[Prognostic significance of CLL-IPI for Chinese patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia]

目的

明确慢性淋巴细胞白血病国际预后指数（CLL-IPI）评分系统在中国慢性淋巴细胞白血病（CLL）患者中的预后评估价值。

方法

回顾性分析2002年1月至2017年11月诊断的215例初治CLL患者的临床资料，采用CLL-IPI评分系统进行危险分层和预后评估。

结果

①215例患者中，男143例，女72例，中位年龄60（16~85）岁。中位无治疗生存（TFS）和中位总生存（OS）时间分别为16（4~24）个月和180（145~215）个月。②按照CLL-IPI评分系统进行危险分层，低危组（60例）、中危组（50例）、高危组（45例）及极高危组（60例）的中位TFS时间分别为56、15、12及5个月，差异有统计学意义（P<0.001）。③中位随访48（1~192）个月，低危组、中危组、高危组及极高危组的中位OS时间分别为未达到和180、89、74个月，预计5年OS率分别为97.6%、83.7%、67.8%及55.2%，差异有统计学意义（P<0.001）。④多因素分析结果显示，免疫球蛋白重链可变区（IGHV）基因无突变（P=0.038）、β₂微球蛋白>3.5 mg/L（P<0.001）是影响患者TFS的独立危险因素；而TP53缺失和（或）突变（P=0.008）、IGHV基因无突变（P=0.017）、年龄>65岁（P=0.045）是影响患者OS的独立危险因素。

结论

CLL-IPI评分系统在中国初治CLL患者中具有较好的预后判断意义，可作为CLL有效的预后分层工具。

[Prognostic value of lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio in angioimmunoblastic T cell lymphoma]

目的

探究淋巴细胞/单核细胞比值（LMR）在血管免疫母细胞性T细胞淋巴瘤（AITL）患者中的预后价值。

方法

回顾性分析2009年6月至2017年7月南京医科大学第一附属医院收治的64例初诊AITL患者资料。采用ROC曲线计算LMR临界值，并以此将患者分为高LMR和低LMR组，采用Pearson卡方检验及Fisher精确概率法进行组间比较。采用Kaplan-Meier法和Cox回归分析影响无进展生存（PFS）和总生存（OS）的预后因素。

结果

64例患者中，男39例，女25例，中位年龄63（29~89）岁。LMR临界值为3.07。中位随访33（5~103）个月，低LMR与高LMR组比较，患者的PFS时间（9对13个月，P=0.044）和OS时间（16个月对未达到，P=0.014）差异均有统计学意义。多因素分析显示低LMR是影响患者PFS（HR=0.48, 95% CI 0.26~0.92，P=0.027）和OS（HR=0.38，95% CI 0.18~0.82，P=0.013）的独立预后不良因素。亚组分析结果显示，在中高危至高危[非特指型预后指数（PIT）评分2~4分]患者中，低LMR者有更短的PFS和OS时间（P值分别为0.013、0.031），而在低危至中低危（PIT评分0~1分）患者中其差异均无统计学意义（P值分别为0.949、0.238）。

结论

可根据PIT评分及LMR的状态初步评估患者的疾病风险。低LMR提示患者具有更差的预后。

Abstract P3-12-08: The role of neo-bioscore staging system in guiding the optimal strategies for regional nodes irradiation following primary systemic treatment in breast cancer patients with cN1 and ypN0-1

Purpose: Following primary systemic treatment (PST), the optimal strategies for regional nodal irradiation (RNI) are currently under active investigation, especially in patients with pretreatment cN1 and posttreatment ypN0-1. The Neo-Bioscore staging system has showed promising prospect in assessing prognosis after PST. In this analysis, we evaluate the role of Neo-Bioscore staging system in guiding RNI following PST in patients with cN1 and ypN0-1.

Methods and Materials: Continuous women with cN1 pretreatment and who received PST with ypN0 or ypN1 posttreatment between 2009 and 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. According to the report by Mittendorf et al, the Neo-Bioscore staging system is on the basis of pretreatment clinical stage, posttreatment pathologic stage, estrogen receptor (ER) status, HER2 status and grade stage, and assigned and summed points for each factor as shown in. A pathologic complete response (pCR) was defined as no invasive disease in the breast or regional lymph nodes after surgery. The curves for survival were generated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the Log-rank test.

Point Assignments for the Neo-Bioscore Staging SystemsFactorsPointsClinical stage I0IIA0IIB1IIIA1IIIB2IIIC2Pathologic stage 00I0IIA1IIB1IIIA1IIIB1IIIC2Tumor Biomarker ER negative1HER2 negative1Grade 31

Results: One hundred and sixty-three patients were enrolled in this study, of them 18 patients received breast conserving surgery. Of the 163 patients, 119 (73%) received RNI. At surgery, 36 patients (22.1%) achieved pCR, while 89 patients (54.6%) achieved ypN0. The median follow-up was 59.4 months (rang: 16-106). In the whole cohort, RNI was associated with non-significant improved outcomes, with a 5-year locoregional recurrence free survival (LRRFS) rate of 98.6% vs. 95.7% (P=0.393), a regional recurrence free survival (RRFS) rate of 98% vs. 97.7% (P=0.865), a 5-year distant metastasis free survival (DMFS) rate of 91.6% vs. 83.4% (P=0.052), a 5-year any first recurrence free survival (RFS) rate of 90.9% vs. 87.4% (P=0.43), and a 5-year overall survival (OS) rate of 98% vs. 91.9% (P=0.097) in the RNI and non-RNI group, respectively. In the subgroup of patients with Neo-Bioscore score of 1 to 3, RNI significantly increased the 5-year DMFS rate of 97% vs. 76.9% (P=0.002), 5-year RFS rate of 95.5% vs. 76.9% (P=0.007) and 5-year OS rate of 100% vs. 89.2% (P=0.005). However, no significant difference in outcomes was found between RNI and non-RNI group in patients with Neo-Bioscore score of 4 to 6. Among patients who not achieved pCR and those with ypN1, RNI significantly increased DMFS (both P&lt;0.05).

Conclusions: Not all patients with cN1 and ypN0-1 could significantly benefit from RNI following PST, those with low Neo-Bioscore score were likely to benefit more.

Citation Format: Cao L, Chen J-Y. The role of neo-bioscore staging system in guiding the optimal strategies for regional nodes irradiation following primary systemic treatment in breast cancer patients with cN1 and ypN0-1 [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-12-08.

Netrin‑1 interference potentiates epithelial‑to‑mesenchymal transition through the PI3K/AKT pathway under the hypoxic microenvironment conditions of non‑small cell lung cancer

Netrin‑1 is overexpressed in several types of cancer. However, whether netrin‑1 can potentiate hypoxia‑induced tumor progression in lung cancer has not been reported to date. Thus, the objective of the present study was to investigate whether netrin‑1 regulates cancer cell migration and invasion under hypoxic conditions in lung cancer and explore the underlying mechanism. A three‑dimensional microfluidic chip was used to observe real‑time changes in cancer cells, and cobalt chloride (CoCl2) was used to simulate a hypoxic microenvironment. Netrin‑1 siRNA was employed in the A549 and PC9 cell lines to downregulate the expression of netrin‑1. Microfluidic chip, wound healing and Transwell assays were used to examine cell migration and invasion. The expression levels of E‑cadherin and vimentin were detected by western blotting. The data demonstrated that netrin‑1 mediated epithelial‑to‑mesenchymal transition (EMT) of A549 and PC9 cells in vitro, which may be associated with the phosphoinositide 3 kinase/AKT pathway. This effect of netrin‑1 on the EMT was not observed in the normoxic microenvironment. In this retrospective study, netrin‑1 concentrations were evaluated in serum obtained from patients with non‑small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and compared with healthy control samples by quantitative enzyme‑linked immunosorbent analysis. The serum concentration of netrin‑1 was found to be significantly higher in NSCLC patients compared with that in healthy donors. Taken together, the findings of the present study highlight a novel role for netrin‑1 in tumor development under hypoxia in NSCLC and provide further evidence for the use of netrin‑1 as a therapeutic target.

Abstract P4-04-08: Genomic profiling of 304 treatment-naïve Chinese breast cancer patients: A comparison of Chinese and TCGA cohorts

Background: The complexity of BC at the clinical, morphological and molecular level has been well recognized. Molecular profiling, which reveals the intrinsic biology among subtypes, has significantly advanced the management of this disease. However, previous studies have provided very limited molecular data on Chinese breast cancer patients.

Methods: We performed targeted sequencing using a panel consisting of 36 BC related genes to interrogate the genomic landscape of 304 consecutive treatment-naïve Chinese BC patients and compared our results to the TCGA data set.

Results: Comparing to TCGA, our cohort had significantly fewer patients with triple negative breast cancer (8.2% vs 15.5% p=0.002). The most prominent genomic difference was our cohort had significantly higher TP53mutation frequency in HR+/HER2- and HR+/HER2+ groups. The composition of TP53 mutations also differed significantly between two cohorts in HR+/HER2- group, with TCGA cohort having missense mutation as the predominant mutation; whereas, in our cohort, nonsense and frameshift mutations were predominant. We classified the most populated and diverse group of HR+/HER2- cancer into 4 subgroups based on molecular signature. The clinical significance of this proposed classification was confirmed by differences in overall survival using data from the TCGA.

Conclusions:We identified distinctive genomic patterns associated with Chinese breast cancer patients compared to TCGA data, suggesting the importance of mutation-based stratification according to ethnic status. To the best of our knowledge, this is one of the largest study of Chinese BC patients that interrogated the spectrum of mutational events and correlated these molecular signatures with clinical outcomes.

This study was supported by funding from National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 81602645), Guangdong Provincial Natural Science Foundation (Grant No. 2016A030313768) and Research Funds from Guangzhou Science and Technology Bureau (Grant No. 201707010418 and 201804010430).

Citation Format: Liao N, Zhang G, Wang Y, Guo L, Cao L, Zhang Z, Balch CM, Meric-Bernstam F. Genomic profiling of 304 treatment-naïve Chinese breast cancer patients: A comparison of Chinese and TCGA cohorts [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-04-08.

Abstract P5-04-25: Characterization of FGFR1/2 genetic alterations reveals novel fusions of FGFR1 in Chinese breast cancer

Background: Deregulation of fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) signalling has been extensively studied in various tumor types, and has been implicated in driving endocrine resistance in breast cancer. Genetic alterations of FGFR1, especially FGFR1 amplification, is one of particularly important mechanisms leading to enhanced FGFR signaling in breast cancer. However, the prevalence of FGFR1/2 genetic variations in Chinese breast cancer patients has not been well explored.

Methods: To investigate the characteristics of FGFR1 and FGFR2 genetic variations in Chinese breast cancer, we employed customized next-generation sequencing panel to screen the somatic mutation or copy number variations of FGFR1/2 in primary breast cancer tissues by using two ongoing breast cancer Cohorts, in which we have recruited 289 of early breast cancer patients (EBC Cohort) and 74 of advanced breast cancer patients (ABC Cohort).

Results: In EBC Cohort, we found FGFR1 amplification in 9.0% (26/289) patients and FGFR2 amplification in 2.1% (6/289) patients, and also found 3 of somatic FGFR1 mutations (FGFR1 p.W4C; p.E334K; p.V396I ) and 2 of FGFR2 mutations (FGFR2 p.S702L; p.Y779*). Unlike the comparable prevalence of FGFR2 genetic variations in 2.8% (8/289) of EBC Cohort and 2.7% (2/74; one amplification event and one FGFR2 p.E499D mutation) of ABC Cohort, there were more FGFR1 genetic alterations in ABC Cohort (27%; 20/74 patients; p&lt;0.001), including 19 events of FGFR1 amplification and 1 of FGFR1 c.2186+20G&gt;A intron mutation. More importantly, we identified 5 novel FGFR1 fusion genes in our cohorts, including TACC1-FGFR1, FGFR1-KCNU1, FGFR1-MIR1268A, FGFR1-LZTS1-AS1 and FGFR1-RNF5P1. Although FGFR1-TACC1 fusion gene has been previously reported in breast cancer and TACC1 is fused to the C-terminal of FGFR1 protein leading to aberrant activation of FGFR1, we found TACC1 was fused to the N-terminal of FGFR1 at exon 6 of FGFR1 in our study. In addition, we identified and verified FGFR1-MIR1268A fusion gene at mRNA level using RNA-seq analysis, and further found this fusion gene might result in the truncation of FGFR1.

Conclusions: Collectively, we characterized the prevalence of FGFR1/2 genetic alterations in Chinese breast cancer, and identified 5 of novel FGFR1 fusion genes. The potential roles for novel FGFR1 fusion genes in regulating breast cancer cellular biology and in affecting the efficacy of endocrine therapy have been under the investigation in our laboratory, and the result from which will help us better elucidate the molecular mechanism of FGFR1 in driving the resistance of endocrine therapy.

This study was supported by funding from National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 81602645), Guangdong Provincial Natural Science Foundation (Grant No. 2016A030313768) and Research Funds from Guangzhou Science and Technology Bureau (Grant No. 201707010418 and 201804010430).

Citation Format: Wang Y, Guo L, Cao L, Jia M, Wen L, Ren C, Zhang G, Liao N. Characterization of FGFR1/2 genetic alterations reveals novel fusions of FGFR1 in Chinese breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-04-25.

Abstract P3-06-03: Copy number analysis identifies ESR1 and MDM4 as drivers of progression in invasive lobular breast carcinoma

Background: Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) is the second most common histological subtype of breast cancer after invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC). While specific clinical and pathological features differ between ILC and IDC, both histologies are treated the same, due to a lack of knowledge of targetable pathways underlying the observed differences. To identify potential genetic drivers of ILC progression, we set out to identify genes with copy number (CN) alterations, comparing tumors with good outcome to those with poor outcome.

Method: We designed probes for a total of 67 genes known to be frequently altered in breast cancer and used sensitive nanoString technology to comprehensively investigate CN alterations of these genes in 70 well-curated primary ILCs. ILC cell lines MDA-MB-134-VI, SUM44PE, and BCK4 were used for functional studies including proliferation, apoptosis, colony formation, and analysis of gene expression.

Results: Our studies reveal that ESR1 is frequently amplified in primary ILC (14% gains and 10% amplification), and that tumors with amplified ESR1 are more likely to recur compared to those with normal CN. Our analysis also identified a subset of ILCs with HER2 amplification (19%) despite a negative clinical IHC score, and these tumors expressed high HER2 mRNA, protein, and demonstrated enrichment of a molecular HER2 signature. The other most frequently amplified genes included CCND1 (33%), MDM4 (17%), and MYC (17%), and most frequently lost genes were NCOR2 (7%), FGFR4 (6%) and TP53 (6%). MDM4, a negative regulator of p53, has previously been reported to play a role in breast cancer, though little is known about its role in ILC. We demonstrate that decreasing MDM4 levels in p53 wild type ILC cell lines results in increased apoptosis, decreased proliferation associated with cell cycle arrest, and activation of p53 target genes. Intriguingly, a similar induction of G0/G1 cell cycle arrest and increase in apoptosis was observed in p53 mutant ILC cells after MDM4 downregulation, suggesting a p53-independent function of MDM4.

Conclusion: Sensitive detection of CN changes identified amplifications of ESR1 and MDM4 as potential drivers of ILC. Functional studies demonstrate that MDM4 has both p53 dependent and independent functions that warrant further study.

Citation Format: Atkinson JM, Cao L, Basudan A, Sikora MJ, Bahreini A, Tasdemir N, Jankowitz RC, McAuliffe PF, Dabbs D, Haupt S, Haupt Y, Peter Lucas PC, Lee AV, Oesterreich S. Copy number analysis identifies ESR1 and MDM4 as drivers of progression in invasive lobular breast carcinoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-06-03.

Observation of Transverse Λ/Λ[over ¯] Hyperon Polarization in e^{+}e^{-} Annihilation at Belle

We report the first observation of the spontaneous polarization of Λ and Λ[over ¯] hyperons transverse to the production plane in e^{+}e^{-} annihilation, which is attributed to the effect arising from a polarizing fragmentation function. For inclusive Λ/Λ[over ¯] production, we also report results with subtracted feed-down contributions from Σ^{0} and charm. This measurement uses a dataset of 800.4  fb^{-1} collected by the Belle experiment at or near a center-of-mass energy of 10.58 GeV. We observe a significant polarization that rises with the fractional energy carried by the Λ/Λ[over ¯] hyperon.

Nicastrin haploinsufficiency alters expression of type I interferon-stimulated genes: the relationship to familial hidradenitis suppurativa

BACKGROUND

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), also called acne inversa, is a chronic skin disease. The symptoms can be severe, and include intensely painful nodules and abscesses in apocrine-gland rich inverse skin, such as the buttocks, under the arms and in the groin. Autosomal dominant forms of HS exist, but are rare. Some of these kindred have heterozygous loss-of-function rare variants in the γ-secretase complex component nicastrin (NCSTN).

AIM

To investigate the effect of NCSTN haploinsufficiency on human keratinocytes and assess potential mechanisms for lesion development.

METHODS

NCSTN was knocked down using a small hairpin RNA construct in both a keratinocyte cell line (HEK001) and an embryonic kidney cell line (HEK293), and differential gene expression was assessed using RNA microarray. Using the HEK293 line, a heterozygous deletion of NCSTN was created with CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing, and nuclear factor kappa B activity was assessed using a luciferase reporter.

RESULTS

Compared with controls, the keratinocyte NCSTN knockdown cell line showed a significantly increased expression of genes related to the type I interferon response pathway. Both HEK001 and HEK293 knockdowns demonstrated evidence of altered growth. There was a small but significant increase in nuclear factor kappa B signalling in response to tumour necrosis factor treatment in HEK293 cells genome-edited for reduced NCSTN.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data suggest a role for increased keratinocyte inflammatory responsiveness in familial HS. Confirming this phenotype and characterizing additional effects in different cell types will require study beyond cell lines, such as in primary cells and tissues.

Search for a Light CP-odd Higgs Boson and Low-Mass Dark Matter at the Belle Experiment

We report on the first Belle search for a light CP-odd Higgs boson, A^{0}, that decays into low mass dark matter, χ, in final states with a single photon and missing energy. We search for events produced via the dipion transition ϒ(2S)→ϒ(1S)π^{+}π^{-}, followed by the on-shell process ϒ(1S)→γA^{0} with A^{0}→χχ, or by the off-shell process ϒ(1S)→γχχ. Utilizing a data sample of 157.3×10^{6} ϒ(2S) decays, we find no evidence for a signal. We set limits on the branching fractions of such processes in the mass ranges M_{A^{0}}<8.97  GeV/c^{2} and M_{χ}<4.44  GeV/c^{2}. We then use the limits on the off-shell process to set competitive limits on WIMP-nucleon scattering in the WIMP mass range below 5  GeV/c^{2}.

[Multicenter study of human adenovirus infection in pediatric community-acquired pneumonia in China]

Objective: To investigate the predominant genotypes and epidemiological characteristics of human adenovirus (HAdV) in pediatric community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in China. Methods: This was a repeated cross sectional study. Between November 2014 and November 2016, nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPAs) or throat swabs from each hospitalized pediatric patients diagnosed as CAP in 12 hospitals in Northern and Southern China were collected. Respiratory specimens were screened for 18 respiratory viruses including HAdV by using Luminex xTAG RVP Fast V2 multiplex Assay. Typing of HAdV and analysis for the epidemiological characteristic of HAdV were performed. Results: (1) A total of 2 723 hospitalized pediatric patients with CAP were enrolled in this study and 156 (5.7%, 156/2 723) respiratory specimens were positive for HAdV, and 74 (6.6%, 74/1 128) and 82 (5.1%, 82/1 595) were in Northern and Southern China, respectively. There was no significant difference in the positive detection rate between the Northern and Southern China. (2) In Northern China, the HAdV positive rate of children at the age of <6 months, 6 months-<1 years, 1-<3 years, 3-<5 years and ≥5 years was 5.9%(6/101), 6.7%(7/104), 10.3%(34/331), 4.1%(11/266) and 4.9%(16/326), respectively, and the incidence of HAdV infection peaked in children aged 1-3 years (χ(2)=11.511, P=0.021). While in Southern China the HAdV positive rate of children at the age of <6 months, 6 months-<1 years, 1-<3 years, 3-<5 years and ≥5 years was 2.2% (7/312), 4.6% (12/259), 6.3% (31/494), 7.3% (18/245) and 4.9%(14/285), respectively. There was no significant difference in the positive detection rate among age groups. (3) In 2015, the highest detection rate of HAdV in northern China was 12.5% (25/200) in winter, and in Southern China was 6.7% (35/525) in spring and 5.3% (19/357) in summer. (4) In 108 cases of HAdV positive specimens typing was done and 80 in cases classification was successfully performed.Totally 7 genotypes of HAdV, including HAdV-3 (n=32), HAdV-7 (n=9), HAdV-1 (n=12), HAdV-2 (n=15), HAdV-5 (n=10), HAdV-6 (n=1) and HAdV-4 (n=1), were detected. The predominant HAdV genotypes were HAdV-3 (30.8%, 8/26) and HAdV-7 (26.9%, 7/26) in Northern China, while HAdV-3 (44.4%, 24/54) and HAdV-2 (22.2%, 12/54) were the most prevalent genotypes in Southern China. Conclusions: HAdV is an important viral pathogen in pediatric CAP. The predominant HAdV genotypes and peak seasons of HAdV infections were different between Northern and Southern China. The predominant HAdV genotypes were HAdV-3 and HAdV-7 in Northern China, while HAdV-3 and HAdV-2 in Southern China. The peak season of HAdV infections was winter in Northern China. However, HAdV infections are more common in spring and summer in Southern China.

Associations between Sarcopenic Obesity and Cognitive Impairment in Elderly Chinese Community-Dwelling Individuals

INTRODUCTION

This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of sarcopenic obesity (SO) and the association between cognitive impairment and SO in a cohort of elderly Chinese community-dwelling individuals.

METHODS

A total of 948 elderly Chinese community-dwelling individuals aged 60-92 years were recruited. The participants were categorized into the following four groups according to their sarcopenia and obesity status: sarcopenic obese, sarcopenic, obese and non-sarcopenic, and non-obese group. Sarcopenia was defined as appendicular skeletal muscle index of <7.0 kg/m2 in men and <5.7 kg/m2 in women; obesity was defined as values greater than the upper two quintiles for body fat percentage stratified by gender of the study population; cognitive impairment was measured using the Mini-Mental State Examination and defined as a score of <24.

RESULTS

A total of 945 participants were included in the statistical analyses with a mean age of 68.76 ± 6.50 years. The prevalence of SO was 6.0% (7.3% in men and 4.8% in women). The sarcopenic obese (odds ratio [OR]: 2.550, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.196-5.435) and obese (ORs: 2.141, 95% CI, 1.230-3.728) groups had significantly increased risk for cognitive impairment in fully adjusted model, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The SO prevalence in elderly Chinese community-dwelling individuals was relatively low (6.0%). The present study suggested SO was independently associated with cognitive impairment.

Self-Organized Kilotesla Magnetic-Tube Array in an Expanding Spherical Plasma Irradiated by kHz Femtosecond Laser Pulses

By using a millijoule kHz femtosecond laser pulse to irradiate a preformed expanding spherical plasma, which is driven by a prepulse with intensity of 1×10^{14}  W/cm^{2}, we observe fast-electron-mediated filamentary structures and an accompanying self-organized magnetic-tube array with 2000 T via time-resolved magneto-optical polarization rotation measurements. We reveal that these periodical filamentary structures predominantly originate from ejected energetic electron flows from the inner denser region of the spherical plasma, which will induce the electron Weibel instability and magnetic field organization and amplification in the expanding plasma in 2 ps. These results open new paths to investigate amplification of intense magnetic fields and the radiation signature from gamma-ray bursts just by means of a much smaller and robust experimental platform.

Observation of ϒ(2S)→γη_{b}(1S) Decay

We report the observation of ϒ(2S)→γη_{b}(1S) decay based on an analysis of the inclusive photon spectrum of 24.7  fb^{-1} of e^{+}e^{-} collisions at the ϒ(2S) center-of-mass energy collected with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e^{+}e^{-} collider. We measure a branching fraction of B[ϒ(2S)→γη_{b}(1S)]=(6.1_{-0.7-0.6}^{+0.6+0.9})×10^{-4} and derive an η_{b}(1S) mass of 9394.8_{-3.1-2.7}^{+2.7+4.5}  MeV/c^{2}, where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively. The significance of our measurement is greater than 7 standard deviations, constituting the first observation of this decay mode.

Clinical diagnostic significance of prealbumin, cholinesterase and retinol binding protein in liver cirrhosis combined with encephalopathy

OBJECTIVE

Hepatic encephalopathy is a common consequence of liver cirrhosis, but diagnosis can be difficult as it is based on clinical criteria alone. We hypothesised that serum prealbumin, cholinesterase and retinol binding protein (RBP) can help support the diagnosis of hepatic encephalopathy.

METHODS

We enrolled 306 cirrhotic patients (110 with encephalopathy), 100 chronic hepatitis B patients and 50 healthy controls, measuring routine liver function tests (ALT, AST, GGT, ALP, and bilirubin), albumin, prothrombin time, prealbumin, cholinesterase and RBP by routine methods. Logistic regression analysis and areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) were used to find predictive factors for hepatic encephalopathy.

RESULTS

There were differences in all laboratory indices between the three groups (all p < 0.001). In univariate analysis, albumin, prothrombin time, prealbumin, cholinesterase and RBP were significantly altered in those with encephalopathy (p < 0.01), but only prealbumin, cholinesterase and RBP levels were significant predictors in multivariate analysis, and each was linked to the severity of liver fibrosis defined by the Child-Pugh score (all p < 0.001). The AUCs (95% CI) of prealbumin, cholinesterase and RBP for diagnosing liver cirrhosis with hepatic encephalopathy were comparable at 0.85 (81-90), 0.81 (0.76-0.85) and 0.81 (0.76-0.86), respectively (all p < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Serum prealbumin, cholinesterase and RBP levels are of potential clinical value in diagnosis of liver cirrhosis complicated by encephalopathy.