Evaluation of Transbronchial Lung Cryobiopsy Size and Freezing Time: A Prognostic Animal Study

© 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel. Copyright: All rights reserved. Background: Transbronchial lung biopsy using a cryoprobe is a novel way of sampling lung parenchyma. Correlation of freezing time with biopsy size and complications has not been evaluated in vivo. Objectives: The primary aim of the study is to evaluate the correlation between transbronchial cryobiopsy freezing time and size. The secondary aims are to evaluate histological quality of the biopsy and evaluate procedure-associated complications. Methods: Transbronchial lung cryobiopsies were obtained from two anaesthetised sheep using a 1.9-mm cryoprobe inserted into a flexible bronchoscope under fluoroscopic guidance. Freezing times ranged from 1 to 6 s (n = 49). The cryobiopsies were evaluated histologically with respect to their size and quality. Complications of bleeding and pneumothorax were recorded. Results: The mean cross-sectional area of the cryobiopsy ranged from 4.7 ± 2.1 to 15.7 ± 15.3 mm2. There was a significant positive correlation between increasing freezing time and cryobiopsy cross-sectional area (p = 0.028). All biopsies contained lung tissue with preserved parenchyma. Crush and freeze artefacts were not observed and tissue architecture was intact in all specimens. Small blood vessels and terminal bronchioles were observed in 88% of specimens. All cryobiopsies caused nil or mild haemorrhage with the exception of only 1 episode of severe haemorrhage at 6 s freezing time. Pneumothoraces occurred at 2, 5 and 6 s freezing time and required chest tube insertion. The most significant haemorrhage and pneumothoraces occurred at 5 and 6 s. Our results suggest an initial freezing time of 3 s can provide the maximal biopsy size while minimising major complications. Conclusion: The optimal transbronchial cryobiopsy freezing time is initially 3 s. This time is associated with minimal complications and large artefact-free biopsies

MC-Simulation of the Transverse Double Spin Asymmetry for RHIC

Using {\sc Sphinx tt}, a new MC simulation program for transverse polarized nucleon--nucleon scattering based on {\sc Pythia~5.6}, we calculate the transverse double spin asymmetry $A^{TT}$ in the Drell-Yan process. If one assumes (quite arbitrarily) that the transversity parton distribution $\delta q(x,Q^2)$ equals the helicity distribution $\Delta q(x,Q^2)$ at some low $Q_0^2$ scale, the resulting asymmetry is of order 1\%. In this case is $A^{TT}$ would hardly be be measurable with PHENIX at RHIC.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figure

Kinetic effects regularize the mass-flux singularity at the contact line of a thin evaporating drop

We consider the transport of vapour caused by the evaporation of a thin, axisymmetric, partially wetting drop into an inert gas. We take kinetic effects into account through a linear constitutive law that states that the mass flux through the drop surface is proportional to the difference between the vapour concentration in equilibrium and that at the interface. Provided that the vapour concentration is finite, our model leads to a finite mass flux in contrast to the contact-line singularity in the mass flux that is observed in more standard models that neglect kinetic effects. We perform a local analysis near the contact line to investigate the way in which kinetic effects regularize the mass-flux singularity at the contact line. An explicit expression is derived for the mass flux through the free surface of the drop. A matched-asymptotic analysis is used to further investigate the regularization of the mass-flux singularity in the physically relevant regime in which the kinetic timescale is much smaller than the diffusive one. We find that the effect of kinetics is limited to an inner region near the contact line, in which kinetic effects enter at leading order and regularize the mass-flux singularity. The inner problem is solved explicitly using the Wiener–Hopf method and a uniformly valid composite expansion is derived for the mass flux in this asymptotic limit.MAS was supported by studentship BK/11/22, awarded by the Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford on behalf of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)

Suicide, self-harm and thoughts of suicide or self-harm in infectious disease epidemics: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIMS: Suicide accounts for 2.2% of all years of life lost worldwide. We aimed to establish whether infectious epidemics are associated with any changes in the incidence of suicide or the period prevalence of self-harm, or thoughts of suicide or self-harm, with a secondary objective of establishing the frequency of these outcomes. METHODS: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO and AMED were searched from inception to 9 September 2020. Studies of infectious epidemics reporting outcomes of (a) death by suicide, (b) self-harm or (c) thoughts of suicide or self-harm were identified. A random-effects model meta-analysis for the period prevalence of thoughts of suicide or self-harm was conducted. RESULTS: In total, 1354 studies were screened with 57 meeting eligibility criteria, of which 7 described death by suicide, 9 by self-harm, and 45 thoughts of suicide or self-harm. The observation period ranged from 1910 to 2020 and included epidemics of Spanish Flu, severe acute respiratory syndrome, human monkeypox, Ebola virus disease and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Regarding death by suicide, data with a clear longitudinal comparison group were available for only two epidemics: SARS in Hong Kong, finding an increase in suicides among the elderly, and COVID-19 in Japan, finding no change in suicides among children and adolescents. In terms of self-harm, five studies examined emergency department attendances in epidemic and non-epidemic periods, of which four found no difference and one showed a reduction during the epidemic. In studies of thoughts of suicide or self-harm, one large survey showed a substantial increase in period prevalence compared to non-epidemic periods, but smaller studies showed no difference. As a secondary objective, a meta-analysis of thoughts of suicide and self-harm found that the pooled prevalence was 8.0% overall (95% confidence interval (CI) 5.2-12.0%; 14 820 of 99 238 cases in 24 studies) over a time period of between seven days and six months. The quality assessment found 42 studies were of high quality, nine of moderate quality and six of high quality. CONCLUSIONS: There is little robust evidence on the association of infectious epidemics with suicide, self-harm and thoughts of suicide or self-harm. There was an increase in suicides among the elderly in Hong Kong during SARS and no change in suicides among young people in Japan during COVID-19, but it is unclear how far these findings may be generalised. The development of up-to-date self-harm and suicide statistics to monitor the effect of the current pandemic is an urgent priority

Suicide, self-harm and thoughts of suicide or self-harm in infectious disease epidemics: a systematic review and meta-analysis (vol 30, pg 1, 2021)

Aims: Suicide accounts for 2.2% of all years of life lost worldwide. We aimed to establish whether infectious epidemics are associated with any changes in the incidence of suicide or the period prevalence of self-harm, or thoughts of suicide or self-harm, with a secondary objective of establishing the frequency of these outcomes. Methods: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO and AMED were searched from inception to 9 September 2020. Studies of infectious epidemics reporting outcomes of (a) death by suicide, (b) self-harm or (c) thoughts of suicide or self-harm were identified. A random-effects model meta-analysis for the period prevalence of thoughts of suicide or self-harm was conducted. Results: In total, 1354 studies were screened with 57 meeting eligibility criteria, of which 7 described death by suicide, 9 by self-harm, and 45 thoughts of suicide or self-harm. The observation period ranged from 1910 to 2020 and included epidemics of Spanish Flu, severe acute respiratory syndrome, human monkeypox, Ebola virus disease and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Regarding death by suicide, data with a clear longitudinal comparison group were available for only two epidemics: SARS in Hong Kong, finding an increase in suicides among the elderly, and COVID-19 in Japan, finding no change in suicides among children and adolescents. In terms of self-harm, five studies examined emergency department attendances in epidemic and non-epidemic periods, of which four found no difference and one showed a reduction during the epidemic. In studies of thoughts of suicide or self-harm, one large survey showed a substantial increase in period prevalence compared to non-epidemic periods, but smaller studies showed no difference. As a secondary objective, a meta-analysis of thoughts of suicide and self-harm found that the pooled prevalence was 8.0% overall (95% confidence interval (CI) 5.2–12.0%; 14 820 of 99 238 cases in 24 studies) over a time period of between seven days and six months. The quality assessment found 42 studies were of low quality, nine of moderate quality and six of high quality. Conclusions: There is little robust evidence on the association of infectious epidemics with suicide, self-harm and thoughts of suicide or self-harm. There was an increase in suicides among the elderly in Hong Kong during SARS and no change in suicides among young people in Japan during COVID-19, but it is unclear how far these findings may be generalised. The development of up-to-date self-harm and suicide statistics to monitor the effect of the current pandemic is an urgent priority

Dating of the oldest continental sediments from the Himalayan foreland basin

A detailed knowledge of Himalayan development is important for our wider understanding of several global processes, ranging from models of plateau uplift to changes in oceanic chemistry and climate(1-4). Continental sediments 55 Myr old found in a foreland basin in Pakistan(5) are, by more than 20 Myr, the oldest deposits thought to have been eroded from the Himalayan metamorphic mountain belt. This constraint on when erosion began has influenced models of the timing and diachrony of the India-Eurasia collision(6-8), timing and mechanisms of exhumation(9,10) and uplift(11), as well as our general understanding of foreland basin dynamics(12). But the depositional age of these basin sediments was based on biostratigraphy from four intercalated marl units(5). Here we present dates of 257 detrital grains of white mica from this succession, using the Ar-40-(39) Ar method, and find that the largest concentration of ages are at 36-40 Myr. These dates are incompatible with the biostratigraphy unless the mineral ages have been reset, a possibility that we reject on the basis of a number of lines of evidence. A more detailed mapping of this formation suggests that the marl units are structurally intercalated with the continental sediments and accordingly that biostratigraphy cannot be used to date the clastic succession. The oldest continental foreland basin sediments containing metamorphic detritus eroded from the Himalaya orogeny therefore seem to be at least 15-20 Myr younger than previously believed, and models based on the older age must be re-evaluated

Preferred reporting items for studies mapping onto preference-based outcome measures: The MAPS statement

'Mapping' onto generic preference-based outcome measures is increasingly being used as a means of generating health utilities for use within health economic evaluations. Despite publication of technical guides for the conduct of mapping research, guidance for the reporting of mapping studies is currently lacking. The MAPS (MApping onto Preference-based measures reporting Standards) statement is a new checklist, which aims to promote complete and transparent reporting of mapping studies. The primary audiences for the MAPS statement are researchers reporting mapping studies, the funders of the research, and peer reviewers and editors involved in assessing mapping studies for publication. A de novo list of 29 candidate reporting items and accompanying explanations was created by a working group comprised of six health economists and one Delphi methodologist. Following a two-round, modified Delphi survey with representatives from academia, consultancy, health technology assessment agencies and the biomedical journal editorial community, a final set of 23 items deemed essential for transparent reporting, and accompanying explanations, was developed. The items are contained in a user friendly 23 item checklist. They are presented numerically and categorised within six sections, namely: (i) title and abstract; (ii) introduction; (iii) methods; (iv) results; (v) discussion; and (vi) other. The MAPS statement is best applied in conjunction with the accompanying MAPS explanation and elaboration document. It is anticipated that the MAPS statement will improve the clarity, transparency and completeness of reporting of mapping studies. To facilitate dissemination and uptake, the MAPS statement is being co-published by eight health economics and quality of life journals, and broader endorsement is encouraged. The MAPS working group plans to assess the need for an update of the reporting checklist in five years' time. This statement was published jointly in Applied Health Economics and Health Policy, Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care, Journal of Medical Economics, Medical Decision Making, PharmacoEconomics, and Quality of Life Research

Explicit BCJ Numerators from Pure Spinors

We derive local kinematic numerators for gauge theory tree amplitudes which manifestly satisfy Jacobi identities analogous to color factors. They naturally emerge from the low energy limit of superstring amplitudes computed with the pure spinor formalism. The manifestation of the color--kinematics duality is a consequence of the superstring computation involving no more than (n-2)! kinematic factors for the full color dressed n-point amplitude. The bosonic part of these results describe gluon scattering independent on the number of supersymmetries and captures any N^kMHV helicity configuration after dimensional reduction to D=4 dimensions.Comment: 32 pages, harvma