1. |
- Schael, S, et al.
(author)
-
Precision electroweak measurements on the Z resonance
- 2006
-
In: Physics Reports. - : Elsevier BV. - 0370-1573 .- 1873-6270. ; 427:5-6, s. 257-454
-
Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report on the final electroweak measurements performed with data taken at the Z resonance by the experiments operating at the electron-positron colliders SLC and LEP. The data consist of 17 million Z decays accumulated by the ALEPH, DELPHI, L3 and OPAL experiments at LEP, and 600 thousand Z decays by the SLID experiment using a polarised beam at SLC. The measurements include cross-sections, forward-backward asymmetries and polarised asymmetries. The mass and width of the Z boson, m(Z) and Gamma(Z), and its couplings to fermions, for example the p parameter and the effective electroweak mixing angle for leptons, are precisely measured: m(Z) = 91.1875 +/- 0.0021 GeV, Gamma(Z) = 2.4952 +/- 0.0023 GeV, rho(l) = 1.0050 +/- 0.0010, sin(2)theta(eff)(lept) = 0.23153 +/- 0.00016. The number of light neutrino species is determined to be 2.9840 +/- 0.0082, in agreement with the three observed generations of fundamental fermions. The results are compared to the predictions of the Standard Model (SM). At the Z-pole, electroweak radiative corrections beyond the running of the QED and QCD coupling constants are observed with a significance of five standard deviations, and in agreement with the Standard Model. Of the many Z-pole measurements, the forward-backward asymmetry in b-quark production shows the largest difference with respect to its SM expectation, at the level of 2.8 standard deviations. Through radiative corrections evaluated in the framework of the Standard Model, the Z-pole data are also used to predict the mass of the top quark, m(t) = 173(+10)(+13) GeV, and the mass of the W boson, m(W) = 80.363 +/- 0.032 GeV. These indirect constraints are compared to the direct measurements, providing a stringent test of the SM. Using in addition the direct measurements of m(t) and m(W), the mass of the as yet unobserved SM Higgs boson is predicted with a relative uncertainty of about 50% and found to be less than 285 GeV at 95% confidence level. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
|
|
2. |
- Schael, S., et al.
(author)
-
Electroweak measurements in electron positron collisions at W-boson-pair energies at LEP
- 2013
-
In: Physics Reports. - : Elsevier BV. - 0370-1573 .- 1873-6270. ; 532:4, s. 119-244
-
Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Electroweak measurements performed with data taken at the electron positron collider LEP at CERN from 1995 to 2000 are reported. The combined data set considered in this report corresponds to a total luminosity of about 3 fb(-1) collected by the four LEP experiments ALEPH, DELPHI, 13 and OPAL, at centre-of-mass energies ranging from 130 GeV to 209 GeV. Combining the published results of the four LEP experiments, the measurements include total and differential cross-sections in photon-pair, fermion-pair and four-fermion production, the latter resulting from both double-resonant WW and ZZ production as well as singly resonant production. Total and differential cross-sections are measured precisely, providing a stringent test of the Standard Model at centre-of-mass energies never explored before in electron positron collisions. Final-state interaction effects in four-fermion production, such as those arising from colour reconnection and Bose Einstein correlations between the two W decay systems arising in WW production, are searched for and upper limits on the strength of possible effects are obtained. The data are used to determine fundamental properties of the W boson and the electroweak theory. Among others, the mass and width of the W boson, m(w) and Gamma(w), the branching fraction of W decays to hadrons, B(W -> had), and the trilinear gauge-boson self-couplings g(1)(Z), K-gamma and lambda(gamma), are determined to be: m(w) = 80.376 +/- 0.033 GeV Gamma(w) = 2.195 +/- 0.083 GeV B(W -> had) = 67.41 +/- 0.27% g(1)(Z) = 0.984(-0.020)(+0.018) K-gamma - 0.982 +/- 0.042 lambda(gamma) = 0.022 +/- 0.019. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
|
|
3. |
- Valassi, E., et al.
(author)
-
High mortality within 90 days of diagnosis in patients with Cushing's syndrome: results from the ERCUSYN registry
- 2019
-
In: European Journal of Endocrinology. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0804-4643 .- 1479-683X. ; 181:5, s. 461-472
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: Patients with Cushing's syndrome (CS) have increased mortality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the causes and time of death in a large cohort of patients with CS and to establish factors associated with increased mortality. Methods: In this cohort study, we analyzed 1564 patients included in the European Registry on CS (ERCUSYN); 1045 (67%) had pituitary-dependent CS, 385 (25%) adrenal-dependent CS, 89 (5%) had an ectopic source and 45 (3%) other causes. The median (IQR) overall follow-up time in ERCUSYN was 2.7 (1.2-5.5) years. Results: Forty-nine patients had died at the time of the analysis; 23 (47%) with pituitary-dependent CS, 6 (12%) with adrenal-dependent CS, 18 (37%) with ectopic CS and two (4%) with CS due to other causes. Of 42 patients whose cause of death was known, 15 (36%) died due to progression of the underlying disease, 13 (31%) due to infections, 7 (17%) due to cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease and 2 due to pulmonary embolism. The commonest cause of death in patients with pituitary-dependent CS and adrenal-dependent CS were infectious diseases (n = 8) and progression of the underlying tumor (n = 10) in patients with ectopic CS. Patients who had died were older and more often males, and had more frequently muscle weakness, diabetes mellitus and ectopic CS, compared to survivors. Of 49 deceased patients, 22 (45%) died within 90 days from start of treatment and 5 (10%) before any treatment was given. The commonest cause of deaths in these 27 patients were infections (n = 10; 37%). In a regression analysis, age, ectopic CS and active disease were independently associated with overall death before and within 90 days from the start of treatment. Conclusion: Mortality rate was highest in patients with ectopic CS. Infectious diseases the commonest cause of death soon after diagnosis, emphasizing the need for careful vigilance at that time, especially in patients presenting with concomitant diabetes mellitus.
|
|
4. |
- Fallo, F., et al.
(author)
-
Diagnosis and management of hypertension in patients with Cushing's syndrome: a position statement and consensus of the Working Group on Endocrine Hypertension of the European Society of Hypertension
- 2022
-
In: Journal of hypertension. - : Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health). - 0263-6352 .- 1473-5598. ; 40:11, s. 2085-2101
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Endogenous/exogenous Cushing's syndrome is characterized by a cluster of systemic manifestations of hypercortisolism, which cause increased cardiovascular risk. Its biological basis is glucocorticoid excess, acting on various pathogenic processes inducing cardiovascular damage. Hypertension is a common feature in Cushing's syndrome and may persist after normalizing hormone excess and discontinuing steroid therapy. In endogenous Cushing's syndrome, the earlier the diagnosis the sooner management can be employed to offset the deleterious effects of excess cortisol. Such management includes combined treatments directed against the underlying cause and tailored antihypertensive drugs aimed at controlling the consequences of glucocorticoid excess. Experts on endocrine hypertension and members of the Working Group on Endocrine Hypertension of the European Society of Hypertension (ESH) prepared this Consensus document, which summarizes the current knowledge in epidemiology, genetics, diagnosis, and treatment of hypertension in Cushing's syndrome.
|
|
5. |
- Valassi, E., et al.
(author)
-
Worse Health-Related Quality of Life at long-term follow-up in patients with Cushing's disease than patients with cortisol producing adenoma. Data from the ERCUSYN
- 2018
-
In: Clinical Endocrinology. - : Wiley. - 0300-0664. ; 88:6, s. 787-798
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- ObjectiveHypercortisolism in Cushing's syndrome (CS) is associated with impaired health-related quality of life (HRQoL), which may persist despite remission. We used the data entered into the European Registry on Cushing's syndrome (ERCUSYN) to evaluate if patients with CS of pituitary origin (PIT-CS) have worse HRQoL, both before and after treatment than patients with adrenal causes (ADR-CS). MethodsData from 595 patients (492 women; 83%) who completed the CushingQoL and/or EQ-5D questionnaires at baseline and/or following treatment were analysed. ResultsAt baseline, HRQoL did not differ between PIT-CS (n=293) and ADR-CS (n=120) on both EuroQoL and CushingQoL. Total CushingQoL score in PIT-CS and ADR-CS was 4118 and 44 +/- 20, respectively (P=.7). At long-time follow-up (>1year after treatment) total CushingQoL score was however lower in PIT-CS than ADR-CS (56 +/- 20 vs 62 +/- 23; P=.045). In a regression analysis, after adjustment for baseline age, gender, remission status, duration of active CS, glucocorticoid dependency and follow-up time, no association was observed between aetiology and HRQoL. Remission was associated with better total CushingQoL score (P<.001), and older age at diagnosis with worse total score (P=.01). Depression at diagnosis was associated with worse total CushingQoL score at the last follow-up (P<.001). ConclusionPIT-CS patients had poorer HRQoL than ADR-CS at long-term follow-up, despite similar baseline scoring. After adjusting for remission status, no interaetiology differences in HRQoL scoring were found. Age and presence of depression at diagnosis of CS may be potential predictors of worse HRQoL regardless of CS aetiology.
|
|
6. |
- Piasecka, Marta, 1982, et al.
(author)
-
Psychiatric and neurocognitive consequences of endogenous hypercortisolism
- 2020
-
In: Journal of Internal Medicine. - : Wiley. - 0954-6820 .- 1365-2796. ; 288:2, s. 168-182
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Psychiatric and neurocognitive symptoms due to hypercortisolism were already described by Harvey Cushing in his original paper on patients with Cushing's syndrome (CS). Nowadays, it is well known that psychiatric and cognitive complaints are two of the most common, and most distressing, symptoms in patients with CS. Psychiatric symptoms are indeed a major clinical manifestation of CS. The most commonly observed psychiatric conditions are depression and anxiety, whilst mania and psychosis are less common. Several domains of cognitive function are impaired at diagnosis, including episodic and working memory, executive function and attention. Following treatment, one-fourth of the patients still experience depressed mood, and the cognitive impairments are only partially restored. Consequently, quality of life in patients with CS is severely and persistently affected. Neuroimaging studies have also illustrated the deleterious effects of hypercortisolism on the brain by demonstrating reduced grey matter volumes and cortical thickness, altered resting-state functional responses and during cognitive tasks, as well as widespread reduced white matter integrity, especially in structures important for cognitive function and emotional processing, both before and after successful abrogation of hypercortisolism. In this paper, we summarize the current knowledge on the psychiatric and neurocognitive consequences of hypercortisolism in patients with CS, both before, and after successful treatment. In addition, we review the structural and functional brain abnormalities associated with hypercortisolism and discuss the influence of these factors on quality of life.
|
|
7. |
- Valassi, E., et al.
(author)
-
A polymorphism in the CYP17A1 gene influences the therapeutic response to steroidogenesis inhibitors in Cushing's syndrome
- 2017
-
In: Clinical Endocrinology. - : Wiley. - 0300-0664. ; 87:5, s. 433-439
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Context: Steroidogenesis inhibitors, such as ketoconazole (KTZ) and metyrapone (MTP), are used to lower hypercortisolism in patients with Cushing's syndrome (CS). Cortisol normalization is not reached in all patients taking these medications. Objective: To test the hypothesis that variants in genes affecting steroidogenesis contribute to different responses to KTZ and/or MTP in patients with CS. Patients and methods: Fifty-four CS patients (46 women; mean [SD] age, 39.712.7; 83% with Cushing's disease [CD] and 17% with an adrenal adenoma) preoperatively treated with KTZ (20%), MTP (37%) or a combination of both (43%). Thirty-nine of these (72%) were described in a previous study investigating the outcome of preoperative treatment with KTZ or MTP in CS patients. Following single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were analysed: rs6410 (CYP11B1 gene), rs1799998 and rs4546 (CYP11B2 gene), and rs6163 (CYP17A1 gene). The associations between SNPs and cortisol levels at the end of medical treatment were evaluated. Results: Normalization of urinary free cortisol (UFC) was achieved in 50% of patients after 5months of treatment. Patients carrying the CC genotype of SNP rs6163 were more likely to be controlled than AC/AA (OR 0.25 [95%CI, 0.075-0.88]; P=.031). When only patients reaching eucortisolism after medical treatment were analysed, median interquartile range (IQR) duration of treatment was shorter in patients carrying the CC genotype of SNP rs6163 as compared to AA/AC carriers (4 [4.57]months vs 5.2 [6.1]months; P=.026). Conclusions: A polymorphism in the CYP17A1 gene was associated with the response to steroidogenesis inhibitors in CS. Genetic differences in the steroidogenic enzymes might account for inter-individual variations in the responsiveness to adrenal-blocking agents.
|
|
8. |
|
|
9. |
- Valassi, Andrea, et al.
(author)
-
Challenges in Monte Carlo Event Generator Software for High-Luminosity LHC
- 2021
-
In: Computing and Software for Big Science. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2510-2044 .- 2510-2036. ; 5:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We review the main software and computing challenges for the Monte Carlo physics event generators used by the LHC experiments, in view of the High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) physics programme. This paper has been prepared by the HEP Software Foundation (HSF) Physics Event Generator Working Group as an input to the LHCC review of HL-LHC computing, which has started in May 2020.
|
|