop, that we are drawn to the face, beautiful and mysterious, and that we recognize in it someone whose feelings we thought we might understand, someone whose emotional state we could access. Immediately, as soon as we set our sights on it, we feel involved; immediately we notice the shadow that crosses the forehead and the left eye, as well as, in the right half of the face, the slight pout of the mouth, sensual but at the same time enigmatic.' What does all this mean? You have been reading; is raising his hand right now, as if requesting a pause, reflecting, no doubt, on something he has just seen