An embedding technique to determine ττ backgrounds in proton-proton collision data

An embedding technique is presented to estimate standard model tau tau backgrounds from data with minimal simulation input. In the data, the muons are removed from reconstructed mu mu events and replaced with simulated tau leptons with the same kinematic properties. In this way, a set of hybrid events is obtained that does not rely on simulation except for the decay of the tau leptons. The challenges in describing the underlying event or the production of associated jets in the simulation are avoided. The technique described in this paper was developed for CMS. Its validation and the inherent uncertainties are also discussed. The demonstration of the performance of the technique is based on a sample of proton-proton collisions collected by CMS in 2017 at root s = 13 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 41.5 fb(-1).Peer reviewe

Performance of missing transverse momentum reconstruction in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV using the CMS detector

The performance of missing transverse momentum ((p) over right arrow (miss)(T)) reconstruction algorithms for the CMS experiment is presented, using proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, collected at the CERN LHC in 2016. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb(-1). The results include measurements of the scale and resolution of (p) over right arrow (miss)(T), and detailed studies of events identified with anomalous (p) over right arrow (miss)(T). The performance is presented of a (p) over right arrow (miss)(T) reconstruction algorithm that mitigates the effects of multiple proton-proton interactions, using the "pileup per particle identification" method. The performance is shown of an algorithm used to estimate the compatibility of the reconstructed (p) over right arrow (miss)(T) with the hypothesis that it originates from resolution effects.Peer reviewe

Predictive factors of Status Epilepticus and its recurrence in patients with adult-onset seizures: A multicenter, long follow-up cohort study

Purpose: Status epilepticus (SE) is associated with high morbidity and mortality. This multicenter retrospective cohort study aims to identify the factors associated with the occurrence of SE and the predictors of its recurrence in patients with adult-onset seizures. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data of 1115 patients with seizure onset>18 years, observed from 1983 to 2020 in 7 Italian Centers (median follow-up 2.1 years). Data were collected from the databases of the Centers. Patients with SE were consecutively recruited, and patients without SE history were randomly selected in a 2:1 ratio. To assess determinants of SE, different clinical-demographic variables were evaluated and included in univariate and multivariate logistic regression model. Results: Three hundred forty-seven patients had a SE history, whereas the remaining 768 patients had either isolated seizures or epilepsy without SE history. The occurrence of SE was independently associated with increasing age at onset of disease (OR 1.02, 95% CI 1.01--1.03, p<0.001), female sex (OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.05--1.83, p=0.02) and known etiology (OR 3.58, 95% CI 2.61--4.93, p<0.001). SE recurred in 21% of patients with adult-onset SE and recurrence was associated with increasing number of anti-seizure medications taken at last follow-up (OR 1.88, 95% CI 1.31--2.71, p<0.001). Conclusions: In patients with adult-onset seizures, SE occurrence is associated with known etiologies, advanced age , female sex. Patients with recurrent SE are likely to have a refractory epilepsy, deserving careful treat-ment to prevent potentially fatal events

Adjunctive Brivaracetam in Older Patients with Focal Seizures: Evidence from the BRIVAracetam add‑on First Italian netwoRk Study (BRIVAFIRST)

BACKGROUND: The management of epilepsy in older adults has become part of daily practice because of an aging population. Older patients with epilepsy represent a distinct and more vulnerable clinical group as compared with younger patients, and they are generally under-represented in randomized placebo-controlled trials. Real-world studies can therefore be a useful complement to characterize the drug's profile. Brivaracetam is a rationally developed compound characterized by high-affinity binding to synaptic vesicle protein 2A and approved as adjunctive therapy for focal seizures in adults with epilepsy. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the 12-month effectiveness and tolerability of adjunctive brivaracetam in older patients (≥65 years of age) with epilepsy treated in a real-world setting. METHODS: The BRIVAFIRST (BRIVAracetam add-on First Italian netwoRk STudy) was a 12-month retrospective multicenter study including adult patients prescribed adjunctive brivaracetam. Effectiveness outcomes included the rates of seizure response (≥50% reduction in baseline seizure frequency), seizure freedom, and treatment discontinuation. Safety and tolerability outcomes included the rate of treatment discontinuation due to adverse events and the incidence of adverse events. Data were compared for patients aged ≥65 years of age ('older') vs those aged <65 years ('younger'). RESULTS: There were 1029 patients with focal epilepsy included in the study, of whom 111 (10.8%) were aged ≥65 years. The median daily dose of brivaracetam at 3 months was 100 [interquartile range, 100-175] mg in the older group and 100 [100-200] mg in the younger group (p = 0.036); it was 150 [100-200] mg in both groups either at 6 months (p = 0.095) or 12 months (p = 0.140). At 12 months, 49 (44.1%) older and 334 (36.4%) younger patients had a reduction in their baseline seizure frequency by at least 50% (p = 0.110), and the seizure freedom rates were 35/111 (31.5%) and 134/918 (14.6%) in older and younger groups, respectively (p < 0.001). During the 1-year study period, 20 (18.0%) patients in the older group and 245 (26.7%) patients in the younger group discontinued brivaracetam (p = 0.048). Treatment withdrawal because of insufficient efficacy was less common in older than younger patients [older: n = 7 (6.3%), younger: n = 152 (16.6%); p = 0.005]. Adverse events were reported by 24.2% of older patients and 30.8% of younger patients (p = 0.185); the most common adverse events were somnolence, nervousness and/or agitation, vertigo, and fatigue in both study groups. CONCLUSIONS: Adjunctive brivaracetam was efficacious, had good tolerability, and no new or unexpected safety signals emerged when used to treat older patients with uncontrolled focal seizures in clinical practice. Adjunctive brivaracetam can be a suitable therapeutic option in this special population

Sustained seizure freedom with adjunctive brivaracetam in patients with focal onset seizures

The maintenance of seizure control over time is a clinical priority in patients with epilepsy. The aim of this study was to assess the sustained seizure frequency reduction with adjunctive brivaracetam (BRV) in real-world practice. Patients with focal epilepsy prescribed add-on BRV were identified. Study outcomes included sustained seizure freedom and sustained seizure response, defined as a 100% and a >= 50% reduction in baseline seizure frequency that continued without interruption and without BRV withdrawal through the 12-month follow-up. Nine hundred ninety-four patients with a median age of 45 (interquartile range = 32-56) years were included. During the 1-year study period, sustained seizure freedom was achieved by 142 (14.3%) patients, of whom 72 (50.7%) were seizure-free from Day 1 of BRV treatment. Sustained seizure freedom was maintained for >= 6, >= 9, and 12 months by 14.3%, 11.9%, and 7.2% of patients from the study cohort. Sustained seizure response was reached by 383 (38.5%) patients; 236 of 383 (61.6%) achieved sustained >= 50% reduction in seizure frequency by Day 1, 94 of 383 (24.5%) by Month 4, and 53 of 383 (13.8%) by Month 7 up to Month 12. Adjunctive BRV was associated with sustained seizure frequency reduction from the first day of treatment in a subset of patients with uncontrolled focal epilepsy

Appropriateness of antiplatelet therapy for primary and secondary cardio- and cerebrovascular prevention in acutely hospitalized older people

Aims: Antiplatelet therapy is recommended for the secondary prevention of cardio- and cerebrovascular disease, but for primary prevention it is advised only in patients at very high risk. With this background, this study aims to assess the appropriateness of antiplatelet therapy in acutely hospitalized older people according to their risk profile. Methods: Data were obtained from the REPOSI register held in Italian and Spanish internal medicine and geriatric wards in 2012 and 2014. Hospitalized patients aged 6565 assessable at discharge were selected. Appropriateness of the antiplatelet therapy was evaluated according to their primary or secondary cardiovascular prevention profiles. Results: Of 2535 enrolled patients, 2199 were assessable at discharge. Overall 959 (43.6%, 95% CI 41.5\u201345.7) were prescribed an antiplatelet drug, aspirin being the most frequently chosen. Among patients prescribed for primary prevention, just over half were inappropriately prescribed (52.1%), being mainly overprescribed (155/209 patients, 74.2%). On the other hand, there was also a high rate of inappropriate underprescription in the context of secondary prevention (222/726 patients, 30.6%, 95% CI 27.3\u201334.0%). Conclusions: This study carried out in acutely hospitalized older people shows a high degree of inappropriate prescription among patients prescribed with antiplatelets for primary prevention, mainly due to overprescription. Further, a large proportion of patients who had had overt cardio- or cerebrovascular disease were underprescribed, in spite of the established benefits of antiplatelet drugs in the context of secondary prevention

Search for supersymmetry in final states with photons and missing transverse momentum in proton-proton collisions at 13 TeV

Results are reported for a search for supersymmetry in final states with photons and missing transverse momentum in proton-proton collisions at the LHC. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$ collected at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV using the CMS detector. The results are interpreted in the context of models of gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking. Production cross section limits are set on gluino and squark pair production in this framework. Gluino masses below 1.86 TeV and squark masses below 1.59 TeV are excluded at 95% confidence level

An embedding technique to determine ττ\tau\tau backgrounds in proton-proton collision data

An embedding technique is presented to estimate standard model $\tau\tau$ backgrounds from data with minimal simulation input. In the data, the muons are removed from reconstructed $\mu\mu$ events and replaced with simulated tau leptons with the same kinematic properties. In this way a set of hybrid events is obtained that does not rely on simulation except for the decay of the tau leptons. The challenges in describing the underlying event or the production of associated jets in the simulation are avoided. The technique described in this paper was developed for CMS. Its validation and the inherent uncertainties are also discussed. The demonstration of the performance of the technique is based on a sample of proton-proton collisions collected by CMS in 2017 at $\sqrt{s}=$ 13 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 41.5 fb$^{-1}$

Constraints on anomalous HVV couplings from the production of Higgs bosons decaying to τ\tau lepton pairs

A study is presented of anomalous HVV interactions of the Higgs boson, including its CP properties. The study uses Higgs boson candidates produced mainly in vector boson fusion and gluon fusion that subsequently decay to a pair of $\tau$ leptons. The data were recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC in 2016 at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. A matrix element technique is employed for the analysis of anomalous interactions. The results are combined with those from the $\mathrm{H}\to 4\ell$ decay channel presented earlier, yielding the most stringent constraints on anomalous Higgs boson couplings to electroweak vector bosons expressed as effective cross-section fractions and phases: the CP-violating parameter $f_{a3}\cos(\phi_{a3})=(0.00 \pm 0.27 )\times10^{-3}$ and the CP-conserving parameters $f_{a2}\cos(\phi_{a2})=(0.08^{+1.04}_{-0.21})\times10^{-3}$, $f_{\Lambda1}\cos(\phi_{\Lambda1})=(0.00^{+0.53}_{-0.09})\times10^{-3}$, and $f_{\Lambda1}^{\mathrm{Z}\gamma}\cos(\phi_{\Lambda1}^{\mathrm{Z}\gamma})=(0.0^{+1.1}_{-1.3})\times10^{-3}$. The current data set does not allow for precise constraints on CP properties in the gluon fusion process. The results are consistent with standard model expectations.A study is presented of anomalous HVV interactions of the Higgs boson, including its CP properties. The study uses Higgs boson candidates produced mainly in vector boson fusion and gluon fusion that subsequently decay to a pair of τ leptons. The data were recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC in 2016 at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 35.9  fb-1. A matrix element technique is employed for the analysis of anomalous interactions. The results are combined with those from the H→4ℓ decay channel presented earlier, yielding the most stringent constraints on anomalous Higgs boson couplings to electroweak vector bosons expressed as effective cross section fractions and phases: the CP-violating parameter fa3cos(ϕa3)=(0.00±0.27)×10-3 and the CP-conserving parameters fa2cos(ϕa2)=(0.08-0.21+1.04)×10-3, fΛ1cos(ϕΛ1)=(0.00-0.09+0.53)×10-3, and fΛ1Zγcos(ϕΛ1Zγ)=(0.0-1.3+1.1)×10-3. The current dataset does not allow for precise constraints on CP properties in the gluon fusion process. The results are consistent with standard model expectations.A study is presented of anomalous HVV interactions of the Higgs boson, including its $CP$ properties. The study uses Higgs boson candidates produced mainly in vector boson fusion and gluon fusion that subsequently decay to a pair of $\tau$ leptons. The data were recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC in 2016 at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. A matrix element technique is employed for the analysis of anomalous interactions. The results are combined with those from the H $\to 4\ell$ decay channel presented earlier, yielding the most stringent constraints on anomalous Higgs boson couplings to electroweak vector bosons expressed as effective cross section fractions and phases: the $CP$-violating parameter $f_{a3}\cos(\phi_{a3})$ $=$ $(0.00 \pm 0.27) \times 10^{-3}$ and the $CP$-conserving parameters $f_{a2}\cos(\phi_{a2})$ $=$ $(0.08 ^{+1.04}_{-0.21}) \times 10^{-3}$, $f_{\Lambda1}\cos(\phi_{\Lambda1})$ $=$ $(0.00 ^{+0.53}_{-0.09}) \times 10^{-3}$, and $f_{\Lambda1}^{\mathrm{Z}\gamma}\cos(\phi_{\Lambda1}^{\mathrm{Z}\gamma})$ $=$ $(0.0 ^{+1.1}_{-1.3}) \times 10^{-3}$. The current dataset does not allow for precise constraints on $CP$ properties in the gluon fusion process. The results are consistent with standard model expectations

Measurement of electroweak production of a W boson in association with two jets in proton-proton collisions at s=\sqrt{s}= 13 TeV

A measurement is presented of electroweak (EW) production of a W boson in association with two jets in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=$ 13 TeV. The data sample was recorded by the CMS Collaboration at the LHC and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. The measurement is performed for the $\ell\nu$jj final state (with $\ell\nu$ indicating a lepton-neutrino pair, and j representing the quarks produced in the hard interaction) in a kinematic region defined by invariant mass $m_\mathrm{jj} >$ 120 GeV and transverse momenta $p_\mathrm{T j} >$ 25 GeV. The cross section of the process is measured in the electron and muon channels yielding $\sigma_\mathrm{EW}($Wjj$)=$ 6.23$\pm$0.12 (stat)$\pm$ 0.61 (syst) pb per channel, in agreement with leading-order standard model predictions. The additional hadronic activity of events in a signal-enriched region is studied, and the measurements are compared with predictions. The final state is also used to perform a search for anomalous trilinear gauge couplings. Limits on anomalous trilinear gauge couplings associated with dimension-six operators are given in the framework of an effective field theory. The corresponding 95% confidence level intervals are $-$2.3 $< c_{\mathrm{WWW}}/\Lambda^2 <$ 2.5 TeV$^{-2}$, $-$8.8 $< c_{\mathrm{W}}/\Lambda^2 <$ 16 TeV$^{-2}$, and $-$45 $< c_{\mathrm{B}}/\Lambda^2 <$ 46 TeV$^{-2}$. These results are combined with the CMS EW Zjj analysis, yielding the most stringent limit to date on the $c_{\mathrm{WWW}}$ coupling: $-$1.8 $< c_{\mathrm{WWW}}/\Lambda^2 <$ 2.0 TeV$^{-2}$