Observations and properties of the first laboratory fusion experiment to exceed a target gain of unity.

An indirect-drive inertial fusion experiment on the National Ignition Facility was driven using 2.05 MJ of laser light at a wavelength of 351 nm and produced 3.1±0.16 MJ of total fusion yield, producing a target gain G=1.5±0.1 exceeding unity for the first time in a laboratory experiment [Phys. Rev. E 109, 025204 (2024)10.1103/PhysRevE.109.025204]. Herein we describe the experimental evidence for the increased drive on the capsule using additional laser energy and control over known degradation mechanisms, which are critical to achieving high performance. Improved fuel compression relative to previous megajoule-yield experiments is observed. Novel signatures of the ignition and burn propagation to high yield can now be studied in the laboratory for the first time.

Different tumor growth pattern of clinically nonfunctioning pituitary neuroendocrine tumor according to sex and age: a longitudinal study.

PURPOSE: Asymptomatic patients with clinically non-functional pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (CNF-PitNETs) are usually followed up. However, the natural course of CNF-PitNETs according to sex and age remains unclear. Therefore, this study assessed growth patterns of CNF-PitNETs according to sex and age. METHODS: In this longitudinal study, we enrolled 431 consecutive patients with CNF-PitNETs who were treated at Seoul National University Hospital from 1997 to 2021. The patients underwent hormone function testing and visual field testing, and were subsequently followed up with imaging over a median duration of 66 months. RESULTS: The median age of the patients was 53.0 years, and 37.1% (n = 160) were men. Men were older and harbored more macroadenomas than women. The annual tumor volume change was higher in men than in women (0.21 vs. 0.04 cm3/year, P < 0.001). The estimated cutoff value of age for significant tumor growth was 51 years. In men, the annual tumor volume change was similar across all age groups. In women, those aged ≤ 50 years showed significantly lower annual tumor volume change than those aged > 50 years (0.01, 0.11, and 0.17 cm3/year, P = 0.001). When comparing sexes within the same age group, the annual tumor volume changes was significantly lower for women than for men, only in patients aged ≤ 50 years (0.01 vs. 0.15 cm3/year, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with CNF-PitNET, tumor growth was slower in women aged ≤ 50 years than in men and women aged > 50. These findings may guide the customization of surveillance strategies for CNF-PitNETs according to sex and age.

Association between Sarcopenia and Survival in Patients Undergoing Gamma Knife Surgery for Brain Metastasis from Breast Cancer: A Retrospective Single-centre Cohort Study.

AIMS: Many recent studies related to cancer surgery have reported that sarcopenia influences mortality in surgical patients. However, few comprehensive studies have examined the associations between sarcopenia and short- and long-term surgical outcomes of metastatic cancer, especially breast cancer with brain metastasis. In the present study, we investigated the association between sarcopenia and mortality in patients who underwent gamma knife radiosurgery (GKRS) for brain metastasis with breast cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study analysed 157 patients who underwent GKRS for brain metastasis with breast cancer between January 2014 and December 2018. A Cox regression analysis was carried out to evaluate the association between sarcopenia and mortality at 90 days, 180 days, 1 year, 3 years and the overall period. RESULTS: In the Cox regression analysis, sarcopenia was significantly associated with high 90-day mortality (adjusted hazard ratio 3.46, 95% confidence interval 1.24-9.67, P = 0.018), 180-day mortality (adjusted hazard ratio 2.67, 95% confidence interval 1.37-5.22, P = 0.004), 1-year mortality (adjusted hazard ratio 2.39, 95% confidence interval 1.42-4.02, P = 0.001), 3-year mortality (adjusted hazard ratio 2.39, 95% confidence interval 1.53-3.74, P < 0.001) and overall mortality (adjusted hazard ratio 2.11, 95% confidence interval 1.37-3.26, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Sarcopenia could be a risk factor for short- and long-term mortality in patients undergoing GKRS for brain metastasis from breast cancer.

Search for Boosted Dark Matter in COSINE-100.

We search for energetic electron recoil signals induced by boosted dark matter (BDM) from the galactic center using the COSINE-100 array of NaI(Tl) crystal detectors at the Yangyang Underground Laboratory. The signal would be an excess of events with energies above 4 MeV over the well-understood background. Because no excess of events are observed in a 97.7 kg·yr exposure, we set limits on BDM interactions under a variety of hypotheses. Notably, we explored the dark photon parameter space, leading to competitive limits compared to direct dark photon search experiments, particularly for dark photon masses below 4 MeV and considering the invisible decay mode. Furthermore, by comparing our results with a previous BDM search conducted by the Super-Kamionkande experiment, we found that the COSINE-100 detector has advantages in searching for low-mass dark matter. This analysis demonstrates the potential of the COSINE-100 detector to search for MeV electron recoil signals produced by the dark sector particle interactions.

Wildfire-related smoke inhalation worsens cardiovascular risk in sleep disrupted rats.

Introduction: As a lifestyle factor, poor sleep status is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality and may be influenced by environmental stressors, including air pollution. Methods: To determine whether exposure to air pollution modified cardiovascular effects of sleep disruption, we evaluated the effects of single or repeated (twice/wk for 4 wks) inhalation exposure to eucalyptus wood smoke (ES; 964 µg/m3 for 1 h), a key wildland fire air pollution source, on mild sleep loss in the form of gentle handling in rats. Blood pressure (BP) radiotelemetry and echocardiography were evaluated along with assessments of lung and systemic inflammation, cardiac and hypothalamic gene expression, and heart rate variability (HRV), a measure of cardiac autonomic tone. Results and Discussion: GH alone disrupted sleep, as evidenced by active period-like locomotor activity, and increases in BP, heart rate (HR), and hypothalamic expression of the circadian gene Per2. A single bout of sleep disruption and ES, but neither alone, increased HR and BP as rats transitioned into their active period, a period aligned with a critical early morning window for stroke risk in humans. These responses were immediately preceded by reduced HRV, indicating increased cardiac sympathetic tone. In addition, only sleep disrupted rats exposed to ES had increased HR and BP during the final sleep disruption period. These rats also had increased cardiac output and cardiac expression of genes related to adrenergic function, and regulation of vasoconstriction and systemic blood pressure one day after final ES exposure. There was little evidence of lung or systemic inflammation, except for increases in serum LDL cholesterol and alanine aminotransferase. These results suggest that inhaled air pollution increases sleep perturbation-related cardiovascular risk, potentially in part by increased sympathetic activity.

Excitation of NH Stretching Modes in Aromatic Molecules: o-Toluidine and α-Methylbenzylamine.

Selectively excited o-toluidine and α-methylbenzylamine have been studied with quasi-classical trajectory procedures to determine the extent and timescales of intramolecular energy flow. The initial excitation is in the stretching mode of the para-CH bond, and its flow is initiated by interaction with an argon atom. Energy flow to the NH stretching mode is the dominant relaxation pathway, and its effectiveness is enhanced strongly by the methyl-NH interaction. Energy flow characteristics in both molecules are similar, but the flow is more effective in o-toluidine than in α-methylbenzylamine because the methyl group bonded to the benzene ring exerts stronger perturbation on the energy-flow pathway than the group bonded to the side chain. The relaxation of the initially excited CH completes on a timescale of several picoseconds, but the main part of energy flow to the NH occurs on a subpicosecond scale. In o-toluidine, carbon-carbon overtone modes lead to ring-CC bonds gaining and transporting more energy than high-frequency CH bonds, but they all gain far less energy than the NH stretching mode.

Respiratory microbiome profiles are associated with distinct inflammatory phenotype and lung function in children with asthma.

BACKGROUND: Respiratory microbiome studies have fostered our understanding of various phenotypes and endotypes of heterogeneous asthma. However, the relationship between the respiratory microbiome and clinical phenotypes in children with asthma remains unclear. We aimed to identify microbiome-driven clusters reflecting the clinical features of asthma and their dominant microbiotas in children with asthma. METHODS: Induced sputum was collected from children with asthma, and microbiome profiles were generated via sequencing of the V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. Cluster analysis was performed using the partitioning around medoid clustering method. The dominant microbiota in each cluster was determined using the Linear Discriminant Effect Size analysis. Each cluster was analyzed for association among the dominant microbiota, clinical phenotype, and inflammatory cytokine. RESULTS: Eighty-three children diagnosed with asthma were evaluated. Among four clusters reflecting the clinical characteristics of asthma, cluster 1, dominated by Haemophilus and Neisseria, demonstrated lower post-bronchodilator (BD) forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1)/forced vital capacity (FVC) than that in the other clusters and more mixed granulocytic asthma. Neisseria negatively correlated with pre-BD and post-BD FEV1/FVC. Haemophilus and Neisseria positively correlated with programmed death-ligand (PD-L)1. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this study is the first to analyze the relationship between an unbiased microbiome-driven cluster and clinical phenotype in children with asthma. The cluster dominated by Haemophilus and Neisseria showed fixed airflow obstruction and mixed granulocytic asthma, which correlated with PD-L1 levels. Thus, microbiome-driven unbiased clustering can help identify new asthma phenotypes related to endotypes in childhood asthma.

Hemorrhagic morbidity in nulliparous patients with placenta previa without placenta accrete spectrum disorders.

Background: Placental adhesion spectrum (PAS) is a disease in which the trophoblast invades the myometrium, and is a well-known high-risk condition associated with placental previa. Aim: The morbidity of nulliparous women with placenta previa without PAS disorders is unknown. Patients and Methods: The data from nulliparous women who underwent cesarean delivery were collected retrospectively. The women were dichotomized into malpresentation (MP) and placenta previa groups. The placenta previa group was categorized into previa (PS) and low-lying (LL) groups. When the placenta covers the internal cervical os, it is called placenta previa, when the placenta is near the cervical os, it is called the low-lying placenta. Their maternal hemorrhagic morbidity and neonatal outcomes were analyzed and adjusted using multivariate analysis based on univariate analysis. Results: A total of 1269 women were enrolled: 781 women in the MP group and 488 women in the PP-LL group. Regarding packed red blood cell transfusion, PP and LL had adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of 14.7 (95% confidence interval (CI): 6.6 - 32.5), and 11.3 (95% CI: 4.9 - 26) during admission, and 51.2 (95% CI: 22.1 - 122.7) and 10.3 (95% CI: 3.9 - 26.6) during operation, respectively. For intensive care unit admission, PS and LL had aOR of 15.9 (95% CI: 6.5 - 39.1) and 3.5 (95% CI: 1.1 - 10.9), respectively. No women had cesarean hysterectomy, major surgical complications, or maternal death. Conclusion: Despite placenta previa without PAS disorders, maternal hemorrhagic morbidity was significantly increased. Thus, our results highlight the need for resources for those women with evidence of placenta previa including a low-lying placenta, even if those women do not meet PAS disorder criteria. In addition, placenta previa without PAS disorder was not associated with critical maternal complications.

High-Precision Spectroscopy of

The excited states of unstable ^{20}O were investigated via γ-ray spectroscopy following the ^{19}O(d,p)^{20}O reaction at 8 AMeV. By exploiting the Doppler shift attenuation method, the lifetimes of the 2_{2}^{+} and 3_{1}^{+} states were firmly established. From the γ-ray branching and E2/M1 mixing ratios for transitions deexciting the 2_{2}^{+} and 3_{1}^{+} states, the B(E2) and B(M1) were determined. Various chiral effective field theory Hamiltonians, describing the nuclear properties beyond ground states, along with a standard USDB interaction, were compared with the experimentally obtained data. Such a comparison for a large set of γ-ray transition probabilities with the valence space in medium similarity renormalization group ab initio calculations was performed for the first time in a nucleus far from stability. It was shown that the ab initio approaches using chiral effective field theory forces are challenged by detailed high-precision spectroscopic properties of nuclei. The reduced transition probabilities were found to be a very constraining test of the performance of the ab initio models.

Evidence of Partial Seniority Conservation in the πg_{9/2} Shell for the N=50 Isotones.

The reduced transition probabilities for the 4_{1}^{+}→2_{1}^{+} and 2_{1}^{+}→0_{1}^{+} transitions in ^{92}Mo and ^{94}Ru and for the 4_{1}^{+}→2_{1}^{+} and 6_{1}^{+}→4_{1}^{+} transitions in ^{90}Zr have been determined in this experiment making use of a multinucleon transfer reaction. These results have been interpreted on the basis of realistic shell-model calculations in the f_{5/2}, p_{3/2}, p_{1/2}, and g_{9/2} proton valence space. Only the combination of extensive lifetime information and large scale shell-model calculations allowed the extent of the seniority conservation in the N=50 g_{9/2} orbital to be understood. The conclusion is that seniority is largely conserved in the first πg_{9/2} orbital.

Associations between mental illness and cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.

OBJECTIVE: Considering the impact of mental illness and cancer on the society, the relationship between the two diseases should be assessed. This study aimed at determining the association between mental illness and cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Embase and Medline databases were searched on October 21, 2020. Cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies were eligible for study inclusion. The Newcastle-Ottawa scale was used to qualitatively assess the risk of bias. Funnel plots were drawn to evaluate the risks of bias across the included studies. RESULTS: We included 58 studies from 16 countries, incorporating approximately 30 national databases and 25 million individuals. Patients with psychiatric disorders did not show an increased risk of developing cancer. However, patients with cancer had a significantly increased risk of developing mental illness. The survival rates of patients with mental illness according to cancer occurrence and patients with cancer according to mental illness occurrence were significantly decreased. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians should conduct early screening to ensure that appropriate interventions for mental illness are administered in patients with cancer. Due to the high incidence of death in patients with mental illnesses due to unnatural causes, such as suicide, homicide, and accidents, clinicians should be aware of the importance of the treatment and management of these patients.

Final overall survival analysis from the phase III J-ALEX study of alectinib versus crizotinib in ALK inhibitor-naïve Japanese patients with ALK-positive non-small-cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Mature progression-free survival (PFS) data from the phase III J-ALEX study showed superiority for alectinib versus crizotinib [hazard ratio (HR) 0.37, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.26-0.52; median PFS 34.1 versus 10.2 months, respectively] in advanced ALK (anaplastic lymphoma kinase)-positive non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Overall survival (OS) data were immature (HR 0.80, 99.8799% CI 0.35-1.82) at the time of data cut-off (30 June 2018). We report final OS data after ≥5 years of follow-up. PATIENTS AND METHODS: ALK inhibitor naive Japanese patients who were chemotherapy naive or had received one prior chemotherapy regimen were enrolled. Patients were randomized to receive alectinib 300 mg (n = 103) or crizotinib 250 mg (n = 104) twice daily until progressive disease, unacceptable toxicity, death, or withdrawal. The primary endpoint was independent review facility-assessed PFS, with OS (not fully powered) as a secondary endpoint. RESULTS: Median duration of OS follow-up was 68.6 months with alectinib and 68.0 months with crizotinib. Treatment with alectinib did not prolong OS relative to crizotinib (HR 1.03, 95.0405% CI 0.67-1.58; P = 0.9105). Five-year OS rates were 60.9% (95% CI 51.4-70.3) with alectinib and 64.1% (95% CI 54.9-73.4) with crizotinib. In total, 91.3% (n = 95/104) of crizotinib-treated patients and 46.6% (n = 48/103) of alectinib-treated patients received at least one subsequent anticancer therapy. After study drug discontinuation, 78.8% of patients in the crizotinib arm switched to alectinib, while 10.7% of patients in the alectinib arm switched to crizotinib as a first subsequent anticancer therapy. Patients randomized to crizotinib tended to switch treatment earlier than those randomized to alectinib. CONCLUSION: Final OS analysis from J-ALEX did not show superiority of alectinib to crizotinib; this result was most likely confounded by treatment crossover. Alectinib remains a standard of care for the treatment of patients with advanced ALK-positive NSCLC.

Intramolecular vibrational energy redistribution in nucleobases: Excitation of NH stretching vibrations in adenine-uracil + H2O.

Redistribution of vibrational energy in the adenine-uracil base pair is studied when the base pair undergoes an intermolecular interaction with an overtone-bending vibration excited H2O(2νbend) molecule. Energy transfer is calculated using the structural information obtained from density functional theory in the solution of the equations of motion. Intermolecular vibrational energy transfer (VET) from H2O(2νbend) to the uracil-NH stretching mode is efficient and rapidly followed by intramolecular vibrational energy redistribution (IVR) resulting from coupling between vibrational modes. An important pathway is IVR carrying energy to the NH-stretching mode of the adenine moiety in a subpicosecond scale, the energy build-up being sigmoidal, when H2O interacts with the uracil-NH bond. The majority of intermolecular hydrogen bonds between the base pair and H2O are weakened but unbroken during the ultrafast energy redistribution period. Lifetimes of intermolecular HB are on the order of 0.5 ps. The efficiency of IVR in the base pair is due to near-resonance between coupled CC and CN vibrations. The resonance also exists between the frequencies of H2O bend and NH stretch, thus facilitating VET. When H2O interacts with the NH bond at the adenine end of the base pair, energy flow in the reverse direction to the uracil-NH stretch is negligible, the unidirectionality discussed in terms of the effects of uracil CH stretches. The energy distributed in the CH bonds is found to be significant. The IVR process is found to be nearly temperature independent between 200 and 400 K.

Role of freezing-induced myofibrillar protein denaturation in the generation of thaw loss: A review.

Formation of thaw loss cannot generally be avoided when meat is frozen and then thawed. Explanations have mainly focused on the damage to muscle fibers resulting from ice crystallization and the freezing-induced denaturation of myofibrillar proteins, the latter of which has, however, not received much research focus. This review discusses the relationship between myofibrillar protein denaturation and water-holding capacity of meat in freezing-thawing with the aim to improve the understanding the relative importance of protein denaturation in the formation of thaw loss. The contribution of decreased pH and high ionic strength in the unfrozen water in freezing is emphasized and we hypothesize that these two factors are causing protein denaturation and conformational changes within muscle fibers, and consequently loss of water-holding capacity. Slow freezing produces more thaw loss than fast freezing, and this is discussed here in relation to the impacts on myofibrillar protein denaturation induced by the freezing rate.

Thin-Slice Pituitary MRI with Deep Learning-Based Reconstruction for Preoperative Prediction of Cavernous Sinus Invasion by Pituitary Adenoma: A Prospective Study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Accurate radiologic prediction of cavernous sinus invasion by pituitary adenoma remains challenging. We aimed to assess whether 1-mm-slice-thickness MRI with deep learning-based reconstruction can better predict cavernous sinus invasion by pituitary adenoma preoperatively and to estimate the depth of invasion and degree of contact in relation to the carotid artery, compared with 3-mm-slice-thickness MRI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This single-institution, prospective study included 67 consecutive patients (mean age, 53 [SD, 12] years; 28 women), between January and August 2020, who underwent a combined contrast-enhanced T1-weighted imaging protocol of 1-mm-slice-thickness MRI + deep learning-based reconstruction and 3-mm-slice-thickness MRI. An expert neuroradiologist who was blinded to the imaging protocol determined cavernous sinus invasion using the modified Knosp classification on 1-mm-slice-thickness MRI + deep learning-based reconstruction and 3-mm-slice-thickness MRI, respectively. Reference standards were established by the consensus of radiologic, intraoperative, pathologic, and laboratory findings. The primary end point was the diagnostic performance of each imaging protocol, and the secondary end points included depth of invasion and degree of contact in relation to the carotid artery. RESULTS: The diagnostic performance of 1-mm-slice-thickness MRI + deep learning-based reconstruction (area under the curve, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.69 - 0.89) in predicting cavernous sinus invasion by pituitary adenoma was higher than that of 3-mm-slice-thickness MRI (area under the curve, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.52-0.70; P < .001). One-millimeter-slice-thickness MRI + deep learning-based reconstruction demonstrated greater depth of invasion by pituitary adenomas from the medial intercarotid line than 3-mm-slice-thickness MRI (4.07 versus 3.12 mm, P < .001). A higher proportion of cases were in a greater degree of contact with the intracavernous ICA with 1-mm-slice-thickness MRI + deep learning-based reconstruction than with 3-mm-slice-thickness MRI (total encasement, 37.3% versus 13.4%, P < .001; >270°, 38.8% versus 16.4%, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with 3-mm-slice-thickness MRI, 1-mm-slice-thickness MRI + deep learning-based reconstruction showed a higher diagnostic performance in preoperatively predicting cavernous sinus invasion by pituitary adenomas and demonstrated a greater depth and degree of contact in relation to the carotid artery.

First Direct Measurement of an Astrophysical p-Process Reaction Cross Section Using a Radioactive Ion Beam.

We have performed the first direct measurement of the ^{83}Rb(p,γ) radiative capture reaction cross section in inverse kinematics using a radioactive beam of ^{83}Rb at incident energies of 2.4 and 2.7A MeV. The measured cross section at an effective relative kinetic energy of E_{cm}=2.393 MeV, which lies within the relevant energy window for core collapse supernovae, is smaller than the prediction of statistical model calculations. This leads to the abundance of ^{84}Sr produced in the astrophysical p process being higher than previously calculated. Moreover, the discrepancy of the present data with theoretical predictions indicates that further experimental investigation of p-process reactions involving unstable projectiles is clearly warranted.

Retrograde transvenous obliteration for the prevention of variceal rebleeding in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: a multicentre retrospective study.

AIM: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of retrograde transvenous obliteration (RTO) for the prevention of variceal rebleeding variceal rebleeding in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This multicentre retrospective study enrolled 79 patients with HCC who underwent RTO for the prevention of variceal rebleeding. Successful occlusion of the gastrorenal shunt and obliteration of the gastric varices were achieved in 74 patients, with a technical success rate of 93.7%. Of the remaining 74 patients (mean age, 64.9±10.3 years; 56 men), 66 (90.4%) had gastroesophageal varices and seven (9.6%) had isolated gastric varices. Thirty-two patients (43.8%) underwent balloon-occluded RTO, 40 patients (54.8%) underwent plug-assisted RTO, and one patient (1.4%) underwent coil-assisted RTO. No patients had major procedural complications. RESULTS: Rebleeding occurred in seven patients (9.6%) during the follow-up period. The 6-week and 1-year actuarial probabilities of patients remaining free of rebleeding were 90.8±3.6% and 88.6±4.1%, respectively. The median survival was 12.6 (95% confidence interval [CI] 8-17.3) months. The 6-week, 1-year, and 3-year actuarial probabilities of survival were 83.2±4.4%, 51.1±6.6%, and 32.7±7%, respectively. New or worsening ascites and oesophageal varices occurred in 12 (16.4%) and 13 patients (17.8%), respectively, during the follow-up period. Overt hepatic encephalopathy occurred in one patient (1.4%) during the follow-up period. The Child-Pugh score remained comparable to that at baseline at 1 and 3 months. CONCLUSION: RTO was effective and safe in preventing variceal rebleeding in patients with HCC.