Charmed baryon decays observed in e/sup +/e/sup -/ annihilation at SPEAR

Various weak decays of the charmed baryon ..lambda../sub c/ are observed in the Mark II detector at the SLAC e/sup +/e/sup -/ storage ring SPEAR. Hadronic decays ..lambda../sub c//sup +/ ..-->.. pK/sup -/..pi../sup +/ and ..lambda../sub c//sup +/ ..-->.. pK/sub s//sup 0/ and their conjugates are observed as peaks in invariant mass spectra at m(..lambda../sub c/) = (2286 +- 6) MeV/c/sup 2/. An estimate of the charmed baryon production cross section, sigma(..lambda../sub c/) + sigma (anti ..lambda../sub c/) = (1.7 +- 0.4) nb, derived from Mark II measurements of the inclusive baryon cross sections R/sub p/ and R/sub ..lambda../ as functions of center-of-mass energy, is used to calculate branching ratios for these hadronic decays: BR (..lambda../sub c//sup +/ ..-->.. p K/sup -/ ..pi../sup +/) = (2.0 +- 0.8)%; BR (..lambda../sub c//sup +/ ..-->.. p k/sub s//sup 0/)/BR (..lambda../sub c//sup +/ ..-->.. p K/sup -/ ..pi../sup +/) = (36 +- 16)%. An attempt is also made to observe higher mass charmed baryons by reconstructing cascade decays ..sigma../sub c/ ..-->.. ..lambda../sub c/..pi... Evidence for the observation of semileptonic decays of the charmed baryon is presented. Direct electrons are observed in events containing antiprotons, lambdas and antilambdas. The number of electrons per baryon event, after background subtraction and efficiency correction, is used, together with an estimate of the charmed baryon content of proton and lambda events, to calculate inclusive and semi-inclusive semileptonic branching ratios of the ..lambda../sub c/

Reconstitution of Intestinal CD4 and Th17 T Cells in Antiretroviral Therapy Suppressed HIV-Infected Subjects: Implication for Residual Immune Activation from the Results of a Clinical Trial

INTRODUCTION: During HIV infection the severe depletion of intestinal CD4+ T-cells is associated with microbial translocation, systemic immune activation, and disease progression. This study examined intestinal and peripheral CD4+ T-cell subsets reconstitution under combined antiretroviral therapy (cART), and systemic immune activation markers. METHODS: This longitudinal single-arm pilot study evaluates CD4+ T cells, including Th1 and Th17, in gut and blood and soluble markers for inflammation in HIV-infected individuals before (M0) and after eight (M8) months of cART. From January 2010 to December 2011, 10 HIV-1 naïve patients were screened and 9 enrolled. Blood and gut CD4+ T-cells subsets and cellular immune activation were determined by flow-cytometry and plasma soluble CD14 by ELISA. CD4+ Th17 cells were detected in gut biopsies by immunohistochemistry. Microbial translocation was measured by limulus-amebocyte-lysate assay to detect bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and PCR Real Time to detect plasma bacterial 16S rDNA. RESULTS: Eight months of cART increased intestinal CD4+ and Th17 cells and reduced levels of T-cell activation and proliferation. The magnitude of intestinal CD4+ T-cell reconstitution correlated with the reduction of plasma LPS. Importantly, the magnitude of Th17 cells reconstitution correlated directly with blood CD4+ T-cell recovery. CONCLUSION: Short-term antiretroviral therapy resulted in a significant increase in the levels of total and Th17 CD4+ T-cells in the gut mucosa and in decline of T-cell activation. The observation that pre-treatment levels of CD4+ and of CD8+ T-cell activation are predictors of the magnitude of Th17 cell reconstitution following cART provides further rationale for an early initiation of cART in HIV-infected individuals

Safety and efficacy of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to reduce ileus after colorectal surgery

Background: Ileus is common after elective colorectal surgery, and is associated with increased adverse events and prolonged hospital stay. The aim was to assess the role of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for reducing ileus after surgery. Methods: A prospective multicentre cohort study was delivered by an international, student- and trainee-led collaborative group. Adult patients undergoing elective colorectal resection between January and April 2018 were included. The primary outcome was time to gastrointestinal recovery, measured using a composite measure of bowel function and tolerance to oral intake. The impact of NSAIDs was explored using Cox regression analyses, including the results of a centre-specific survey of compliance to enhanced recovery principles. Secondary safety outcomes included anastomotic leak rate and acute kidney injury. Results: A total of 4164 patients were included, with a median age of 68 (i.q.r. 57\u201375) years (54\ub79 per cent men). Some 1153 (27\ub77 per cent) received NSAIDs on postoperative days 1\u20133, of whom 1061 (92\ub70 per cent) received non-selective cyclo-oxygenase inhibitors. After adjustment for baseline differences, the mean time to gastrointestinal recovery did not differ significantly between patients who received NSAIDs and those who did not (4\ub76 versus 4\ub78 days; hazard ratio 1\ub704, 95 per cent c.i. 0\ub796 to 1\ub712; P = 0\ub7360). There were no significant differences in anastomotic leak rate (5\ub74 versus 4\ub76 per cent; P = 0\ub7349) or acute kidney injury (14\ub73 versus 13\ub78 per cent; P = 0\ub7666) between the groups. Significantly fewer patients receiving NSAIDs required strong opioid analgesia (35\ub73 versus 56\ub77 per cent; P < 0\ub7001). Conclusion: NSAIDs did not reduce the time for gastrointestinal recovery after colorectal surgery, but they were safe and associated with reduced postoperative opioid requirement