Cervicovaginal fluid and semen block the microbicidal activity of hydrogen peroxide produced by vaginal lactobacilli

BACKGROUND: H(2)O(2 )produced by vaginal lactobacilli is believed to protect against infection, and H(2)O(2)-producing lactobacilli inactivate pathogens in vitro in protein-free salt solution. However, cervicovaginal fluid (CVF) and semen have significant H(2)O(2)-blocking activity. METHODS: We measured the H(2)O(2 )concentration of CVF and the H(2)O(2)-blocking activity of CVF and semen using fluorescence and in vitro bacterial-exposure experiments. RESULTS: The mean H(2)O(2 )measured in fully aerobic CVF was 23 ± 5 μM; however, 50 μM H(2)O(2 )in salt solution showed no in vitro inactivation of HSV-2, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Hemophilus ducreyii, or any of six BV-associated bacteria. CVF reduced 1 mM added H(2)O(2 )to an undetectable level, while semen reduced 10 mM added H(2)O(2 )to undetectable. Moreover, the addition of just 1% CVF supernatant abolished in vitro pathogen-inactivation by H(2)O(2)-producing lactobacilli. CONCLUSIONS: Given the H(2)O(2)-blocking activity of CVF and semen, it is implausible that H(2)O(2)-production by vaginal lactobacilli is a significant mechanism of protection in vivo

Measurements of prompt charm production cross-sections in pp collisions at s=5 TeV

Production cross-sections of prompt charm mesons are measured using data from pp collisions at the LHC at a centre-of-mass energy of 5 TeV. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 8.60 ± 0.33 pb−1 collected by the LHCb experiment. The production cross-sections of D0, D+, Ds+, and D∗+ mesons are measured in bins of charm meson transverse momentum, pT, and rapidity, y. They cover the rapidity range 2.0 < y < 4.5 and transverse momentum ranges 0 < pT< 10 GeV/c for D0 and D+ and 1 < pT< 10 GeV/c for Ds+ and D∗+ mesons. The inclusive cross-sections for the four mesons, including charge-conjugate states, within the range of 1 < pT< 8 GeV/c are determined to be σpp→D0X=1004±3±54μb,σpp→D+X=402±2±30μb,σpp→Ds+X=170±4±16μb,σpp→D∗+X=421±5±36μb, where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively

Measurement of the properties of the Ξb∗ 0 baryon

We perform a search for near-threshold Ξb0 resonances decaying to Ξb−π+ in a sample of proton-proton collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb−1 collected by the LHCb experiment. We observe one resonant state, with the following properties: mΞb∗0−mΞb−−mπ+=15.727±0.068stat±0.023systMeV/c2ΓΞb∗0=0.90±0.16stat±0.08systMeV.This confirms the previous observation by the CMS collaboration. The state is consistent with the JP = 3/2+ Ξb∗ 0 resonance expected in the quark model. This is the most precise determination of the mass and the first measurement of the natural width of this state. We have also measured the ratio σpp→Ξb∗0XℬΞb∗0→Ξb−π+σpp→Ξb−X=0.28±0.03stat.±0.01syst.

Observation of Λb0 → ψ(2S)pK− and Λb0 → J/ψπ+π−pK− decays and a measurement of the Λb0 baryon mass

The decays Λb0 → ψ(2S)pK− and Λb0 → J/ψπ+π−pK− are observed in a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb−1, collected in proton-proton collisions at 7 and 8 TeV centre-of-mass energies by the LHCb detector. The ψ(2S) mesons are reconstructed through the decay modes ψ(2S) → μ+μ− and ψ(2S) → J/ψπ+π−.The branching fractions relative to that of Λb0 → J/ψpK− are measured to be ℬΛb0→ψ2SpK−ℬΛb0→J/ψpK−=20.70±0.76±0.46±0.37×10−2, where the first uncertainties are statistical, the second are systematic and the third is related to the knowledge of J/ψ and ψ(2S) branching fractions. The mass of the Λb0 baryon is measured to be MΛb0=5619.65±0.17±0.17MeV/c2, where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic

Measurement of the CP violation parameter A_{Γ} in D^{0}→K^{+}K^{-} and D^{0}→π^{+}π^{-} decays

Asymmetries in the time-dependent rates of D^{0}→K^{+}K^{-} and D^{0}→π^{+}π^{-} decays are measured in a pp collision data sample collected with the LHCb detector during LHC Run 1, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3  fb^{-1}. The asymmetries in effective decay widths between D^{0} and D[over ¯]^{0} decays, sensitive to indirect CP violation, are measured to be A_{Γ}(K^{+}K^{-})=(-0.30±0.32±0.10)×10^{-3} and A_{Γ}(π^{+}π^{-})=(0.46±0.58±0.12)×10^{-3}, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. These measurements show no evidence for CP violation and improve on the precision of the previous best measurements by nearly a factor of two

Measurement of the J/ψ pair production cross-section in pp collisions at s=13 TeV

The production cross-section of J/ψ pairs is measured using a data sample of pp collisions collected by the LHCb experiment at a centre-of-mass energy of s=13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 279 ±11 pb−1. The measurement is performed for J/ψ mesons with a transverse momentum of less than 10 GeV/c in the rapidity range 2.0 < y < 4.5. The production cross-section is measured to be 15.2 ± 1.0 ± 0.9 nb. The first uncertainty is statistical, and the second is systematic. The differential cross-sections as functions of several kinematic variables of the J/ψ pair are measured and compared to theoretical predictions

Study of prompt D0 meson production in pPb collisions at sNN=5 TeV

Production of prompt D0 mesons is studied in proton-lead and lead-proton collisions recorded at the LHCb detector at the LHC. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 1.58±0.02 nb−1 recorded at a nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energy of sNN=5 TeV. Measurements of the differential cross-section, the forward-backward production ratio and the nuclear modification factor are reported using D0 candidates with transverse momenta less than 10 GeV/c and rapidities in the ranges 1.5 < y∗< 4.0 and −5.0 < y∗< −2.5 in the nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass system