Understanding the attitudes of the elderly towards enrolment into cancer clinical trials

BACKGROUND: The optimal cancer treatment for an older population is largely unknown because of the low numbers of elderly patients accrued into clinical trials. This project focuses on the attitudes of the elderly about participation in clinical trials to determine if this is one of the barriers to the involvement of this population in clinical trials. METHODS: The first phase of this study was a self-administered questionnaire mailed to 425 elderly persons with cancer, selected from Princess Margaret Hospital oncology clinics. The second phase consisted of individual semi-structured interviews with cancer patients to assess their attitudes towards cancer, its management and enrolment into cancer clinical trials. RESULTS: Ninety-four patients responded to the survey giving a response rate of 22.1%. Three quarters of respondents stated that they would be willing to participate in a clinical trial. The factors that most influenced older patients' willingness to participate in a cancer study were recommendations from a cancer doctor and the chance that the study treatment may help them feel better. Seventeen survey responders participated in interviews. Common themes from these interviews included patient-physician communication, the referral process, and the role of age in cancer care decision-making. CONCLUSION: Most elderly people, who responded to this survey, are willing to consider participation in cancer clinical trials however, elderly patients do not appear to actively seek clinical trials and few were informed of the availability of clinical trials. Physician barriers and availability of appropriate clinical trials may play a bigger role in preventing accrual of elderly cancer patients into trials

Limits on WWZ and WW\gamma couplings from p\bar{p}\to e\nu jj X events at \sqrt{s} = 1.8 TeV

We present limits on anomalous WWZ and WW-gamma couplings from a search for WW and WZ production in p-bar p collisions at sqrt(s)=1.8 TeV. We use p-bar p -> e-nu jjX events recorded with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider during the 1992-1995 run. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 96.0+-5.1 pb^(-1). Assuming identical WWZ and WW-gamma coupling parameters, the 95% CL limits on the CP-conserving couplings are -0.33<lambda<0.36 (Delta-kappa=0) and -0.43<Delta-kappa<0.59 (lambda=0), for a form factor scale Lambda = 2.0 TeV. Limits based on other assumptions are also presented.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures, 2 table

Search for New Physics in e mu X Data at D0 Using Sleuth: A Quasi-Model-Independent Search Strategy for New Physics

We present a quasi-model-independent search for the physics responsible for electroweak symmetry breaking. We define final states to be studied, and construct a rule that identifies a set of relevant variables for any particular final state. A new algorithm ("Sleuth") searches for regions of excess in those variables and quantifies the significance of any detected excess. After demonstrating the sensitivity of the method, we apply it to the semi-inclusive channel e mu X collected in 108 pb^-1 of ppbar collisions at sqrt(s) = 1.8 TeV at the D0 experiment during 1992-1996 at the Fermilab Tevatron. We find no evidence of new high p_T physics in this sample.Comment: 23 pages, 12 figures. Submitted to Physical Review

Search For Heavy Pointlike Dirac Monopoles

We have searched for central production of a pair of photons with high transverse energies in $p\bar p$ collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 1.8$ TeV using $70 pb^{-1}$ of data collected with the D\O detector at the Fermilab Tevatron in 1994--1996. If they exist, virtual heavy pointlike Dirac monopoles could rescatter pairs of nearly real photons into this final state via a box diagram. We observe no excess of events above background, and set lower 95% C.L. limits of $610, 870, or 1580 GeV/c^2$ on the mass of a spin 0, 1/2, or 1 Dirac monopole.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figure

Search for High Mass Photon Pairs in p-pbar --> gamma-gamma-jet-jet Events at sqrt(s)=1.8 TeV

A search has been carried out for events in the channel p-barp --> gamma gamma jet jet. Such a signature can characterize the production of a non-standard Higgs boson together with a W or Z boson. We refer to this non-standard Higgs, having standard model couplings to vector bosons but no coupling to fermions, as a "bosonic Higgs." With the requirement of two high transverse energy photons and two jets, the diphoton mass (m(gamma gamma)) distribution is consistent with expected background. A 90(95)% C.L. upper limit on the cross section as a function of mass is calculated, ranging from 0.60(0.80) pb for m(gamma gamma) = 65 GeV/c^2 to 0.26(0.34) pb for m(gamma gamma) = 150 GeV/c^2, corresponding to a 95% C.L. lower limit on the mass of a bosonic Higgs of 78.5 GeV/c^2.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures. Replacement has new H->gamma gamma branching ratios and corresponding new mass limit

Ratio of the Isolated Photon Cross Sections at \sqrt{s} = 630 and 1800 GeV

The inclusive cross section for production of isolated photons has been measured in \pbarp collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 630$ GeV with the \D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. The photons span a transverse energy ($E_T$) range from 7-49 GeV and have pseudorapidity $|\eta| < 2.5$. This measurement is combined with to previous \D0 result at $\sqrt{s} = 1800$ GeV to form a ratio of the cross sections. Comparison of next-to-leading order QCD with the measured cross section at 630 GeV and ratio of cross sections show satisfactory agreement in most of the $E_T$ range.Comment: 7 pages. Published in Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 251805, (2001

Zgamma Production in pbarp Collisions at sqrt(s)=1.8 TeV and Limits on Anomalous ZZgamma and Zgammagamma Couplings

We present a study of Z +gamma + X production in p-bar p collisions at sqrt{S}=1.8 TeV from 97 (87) pb^{-1} of data collected in the eegamma (mumugamma) decay channel with the D0 detector at Fermilab. The event yield and kinematic characteristics are consistent with the Standard Model predictions. We obtain limits on anomalous ZZgamma and Zgammagamma couplings for form factor scales Lambda = 500 GeV and Lambda = 750 GeV. Combining this analysis with our previous results yields 95% CL limits |h{Z}_{30}| < 0.36, |h{Z}_{40}| < 0.05, |h{gamma}_{30}| < 0.37, and |h{gamma}_{40}| < 0.05 for a form factor scale Lambda=750 GeV.Comment: 17 Pages including 2 Figures. Submitted to PR

A Measurement of the W Boson Mass

We report a measurement of the W boson mass based on an integrated luminosity of 82 pb$^{-1}$ from \ppbar collisions at $\sqrt{s}=1.8$ TeV recorded in 1994--1995 by the \Dzero detector at the Fermilab Tevatron. We identify W bosons by their decays to $e\nu$ and extract the mass by fitting the transverse mass spectrum from 28,323 W boson candidates. A sample of 3,563 dielectron events, mostly due to Z to ee decays, constrains models of W boson production and the detector. We measure \mw=80.44\pm0.10(stat)\pm0.07(syst)~GeV. By combining this measurement with our result from the 1992--1993 data set, we obtain \mw=80.43\pm0.11 GeV.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figure

Probing Hard Color-Singlet Exchange in ppbar Collisions at root-s=630 GeV and 1800 GeV

We present results on dijet production via hard color-singlet exchange in proton-antiproton collisions at root-s = 630 GeV and 1800 GeV using the DZero detector. The fraction of dijet events produced via color-singlet exchange is measured as a function of jet transverse energy, separation in pseudorapidity between the two highest transverse energy jets, and proton-antiproton center-of-mass energy. The results are consistent with a color-singlet fraction that increases with an increasing fraction of quark-initiated processes and inconsistent with two-gluon models for the hard color-singlet.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figure

Targeting KSHV/HHV-8 Latency with COX-2 Selective Inhibitor Nimesulide: A Potential Chemotherapeutic Modality for Primary Effusion Lymphoma

The significance of inflammation in KSHV biology and tumorigenesis prompted us to examine the role of COX-2 in primary effusion lymphoma (PEL), an aggressive AIDS-linked KSHV-associated non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) using nimesulide, a well-known COX-2 specific NSAID. We demonstrate that (1) nimesulide is efficacious in inducing proliferation arrest in PEL (KSHV+/EBV-; BCBL-1 and BC-3, KSHV+/EBV+; JSC-1), EBV-infected (KSHV-/EBV+; Raji) and non-infected (KSHV-/EBV-; Akata, Loukes, Ramos, BJAB) high malignancy human Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) as well as KSHV-/EBV+ lymphoblastoid (LCL) cell lines; (2) nimesulide is selectively toxic to KSHV infected endothelial cells (TIVE-LTC) compared to TIVE and primary endothelial cells (HMVEC-d); (3) nimesulide reduced KSHV latent gene expression, disrupted p53-LANA-1 protein complexes, and activated the p53/p21 tumor-suppressor pathway; (4) COX-2 inhibition down-regulated cell survival kinases (p-Akt and p-GSK-3β), an angiogenic factor (VEGF-C), PEL defining genes (syndecan-1, aquaporin-3, and vitamin-D3 receptor) and cell cycle proteins such as cyclins E/A and cdc25C; (5) nimesulide induced sustained cell death and G1 arrest in BCBL-1 cells; (6) nimesulide substantially reduced the colony forming capacity of BCBL-1 cells. Overall, our studies provide a comprehensive molecular framework linking COX-2 with PEL pathogenesis and identify the chemotherapeutic potential of nimesulide in treating PEL