The Physics of the B Factories

This work is on the Physics of the B Factories. Part A of this book contains a brief description of the SLAC and KEK B Factories as well as their detectors, BaBar and Belle, and data taking related issues. Part B discusses tools and methods used by the experiments in order to obtain results. The results themselves can be found in Part C

Heat treatment following surface silanization in rebonded tribochemical silica-coated ceramic brackets: shear bond strength analysis

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of heat treatment on the tribochemical silica coating and silane surface conditioning and the bond strength of rebonded alumina monocrystalline brackets. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sixty alumina monocrystalline brackets were randomly divided according to adhesive base surface treatments (n=20): Gc, no treatment (control); Gt, tribochemical silica coating + silane application; Gh, as per Gt + post-heat treatment (air flux at 100ºC for 60 s). Brackets were bonded to the enamel premolars surface with a light-polymerized resin and stored in distilled water at 37ºC for 100 days. Additionally, half the specimens of each group were thermocycled (6,000 cycles between 5-55ºC) (TC). The specimens were submitted to the shear bond strength (SBS) test using a universal testing machine (1 mm/min). Failure mode was assessed using optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), together with the surface roughness (Ra) of the resin cement in the bracket using interference microscopy (IM). 2-way ANOVA and the Tukey test were used to compare the data (p>0.05). RESULTS: The strategies used to treat the bracket surface had an effect on the SBS results (p=0.0), but thermocycling did not (p=0.6974). Considering the SBS results (MPa), Gh-TC and Gc showed the highest values (27.59±6.4 and 27.18±2.9) and Gt-TC showed the lowest (8.45±6.7). For the Ra parameter, ANOVA revealed that the aging method had an effect (p=0.0157) but the surface treatments did not (p=0.458). For the thermocycled and non-thermocycled groups, Ra (µm) was 0.69±0.16 and 1.12±0.52, respectively. The most frequent failure mode exhibited was mixed failure involving the enamel-resin-bracket interfaces. CONCLUSION: Regardless of the aging method, Gh promoted similar SBS results to Gc, suggesting that rebonded ceramic brackets are a more effective strategy

The venous hum as a cause of vascular pulsative tinnitus

Tinnitus is one of the most common complaints in medical practice. The venous hum is described as an uncommon cause of vascular tinnitus, seldom remembered or recognized as a clinical entity. AIM: The aim of this paper is to identify the venous hum cases at Tinnitus Ambulatory at UNIFESP-EPM and compare them to literature. MATERIAL AND METHOD: retrospective research of venous hum cases identified at UNIFESP-EPM from April 1997 to April 2003, analyzing the following parameters: age of appearance, frequency, affected side, presence of associated hearing loss and dizziness, improvement and worsening factors, audiometry results, vestibular exam and computadorized tomography of temporal bones, evolution and treatment performed. RESULTS: pulsative tinnitus happened in 7,5% and venous hum in 3% of total cases of the patients with tinnitus, all in women, with no preference for age of appearance, most common at left ear. All patients have improved with clinical treatment and surgery was not needed in any case. CONCLUSION: The venous hum is not an uncommon cause of tinnitus (39% of pulsative tinnitus) as described in literature. Treatment should be performed by acting in responsible and decurrente factors caused by tinnitus. In great number of cases venous hum spontaneously disappears, needing no treatment. Surgical treatment is rarely indicated and must be reserved only in cases with no improvement with clinical treatment.Zumbido é uma das queixas otológicas mais comuns com que o otorrinolaringologista se depara. O hum venoso é descrito como uma causa pouco comum de zumbido vascular, pouco lembrado ou reconhecido como entidade clínica. OBJETIVO: O objetivo do estudo é identificar os casos de hum venoso dentre os pacientes com zumbido pulsátil atendidos no Ambulatório de Zumbido da Disciplina de Otorrinolaringologia da UNIFESP-EPM e compará-los com a literatura. MATERIAL E MÉTODO: Estudo retrospectivo dos pacientes com hum venoso realizado na UNIFESP-EPM de abril de 1997 a abril de 2003, analisando-se os parâmetros: idade de aparecimento, freqüência, lado acometido, presença de perda auditiva e tontura associadas, fatores de piora e melhora, resultados de audiometria, exame vestibular e tomografia computadorizada de ossos temporais, evolução e tratamento realizados. Foi utilizado um protocolo de exames e tratamento e os resultados foram comparados com os da literatura. RESULTADOS: O zumbido pulsátil ocorreu em 7,5% e o hum venoso em 3% do total de pacientes com zumbido, todos no sexo feminino, sem prevalência por época de aparecimento, acometendo mais a orelha esquerda. Em todos os pacientes houve melhora com tratamento clínico, não sendo necessária intervenção cirúrgica em nenhum caso. CONCLUSÃO: O hum venoso não é uma causa incomum de zumbido (39% dos zumbidos pulsáteis) como citado na literatura. O tratamento deve ser realizado atuando-se sobre os fatores responsáveis pelo zumbido e decorrentes do mesmo. Em grande número de casos o mesmo desaparece espontaneamente, não necessitando de tratamento. O tratamento cirúrgico raramente é necessário, devendo ser reservado apenas aos casos em que não haja melhora com o tratamento clínico.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Escola Paulista de MedicinaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Escola Paulista de Medicina Departamento de OtorrinolaringologiaUNIFESP, EPM, Depto. de OtorrinolaringologiaSciEL

Gene Expression Profiling of Duodenal Biopsies Discriminates Celiac Disease Mucosa From Normal Mucosa

Celiac disease (CD) is identified by histopathologic changes in the small intestine which normalize during a gluten-free diet. The histopathologic assessment of duodenal biopsies is usually routine but can be difficult. This study investigated gene expression profiling as a diagnostic tool. A total of 109 genes were selected to reflect alterations in crypt-villi architecture, inflammatory response, and intestinal permeability and were examined for differential expression in normal mucosa compared with CD mucosa in pediatric patients. Biopsies were classified using discriminant analysis of gene expression. Fifty genes were differentially expressed, of which eight (APOC3, CYP3A4, OCLN, MAD2L1, MKI67, CXCL11, IL17A, and CTLA4) discriminated normal mucosa from CD mucosa without classification errors using leave-one-out cross-validation (n = 39) and identified the degree of mucosal damage. Validation using an independent set of biopsies (n = 27) resulted in four discrepant cases. Biopsies from two of these cases showed a patchy distribution of lesions, indicating that discriminant analysis based on single biopsies failed to identify CD mucosa. In the other two cases, serology support class according to discriminant analysis and histologic specimens were judged suboptimal but assessable. Gene expression profiling shows promise as a diagnostic tool and for follow-up of CD, but further evaluation is needed

Diagnosing small bowel malabsorption: a review

Malabsorption encompasses dysfunctions occurring during the digestion and absorption of nutrients. A small proportion of patients presents with chronic diarrhoea. A clinical history supportive of malabsorption may guide investigations toward either the small bowel or pancreas. Serological testing for coeliac disease will determine most cases without invasive investigations. In the clinical context of persisting weight loss and malnutrition, small bowel enteropathy may be investigated with small intestinal biopsies. Small bowel absorptive capacity and permeability might be measured by oral sugar-mix ingestion. Further, approaches to the investigation of malabsorption might also involve the detection in faeces of a substance that has not been absorbed. A variation of the latter is the use of breath testing which relies on the breakdown of the malabsorbed test substance by colonic flora. Measurement of protein absorption is difficult and unreliable; it is, therefore, rarely advocated in clinical settings. No single biological marker confirming a diagnosis of small bowel malabsorption or small bowel integrity is presently available in clinical practice. Plasma citrulline concentration, an amino acid not incorporated into endogenous or exogenous proteins, has been extensively used in research studies and supportive results are establishing its concentration as a reliable quantitative biomarker of enterocyte absorptive capacity