Nasopharyngeal carcinoma: presenting symptoms and duration before diagnosis

This is a retrospective analysis of 4768 patients with undifferentiated or non-keratinising carcinoma of the nasopharynx who were treated during 1 January 1976 to 31 December 1985. The mean duration of symptoms before diagnosis was 8 months (range, 1-36 months for 95% of patients). A significant association between the duration of symptoms and the presenting stage was observed (P<0.001); 58% and 39% of stage I and stage V patients, respectively, reported as having had symptoms for less than 6 months. Of the later presenters (those having had symptoms for 6 months or longer), 89% were given a full course of radical megavoltage radiotherapy, but 6% were too advanced for any irradiation attempt. Consequently, the 10-year actuarial disease-specific survival was significantly higher among the early presenters: 48% versus 42% (P<0.001). The importance of early detection is emphasised.published_or_final_versio

High-intensity focused ultrasound for hepatocellular carcinoma: A single-center experience

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the outcome of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated by high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) in a single tertiary referral center. Background: HIFU is the latest developed local ablation technique for unresectable HCC. The initial experience on its efficacy is promising, but the survival benefit of patients undergoing HIFU for HCC is poorly defined. Methods: From October 2006 to December 2008, 49 patients received HIFU for unresectable HCC. Each patient underwent a single session of HIFU with a curative intent. Treatment efficacy and survival outcome were evaluated. Clinicopathologic factors affecting the primary technique effectiveness and overall survival rates were investigated by univariate analysis. Results: The median size of the treated tumors was 2.2 cm, ranging from 0.9 to 8 cm. The majority of patients had single tumors (n = 41, 83.6%). Thirty-one patients (63.2%) had artificial right pleural effusion during HIFU treatment to reduce damage to the lung and diaphragm. The hospital mortality rate was 2% (n = 1) and the complication rate was 8.1% (n = 4). The primary technique effectiveness rate was 79.5% (39 of 49 patients). It increased from 66.6% in the initial series to 89.2% in the last 28 patients. Tumor size (3.0 cm) was the significant risk factor affecting the complete ablation rate. The 1- and 3-year overall survival rates were 87.7% and 62.4%, respectively. Child-Pugh liver function grading was the significant prognostic factor influencing the overall survival rate. Conclusions: HIFU is an effective treatment modality for unresectable HCC with a high technique effectiveness rate and favorable survival outcome. © 2011 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.postprin

Poor Reproducibility of Allergic Rhinitis SNP Associations

10.1371/journal.pone.0053975PLoS ONE81

Search for Charged Higgs Bosons in e+e- Collisions at \sqrt{s} = 189 GeV

A search for pair-produced charged Higgs bosons is performed with the L3 detector at LEP using data collected at a centre-of-mass energy of 188.6 GeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 176.4 pb^-1. Higgs decays into a charm and a strange quark or into a tau lepton and its associated neutrino are considered. The observed events are consistent with the expectations from Standard Model background processes. A lower limit of 65.5 GeV on the charged Higgs mass is derived at 95 % confidence level, independent of the decay branching ratio Br(H^{+/-} -> tau nu)

Astrocytes mediate synapse elimination through MEGF10 and MERTK pathways

To achieve its precise neural connectivity, the developing mammalian nervous system undergoes extensive activity-dependent synapse remodeling. Recently microglial cells have been shown to be responsible for a portion of synaptic remodeling, but the remaining mechanisms remain mysterious. Here we report a new role for astrocytes in actively engulfing CNS synapses. This process helps to mediate synapse elimination, requires the Megf10 and Mertk phagocytic pathways, and is strongly dependent on neuronal activity. Developing mice deficient in both astrocyte pathways fail to normally refine their retinogeniculate connections and retain excess functional synapses. Lastly, we show that in the adult mouse brain, astrocytes continuously engulf both excitatory and inhibitory synapses. These studies reveal a novel role for astrocytes in mediating synapse elimination in the developing and adult brain, identify Megf10 and Mertk as critical players in the synapse remodeling underlying neural circuit refinement, and have important implications for understanding learning and memory as well as neurological disease processes

Measurement of Triple-Gauge-Boson Couplings of the W Boson at LEP

We report on measurements of the triple-gauge-boson couplings of the W boson in $\mathrm{e^+e^-}$ collisions with the L3 detector at LEP. W-pair, single-W and single-photon events are analysed in a data sample corresponding to a total luminosity of 76.7~pb$^{-1}$ collected at centre-of-mass energies between 161~GeV and 183~GeV. CP-conserving as well as both C- and P-conserving triple-gauge-boson couplings are determined. The results, in good agreement with the Standard-Model expectations, confirm the existence of the self coupling among the electroweak gauge bosons and constrain its structure

Multi-messenger observations of a binary neutron star merger

On 2017 August 17 a binary neutron star coalescence candidate (later designated GW170817) with merger time 12:41:04 UTC was observed through gravitational waves by the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo detectors. The Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor independently detected a gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) with a time delay of ~1.7 s with respect to the merger time. From the gravitational-wave signal, the source was initially localized to a sky region of 31 deg2 at a luminosity distance of 40+8-8 Mpc and with component masses consistent with neutron stars. The component masses were later measured to be in the range 0.86 to 2.26 Mo. An extensive observing campaign was launched across the electromagnetic spectrum leading to the discovery of a bright optical transient (SSS17a, now with the IAU identification of AT 2017gfo) in NGC 4993 (at ~40 Mpc) less than 11 hours after the merger by the One- Meter, Two Hemisphere (1M2H) team using the 1 m Swope Telescope. The optical transient was independently detected by multiple teams within an hour. Subsequent observations targeted the object and its environment. Early ultraviolet observations revealed a blue transient that faded within 48 hours. Optical and infrared observations showed a redward evolution over ~10 days. Following early non-detections, X-ray and radio emission were discovered at the transient’s position ~9 and ~16 days, respectively, after the merger. Both the X-ray and radio emission likely arise from a physical process that is distinct from the one that generates the UV/optical/near-infrared emission. No ultra-high-energy gamma-rays and no neutrino candidates consistent with the source were found in follow-up searches. These observations support the hypothesis that GW170817 was produced by the merger of two neutron stars in NGC4993 followed by a short gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) and a kilonova/macronova powered by the radioactive decay of r-process nuclei synthesized in the ejecta