Study through Geant4, for Time Resolution characterization of different detectors arrays coupled with two SiPMs, as a function of: the scintillator plastic material, its volumetric dimensions and the location of the radiation emission source

The high time resolution detectors are relevant in those experiments or simulations were the particles to detect, have a very short time of flight (TOF), and due this it´s required that the detections times are ranged between ns. & ps.Using Geant4 software, it was made thirty simulations of coupled detectors to plastic scintillators with two silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) located on the scintillator’s central sides. To characterize the time resolution, it was required to quantify the optical photons that reach the Score in a certain time, which are generated by muons on the surface of the plastic scintillator. Different configurations of muon beams were simulated at energy of 1 GeV, to interact with the configuration of the scintillator material of its corresponding arrangement. The simulations were made varying three parameters: the scintillator material “BC404 & BC422”, its size, and the location of the radiation source. Fifteen simulations correspond to BC404 material & fifteen simulations to BC422 material respectively. The first five simulations consisted in varying the scintillator’s volumetric size and collocate the muons beam guided randomly distributed over it, the next five simulations differentiate from setting up a directly centered beam, and the last five simulations for guide the beam on the left lower corner of each scintillator.The best time resolution achieved was σ= 8.67 +/− 0.26 ps., reported by the detector with BC422 scintillator material which has a volume of 20x20x3 mm3

Treatment with tocilizumab or corticosteroids for COVID-19 patients with hyperinflammatory state: a multicentre cohort study (SAM-COVID-19)

Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the association between tocilizumab or corticosteroids and the risk of intubation or death in patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) with a hyperinflammatory state according to clinical and laboratory parameters. Methods: A cohort study was performed in 60 Spanish hospitals including 778 patients with COVID-19 and clinical and laboratory data indicative of a hyperinflammatory state. Treatment was mainly with tocilizumab, an intermediate-high dose of corticosteroids (IHDC), a pulse dose of corticosteroids (PDC), combination therapy, or no treatment. Primary outcome was intubation or death; follow-up was 21 days. Propensity score-adjusted estimations using Cox regression (logistic regression if needed) were calculated. Propensity scores were used as confounders, matching variables and for the inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTWs). Results: In all, 88, 117, 78 and 151 patients treated with tocilizumab, IHDC, PDC, and combination therapy, respectively, were compared with 344 untreated patients. The primary endpoint occurred in 10 (11.4%), 27 (23.1%), 12 (15.4%), 40 (25.6%) and 69 (21.1%), respectively. The IPTW-based hazard ratios (odds ratio for combination therapy) for the primary endpoint were 0.32 (95%CI 0.22-0.47; p < 0.001) for tocilizumab, 0.82 (0.71-1.30; p 0.82) for IHDC, 0.61 (0.43-0.86; p 0.006) for PDC, and 1.17 (0.86-1.58; p 0.30) for combination therapy. Other applications of the propensity score provided similar results, but were not significant for PDC. Tocilizumab was also associated with lower hazard of death alone in IPTW analysis (0.07; 0.02-0.17; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Tocilizumab might be useful in COVID-19 patients with a hyperinflammatory state and should be prioritized for randomized trials in this situatio