University of Ioannina

About: University of Ioannina is a education organization based out in Ioannina, Greece. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Large Hadron Collider. The organization has 7654 authors who have published 20594 publications receiving 671560 citations. The organization is also known as: Panepistimio Ioanninon.

Evidence for transverse-momentum- and pseudorapidity-dependent event-plane fluctuations in PbPb and pPb collisions

Abstract: A systematic study of the factorization of long-range azimuthal two-particle correlations into a product of single-particle anisotropies is presented as a function of pT and nu of both particles and as a function of the particle multiplicity in PbPb and pPb collisions. The data were taken with the CMS detector for PbPb collisions at root sNN = 2.76 TeV and pPb collisions at root sNN = 5.02 TeV, covering a very wide range of multiplicity. Factorization is observed to be broken as a function of both particle pT and nu. When measured with particles of different pT, the magnitude of the factorization breakdown for the second Fourier harmonic reaches 20% for very central PbPb collisions but decreases rapidly as the multiplicity decreases. The data are consistent with viscous hydrodynamic predictions, which suggest that the effect of factorization breaking is mainly sensitive to the initial-state conditions rather than to the transport properties (e.g., shear viscosity) of the medium. The factorization breakdown is also computed with particles of different nu. The effect is found to be weakest for mid-central PbPb events but becomes larger for more central or peripheral PbPb collisions, and also for very-high-multiplicity pPb collisions. The nu-dependent factorization data provide new insights to the longitudinal evolution of the medium formed in heavy ion collisions.

Local literature bias in genetic epidemiology: an empirical evaluation of the Chinese literature.

Abstract: Background Postulated epidemiological associations are subject to several biases. We evaluated whether the Chinese literature on human genome epidemiology may offer insights on the operation of selective reporting and language biases. Methods and Findings We targeted 13 gene-disease associations, each already assessed by meta-analyses, including at least 15 non-Chinese studies. We searched the Chinese Journal Full-Text Database for additional Chinese studies on the same topics. We identified 161 Chinese studies on 12 of these gene-disease associations; only 20 were PubMed-indexed (seven English full-text). Many studies (14–35 per topic) were available for six topics, covering diseases common in China. With one exception, the first Chinese study appeared with a time lag (2–21 y) after the first non-Chinese study on the topic. Chinese studies showed significantly more prominent genetic effects than non-Chinese studies, and 48% were statistically significant per se, despite their smaller sample size (median sample size 146 versus 268, p < 0.001). The largest genetic effects were often seen in PubMed-indexed Chinese studies (65% statistically significant per se). Non-Chinese studies of Asian-descent populations (27% significant per se) also tended to show somewhat more prominent genetic effects than studies of non-Asian descent (17% significant per se). Conclusion Our data provide evidence for the interplay of selective reporting and language biases in human genome epidemiology. These biases may not be limited to the Chinese literature and point to the need for a global, transparent, comprehensive outlook in molecular population genetics and epidemiologic studies in general.

Patellar resurfacing in total knee arthroplasty. A meta-analysis.

Abstract: Background: Patellar resurfacing during total knee arthroplasty remains controversial. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of this technique through an evaluation of the current literature. Methods: We performed a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials comparing total knee arthroplasties performed with and without patellar resurfacing. Outcomes of interest included the number of reoperations, the prevalence of postoperative anterior knee pain, and the improvement in various knee scores. Results: Ten trials assessing 1223 knees were eligible. The absolute risk of reoperation was reduced by 4.6% (95% confidence interval, 1.9% to 7.3%) in the patellar resurfacing arm (between-study heterogeneity, p < 0.01; I2 = 60%), implying that one would have to resurface twenty-two patellae (95% confidence interval, fourteen to fifty-two patellae) in order to prevent one reoperation. Patellar resurfacing reduced the absolute risk of postoperative anterior knee pain by 13.8% (95% confidence interval, 6.4% to 21.2%), implying that one would have to resurface seven patellae (95% confidence interval, five to sixteen patellae) in order to prevent one case of postoperative anterior knee pain. Only four trials provided adequate data for a quantitative synthesis of the changes in the various knee scores; on the basis of those four trials, there was no difference in the mean improvement in the knee scores (standardized mean difference, 0.03; 95% confidence interval, -0.50 to 0.56). Conclusions: The available evidence indicates that patellar resurfacing reduces the risks of reoperation and anterior knee pain after total knee arthroplasty. The observed effects are clinically important despite their modest magnitude. Additional, carefully designed randomized trials are required to strengthen this claim. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level I. See Instructions to Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.