Impact of COVID-19 and post-infectious course on the olfactory function: "Restitutio ad integrum" or permanent deficit?

The experience of our center with patients who, after having overcome the SARS-CoV19 infection, manifested olfactory disorders includes 1952 patients who were evaluated, according to the protocol established in multidisciplinary agreement with internal medicine and infectious disease specialists, through ENT physical examinatio, questionnaires, olfactometry and gustometry (before and after treatment). Our goal was to evaluate: the prevalence of smell and taste disorders in patients affected by SARSCoV19, the resolution of the mentioned disorder based on the treatment protocols and eventually a possible correlation with patients not affected by the SARS-CoV19 infection. Our evaluation method included: Chemosensory Complaint Score, three VAS scales for olfactory and gustatory dysfunction and nasal obstruction symptoms, full ENT evaluation (rhinoscopy, oropharyngoscopy, evaluation of larynx and tympanic membranes). In the context of the DH PostCovid, an olfactory deficit was observed in 24.3% of cases; the questionnaire submitted to the patients during the acute phase of the infection tended to overestimate the incidence of the symptoms, but this data is likely related to the psychological impact of the disease itself during the early stages of the pandemic. In a period ranging from 2 to 9 months (M 5.5 months), we found a subjective and olfactometrically detected recovery of the olfactory function in almost all patients (98.6%); in only one case the recovery was obtained 13 months after the first evaluation. Among these patients, 65% of them regained the olfactory function during the first 3 months of therapy. Our therapy protocol consisted of: either topical use of glyceritic acid plus mannitol for topical use in case of inflamed nasal mucosa or crosslinked ialuronic acid for topical use in case of atrophic rhinitis together with citicoline 1000mg per os and olfactory rehabilitation. Once having obtained these data, and keeping in mind that the therapy was personalized and modulated on the basis of the conditions found at the physical evaluation for each patient (presence or absence of significant nasal dryness, allergic rhinitis, etc.), and although the "unpredictability" of this pandemic imposes a certain caution on us, we can affirm that it is not frequent, in our series of cases, the persistence of the olfactory deficit in patients with previous SARS-CoV19 infection and that indeed the restitutio ad integrum is the most frequent of the eventualities

Stratigraphic evolution of the Triassic\u2013Jurassic succession in the Western Southern Alps (Italy) : the record of the two-stage rifting on the distal passive margin of Adria

The Triassic-Lower Jurassic succession of the Southern Alps is characterized by rapid thickness changes, from an average of about 5000m east of Lago Maggiore to about 500m in the Western Southern Alps. The stratigraphy reflects the Triassic evolution of the Tethyan Gulf and the Early Jurassic rifting responsible for the Middle Jurassic break-up of Adria from Europe. The succession of the Western Southern Alps starts with Lower Permian volcanics directly covered by Anisian sandstones. The top of the overlying Ladinian dolostones (300m) records subaerial exposure and karstification. Locally (Gozzano), Upper Sinemurian sediments cover the Permian volcanics, documenting pre-Sinemurian erosion. New biostratigraphic data indicate a latest Pliensbachian-Toarcian age for the Jurassic synrift deposits that unconformably cover Ladinian or Sinemurian sediments. Therefore, in the Western Southern Alps, the major rifting stage that directly evolved into the opening of the Penninic Ocean began in the latest Pliensbachian-Toarcian. New data allowed us to refine the evolution of the two previously recognized Jurassic extensional events in the Southern Alps. The youngest extensional event (Western Southern Alps) occurred as tectonic activity decreased in the Lombardy Basin. During the Sinemurian the Gozzano high represents the western shoulder of a rift basin located to the east (Lombardy). This evolution documents a transition from diffuse early rifting (Late Hettangian-Sinemurian), controlled by older discontinuities, to rifting focused along a rift valley close to the Pliensbachian-Toarcian boundary. This younger rift bridges the gap between the Hettangian-Sinemurian diffuse rifting and the Callovian-Bathonian break-up. The late Pliensbachian-Toarcian rift, which eventually lead to continental break-up, is interpreted as the major extensional episode in the evolution of the passive margin of Adria. The transition from diffuse to focused extension in the Southern Alps is comparable to the evolution of the Central Austroalpine during the Early Jurassic and of the Central and Northern Atlantic margins

Multidisciplinary management of anemia behind epistaxis in HHT

HHT affects one in 5000 people and occurs in all the ethnic groups and areas. It is also known as the Rendu-Osler-Weber disease and it is an inherited autosomal dominant genetic disorder, characterized by vascular abnormalities. Epistaxis, specifically recurrent and spontaneous nosebleeds, has been assessed as one of the most common, if not the most common clinical manifestation in HHT patients. The burden related to this manifestation has both psychological and physical consequences, especially since the treatment options follow a ladder that might bring to surgery and more invasive therapies. The EQ-VAS questionnaire allows us to adequately assess and classify HHT patients based on the intensity and type of epistaxis-related symptoms. This same questionnaire, which is submitted to patients during each evaluation for the benefit of anamnestic supplementation, includes both a question about the presence or absence of anemia and one about whether a red cell transfusion has been performed in the past months or since the last outpatient visit. As a matter of fact, chronic nosebleed, although mild to moderate, can lead to anemia within months or years and, in general, to a poor quality of life. Patients who have to undergo iron supplementation treatments often face the almost inevitable side effects that this therapy entails (diarrhea, constipation, nausea, persistent metallic taste, abdominal pain, etc.). Although numerous treatment options are available for patients with epistaxis phenotype, from topical to surgical, we believe, based on the successes achieved in the follow up of HHT patients at our center, that a multidisciplinary collaboration is essential to identify the patients who can benefit most from each treatment

Multidisciplinary management of anemia behind epistaxis in HHT

HHT affects one in 5000 people and occurs in all the ethnic groups and areas. It is also known as the Rendu-Osler-Weber disease and it is an inherited autosomal dominant genetic disorder, characterized by vascular abnormalities. Epistaxis, specifically recurrent and spontaneous nosebleeds, has been assessed as one of the most common, if not the most common clinical manifestation in HHT patients. The burden related to this manifestation has both psychological and physical consequences, especially since the treatment options follow a ladder that might bring to surgery and more invasive therapies. The EQ-VAS questionnaire allows us to adequately assess and classify HHT patients based on the intensity and type of epistaxis-related symptoms. This same questionnaire, which is submitted to patients during each evaluation for the benefit of anamnestic supplementation, includes both a question about the presence or absence of anemia and one about whether a red cell transfusion has been performed in the past months or since the last outpatient visit. As a matter of fact, chronic nosebleed, although mild to moderate, can lead to anemia within months or years and, in general, to a poor quality of life. Patients who have to undergo iron supplementation treatments often face the almost inevitable side effects that this therapy entails (diarrhea, constipation, nausea, persistent metallic taste, abdominal pain, etc.). Although numerous treatment options are available for patients with epistaxis phenotype, from topical to surgical, we believe, based on the successes achieved in the follow up of HHT patients at our center, that a multidisciplinary collaboration is essential to identify the patients who can benefit most from each treatment

Measurement of the Bs0→J/ψKS0B_s^0\to J/\psi K_S^0 branching fraction

The $B_s^0\to J/\psi K_S^0$ branching fraction is measured in a data sample corresponding to 0.41$fb^{-1}$ of integrated luminosity collected with the LHCb detector at the LHC. This channel is sensitive to the penguin contributions affecting the sin2$\beta$ measurement from $B^0\to J/\psi K_S^0$ The time-integrated branching fraction is measured to be $BF(B_s^0\to J/\psi K_S^0)=(1.83\pm0.28)\times10^{-5}$. This is the most precise measurement to date

Model-independent search for CP violation in D0→K−K+π−π+ and D0→π−π+π+π− decays

A search for CP violation in the phase-space structures of D0 and View the MathML source decays to the final states K−K+π−π+ and π−π+π+π− is presented. The search is carried out with a data set corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0 fb−1 collected in 2011 by the LHCb experiment in pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV. For the K−K+π−π+ final state, the four-body phase space is divided into 32 bins, each bin with approximately 1800 decays. The p-value under the hypothesis of no CP violation is 9.1%, and in no bin is a CP asymmetry greater than 6.5% observed. The phase space of the π−π+π+π− final state is partitioned into 128 bins, each bin with approximately 2500 decays. The p-value under the hypothesis of no CP violation is 41%, and in no bin is a CP asymmetry greater than 5.5% observed. All results are consistent with the hypothesis of no CP violation at the current sensitivity

Measurement of the CP-violating phase \phi s in Bs->J/\psi\pi+\pi- decays

Measurement of the mixing-induced CP-violating phase phi_s in Bs decays is of prime importance in probing new physics. Here 7421 +/- 105 signal events from the dominantly CP-odd final state J/\psi pi+ pi- are selected in 1/fb of pp collision data collected at sqrt{s} = 7 TeV with the LHCb detector. A time-dependent fit to the data yields a value of phi_s=-0.019^{+0.173+0.004}_{-0.174-0.003} rad, consistent with the Standard Model expectation. No evidence of direct CP violation is found.Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures; minor revisions on May 23, 201

Search for the lepton-flavor-violating decays Bs0→e±μ∓ and B0→e±μ∓

A search for the lepton-flavor-violating decays Bs0→e±μ∓ and B0→e±μ∓ is performed with a data sample, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0  fb-1 of pp collisions at √s=7  TeV, collected by the LHCb experiment. The observed number of Bs0→e±μ∓ and B0→e±μ∓ candidates is consistent with background expectations. Upper limits on the branching fractions of both decays are determined to be B(Bs0→e±μ∓)101  TeV/c2 and MLQ(B0→e±μ∓)>126  TeV/c2 at 95% C.L., and are a factor of 2 higher than the previous bounds

Absolute luminosity measurements with the LHCb detector at the LHC

Absolute luminosity measurements are of general interest for colliding-beam experiments at storage rings. These measurements are necessary to determine the absolute cross-sections of reaction processes and are valuable to quantify the performance of the accelerator. Using data taken in 2010, LHCb has applied two methods to determine the absolute scale of its luminosity measurements for proton-proton collisions at the LHC with a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV. In addition to the classic "van der Meer scan" method a novel technique has been developed which makes use of direct imaging of the individual beams using beam-gas and beam-beam interactions. This beam imaging method is made possible by the high resolution of the LHCb vertex detector and the close proximity of the detector to the beams, and allows beam parameters such as positions, angles and widths to be determined. The results of the two methods have comparable precision and are in good agreement. Combining the two methods, an overall precision of 3.5% in the absolute luminosity determination is reached. The techniques used to transport the absolute luminosity calibration to the full 2010 data-taking period are presented.Comment: 48 pages, 19 figures. Results unchanged, improved clarity of Table 6, 9 and 10 and corresponding explanation in the tex

Measurement of the ratio of branching fractions BR(B0 -> K*0 gamma)/BR(Bs0 -> phi gamma) and the direct CP asymmetry in B0 -> K*0 gamma

The ratio of branching fractions of the radiative B decays B0 -> K*0 gamma and Bs0 phi gamma has been measured using an integrated luminosity of 1.0 fb-1 of pp collision data collected by the LHCb experiment at a centre-of-mass energy of sqrt(s)=7 TeV. The value obtained is BR(B0 -> K*0 gamma)/BR(Bs0 -> phi gamma) = 1.23 +/- 0.06(stat.) +/- 0.04(syst.) +/- 0.10(fs/fd), where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second is the experimental systematic uncertainty and the third is associated with the ratio of fragmentation fractions fs/fd. Using the world average value for BR(B0 -> K*0 gamma), the branching fraction BR(Bs0 -> phi gamma) is measured to be (3.5 +/- 0.4) x 10^{-5}. The direct CP asymmetry in B0 -> K*0 gamma decays has also been measured with the same data and found to be A(CP)(B0 -> K*0 gamma) = (0.8 +/- 1.7(stat.) +/- 0.9(syst.))%. Both measurements are the most precise to date and are in agreement with the previous experimental results and theoretical expectations.Comment: 21 pages, 3 figues, 4 table