Factors Associated with Revision Surgery after Internal Fixation of Hip Fractures

Background: Femoral neck fractures are associated with high rates of revision surgery after management with internal fixation. Using data from the Fixation using Alternative Implants for the Treatment of Hip fractures (FAITH) trial evaluating methods of internal fixation in patients with femoral neck fractures, we investigated associations between baseline and surgical factors and the need for revision surgery to promote healing, relieve pain, treat infection or improve function over 24 months postsurgery. Additionally, we investigated factors associated with (1) hardware removal and (2) implant exchange from cancellous screws (CS) or sliding hip screw (SHS) to total hip arthroplasty, hemiarthroplasty, or another internal fixation device. Methods: We identified 15 potential factors a priori that may be associated with revision surgery, 7 with hardware removal, and 14 with implant exchange. We used multivariable Cox proportional hazards analyses in our investigation. Results: Factors associated with increased risk of revision surgery included: female sex, [hazard ratio (HR) 1.79, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.25-2.50; P = 0.001], higher body mass index (fo

Search for R-parity violating decays of supersymmetric particles in e+ e- collisions at center-of-mass energies from 189-GeV to 202-GeV

Searches for the production of supersymmetric particles under the assumption that R-parity is violated via a single dominant LLE, LQD or UDD coupling were performed. These use the data collected by the ALEPH detector at LEP at centre-of-mass energies from 188.6 to 201.6 GeV. The numbers of candidate events observed in the data are consistent with Standard Model expectations. Upper limits on the production cross sections and lower limits on the masses of charginos, sleptons, squarks and sneutrinos are derived.Comment: 29 pages, 15 figure

Search for gamma gamma decays of a Higgs boson produced in association with a fermion pair in e+ e- collisions at LEP

A search for gamma-gamma decays of a Higgs boson is performed in the data sample collected at LEP with the ALEPH detector between 1991 and 1999. This corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 672 pb-1 at centre-of-mass energies ranging from 88 to 202 GeV. The search is based on topologies arising from a Higgs boson produced in association with a fermion pair via the Higgs-strahlung process e+e- -> Hff, with ff=nu\nu, e+e-, mu+mu-, tau+tau- or qq. Twenty-two events are selected in the data, while 28 events are expected from standard model processes. An upper limit is derived, as a function of the Higgs boson mass, on the product of the e+e- -> Hff cross section and the H -> gamma-gamma branching fraction. In particular, a fermiophobic Higgs boson produced with the standard model cross section is excluded at 95% confidence level for all masses below $100.7 GeV

Measurement of the e+ e- ---> Z Z production cross-section at center-of-mass energies of 183-GeV and 189-GeV

The e+e- -> ZZ cross section at sqrt(s)=182.7 and 188.6 GeV has been measured using the ALEPH detector. The analysis covers all of the visible ZZ final states and yields cross section measurements of sigma_ZZ(182.7 GeV) = 0.11 +- (0.16,0.11) (stat.) +- 0.04 (syst.) pb and sigma_ZZ(188.6 GeV) = 0.67 +- 0.13 (stat.) +- 0.04 (syst.) pb consistent with the Standard Model expectations.The ee -> ZZ cross section at sqrt(s)=182.7 and 188.6 GeV has been measured using the ALEPH detector. The analysis covers all of the visible ZZ final states and yields cross section measurements of sigma_ZZ(182.7 GeV) = 0.11 +- (0.16,0.11) (stat.) +- 0.04 (syst.) pb and sigma_ZZ(188.6 GeV) = 0.67 +- 0.13 (stat.) +- 0.04 (syst.) pb consistent with the Standard Model expectations.The e + e − →ZZ cross section at s =182.7 and 188.6 GeV has been measured using the ALEPH detector. A cut-based analysis yields cross section measurements of σ ZZ (182.7 GeV )=0.11± 0.16 0.11 ( stat. )±0.04 ( syst. ) pb and σ ZZ (188.6 GeV )=0.69± 0.13 0.12 ( stat. )±0.03 ( syst. ) pb . A neural network-based analysis yields σ ZZ (188.6 GeV )=0.64± 0.12 0.11 ( stat. )±0.04 ( syst. ) pb . These measurements are consistent with the Standard Model expectations

Fracture fixation in the operative management of hip fractures (FAITH): an international, multicentre, randomised controlled trial

Background Reoperation rates are high after surgery for hip fractures. We investigated the effect of a sliding hip screw versus cancellous screws on the risk of reoperation and other key outcomes. Methods For this international, multicentre, allocation concealed randomised controlled trial, we enrolled patients aged 50 years or older with a low-energy hip fracture requiring fracture fixation from 81 clinical centres in eight countries. Patients were assigned by minimisation with a centralised computer system to receive a single large-diameter screw with a side-plate (sliding hip screw) or the present standard of care, multiple small-diameter cancellous screws. Surgeons and patients were not blinded but the data analyst, while doing the analyses, remained blinded to treatment groups. The primary outcome was hip reoperation within 24 months after initial surgery to promote fracture healing, relieve pain, treat infection, or improve function. Analyses followed the intention-to-treat principle. This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00761813. Findings Between Mar

Search for Scalar Diphoton Resonances in the Mass Range 65−60065-600 GeV with the ATLAS Detector in pppp Collision Data at s\sqrt{s} = 8 TeVTeV

A search for scalar particles decaying via narrow resonances into two photons in the mass range 65–600 GeV is performed using $20.3\text{}\text{}{\mathrm{fb}}^{-1}$ of $\sqrt{s}=8\text{}\text{}\mathrm{TeV}$ $pp$ collision data collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The recently discovered Higgs boson is treated as a background. No significant evidence for an additional signal is observed. The results are presented as limits at the 95% confidence level on the production cross section of a scalar boson times branching ratio into two photons, in a fiducial volume where the reconstruction efficiency is approximately independent of the event topology. The upper limits set extend over a considerably wider mass range than previous searches