Geographic disparities in bladder cancer incidence among women in the department of Bouches-du-Rhône

Key messages

We identify for the first time a cluster of bladder cancers in women in France. Practitioners need to think about bladder cancers in women with urinary signs because this cancer will become a public health issue in the future.

Properties of Cosmic Helium Isotopes Measured by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer

Precision measurements by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) on the International Space Station of ^{3}He and ^{4}He fluxes are presented. The measurements are based on 100 million ^{4}He nuclei in the rigidity range from 2.1 to 21 GV and 18 million ^{3}He from 1.9 to 15 GV collected from May 2011 to November 2017. We observed that the ^{3}He and ^{4}He fluxes exhibit nearly identical variations with time. The relative magnitude of the variations decreases with increasing rigidity. The rigidity dependence of the ^{3}He/^{4}He flux ratio is measured for the first time. Below 4 GV, the ^{3}He/^{4}He flux ratio was found to have a significant long-term time dependence. Above 4 GV, the ^{3}He/^{4}He flux ratio was found to be time independent, and its rigidity dependence is well described by a single power law ∝R^{Δ} with Δ=-0.294±0.004. Unexpectedly, this value is in agreement with the B/O and B/C spectral indices at high energies.

Towards Understanding the Origin of Cosmic-Ray Electrons

Precision results on cosmic-ray electrons are presented in the energy range from 0.5 GeV to 1.4 TeV based on 28.1×10^{6} electrons collected by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer on the International Space Station. In the entire energy range the electron and positron spectra have distinctly different magnitudes and energy dependences. The electron flux exhibits a significant excess starting from 42.1_{-5.2}^{+5.4}  GeV compared to the lower energy trends, but the nature of this excess is different from the positron flux excess above 25.2±1.8  GeV. Contrary to the positron flux, which has an exponential energy cutoff of 810_{-180}^{+310}  GeV, at the 5σ level the electron flux does not have an energy cutoff below 1.9 TeV. In the entire energy range the electron flux is well described by the sum of two power law components. The different behavior of the cosmic-ray electrons and positrons measured by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer is clear evidence that most high energy electrons originate from different sources than high energy positrons.

[Does diagnostic ureterorenoscopy increase the risk of bladder recurrence after total nephroureterectomy? A review of the literature]

OBJECTIVE

The objective of our study was to evaluate, in a review of the literature, the impact of diagnostic ureteroscopy before total nephroureterectomy (NUT) on the risk of bladder recurrence.

METHODS

We conducted a literature review in the Pubmed database in March 2018. Initial research identified 45 publications. Following full text screening, 9 studies were finally included, with a total of 1041 NUT with URS prior versus 2909 NUT alone. The primary endpoint was bladder recurrence. Secondary objectives were specific survival and overall survival.

RESULTS

Bladder recurrence was reported in the 9 studies included. Diagnostic ureteroscopy was significantly associated with an increased risk of post-NUT bladder recurrence (HZ 1.42 [1.29-1.56], P<0.01). The specific survival and overall survival at 5 years, were reported in respectively 4 and 2 studies. There was no impact of the pre-NUT diagnostic URS on the specific survival (HZ 0.75 [0.54-1.03], P=0.08) or post-NUT overall survival (HZ 1.15 [0.68-1.96], P=0.59).

CONCLUSION

The URS diagnostic before NUT for TVEUS is associated with a significant increase in the risk of postoperative bladder recurrence.

Giant Shot Noise from Majorana Zero Modes in Topological Trijunctions

The clear-cut experimental identification of Majorana bound states in transport measurements still poses experimental challenges. We here show that the zero-energy Majorana state formed at a junction of three topological superconductor wires is directly responsible for giant shot noise amplitudes, in particular at low voltages and for small contact transparency. The only intrinsic noise limitation comes from the current-induced dephasing rate due to multiple Andreev reflection processes.

Towards Understanding the Origin of Cosmic-Ray Positrons

Precision measurements of cosmic ray positrons are presented up to 1 TeV based on 1.9 million positrons collected by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer on the International Space Station. The positron flux exhibits complex energy dependence. Its distinctive properties are (a) a significant excess starting from 25.2±1.8  GeV compared to the lower-energy, power-law trend, (b) a sharp dropoff above 284_{-64}^{+91}  GeV, (c) in the entire energy range the positron flux is well described by the sum of a term associated with the positrons produced in the collision of cosmic rays, which dominates at low energies, and a new source term of positrons, which dominates at high energies, and (d) a finite energy cutoff of the source term of E_{s}=810_{-180}^{+310}  GeV is established with a significance of more than 4σ. These experimental data on cosmic ray positrons show that, at high energies, they predominantly originate either from dark matter annihilation or from other astrophysical sources.

Epitaxial growth of single-crystalline-film scintillators based on Tb3+-doped and Tb3+–Ce3+-codoped Gd1–xLuxAlO3 (x = 0–1) mixed perovskites

The paper is dedicated to the development of scintillating screens based on the single crystalline films of singly Tb³⁺ and doubly Tb³⁺–Ce³⁺ doped Gd_1–xLu_xAlO₃ (x = 0–1) perovskites grown onto YAlO₃ substrates using the liquid phase epitaxy method.

Radial forearm free flap as the last resort for oesophageal reconstruction

Strategies for oesophageal reconstruction following resection vary according to the nature of the pathology encountered, patient factors and surgeon preference. However, reconstruction in patients with multiple previous failed attempts poses specific management challenges. We present the case of a 61-year-old man who underwent oesophageal reconstruction with a radial forearm flap as a last resort.

Observation of Complex Time Structures in the Cosmic-Ray Electron and Positron Fluxes with the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer on the International Space Station

We present high-statistics, precision measurements of the detailed time and energy dependence of the primary cosmic-ray electron flux and positron flux over 79 Bartels rotations from May 2011 to May 2017 in the energy range from 1 to 50 GeV. For the first time, the charge-sign dependent modulation during solar maximum has been investigated in detail by leptons alone. Based on 23.5×10^{6} events, we report the observation of short-term structures on the timescale of months coincident in both the electron flux and the positron flux. These structures are not visible in the e^{+}/e^{-} flux ratio. The precision measurements across the solar polarity reversal show that the ratio exhibits a smooth transition over 830±30 days from one value to another. The midpoint of the transition shows an energy dependent delay relative to the reversal and changes by 260±30 days from 1 to 6 GeV.

Precision Measurement of Cosmic-Ray Nitrogen and its Primary and Secondary Components with the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer on the International Space Station

A precision measurement of the nitrogen flux with rigidity (momentum per unit charge) from 2.2 GV to 3.3 TV based on 2.2×10^{6} events is presented. The detailed rigidity dependence of the nitrogen flux spectral index is presented for the first time. The spectral index rapidly hardens at high rigidities and becomes identical to the spectral indices of primary He, C, and O cosmic rays above ∼700  GV. We observed that the nitrogen flux Φ_{N} can be presented as the sum of its primary component Φ_{N}^{P} and secondary component Φ_{N}^{S}, Φ_{N}=Φ_{N}^{P}+Φ_{N}^{S}, and we found Φ_{N} is well described by the weighted sum of the oxygen flux Φ_{O} (primary cosmic rays) and the boron flux Φ_{B} (secondary cosmic rays), with Φ_{N}^{P}=(0.090±0.002)×Φ_{O} and Φ_{N}^{S}=(0.62±0.02)×Φ_{B} over the entire rigidity range. This corresponds to a change of the contribution of the secondary cosmic ray component in the nitrogen flux from 70% at a few GV to <30% above 1 TV.

Observation of Fine Time Structures in the Cosmic Proton and Helium Fluxes with the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer on the International Space Station

We present the precision measurement from May 2011 to May 2017 (79 Bartels rotations) of the proton fluxes at rigidities from 1 to 60 GV and the helium fluxes from 1.9 to 60 GV based on a total of 1×10^{9} events collected with the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer aboard the International Space Station. This measurement is in solar cycle 24, which has the solar maximum in April 2014. We observed that, below 40 GV, the proton flux and the helium flux show nearly identical fine structures in both time and relative amplitude. The amplitudes of the flux structures decrease with increasing rigidity and vanish above 40 GV. The amplitudes of the structures are reduced during the time period, which started one year after solar maximum, when the proton and helium fluxes steadily increase. Above ∼3  GV the p/He flux ratio is time independent. We observed that below ∼3  GV the ratio has a long-term decrease coinciding with the period during which the fluxes start to rise.