Physical Activity May Be Associated with Conditioned Pain Modulation in Women but Not Men among Healthy Individuals

Background. Conditioned pain modulation (CPM), a phenomenon also known as diffuse noxious inhibitory control, is thought to be affected by various factors, including sex and level of physical activity. However, the involvement of these factors in CPM remains unclear. Methods. Eighty-six healthy young subjects (M/F, 43/43) participated in this study. Participants were assessed on the basis of their mechanical pressure pain threshold (PPT), CPM response, body mass index (BMI), basal metabolic rate (BMR), and duration of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) over a week, using a motion counter. Response to CPM was evaluated as PPT during painful cold stimulation relative to baseline PPT. Results. Men showed significantly higher baseline PPT than women; however, this difference was no longer significant after controlling for confounders. Stepwise multiple linear regression analyses revealed BMR to be a significant contributor towards baseline PPT in the entire study population. In contrast, although there were no significant contributors to CPM response among men and in the overall study group, MVPA was positively associated with CPM response among women (β = 0.397). Conclusions. These results suggest that, among healthy young individuals, CPM response may be associated with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in women but not in men

Effects of Subconjunctival Injection of Anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Antibody on Oxygen-Induced Ischemic Retinopathy in a Neonatal Rat Model

The present study investigated the effects of subconjunctival injections of an anti-rat vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) antibody on oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) in a neonatal rat model. OIR was induced by daily cycles of 80% oxygen (20.5h), room air (0.5h), and a progressive return to 80% oxygen (3h) for 12 days [until postnatal day (P) 12]. On P12, rats received subconjunctival injections in their right eye of 0.1 or 1.0μg anti-VEGF antibody (or 1.0μg goat IgG as a control). No injections were made into the left eye. On P18, rats were killed and their retinas were removed and flat-mounted before being stained with adenosine diphosphatase. Retinal neovascularization (NV) was scored and the extent of avascular areas, as a percentage of total retinal area (%AVA), was determined using image analysis. Although there was a tendency for lower mean NV scores in eyes injected with 0.1 and 1.0μg anti-VEGF compared with control (4.3±1.1, 2.3±1.0, and 6.7±1.3, respectively; n=10-13), the difference failed to reach statistical significance. Similarly, although there was a tendency for mean %AVA to be lower in the injected eyes for both the 0.1 and 1.0μg anti-VEGF groups compared with control (15±3%, 13±3%, and 25±4%, respectively; n=10-13), the differences were not significant. Similar tendencies were observed in the contralateral eyes. Although further studies using larger numbers of rats are needed to obtain statistically significant results, the results of the present study suggest that the subconjunctival injection of anti-VEGF antibody may prove to be a useful route of administration in conjunction with intravitreal injections, which are the generally used method at present. However, careful attention should be paid to the possibility of systemic side effects

Measurement of the Branching Fraction for B->eta' K and Search for B->eta'pi+

We report measurements for two-body charmless B decays with an eta' meson in the final state. Using 11.1X10^6 BBbar pairs collected with the Belle detector, we find BF(B^+ ->eta'K^+)=(79^+12_-11 +-9)x10^-6 and BF(B^0 -> eta'K^0)=(55^+19_-16 +-8)x10^-6, where the first and second errors are statistical and systematic, respectively. No signal is observed in the mode B^+ -> eta' pi^+, and we set a 90% confidence level upper limit of BF(B^+-> eta'pi^+) eta'K^+- decays is investigated and a limit at 90% confidence level of -0.20<Acp<0.32 is obtained.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters

Search for Direct CP Violation in B -> K pi Decays

We search for direct CP violation in flavor specific B -> K pi decays by measuring the rate asymmetry between charge conjugate modes. The search is performed on a data sample of 11.1 million B B bar events recorded on the Upsilon(4S) resonance by the Belle experiment at KEKB. We measure 90% confidence intervals in the partial rate asymmetry A_CP of -0.25 < A_CP(K-/+ pi+/-) < 0.37, -0.40 < A_CP(K-/+ pi^0) < 0.36, and -0.53 < A_CP(K^0 pi-/+) < 0.82. By combining the K-/+ pi+/- and K-/+ pi^0 final states, we conclude that -0.22 < A_CP[K-/+(pi+/- + pi^0)] < 0.25 at the 90% confidence level.Comment: Submitted to PRD Rapid Communication

A Measurement of the Branching Fraction for the Inclusive B --> X(s) gamma Decays with the Belle Detector

We have measured the branching fraction of the inclusive radiative B meson decay B --> X(s) gamma to be Br(B->X(s)gamma)=(3.36 +/- 0.53(stat) +/- 0.42(sys) +0.50-0.54(th)) x 10^{-4}. The result is based on a sample of 6.07 x 10^6 BBbar events collected at the Upsilon(4S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric e^+e^- storage ring.Comment: 14 pages, 6 Postsript figures, uses elsart.cl

Observation of Cabibbo suppressed B→D(∗)K−B \to D^{(*)}K^- decays at Belle

Cabibbo-suppressed decays $B \to D^{(*)} K^-$ using a 10.4 fb$^{-1}$ data sample accumulated at the $\Upsilon(4S)$ resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB $e^+ e^-$ storage ring. The high-momentum particle identification system of Belle is used to isolate signals for $B\to D^0 K^-$, $D^+K^-$, $D^{*0}K^-$ and $D^{*+}K^-$ from the $B\to D^{(*)}\pi^-$ decay processes which have much larger branching fractions. We report ratios of Cabibbo-suppressed to Cabibbo-favored branching fractions of: ${\cal B}(B^- \to D^0 K^-)/{\cal B}(B^- \to D^0\pi^-) = 0.079\pm0.009\pm0.006$; ${\cal B}(\bar{B^0} \to D^+ K^-)/{\cal B}(\bar{B^0} \to D^+\pi^-) = 0.068\pm0.015\pm0.007$; ${\cal B}(B^-\to D^{*0}K^-)/{\cal B}(B^-\to D^{*0}\pi^-) = 0.078 \pm 0.019 \pm 0.009$; and ${\cal B}(\bar{B}^0\to D^{*+}K^-)/{\cal B}(\bar{B}^0\to D^{*+}\pi^-)= 0.074 \pm 0.015 \pm 0.006$. The first error is statistical and the second is systematic. These are the first reported observations of the $B\to D^+K^-$, $D^{*0}K^-$ and $D^{*+}K^-$ decay processes.Comment: LaTeX, 12 pages, 2 figure

Measurement of Inclusive Production of Neutral Pions from Upsilon(4S) Decays

Using the Belle detector operating at the KEKB e+e- storage ring, we have measured the mean multiplicity and the momentum spectrum of neutral pions from the decays of the Upsilon(4S) resonance. We measure a mean of 4.70 +/- 0.04 +/- 0.22 neutral pions per Upsilon(4S) decay.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figs. Submitted to Phys.Rev.

Observation of Large CP Violation in the Neutral B Meson System

We present a measurement of the Standard Model CP violation parameter sin 2phi_1 based on a 29.1 fb^{-1} data sample collected at the Upsilon(4S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e+e- collider. One neutral B meson is fully reconstructed as a J/psi Ks, psi(2S) Ks, chi_c1 Ks, eta_c Ks, J/psi K_L or J/psi K^{*0} decay and the flavor of the accompanying B meson is identified from its decay products. From the asymmetry in the distribution of the time intervals between the two B meson decay points, we determine sin 2phi_1 = 0.99 +- 0.14(stat) +- 0.06(syst). We conclude that we have observed CP violation in the neutral B meson system.Comment: 4 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev. Letter

Measurement of B0d - B0d-bar mixing rate from the time evolution of dilepton events at the Upsilon(4S)

We report a determination of the B0d - B0d-bar mixing parameter Delta-m_d based on the time evolution of dilepton yields in Upsilon(4S) decays. The measurement is based on a 5.9 /fb data sample collected by the Belle detector at KEKB. The proper-time difference distributions for same-sign and opposite-sign dilepton events are simultaneously fitted to an expression containing Delta-m_d as a free parameter. Using both muons and electrons, we obtain Delta-m_d = 0.463 +- 0.008(stat.) +- 0.016(sys.) ps^{-1} This is the first determination of Delta-m_d from time evolution measurements at the Upsilon(4S). We also place limits on possible CPT violations.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figure

Measurement of the CP Violation Parameter sin(2phi_1) in B^0_d Meson Decays

We present a measurement of the Standard Model CP violation parameter sin(2phi_1) based on a 10.5 fb^{-1} data sample collected at the Upsilon(4S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric e+e- collider. One neutral B meson is reconstructed in the J/psi K_S, psi(2S) K_S, chi_{c1} K_S, eta_c K_S, J/psi K_L or J/psi pi^0 CP-eigenstate decay channel and the flavor of the accompanying B meson is identified from its charged particle decay products. From the asymmetry in the distribution of the time interval between the two B-meson decay points, we determine sin(2phi_1) = 0.58 +0.32-0.34 (stat) +0.09-0.10 (syst).Comment: LaTex, 13 pages, 3 figures, submitted to P.R.