Role of multidetector computed tomography in the assessment of pancreatic injuries after blunt trauma: a multicenter experience.

Pancreatic injuries can occur from either penetrating or blunt abdominal trauma. While there are rare, especially in the setting of blunt abdominal trauma, they are associated with a mortality of up to 30%, and a morbidity of 60%. Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) is the preferred imaging modality in patients with acute blunt abdominal trauma and for the detection of acute pancreatic injury.

Multidetector Computed Tomography of Pharyngo-Esophageal Perforations.

Perforation of the esophagus remains a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. Currently, the most common cause of perforation is instrumentation of the esophagus, but other conditions such as foreign body, trauma, or spontaneous rupture are possible entities in the clinical practice. Multidetector computed tomography has become the imaging technique of choice in the evaluation of this setting of patients because of its capability to depict all the different signs associated with the degrees of wall impairment.

Diaphragmatic injuries: why do we struggle to detect them?

Diaphragmatic injury is an uncommon traumatic condition. It can be easily missed due to a lack of awareness by both clinicians and radiologists. A high index of suspicion is required for the establishment of an early diagnosis and prevention of life-threatening complications.

Erlotinib-induced complete response in a patient with epidermal growth factor receptor wild-type lung adenocarcinoma after chemotherapy failure: a case report.

Introduction: The efficacy of erlotinib in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer has been demonstrated in several trials, but only two cases of complete and prolonged response in wild-type epidermal growth factor receptor locally advanced lung cancer have been published.

Case Presentation: We discuss a case of a 67-year-old Caucasian man, a former heavy cigarette smoker, with a diagnosis of wild-type epidermal growth factor receptor locally advanced adenocarcinoma. After platinum-based doublet chemotherapy, when a progression of disease had occurred, a second-line therapy with erlotinib was started.

Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis characterization of Listeria monocytogenes isolates from cheese manufacturing plants in São Paulo, Brazil.

This study aimed to evaluate the occurrence of Listeria monocytogenes in cheese and in the environment of three small-scale dairy plants (A, B, C) located in the Northern region state of São Paulo, Brazil, and to characterize the isolates using conventional serotyping and PFGE. A total of 393 samples were collected and analyzed from October 2008 to September 2009. From these, 136 came from dairy plant A, where only L.

The effect of positive expiratory pressure (PEP) therapy on symptoms, quality of life and incidence of re-exacerbation in patients with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a multicentre, randomised controlled trial.

Background: Positive expiratory pressure (PEP) is a technique used to enhance sputum clearance during acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD). The impact of PEP therapy during acute exacerbations on clinically important outcomes is not clear. This study sought to determine the effect of PEP therapy on symptoms, quality of life and future exacerbations in patients with AECOPD.

Observation of time-reversal violation in the B0 meson system.

Although CP violation in the B meson system has been well established by the B factories, there has been no direct observation of time-reversal violation. The decays of entangled neutral B mesons into definite flavor states (B(0) or B(0)), and J/ψK(L)(0) or ccK(S)(0) final states (referred to as B(+) or B(-)), allow comparisons between the probabilities of four pairs of T-conjugated transitions, for example, B(0) → B(-) and B(-) → B(0), as a function of the time difference between the two B decays. Using 468 × 10(6) BB pairs produced in Υ(4S) decays collected by the BABAR detector at SLAC, we measure T-violating parameters in the time evolution of neutral B mesons, yielding ΔS(T)(+) = -1.

Precision measurement of the B → Xs γ photon energy spectrum, branching fraction, and direct CP asymmetry A(CP)((B → X(s+d)γ).

The photon spectrum in the inclusive electromagnetic radiative decays of the B meson, B → X(s)γ plus B → X(d)γ, is studied using a data sample of (382.8 ± 4.2) × 10(6)Υ(4S) → BB decays collected by the BABAR experiment at SLAC.

Evidence for an excess of B→D*τ(-)ν(τ) decays.

Based on the full BABAR data sample, we report improved measurements of the ratios R(D(*))=B(B[over ¯]→D(*)τ(-)ν[over ¯](τ))/B(B[over ¯]→D(*)ℓ(ℓ)(-)ν[over ¯](ℓ)), where ℓ is either e or μ. These ratios are sensitive to new physics contributions in the form of a charged Higgs boson. We measure R(D)=0.

Search for low-mass dark-sector Higgs bosons.

Recent astrophysical and terrestrial experiments have motivated the proposal of a dark sector with GeV-scale gauge boson force carriers and new Higgs bosons. We present a search for a dark Higgs boson using 516 fb(-1) of data collected with the BABAR detector. We do not observe a significant signal and we set 90% confidence level upper limits on the product of the standard model-dark-sector mixing angle and the dark-sector coupling constant.

Role of imaging in the assessment of impacted foreign bodies in the hypopharynx and cervical esophagus.

Impaction of foreign bodies in the upper digestive tract is a serious pathologic condition in ear, nose, and throat practice and is particularly common in children, prisoners, and psychiatric patients. Commonly found objects include fish bones, chicken bones, pieces of glass, dental prostheses, coins, and needles. The goals of the initial patient assessment are to identify the type of object, its location in the gastrointestinal tract, the presence of any associated complications, and the presence of any underlying esophageal conditions.

Bleeding due to pelvic fractures in female patients: pictorial review of multidetector computed tomography imaging.

Pelvic bone fractures in female patients are a result of high-energy trauma and are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Their classification is based on the mechanism of the traumatic impact force and the evaluation of stability or instability of pelvic ring fracture. Vascular hemorrhage is frequently associated with pelvic bone disruption and is the main cause of death in polytrauma female patients.

Search for hadronic decays of a light Higgs boson in the radiative decay Υ→γA0.

We search for hadronic decays of a light Higgs boson (A(0)) produced in radiative decays of an Υ(2S) or Υ(3S) meson, Υ→γA(0). The data have been recorded by the BABAR experiment at the Υ(3S) and Υ(2S) center-of-mass energies and include (121.3±1.

Observation of the decay B- → D(s)((*)+) K- ℓ- ν(ℓ).

We report the observation of the decay B- → D(s)((*)+) K- ℓ- ν(ℓ) based on 342  fb(-1) of data collected at the Υ(4S) resonance with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II e+ e- storage rings at SLAC. A simultaneous fit to three D(s)(+) decay chains is performed to extract the signal yield from measurements of the squared missing mass in the B meson decay. We observe the decay B- → D(s)((*)+) K- ℓ- ν(ℓ) with a significance greater than 5 standard deviations (including systematic uncertainties) and measure its branching fraction to be B(B- → D(s)((*)+) K- ℓ- ν(ℓ)) = [6.

Search for production of invisible final states in single-photon decays of Υ(1S).

We search for single-photon decays of the Υ(1S) resonance, Υ → γ + invisible, where the invisible state is either a particle of definite mass, such as a light Higgs boson A⁰, or a pair of dark matter particles, χχ. Both A⁰ and χ are assumed to have zero spin. We tag Υ(1S) decays with a dipion transition Υ(2S) → π⁺π⁻Υ(1S) and look for events with a single energetic photon and significant missing energy.

Search for f(J)(2220) in radiative J/ψ decays.

We present a search for f(J)(2220) production in radiative J/ψ→γf(J)(2220) decays using 460  fb⁻¹ of data collected with the BABAR detector at the SLAC PEP-II e(+)e⁻ collider. The f(J)(2220) is searched for in the decays to K(+)K⁻ and K(S)⁰K(S)⁰. No evidence of this resonance is observed, and 90% confidence level upper limits on the product of the branching fractions for J/ψ→γf(J)(2220) and f(J)(2220)→K(+)K⁻(K(S)⁰K(S)⁰) as a function of spin and helicity are set at the level of 10⁻⁵, below the central values reported by the Mark III experiment.

Measurement of D0-D0 mixing parameters using D0 → K(S)(0)π+ π- and D0 → K(S)(0)K+ K- decays.

We report a direct measurement of D0-D0 mixing parameters through a time-dependent amplitude analysis of the Dalitz plots of D(0) → K(S)(0) π+ π- and, for the first time, D0 → K(S)(0)K+ K- decays. The low-momentum pion π(s)(+) in the decay D*+ → D0 π(s)(+) identifies the flavor of the neutral D meson at its production. Using 468.

Measurements of charged current lepton universality and |Vus| using tau lepton decays to e- ν(e) ν(τ), μ- ν(μ) ν(τ), π- ν(τ), and K- ν(τ).

Using 467  fb(-1) of e+e- annihilation data collected with the BABAR detector, we measure (B(τ- → μ- ν(μ) ν(τ)))/(B(τ- → e- ν(e) ν(τ))) =(0.9796±0.0016±0.

Evidence for direct CP violation in the measurement of the Cabbibo-Kobayashi-Maskawa angle γ with B∓ → D(*)K(*)∓ decays.

We report the measurement of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa CP-violating angle γ through a Dalitz plot analysis of neutral D-meson decays to K(S)(0) π+ π- and K(S)(0) K+ K- produced in the processes B∓ → DK∓, B∓ D* K∓ with D* → Dπ(0), Dγ, and B∓ → DK*∓ with K*∓ → K(S)(0) π∓, using 468 million BB pairs collected by the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy e+ e- collider at SLAC. We measure γ = (68 ± 14 ± 4 ± 3)° (modulo 180°), where the first error is statistical, the second is the experimental systematic uncertainty, and the third reflects the uncertainty in the description of the neutral D decay amplitudes. This result is inconsistent with γ = 0 (no direct CP violation) with a significance of 3.

Test of lepton universality in Υ(1S) decays at BABAR.

The ratio R(τμ)(Υ(1S))=Γ(Υ(1S)→τ+ τ-)/Γ(Υ(1S)→μ+ μ-) is measured using a sample of (121.8±1.2)×10(6)Υ(3S) events recorded by the BABAR detector.

Search for charged lepton flavor violation in narrow upsilon decays.

Charged-lepton flavor-violating processes are unobservable in the standard model, but they are predicted to be enhanced in several extensions to the standard model, including supersymmetry and models with leptoquarks or compositeness. We present a search for such processes in a sample of 99x10(6)Upsilon(2S) decays and 117x10(6)Upsilon(3S) decays collected with the BABAR detector. We place upper limits on the branching fractions B(Upsilon(nS)-->e(+/-)tau(-/+)) and B(Upsilon(nS)-->mu(+/-)tau(-/+)) (n=2,3) at the 10(-6) level and use these results to place lower limits of order 1 TeV on the mass scale of charged-lepton flavor-violating effective operators.

Toll-like receptor 4 mediates LPS-induced release of nitric oxide and tumor necrosis factor-alpha by embryonal cardiomyocytes: biological significance and clinical implications in human pathology.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) the major structural component of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria contributes to the cardiovascular collapse and death observed in septic patients, as well as in the immunocompromised host. LPS activates multiple cells to release proinflammatory cytokines, nitric oxide (NO) and other reactive molecules able to depress cardiac functions. It has been appreciated that the pattern recognition receptor, TLR4, is a signalling receptor for LPS, but its role in the embryonal cardiomyocytes is poorly understood.

Searches for Lepton flavor violation in the decays tau{+/-}-->e{+/-}gamma and tau{+/-}-->mu{+/-}gamma.

Searches for lepton-flavor-violating decays of a tau lepton to a lighter mass lepton and a photon have been performed with the entire data set of (963+/-7)x10{6} tau decays collected by the BABAR detector near the Upsilon(4S), Upsilon(3S) and Upsilon(2S) resonances. The searches yield no evidence of signals and we set upper limits on the branching fractions of B(tau{+/-}-->e{+/-}gamma)<3.3x10{-8} and B(tau{+/-}-->mu{+/-}gamma)<4.

Measurement of |V(cb)| and the form-factor slope in B --> Dl- nu(l) decays in events tagged by a fully reconstructed B meson.

We present a measurement of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix element |V(cb)| and the form-factor slope rho2 in B --> Dl- nu(l) decays based on 460x10(6) BB events recorded at the Upsilon(4S) resonance with the BABAR detector. B --> Dl- nu(l) decays are selected in events in which a hadronic decay of the second B meson is fully reconstructed. We measure B(B- --> D0 l- nu(l))/B(B- --> Xl- nu(l)) = (0.

Search for invisible decays of the Upsilon(1S).

We search for invisible decays of the Upsilon(1S) meson using a sample of 91.4 x 10(6) Upsilon(3S) mesons collected at the BABAR/PEP-II B factory. We select events containing the decay Upsilon(3S) --> pi(+)pi(-)Upsilon(1S) and search for evidence of an undetectable Upsilon(1S) decay recoiling against the dipion system.