Thyroid gland invasion in laryngopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma: Prevalence, endoscopic and CT predictors

SummaryObjectivesThe authors studied the prevalence of histological thyroid gland invasion in laryngopharyngeal cancer and the preoperative endoscopic and CT signs predictive of this invasion.Patients and methodsRetrospective study of patients with laryngopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (T3 and T4) treated by total laryngectomy or total laryngopharyngectomy associated with concomitant total thyroidectomy or ipsilateral lobectomy and isthmectomy.ResultsEighty-seven patients were included. Eleven patients (12.6%) presented thyroid gland invasion. Subglottic tumour extension greater than or equal to 10mm (P=0.008) and cricoid cartilage destruction on CT (P=0.001) were statistically correlated with histological thyroid gland invasion. An intact appearance of the laryngeal cartilages on CT was associated with a low probability of thyroid gland invasion.ConclusionThyroid gland invasion must not be underestimated in patients with advanced laryngopharyngeal cancer. Preoperative CT is an essential part of the preoperative work-up. Thyroidectomy must not be performed systematically

A versatile method for simulating pp -> ppe+e- and dp -> pne+e-p_spec reactions

We have developed a versatile software package for the simulation of di-electron production in $pp$ and $dp$ collisions at SIS energies. Particular attention has been paid to incorporate different descriptions of the Dalitz decay $\Delta \to N e^+e^-$ via a common interface. In addition, suitable parameterizations for the virtual bremsstrahlung process $NN \to NN e^+e^-$ based on one-boson exchange models have been implemented. Such simulation tools with high flexibility of the framework are important for the interpretation of the di-electron data taken with the HADES spectrometer and the design of forthcoming experiments

Trapped in the prison of the mind: notions of climate-induced (im)mobility decision-making and wellbeing from an urban informal settlement in Bangladesh

The concept of Trapped Populations has until date mainly referred to people ‘trapped’ in environmentally high-risk rural areas due to economic constraints. This article attempts to widen our understanding of the concept by investigating climate-induced socio-psychological immobility and its link to Internally Displaced People’s (IDPs) wellbeing in a slum of Dhaka. People migrated here due to environmental changes back on Bhola Island and named the settlement Bhola Slum after their home. In this way, many found themselves ‘immobile’ after having been mobile—unable to move back home, and unable to move to other parts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, or beyond. The analysis incorporates the emotional and psychosocial aspects of the diverse immobility states. Mind and emotion are vital to better understand people’s (im)mobility decision-making and wellbeing status. The study applies an innovative and interdisciplinary methodological approach combining Q-methodology and discourse analysis (DA). This mixed-method illustrates a replicable approach to capture the complex state of climate-induced (im)mobility and its interlinkages to people’s wellbeing. People reported facing non-economic losses due to the move, such as identity, honour, sense of belonging and mental health. These psychosocial processes helped explain why some people ended up ‘trapped’ or immobile. The psychosocial constraints paralysed them mentally, as well as geographically. More empirical evidence on how climate change influences people’s wellbeing and mental health will be important to provide us with insights in how to best support vulnerable people having faced climatic impacts, and build more sustainable climate policy frameworks

An upper limit on hypertriton production in collisions of Ar(1.76 AGeV)+KCl

A high-statistic data sample of Ar(1.76 AGeV)+KCl events recorded with HADES is used to search for a hypertriton signal. An upper production limit per centrality-triggered event of $1.04$ x $10^{-3}$ on the $3\sigma$ level is derived. Comparing this value with the number of successfully reconstructed $\Lambda$ hyperons allows to determine an upper limit on the ratio $N_{_{\Lambda}^3H}/N_{\Lambda}$, which is confronted with statistical and coalescence-type model calculations

Production of Sigma{\pm}pi?pK+ in p+p reactions at 3.5 GeV beam energy

We study the production of Sigma^+-pi^+-pK^+ particle quartets in p+p reactions at 3.5 GeV kinetic beam energy. The data were taken with the HADES experiment at GSI. This report evaluates the contribution of resonances like Lambda(1405$, Sigma(1385)^0, Lambda(1520), Delta(1232), N^* and K^*0 to the Sigma^+- pi^-+ p K+ final state. The resulting simulation model is compared to the experimental data in several angular distributions and it shows itself as suitable to evaluate the acceptance corrections properly.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figure

Study of the quasi-free np→npπ+π−np \to np \pi^+\pi^- reaction with a deuterium beam at 1.25 GeV/nucleon

The tagged quasi-free $np \to np\pi^+\pi^-$ reaction has been studied experimentally with the High Acceptance Di-Electron Spectrometer (HADES) at GSI at a deuteron incident beam energy of 1.25 GeV/nucleon ($\sqrt s \sim$ 2.42 GeV/c for the quasi-free collision). For the first time, differential distributions for $\pi^{+}\pi^{-}$ production in $np$ collisions have been collected in the region corresponding to the large transverse momenta of the secondary particles. The invariant mass and angular distributions for the $np\rightarrow np\pi^{+}\pi^{-}$ reaction are compared with different models. This comparison confirms the dominance of the $t$-channel with $\Delta\Delta$ contribution. It also validates the changes previously introduced in the Valencia model to describe two-pion production data in other isospin channels, although some deviations are observed, especially for the $\pi^{+}\pi^{-}$ invariant mass spectrum. The extracted total cross section is also in much better agreement with this model. Our new measurement puts useful constraints for the existence of the conjectured dibaryon resonance at mass M$\sim$ 2.38 GeV and with width $\Gamma\sim$ 70 MeV

Deep sub-threshold Ξ−\Xi^- production in Ar+KCl reactions at 1.76A GeV

We report first results on a deep sub-threshold production of the doubly strange hyperon $\Xi^-$ in a heavy-ion reaction. At a beam energy of 1.76A GeV the reaction Ar+KCl was studied with the High Acceptance Di-Electron Spectrometer (HADES) at SIS18/GSI. A high-statistics and high-purity $\Lambda$ sample was collected, allowing for the investigation of the decay channel $\Xi^- \to \Lambda \pi^-$. The deduced $\Xi^-/(\Lambda+\Sigma^0)$ production ratio of $(5.6 \pm 1.2 ^{+1.8}_{-1.7})\cdot 10^{-3}$ is significantly larger than available model predictions.Comment: 4 pages, including 4 figure

Baryonic resonances close to the Kbar-N threshold: the case of Sigma(1385)^+ in pp collisions

We present results of an exclusive measurement of the first excited state of the Sigma hyperon, Sigma(1385)^+, produced in p+p -> Sigma^+ + K^+ + n at 3.5 GeV beam energy. The extracted data allow to study in detail the invariant mass distribution of the Sigma(1385)^+. The mass distribution is well described by a relativistic Breit-Wigner function with a maximum at m_0 = 1383.2 +- 0.9 MeV/c^2 and a width of 40.2 +- 2.1 MeV/c^2. The exclusive production cross-section comes out to be 22.27 +- 0.89 +- 1.56 +3.07 -2.10 mu b. Angular distributions of the Sigma(1385)^+ in different reference frames are found to be compatible with the hypothesis that 33 % of Sigma(1385)^+ result from the decay of an intermediate Delta^{++} resonance.Comment: 12 pages; 12 figures; submitted to PR

Inclusive dielectron production in proton-proton collisions at 2.2 GeV beam energy

Data on inclusive dielectron production are presented for the reaction p+p at 2.2 GeV measured with the High Acceptance DiElectron Spectrometer (HADES). Our results supplement data obtained earlier in this bombarding energy regime by DLS and HADES. The comparison with the 2.09 GeV DLS data is discussed. The reconstructed e+e- distributions are confronted with simulated pair cocktails, revealing an excess yield at invariant masses around 0.5 GeV/c2. Inclusive cross sections of neutral pion and eta production are obtained