672 research outputs found
Phase II study of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy with paclitaxel and cisplatin given every 2 weeks for patients with a resectable squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus
BACKGROUND: We have previously reported a favourable response rate in
patients with advanced esophageal cancer after treatment with a biweekly
regimen of paclitaxel and cisplatin. In this study we investigate the
feasibility and efficacy of this regimen in a neo-adjuvant setting.
PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with resectable squamous cell carcinoma of
the esophagus received paclit-axel 180 mg/m(2) and cisplatin 60 mg/m(2)
every 2 weeks. Patients received three courses and responding patients
received three additional courses; thereafter, patients were referred for
surgery. Patient characteristics of 50 eligible patients were as follows:
male, 60%; median age, 62 years (range 45-78); median World Health
Organization performance status of 1 (range 0-2). RESULTS: Ninety-four per
cent of patients received at least three courses of chemotherapy.
Haematological toxicity consisted of National Cancer Institute-Common
Toxicity Criteria grade 3 or 4 neutropenia in 71% of patients, with
neutropenic fever occurring in only two patients (4%). The overall
response rate was 59%. Pathological examination showed tumour-free margins
in 38 patients. In seven patients no residual tumour was found. The median
overall survival was 20 months and the 1- and 3-year survival rates were
68% and 30%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This dose-dense schedule of
paclitaxel and cisplatin administered biweekly is well tolerated and the
observed overall and complete response rates are promising
Phenomenology of a Pseudo-Scalar Inflaton: Naturally Large Nongaussianity
Many controlled realizations of chaotic inflation employ pseudo-scalar
axions. Pseudo-scalars \phi are naturally coupled to gauge fields through c
\phi F \tilde{F}. In the presence of this coupling, gauge field quanta are
copiously produced by the rolling inflaton. The produced gauge quanta, in turn,
source inflaton fluctuations via inverse decay. These new cosmological
perturbations add incoherently with the "vacuum" perturbations, and are highly
nongaussian. This provides a natural mechanism to generate large nongaussianity
in single or multi field slow-roll inflation. The resulting phenomenological
signatures are highly distinctive: large nongaussianity of (nearly) equilateral
shape, in addition to detectably large values of both the scalar spectral tilt
and tensor-to-scalar ratio (both being typical of large field inflation). The
WMAP bound on nongaussianity implies that the coupling, c, of the pseudo-scalar
inflaton to any gauge field must be smaller than about 10^{2} M_p^{-1}.Comment: 45 pages, 7 figure
Dynamic Critical Behavior of the Chayes-Machta Algorithm for the Random-Cluster Model. I. Two Dimensions
We study, via Monte Carlo simulation, the dynamic critical behavior of the
Chayes-Machta dynamics for the Fortuin-Kasteleyn random-cluster model, which
generalizes the Swendsen-Wang dynamics for the q-state Potts ferromagnet to
non-integer q \ge 1. We consider spatial dimension d=2 and 1.25 \le q \le 4 in
steps of 0.25, on lattices up to 1024^2, and obtain estimates for the dynamic
critical exponent z_{CM}. We present evidence that when 1 \le q \lesssim 1.95
the Ossola-Sokal conjecture z_{CM} \ge \beta/\nu is violated, though we also
present plausible fits compatible with this conjecture. We show that the
Li-Sokal bound z_{CM} \ge \alpha/\nu is close to being sharp over the entire
range 1 \le q \le 4, but is probably non-sharp by a power. As a byproduct of
our work, we also obtain evidence concerning the corrections to scaling in
static observables.Comment: LaTeX2e, 75 pages including 26 Postscript figure
The Cosmic Microwave Background in an Inhomogeneous Universe - why void models of dark energy are only weakly constrained by the CMB
The dimming of Type Ia supernovae could be the result of Hubble-scale
inhomogeneity in the matter and spatial curvature, rather than signaling the
presence of a dark energy component. A key challenge for such models is to fit
the detailed spectrum of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). We present a
detailed discussion of the small-scale CMB in an inhomogeneous universe,
focusing on spherically symmetric `void' models. We allow for the dynamical
effects of radiation while analyzing the problem, in contrast to other work
which inadvertently fine tunes its spatial profile. This is a surprisingly
important effect and we reach substantially different conclusions. Models which
are open at CMB distances fit the CMB power spectrum without fine tuning; these
models also fit the supernovae and local Hubble rate data which favours a high
expansion rate. Asymptotically flat models may fit the CMB, but require some
extra assumptions. We argue that a full treatment of the radiation in these
models is necessary if we are to understand the correct constraints from the
CMB, as well as other observations which rely on it, such as spectral
distortions of the black body spectrum, the kinematic Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect
or the Baryon Acoustic Oscillations.Comment: 23 pages with 14 figures. v2 has considerably extended discussion and
analysis, but the basic results are unchanged. v3 is the final versio
Dupilumab Treatment Leads to Rapid and Consistent Improvement of Atopic Dermatitis in All Anatomical Regions in Patients Aged 6 Months to 5 Years
Introduction: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is heterogeneous in distribution pattern and clinical features. This analysis assessed the effect of dupilumab on the extent and severity of AD across various signs (erythema, edema/papulation, excoriation, lichenification) in different anatomical regions (head and neck, trunk, upper extremities, lower extremities) in patients aged 6 months to 5 years. Methods: In LIBERTY AD PRESCHOOL, a double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase III clinical trial, children aged 6 months to 5 years with moderate-to-severe AD were randomized 1:1 to subcutaneous dupilumab or placebo with concomitant low-potency topical corticosteroids (TCS) every 4 weeks for 16 weeks. Changes in AD signs across anatomical regions were assessed using unweighted Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) body region scores. Results: Overall, 162 patients were randomized to dupilumab (n = 83) or placebo (n = 79). A significant improvement in least squares mean EASI area score was seen by week 2 in all four anatomical regions (P < 0.0001 for dupilumab vs. placebo) and sustained throughout treatment. Least squares mean EASI sign scores in erythema, excoriations, and infiltration/papulation showed significant improvement by week 2 in all regions (P < 0.001), while lichenification showed significant improvement in all regions by week 4 (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Dupilumab use with concomitant low-potency TCS treatment resulted in rapid and consistent improvement in AD signs in all anatomical regions, in patients aged 6 months to 5 years with moderate-to-severe AD. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03346434 Part B
High Arctic aircraft measurements characterising black carbon vertical variability in spring and summer
The vertical distribution of black carbon (BC) par- ticles in the Arctic atmosphere is one of the key parameters controlling their radiative forcing and thus role in Arctic cli- mate change. This work investigates the presence and prop- erties of these light-absorbing aerosols over the High Cana- dian Arctic ( > 70 degree N). Airborne campaigns were performed as part of the NETCARE project (Network on Climate and Aerosols: Addressing Key Uncertainties in Remote Canadian Environments) and provided insights into the variability of the vertical distributions of BC particles in summer 2014 and spring 2015. The observation periods covered evolutions of cyclonic disturbances at the polar front, which favoured the transport of air pollution into the High Canadian Arctic, as otherwise this boundary between the air masses largely im- pedes entrainment of pollution from lower latitudes. A total of 48 vertical profiles of refractory BC (rBC) mass concen- tration and particle size, extending from 0.1 to 5.5 km altitude were obtained with a Single-Particle Soot Photometer (SP2).
Generally, the rBC mass concentration decreased from spring to summer by a factor of 10. Such depletion was as- sociated with a decrease in the mean rBC particle diameter, from approximately 200 to 130 nm at low altitude. Due to the very low number fraction, rBC particles did not substantially contribute to the total aerosol population in summer.
The analysis of profiles with potential temperature as ver- tical coordinate revealed characteristic variability patterns within specific levels of the cold and stably stratified, dome- like, atmosphere over the polar region. The associated his- tory of transport trajectories into each of these levels showed that the variability was induced by changing rates and effi- ciencies of rBC import. Generally, the source areas affecting the polar dome extended southward with increasing potential temperature (i.e. altitude) level in the dome. While the lower dome was mostly only influenced by low-level transport from sources within the cold central and marginal Arctic, for the mid-dome and upper dome during spring it was found that a cold air outbreak over eastern Europe caused intensified northward transport of air from a corridor over western Rus- sia to central Asia. This sector was affected by emissions from gas flaring, industrial activity and wildfires. The devel- opment of transport caused rBC concentrations in the second lowest level to gradually increase from 32 to 49 ng
Treatment of refractory post-esophagectomy anastomotic esophageal strictures using temporary fully covered esophageal metal stenting compared to repeated bougie dilation: results of a randomized controlled trial
Background and study aims Fully covered self-expanding
metal stents (FCSEMS) provide an alternative to bougie dilation (BD) for refractory benign esophageal strictures. Controlled studies comparing temporary placement of FCSES to
repeated BD are not available.
Patients and methods Patients with refractory anastomotic esophageal strictures, dysphagia scores ≥ 2, and two
to five prior BD were randomized to 8 weeks of FCSEMS or
to repeated BD. The primary endpoint was the number of
BD during the 12 months after baseline treatment.
Results Eighteen patients were included (male 67 %, median age 66.5; 9 received metal stents, 9 received BD). Technical success rate of stent placement and stent removal was
100 %. Recurrent dysphagia occurred in 13 patients (72 %)
during follow-up. No significant difference was found between the stent and BD groups for mean number of BD during follow-up (5.4 vs. 2.4, P = 0.159), time to recurrent dysphagia (median 36 days vs. 33 days, Kaplan-Meier: P =
0.576) and frequency of reinterventions per month (median 0.3 vs. 0.2, P = 0.283). Improvement in quality of life
score was greater in the stent group compared to the BD
group at month 12 (median 26 % vs. 4 %, P = 0.011).
Conclusions The current data did not provide evidence for
a statistically significant difference between the two groups
in the number of BD during the 12 months after initial treatment. Metal stenting offers greater improvement in quality
of life from baseline at 12 months compared to repeated BD
for patients with refractory anastomotic esophageal stricture
Intercalibration of the barrel electromagnetic calorimeter of the CMS experiment at start-up
Calibration of the relative response of the individual channels of the barrel electromagnetic calorimeter of the CMS detector was accomplished, before installation, with cosmic ray muons and test beams. One fourth of the calorimeter was exposed to a beam of high energy electrons and the relative calibration of the channels, the intercalibration, was found to be reproducible to a precision of about 0.3%. Additionally, data were collected with cosmic rays for the entire ECAL barrel during the commissioning phase. By comparing the intercalibration constants obtained with the electron beam data with those from the cosmic ray data, it is demonstrated that the latter provide an intercalibration precision of 1.5% over most of the barrel ECAL. The best intercalibration precision is expected to come from the analysis of events collected in situ during the LHC operation. Using data collected with both electrons and pion beams, several aspects of the intercalibration procedures based on electrons or neutral pions were investigated
Study of Tau-pair Production in Photon-Photon Collisions at LEP and Limits on the Anomalous Electromagnetic Moments of the Tau Lepton
Tau-pair production in the process e+e- -> e+e-tau+tau- was studied using
data collected by the DELPHI experiment at LEP2 during the years 1997 - 2000.
The corresponding integrated luminosity is 650 pb^{-1}. The values of the
cross-section obtained are found to be in agreement with QED predictions.
Limits on the anomalous magnetic and electric dipole moments of the tau lepton
are deduced.Comment: 20 pages, 9 figures, Accepted by Eur. Phys. J.
Evidence for an Excess of Soft Photons in Hadronic Decays of Z^0
Soft photons inside hadronic jets converted in front of the DELPHI main
tracker (TPC) in events of qqbar disintegrations of the Z^0 were studied in the
kinematic range 0.2 < E_gamma < 1 GeV and transverse momentum with respect to
the closest jet direction p_T < 80 MeV/c. A clear excess of photons in the
experimental data as compared to the Monte Carlo predictions is observed. This
excess (uncorrected for the photon detection efficiency) is (1.17 +/- 0.06 +/-
0.27) x 10^{-3} gamma/jet in the specified kinematic region, while the expected
level of the inner hadronic bremsstrahlung (which is not included in the Monte
Carlo) is (0.340 +/- 0.001 +/- 0.038) x 10^{-3} gamma/jet. The ratio of the
excess to the predicted bremsstrahlung rate is then (3.4 +/- 0.2 +/- 0.8),
which is similar in strength to the anomalous soft photon signal observed in
fixed target experiments with hadronic beams.Comment: 37 pages, 9 figures, Accepted by Eur. Phys. J.
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