Risk factors for recurrent wheezing in infants: a case-control study

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To evaluate the association between recurrent wheezing and atopy, the Asthma Predictive Index, exposure to risk factors, and total serum IgE levels as potential factors to predict recurrent wheezing. METHODS A case-control study with infants aged 6-24 months treated at a specialized outpatient clinic from November 2011 to March 2013. Evaluations included sensitivity to inhalant and food antigens, positive Asthma Predictive Index, and other risk factors for recurrent wheezing (smoking during pregnancy, presence of indoor smoke, viral infections, and total serum IgE levels). RESULTS We evaluated 113 children: 65 infants with recurrent wheezing (63.0% male) with a mean age of 14.8 (SD = 5.2) months and 48 healthy infants (44.0% male) with a mean age of 15.2 (SD = 5.1) months. In the multiple analysis model, antigen sensitivity (OR = 12.45; 95%CI 1.28–19.11), positive Asthma Predictive Index (OR = 5.57; 95%CI 2.23–7.96), and exposure to environmental smoke (OR = 2.63; 95%CI 1.09–6.30) remained as risk factors for wheezing. Eosinophilia ≥ 4.0% e total IgE ≥ 100 UI/mL were more prevalent in the wheezing group, but failed to remain in the model. Smoking during pregnancy was identified in a small number of mothers, and secondhand smoke at home was higher in the control group. CONCLUSIONS Presence of atopy, positive Asthma Predictive Index and exposure to environmental smoke are associated to recurrent wheezing. Identifying these factors enables the adoption of preventive measures, especially for children susceptible to persistent wheezing and future asthma onset

Laboratory-frame electron angular distributions: Probing the chemical environment through intramolecular electron scattering

Carbon 1s photoelectron asymmetry parameters β for the chlorinated and the methyl carbon atom of CH₃CH₂Cl, CH₃CHCl₂, and CH₃CCl₃ have been measured using synchrotron radiation in the 340-600 eV energy range. We provide experimental evidence that the intramolecular scattering strongly affects beta values, even far from the ionization threshold. The results are in agreement with B-spline density functional theory calculations, making it possible to single out the behavior of the various continuum partial waves. We conclude that the intramolecular scattering makes electron angular distributions sensitive to the chemical environment, even in isolated gas phase molecules.Keywords: Molecular orbital methods, Edge, Gaussian basis sets, Absorption fine structure, Row atoms, Photoemission, Wave functions, Potentials, 1s photoelectron spectroscopy, Photoionizatio

Nonstoichiometric Intensities in Core Photoelectron Spectroscopy

X-ray photoemission spectroscopy is used in a great variety of research fields; one observable is the sample's stoichiometry. The stoichiometry can be deduced based on the expectation that the ionization cross sections for innershell orbitals are independent of the molecular composition. Here we used chlorine-substituted ethanes in the gas phase to investigate the apparent carbon stoichiometry. We observe a nonstoichiometric ratio for a wide range of photon energies, the ratio exhibits x-ray-absorption fine structure spectroscopy (EXAFS)-like oscillations and hundreds of eV above the C1s ionization approaches a value far from 1. These effects can be accounted for by considering the scattering of the outgoing photoelectron, which we model by multiple-scattering EXAFS calculations, and by considering the effects of losses due to monopole shakeup and shakeoff and to intramolecular inelastic scattering processes.This is the publisher’s final pdf. The published article is copyrighted by American Physical Society and can be found at: http://prl.aps.org/Keywords: Absorption fine structure, Photoemissio

Production of η mesons in 200 AGeV/cS+S and S+Au reactions

Minimum Bias production cross sections of $\eta$ mesons have been measured in 200AGeV S+Au and S+S collisions at the CERN SPS by reconstructing the $\eta\rightarrow\gamma\gamma$ decay. The measurements have been made over the rapidity range $2.1 \leq y \leq 2.9$ using the leadglass spectrometer of WA80. Within the statistical and systematical uncertainties the spectral shapes of $\pi~0$ and $\eta$ mesons yields are identical when their invariant differential cross section is plotted as a function of the transverse mass. The relative normalization of the $\eta$ to $\pi~0$ transverse mass spectra is found to be $0.53 \pm 0.07$ for S+Au and $0.43 \pm 0.15$ for S+S reactions. Extrapolation to full phase space leads to an integrated cross section ratio of $\eta$ to $\pi~0$ mesons of $0.15 \pm 0.02 {\rm (stat.)} \pm 0.02 {\rm (syst.)}$, and $0.12 \pm 0.03 {\rm (stat.)} \pm 0.02 {\rm (syst.)}$ for S+Au and S+S collisions, respectively.Minimum Bias production cross sections of $\eta$ mesons have been measured in 200AGeV S+Au and S+S collisions at the CERN SPS by reconstructing the $\eta\rightarrow\gamma\gamma$ decay. The measurements have been made over the rapidity range $2.1 \leq y \leq 2.9$ using the leadglass spectrometer of WA80. Within the statistical and systematical uncertainties the spectral shapes of $\pi~0$ and $\eta$ mesons yields are identical when their invariant differential cross section is plotted as a function of the transverse mass. The relative normalization of the $\eta$ to $\pi~0$ transverse mass spectra is found to be $0.53 \pm 0.07$ for S+Au and $0.43 \pm 0.15$ for S+S reactions. Extrapolation to full phase space leads to an integrated cross section ratio of $\eta$ to $\pi~0$ mesons of $0.15 \pm 0.02 {\rm (stat.)} \pm 0.02 {\rm (syst.)}$, and $0.12 \pm 0.03 {\rm (stat.)} \pm 0.02 {\rm (syst.)}$ for S+Au and S+S collisions, respectively.Minimum Bias production cross sections of $\eta$ mesons have been measured in 200AGeV S+Au and S+S collisions at the CERN SPS by reconstructing the $\eta\rightarrow\gamma\gamma$ decay. The measurements have been made over the rapidity range $2.1 \leq y \leq 2.9$ using the leadglass spectrometer of WA80. Within the statistical and systematical uncertainties the spectral shapes of $\pi~0$ and $\eta$ mesons yields are identical when their invariant differential cross section is plotted as a function of the transverse mass. The relative normalization of the $\eta$ to $\pi~0$ transverse mass spectra is found to be $0.53 \pm 0.07$ for S+Au and $0.43 \pm 0.15$ for S+S reactions. Extrapolation to full phase space leads to an integrated cross section ratio of $\eta$ to $\pi~0$ mesons of $0.15 \pm 0.02 {\rm (stat.)} \pm 0.02 {\rm (syst.)}$, and $0.12 \pm 0.03 {\rm (stat.)} \pm 0.02 {\rm (syst.)}$ for S+Au and S+S collisions, respectively.Minimum Bias production cross sections of $\eta$ mesons have been measured in 200AGeV S+Au and S+S collisions at the CERN SPS by reconstructing the $\eta\rightarrow\gamma\gamma$ decay. The measurements have been made over the rapidity range $2.1 \leq y \leq 2.9$ using the leadglass spectrometer of WA80. Within the statistical and systematical uncertainties the spectral shapes of $\pi~0$ and $\eta$ mesons yields are identical when their invariant differential cross section is plotted as a function of the transverse mass. The relative normalization of the $\eta$ to $\pi~0$ transverse mass spectra is found to be $0.53 \pm 0.07$ for S+Au and $0.43 \pm 0.15$ for S+S reactions. Extrapolation to full phase space leads to an integrated cross section ratio of $\eta$ to $\pi~0$ mesons of $0.15 \pm 0.02 {\rm (stat.)} \pm 0.02 {\rm (syst.)}$, and $0.12 \pm 0.03 {\rm (stat.)} \pm 0.02 {\rm (syst.)}$ for S+Au and S+S collisions, respectively.Minimum Bias production cross sections of $\eta$ mesons have been measured in 200AGeV S+Au and S+S collisions at the CERN SPS by reconstructing the $\eta\rightarrow\gamma\gamma$ decay. The measurements have been made over the rapidity range $2.1 \leq y \leq 2.9$ using the leadglass spectrometer of WA80. Within the statistical and systematical uncertainties the spectral shapes of $\pi~0$ and $\eta$ mesons yields are identical when their invariant differential cross section is plotted as a function of the transverse mass. The relative normalization of the $\eta$ to $\pi~0$ transverse mass spectra is found to be $0.53 \pm 0.07$ for S+Au and $0.43 \pm 0.15$ for S+S reactions. Extrapolation to full phase space leads to an integrated cross section ratio of $\eta$ to $\pi~0$ mesons of $0.15 \pm 0.02 {\rm (stat.)} \pm 0.02 {\rm (syst.)}$, and $0.12 \pm 0.03 {\rm (stat.)} \pm 0.02 {\rm (syst.)}$ for S+Au and S+S collisions, respectively.Minimum Bias production cross sections of η mesons have been measured in 200 A GeV/ c S+Au and S+S collisions at the CERN SPS by reconstructing the η → γγ decay. The measurements have been made over the rapidity range 2.1 ≤ y ≤ 2.9 using the leadglass spectrometer of WA80. Within the statistical and systematical uncertainties the spectral shapes of π 0 and η mesons yields are identical when their invariant differential cross section is plotted as a function of the transverse mass. The relative normaliz