The Radiation Issue in Cardiology: the time for action is now

The "radiation issue" is the need to consider possible deterministic effects (e.g., skin injuries) and long-term cancer risks due to ionizing radiation in the risk-benefit assessment of diagnostic or therapeutic testing. Although there are currently no data showing that high-dose medical studies have actually increased the incidence of cancer, the "linear-no threshold" model in radioprotection assumes that no safe dose exists; all doses add up in determining cancer risks; and the risk increases linearly with increasing radiation dose. The possibility of deterministic effects should also be considered when skin or lens doses may be over the threshold. Cardiologists have a special mission to avoid unjustified or non-optimized use of radiation, since they are responsible for 45% of the entire cumulative effective dose of 3.0 mSv (similar to the radiological risk of 150 chest x-rays) per head per year to the US population from all medical sources except radiotherapy. In addition, interventional cardiologists have an exposure per head per year two to three times higher than that of radiologists. The most active and experienced interventional cardiologists in high volume cath labs have an annual exposure equivalent to around 5 mSv per head and a professional lifetime attributable to excess cancer risk on the order of magnitude of 1 in 100. Cardiologists are the contemporary radiologists but sometimes imperfectly aware of the radiological dose of the examination they prescribe or practice, which can range from the equivalent of 1-60 mSv around a reference dose average of 10-15 mSv for a percutaneous coronary intervention, a cardiac radiofrequency ablation, a multi-detector coronary angiography, or a myocardial perfusion imaging scintigraphy. A good cardiologist cannot be afraid of life-saving radiation, but must be afraid of radiation unawareness and negligence

Study of D-(*())(+)(sJ) mesons decaying to D*K-+(S)0 and D*K-0(+) final states

A search is performed for $D^{(*)+}_{sJ}$ mesons in the reactions $pp \to D^{*+} K^0_{\rm S} X$ and $pp \to D^{*0} K^+ X$ using data collected at centre-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV with the LHCb detector. For the $D^{*+} K^0_{\rm S}$ final state, the decays $D^{*+} \to D^0 \pi^+$ with $D^0 \to K^- \pi^+$ and $D^0 \to K^- \pi^+ \pi^+ \pi^-$ are used. For $D^{*0} K^+$, the decay $D^{*0} \to D^0 \pi^0$ with $D^0 \to K^- \pi^+$ is used. A prominent $D_{s1}(2536)^+$ signal is observed in both $D^{*+} K^0_{\rm S}$ and $D^{*0} K^+$ final states. The resonances $D^*_{s1}(2700)^+$ and $D^*_{s3}(2860)^+$ are also observed, yielding information on their properties, including spin-parity assignments. The decay $D^*_{s2}(2573)^+ \to D^{*+} K^0_{\rm S}$ is observed for the first time, at a significance of 6.9 $\sigma$, and its branching fraction relative to the $D^*_{s2}(2573)^+ \to D^+ K^0_{\rm S}$ decay mode is measured

Search for Violations of Lorentz Invariance and CPT Symmetry in B-(s)(0) Mixing

Violations of CPT symmetry and Lorentz invariance are searched for by studying interference effects in B^{0} mixing and in B_{s}^{0} mixing. Samples of B^{0}→J/ψK_{S}^{0} and B_{s}^{0}→J/ψK^{+}K^{-} decays are recorded by the LHCb detector in proton-proton collisions at center-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3  fb^{-1}. No periodic variations of the particle-antiparticle mass differences are found, consistent with Lorentz invariance and CPT symmetry. Results are expressed in terms of the standard model extension parameter Δa_{μ} with precisions of O(10^{-15}) and O(10^{-14})  GeV for the B^{0} and B_{s}^{0} systems, respectively. With no assumption on Lorentz (non)invariance, the CPT-violating parameter z in the B_{s}^{0} system is measured for the first time and found to be Re(z)=-0.022±0.033±0.005 and Im(z)=0.004±0.011±0.002, where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second systematic

Measurement of the CP Asymmetry in Bs0 - B s0 Mixing

The CP asymmetry in the mixing of Bs0 and Bs0 mesons is measured in proton-proton collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.0 fb-1, recorded by the LHCb experiment at center-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV. Semileptonic Bs0 and Bs0 decays are studied in the inclusive mode Ds\u3bc\ub1\u3bd(-)\u3bcX with the Ds mesons reconstructed in the K\u3c0 final state. Correcting the observed charge asymmetry for detection and background effects, the CP asymmetry is found to be asls=(0.39\ub10.26\ub10.20)%, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. This is the most precise measurement of asls to date. It is consistent with the prediction from the standard model and will constrain new models of particle physics

Measurement of the B-s(0) -> D-s(()*D-)+(s)(*()-) branching fractions

The branching fraction of the decay B-s(0) -> D-s(()*D-)+(s)(*()-) is measured using pp collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0 fb(-1), collected using the LHCb detector at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV. It is found to be B(B-s(0) -> D-s(()*D-)(s)(*()-)) = (3.05 +/- 0.10 +/- 0.20 +/- 0.34) where the uncertainties are statistical, systematic, and due to the normalization channel, respectively. The branching fractions of the individual decays corresponding to the presence of one or two D-s(*+/-) are also measured. The individual branching fractions are found to be B(B-s(0) -> D-s*D-+/-(s)-/+) = (1.35 +/- 0.06 +/- 0.09 +/- 0.15) B(B-s(0) -> D-s*D-+(s)*(-)) = (1.27 +/- 0.08 +/- 0.10 +/- 0.14)%. All three results are the most precise determinations to date

Observation of the B (s) (0) -> aEuro parts per thousand J/psi I center dot I center dot decay

The B (s) (0) -> aEuro parts per thousand J/psi I center dot I center dot decay is observed in pp collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb(-1) recorded by the LHCb detector at centre-of-mass energies of 7 TeV and 8 TeV. This is the first observation of this decay channel, with a statistical significance of 15 standard deviations. The mass of the B (s) (0) meson is measured to be 5367.08 +/- 0.38 +/- 0.15 MeV/c(2). The branching fraction ratio a?not sign(B (s) (0) -> aEuro parts per thousand J/psi I center dot I center dot)/a?not sign(B (s) (0) -> aEuro parts per thousand J/psi I center dot) is measured to be 0.0115 +/- A 0.0012 (-aEuro parts per thousand 0.0009) (+ 0.0005) . In both cases, the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. No evidence for non-resonant B (s) (0) -> aEuro parts per thousand J/psi I center dot K (+) K (-) or B (s) (0) -> aEuro parts per thousand J/psi K (+) K (-) K (+) K (-) decays is found

Observation of Lambda(0)(b) -> psi (2S)pK(-) and Lambda(0)(b) -> J/psi pi(+)pi(-)pK(-) decays and a measurement of the A(b)(0) baryon mass

The decays Lambda(0)(b) -> psi(2S)pK(-) and Lambda(0)(b) -> J/psi pi(+)pi(-)pK(-) are observed in a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb(-1), collected in proton-proton collisions at 7 and 8 TeV centre-of-mass energies by the LHCb detector. The psi(2S) mesons are reconstructed through the decay modes psi(2S) -> mu(+)mu(-) and psi(2S) -> J/psi pi(+)pi(-) The branching fractions relative to that of Lambda(0)(b) -> J/psi pk(-) are measured to be [GRAPHICS] where the first uncertainties are statistical, the second are systematic and the third is related to the knowledge of J/psi and psi(2S) branching fractions. The mass of the Ai baryon is measured to be M(Lambda(0)(b)) = 5619.65 +/- 0.17 0.17 MeV/c(2), where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic

A new algorithm for identifying the flavour of B-s(0) mesons at LHCb

A new algorithm for the determination of the initial flavour of B-s(0) mesons is presented. The algorithm is based on two neural networks and exploits the b hadron production mechanism at a hadron collider. The first network is trained to select charged kaons produced in association with the B-s(0) meson. The second network combines the kaon charges to assign the B-s(0) flavour and estimates the probability of a wrong assignment. The algorithm is calibrated using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb(-1) collected by the LHCb experiment in proton-proton collisions at 7 and 8 TeV centre-of-mass energies. The calibration is performed in two ways: by resolving the B-s(0)-B-s(0) flavour oscillations in B-s(0) -> D-s(-)pi(+) decays, and by analysing flavour-specific B-s2*(5840)(0) -> B+K- decays. The tagging power measured in B-s(0) -> D-s(-)pi(+) decays is found to be (1.80 +/- 0.19 ( stat) +/- 0.18 (syst)) which is an improvement of about 50% compared to a similar algorithm previously used in the LHCb experiment