Updated precision measurement of the average lifetime of B hadrons

The measurement of the average lifetime of B hadrons using inclusively reconstructed secondary vertices has been updated using both an improved processing of previous data and additional statistics from new data. This has reduced the statistical and systematic uncertainties and gives \tau_{\mathrm{B}} = 1.582 \pm 0.011\ \mathrm{(stat.)} \pm 0.027\ \mathrm{(syst.)}\ \mathrm{ps.} Combining this result with the previous result based on charged particle impact parameter distributions yields \tau_{\mathrm{B}} = 1.575 \pm 0.010\ \mathrm{(stat.)} \pm 0.026\ \mathrm{(syst.)}\ \mathrm{ps.

Limits on the production of scalar leptoquarks from Z (0) decays at LEP

A search has been made for pairs and for single production of scalar leptoquarks of the first and second generations using a data sample of 392000 Z0 decays from the DELPHI detector at LEP 1. No signal was found and limits on the leptoquark mass, production cross section and branching ratio were set. A mass limit at 95% confidence level of 45.5 GeV/c2 was obtained for leptoquark pair production. The search for the production of a single leptoquark probed the mass region above this limit and its results exclude first and second generation leptoquarks D0 with masses below 65 GeV/c2 and 73 GeV/c2 respectively, at 95% confidence level, assuming that the D0lq Yukawa coupling alpha(lambda) is equal to the electromagnetic one. An upper limit is also given on the coupling alpha(lambda) as a function of the leptoquark mass m(D0)

High dietary fat intake induces a microbiota signature that promotes food allergy.

Diet-induced obesity and food allergies increase in tandem, but a potential cause-and-effect relationship between these diseases of affluence remains to be tested. We sought to test the role of high dietary fat intake, diet-induced obesity, and associated changes in gut microbial community structure on food allergy pathogenesis. Mice were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 12 weeks before food allergen sensitization on an atopic dermatitis-like skin lesion, followed by intragastric allergen challenge to induce experimental food allergy. Germ-free animals were colonized with a signature HFD or lean microbiota for 8 weeks before induction of food allergy. Food-induced allergic responses were quantified by using a clinical allergy score, serum IgE levels, serum mouse mast cell protease 1 concentrations, and type 2 cytokine responses. Accumulation of intestinal mast cells was examined by using flow cytometry and chloroacetate esterase tissue staining. Changes in the gut microbial community structure were assessed by using high-throughput 16S ribosomal DNA gene sequencing. HFD-induced obesity potentiates food-induced allergic responses associated with dysregulated intestinal effector mast cell responses, increased intestinal permeability, and gut dysbiosis. An HFD-associated microbiome was transmissible to germ-free mice, with the gut microbial community structure of recipients segregating according to the microbiota input source. Independent of an obese state, an HFD-associated gut microbiome was sufficient to confer enhanced susceptibility to food allergy. These findings identify HFD-induced microbial alterations as risk factors for experimental food allergy and uncouple a pathogenic role of an HFD-associated microbiome from obesity. Postdieting microbiome alterations caused by overindulgence of dietary fat might increase susceptibility to food allergy

Trapianto di polmone singolo in due diversi centri dopo Ex-vivo lung perfusion

La perfusione polmonare ex vivo (EVLP) ha raggiunto ampia diffusione come tecnica di valutazione degli organi da donatori marginali. Riportiamo l'uso di EVLP seguito da trapianto polmonare singolo in due diversi centri trapianto

Early report of a clinical trial designed to procure lungs from uncontrolled dcd donors

Early report of a clinical trial designed to procure lungs from uncontrolled dcd donors

Caracterizações morfológica e agronômica e divergência genética em germoplasma de trevo-branco Agronomic and morphological characterizations and genetic divergence on white clover germplasm

Objetivou-se caracterizar a variabilidade existente e estimar a divergência genética de uma coleção nuclear de trevo-branco formada por 78 acessos. Dezessete plantas de cada acesso foram caracterizadas com base em nove parâmetros (oito morfológicos e um agronômico): estatura das plantas, hábito de crescimento, intensidade de florescimento, comprimento de estolão, número de nós por estolão, comprimento dos entrenós, diâmetro de estolão, produção total de MS e área foliar por planta. Pela estimativa da distância de Mahalanobis, os acessos 1 (PI 195534) e 10 (PI 419325) apresentaram a maior distância (45,4) e os acessos 58 (PI 180491) e 68 (PI 197830), a menor distância (0,19). A área foliar foi a característica com maior contribuição relativa para divergência genética (24%), seguida pela estatura da planta (20%), pela intensidade de florescimento (19%) e pela produção total de MS (15%). A análise de correlação linear simples entre as variáveis mostrou correlação positiva e significativa entre estatura e área foliar (0,92), assim como entre comprimento de estolão e comprimento de entrenós (0,90).<br>This work aimed to evaluate morphological features of the white clover core collection obtained from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), represented by 78 accessions, in order to characterize the existent morphological variability and to estimate the genetic divergence, using nine characters (eight morphological and one agronomic). Seventeen plants from each access were evaluated individually at the Experimental Station of the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul in Eldorado do Sul and characterized in relation to the following characters: plant height, growth habit, flowering intensity, stolon length, node number per stolon, internode length, stolon diameter, total dry matter yield and leaf area per plant. Using the estimate of Mahalanobis' distance, the results showed that the accessions 1 (PI 195534) and 10 (PI 419325) presented the greatest distance (45.4), while the accessions 58 (PI 180491) and 68 (PI 197830) presented the smallest distance (0.19). The leaf area was the character with the largest individual relative contribution to the genetic divergence (24%), followed by plant height (20%), flowering intensity (19%) and total dry matter yield (15%). There was a positive and highly significant correlation between plant height and leaf area (0.92) and also between stolon length and internode length (0.90)