The LHCb upgrade I

The LHCb upgrade represents a major change of the experiment. The detectors have been almost completely renewed to allow running at an instantaneous luminosity five times larger than that of the previous running periods. Readout of all detectors into an all-software trigger is central to the new design, facilitating the reconstruction of events at the maximum LHC interaction rate, and their selection in real time. The experiment's tracking system has been completely upgraded with a new pixel vertex detector, a silicon tracker upstream of the dipole magnet and three scintillating fibre tracking stations downstream of the magnet. The whole photon detection system of the RICH detectors has been renewed and the readout electronics of the calorimeter and muon systems have been fully overhauled. The first stage of the all-software trigger is implemented on a GPU farm. The output of the trigger provides a combination of totally reconstructed physics objects, such as tracks and vertices, ready for final analysis, and of entire events which need further offline reprocessing. This scheme required a complete revision of the computing model and rewriting of the experiment's software

Targeting neonatal Fc receptor: potential clinical applications in pregnancy

The neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) plays an important role in the transfer of the immunoglobulin G isotype (IgG) from the mother to the fetus. FcRn expressed on endothelial cells also binds to IgG and albumin, regulating the circulating half-lives of these proteins. Alloimmune and autoimmune IgG antibodies have been implicated in various perinatal immune-mediated diseases. FcRn-mediated placental transfer of pathogenic antibodies can result in cell and tissue injury in the fetus and neonate, with devastating outcomes. Thus, blockade of FcRn may be an effective treatment strategy in managing these conditions and could additionally reduce the concentration of pathogenic antibodies in the maternal circulation by preventing IgG recycling. In this review, we discuss the biology of FcRn, the rationale and considerations for development of FcRn-blocking agents, and their potential clinical applications in various perinatal immune-mediated diseases. (c) 2022 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.Developmen

Impact of cannula size on recurrent twin–twin transfusion syndrome and twin anemia–polycythemia sequence after fetoscopic laser surgery

Research into fetal development and medicin

Impact of cannula size on recurrent twin-twin transfusion syndrome and twin anemia-polycythemia sequence after fetoscopic laser surgery

Research into fetal development and medicin

Recurrent Twin-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (rTTTS) and Twin Anemia Polycythemia Sequence (TAPS) after fetoscopic laser surgery (FLS)

Research into fetal development and medicin

Supplementary Material for: Current Status of the Workforce and Training at Fetal Therapy Centers in the North America

An anonymous electronic survey was developed to query the 34 centers in the North American Fetal Treatment Network (NAFTNet) regarding the demographics and training of their faculty. Telephone surveys were conducted with directors of known fetal intervention fellowships. More than 50% of Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) faculty at fetal centers were female; more than two thirds of pediatric surgical faculty were male. Most of the training of faculty was undertaken by visiting more experienced centers or having new faculty work with more experienced ones at the same center. Current fetal intervention fellowships appear to achieve levels of competency for intrauterine transfusions and laser therapy for twin-twin transfusion syndrome. Two thirds of centers stated that they would be able to offer a position to an MFM who completed a formal fellowship in fetal intervention