Clarification of the Three-Body Decay of 12C (12.71 MeV)

Using β decays of a clean source of 12 N produced at the IGISOL facility, we have measured the breakup of the 12 C (12.71 MeV) state into three α particles with a segmented particle detector setup. The high quality of the data permits solving the question of the breakup mechanism of the 12.71 MeV state, a longstanding problem in few-body nuclear physics. Among existing models, a modified sequential model fits the data best, but systematic deviations indicate that a three-body description is needed

Low-lying resonance states in the Be-9 continuum

Excited states in Be-9 from 2 to 9 MeV are studied via beta delayed particle emission from Li-9. The broad overlapping particle unbound states are investigated using an extension of an experimental method developed for dealing with three-body decays of broad isolated levels. The results confirm the existence of a broad state at 5 MeV, with a width of 2 MeV. Angular correlations are used for firm spin determinations for this and other levels

Low-lying resonance states in the Be-9 continuum

Excited states in Be-9 from 2 to 9 MeV are studied via beta delayed particle emission from Li-9. The broad overlapping particle unbound states are investigated using an extension of an experimental method developed for dealing with three-body decays of broad isolated levels. The results confirm the existence of a broad state at 5 MeV, with a width of 2 MeV. Angular correlations are used for firm spin determinations for this and other levels

β-decay of 130

5 pages, 2 tables, 3 figures.--PACS nrs.: 23.40.Hc; 27.20.+n.The beta decay of O-13 has been studied at the IGISOL facility of the Jyvaskyla accelerator centre (Finland). By developing a low-energy isotope-separated beam of O-13 and using a modern segmented charged-particle detector array an improved measurement of the delayed proton spectrum was possible. Protons with energy up to more than 12 MeV are measured and the corresponding log(ft) values extracted. A revised decay scheme is constructed. The connection to molecular states and the shell model is discussed.This work was supported by the Academy of Finland under the Finnish Centre of Excellence Programme 2000–2005 (Project No. 44875, Nuclear and Condensed Matter Physics Programme at JYFL), by the European Union Fifth Framework Programme “Improving Human Potential - Access to Research Infrastructure” contract no. HPRI-CT-1999-00044, by the Spanish CICYT Agency under Project number FPA2002-04181-C04-02, and by the EU-RI3 (Integrated Infrastructure Initiative) under contract no 506065.Peer reviewe

Influences on the triple alpha process beyond the Hoyle state

The triple alpha process is studied using indirect methods. The beta decays of 12N and 12B are used to probe the triple alpha continuum of 12C. Different independent breakup channels are identified, consistently showing that the 10 MeV strength is dominated by a 0+ state interfering with the Hoyle state ghost. The 13.14 MeV region on the other hand is dominated by a 2+ state. Present: National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan MI-48824, USA.</p

Lack of effect of lowering LDL cholesterol on cancer: meta-analysis of individual data from 175,000 people in 27 randomised trials of statin therapy

&lt;p&gt;Background: Statin therapy reduces the risk of occlusive vascular events, but uncertainty remains about potential effects on cancer. We sought to provide a detailed assessment of any effects on cancer of lowering LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) with a statin using individual patient records from 175,000 patients in 27 large-scale statin trials.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Methods and Findings: Individual records of 134,537 participants in 22 randomised trials of statin versus control (median duration 4.8 years) and 39,612 participants in 5 trials of more intensive versus less intensive statin therapy (median duration 5.1 years) were obtained. Reducing LDL-C with a statin for about 5 years had no effect on newly diagnosed cancer or on death from such cancers in either the trials of statin versus control (cancer incidence: 3755 [1.4% per year [py]] versus 3738 [1.4% py], RR 1.00 [95% CI 0.96-1.05]; cancer mortality: 1365 [0.5% py] versus 1358 [0.5% py], RR 1.00 [95% CI 0.93–1.08]) or in the trials of more versus less statin (cancer incidence: 1466 [1.6% py] vs 1472 [1.6% py], RR 1.00 [95% CI 0.93–1.07]; cancer mortality: 447 [0.5% py] versus 481 [0.5% py], RR 0.93 [95% CI 0.82–1.06]). Moreover, there was no evidence of any effect of reducing LDL-C with statin therapy on cancer incidence or mortality at any of 23 individual categories of sites, with increasing years of treatment, for any individual statin, or in any given subgroup. In particular, among individuals with low baseline LDL-C (&#60;2 mmol/L), there was no evidence that further LDL-C reduction (from about 1.7 to 1.3 mmol/L) increased cancer risk (381 [1.6% py] versus 408 [1.7% py]; RR 0.92 [99% CI 0.76–1.10]).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Conclusions: In 27 randomised trials, a median of five years of statin therapy had no effect on the incidence of, or mortality from, any type of cancer (or the aggregate of all cancer).&lt;/p&gt

Systematically missing confounders in individual participant data meta-analysis of observational cohort studies.

One difficulty in performing meta-analyses of observational cohort studies is that the availability of confounders may vary between cohorts, so that some cohorts provide fully adjusted analyses while others only provide partially adjusted analyses. Commonly, analyses of the association between an exposure and disease either are restricted to cohorts with full confounder information, or use all cohorts but do not fully adjust for confounding. We propose using a bivariate random-effects meta-analysis model to use information from all available cohorts while still adjusting for all the potential confounders. Our method uses both the fully adjusted and the partially adjusted estimated effects in the cohorts with full confounder information, together with an estimate of their within-cohort correlation. The method is applied to estimate the association between fibrinogen level and coronary heart disease incidence using data from 154,012 participants in 31 cohort

Study of beta-delayed 3-body and 5-body breakup channels observed in the decay of ^11Li

The beta-delayed charged particle emission from ^11Li has been studied with emphasis on the three-body n+alpha+^6He and five-body 2alpha+3n channels from the 10.59 and 18.15 MeV states in ^11Be. Monte Carlo simulations using an R-matrix formalism lead to the conclusion that the ^AHe resonance states play a significant role in the break-up of these states. The results exclude an earlier assumption of a phase-space description of the break-up process of the 18.15 MeV state. Evidence for extra sequential decay paths is found for both states.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figures. Submitted to Nuclear Physics

Effectiveness and costs of implementation strategies to reduce acid suppressive drug prescriptions: a systematic review

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Evaluation of evidence for the effectiveness of implementation strategies aimed at reducing prescriptions for the use of acid suppressive drugs (ASD).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A systematic review of intervention studies with a design according to research quality criteria and outcomes related to the effect of reduction of ASD medication retrieved from Medline, Embase and the Cochrane Library. Outcome measures were the strategy of intervention, quality of methodology and results of treatment to differences of ASD prescriptions and costs.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The intervention varied from a single passive method to multiple active interactions with GPs. Reports of study quality had shortcomings on subjects of data-analysis. Not all outcomes were calculated but if so rction of prescriptions varied from 8% up to 40% and the cost effectiveness was in some cases negative and in others positive. Few studies demonstrated good effects from the interventions to reduce ASD.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Poor quality of some studies is limiting the evidence for effective interventions. Also it is difficult to compare cost-effectiveness between studies. However, RCT studies demonstrate that active interventions are required to reduce ASD volume. Larger multi-intervention studies are necessary to evaluate the most successful intervention instruments.</p

ARRDC3 suppresses breast cancer progression by negatively regulating integrin β4

Large-scale genetic analyses of human tumor samples have been used to identify novel oncogenes, tumor suppressors and prognostic factors, but the functions and molecular interactions of many individual genes have not been determined. In this study we examined the cellular effects and molecular mechanism of the arrestin family member, ARRDC3, a gene preferentially lost in a subset of breast cancers. Oncomine data revealed that the expression of ARRDC3 decreases with tumor grade, metastases and recurrences. ARRDC3 overexpression represses cancer cell proliferation, migration, invasion, growth in soft agar and in vivo tumorigenicity, whereas downregulation of ARRCD3 has the opposite effects. Mechanistic studies showed that ARRDC3 functions in a novel regulatory pathway that controls the cell surface adhesion molecule, β-4 integrin (ITGβ4), a protein associated with aggressive tumor behavior. Our data indicates ARRDC3 directly binds to a phosphorylated form of ITGβ4 leading to its internalization, ubiquitination and ultimate degradation. The results identify the ARRCD3-ITGβ4 pathway as a new therapeutic target in breast cancer and show the importance of connecting genetic arrays with mechanistic studies in the search for new treatments