[Endobronchial Ultrasound Guided Needle Aspiration of a Lung Cyst and Eosinophilic Pneumonia]

We report the case of a young male patient with a solitary pulmonary echinococcus cyst. The diagnosis of Cystic Echinococcosis is based on clinical findings, imaging and serology. In the setting of lung cysts the diagnosis can be difficult, particularly as the sensitivity of the serologic tests is lower compared to liver cysts. Bronchoscopic ultrasound of the cystic lesion and respectively the analysis of the cyst aspirate can lead to the diagnosis. In the present case an eosinophilic pneumonia as the result of the puncture has to be discussed.

[Trauma and psychological distress in dermatological patients]

BACKGROUND

Although seldom diagnosed, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has a high prevalence in primary and tertiary care. In a consecutive cross-sectional study, the prevalence of traumatic experiences and the severity of post-traumatic symptoms as well as specific characteristics of traumatized patients in the context of the dermatological treatment were examined.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Standardized questionnaires for assessing general psychopathology (Brief Symptom Inventory, BSI), coping with dermatological diseases (Adjustment to Chronic Skin Diseases Questionnaire, MHF) and diagnosis of trauma (Essen Trauma-Inventory, ETI) were used in 221 patients with different skin diseases.

RESULTS

In total, 85.1 % of the patients reported at least one potentially traumatic event in their lives, whereby psychometrically in 8.6 % of the cases the diagnostic criteria for a PTSD were met. Patients with suspected PTSD were more impacted by psychopathology, had more problems in coping with their skin diseases and attributed mental stress as having a greater influence on their skin disease than nontraumatized patients or traumatized patients without suspected PTSD. In addition, cumulative traumatization also leads to increased trauma symptomatology and greater difficulties in coping with skin diseases.

CONCLUSION

The results emphasize the impact of a comorbid PTSD on a patient's ability to cope with skin diseases and underline the need for the inclusion of the differential diagnosis PTSD in dermatological treatment settings.

[Pulmonary Tuberculosis--Is Surgery still Necessary?]

BACKGROUND

Tuberculosis is still one of the most common infectious diseases along with HIV and malaria and therefore represents a serious problem in the health sector. Due to immigrants and refugees, the disease is also present in Europe. The global increase of multidrug resistant tuberculosis leads to a highly significant and current importance of sufficient therapeutic measures. In recent years, this fact has led to a reevaluation of surgical therapy in the context of an interdisciplinary and multimodal treatment of multidrug resistant tuberculosis. In addition, despite an effective treatment of drug sensitive tuberculosis with antibiotics, there are still indications for surgery in the treatment of tuberculosis. Beside massive hemoptysis as an emergency indication for surgical intervention, secondary complications of tuberculosis such as aspergilloma, chronic hemoptysis, pneumothorax, bronchopleural fistula and destroyed lung remain indications for surgery.

CONCLUSION

The indication for surgery should always be made in a multimodal therapeutic approach by an interdisciplinary team, taking patient age and functional analysis into account. Effective antibiotic therapy should be performed before and after surgery in order to achieve a sustained treatment success.

Search for Event Rate Modulation in XENON100 Electronic Recoil Data

We have searched for periodic variations of the electronic recoil event rate in the (2-6) keV energy range recorded between February 2011 and March 2012 with the XENON100 detector, adding up to 224.6 live days in total. Following a detailed study to establish the stability of the detector and its background contributions during this run, we performed an unbinned profile likelihood analysis to identify any periodicity up to 500 days. We find a global significance of less than 1σ for all periods, suggesting no statistically significant modulation in the data. While the local significance for an annual modulation is 2.8σ, the analysis of a multiple-scatter control sample and the phase of the modulation disfavor a dark matter interpretation. The DAMA/LIBRA annual modulation interpreted as a dark matter signature with axial-vector coupling of weakly interacting massive particles to electrons is excluded at 4.8σ.

Loss of lamin A function increases chromatin dynamics in the nuclear interior

Chromatin is organized in a highly ordered yet dynamic manner in the cell nucleus, but the principles governing this organization remain unclear. Similarly, it is unknown whether, and how, various proteins regulate chromatin motion and as a result influence nuclear organization. Here by studying the dynamics of different genomic regions in the nucleus of live cells, we show that the genome has highly constrained dynamics. Interestingly, depletion of lamin A strikingly alters genome dynamics, inducing a dramatic transition from slow anomalous diffusion to fast and normal diffusion. In contrast, depletion of LAP2α, a protein that interacts with lamin A and chromatin, has no such effect on genome dynamics. We speculate that chromosomal inter-chain interactions formed by lamin A throughout the nucleus contribute to chromatin dynamics, and suggest that the molecular regulation of chromatin diffusion by lamin A in the nuclear interior is critical for the maintenance of genome organization.

Results on neutrinoless double-β decay of 76Ge from phase I of the GERDA experiment

Neutrinoless double beta decay is a process that violates lepton number conservation. It is predicted to occur in extensions of the standard model of particle physics. This Letter reports the results from phase I of the Germanium Detector Array (GERDA) experiment at the Gran Sasso Laboratory (Italy) searching for neutrinoless double beta decay of the isotope (76)Ge. Data considered in the present analysis have been collected between November 2011 and May 2013 with a total exposure of 21.6 kg yr. A blind analysis is performed. The background index is about 1 × 10(-2) counts/(keV kg yr) after pulse shape discrimination. No signal is observed and a lower limit is derived for the half-life of neutrinoless double beta decay of (76)Ge, T(1/2)(0ν) >2.1 × 10(25) yr (90% C.L.). The combination with the results from the previous experiments with (76)Ge yields T(1/2)(0ν)>3.0 × 10(25) yr (90% C.L.).

Limits on spin-dependent WIMP-nucleon cross sections from 225 live days of XENON100 data

We present new experimental constraints on the elastic, spin-dependent WIMP-nucleon cross section using recent data from the XENON100 experiment, operated in the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso in Italy. An analysis of 224.6 live days×34 kg of exposure acquired during 2011 and 2012 revealed no excess signal due to axial-vector WIMP interactions with 129Xe and 131Xe nuclei. This leads to the most stringent upper limits on WIMP-neutron cross sections for WIMP masses above 6 GeV/c², with a minimum cross section of 3.5×10(-40) cm² at a WIMP mass of 45 GeV/c², at 90% confidence level.

Dark matter results from 225 live days of XENON100 data

We report on a search for particle dark matter with the XENON100 experiment, operated at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso for 13 months during 2011 and 2012. XENON100 features an ultralow electromagnetic background of (5.3 ± 0.6) × 10(-3) events/(keV(ee) × kg × day) in the energy region of interest. A blind analysis of 224.6 live days × 34 kg exposure has yielded no evidence for dark matter interactions. The two candidate events observed in the predefined nuclear recoil energy range of 6.6-30.5 keV(nr) are consistent with the background expectation of (1.0 ± 0.2) events. A profile likelihood analysis using a 6.6-43.3 keV(nr) energy range sets the most stringent limit on the spin-independent elastic weakly interacting massive particle-nucleon scattering cross section for weakly interacting massive particle masses above 8 GeV/c(2), with a minimum of 2 × 10(-45) cm(2) at 55 GeV/c(2) and 90% confidence level.

Indication of reactor ν(e) disappearance in the Double Chooz experiment

The Double Chooz experiment presents an indication of reactor electron antineutrino disappearance consistent with neutrino oscillations. An observed-to-predicted ratio of events of 0.944±0.016(stat)±0.040(syst) was obtained in 101 days of running at the Chooz nuclear power plant in France, with two 4.25 GW(th) reactors. The results were obtained from a single 10 m(3) fiducial volume detector located 1050 m from the two reactor cores. The reactor antineutrino flux prediction used the Bugey4 flux measurement after correction for differences in core composition. The deficit can be interpreted as an indication of a nonzero value of the still unmeasured neutrino mixing parameter sin(2)2θ(13). Analyzing both the rate of the prompt positrons and their energy spectrum, we find sin(2)2θ(13)=0.086±0.041(stat)±0.030(syst), or, at 90% C.L., 0.017<sin(2)2θ(13)<0.16.

The jump shot - a biomechanical analysis focused on lateral ankle ligaments

Handball is one of the top four athletic games with highest injury risks. The jump shot is the most accomplished goal shot technique and the lower extremities are mostly injured. As a basis for ankle sprain simulation, the aim of this study was to extend the ankle region of an existing musculoskeletal full-body model through incorporation of three prominent lateral ankle ligaments: ligamentum fibulotalare anterius (LFTA), ligamentum fibulotalare posterius (LFTP), ligamentum fibulocalcaneare (LFC). The specific objective was to calculate and visualise ligament force scenarios during the jumping and landing phases of controlled jump shots. Recorded kinematic data of performed jump shots and the corresponding ground reaction forces were used to perform inverse dynamics. The calculated peak force of the LFTA (107 N) was found at maximum plantarflexion and of the LFTP (150 N) at maximum dorsiflexion. The peak force of the LFC (190 N) was observed at maximum dorsiflexion combined with maximum eversion. Within the performed jump shots, the LFTA showed a peak force (59 N to 69 N) during maximum plantarflexion in the final moment of the lift off. During landing, the force developed by the LFTA reached its peak value (61 N to 70 N) at the first contact with the floor. After that, the LFTP developed a peak force (70 N to 118 N). This model allows the calculation of forces in lateral ankle ligaments. The information obtained in this study can serve as a basis for future research on ankle sprain and ankle sprain simulation.