High-energy nuclear collisions create a quark-gluon plasma, whose initial condition and subsequent expansion vary from event to event, impacting the distribution of the eventwise average transverse momentum [P([p_{T}])]. Disentangling the contributions from fluctuations in the nuclear overlap size (geometrical component) and other sources at a fixed size (intrinsic component) remains a challenge. This problem is addressed by measuring the mean, variance, and skewness of P([p_{T}]) in ^{208}Pb+^{208}Pb and ^{129}Xe+^{129}Xe collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeuromuscular disorders (NMD) with neonatal or early infantile onset are usually severe and differ in symptoms, complications, and treatment options. The establishment of a diagnosis relies on the combination of clinical examination, morphological analyses of muscle biopsies, and genetic investigations. Here, we re-evaluated and classified a unique collection of 535 muscle biopsies from NMD infants aged 0-6 months examined over a period of 52 years.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCongenital titinopathies reported to date show autosomal recessive inheritance and are caused by a variety of genomic variants, most of them located in metatranscript (MTT)-only exons. The aim of this study was to describe additional patients and establish robust genotype-phenotype associations in titinopathies. This study involved analyzing molecular, clinical, pathological, and muscle imaging features in 20 patients who had at least one pathogenic or likely pathogenic variant in MTT-only exons, with onset occurring antenatally or in the early postnatal stages.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStore-operated Ca entry (SOCE) controls Ca homeostasis and mediates multiple Ca-dependent signaling pathways and cellular processes. It relies on the concerted activity of the reticular Ca sensor STIM1 and the plasma membrane Ca channel ORAI1. STIM1 and ORAI1 gain-of-function (GoF) mutations induce SOCE overactivity and excessive Ca influx, leading to tubular aggregate myopathy (TAM) and Stormorken syndrome (STRMK), two overlapping disorders characterized by muscle weakness and a variable occurrence of multi-systemic anomalies affecting spleen, skin, and platelets.
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