Search for Evidence of Baryogenesis and Dark Matter in B

A new dark sector antibaryon, denoted ψ_{D}, could be produced in decays of B mesons. This Letter presents a search for B^{+}→ψ_{D}+p (and the charge conjugate) decays in e^{+}e^{-} annihilations at 10.58 GeV, using data collected in the BABAR experiment. Data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 398 fb^{-1} are analyzed. No evidence for a signal is observed. Branching fraction upper limits in the range from 10^{-7}-10^{-5} are obtained at 90% confidence level for masses of 1.0

Longitudinal association of prepubertal urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations with pubertal progression among a cohort of boys.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies have reported associations of anti-androgenic phthalate metabolite concentrations with later onset of male puberty, but few have assessed associations with progression. OBJECTIVES: We examined the association of prepubertal urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations with trajectories of pubertal progression among Russian boys. METHODS: At enrollment (ages 8-9 years), medical history, dietary, and demographic information were collected. At entry and annually to age 19 years, physical examinations including testicular volume (TV) were performed and spot urines collected. Each boy's prepubertal urine samples were pooled, and 15 phthalate metabolites were quantified by isotope dilution LC-MS/MS at Moscow State University. Metabolites of anti-androgenic parent phthalates were included: butylbenzyl (BBzP), di-n-butyl (DnBP), diisobutyl (DiBP), di(2-ethylhexyl) (DEHP) and diisononyl (DiNP) phthalates. We calculated the molar sums of DEHP, DiNP, and all AAP metabolites. We used group-based trajectory models (GBTMs) to identify subgroups of boys who followed similar pubertal trajectories from ages 8-19 years based on annual TV. We used multinomial and ordinal regression models to evaluate whether prepubertal log-transformed phthalate metabolite concentrations were associated with slower or faster pubertal progression trajectories, adjusting for covariates. RESULTS: 304 boys contributed a total of 752 prepubertal urine samples (median 2, range: 1-6) for creation of individual pools. The median length of follow-up was 10.0 years; 79% of boys were followed beyond age 15. We identified three pubertal progression groups: slower (34%), moderate (43%), and faster (23%) progression. A standard deviation increase in urinary log-monobenzyl phthalate (MBzP) concentrations was associated with higher adjusted odds of being in the slow versus faster pubertal progression trajectory (aOR 1.47, 95% CI 1.06-2.04). None of the other phthalate metabolites were associated with pubertal progression. CONCLUSIONS: On average, boys with higher concentrations of prepubertal urinary MBzP had a slower tempo of pubertal progression, perhaps attributable to the disruption of androgen-dependent biological pathways.

Search for an Axionlike Particle in B Meson Decays.

Axionlike particles (ALPs) are predicted in many extensions of the standard model, and their masses can naturally be well below the electroweak scale. In the presence of couplings to electroweak bosons, these particles could be emitted in flavor-changing B meson decays. We report herein a search for an ALP, a, in the reaction B^{±}→K^{±}a, a→γγ using data collected by the BABAR experiment at SLAC. No significant signal is observed, and 90% confidence level upper limits on the ALP coupling to electroweak bosons are derived as a function of ALP mass, improving current constraints by several orders of magnitude in the range 0.175 GeV

Search for Lepton Flavor Violation in ϒ(3S)→e

We report on the first search for electron-muon lepton flavor violation (LFV) in the decay of a b quark and b antiquark bound state. We look for the LFV decay ϒ(3S)→e^{±}µ^{∓} in a sample of 118 million ϒ(3S) mesons from 27 fb^{-1} of data collected with the BABAR detector at the SLAC PEP-II e^{+}e^{-} collider operating with a 10.36 GeV center-of-mass energy. No evidence for a signal is found, and we set a limit on the branching fraction B[ϒ(3S)→e^{±}µ^{∓}]<3.6×10^{-7} at 90% C. L. This result can be interpreted as a limit Λ_{NP}/g_{NP}^{2}>80 TeV on the energy scale Λ_{NP} divided by the coupling-squared g_{NP}^{2} of relevant new physics (NP).

Search for Darkonium in e

Collider searches for dark sectors, new particles interacting only feebly with ordinary matter, have largely focused on identifying signatures of new mediators, leaving much of dark sector structures unexplored. In particular, the existence of dark matter bound states (darkonia) remains to be investigated. This possibility could arise in a simple model in which a dark photon (A^{'}) is light enough to generate an attractive force between dark fermions. We report herein a search for a J^{PC}=1^{--} darkonium state, the ϒ_{D}, produced in the reaction e^{+}e^{-}→γϒ_{D}, ϒ_{D}→A^{'}A^{'}A^{'}, where the dark photons subsequently decay into pairs of leptons or pions, using 514 fb^{-1} of data collected with the BABAR detector. No significant signal is observed, and we set bounds on the γ-A^{'} kinetic mixing as a function of the dark sector coupling constant for 0.001

Search for a Dark Leptophilic Scalar in e

Many scenarios of physics beyond the standard model predict the existence of new gauge singlets, which might be substantially lighter than the weak scale. The experimental constraints on additional scalars with masses in the MeV to GeV range could be significantly weakened if they interact predominantly with leptons rather than quarks. At an e^{+}e^{-} collider, such a leptophilic scalar (ϕ_{L}) would be produced predominantly through radiation from a τ lepton. We report herein a search for e^{+}e^{-}→τ^{+}τ^{-}ϕ_{L}, ϕ_{L}→ℓ^{+}ℓ^{-} (ℓ=e, µ) using data collected by the BABAR experiment at SLAC. No significant signal is observed, and we set limits on the ϕ_{L} coupling to leptons in the range 0.04

Effectiveness of an mHealth application to improve hypertension health literacy in India.

AIM: The purpose of this research was to determine the effectiveness of a mobile health or mHealth application to improve hypertension health literacy among vulnerable populations in India. Additionally, we sought to estimate relationships between participant knowledge on hypertension and sociodemographic variables. BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization advocates for the use of mobile technology to improve public health outcomes. INTRODUCTION: The incidence of hypertension is on the rise in India, and effective and sustainable interventions are needed. METHODS: A quantitative single arm pre-test post-test interventional and correlational design was used to test the hypertension mHealth application among participants in a limited resource setting. A paired t-test was performed to compare pre- and post-test results after participant use of the mHealth application. A regression model was used to estimate relationships between participant hypertension health literacy and sociodemographic variables. RESULTS: A statistically significant improvement in test scores among participants after use of the mHealth app was found. Sociodemographic characteristics such as living in an urban environment, married, increased number of people living in household and alcohol use were determined to have a statistically significant effect on improvement of test score. DISCUSSION: Results indicated the application was effective among participants with varied literacy and health literacy levels. These findings contribute to the potential widespread scalability of the app among populations with varied demographics. CONCLUSION: This application provides an effective and valuable culturally tailored educational resource for nurses and other health providers to use to improve hypertension health literacy among vulnerable populations in India. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE AND HEALTH POLICY: This study contributes to nursing and health policy by answering a call from the World Health Organization to implement and research mHealth interventions to improve health outcomes, particularly in a low and middle income country where preventive health access is limited.

Measurements of the Absolute Branching Fractions of B

A study of the two-body decays B^{±}→X_{cc[over ¯]}K^{±}, where X_{cc[over ¯]} refers to one charmonium state, is reported by the BABAR Collaboration using a data sample of 424 fb^{-1}. The absolute determination of branching fractions for these decays are significantly improved compared to previous BABAR measurements. Evidence is found for the decay B^{+}→X(3872)K^{+} at the 3σ level. The absolute branching fraction B[B^{+}→X(3872)K^{+}]=[2.1±0.6(stat)±0.3(syst)]×10^{-4} is measured for the first time. It follows that B[X(3872)→J/ψπ^{+}π^{-}]=(4.1±1.3)%, supporting the hypothesis of a molecular component for this resonance.

Search for Rare or Forbidden Decays of the D

We present a search for nine lepton-number-violating and three lepton-flavor-violating neutral charm decays of the type D^{0}→h^{'-}h^{-}ℓ^{'+}ℓ^{+} and D^{0}→h^{'-}h^{+}ℓ^{'±}ℓ^{∓}, where h and h^{'} represent a K or π meson and ℓ and ℓ^{'} an electron or muon. The analysis is based on 468 fb^{-1} of e^{+}e^{-} annihilation data collected at or close to the ϒ(4S) resonance with the BABAR detector at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. No significant signal is observed for any of the twelve modes, and we establish 90% confidence level upper limits on the branching fractions in the range (1.0-30.6)×10^{-7}. The limits are between 1 and 3 orders of magnitude more stringent than previous measurements.

Measurement of the Permanent Electric Dipole Moment of the Neutron.

We present the result of an experiment to measure the electric dipole moment (EDM) of the neutron at the Paul Scherrer Institute using Ramsey's method of separated oscillating magnetic fields with ultracold neutrons. Our measurement stands in the long history of EDM experiments probing physics violating time-reversal invariance. The salient features of this experiment were the use of a ^{199}Hg comagnetometer and an array of optically pumped cesium vapor magnetometers to cancel and correct for magnetic-field changes. The statistical analysis was performed on blinded datasets by two separate groups, while the estimation of systematic effects profited from an unprecedented knowledge of the magnetic field. The measured value of the neutron EDM is d_{n}=(0.0±1.1_{stat}±0.2_{sys})×10^{-26} e.cm.

Precision Measurement of the Ratio B(ϒ(3S)→τ

We report on a precision measurement of the ratio R_{τµ}^{ϒ(3S)}=B(ϒ(3S)→τ^{+}τ^{-})/B(ϒ(3S)→µ^{+}µ^{-}) using data collected with the BABAR detector at the SLAC PEP-II e^{+}e^{-} collider. The measurement is based on a 28 fb^{-1} data sample collected at a center-of-mass energy of 10.355 GeV corresponding to a sample of 122 million ϒ(3S) mesons. The ratio is measured to be R_{τµ}^{ϒ(3S)}=0.966±0.008_{stat}±0.014_{syst} and is in agreement with the standard model prediction of 0.9948 within 2 standard deviations. The uncertainty in R_{τµ}^{ϒ(3S)} is almost an order of magnitude smaller than the only previous measurement.

Extraction of form Factors from a Four-Dimensional Angular Analysis of B[over ¯]→D

An angular analysis of the decay B[over ¯]→D^{*}ℓ^{-}ν[over ¯]_{ℓ}, ℓ∈{e,µ}, is reported using the full e^{+}e^{-} collision data set collected by the BABAR experiment at the ϒ(4S) resonance. One B meson from the ϒ(4S)→BB[over ¯] decay is fully reconstructed in a hadronic decay mode, which constrains the kinematics and provides a determination of the neutrino momentum vector. The kinematics of the semileptonic decay is described by the dilepton mass squared, q^{2}, and three angles. The first unbinned fit to the full four-dimensional decay rate in the standard model is performed in the so-called Boyd-Grinstein-Lebed approach, which employs a generic q^{2} parametrization of the underlying form factors based on crossing symmetry, analyticity, and QCD dispersion relations for the amplitudes. A fit using the more model-dependent Caprini-Lellouch-Neubert (CLN) approach is performed as well. Our form factor shapes show deviations from previous fits based on the CLN parametrization. The latest form factors also provide an updated prediction for the branching fraction ratio R(D^{*})≡B(B[over ¯]→D^{*}τ^{-}ν[over ¯]_{τ})/B(B[over ¯]→D^{*}ℓ^{-}ν[over ¯]_{ℓ})=0.253±0.005. Finally, using the well-measured branching fraction for the B[over ¯]→D^{*}ℓ^{-}ν[over ¯]_{ℓ} decay, a value of |V_{cb}|=(38.36±0.90)×10^{-3} is obtained that is consistent with the current world average for exclusive B[over ¯]→D^{(*)}ℓ^{-}ν[over ¯]_{ℓ} decays and remains in tension with the determination from inclusive semileptonic B decays to final states with charm.

German Environmental Specimen Bank: 24-hour urine samples from 1999 to 2017 reveal rapid increase in exposure to the para-phthalate plasticizer di(2-ethylhexyl) terephthalate (DEHTP).

The worldwide plasticizer markets are facing constant substitution processes. Many classic ortho-phthalate plasticizers like di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) are phased out, due to their proven toxicity to reproduction. Assumedly less critical, less regulated plasticizers such as di(2-ethylhexyl) terephthalate (DEHTP) are increasingly applied in consumer near products like toys, food contact materials, and medical devices. With the increasing use of DEHTP, increasing exposures of the general population have to be expected likewise. Human biomonitoring is a well-established tool to determine population exposures. In the present study we investigate the time trend of exposure to DEHTP using 24-hour urine samples of the German Environmental Specimen Bank (ESB) collected from 1999 to 2017. In these samples (60 per odd-numbered year, 600 samples in total) collected from young German adults (20-29 years, equal gender distribution) we determined four specific urinary metabolites as biomarkers of DEHTP exposure. From 1999 to 2009, the main specific urinary metabolite 5cx-MEPTP was quantifiable in <10% of the samples. Thereafter, detection rates and levels constantly increased, in line with rapidly increasing DEHTP consumption volumes. In 2017, all samples had 5cx-MEPTP levels above the limit of quantification (LOQ) with a median concentration of 3.35 µg/L (95th percentile: 12.8 µg/L). The other metabolites were detected less frequently and at lower levels but correlated well with 5cx-MEPTP robustly confirming the increasing DEHTP exposure. All 5cx-MEPTP concentrations were well below the German health based guidance value (HBM-I) of 2800 µg/L for adults. Likewise, the median calculated daily intake, based on 5cx-MEPTP measured in 2017, was 0.74 µg/kg bw∗d (95th percentile: 3.86 µg/kg bw∗d), still well below the tolerable daily intake (TDI) of 1000 µg/kg bw∗d. Based on current toxicological knowledge we can hence conclude that for the population investigated, DEHTP exposure gives no reason for immediate concern. However, the steep ongoing increase of DEHTP exposure warrants further close monitoring in the future, preferably also in sub-populations with known higher exposures to plasticizers, especially children.

A rare presentation of a paediatric patient with acute otomastoiditis media caused by mycobacterium tuberculosis resulting in intracranial complications.

Mastoiditis caused by mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) has an extremely low incidence in paediatric patients and intracranial complications are even rarer. We report the case of a 2-year-old Caucasian male who presented to a tertiary ENT centre with a left sided mastoid swelling and drowsiness after having been treated unsuccessfully for unresolving ear pain and discharge for 6 weeks. He was subsequently found to have mastoiditis with intracranial complications caused by mycobacterium TB. This report aims to increase awareness of TB as a potential cause of chronic unresolving ear pain in the paediatric age group, as well as the importance of multidisciplinary team management.

Observation of the Decay D

We report the observation of the rare charm decay D^{0}→K^{-}π^{+}e^{+}e^{-}, based on 468 fb^{-1} of e^{+}e^{-} annihilation data collected at or close to the center-of-mass energy of the ϒ(4S) resonance with the BABAR detector at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. We find the branching fraction in the invariant mass range 0.675

Search for a Stable Six-Quark State at BABAR.

Recent investigations have suggested that the six-quark combination uuddss could be a deeply bound state (S) that has eluded detection so far, and a potential dark matter candidate. We report the first search for a stable, doubly strange six-quark state in ϒ→SΛ[over ¯]Λ[over ¯] decays based on a sample of 90×10^{6}ϒ(2S) and 110×10^{6}ϒ(3S) decays collected by the BABAR experiment. No signal is observed, and 90% confidence level limits on the combined ϒ(2S,3S)→SΛ[over ¯]Λ[over ¯] branching fraction in the range (1.2-1.4)×10^{-7} are derived for m_{S}<2.05 GeV. These bounds set stringent limits on the existence of such exotic particles.

Increased differentiation and production of extracellular matrix components of primary human osteoblasts after cocultivation with endothelial cells: A quantitative proteomics approach.

Coculturing of bone-forming and blood vessel-forming cells is a strategy aimed at increasing vascularity of implanted bone constructs in tissue-engineering applications. We previously described that the coculture of primary human osteoblasts (hOBs) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) improves the differentiation of both cell types, leading to the formation of functional blood vessels and enhanced bone regeneration. The objective of this study was to further delineate the multifaceted interactions between both cell types. To investigate the proteome of hOBs after cocultivation with HUVECs we used stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture, revealing 49 significantly upregulated, and 54 significantly downregulated proteins. Amongst the highest regulated proteins, we found the proteins important for osteoblast differentiation, cellular adhesion, and extracellular matrix function, notably: connective tissue growth factor, desmoplakin, galectin-3, and cyclin-dependent kinase 6. The findings were confirmed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. We also investigated whether the mRNA transcripts correlate with the changes in protein levels by quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. In addition, the data was compared to our previous microarray analysis of hOB transcriptome. Taken together, this in-depth analysis delivers reliable data suggesting the importance of coculturing of hOBs and HUVECs in tissue engineering.

Long-Term Dietary Nitrate Supplementation Does Not Prevent Development of the Metabolic Syndrome in Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet.

BACKGROUND: Nitric oxide (NO) is an important vascular signaling molecule that plays a role in vascular homeostasis. A reduction in NO bioavailability is thought to contribute to endothelial dysfunction, an early risk factor for both cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Dietary nitrate, through the nitrate-nitrite-NO pathway, may provide an alternate source of NO when the endogenous eNOS system is compromised. In addition to a role in the vascular system, NO may also play a role in the metabolic syndrome including obesity and glucose tolerance. AIM: To investigate the effect of long-term dietary nitrate supplementation on development of the metabolic syndrome in mice fed a high-fat diet. METHODS: Following 1 week of acclimatisation, male (6-8 weeks) C57BL6 mice were randomly assigned to the following groups (10/group) for 12 weeks: (i) normal chow + NaCl (1 mmol/kg/day), (ii) normal chow + NaNO3 (1 mmol/kg/day), (iii) high-fat diet + NaCl (1 mmol/kg/day), and (iv) high-fat diet + NaNO3 (1 mmol/kg/day). Body weight and food consumption were monitored weekly. A subset of mice (5/group) underwent running wheel assessment. At the end of the treatment period, all mice underwent fasting glucose tolerance testing. Caecum contents, serum, and tissues (liver, skeletal muscle, white and brown adipose, and kidney) were collected, frozen, and stored at -80°C until analysis. RESULTS: Consumption of the high-fat diet resulted in significantly greater weight gain that was not affected by dietary nitrate. Mice on the high-fat diet also had impaired glucose tolerance that was not affected by dietary nitrate. There was no difference in adipose tissue expression of thermogenic proteins or energy expenditure as assessed by the running wheel activity. Mice on the high-fat diet and those receiving dietary nitrate had reduced caecum concentrations of both butyrate and propionate. CONCLUSIONS: Dietary nitrate does not prevent development of the metabolic syndrome in mice fed a high-fat diet. This may be due, in part due, to reductions in the concentration of important short-chain fatty acids.

Prenatal exposure to acetaminophen and children's language development at 30 months.

OBJECTIVE: To examine prenatal APAP exposure in relation to language development in offspring at 30 months of age. METHOD: A population-based pregnancy cohort study including 754 women who enrolled in the Swedish Environmental Longitudinal, Mother and child, Asthma and allergy (SELMA) study in pregnancy week 8-13. Two exposure measures were used: (1) maternally reported number of APAP tablets taken between conception and enrollment; (2) APAP urinary concentration at enrollment. Language development at 30 months was assessed by nurse's evaluation and parental questionnaire, including the number of words the child used (<25, 25-50 and >50). Main study outcome; parental report of use of fewer than 50 words, termed language delay (LD). RESULTS: 59.2% of women enrolled in weeks 8-13 reported taking APAP between conception and enrollment. APAP was measurable in all urine samples and urinary APAP was correlated with the number of APAP taken during pregnancy (P<0.01). Language delay was more prevalent in boys (12.6%) than girls (4.1%) (8.5% in total). Both the number of APAP tablets and urinary APAP concentration were associated with greater LD in girls but not in boys. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) for LD among girls whose mothers reported >6 vs. 0 APAP tablets was 5.92 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.10-31.94). The OR for LD in girls whose mothers' urinary APAP was in the highest compared to the lowest quartile was 10.34 (95% CI 1.37-77.86). While it cannot be ruled out, our available data do not support confounding by indication. CONCLUSIONS: Given the prevalence of prenatal APAP use and the importance of language development, these findings, if replicated, would suggest that pregnant women should limit their use of this analgesic during pregnancy.

Dermal uptake of nicotine from air and clothing: Experimental verification.

This study aims to elucidate in greater detail the dermal uptake of nicotine from air or from nicotine-exposed clothes, which was demonstrated recently in a preliminary study. Six non-smoking participants were exposed to gaseous nicotine (between 236 and 304 µg/m3 ) over 5 hours while breathing clean air through a hood. Four of the participants wore only shorts and 2 wore a set of clean clothes. One week later, 2 of the bare-skinned participants were again exposed in the chamber, but they showered immediately after exposure instead of the following morning. The 2 participants who wore clean clothes on week 1 were now exposed wearing a set of clothes that had been exposed to nicotine. All urine was collected for 84 hours after exposure and analyzed for nicotine and its metabolites, cotinine and 3OH-cotinine. All participants except those wearing fresh clothes excreted substantial amounts of biomarkers, comparable to levels expected from inhalation intake. Uptake for 1 participant wearing exposed clothes exceeded estimated intake via inhalation by >50%. Biomarker excretion continued during the entire urine collection period, indicating that nicotine accumulates in the skin and is released over several days. Absorbed nicotine was significantly lower after showering in 1 subject but not the other. Differences in the normalized uptakes and in the excretion patterns were observed among the participants. The observed cotinine half-lives suggest that non-smokers exposed to airborne nicotine may receive a substantial fraction through the dermal pathway. Washing skin and clothes exposed to nicotine may meaningfully decrease exposure.