Publications by authors named "de-Castro S"

Z boson events at the Large Hadron Collider can be selected with high purity and are sensitive to a diverse range of QCD phenomena. As a result, these events are often used to probe the nature of the strong force, improve Monte Carlo event generators, and search for deviations from standard model predictions. All previous measurements of Z boson production characterize the event properties using a small number of observables and present the results as differential cross sections in predetermined bins.

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Introduction: Excess skin after bariatric metabolic surgery may negatively impact quality of life. Nevertheless, not every eligible patient undergoes body contouring surgery, which may be explained by differences in quality of life. The objective of this study was to assess the differences in quality of life between patients with and without a desire for body contouring surgery after bariatric metabolic surgery, and to identify predictive factors that contribute to this desire.

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General Purpose: To provide a summary of six articles published in 2023 that provide important new data or insights about pressure injuries (PIs).

Target Audience: This continuing education activity is intended for physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and registered nurses with an interest in skin and wound care.

Learning Objectives/outcomes: After participating in this educational activity, the participant will:1.

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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.

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Background: Primary health care is the gateway to low back pain (LBP) management. Effective management of LBP can reduce disability and socioeconomic burden. Standardised, accurate, and evidence-based information for assertive decision-making in care pathways for LBP has the potential to improve health service efficiency.

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Article Synopsis
  • The processes of primary and secondary neurulation, which lead to spinal cord formation, are not fully understood in humans due to difficulties accessing embryos at the relevant stages (3-7 weeks post-conception).
  • Analysis of 108 human embryos reveals that while primary neurulation is similar to that in mice, it has distinct differences; secondary neurulation begins later and forms a single lumen, unlike the multiple lumens seen in chicks.
  • Key differences in neurulation timing between humans and mice were noted, such as the rate of somite formation and the termination of axial elongation associated with apoptosis in the embryonic tailbud; these findings can aid current research on neurulation using stem cell-derived organoids
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A search for the exclusive hadronic decays W^{±}→π^{±}γ, W^{±}→K^{±}γ, and W^{±}→ρ^{±}γ is performed using up to 140  fb^{-1} of proton-proton collisions recorded with the ATLAS detector at a center-of-mass energy of sqrt[s]=13  TeV. If observed, these rare processes would provide a unique test bench for the quantum chromodynamics factorization formalism used to calculate cross sections at colliders. Additionally, at future colliders, these decays could offer a new way to measure the W boson mass through fully reconstructed decay products.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The ATLAS experiment at the LHC conducted a search for long-lived particles (LLPs) using a large dataset (140 fb^{-1}) from proton-proton collisions at 13 TeV, focusing on LLPs with masses from 5 to 55 GeV that decay within the inner detector.
  • - The study considered scenarios where LLPs are produced from exotic Higgs boson decays and models involving axionlike particles (ALPs).
  • - No significant findings above expected background levels were detected, leading to the establishment of upper limits on various production rates involving the Higgs boson and the top quark related to LLPs and ALPs.
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Background: COVID-19 is associated with prolonged disability, particularly after critical illness. This study aimed to assess and compare disability post-hospital discharge of subjects who were invasively ventilated versus those who were not, following ICU admission due to COVID-19. This study also explored variables associated with long-term disability.

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  • The study investigates the associated production of Higgs and W bosons, focusing on how the relative signs of the Higgs couplings to W and Z bosons impact the process.
  • Two specific searches were conducted using large amounts of collision data from the LHC to analyze different coupling scenarios: one for opposite-sign couplings and another for same-sign (standard model-like) couplings.
  • The results significantly exclude the opposite-sign coupling hypothesis and set a strict upper limit on the production rate of this process compared to standard model predictions.
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This Letter presents results from a combination of searches for Higgs boson pair production using 126-140  fb^{-1} of proton-proton collision data at sqrt[s]=13  TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector. At 95% confidence level (CL), the upper limit on the production rate is 2.9 times the standard model (SM) prediction, with an expected limit of 2.

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This Letter presents the first study of the energy dependence of diboson polarization fractions in WZ→ℓνℓ^{'}ℓ^{'}(ℓ,ℓ^{'}=e,μ) production. The dataset used corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 140  fb^{-1} of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector. Two fiducial regions with an enhanced presence of events featuring two longitudinally polarized bosons are defined.

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Background: Obesity increases the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF). We hypothesize that 'obese' epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is, regardless of comorbidities, associated with markers of AF vulnerability.

Methods: Patients >40y of age undergoing bariatric surgery and using <2 antihypertensive drugs and no insulin were prospectively included.

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Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) features progressive neurodegeneration and microglial activation that results in dementia and cognitive decline. The release of soluble amyloid (Aβ) oligomers into the extracellular space is an early feature of AD pathology. This can promote excitotoxicity and microglial activation.

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Objective: To understand whether and how primary care providers and staff elicit patients' past experiences of healthcare discrimination when providing care.

Data Sources/study Setting: Twenty qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with healthcare staff in primary care roles to inform future interventions to integrate data about past experiences of healthcare discrimination into clinical care.

Study Design: Qualitative study.

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Background: Bariatric surgery with same-day discharge (SDD) is becoming increasingly common. Nevertheless, there is limited data available comparing gastric bypass patients with SDD to those with overnight hospitalization.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the short-term outcomes of gastric bypass with SDD compared to overnight hospitalization in The Netherlands.

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Cationic ultrashort lipopeptides (USLPs) are promising antimicrobial candidates to combat multidrug-resistant bacteria. Using DICAMs, a newly synthesized family of tripeptides with net charges from -2 to +1 and a fatty amine conjugated to the -terminus, we demonstrate that anionic and neutral zwitterionic USLPs can possess potent antimicrobial and membrane-disrupting activities against prevalent human pathogens such as and The strongest antimicrobials completely halt bacterial growth at low micromolar concentrations, reduce bacterial survival by several orders of magnitude, and may kill planktonic cells and biofilms. All of them comprise either an anionic or neutral zwitterionic peptide attached to a long fatty amine (16-18 carbon atoms) and show a preference for anionic lipid membranes enriched in phosphatidylglycerol (PG), which excludes electrostatic interactions as the main driving force for DICAM action.

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Background: Undetected obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is highly prevalent in patients undergoing bariatric surgery and increases perioperative risks. Screening for OSA using preoperative polygraphy (PG) with subsequent continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is costly and time-consuming. Postoperative continuous pulse oximetry (CPOX) is less invasive, and is hypothesized to be a safe and cost-effective alternative.

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Statistical combinations of searches for charginos and neutralinos using various decay channels are performed using 139  fb^{-1} of pp collision data at sqrt[s]=13  TeV with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Searches targeting pure-wino chargino pair production, pure-wino chargino-neutralino production, or Higgsino production decaying via standard model W, Z, or h bosons are combined to extend the mass reach to the produced supersymmetric particles by 30-100 GeV. The depth of the sensitivity of the original searches is also improved by the combinations, lowering the 95% C.

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Article Synopsis
  • * The measurements utilized both semileptonic and hadronic decays of top quarks, along with events focused on single top quark production in the electroweak t channel.
  • * The combined result for the top quark mass is 172.52 GeV, with a reduced total uncertainty of 0.33 GeV, showcasing an improvement of 31% over previous measurements.
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  • Researchers explored the connection between heavy alcohol use and obesity as midlife risk factors for late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD), uncovering a link to disrupted lipophagy and lysosomal function.
  • The study found that the loss of lysosomal acid lipase (LAL) in neurons leads to the accumulation of neuronal lysosomal lipids (NLL), which interferes with the clearance of amyloid-beta (Aβ), a key component of Alzheimer's pathology.
  • As LAL levels decline with age in both mice and humans, its reduction is associated with increased Aβ and cognitive deficits, highlighting the importance of maintaining LAL function to potentially mitigate Alzheimer's risk as we age.
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A combination of searches for a new resonance decaying into a Higgs boson pair is presented, using up to 139  fb^{-1} of pp collision data at sqrt[s]=13  TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The combination includes searches performed in three decay channels: bb[over ¯]bb[over ¯], bb[over ¯]τ^{+}τ^{-}, and bb[over ¯]γγ. No excess above the expected Standard Model background is observed and upper limits are set at the 95% confidence level on the production cross section of Higgs boson pairs originating from the decay of a narrow scalar resonance with mass in the range 251 GeV-5 TeV.

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Higgsinos with masses near the electroweak scale can solve the hierarchy problem and provide a dark matter candidate, while detecting them at the LHC remains challenging if their mass splitting is O(1  GeV). This Letter presents a novel search for nearly mass-degenerate Higgsinos in events with an energetic jet, missing transverse momentum, and a low-momentum track with a significant transverse impact parameter using 140  fb^{-1} of proton-proton collision data at sqrt[s]=13  TeV collected by the ATLAS experiment. For the first time since LEP, a range of mass splittings between the lightest charged and neutral Higgsinos from 0.

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Maternal nutrition contributes to gene-environment interactions that influence susceptibility to common congenital anomalies such as neural tube defects (NTDs). Supplemental myo-inositol (MI) can prevent NTDs in some mouse models and shows potential for prevention of human NTDs. We investigated effects of maternal MI intake on embryonic MI status and metabolism in curly tail mice, which are genetically predisposed to NTDs that are inositol-responsive but folic acid resistant.

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ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transport systems are crucial for bacteria to ensure sufficient uptake of nutrients that are not produced de novo or improve the energy balance. The cell surface of the pathobiont Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) is decorated with a substantial array of ABC transporters, critically influencing nasopharyngeal colonization and invasive infections. Given the auxotrophic nature of pneumococci for certain amino acids, the Ami ABC transporter system, orchestrating oligopeptide uptake, becomes indispensable in host compartments lacking amino acids.

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