Measurement of the proton-air cross section at √s=57 TeV with the Pierre Auger Observatory

We report a measurement of the proton-air cross section for particle production at the center-of-mass energy per nucleon of 57 TeV. This is derived from the distribution of the depths of shower maxima observed with the Pierre Auger Observatory: systematic uncertainties are studied in detail. Analyzing the tail of the distribution of the shower maxima, a proton-air cross section of [505±22(stat)(-36)(+28)(syst)] mb is found.

Thrombosis of the aorta abdominalis in infants--diagnosis and thrombolytic therapy

Aortic thrombosis is rarely observed in neonates and infants. Underlying conditions include the presence of umbilical artery catheters, thrombosed aneurysm of the ductus arteriosus, sepsis and different states of inherited thrombophilia. Treatment options include anticoagulation, thrombolytic therapy and thrombectomy. Due to the lack of large studies, neither diagnosis nor treatment of neonatal aortic thrombosis are standardized.From 2008-2010, 1 neonate and 1 infant were admitted to our hospital with symptomatic aortic thrombosis.In both patients, diagnosis was made by Doppler ultrasound. Both patients were effectively treated with recombinant tissue type plasminogen activator. Diagnosis and treatment of 2 infants with symptomatic aortic thrombosis are discussed and the literature is reviewed.Since aortic thrombosis is a life-threatening condition, early diagnosis by Doppler ultrasound is mandatory to initiate treatment without delay. Thrombolytic therapy is a safe measure to treat this condition if administered with caution and if the patient has not suffered from serious complications such as mesenteric infarction or renal failure prior to begin of therapy.

[Breast feeding during methadon- and buprenorphin therapy]

The number of opiate addicted patients treated with opioid replacement therapy is continuously increasing. In Germany, 57.7% of these patients are treated with methadone and 18.6% with buprenorphine. This maintenance therapy provides several advantages while addicted pregnant women and their foetus have a high benefit from appropriate replacement therapy. However, the recommendations concerning breast feeding during an opioid replacement therapy are discussed controversially, because methadone as well as buprenorphine accumulate in breast milk. This accumulation might cause damages to the newborn's health; so, child benefits of breast feeding have to be balanced with possible health risks.This review provides an overview of a selective literature search based on the PubMed-database and german consensus recommendations. Used search terms included: (methadone*) AND (breastfeeding OR lactation), (methadone*) AND (human milk), (buprenorphine*) AND (breastfeeding OR lactation) and (buprenorphine*) AND (human milk).According to the available literature, addicted women, substinated with methadone or buprenorphine are allowed to breast feed their newborns. The advantages of breast feeding prevail the risks of an infant opiate intoxication caused by methadone or buprenorphine.

Minimally invasive partial inferior sternotomy for congenital heart defects in children

AIM

Minimally invasive approaches for repair of congenital heart defects have gained in popularity. Aim of the study was to evaluate the safety and efficiency of the partial inferior sternotomy approach to repair various congenital heart defects.

METHODS

Since 1998, 100 children (55 males; mean age: 3.8 ± 3.7; mean weight: 15.1 ± 8.7 kg) were operated on via a limited median vertical skin incision and partial inferior sternotomy. Preoperative diagnoses were: ASD II (N.=46), sinus venosus defect with partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection (N.=12), partial AV-canal (N.=4), VSD (N.=35), tetralogy of Fallot (N.=2), and double chambered right ventricle (N.=1). Cannulation was always performed via the chest incision.

RESULTS

There were no deaths. Mean cross-clamp time was 49.9 ± 30.6 minutes, and mean operation time 192 ± 46 minutes. Mean postoperative mechanical ventilation time, Intensive Care Unit stay and hospital stay were 9.7 ± 10.4 hours, 1.8 ± 0.7 days, and 12 ± 3.0 days, respectively. Complications included pneumothorax requiring drainage in 2 patients, atrioventricular block necessitating a permanent pacemaker in 1 patient. The incisions healed properly. All patients are in excellent condition after a mean follow-up of 32 ± 25 months. On echocardiography no residual defect was evident in 98 patients, and a mild mitral insufficiency in two patients operated on partial atrioventricular canal.

CONCLUSION

The partial inferior sternotomy approach to congenital heart operations is less invasive than and cosmetically superior to full sternotomy with reduced postoperative pain and discomfort for the patients. This approach ensures a safe procedure with excellent exposure without additional incisions. It is our standard approach in infants/children with septal defects.

Conditional-Associative Learning in Eating Disorders: A Comparison With OCD

The acquisition of conditional associations using neutral and individually threatening verbal stimuli was assessed in 16 females with anorexia nervosa (AN), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), bulimia nervosa and normal controls, respectively. Groups did not differ in terms of age, sex, intelligence, depression, verbal memory and verbal fluency measures. Patients and controls were widely comparable on tests assessing neuropsychological functioning. In the conditional-associative learning (CAL)-task only anorectic and OCD-patients displayed an impaired performance with neutral material but not with individually threatening material. Such a deficit was not evident in bulimics or in normal controls. These findings support the assumptions from functional neuroimaging investigations in AN and OCD and provide evidence that obsessive and compulsive behavior could have its origin within common neurobiological dysfunctions. The CAL possibly serves as a functional correlate of a neurophysiological dysfunction in obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders.

Measurement of the depth of maximum of extensive air showers above 10{18} eV

We describe the measurement of the depth of maximum, X{max}, of the longitudinal development of air showers induced by cosmic rays. Almost 4000 events above 10;{18} eV observed by the fluorescence detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory in coincidence with at least one surface detector station are selected for the analysis. The average shower maximum was found to evolve with energy at a rate of (106{-21}{+35}) g/cm{2}/decade below 10{18.24+/-0.05} eV, and (24+/-3) g/cm{2}/decade above this energy. The measured shower-to-shower fluctuations decrease from about 55 to 26 g/cm{2}. The interpretation of these results in terms of the cosmic ray mass composition is briefly discussed.

Cardiac resynchronisation therapy in paediatric and congenital heart disease: differential effects in various anatomical and functional substrates

Background:

Cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) is increasingly used in children in a variety of anatomical and pathophysiological conditions, but published data are scarce.

Objective:

To record current practice and results of CRT in paediatric and congenital heart disease.

Design:

Retrospective multicentre European survey.

Setting:

Paediatric cardiology and cardiac surgery centres.

Patients:

One hundred and nine patients aged 0.24–73.8 (median 16.9) years with structural congenital heart disease (n = 87), congenital atrioventricular block (n = 12) and dilated cardiomyopathy (n = 10) with systemic left (n = 69), right (n = 36) or single (n = 4) ventricular dysfunction and ventricular dyssynchrony during sinus rhythm (n = 25) or associated with pacing (n = 84).

Interventions:

CRT for a median period of 7.5 months (concurrent cardiac surgery in 16/109).

Main outcome measures:

Functional improvement and echocardiographic change in systemic ventricular function.

Results:

The z score of the systemic ventricular end-diastolic dimension decreased by median 1.1 (p<0.001). Ejection fraction (EF) or fractional area of change increased by a mean (SD) of 11.5 (14.3)% (p<0.001) and New York Heart Association (NYHA) class improved by median 1.0 grade (p<0.001). Non-response to CRT (18.5%) was multivariably predicted by the presence of primary dilated cardiomyopathy (p = 0.002) and poor NYHA class (p = 0.003). Presence of a systemic left ventricle was the strongest multivariable predictor of improvement in EF/fractional area of change (p<0.001). Results were independent of the number of patients treated in each contributing centre.

Conclusion:

Heart failure associated with ventricular pacing is the largest indication for CRT in paediatric and congenital heart disease. CRT efficacy varies widely with the underlying anatomical and pathophysiological substrate.

Observation of the suppression of the flux of cosmic rays above 4 x 10 (19) eV

The energy spectrum of cosmic rays above 2.5 x 10;{18} eV, derived from 20,000 events recorded at the Pierre Auger Observatory, is described. The spectral index gamma of the particle flux, J proportional, variantE;{-gamma}, at energies between 4 x 10;{18} eV and 4 x 10;{19} eV is 2.69+/-0.02(stat)+/-0.06(syst), steepening to 4.2+/-0.4(stat)+/-0.06(syst) at higher energies. The hypothesis of a single power law is rejected with a significance greater than 6 standard deviations. The data are consistent with the prediction by Greisen and by Zatsepin and Kuz'min.

Dipole oscillations of a Bose-Einstein condensate in the presence of defects and disorder

We consider dipole oscillations of a trapped dilute Bose-Einstein condensate in the presence of a scattering potential consisting either in a localized defect or in an extended disordered potential. In both cases the breaking of superfluidity and the damping of the oscillations are shown to be related to the appearance of a nonlinear dissipative flow. At supersonic velocities the flow becomes asymptotically dissipationless.

Upper limit on the diffuse flux of ultrahigh energy tau neutrinos from the Pierre Auger Observatory

The surface detector array of the Pierre Auger Observatory is sensitive to Earth-skimming tau neutrinos that interact in Earth's crust. Tau leptons from nu(tau) charged-current interactions can emerge and decay in the atmosphere to produce a nearly horizontal shower with a significant electromagnetic component. The data collected between 1 January 2004 and 31 August 2007 are used to place an upper limit on the diffuse flux of nu(tau) at EeV energies. Assuming an E(nu)(-2) differential energy spectrum the limit set at 90% C.L. is E(nu)(2)dN(nu)(tau)/dE(nu)<1.3 x 10(-7) GeV cm(-2) s(-1) sr(-1) in the energy range 2 x 10(17) eV< E(nu)< 2 x 10(19) eV.