629 research outputs found
Elective high-frequency oscillatory ventilation in preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome: an individual patient data meta-analysis
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Despite the considerable amount of evidence from randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses, uncertainty remains regarding the efficacy and safety of high-frequency oscillatory ventilation as compared to conventional ventilation in the early treatment of respiratory distress syndrome in preterm infants. This results in a wide variation in the clinical use of high-frequency oscillatory ventilation for this indication throughout the world. The reasons are an unexplained heterogeneity between trial results and a number of unanswered, clinically important questions. Do infants with different risk profiles respond differently to high-frequency oscillatory ventilation? How does the ventilation strategy affect outcomes? Does the delay – either from birth or from the moment of intubation – to the start of high-frequency oscillation modify the effect of the intervention? Instead of doing new trials, those questions can be addressed by re-analyzing the individual patient data from the existing randomized controlled trials.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>A systematic review with meta-analysis based on individual patient data. This involves the central collection, validation and re-analysis of the original individual data from each infant included in each randomized controlled trial addressing this question.</p> <p>The study objective is to estimate the effect of high-frequency oscillatory ventilation on the risk for the combined outcome of death or bronchopulmonary dysplasia or a severe adverse neurological event. In addition, it will explore whether the effect of high-frequency oscillatory ventilation differs by the infant's risk profile, defined by gestational age, intrauterine growth restriction, severity of lung disease at birth and whether or not corticosteroids were given to the mother prior to delivery. Finally, it will explore the importance of effect modifying factors such as the ventilator device, ventilation strategy and the delay to the start of high-frequency ventilation.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>An international collaborative group, the PreVILIG Collaboration (Prevention of Ventilator Induced Lung Injury Group), has been formed with the investigators of the original randomized trials to conduct this systematic review. In the field of neonatology, individual patient data meta-analysis has not been used previously. Final results are expected to be available by the end of 2009.</p
Caspase-8 and c-FLIPL associate in lipid rafts with NF-kappaB adaptors during T cell activation.
Humans and mice lacking functional caspase-8 in T cells manifest a profound immunodeficiency syndrome due to defective T cell antigen receptor (TCR)-induced NF-kappaB signaling and proliferation. It is unknown how caspase-8 is activated following T cell stimulation, and what is the caspase-8 substrate(s) that is necessary to initiate T cell cycling. We observe that following TCR ligation, a small portion of total cellular caspase-8 and c-FLIP(L) rapidly migrate to lipid rafts where they associate in an active caspase complex. Activation of caspase-8 in lipid rafts is followed by rapid cleavage of c-FLIP(L) at a known caspase-8 cleavage site. The active caspase.c-FLIP complex forms in the absence of Fas (CD95/APO1) and associates with the NF-kappaB signaling molecules RIP1, TRAF2, and TRAF6, as well as upstream NF-kappaB regulators PKC theta, CARMA1, Bcl-10, and MALT1, which connect to the TCR. The lack of caspase-8 results in the absence of MALT1 and Bcl-10 in the active caspase complex. Consistent with this observation, inhibition of caspase activity attenuates NF-kappaB activation. The current findings define a link among TCR, caspases, and the NF-kappaB pathway that occurs in a sequestered lipid raft environment in T cells
Equations of Motion of Spinning Relativistic Particle in Electromagnetic and Gravitational Fields
We consider the motion of a spinning relativistic particle in external
electromagnetic and gravitational fields, to first order in the external field,
but to an arbitrary order in spin. The noncovariant spin formalism is crucial
for the correct description of the influence of the spin on the particle
trajectory. We show that the true coordinate of a relativistic spinning
particle is its naive, common coordinate \r. Concrete calculations are
performed up to second order in spin included. A simple derivation is presented
for the gravitational spin-orbit and spin-spin interactions of a relativistic
particle. We discuss the gravimagnetic moment (GM), a specific spin effect in
general relativity. It is shown that for the Kerr black hole the gravimagnetic
ratio, i.e., the coefficient at the GM, equals unity (just as for the charged
Kerr hole the gyromagnetic ratio equals two). The equations of motion obtained
for relativistic spinning particle in external gravitational field differ
essentially from the Papapetrou equations.Comment: 32 pages, latex, Plenary talk at the Fairbank Meeting on the
Lense--Thirring Effect, Rome-Pescara, 29/6-4/7 199
Meta-regression analysis of high-frequency ventilation vs conventional ventilation in infant respiratory distress syndrome
Regional respiratory time constants during lung recruitment in high-frequency oscillatory ventilated preterm infants
To assess the regional respiratory time constants of lung volume changes during stepwise lung recruitment before and after surfactant treatment in high-frequency oscillatory ventilated preterm infants. A stepwise oxygenation-guided recruitment procedure was performed before and after surfactant treatment in high-frequency oscillatory ventilated preterm infants. Electrical impedance tomography was used to continuously record changes in lung volume during the recruitment maneuver. Time constants were determined for all incremental and decremental pressure steps, using one-phase exponential decay curve fitting. Data were analyzed for the whole cross section of the chest and the ventral and dorsal lung regions separately. Before surfactant treatment, the time constants of the incremental pressure steps were significantly longer (median 27.3 s) than those in the decremental steps (16.1 s). Regional analysis showed only small differences between the ventral and dorsal lung regions. Following surfactant treatment, the time constants during decremental pressure steps almost tripled to 44.3 s. Furthermore, the time constants became significantly (p <0.01) longer in the dorsal (61.2 s) than into the ventral (40.3 s) lung region. Lung volume stabilization during stepwise oxygenation-guided lung recruitment in high-frequency oscillatory ventilated preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome is usually completed within 5 min and is dependent on the position of ventilation on the pressure volume curve, the surfactant status, and the region of interest of the lun
Inter-individual differences in contamination profiles as tracer of social group association in stranded sperm whales
Study of CP violation in Dalitz-plot analyses of B0 --> K+K-KS, B+ --> K+K-K+, and B+ --> KSKSK+
We perform amplitude analyses of the decays , , and , and measure CP-violating
parameters and partial branching fractions. The results are based on a data
sample of approximately decays, collected with the
BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy factory at the SLAC National
Accelerator Laboratory. For , we find a direct CP asymmetry
in of , which differs
from zero by . For , we measure the
CP-violating phase .
For , we measure an overall direct CP asymmetry of
. We also perform an angular-moment analysis of
the three channels, and determine that the state can be described
well by the sum of the resonances , , and
.Comment: 35 pages, 68 postscript figures. v3 - minor modifications to agree
with published versio
Technical Design Report for the PANDA Solenoid and Dipole Spectrometer Magnets
This document is the Technical Design Report covering the two large
spectrometer magnets of the PANDA detector set-up. It shows the conceptual
design of the magnets and their anticipated performance. It precedes the tender
and procurement of the magnets and, hence, is subject to possible modifications
arising during this process.Comment: 10 pages, 14MB, accepted by FAIR STI in May 2009, editors: Inti
Lehmann (chair), Andrea Bersani, Yuri Lobanov, Jost Luehning, Jerzy Smyrski,
Technical Coordiantor: Lars Schmitt, Bernd Lewandowski (deputy),
Spokespersons: Ulrich Wiedner, Paola Gianotti (deputy
A search for resonant production of pairs in $4.8\ \rm{fb}^{-1}p\bar{p}\sqrt{s}=1.96\ \rm{TeV}$
We search for resonant production of tt pairs in 4.8 fb^{-1} integrated
luminosity of ppbar collision data at sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV in the lepton+jets decay
channel, where one top quark decays leptonically and the other hadronically. A
matrix element reconstruction technique is used; for each event a probability
density function (pdf) of the ttbar candidate invariant mass is sampled. These
pdfs are used to construct a likelihood function, whereby the cross section for
resonant ttbar production is estimated, given a hypothetical resonance mass and
width. The data indicate no evidence of resonant production of ttbar pairs. A
benchmark model of leptophobic Z \rightarrow ttbar is excluded with m_{Z'} <
900 GeV at 95% confidence level.Comment: accepted for publication in Physical Review D Sep 21, 201
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