Dalitz decays DsJ(∗)→Ds(∗)ℓ+ℓ−D_{sJ}^{(*)} \to D_s^{(*)} \ell^+ \ell^-

The Dalitz decays of the positive parity $D_{sJ}^{(*)}$ charmed mesons, $D_{sJ}^{(*)} \to D_s^{(*)} \ell^+ \ell^-$ with $J=0,1,2$ and $\ell=e, \mu$, are important processes to investigate the nature of the $D_{sJ}^{(*)}$ states. We analyze the full set of decays, considering the four lightest $D_{sJ}^{(*)}$ mesons as belonging to the heavy quark spin doublets $\displaystyle s_\ell^P=\frac{1}{2}^+$ and $\displaystyle \frac{3}{2}^+$, with $s_\ell^P$ the spin-parity of the light degrees of freedom in mesons. The description implies relations among the observables in various modes. We study the decay distributions in the dilepton invariant mass squared and the distributions in the angle between the charged lepton momentum and the momentum of the produced meson, which are expressed in terms of universal form factors and of effective strong couplings. Such measurements are feasible at the present facilities.Comment: LaTeX, 23 pages, 6 figures. Version to appear on PR

Mental Health Disorders in Ultra Endurance Athletes per ICD-11 Classifications: A Review of an Overlooked Community in Sports Psychiatry.

INTRODUCTION Although research suggests that exercise benefits mental health, psychiatric disorders have been acknowledged in the ultra-endurance-athlete population. At present, the mental-health consequences of high-volume training associated with ultra-endurance sports are not well understood. METHODS We conducted a narrative review summarizing primary observations about mental disorders per ICD-11 criteria in ultra-endurance athletes using a keyword search in Scopus and PubMed. RESULTS We identified 25 papers discussing ICD-11-classified psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and schizophrenia in ultra-endurance athletes. DISCUSSION Although evidence is limited, available papers indicate that there is a sizable incidence of mental-health issues and composite psychopathological vulnerabilities in this community. We contend that ultra-endurance athletes may represent a different, though similar, demographic than elite and/or professional athletes, as they often engage in high-volume training with similarly high motivation. This can have regulatory implications, which we also highlight. CONCLUSION Mental illness in ultra-endurance athletes is an underrepresented topic in sports medicine, though psychiatric disorders may be especially prevalent in this population. Further inquiry is necessary to inform athletes and healthcare practitioners about the possible mental-health implications associated with participation in ultra-endurance sports

The quadratic scalar radius of the pion and the mixed π−K\pi-K radius

We consider the quadratic scalar radius of the pion, , and the mixed $K-\pi$ scalar radius, . With respect to the second, we point out that the more recent (post-1974) experimental results in $K_{l3}$ decays imply a value, $=0.31\pm0.06 {\rm fm}^2$, which is about $2 \sigma$ above estimates based on chiral perturbation theory. On the other hand, we show that this value of suggests the existence of a low mass S$\tfrac{1}{2}$ $K\pi$ resonance. With respect to , we contest the central value and accuracy of current evaluations, that give $=0.61\pm0.04 {\rm fm}^2$. Based on experiment, we find a robust lower bound of $<r^2_{{\rm S},\pi}>\geq0.70\pm0.06 {\rm fm}^2$ and a reliable estimate, $<r^2_{{\rm S},\pi}>=0.75\pm0.07 {\rm fm}^2$, where the error bars are attainable. This implies, in particular, that the chiral result for $$ is $1.4 \sigma$ away from experiment. We also comment on implications about the chiral parameter $\bar{l}_4$, very likely substantially larger (and with larger errors) than usually assumed.Comment: PlainTeX file. Corrected asymptotic phase; numerical results unaffecte

The scalar radius of the pion

The pion scalar radius is given by $=(6/\pi)\int_{4M^2_\pi}^\infty{\rm d}s \delta_S(s)/s^2$, with $\delta_S$ the phase of the scalar form factor. Below $\bar{K}K$ threshold, $\delta_S=\delta_\pi$, $\delta_\pi$ being the isoscalar, S-wave $\pi\pi$ phase shift. At high energy, $s>2 {\rm GeV}^2$, $\delta_S$ is given by perturbative QCD. In between I argued, in a previous letter, that one can interpolate $\delta_S\sim\delta_\pi$, because inelasticity is small, compared with the errors. This gives $=0.75\pm0.07 {\rm fm}^2$. Recently, Ananthanarayan, Caprini, Colangelo, Gasser and Leutwyler (ACCGL) have claimed that this is incorrect and one should have instead $\delta_S\simeq\delta_\pi-\pi$; then $=0.61\pm0.04 {\rm fm}^2$. Here I show that the ACCGL phase $\delta_S$ is pathological in that it is discontinuous for small inelasticity, does not coincide with what perturbative QCD suggests at high energy, and only occurs because these authors take a value for $\delta_\pi(4m^2_K)$ different from what experiment indicates. If one uses the value for $\delta_\pi(4m^2_K)$ favoured by experiment, the ensuing phase $\delta_S$ is continuous, agrees with perturbative QCD expectations, and satisfies $\delta_S\simeq\delta_\pi$, thus confirming the correctness of my previous estimate, $=0.75\pm0.07 {\rm fm}^2$.Comment: Version to be published in Phys. Letters. A few typos corrected. Plain YeX file. 5 figure

Isospin-Breaking quark condensates in Chiral Perturbation Theory

We analyze the isospin-breaking corrections to quark condensates within one-loop SU(2) and SU(3) Chiral Perturbation Theory including $m_u\neq m_d$ as well as electromagnetic (EM) contributions. The explicit expressions are given and several phenomenological aspects are studied. We analyze the sensitivity of recent condensate determinations to the EM low-energy constants (LEC). If the explicit chiral symmetry breaking induced by EM terms generates a ferromagnetic-like response of the vacuum, as in the case of quark masses, the increasing of the order parameter implies constraints for the EM LEC, which we check with different estimates in the literature. In addition, we extend the sum rule relating quark condensate ratios in SU(3) to include EM corrections, which are of the same order as the $m_u\neq m_d$ ones, and we use that sum rule to estimate the vacuum asymmetry within ChPT. We also discuss the matching conditions between the SU(2) and SU(3) LEC involved in the condensates, when both isospin-breaking sources are taken into account.Comment: 16 pages, 1 figure, final version accepted for publication in Journal of Physics

Prophylactic activity of increasing doses of intravenous histamine in refractory migraine: Retrospective observations of a series of patients with migraine without aura

Background: Histamine is thought to play a pivotal role in the modulation of peripheral and central pain. The administration of increasing doses of histamine may lead to desensitization of receptors of histamine types 1 and 2, causing meningeal vasodilation, and to depletion of neuropeptides in the trigeminal ganglion, thus inhibiting the initiation of migraine. Objective: In this study, the efficacy and tolerability of increasing doses of IV histamine in migraine prophylaxis were investigated. Methods: This single-center, open-label, retrospective, controlled study was conducted at the Headache Center (Department of Internal Medicine, University of Florence, Villa Monna Tessa, Italy). Patients included in the study had 3 to 6 migraines without aura per month that were refractory to common symptomatic and prophylactic agents in the 6 months preceding the study. Patients were treated with IV histamine hydrochloride for 21 days starting with a dosage of 0.5 mg/d and increasing to 4.0 mg/d. To assess the efficacy of the treatment, these patients were matched for age; sex; and frequency, duration, and severity of attacks with untreated migraineurs. Clinical benefit was defined as ⩽ 1 migraine of mild intensity per month. Tolerability was assessed during the hospitalization period, and patients were instructed to contact the Headache Center to report any adverse effects after hospital discharge. Results: The histamine group comprised 47 patients (40 women, 7 men; mean [SD] age, 42.0 [8.6] years) and the control group comprised 23 patients (20 women, 3 men; mean [SD] age, 38.8 [8.4] years). The histamine-treated patients showed a clinical benefit lasting for a mean of 10.4 (4.2) months, while the patients in the control group showed a clinical benefit of 3.8 (1.9) months. The difference in the duration of the clinical benefit between the 2 groups was 6.6 months (95% CI, 5.15-7.99). Adverse effects consisted of flushing, heat sensation during infusion, headache, and palpitations. Conclusions: In this study, histamine showed lasting prophylactic efficacy in migraineurs. If further research confirms this preliminary finding, histamine could be considered when established prophylactic drugs, such as betablockers, calcium antagonists, antidepressants, and antiepileptics, have not been effective

Open-charm meson resonances with negative strangeness

We study heavy-light meson resonances with quantum numbers J^P=0^+ and J^P=1^+ in terms of the non-linear chiral SU(3) Lagrangian. Adjusting the free parameters that arise at subleading order to reproduce the mass of the D(2420) resonance as well as the new states established recently by the BABAR, CLEO and BELLE collaborations we obtain refined masses for the anti-triplet and sextet states. Bound states of antikaons at the D(1867) and D(2008) mesons are predicted at 2352 MeV (J^P=0^+) and 2416 MeV (J^P=1^+). In addition we anticipate a narrow scalar state of mass 2389 MeV with (I,S)=(1/2,0)Comment: 12 pages, 3 figure

The cusp effect in eta' --> eta pi pi decays

Strong final-state interactions create a pronounced cusp in eta' --> eta pi0 pi0 decays. We adapt and generalize the non-relativistic effective field theory framework developed for the extraction of pi pi scattering lengths from K --> 3 pi decays to this case. The cusp effect is predicted to have an effect of more than 8% on the decay spectrum below the pi+ pi- threshold.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures; comment added, typos corrected, version published in Eur. Phys. J.

Schistosomal appendicitis: case series and systematic literature review

Background: Globally, schistosomiasis affects at least 240 million people each year with a high proportion of cases in sub-Saharan Africa. The infection presents a wide range of symptoms mainly at the gastrointestinal and urogenital level. Cases of schistosomiasis-related appendicitis are seldom reported. The aim of the present study is to identify the prevalence of schistosomiasis-related appendicitis in Beira, Mozambique and compare to global prevalence. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all cases of appendicitis recorded from January 2017 to March 2020 at a single pathology department located in Beira in order to assess the prevalence of schistosomiasis. Moreover, we performed a systematic review on the prevalence of schistosomiasis-related appendicitis in all countries. Findings: A total of 145 appendicitis cases in Beira showed a 13.1% prevalence of schistosomal-related appendicitis. The mean age of patients was 29.1 years, and 14 (73.7%) were male. The systematic review identified 20 studies with 34,790 inpatients with schistosomiasis-related appendicitis with a global prevalence of 1.31% (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.72 to 2.06); a high heterogeneity (I2 = 96.0%) was observed. Studies carried out in Africa reported a significantly higher prevalence of schistosomiasis-related appendicitis (2.75%; 95% CI: 1.28 to 4.68) than those in Middle East (0.49%; 95% CI: 0.18 to 0.95) (p for interaction < 0.0001). Conclusions: Schistosomiasis infection should be considered as possible cause of appendicitis not only in endemic areas but also in developed countries. Considering that prevention is the best way to control the infection, more efforts should be put in place in order to increase the prevention coverage and avoid the cascading implications for health. This is even more so important in this Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) era where the majority of attention and funds are used to fight the pandemic

electrolysed water in the food industry as supporting of environmental sustainability

Food safety is a priority for the food industry and to achieve this result a correct plant sanitation programme is of the utmost importance. Among various disinfection techniques, an emerging one is represented by the use of electrolysed water (EW) as the disinfecting agent. The use of EW is compliant with the desire to find alternatives to chlorination and heat treatments, representing a green cleaning alternative to toxic disinfectants. EW is an activated liquid, obtained by passing a diluted saline solution (NaCl, KCl or MgCl2) through an electrolytic cell, thus causing the production from the anode side of electrolysed oxidising water, containing high dissolved oxygen, free chlorine and characterised by a low pH (2.3–2.7) and a high oxidation–reduction potential (ORP > 1,000 mV). At the same time from the cathode side electrolysed reduced water is produced, with high pH (10.0–11.5), high dissolved hydrogen and low ORP (−800 to −900 mV). Unlike other chemical disinfectants, EW is not harmful for skin and mucous membranes and is quite easy to handle. Furthermore, the use of EW is relatively inexpensive and, above all, is a sustainable technique. Currently used sanitisers (e.g. glutaraldehyde, formaldehyde, etc.) are effective, but their adverse effects on the environment are well known. Differently from these chemicals, the use of EW has a reduced impact on the environment and because of its properties, it may find several applications in the food industry. In this work, the characteristics and some EW applications as sustainable sanitation technique applied in the food industry are reported and discussed