We have measured the W-boson mass M_{W} using data corresponding to 2.2  fb^{-1} of integrated luminosity collected in pp[over ¯] collisions at sqrt[s]=1.96  TeV with the CDF II detector at the Fermilab Tevatron collider. Samples consisting of 470 126 W→eν candidates and 624 708 W→μν candidates yield the measurement M_{W}=80 387±12_{stat.}±15_{syst.}=80 387±19  MeV/c^{2}. This is the most precise measurement of the W-boson mass to date and significantly exceeds the precision of all previous measurements combined.

The angular distributions of muons from Υ(1S,2S,3S)→μ^{+}μ^{-} decays are measured using data from pp[over ¯] collisions at sqrt[s]=1.96  TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 6.7  fb^{-1} and collected with the CDF II detector at the Fermilab Tevatron. This analysis is the first to report the full angular distributions as functions of transverse momentum p_{T} for Υ mesons in both the Collins-Soper and s-channel helicity frames. This is also the first measurement of the spin alignment of Υ(3S) mesons. Within the kinematic range of Υ rapidity |y|<0.6 and p_{T} up to 40  GeV/c, the angular distributions are found to be nearly isotropic.

Aim:  In developed countries including Japan, the transmission route of indigenous hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is obscure. Accordingly, public health implications of indigenous HEV infection have not been well addressed. The aim of this study was to clarify the route of transmission of a small outbreak of acute hepatitis E and assess the public health implications of indigenous zoonotic HEV transmission. Methods:  Three patients with non-A, B and C acute hepatitis, two of whom presented in a critical condition, were assessed for HEV infection using polymerase chain reaction and their route of infection; the genome sequences of the infecting HEV were also analyzed. A phylogenetic tree based on the full, or near full, HEV RNA sequences were constructed by neighbor-joining method. Results:  All three patients ingested grilled pork meat and entrails at the same barbecue restaurant in Abashiri, Hokkaido, Japan. When comparing partial to entire, or nearly entire, nucleotide sequences of HEV detected in these patients, they were 99.9-100% identical to each other. These genotype 4 isolates had great resemblance to the genome sequences of the isolates from the mini-outbreak in 2004 in Kitami, a city adjacent to Abashiri. These Kitami/Abashiri strains were segregated into a single cluster on the phylogenetic tree of HEV genotype 4 indigenous to Japan. Conclusion:  Indigenous HEV transmission via a zoonotic food-borne route has been demonstrated in Kitami and Abashiri via pork meat and entrails contaminated with virulent HEV strains. Because a similar outbreak can recur in the future, infection sources and distribution routes should be clarified rapidly for public health.

We have observed exclusive γγ production in proton-antiproton collisions at sqrt[s]=1.96  TeV, using data from 1.11±0.07  fb^{-1} integrated luminosity taken by the Run II Collider Detector at Fermilab. We selected events with two electromagnetic showers, each with transverse energy E_{T}>2.5  GeV and pseudorapidity |η|<1.0, with no other particles detected in -7.4<η<+7.4. The two showers have similar E_{T} and azimuthal angle separation Δϕ∼π; 34 events have two charged particle tracks, consistent with the QED process pp[over ¯]→p+e^{+}e^{-}+p[over ¯] by two-photon exchange, while 43 events have no charged tracks. The number of these events that are exclusive π^{0}π^{0} is consistent with zero and is <15 at 95% C.L. The cross section for pp[over ¯]→p+γγ+p[over ¯] with |η(γ)|<1.0 and E_{T}(γ)>2.5  GeV is 2.48_{-0.35}^{+0.40}(stat)_{-0.51}^{+0.40}(syst)  pb.

In this Letter, we present a precise measurement of the total ZZ production cross section in pp[over ¯] collisions at sqrt[s]=1.96  TeV, using data collected with the CDF II detector corresponding to an integrated luminosity of approximately 6  fb^{-1}. The result is obtained by combining separate measurements in the four-charged (ℓℓℓ^{'}ℓ^{'}) and two-charged-lepton and two-neutral-lepton (ℓℓνν) decay modes of the Z boson pair. The combined measured cross section for pp[over ¯]→ZZ is 1.64_{-0.38}^{+0.44}  pb. This is the most precise measurement of the ZZ production cross section in 1.96 TeV pp[over ¯] collisions to date.

Metallic liquid silicon at 1787 K is investigated using x-ray Compton scattering. An excellent agreement is found between the measurements and the corresponding Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics simulations. Our results show persistence of covalent bonding in liquid silicon and provide support for the occurrence of theoretically predicted liquid-liquid phase transition in supercooled liquid states. The population of covalent bond pairs in liquid silicon is estimated to be 17% via a maximally localized Wannier function analysis. Compton scattering is shown to be a sensitive probe of bonding effects in the liquid state.

Objectives: To evaluate the effects of employing a (10)B-carrier and manipulating intratumour hypoxia on local tumour response and lung metastatic potential in boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) by measuring the response of intratumour quiescent (Q) cells. Methods: B16-BL6 melanoma tumour-bearing C57BL/6 mice were continuously given 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) to label all proliferating (P) cells. The tumours received reactor thermal neutron beam irradiation following the administration of a (10)B-carrier [L-para-boronophenylalanine-(10)B (BPA) or sodium mercaptoundecahydrododecaborate-(10)B (BSH)] in combination with an acute hypoxia-releasing agent (nicotinamide) or mild temperature hyperthermia (MTH). Immediately after the irradiation, cells from some tumours were isolated and incubated with a cytokinesis blocker. The responses of the Q and total (P+Q) cell populations were assessed based on the frequency of micronuclei using immunofluorescence staining for BrdU. In other tumour-bearing mice, macroscopic lung metastases were enumerated 17 days after irradiation. Results: BPA-BNCT increased the sensitivity of the total tumour cell population more than BSH-BNCT. However, the sensitivity of Q cells treated with BPA was lower than that of BSH-treated Q cells. With or without a (10)B-carrier, MTH enhanced the sensitivity of the Q cell population. Without irradiation, nicotinamide treatment decreased the number of lung metastases. With irradiation, BPA-BNCT, especially in combination with nicotinamide treatment, showed the potential to reduce the number of metastases more than BSH-BNCT. Conclusion: BSH-BNCT in combination with MTH improves local tumour control, while BPA-BNCT in combination with nicotinamide may reduce the number of lung metastases.

BACKGROUND/AIM Hemophilia A patients with inhibitors are treated effectively with immune tolerance induction (ITI) therapy. Although anti-idiotypic antibodies may play a certain role in the underlying mechanism, the detailed mechanism by which ITI produces a curative effect remains unknown. The aim of this study was to clarify the immunological aspect of ITI. METHODS Longitudinal T-cell receptor (TCR) analysis was performed during ITI. TCR variable region alpha-chain and beta-chain repertoires were serially analyzed for peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), CD4 T cells, and CD8 T cells from 2 hemophilia inhibitor patients treated with ITI (Patients 1 and 2). Furthermore, to see whether skewing observed in TCR analysis resulted from clonality alterations, T cell clonality was investigated using complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR3) size spectratyping. RESULTS In the patient 1, inhibitor titer remained to be 19.6 BU/mL for 596 days after ITT commencement, and ITI was unsuccessful. In the patient 2, inhibitor titer disappeared 434 days after ITI commencement, and ITI was successful. In both cases, skewing of TCR variable region alpha/beta-chain repertoires was observed in CD8 T cell subset, whereas not in CD4 T cell subset. CONCLUSION Alteration of TCR repertoires, especially TCR variable region beta-chain repertoire of CD8 T cells, was distinct between successful and unsuccessful cases, suggesting that immunological response in the early phase affected the ITI outcomes.

A search for a narrow Higgs boson resonance in the diphoton mass spectrum is presented based on data corresponding to 7.0  fb{-1} of integrated luminosity from pp collisions at sqrt[s]=1.96  TeV collected by the CDF experiment. No evidence of such a resonance is observed, and upper limits are set on the cross section times branching ratio of the resonant state as a function of Higgs boson mass. The limits are interpreted in the context of the standard model and one fermiophobic benchmark model where the data exclude fermiophobic Higgs bosons with masses below 114  GeV/c{2} at a 95% Bayesian credibility level.

Human noggin (NOG) is a responsible gene for multiple synostosis syndrome (SYNS1) and proximal symphalangism (SYM1), two conditions that are recently known to be within a wider range of clinical manifestations of stapes ankylosis with symphalangism. This study was performed to determine the range of phenotype caused by NOG mutations, using Japanese patients with various phenotypes including sporadic inherited SYM1, dominantly inherited SYM1, stapes ankylosis with broad thumb and toes (Teunissen and Cremer syndrome). In addition, 33 patients with typical otosclerosis (without symphalangism) were studied. Direct sequencing analysis disclosed three novel mutations of the NOG gene in three SYM1 families. None of the otosclerosis patients without symphalangism had NOG mutations, indicating that NOG mutations may be restrictively found within patients with various skeletal abnormalities. These results together with the literature review indicated that there are no clear genotype-phenotype correlations for NOG mutations. With regard to surgical outcome, most of the patients in these three families with NOG mutations showed remarkable air-bone gap recovery after stapes surgery. Molecular genetic testing is useful to differentiate syndromic stapes ankylosis from otosclerosis, and even mild skeletal anomalies can be a diagnostic indicator of NOG-associated disease.