Cytokines and depression in cancer patients and caregivers.

Objective:A better understanding of the biobehavioral mechanisms underlying depression in cancer is required to translate biomarker findings into clinical interventions. We tested for associations between cytokines and the somatic and psychological symptoms of depression in cancer patients and their healthy caregivers. Patients and methods:The GRID Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (Ham-D) was administered to 61 cancer patients of mixed type and stage, 26 primary caregivers and 38 healthy controls. Concurrently, blood was drawn for multiplexed plasma assays of 15 cytokines. Multiple linear regression, adjusted for biobehavioral variables, identified cytokine associations with the psychological (Ham-Dep) and somatic (Ham-Som) subfactors of the Ham-D. Results:The Ham-Dep scores of cancer patients were similar to their caregivers, but their Ham-Som scores were significantly higher (twofold, p=0.016). Ham-Som was positively associated with IL-1ra (coefficient: 1.27, p≤0.001) in cancer patients, and negatively associated with IL-2 (coefficient: -0.68, p=0.018) in caregivers. Ham-Dep was negatively associated with IL-4 (coefficient: -0.67, p=0.004) in cancer patients and negatively associated with IL-17 (coefficient: -1.81, p=0.002) in caregivers. Conclusion:The differential severity of somatic symptoms of depression in cancer patients and caregivers and the unique cytokine associations identified with each group suggests the potential for targeted interventions based on phenomenology and biology. The clinical implication is that depressive symptoms in cancer patients can arise from biological stressors, which is an important message to help destigmatize the development of depression in cancer patients

Electroweak Measurements Using Heavy Quarks Identified in e+e−e^{+}e^{-} Annihilation

Since 1989, the Large Electron Positron collider at CERN has been used to study elec- troweak physics to an unprecedented precision. The data have acted as spectacular confirmation of the Standard Model as the best description of electroweak interac- tions at scales of - 100 GeV. However, in 1995, a possible anomaly appeared in the LEP measurement of Rb = (Z-adbb) which was more than three standard devia- ( Z-*hadrons) tions above the Standard Model prediction. This effect could not be accounted for by minor adjustment of model parameters, in particular the mass of the top quark which had recently been directly measured at the Fermilab Tevatron. In order to investigate whether the deviation could be an indication of physics beyond the Standard Model we present new precise measurements of both Rb and the forward-backward asymme- try of b quark production, AbFB , using -63 pb - 1 of data at the Z peak recorded by the L3 detector during 1994-95. The results are: Rb = 0.2146 ± 0.0017(stat) + 0.00 3 3 (sys) - 0.139 (R, - 0.171) AbFB = 9.33 ± 1.40(stat) ± 0.65(sys) ± 0.10(QCD)% This value for Rb agrees with the Standard Model to within one standard deviation. AFB leads to a value for the effective weak mixing angle for b-quarks sin 2 eff - 0.2333 ± 0.0025(stat) ± 0.0012(sys) which is consistent with values obtained using different decay modes of the Z and from neutrino physics, supporting flavour universality. We thus observe no deviation from the Standard Model and, from the Rb measurement, limit the effects of new physics to < 1.7% in b decay

Nuclear matrix elements for neutrinoless double-beta decay and double-electron capture

A new generation of neutrinoless double beta decay experiments with improved sensitivity is currently under design and construction. They will probe inverted hierarchy region of the neutrino mass pattern. There is also a revived interest to the resonant neutrinoless double-electron capture, which has also a potential to probe lepton number conservation and to investigate the neutrino nature and mass scale. The primary concern are the nuclear matrix elements. Clearly, the accuracy of the determination of the effective Majorana neutrino mass from the measured 0\nu\beta\beta-decay half-life is mainly determined by our knowledge of the nuclear matrix elements. We review recent progress achieved in the calculation of 0\nu\beta\beta and 0\nu ECEC nuclear matrix elements within the quasiparticle random phase approximation. A considered self-consistent approach allow to derive the pairing, residual interactions and the two-nucleon short-range correlations from the same modern realistic nucleon-nucleon potentials. The effect of nuclear deformation is taken into account. A possibility to evaluate 0\nu\beta\beta-decay matrix elements phenomenologically is discussed.Comment: 24 pages; 80 references. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1101.214

Short-range correlations and neutrinoless double beta decay

In this work we report on the effects of short-range correlations upon the matrix elements of neutrinoless double beta decay. We focus on the calculation of the matrix elements of the neutrino-mass mode of neutrinoless double beta decays of 48Ca and 76Ge. The nuclear-structure components of the calculation, that is the participant nuclear wave functions, have been calculated in the shell-model scheme for 48Ca and in the proton-neutron quasiparticle random-phase approximation (pnQRPA) scheme for 76Ge. We compare the traditional approach of using the Jastrow correlation function with the more complete scheme of the unitary correlation operator method (UCOM). Our results indicate that the Jastrow method vastly exaggerates the effects of short-range correlations on the neutrinoless double beta decay nuclear matrix elements.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures, to appear in Physics Letters B (2007

Evaluation of the mean intensity of the P-odd mixing of nuclear compound states

A temperature version of the shell-optical-model approach for describing the low-energy compound-to-compound transitions induced by external single-particle fields is given. The approach is applied to evaluate the mean intensity of the P-odd mixing of nuclear compound states. Unified description for the mixing and electromagnetic transitions allows one to evaluate the mean intensity without the use of free parameters. The valence-mechanism contribution to the mentioned intensity is also evaluated. Calculation results are compared with the data deduced from cross sections of relevant neutron-induced reactions.Comment: LaTeX, 10 page

A systematic review of treating recurrent head and neck cancer: a reintroduction of brachytherapy with or without surgery.

Purpose: To review brachytherapy use in recurrent head and neck carcinoma (RHNC) with focus on its efficacy and complication rates. Material and methods: A literature search of PubMed, Ovid, Google Scholar, and Scopus was conducted from 1990 to 2017. Publications describing treatment of RHNC with brachytherapy with or without surgery were included. The focus of this review is on oncologic outcomes and the safety of brachytherapy in the recurrent setting. Results: Thirty studies involving RHNC treatment with brachytherapy were reviewed. Brachytherapy as adjunctive treatment to surgical resection appears to be associated with an improved local regional control and overall survival, when compared with the published rates for re-irradiation utilizing external beam radiotherapy (RT) or brachytherapy alone. Safety data remains variable with different isotopes and dose rates with implantable brachytherapy demonstrating a tolerable side effect profile. Conclusions: Although surgery remains a mainstay treatment for RHNC, intraoperative interstitial brachytherapy delivery as adjunctive therapy may improve the treatment outcome and may be associated with fewer complication rates as compared to reirradiation using external beam radiotherapy. Further investigations are required to elucidate the role of brachytherapy for RHNC

Search for invisible decays of a dark photon using e+e− annihilation data at BESIII

We report a search for a dark photon using 14.9 fb−1 of e+e− annihilation data taken at center-of-mass energies from 4.13 to 4.60 GeV with the BESIII detector operated at the BEPCII storage ring. The dark photon is assumed to be produced in the radiative annihilation process of e+e− and to predominantly decay into light dark matter particles, which escape from the detector undetected. The mass range from 1.5 to 2.9 GeV is scanned for the dark photon candidate, and no significant signal is observed. The mass dependent upper limits at the 90% confidence level on the coupling strength parameter for a dark photon coupling with an ordinary photon vary between 1.6 × 10−3 and 5.7 × 10−3.<br/

Measurements of the branching fractions of the inclusive decays D0 (D+) →π+π+π-X

Using e+e- annihilation data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.93 fb-1 taken at a center-of-mass energy of 3.773 GeV with the BESIII detector, we report the first measurements of the branching fractions of the inclusive decays D0→π+π+π-X and D+→π+π+π-X, where pions from KS0 decays have been excluded from the π+π+π- system and X denotes any possible particle combination. The branching fractions of D0(D+)→π+π+π-X are determined to be B(D0→π+π+π-X)=(17.60±0.11±0.22)% and B(D+→π+π+π-X)=(15.25±0.09±0.18)%, where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second systematic