Guidelines for the use of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract Surveillance of patients at risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) relies on ultrasound (US) examinations performed at 6-month intervals. Early detection of HCC on a cirrhotic background is a challenging issue, since the US features of the different entities in the multi-step process of hepatocarcinogenesis – such as low-grade and high-grade dysplastic nodule – do overlap. Contrast-enhanced US allows reliable detection of arterial neo-angiogenesis associated with the malignant change. Several reports have shown that the ability of contrast-enhanced US to diagnose HCC currently approaches that of optimised multidetector computed tomography (CT) or dynamic magnetic resonance (MR) imaging protocols. The use of contrast-enhanced US to characterise nodular lesions in cirrhosis has recently been recommended by the clinical practice guidelines issued by the European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology and the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. Contrast-enhanced US has also been successfully used to assess response of HCC to image-guided percutaneous ablation procedures. In this article, we discuss the advantages and limitations of contrast-enhanced US with respect to the other imaging modalities in the setting of HCC

A Randomized Clinical Trial Evaluating the Efficacy of an Anthocyanin–Maqui Berry Extract (Delphinol®) on Oxidative Stress Biomarkers

Objective: Berries are a rich source of anthocyanins, and clinical data suggest that a polyphenol-rich diet may exert health-promoting effects by reducing oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to elucidate the effects of dietary supplementation with Delphinol (trademark owned by MNL Chile) standardized maqui berry (Aristotelia chilensis) extract on products of lipid peroxidation in healthy, overweight, and smoker subjects.Methods: In a double-blind, placebo-controlled design, 42 participants (age 45-65years) consumed in random order either a standardized extract of maqui berry (162mg anthocyanins) or a matched placebo, given 3times daily for 4weeks. The samples were collected at baseline, after the end of the supplementation, and 40days after the end of the study. Primary outcome was the measure of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (Ox-LDL) and F-2-isoprostanes in plasma and urine, respectively. Secondary outcomes included anthropometric measures, blood pressure, and lipid profile.Results: Delphinol supplementation was associated with reduced levels of Ox-LDL in the anthocyanin group compared to baseline (p < 0.05). There was also a decrease in urinary F-2-isoprostanes (8-iso-prostaglandin F2) at 4weeks versus baseline in the Delphinol-supplemented group (p < 0.05). However, no differences in primary outcomes were evident at 40days of follow-up. In the fourth week of the intervention, no significant differences were noted for anthropometric characteristics, ambulatory blood pressure, and lipid profile.Conclusions: Our observations suggest that dietary interventions with maqui berry extract may improve oxidative status (Ox-LDL and F-2-isoprostanes) in healthy adults, overweight adults, and adult smoke

Evaluation of vacuum packaging for extending the shelf life of Sardinian fermented sausage

Salsiccia sarda or Sardinian fermented sausage is a traditional dry-fermented sausage included in the list of traditional food products of Sardinia (Italy). At the request of some producing plants, the possibility of extending the shelf life of the vacuum-packed product up to 120 days was evaluated. Manufacturing of 90 samples, representing 3 different batches of Sardinian fermented sausage was carried out in two producing plants (A and B). In the packaged product and subsequently every 30 days for four months (T0, T30, T60, T120), the following analyses were conducted on all samples: physicochemical characteristics, total aerobic mesophilic count, Enterobacteriaceae count, detection of Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., mesophilic lactic acid bacteria, and coagulase-positive Staphylococci. Moreover, surfaces in contact and surfaces not in contact with food were sampled in both producing plants. Sensory profile analysis was also performed for every analysis time. At the end of the extended shelf life, pH values were equal to 5.90±0.11 (producing plant A) and 5.61±0.29 (producing plant B). Water activity mean values at T120 were 0.894±0.02 (producing plant A) and 0.875±0.01 (producing plant B). L. monocytogenes was detected in 73.3% (33/45) of the samples from producing plant A, with mean levels of 1.12±0.76 log10 CFU/g. In producing plant B, L. monocytogenes was never detected. Enterobacteriaceae were detected in 91.1% (41/45) of samples in producing plant A with mean values of 3.15±1.21 log10 CFU/g, and in 35.5% (16/45) samples in producing plant B samples with mean values of 0.72±0.86 log10 CFU/g. Salmonella and Staphylococcus aureus were never detected. Regarding environmental samples, the sites that were most contaminated by L. monocytogenes were the bagging table (contact surface) and processing room floor drains (non-contact surface) with a prevalence of 50% each (8/16 positive samples for both sampling sites). Sensory analysis results showed that at T30 the overall sensory quality was at its highest; moreover, the visual-tactile aspect, the olfactory characteristics, the gustatory aspects, and the texture showed significant differences in samples throughout the shelf life, with a decreased intensity at 120 days of storage. Overall, the quality and sensory acceptance of the vacuum-packed Sardinian fermented sausage were not affected until 120 days of shelf-life. However, the possible contamination by L. monocytogenes calls attention to the hygienic management of the entire technological process. The environmental sampling was confirmed as a useful verification tool during control

Relationship Between Distance Run Per Week, Omega-3 Index, and Arachidonic Acid (AA)/Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) Ratio: An Observational Retrospective Study in Non-elite Runners

Background: Tissue availability of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) depends on several factors, including dietary intake, physical exercise, genetic variation, and metabolic turnover. However, there is limited evidence whether running training activity per se may influence indices associated with PUFA metabolism such as Omega-3 (ω-3) index and arachidonic acid (AA; 20:4ω-6)/eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5ω-3) ratio.Objective: To examine the association between kilometers (Km) run per week and changes in ω-3 index and AA/EPA ratio.Methods: We conducted a retrospective, observational, cohort study of 257 non-elite runners (mean age: 40.85 ± 12.17 years) who consumed no fatty acid supplements and provided a blood sample for analysis. The whole blood samples were collected by finger sticks, stored on absorbent filter paper, and then PUFA were quantified by gas chromatography (GC) and ω-3 index and AA/EPA ratio measured.Results: In a multivariate linear regression model, a gradual decrease of the ω-3 index was observed with higher weekly running distance (β = −0.033; 95% CI −0.039 to −0.026; R2 = 0.447; p &lt; 0.0001). We also found a progressive increase of the AA/EPA ratio in subjects who ran greater weekly distances (β = 0.092; 95% CI 0.038 to 0.146; R2 = 0.320; p = 0.001). No other significant associations were observed with other variables, including years of running training and weekly training frequency (hours/week). Finally, as expected, a significant inverse correlation between ω-3 index and AA/EPA ratio (β = −2.614; 95% CI −3.407 to −1.821; R2 = 0.336; p &lt; 0.0001) was detected.Conclusions: These findings suggest that distance running training and its weekly volume may negatively contribute to changes of the ω-3 index and AA/EPA ratio. Further studies with greater sample size will be required to replicate and extend these data

Standalone vertex finding in the ATLAS muon spectrometer

A dedicated reconstruction algorithm to find decay vertices in the ATLAS muon spectrometer is presented. The algorithm searches the region just upstream of or inside the muon spectrometer volume for multi-particle vertices that originate from the decay of particles with long decay paths. The performance of the algorithm is evaluated using both a sample of simulated Higgs boson events, in which the Higgs boson decays to long-lived neutral particles that in turn decay to bbar b final states, and pp collision data at √s = 7 TeV collected with the ATLAS detector at the LHC during 2011

Measurements of Higgs boson production and couplings in diboson final states with the ATLAS detector at the LHC

Measurements are presented of production properties and couplings of the recently discovered Higgs boson using the decays into boson pairs, H →γ γ, H → Z Z∗ →4l and H →W W∗ →lνlν. The results are based on the complete pp collision data sample recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider at centre-of-mass energies of √s = 7 TeV and √s = 8 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of about 25 fb−1. Evidence for Higgs boson production through vector-boson fusion is reported. Results of combined fits probing Higgs boson couplings to fermions and bosons, as well as anomalous contributions to loop-induced production and decay modes, are presented. All measurements are consistent with expectations for the Standard Model Higgs boson

Measurement of the top quark-pair production cross section with ATLAS in pp collisions at \sqrt{s}=7\TeV

A measurement of the production cross-section for top quark pairs(\ttbar) in $pp$ collisions at \sqrt{s}=7 \TeV is presented using data recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Events are selected in two different topologies: single lepton (electron $e$ or muon $\mu$) with large missing transverse energy and at least four jets, and dilepton ($ee$, $\mu\mu$ or $e\mu$) with large missing transverse energy and at least two jets. In a data sample of 2.9 pb-1, 37 candidate events are observed in the single-lepton topology and 9 events in the dilepton topology. The corresponding expected backgrounds from non-\ttbar Standard Model processes are estimated using data-driven methods and determined to be $12.2 \pm 3.9$ events and $2.5 \pm 0.6$ events, respectively. The kinematic properties of the selected events are consistent with SM \ttbar production. The inclusive top quark pair production cross-section is measured to be \sigmattbar=145 \pm 31 ^{+42}_{-27} pb where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. The measurement agrees with perturbative QCD calculations.Comment: 30 pages plus author list (50 pages total), 9 figures, 11 tables, CERN-PH number and final journal adde

Measurement of the top quark pair cross section with ATLAS in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV using final states with an electron or a muon and a hadronically decaying τ lepton

A measurement of the cross section of top quark pair production in proton-proton collisions recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV is reported. The data sample used corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 2.05 fb -1. Events with an isolated electron or muon and a τ lepton decaying hadronically are used. In addition, a large missing transverse momentum and two or more energetic jets are required. At least one of the jets must be identified as originating from a b quark. The measured cross section, σtt-=186±13(stat.)±20(syst.)±7(lumi.) pb, is in good agreement with the Standard Model prediction

Hunt for new phenomena using large jet multiplicities and missing transverse momentum with ATLAS in 4.7 fb−1 of √s=7 TeV proton-proton collisions

Results are presented of a search for new particles decaying to large numbers of jets in association with missing transverse momentum, using 4.7 fb−1 of pp collision data at s√=7TeV collected by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider in 2011. The event selection requires missing transverse momentum, no isolated electrons or muons, and from ≥6 to ≥9 jets. No evidence is found for physics beyond the Standard Model. The results are interpreted in the context of a MSUGRA/CMSSM supersymmetric model, where, for large universal scalar mass m 0, gluino masses smaller than 840 GeV are excluded at the 95% confidence level, extending previously published limits. Within a simplified model containing only a gluino octet and a neutralino, gluino masses smaller than 870 GeV are similarly excluded for neutralino masses below 100 GeV

Assemblathon 2: evaluating de novo methods of genome assembly in three vertebrate species

Background: The process of generating raw genome sequence data continues to become cheaper, faster, and more accurate. However, assembly of such data into high-quality, finished genome sequences remains challenging. Many genome assembly tools are available, but they differ greatly in terms of their performance (speed, scalability, hardware requirements, acceptance of newer read technologies) and in their final output (composition of assembled sequence). More importantly, it remains largely unclear how to best assess the quality of assembled genome sequences. The Assemblathon competitions are intended to assess current state-of-the-art methods in genome assembly. Results: In Assemblathon 2, we provided a variety of sequence data to be assembled for three vertebrate species (a bird, a fish, and snake). This resulted in a total of 43 submitted assemblies from 21 participating teams. We evaluated these assemblies using a combination of optical map data, Fosmid sequences, and several statistical methods. From over 100 different metrics, we chose ten key measures by which to assess the overall quality of the assemblies. Conclusions: Many current genome assemblers produced useful assemblies, containing a significant representation of their genes and overall genome structure. However, the high degree of variability between the entries suggests that there is still much room for improvement in the field of genome assembly and that approaches which work well in assembling the genome of one species may not necessarily work well for another