High prevalence of anti-hepatitis e virus antibodies among blood donors in central Italy, february to march 2014

Prevalence of anti-hepatitis E virus (HEV) antibodies is highly variable in developed countries, which seems partly due to differences in assay sensitivity. Using validated sensitive assays, we tested 313 blood donors attending a hospital transfusion unit in central Italy in January and February 2014 for anti-HEV IgG and IgM and HEV RNA. Data on HEV exposure were collected from all donors. Overall anti-HEV IgG prevalence was 49% (153/313). Eating raw dried pig-liver sausage was the only independent predictor of HEV infection (adjusted prevalence rate ratio = 2.14; 95% confidence interval: 1.23–3.74). Three donors were positive for either anti-HEV IgM (n = 2; 0.6%) or HEV RNA (n = 2; 0.6%); they were completely asymptomatic, without alanine aminotransferase (ALT) abnormalities. Of the two HEV RNA-positive donors (both harbouring genotype 3), one was anti-HEV IgG- and IgM-positive, the other was anti-HEV IgG- and IgM-negative. The third donor was positive for anti-HEV IgG and IgM but HEV RNA-negative. HEV infection is therefore hyperendemic among blood donors (80% men 18–64 years-old) from central Italy and associated with local dietary habits. Nearly 1% of donors have acute or recent infection, implying potential transmission to blood recipients. Neither ALT nor anti-HEV IgM testing seems useful to prevent transfusion-transmitted HEV infection. © 2016, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control

Design and Studies of μ-strip Stacked Module Prototypes for Tracking at Super-LHC

AbstractExperience at high luminosity hadrons collider experiments shows that tracking information enhances the trigger rejection capabilities while retaining high efficiency for interesting physics events. The design of a tracking based trigger for Super LHC (S-LHC), the already envisaged high luminosity upgrade of the LHC collider, is an extremely challenging task, and requires the identification of high-momentum particle tracks as a part of the Level 1 Trigger.Simulation studies show that this can be achieved by correlating hits on two closely spaced silicon strip sensors. The progresses on the design and development of this micro-strip stacked prototype modules and the performance of few prototype detectors will be presented. The prototypes have been built with the silicon sensors and electronics used to equip the present CMS[1] Tracker.Preliminary results of a simulated tracker layout equipped with stacked modules are discussed in terms of pT resolution and triggering capabilities.The study of real prototypes in terms of signal over noise and tracking performance with cosmic rays and a dedicated beam test experiment will also be shown

Haploidentical α/β T-cell and B-cell Depleted Stem Cell Transplantation in Severe Mevalonate Kinase Deficiency

Objective: Mevalonic aciduria represents the most severe form of mevalonate kinase deficiency (MKD). Patients with mevalonic aciduria have an incomplete response even to high doses of anti-cytokine drugs such as anakinra or canakinumab and stem cell transplantation (SCT) represents a possible therapy for this severe disease. Methods: We report the first two children affected by severe MKD who received haploidentical α/β T-cell and B-cell depleted SCT. Both patients received a treosulfan-based conditioning regimen and one received a second haploidentical-SCT for secondary rejection of the first. Results: Both patients obtained a stable full donor engraftment with a complete regression of clinical and biochemical inflammatory signs, without acute organ toxicity or acute and chronic GvHD. In both, the urinary excretion of mevalonic acid remained high post-transplant in the absence of any inflammatory signs. Conclusion: Haploidentical α/β T-cell and B-cell depleted SCT represents a potential curative strategy in patients affected by MKD. The persistence of urinary excretion of mevalonic acid after SCT, probably related to the ubiquitous expression of MVK enzyme, suggests that these patients should be carefully monitored after SCT to exclude MKD clinical recurrence. Prophylaxis with anakinra in the acute phase after transplant could represent a safe and effective approach. Further biological studies are required to clarify the pathophysiology of inflammatory attacks in MKD in order to better define the therapeutic role of SCT.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The NAD+-Dependent SIRT1 Deacetylase Translates a Metabolic Switch into Regulatory Epigenetics in Skeletal Muscle Stem Cells

SummaryStem cells undergo a shift in metabolic substrate utilization during specification and/or differentiation, a process that has been termed metabolic reprogramming. Here, we report that during the transition from quiescence to proliferation, skeletal muscle stem cells experience a metabolic switch from fatty acid oxidation to glycolysis. This reprogramming of cellular metabolism decreases intracellular NAD+ levels and the activity of the histone deacetylase SIRT1, leading to elevated H4K16 acetylation and activation of muscle gene transcription. Selective genetic ablation of the SIRT1 deacetylase domain in skeletal muscle results in increased H4K16 acetylation and deregulated activation of the myogenic program in SCs. Moreover, mice with muscle-specific inactivation of the SIRT1 deacetylase domain display reduced myofiber size, impaired muscle regeneration, and derepression of muscle developmental genes. Overall, these findings reveal how metabolic cues can be mechanistically translated into epigenetic modifications that regulate skeletal muscle stem cell biology

Search for narrow resonances below the Upsilon mesons

We have investigated the invariant mass spectrum of dimuons collected by the CDF experiment during the 1992-1995 run of the Fermilab Tevatron collider to improve the limit on the existence of narrow resonances set by the experiments at the SPEAR e+e- collider. In the mass range 6.3-9.0 GeV/c^2, we derive 90% upper credible limits to the ratio of the production cross section times muonic branching fraction of possible narrow resonances to that of the Y(1S) meson. In this mass range, the average limit varies from 1.7 to 0.5%. This limit is much worse at the mass of 7.2 GeV/c^2 due to an excess of 250+-61 events with a width consistent with the detector resolution.Comment: 20 pages, 9 figures. This version has some typos fixed in the text and bibliography. A reference was added in bibliography. Submitted to Phys. Rev. D With this last submission we provide the version accepted for publication in Phys.Rev.

The INFN-FBK "Phase-2" R&D program

We report on the 3-year INFN ATLAS-CMS joint research activity in collaboration with FBK, started in 2014, and aimed at the development of new thin pixel detectors for the High Luminosity LHC Phase-2 upgrades. The program is concerned with both 3D and planar active-edge pixel sensors to be made on 6" p-type wafers. The technology and the design will be optimized and qualified for extreme radiation hardness (2×1016 neq cm-2). Pixel layouts compatible with present (for testing) and future (RD53 65nm) front-end chips of ATLAS and CMS are considered. The paper covers the main aspects of the research program, from the sensor design and fabrication technology, to the results of initial tests performed on the first prototypes. © 2015 Elsevier B.V

Inclusive Search for Anomalous Production of High-pT Like-Sign Lepton Pairs in Proton-Antiproton Collisions at sqrt{s}=1.8 TeV

We report on a search for anomalous production of events with at least two charged, isolated, like-sign leptons with pT > 11 GeV/c using a 107 pb^-1 sample of 1.8 TeV ppbar collisions collected by the CDF detector. We define a signal region containing low background from Standard Model processes. To avoid bias, we fix the final cuts before examining the event yield in the signal region using control regions to test the Monte Carlo predictions. We observe no events in the signal region, consistent with an expectation of 0.63^(+0.84)_(-0.07) events. We present 95% confidence level limits on new physics processes in both a signature-based context as well as within a representative minimal supergravity (tanbeta = 3) model.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures. Minor textual changes, cosmetic improvements to figures and updated and expanded reference

Search for Narrow Diphoton Resonances and for gamma-gamma+W/Z Signatures in p\bar p Collisions at sqrt(s)=1.8 TeV

We present results of searches for diphoton resonances produced both inclusively and also in association with a vector boson (W or Z) using 100 pb^{-1} of p\bar p collisions using the CDF detector. We set upper limits on the product of cross section times branching ratio for both p\bar p\to\gamma\gamma + X and p\bar p\to\gamma\gamma + W/Z. Comparing the inclusive production to the expectations from heavy sgoldstinos we derive limits on the supersymmetry-breaking scale sqrt{F} in the TeV range, depending on the sgoldstino mass and the choice of other parameters. Also, using a NLO prediction for the associated production of a Higgs boson with a W or Z boson, we set an upper limit on the branching ratio for H\to\gamma\gamma. Finally, we set a lower limit on the mass of a `bosophilic' Higgs boson (e.g. one which couples only to \gamma, W, and Z$ bosons with standard model couplings) of 82 GeV/c^2 at 95% confidence level.Comment: 30 pages, 11 figure

Search for the Higgs boson in events with missing transverse energy and b quark jets produced in proton-antiproton collisions at s**(1/2)=1.96 TeV

We search for the standard model Higgs boson produced in association with an electroweak vector boson in events with no identified charged leptons, large imbalance in transverse momentum, and two jets where at least one contains a secondary vertex consistent with the decay of b hadrons. We use ~1 fb-1 integrated luminosity of proton-antiproton collisions at s**(1/2)=1.96 TeV recorded by the CDF II experiment at the Tevatron. We find 268 (16) single (double) b-tagged candidate events, where 248 +/- 43 (14.4 +/- 2.7) are expected from standard model background processes. We place 95% confidence level upper limits on the Higgs boson production cross section for several Higgs boson masses ranging from 110 GeV/c2 to 140 GeV/c2. For a mass of 115 GeV/c2 the observed (expected) limit is 20.4 (14.2) times the standard model prediction.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let

Measurement of Rapidity Distribution for High Mass Drell-Yan ee Pairs at CDF

We report on the first measurement of the rapidity distribution dsigma/dy over nearly the entire kinematic region of rapidity for e^+e^- pairs in the Z-boson region of 66116 GeV/c^2. The data sample consists of 108 pb^{-1} of ppbar collisions at \sqrt{s}=1.8 TeV taken by the Collider Detector at Fermilab during 1992--1995. The total cross section in the $Z$-boson region is measured to be 252 +- 11 pb. The measured total cross section and d\sigma/dy are compared with quantum chromodynamics calculations in leading and higher orders.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures. Submitted to Physical Review Letter