A Nonparametric Method for the Derivation of α/β Ratios from the Effect of Fractionated Irradiations

Multifractionation isoeffect data are commonly analysed under the assumption that cell survival determines the observed tissue or tumour response, and that it follows a linear-quadratic dose dependence. The analysis is employed to derive the α/β ratios of the linear-quadratic dose dependence, and different methods have been developed for this purpose. A common method uses the so-called Fe plot. A more complex but also more rigorous method has been introduced by Lam et al. (1979). Their method, which is based on numerical optimization procedures, is generalized and somewhat simplified in the present study. Tumour-regrowth data are used to explain the nonparametric procedure which provides α/β ratios without the need to postulate analytical expressions for the relationship between cell survival and regrowth delay

Neonatal cardiomyopathy and lactic acidosis responsive to thiamine

A congestive cardiomyopathy was diagnosed in a girl at the age of 4 weeks. In the weeks following she developed general muscle hypotonia and plasma lactate increased to 8.5 mmol/L. Biochemical investigations of a muscle biopsy at the age of 3 months showed a deficiency in the oxidation of all substrates tested: pyruvate plus malate, 2-ketoglutarate and palmitate plus malate. After freezing and thawing of the homogenate and the addition of essential cofactors, the oxidation of the ketoacids normalized. The oxidation defect in the untreated homogenate can be explained by a deficiency in one of the cofactors (such as thiamine pyrophosphate, NAD+ or CoASH), or by a defect in the oxidative phosphorylation. Treatment with thiamine and carnitine resulted in a decrease in blood lactate to normal levels and a dramatic clinical improvement. Suspension of thiamine caused deterioration of her clinical condition and lactic acidaemia. The thiamine therapy was then continued. The girl is now 6 years old and in perfect health

Impact of Temporary Portocaval Shunting and Initial Arterial Reperfusion in Orthotopic Liver Transplantation

Perioperative Medicine: Efficacy, Safety and Outcom

Quality assessment of donor liver procurement surgery using an unadjusted CUSUM prediction model: a practical nationwide evaluation

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to analyze the value of the unadjusted CUSUM graph of liver surgical injury and discard rates in organ procurement in the Netherlands. MethodsUnadjusted CUSUM graphs were plotted for surgical injury (C event) and discard rate (C2 event) from procured livers accepted for transplantation for each local procurement team compared with the total national cohort. The average incidence for each outcome was used as benchmark based on procurement quality forms (Sep 2010-Oct 2018). The data from the five Dutch procuring teams were blind-coded. ResultsThe C and C2 event rate were 17% and 1.9%, respectively (n = 1265). A total of 12 CUSUM charts were plotted for the national cohort and the five local teams. National CUSUM charts showed an overlapping "alarm signal." This overlapping signal for both C and C2, albeit a different time period, was only found in one local team. The other CUSUM alarm signal went off for two separate local teams, but only for C events or C2 events respectively, and at different points in time. The other remaining CUSUM charts showed no alarm signaling. ConclusionThe unadjusted CUSUM chart is a simple and effective monitoring tool in following performance quality of organ procurement for liver transplantation. Both national and local recorded CUSUMs are useful to see the implication of national and local effects on organ procurement injury. Both procurement injury and organ discard are equally important in this analysis and need to be separately CUSUM charted.Transplant surger

The role of proportionate kinetic growth rate fraction in future remnant liver function over volume determined by Tc-99m-Mebrofenin hepatobiliary scintigraphy including SPELT and computed tomography in the risk prediction of postoperative mortality in ALPPS

Transplant surger

Pancreas Transplantation With Grafts From Donors Deceased After Circulatory Death: 5 Years Single-Center Experience

Transplant surger

Search for single top quarks in the tau+jets channel using 4.8 fb−1^{-1} of ppˉp\bar{p} collision data

We present the first direct search for single top quark production using tau leptons. The search is based on 4.8 fb$^{-1}$ of integrated luminosity collected in $p\bar{p}$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}$=1.96 TeV with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. We select events with a final state including an isolated tau lepton, missing transverse energy, two or three jets, one or two of them $b$ tagged. We use a multivariate technique to discriminate signal from background. The number of events observed in data in this final state is consistent with the signal plus background expectation. We set in the tau+jets channel an upper limit on the single top quark cross section of \TauLimObs pb at the 95% C.L. This measurement allows a gain of 4% in expected sensitivity for the observation of single top production when combining it with electron+jets and muon+jets channels already published by the D0 collaboration with 2.3 fb$^{-1}$ of data. We measure a combined cross section of \SuperCombineXSall pb, which is the most precise measurement to date.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figure

Measurement of Z/gamma*+jet+X angular distributions in ppbar collisions at sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV

We present the first measurements at a hadron collider of differential cross sections for Z+jet+X production in delta phi(Z, jet), |delta y(Z, jet)| and |y_boost(Z, jet)|. Vector boson production in association with jets is an excellent probe of QCD and constitutes the main background to many small cross section processes, such as associated Higgs production. These measurements are crucial tests of the predictions of perturbative QCD and current event generators, which have varied success in describing the data. Using these measurements as inputs in tuning event generators will increase the experimental sensitivity to rare signals.Comment: Published in Physics Letters B 682 (2010), pp. 370-380. 15 pages, 6 figure

Search for the standard model Higgs boson in tau final states

We present a search for the standard model Higgs boson using hadronically decaying tau leptons, in 1 inverse femtobarn of data collected with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron ppbar collider. We select two final states: tau plus missing transverse energy and b jets, and tau+ tau- plus jets. These final states are sensitive to a combination of associated W/Z boson plus Higgs boson, vector boson fusion and gluon-gluon fusion production processes. The observed ratio of the combined limit on the Higgs production cross section at the 95% C.L. to the standard model expectation is 29 for a Higgs boson mass of 115 GeV.Comment: publication versio

Search for W' bosons decaying to an electron and a neutrino with the D0 detector

This Letter describes the search for a new heavy charged gauge boson W' decaying into an electron and a neutrino. The data were collected with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron proton-antiproton Collider at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV, and correspond to an integrated luminosity of about 1 inverse femtobarn. Lacking any significant excess in the data in comparison with known processes, an upper limit is set on the production cross section times branching fraction, and a W' boson with mass below 1.00 TeV can be excluded at the 95% C.L., assuming standard-model-like couplings to fermions. This result significantly improves upon previous limits, and is the most stringent to date.Comment: submitted to Phys. Rev. Let