Factorization at fixed Q^2(1-x)

We consider QCD factorization between hard and soft subprocesses in inclusive reactions where the momentum fraction x of one parton approaches unity as the hard scale Q^2 -> \infty, such that Q^2(1-x) is fixed. In this "BB limit" the entire (multi-parton) Fock state containing the high x parton is coherent with the hard subprocess. The soft contribution is given by a forward multiparton matrix element. The BB limit corresponds to a fixed (large or small) missing mass and is thus closely connected to exclusive production. We analyze the Drell-Yan process h + N -> \gamma^* + X in detail, explaining why the virtual photon is longitudinally polarized for h = \pi and transversely polarized for h = p. The BB limit may be relevant also for other phenomena observed at high x, such as the large single spin asymmetries of p p -> \Lambda^\uparrow X and in p p^\uparrow -> \pi X.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures. v2: Version published in JHEP. Text modified as suggested by the refere

Structure of Relativistic States

QCD factorization in the Bjorken limit allows to separate the long-distance physics from the hard subprocess. At leading twist, only one parton in each hadron is coherent with the hard subprocess. Higher twist effects increase as one of the active partons carries most of the longitudinal momentum of the hadron, x -> 1. In the Drell-Yan process \pi N -> \mu^- mu^+ + X, the polarization of the virtual photon is observed to change to longitudinal when the photon carries x_F > 0.6 of the pion. I define and study the Berger-Brodsky limit of Q^2 -> \infty with Q^2(1-x) fixed. A new kind of factorization holds in the Drell-Yan process in this limit, in which both pion valence quarks are coherent with the hard subprocess, the virtual photon is longitudinal rather than transverse, and the cross section is proportional to a multiparton distribution. Generalized parton distributions contain information on the longitudinal momentum and transverse position densities of partons in a hadron. Transverse charge densities are Fourier transforms of the electromagnetic form factors. I discuss the application of these methods to the QED electron, studying the form factors, charge densities and spin distributions of the leading order |e\gamma> Fock state in impact parameter and longitudinal momentum space. I show how the transverse shape of any virtual photon induced process, \gamma^*(q)+i -> f, may be measured. Qualitative arguments concerning the size of such transitions have been previously made in the literature, but without a precise analysis. Properly defined, the amplitudes and the cross section in impact parameter space provide information on the transverse shape of the transition process.Tuntemamme aine koostuu atomeista. Atomiytimen muodostavat protonit ja neutronit, joita kutsutaan yhteisnimellä nukleoneiksi. 1950-luvulla suoritetuissa hiukkaskokeissa havaittiin, että nukleonit eivät ole pistemäisiä, vaan ne ovat kooltaan femtometrin suuruusluokkaa, 10^-15 metriä. Nukleonit puolestaan koostuvat nykykäsityksen mukaan pistemäisistä kvarkeista ja gluoneista, joita kutsutaan yhteisnimellä partoneiksi. Partonit sitoo toisiinsa vahva vuorovaikutus, jota kuvaava teoria on kvanttikromodynamiikka. Hiukkaskokeilla tehtävän nukleonien teoreettisen tutkimuksen mahdollistaa kvanttikromodynamiikan asymptoottinen vapaus sekä faktorisaatio. Faktorisaation avulla sirontaprosessin vaikutusala voidaan lausua partonien sirontaa kuvaavan vaikutusalan sekä partonijakaumafunktioiden tulona. Partonijakaumafunktiot kuvaavat partonien liikemäärän jakaumaa nukleonissa, ja niiden tarkka tuntemus on oleellista esimerkiksi CERNin LHC:ssä tehtävälle tutkimukselle. Väitöskirjassani käsittelen tiettyä pionin ja nukleonin sirontaprosessia, jossa tavanomainen faktorisaatio ei päde. Osoitan, että kyseisessä prosessissa pätee uudenlainen faktorisaatio, joka eroaa huomattavasti tavanomaisesta. Partonijakaumafunktioiden lisäksi hiukkaskokeilla voidaan mitata nukleonien varaustiheyksiä, jotka kuvaavat partonien jakaumaa törmäysakselia vastaan kohtisuorassa tasossa. Väitöskirjassani sovellan tätä menetelmää elektroniin. Elektronia kuvaava teoria on kvanttielektrodynamiikka, jonka avulla tutkin varauksen ja spinin jakaumaa elektronin johtavan kertaluvun elektroni-fotoni-tilassa. Tulokset kehittävät intuitiotamme relativistisilla nopeuksilla liikkuvien hiukkasten kvanttimekaniikasta. Nukleonien varaustiheyksien mittaamisessa käytetty menetelmä on analoginen elektronimikroskopian kanssa. Näytän väitöskirjassani, miten tätä menetelmää voidaan soveltaa yleisemmässä tilanteessa, jossa sirontaprosessin alku- tai lopputilassa on useampi kuin yksi nukleoni. Tämä avaa mahdollisuuden erilaisten sirontaprosessien koon ja muodon mittaamiseen törmäysakselia vastaan kohtisuorassa tasossa, antaen uudenlaisen tavan tutkia vahvan vuorovaikutuksen dynamiikkaa

Genomitieto, funktionaalinen lääketestaus ja koneoppiminen yksilöllisen lääkehoidon työkaluna

Teema : lääkkeet ja digitalisaatio 1.

Genomitieto, funktionaalinen lääketestaus ja koneoppiminen yksilöllisen lääkehoidon työkaluna

Teema : lääkkeet ja digitalisaatio 1.

Ezrin expression combined with MSI status in prognostication of stage II colorectal cancer

Currently used factors predicting disease recurrence in stage II colorectal cancer patients are not optimal for risk stratification. Thus, new biomarkers are needed. In this study the applicability of ezrin protein expression together with MSI status and BRAF mutation status were tested in predicting disease outcome in stage II colorectal cancer. The study population consisted of 173 stage II colorectal cancer patients. Paraffin-embedded cancer tissue material from surgical specimens was used to construct tissue microarrays (TMAs) with next-generation technique. The TMA-slides were subjected to following immunohistochemical stainings: MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, PMS2, ezrin and anti-BRAF V600E antibody. The staining results were correlated with clinicopathological variables and survival. In categorical analysis, high ezrin protein expression correlated with poor disease-specific survival (p = 0.038). In univariate analysis patients having microsatellite instabile / low ezrin expression tumors had a significantly longer disease-specific survival than patients having microsatellite stable / high ezrin expression tumors (p = 0.007). In multivariate survival analysis, the presence of BRAF mutation was associated to poor overall survival (p = 0.028, HR 3.29, 95% CI1.14-9.54). High ezrin protein expression in patients with microsatellite stable tumors was linked to poor disease-specific survival (p = 0.01, HR 5.68, 95% CI 1.53-21.12). Ezrin protein expression is a promising biomarker in estimating the outcome of stage II colorectal cancer patients. When combined with microsatellite status its ability in predicting disease outcome is further improved.Peer reviewe

Retrospective Evaluation of Lung Adenocarcinoma Patients Progressing on 1st Line Chemotherapy

Background and Objectives: Evaluation of data from electronic health care records could help in guiding towards more rational drug treatments. This single center study evaluated clinical characteristics that could be associated with disease progression. Methods: This was a real world data (RWD) study using existing data from the registries of a university hospital. Patients had lung adenocarcinoma and they had received 1st line treatment. Treatment patterns and survival parameters were characterized and clinical characteristics of the patients were evaluated together with their association with disease progression. Results: 80 stage III/IV patients fulfilling inclusion criteria were identified. Mean age was 62 years and 61% were men. In total, 65% were current smokers and 82% had performance status (ECOG) 0/1. Median progression free survival (mPFS) and median overall survival (mOS) for stage III and IV patients were 8.5 and 5.4 months, and 21.9 and 8.6 months, respectively. The study found that 69% of patients progressed within 9 months from the start of the 1st line treatment. Poor performance status (ECOG 3), male gender, and smoking suggested faster disease progression. Most had received cis/carboplatin-based treatment in the 1st line. Cisplatin regimens were associated with more complete responses and better PFS and OS than the carboplatin ones. Conclusions: By combining algorithmic and manual validation of electronic health care records, clinically valid characteristics and outcomes could be evaluated and presented. This approach forms a basis for tools such as quality registries that can guide treatment decisions.</p

Real-world features associated with cancer-related venous thromboembolic events

Background The incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) is 1–2/1000 individuals. Patients with cancer, especially during chemotherapy, are at enhanced risk, but real-world data on factors associated with VTE events are still scarce.Aim The aim of this retrospective study was to survey the incidence of VTE based on a large hospital database, and to identify comorbidities and features associated with VTE events. We focused on cancer-related VTE events and on factors indicating increased VTE risk during chemotherapy.Methods The cohort included patients treated at Turku University Hospital during years 2005–2013. Health information was derived and analysed from multiple electronic databases. The diagnoses of VTE and all comorbidities, including type of cancer, were based on International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision coding. For further analysis, we focused on 16 common types of cancers treated with chemotherapy. Age, gender, surgery, radiotherapy, distant metastasis, available laboratory values and platinum-based chemotherapy were evaluated for VTE group, and associations were estimated by Cox regression analyses.Results The entire database contained information from 495 089 patients, of whom 5452 (1.1%) had a VTE diagnosis. Among individuals with VTE, 1437 (26.4%) had diagnosis of coronary heart disease and 1467 (26.9%) had cancer diagnosis. Among 7778 patients with cancer treated with chemotherapy, 282 (3.6%) had a VTE, platinum-based chemotherapy being a major risk factor (HR 1.77, 95% CI 1.40 to 2.24, p<0.001). In multivariate analysis, elevated blood neutrophil counts (>3.25×109 cells/L, HR 1.96, 95% CI 1.33 to 2.89, p<0.001) and plasma creatinine (>62.5 μmol/L; HR 1.60, 95% CI 1.21 to 2.13, p=0.001) values were independent indicators of increased VTE risk during chemotherapy.Conclusions Longitudinal electronic health record analysis provides a powerful tool to gather meaningful real-world information to study clinical associations, like comorbidities, and to identify markers associated with VTE. The combination of various clinical and laboratory variables could be used for VTE risk evaluation and targeted prevention.</div

Sex-Dependent Improvement in Survival of Parkinson's Disease Patients

Background Advances in the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD) and changes in general life expectancy may have improved survival in patients with PD. Objective The objective of this study was to investigate recent trends in PD mortality. Methods In total, 1521 patients with PD in local and national registries were followed for 11 years (2006-2016) from diagnosis until exit date or death, and the causes of death were recorded. Results The survival of men with PD improved during the follow-up period, but no change was observed in women (2-year postdiagnosis survival in men, 79.0%-86.3%, P = 0.03; 2-year postdiagnosis survival in women, 82.8%-87.5%, P = 0.42). Pneumonia was the most common immediate cause of death. Discussion The survival of men with PD has improved in Finland without a similar change in women. Because changes in treatment likely affect both sexes similarly, the results may reflect the decreasing sex gap in life expectancy. This phenomenon will likely increase the already high male-to-female prevalence ratio of PD.Peer reviewe