Access to Reliable Information about Long-Term Prognosis Influences Clinical Opinion on Use of Lifesaving Intervention

Background: Decompressive craniectomy has been traditionally used as a lifesaving rescue treatment in severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). This study assessed whether objective information on long-term prognosis would influence healthcare workers ’ opinion about using decompressive craniectomy as a lifesaving procedure for patients with severe TBI. Method: A two-part structured interview was used to assess the participants ’ opinion to perform decompressive craniectomy for three patients who had very severe TBI. Their opinion was assessed before and after knowing the predicted and observed risks of an unfavourable long-term neurological outcome in various scenarios. Results: Five hundred healthcare workers with a wide variety of clinical backgrounds participated. The participants were significantly more likely to recommend decompressive craniectomy for their patients than for themselves (mean difference in visual analogue scale [VAS] 21.5, 95 % confidence interval 21.3 to 21.6), especially when the next of kin of the patients requested intervention. Patients ’ preferences were more similar to patients who had advance directives. The participants’ preferences to perform the procedure for themselves and their patients both significantly reduced after knowing the predicted risks of unfavourable outcomes, and the changes in attitude were consistent across different specialties, amount of experience in caring for similar patients, religious backgrounds, and positions in the specialty of the participants. Conclusions: Access to objective information on risk of an unfavourable long-term outcome influenced healthcare workers

Study of Bc+B_c^+ decays to the K+K−π+K^+K^-\pi^+ final state and evidence for the decay Bc+→χc0π+B_c^+\to\chi_{c0}\pi^+

A study of $B_c^+\to K^+K^-\pi^+$ decays is performed for the first time using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.0 $\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$ collected by the LHCb experiment in $pp$ collisions at centre-of-mass energies of $7$ and $8$ TeV. Evidence for the decay $B_c^+\to\chi_{c0}(\to K^+K^-)\pi^+$ is reported with a significance of 4.0 standard deviations, resulting in the measurement of $\frac{\sigma(B_c^+)}{\sigma(B^+)}\times\mathcal{B}(B_c^+\to\chi_{c0}\pi^+)$ to be $(9.8^{+3.4}_{-3.0}(\mathrm{stat})\pm 0.8(\mathrm{syst}))\times 10^{-6}$. Here $\mathcal{B}$ denotes a branching fraction while $\sigma(B_c^+)$ and $\sigma(B^+)$ are the production cross-sections for $B_c^+$ and $B^+$ mesons. An indication of $\bar b c$ weak annihilation is found for the region $m(K^-\pi^+)<1.834\mathrm{\,Ge\kern -0.1em V\!/}c^2$, with a significance of 2.4 standard deviations.Comment: All figures and tables, along with any supplementary material and additional information, are available at https://lhcbproject.web.cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/LHCbProjectPublic/LHCb-PAPER-2016-022.html, link to supplemental material inserted in the reference

A proteomic approach to investigating gene cluster expression and secondary metabolite functionality in Aspergillus fumigatus.

A combined proteomics and metabolomics approach was utilised to advance the identification and characterisation of secondary metabolites in Aspergillus fumigatus. Here, implementation of a shotgun proteomic strategy led to the identification of non-redundant mycelial proteins (n = 414) from A. fumigatus including proteins typically under-represented in 2-D proteome maps: proteins with multiple transmembrane regions, hydrophobic proteins and proteins with extremes of molecular mass and pI. Indirect identification of secondary metabolite cluster expression was also achieved, with proteins (n = 18) from LaeA-regulated clusters detected, including GliT encoded within the gliotoxin biosynthetic cluster. Biochemical analysis then revealed that gliotoxin significantly attenuates H2O2-induced oxidative stress in A. fumigatus (p>0.0001), confirming observations from proteomics data. A complementary 2-D/LC-MS/MS approach further elucidated significantly increased abundance (p<0.05) of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), NADH-quinone oxidoreductase and the gliotoxin oxidoreductase GliT, along with significantly attenuated abundance (p<0.05) of a heat shock protein, an oxidative stress protein and an autolysis-associated chitinase, when gliotoxin and H2O2 were present, compared to H2O2 alone. Moreover, gliotoxin exposure significantly reduced the abundance of selected proteins (p<0.05) involved in de novo purine biosynthesis. Significantly elevated abundance (p<0.05) of a key enzyme, xanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase Xpt1, utilised in purine salvage, was observed in the presence of H2O2 and gliotoxin. This work provides new insights into the A. fumigatus proteome and experimental strategies, plus mechanistic data pertaining to gliotoxin functionality in the organism

Trichomonas vaginalis: Clinical relevance, pathogenicity and diagnosis

Trichomonas vaginalis is the etiological agent of trichomoniasis, the most prevalent non-viral sexually transmitted disease worldwide. Trichomoniasis is a widespread, global health concern and occurring at an increasing rate. Infections of the female genital tract can cause a range of symptoms, including vaginitis and cervicitis, while infections in males are generally asymptomatic. The relatively mild symptoms, and lack of evidence for any serious sequelae, have historically led to this disease being under diagnosed, and under researched. However, growing evidence that T. vaginalis infection is associated with other disease states with high morbidity in both men and women has increased the efforts to diagnose and treat patients harboring this parasite. The pathology of trichomoniasis results from damage to the host epithelia, caused by a variety of processes during infection and recent work has highlighted the complex interactions between the parasite and host, commensal microbiome and accompanying symbionts. The commercial release of a number of nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) has added to the available diagnostic options. Immunoassay based Point of Care testing is currently available, and a recent initial evaluation of a NAAT Point of Care system has given promising results, which would enable testing and treatment in a single visit

Measurement of the B0s →J/ψη lifetime

Using a data set corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb−1, collected by the LHCb experiment in pp collisions at centre-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV, the effective lifetime in the Bs0→J/ψη decay mode, τeff, is measured to be τeff=1.479±0.034 (stat)±0.011 (syst) ps. Assuming CP conservation, τeff corresponds to the lifetime of the light Bs0 mass eigenstate. This is the first measurement of the effective lifetime in this decay mode

Observation of B(s)0→J/ψpp¯ decays and precision measurements of the B(s)0 masses

The first observation of the decays B 0 ( s ) → J / ψ p ¯ p is reported, using proton-proton collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.2     fb − 1 , collected with the LHCb detector. These decays are suppressed due to limited available phase space, as well as due to Okubo-Zweig-Iizuka or Cabibbo suppression. The measured branching fractions are B ( B 0 → J / ψ p ¯ p ) = [ 4.51 ± 0.40 ( stat ) ± 0.44 ( syst ) ] × 10 − 7 , B ( B 0 s → J / ψ p ¯ p ) = [ 3.58 ± 0.19 ( stat ) ± 0.39 ( syst ) ] × 10 − 6 . For the B 0 s meson, the result is much higher than the expected value of O ( 10 − 9 ) . The small available phase space in these decays also allows for the most precise single measurement of both the B 0 mass as 5279.74 ± 0.30 ( stat ) ± 0.10 ( syst )     MeV and the B 0 s mass as 5366.85 ± 0.19 ( stat ) ± 0.13 ( syst )     MeV

Measurement of D s ^± production asymmetry in pp collisions at √s=7 and 8 TeV

The inclusive $D_s^{\pm}$ production asymmetry is measured in $pp$ collisions collected by the LHCb experiment at centre-of-mass energies of $\sqrt{s} =7$ and 8 TeV. Promptly produced $D_s^{\pm}$ mesons are used, which decay as $D_s^{\pm}\to\phi\pi^{\pm}$, with $\phi\to K^+K^-$. The measurement is performed in bins of transverse momentum, $p_{\rm T}$, and rapidity, $y$, covering the range $2.5<p_{\rm T}<25.0$ GeV$/c$ and $2.0<y<4.5$. No kinematic dependence is observed. Evidence of nonzero $D_s^{\pm}$ production asymmetry is found with a significance of 3.3 standard deviations.Comment: All figures and tables, along with any supplementary material and additional information, are available at https://cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/p/LHCb-PAPER-2018-010.htm

Observation of the decay Λ _b ⁰ → ψ(2S)pπ⁻

International audienceThe Cabibbo-suppressed decay Λ$_{b}^{0}$  → ψ(2S)pπ$^{−}$ is observed for the first time using a data sample collected by the LHCb experiment in proton-proton collisions corresponding to 1.0, 2.0 and 1.9 fb$^{−1}$ of integrated luminosity at centre-of-mass energies of 7, 8 and 13 TeV, respectively. The ψ(2S) mesons are reconstructed in the μ$^{+}$μ$^{−}$ final state. The branching fraction with respect to that of the Λ$_{b}^{0}$  → ψ(2S)pK$^{−}$ decay mode is measured to b

Observation of B+c → D0K+ decays

Using proton-proton collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.0 fb−1, recorded by the LHCb detector at center-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV, the B+ c → D0K+ decay is observed with a statistical significance of 5.1 standard deviations. By normalizing to B+ → D¯ 0π+ decays, a measurement of the branching fraction multiplied by the production rates for B+ c relative to B+ mesons in the LHCb acceptance is obtained, R D 0 K = ( f c / f u ) × B ( B + c → D 0 K + ) = ( 9. 3 + 2.8 − 2.5 ± 0.6 ) × 10 − 7, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. This decay is expected to proceed predominantly through weak annihilation and penguin amplitudes, and is the first B+ c decay of this nature to be observed

Measurement of the B_{s}^{0}→μ^{+}μ^{-} Branching Fraction and Effective Lifetime and Search for B^{0}→μ^{+}μ^{-} Decays.

A search for the rare decays B_{s}^{0}→μ^{+}μ^{-} and B^{0}→μ^{+}μ^{-} is performed at the LHCb experiment using data collected in pp collisions corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 4.4  fb^{-1}. An excess of B_{s}^{0}→μ^{+}μ^{-} decays is observed with a significance of 7.8 standard deviations, representing the first observation of this decay in a single experiment. The branching fraction is measured to be B(B_{s}^{0}→μ^{+}μ^{-})=(3.0±0.6_{-0.2}^{+0.3})×10^{-9}, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. The first measurement of the B_{s}^{0}→μ^{+}μ^{-} effective lifetime, τ(B_{s}^{0}→μ^{+}μ^{-})=2.04±0.44±0.05  ps, is reported. No significant excess of B^{0}→μ^{+}μ^{-} decays is found, and a 95% confidence level upper limit, B(B^{0}→μ^{+}μ^{-})<3.4×10^{-10}, is determined. All results are in agreement with the standard model expectations