GW170817: Implications for the Stochastic Gravitational-Wave Background from Compact Binary Coalescences

The LIGO Scientific and Virgo Collaborations have announced the event GW170817, the first detection of gravitational waves from the coalescence of two neutron stars. The merger rate of binary neutron stars estimated from this event suggests that distant, unresolvable binary neutron stars create a significant astrophysical stochastic gravitational-wave background. The binary neutron star component will add to the contribution from binary black holes, increasing the amplitude of the total astrophysical background relative to previous expectations. In the Advanced LIGO-Virgo frequency band most sensitive to stochastic backgrounds (near 25 Hz), we predict a total astrophysical background with amplitude Ω_{GW}(f=25  Hz)=1.8_{-1.3}^{+2.7}×10^{-9} with 90% confidence, compared with Ω_{GW}(f=25  Hz)=1.1_{-0.7}^{+1.2}×10^{-9} from binary black holes alone. Assuming the most probable rate for compact binary mergers, we find that the total background may be detectable with a signal-to-noise-ratio of 3 after 40 months of total observation time, based on the expected timeline for Advanced LIGO and Virgo to reach their design sensitivity.

Prognostic significance of phosphoinositide 3-kinase p110α and p110β isoforms in non-small cell lung cancer

The proteins p110α and p110β are isoforms of the catalytic subunit of class I phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3Ks). Class I PI3Ks are involved in the regulation of cell survival, growth, proliferation, and migration, and their aberrant activation contributes to the oncogenesis of various human cancers. In this study, we assessed expression of p110α and p110β in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and their association with clinicopathological factors and patient survival. Seventy-six NSCLC cases were analyzed by immunohistochemical staining for p110α and p110β. Of the 76 tumors, 18 (23.7%) and 43 (56.6%) were classified in the high p110α and p110β expression groups, respectively. Expression of p110α was higher in smokers compared with non-smokers (P = 0.042). No other clinicopathological factors showed significant association with p110α or p110β expression. In univariate and multivariate survival analyses, high p110β expression was associated with worse overall survival (OS) in stage I NSCLCs (P < 0.001), whereas the high p110α expression group had shorter OS in stage II to IV NSCLCs (P = 0.005). Our results suggest that p110α and p110β play different roles depending on tumor stage, and that both p110α and p110β have potential as independent prognostic biomarkers of NSCLC.

Expression of miR-200c and its clinicopathological significance in patients with colorectal cancer

MicroRNA-200c (miR-200c) is known to play a pivotal role in the regulation of epithelial-to-mesenchymal and mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition processes. However, the biological function of miR-200c in human carcinogenesis remains controversial. We examined the association of miR-200c expression with various clinicopathological factors, including KRAS mutation status and survival, in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). The expression level of miR-200c was evaluated in 109 paired CRC and normal tissue samples using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The KRAS mutation status of the CRC samples was determined using the PNAClamp™ KRAS Mutation Detection kit. Compared with the normal tissue group, miR-200c expression was significantly upregulated in the CRCs (P < .001). The expression of miR-200c was increased in CRCs with higher grade (P = .009), advanced stage (P = .042), and lymphovascular invasion (P = .003). Thirty-one CRCs (28.4%) had KRAS mutations in codon 12 or 13. CRCs with KRAS mutations had significantly higher miR-200c expression than CRCs with wild-type KRAS (P = .003). In survival analysis, high miR-200c expression was correlated with worse overall survival (P = .017) and recurrence-free survival (P = .048). Our results indicate that miR-200c is involved in tumor progression and aggressiveness in CRCs, and this oncogenic role of miR-200c may be triggered by activation of the KRAS signaling pathway.

Prognostic Utility of Histological Growth Patterns of Colorectal Lung Oligometastasis

Background

Patients with resectable colorectal lung oligometastasis (CLOM) demonstrate a heterogeneous oncological outcome. However, the parameters for predicting tumor aggressiveness have not yet been fully investigated in CLOM. This study was performed to determine the prognostic value of histological growth patterns in patients who underwent surgery for CLOM.

Methods

The study included 92 patients who were diagnosed with CLOM among the first resection cases. CLOMs grow according to three histological patterns: aerogenous, pushing, and desmoplastic patterns. The growth patterns were evaluated on archival hematoxylin and eosin–stained tissue sections.

Results

The aerogenous pattern was found in 29.4% (n=27) of patients, the pushing pattern in 34.7% (n=32), the desmoplastic pattern in 6.5% (n=6), and a mix of two growth patterns in 29.4% (n=27). The size of the aerogenous pattern was significantly smaller than that of metastases with other patterns (p=.033). Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated that patients showing an aerogenous pattern appeared to have a poorer prognosis, which was calculated from the time of diagnosis of the CLOM (p=.044). The 5-year survival rate from the diagnosis of colorectal cancer tended to be lower in patients with an aerogenous pattern than in those who had a non-aerogenous pattern; however, the difference was marginally significant (p=.051). In the multivariate Cox analysis, the aerogenous pattern appeared as an independent predictor of poor overall survival (hazard ratio, 3.122; 95% confidence interval, 1.196 to 8.145; p=.020).

Conclusions

These results suggest that the growth patterns may play a part as a histology-based prognostic parameter for patients with CLOM.

First Search for Nontensorial Gravitational Waves from Known Pulsars

We present results from the first directed search for nontensorial gravitational waves. While general relativity allows for tensorial (plus and cross) modes only, a generic metric theory may, in principle, predict waves with up to six different polarizations. This analysis is sensitive to continuous signals of scalar, vector, or tensor polarizations, and does not rely on any specific theory of gravity. After searching data from the first observation run of the advanced LIGO detectors for signals at twice the rotational frequency of 200 known pulsars, we find no evidence of gravitational waves of any polarization. We report the first upper limits for scalar and vector strains, finding values comparable in magnitude to previously published limits for tensor strain. Our results may be translated into constraints on specific alternative theories of gravity.

GW170817: Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Neutron Star Inspiral

On August 17, 2017 at 12∶41:04 UTC the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo gravitational-wave detectors made their first observation of a binary neutron star inspiral. The signal, GW170817, was detected with a combined signal-to-noise ratio of 32.4 and a false-alarm-rate estimate of less than one per 8.0×10^{4}  years. We infer the component masses of the binary to be between 0.86 and 2.26  M_{⊙}, in agreement with masses of known neutron stars. Restricting the component spins to the range inferred in binary neutron stars, we find the component masses to be in the range 1.17-1.60  M_{⊙}, with the total mass of the system 2.74_{-0.01}^{+0.04}M_{⊙}. The source was localized within a sky region of 28  deg^{2} (90% probability) and had a luminosity distance of 40_{-14}^{+8}  Mpc, the closest and most precisely localized gravitational-wave signal yet. The association with the γ-ray burst GRB 170817A, detected by Fermi-GBM 1.7 s after the coalescence, corroborates the hypothesis of a neutron star merger and provides the first direct evidence of a link between these mergers and short γ-ray bursts. Subsequent identification of transient counterparts across the electromagnetic spectrum in the same location further supports the interpretation of this event as a neutron star merger. This unprecedented joint gravitational and electromagnetic observation provides insight into astrophysics, dense matter, gravitation, and cosmology.

GW170814: A Three-Detector Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Coalescence

On August 14, 2017 at 10∶30:43 UTC, the Advanced Virgo detector and the two Advanced LIGO detectors coherently observed a transient gravitational-wave signal produced by the coalescence of two stellar mass black holes, with a false-alarm rate of ≲1 in 27 000 years. The signal was observed with a three-detector network matched-filter signal-to-noise ratio of 18. The inferred masses of the initial black holes are 30.5_{-3.0}^{+5.7}M_{⊙} and 25.3_{-4.2}^{+2.8}M_{⊙} (at the 90% credible level). The luminosity distance of the source is 540_{-210}^{+130}  Mpc, corresponding to a redshift of z=0.11_{-0.04}^{+0.03}. A network of three detectors improves the sky localization of the source, reducing the area of the 90% credible region from 1160   deg^{2} using only the two LIGO detectors to 60  deg^{2} using all three detectors. For the first time, we can test the nature of gravitational-wave polarizations from the antenna response of the LIGO-Virgo network, thus enabling a new class of phenomenological tests of gravity.

Accurate representation of interference colours (Michel-Lévy chart): from rendering to image colour correction

Here a work flow towards an accurate representation of interference colours (Michel-Lévy chart) digitally captured on a polarised light microscope using dry and oil immersion objectives is presented. The work flow includes accurate rendering of interference colours considering the colour temperature of the light source of the microscope and chromatic adaptation to white points of RGB colour spaces as well as the colour correction of the camera using readily available colour targets. The quality of different colour correction profiles was tested independently on an IT8.7/1 target. The best performing profile was using the XYZ cLUT algorithm and it revealed a ΔE₀₀ of 1.9 (6.4 no profile) at 5× and 1.1 (8.4 no profile) at 100× magnification, respectively. The overall performance of the workflow was tested by comparing rendered interference colours with colour-corrected images of a quartz wedge captured over a retardation range from 80-2500 nm at 5× magnification. Uncorrected images of the quartz wedge in sRGB colour space revealed a mean ΔE₀₀ of 12.3, which could be reduced to a mean of 4.9 by applying a camera correction profile based on an IT8.7/1 target and the Matrix only algorithm (ΔE₀₀ < 1.0 signifies colour differences imperceptible by the human eye). ΔE₀₀ varied significantly over the retardation range of 80-2500 nm of the quartz wedge, but the reasons for this variation is not well understood and the quality of colour correction might be further improved in future by using custom made colour targets specifically designed for the analysis of high-order interference colours.

Acute Oral Toxicity Study of Asiasari radix Extract in Mice

Acute oral toxicity of methanol extract of Asiasari radix was evaluated in ICR mice of both sexes. In this study, mice were administrated orally with dosages of 1000, 3000, and 5000 mg/kg body weight of Asiasari radix extract. Mortality, signs of toxicity, body weight, food consumption, and gross findings were observed for 14 days post treatment of Asiasari radix extract. No mortality, signs of toxicity, and abnormalities in gross findings were observed. In addition, no significant differences were noticed in the body and organ weights between the control and treated groups of both sexes. These results show that the methanol extract of Asiasari radix is toxicologically safe by oral administration.

GW170104: Observation of a 50-Solar-Mass Binary Black Hole Coalescence at Redshift 0.2

We describe the observation of GW170104, a gravitational-wave signal produced by the coalescence of a pair of stellar-mass black holes. The signal was measured on January 4, 2017 at 10∶11:58.6 UTC by the twin advanced detectors of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory during their second observing run, with a network signal-to-noise ratio of 13 and a false alarm rate less than 1 in 70 000 years. The inferred component black hole masses are 31.2_{-6.0}^{+8.4}M_{⊙} and 19.4_{-5.9}^{+5.3}M_{⊙} (at the 90% credible level). The black hole spins are best constrained through measurement of the effective inspiral spin parameter, a mass-weighted combination of the spin components perpendicular to the orbital plane, χ_{eff}=-0.12_{-0.30}^{+0.21}. This result implies that spin configurations with both component spins positively aligned with the orbital angular momentum are disfavored. The source luminosity distance is 880_{-390}^{+450}  Mpc corresponding to a redshift of z=0.18_{-0.07}^{+0.08}. We constrain the magnitude of modifications to the gravitational-wave dispersion relation and perform null tests of general relativity. Assuming that gravitons are dispersed in vacuum like massive particles, we bound the graviton mass to m_{g}≤7.7×10^{-23}  eV/c^{2}. In all cases, we find that GW170104 is consistent with general relativity.

Antibacterial activities of penicillic acid isolated from Aspergillus persii against various plant pathogenic bacteria

The emergence of pathogenic bacterial strains resistant to agrochemicals and the increasing demand for organic foods have led to the discovery of new antibacterial metabolites that can be used either directly or as a lead molecule for development of synthetic bactericides. During the screening of antibacterial fungal cultures, we found that one fungal strain, Aspergillus persii EML-HPB1-11, showed strong in vitro antibacterial activity against Xanthomonas arboricola pv. pruni (Xap) with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 10% of fermentation broth filtrate. The active compound was identified as penicillic acid (PA: 3-methoxy-5-methyl-4-oxo-2,5-hexadienoic acid) by mass and NMR spectroscopy. The in vitro antibacterial activity of PA was tested against 12 phytopathogenic bacteria. All of the bacterial pathogens tested were highly inhibited by PA with MIC values of 12·3-111·1 μg ml(-1) . It also effectively suppressed the development of bacterial spot disease in detached peach leaves, showing control values of 82·4 and 94·1% at concentrations of 111·1 and 333·3 μg ml(-1) respectively. This is the first report on the production of PA by A. persii. This study suggests that PA can be used as a lead molecule for development of synthetic bactericides for control of various plant diseases.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

Penicillic acid (PA) produced by the seed-borne fungus Aspergillus persii EML-HPB1-11 showed antibacterial activity against various plant pathogenic bacteria. The compound effectively inhibited the growth of 12 plant pathogenic bacteria and successfully controlled bacterial spot disease on peach leaf. These results suggest that PA can be used as a lead molecule for development of synthetic agrochemicals to control plant bacterial diseases.

Survival benefit of liver resection for Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage B hepatocellular carcinoma

Background

Although transarterial chemoembolization is recommended as the standard treatment for Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage B hepatocellular carcinoma (BCLC-B HCC), other treatments including liver resection have been used. This study aimed to determine the survival benefit of treatment strategies including resection for BCLC-B HCC compared with non-surgical treatments.

Methods

The nationwide multicentre database of the Korean Liver Cancer Association was reviewed. Patients with BCLC-B HCC who underwent liver resection as a first or second treatment within 2 years of diagnosis and patients who received non-surgical treatment were selected randomly. Survival outcomes of propensity score-matched groups were compared.

Results

Among 887 randomly selected patients with BCLC-B HCC, 83 underwent liver resection as first or second treatment and 597 had non-surgical treatment. After propensity score matching, the two groups were well balanced (80 patients in each group). Overall median survival in the resection group was better than that for patients receiving non-surgical treatment (50·9 versus 22·1 months respectively; P &lt; 0·001). The 1-, 2-, 3- and 5-year overall survival rates in the resection group were 90, 88, 75 and 63 per cent, compared with 79, 48, 35 and 22 per cent in the no-surgery group (P &lt; 0·001). In multivariable analysis, non-surgical treatment only (hazard ratio (HR) 3·35, 95 per cent c.i. 2·16 to 5·19; P &lt; 0·001), albumin level below 3·5 g/dl (HR 1·96, 1·22 to 3·15; P = 0·005) and largest tumour size greater than 5·0 cm (HR 1·81, 1·20 to 2·75; P = 0·005) were independent predictors of worse overall survival.

Conclusion

Treatment strategies that include liver resection offer a survival benefit compared with non-surgical treatments for potentially resectable BCLC-B HCC.

Early complications after percutaneous radiofrequency ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma: an analysis of 1,843 ablations in 1,211 patients in a single centre: experience over 10 years

AIM

To evaluate the incidence of adverse events and associated factors after radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma within 30 days.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The early complications that occurred within 30 days after RFA at a single institution from January 2000 to July 2010 were reviewed in order to evaluate the morbidity, mortality, and risk factors associated with the complications. In total, 1,211 patients (845 men, 70.5%) with a mean age of 68 years (range, 27-88 years) underwent 1,843 RFA procedures.

RESULTS

The overall incidence rate of complications was 6.8% (125 cases). Major complications (n=36, 2%) included liver abscess (n=15, 0.8%), intraperitoneal bleeding (n=8, 0.4%), liver failure (n=5, 0.3%), variceal bleeding (n=3, 0.2%), haemothorax (n=2, 0.1%), cholecystitis (n=2, 0.1%), and bowel perforation (n=1, 0.1%). Among the minor complications (n=89, 4.8%), the most common was the post RFA syndrome accompanied by pain and fever (n=75, 4.1%). Other minor complications included significant pleural effusion (n=7, 0.4%), skin wound infection (n=4, 0.2%), and thermal injuries to the skin (n=3, 0.2%). Procedural infections significantly increased with tumour size (OR=1.379; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.191-1.579; p<0.001), and multiple overlapping ablations (OR=1.118; 95% CI, 1.019-1.227, p=0.018). Thrombocytopenia (<50,000/μl), prothrombin time, and serum albumin level were significantly associated with post-RFA bleeding episodes (p=0.041, p=0.021, and p=0.003, respectively). The overall mortality rate was 0.3% (three cases of hepatic failure, two case of sepsis, and one case of renal failure).

CONCLUSIONS

RFA is a safe and effective local treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma. Careful selection of patients and appropriate RFA planning could decrease procedural mortality and morbidity.

Silencing of translation initiation factor eIF3b promotes apoptosis in osteosarcoma cells

Objectives

Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3 (eIF3) is a multi-subunit complex that plays a critical role in translation initiation. Expression levels of eIF3 subunits are elevated or decreased in various cancers, suggesting a role for eIF3 in tumorigenesis. Recent studies have shown that the expression of the eIF3b subunit is elevated in bladder and prostate cancer, and eIF3b silencing inhibited glioblastoma growth and induced cellular apoptosis. In this study, we investigated the role of eIF3b in the survival of osteosarcoma cells.

Methods

To investigate the effect of eIF3b on cell viability and apoptosis in osteosarcoma cells, we first examined the silencing effect of eIF3b in U2OS cells. Cell viability and apoptosis were examined by the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and Western blot, respectively. We also performed gene profiling to identify genes affected by eIF3b silencing. Finally, the effect of eIF3b on cell viability and apoptosis was confirmed in multiple osteosarcoma cell lines.

Results

eIF3b silencing decreased cell viability and induced apoptosis in U2OS cells, and by using gene profiling we discovered that eIF3b silencing also resulted in the upregulation of tumour necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 21 (TNFRSF21). We found that TNFRSF21 overexpression induced cell death in U2OS cells, and we confirmed that eIF3b silencing completely suppressed cell growth in multiple osteosarcoma cell lines. However, eIF3b silencing failed to suppress cell growth completely in normal fibroblast cells.

Conclusion

Our data led us to conclude that eIF3b may be required for osteosarcoma cell proliferation by regulating TNFRSF21 expression.

Cite this article: Y. J. Choi, Y. S. Lee, H. W. Lee, D. M. Shim, S. W. Seo. Silencing of translation initiation factor eIF3b promotes apoptosis in osteosarcoma cells. Bone Joint Res 2017;6:186–193. DOI: 10.1302/2046-3758.63.BJR-2016-0151.R2.

Abstract P2-01-36: Ex vivo shear-wave elastography of axillary lymph nodes predicting nodal metastasis in patients with primary breast cancer: A pilot study

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of shear-wave elastography using breast ultrasonography in identifying metastasis of removed sentinel lymph nodes during the operation for treatment of breast cancer.

Background: Conventional method for identification of sentinel nodal metastasis is time and cost consuming. The optimal method for identification of nodal status is important.

Methods: Excised sentinel lymph nodes during the operation were prospectively examined with the elastography. Metastatic status of lymph nodes was confirmed with permanent histology. Only macrometastasis was regarded as positive. Elastic values measured by the ex vivo elastography and nodal characteristics were analyzed to correlate with nodal metastasis.

Results: A total of 274 lymph nodes harvested from 68 breast cancer patients at Gangnam Severance Hospital from May 2014 to April 2015 were included this study. There was the difference of elastic values between nodes with and without metastasis (mean stiffness, 41.6 kPa and 17.4 kPa, P &lt; 0.001). Mean sizes of metastatic nodes (range 0.36-2.59 cm) were significantly larger than that of non-metastatic nodes (1.0 cm versus 0.75 cm, P &lt; 0.001). Moreover, there was a correlation between the size of metastatic nodes which ranged from 0.7 to 21.5 mm with a median of 7 mm and nodal stiffness (correlation coefficient of mean stiffness, r = 0.431). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) by the mean stiffness was 0.794. The combination of size of nodes, mean stiffness and ratio made AUC of 0.856.

Conclusions: In our study, ex vivo shear-wave elastography of sentinel lymph nodes was a feasible method to predict metastasis. Through the validation study, ex vivo elastography could be helpful to determine metastasis of sentinel lymph nodes during the operation.

Keywords Breast cancer; Elastography; Lymph node metastasis.

Citation Format: Lim JW, Lee HW, Park JT, Ahn SG, Jung J. Ex vivo shear-wave elastography of axillary lymph nodes predicting nodal metastasis in patients with primary breast cancer: A pilot study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-01-36.

Clinicopathologic characteristics of young patients with gallbladder cancer

Gallbladder cancer is the most common biliary tract cancer and the fifth most common cancer of the digestive system. However, the clinicopathologic features of gallbladder cancer in young Korean patients have not been studied. This study included 101 consecutive cases of gallbladder cancer that underwent cholecystectomy at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital from December 1990 to March 2011. The patients were divided into two groups by age at initial diagnosis of gallbladder cancer: a young patient group aged less than 45 years and an old patient group aged 45 or older. The young patient group included 10 patients with mean age of 38 (range, 29-44 years). Compared with the old patient group, the young patient group showed polypoid tumor appearance (p=0.014), lower pT stage (p=0.023), more frequent adenoma background (p=0.009), and less frequent dysplasia in remaining mucosa (p=0.001). The disease-related survival rate after 13.5 months was significantly more favorable for the young patients. Gallbladder cancers in young Korean patients have distinct clinicopathologic features of a high frequency of cancer arising in adenoma, rare association with intestinal metaplasia and dysplasia, and a favorable patient's prognosis. These findings suggest that the adenoma-carcinoma pathway could contribute more to gallbladder cancer carcinogenesis in young Korean patients than the metaplasia-dysplasia-carcinoma pathway.

Surface modulation and back reflection from foil targets irradiated by a Petawatt femtosecond laser pulse at oblique incidence

A significant level of back reflected laser energy was measured during the interaction of ultra-short, high contrast PW laser pulses with solid targets at 30° incidence. 2D PIC simulations carried out for the experimental conditions show that at the laser-target interface a dynamic regular structure is generated during the interaction, which acts as a grating (quasi-grating) and reflects back a significant amount of incident laser energy. With increasing laser intensity above 10¹⁸ W/cm² the back reflected fraction increases due to the growth of the surface modulation to larger amplitudes. Above 10²⁰ W/cm² this increase results in the partial destruction of the quasi-grating structure and, hence, in the saturation of the back reflection efficiency. The PIC simulation results are in good agreement with the experimental findings, and, additionally, demonstrate that in presence of a small amount of pre-plasma this regular structure will be smeared out and the back reflection reduced.

Overexpression of HSP47 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: clinical implications and functional analysis

Several biomarkers of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) have been explored to improve the prognosis of this disease. One of these, the 47-kDa heat shock protein (HSP47), has been screened as a potential biomarker by genomic profiling and is known to be overexpressed in some malignant diseases. In this study, we explored the role and evaluated the prognostic value of HSP47 expression in ESCC. The function of this protein was analyzed by assaying proliferation, wound healing, and colony formation in an HSP47-knockdown ESCC line. The prognostic implication of HSP47 expression was analyzed by immunohistochemical staining in 157 surgical specimens. HSP47 expression level and other clinical variables were analyzed using multivariate Cox proportional hazards models. Silencing of the HSP47 gene in the ESCC cell line inhibited cell proliferation and colony formation. HSP47 was highly expressed in ESCC tissue samples, compared with normal esophageal tissues. The level of immunohistochemical staining of HSP47 and pathologic stage were significantly correlated with overall and recurrence-free survival, as shown by multivariate analysis (P = 0.014 and 0.044, respectively). We found that overexpression of HSP47 is associated with poor prognosis in patients with ESCC and that this is consistent with the function of HSP47 in terms of increased cell proliferation and colony formation. These results suggest that HSP47 is a potential prognostic biomarker for ESCC and merits further research for novel diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

Thoracic Epidural Clonidine Attenuates Haemodynamic Responses Induced by Endobronchial Intubation

Laryngoscopy and endobronchial intubation usually cause transient hypertension and tachycardia. We investigated whether thoracic epidurally injected 3 μg/kg clonidine attenuates cardiovascular responses to intubation compared with 2 μg/kg fentanyl and 1 mg/kg lidocaine. Epidural catheterization was performed at the T6–T7 or T7–T8 intervertebral space, and saline or clonidine in saline was injected 20 min before anaesthetic induction. Anaesthesia was induced using 5 mg/kg thiopental sodium and 0.1 mg/kg vecuronium. Laryngoscopy and endobronchial intubation were performed 2 min later. Mean blood pressure and heart rate were measured throughout anaesthetic induction. In the control group and the fentanyl group, mean blood pressure and heart rate 3 min after endobronchial intubation were elevated significantly compared with baseline. In the clonidine group, however, mean blood pressure and heart rate did not increase compared with baseline. The control group had higher mean blood pressure and heart rate than the clonidine group 3 min after endobronchial intubation. Thoracic epidural clonidine may attenuate the haemodynamic response to endobronchial intubation.

Impaired RBC deformability is associated with diabetic retinopathy in patients with type 2 diabetes

AIM

Red blood cell (RBC) deformability, the ability of RBCs to change shape under stress, is known to be decreased in type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, as yet little is known of the association between RBC deformability and diabetic complications in T2D. For this reason, this study has investigated the association between RBC deformability and diabetic complications.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, 452 T2D patients were initially enrolled. RBC deformability was measured using a microfluidic ektacytometer and expressed as an elongation index at 3Pa (EI@3Pa, %).

RESULTS

A final total of 373 patients (mean age: 60.04±11.93 years; males: 201) were included in the study. When categorized into quartiles of RBC deformability, the lower EI@3Pa groups had higher glycated haemoglobin (HbA_1c), triglycerides and prevalence of diabetic retinopathy compared with the higher quartiles (P<0.05 for trend). In particular, the EI@3Pa was significantly lower in patients with retinopathy than in those without retinopathy (30.53±1.95 vs 31.20±1.53, P=0.001). Between the lowest EI@3Pa quartile (Q1) to the highest (Q4, reference), the odds ratio (OR) for Q1 was 2.81 (95% CI: 1.21-6.49, P=0.004 for trend), after adjusting for age, gender, presence of hypertension and smoking, duration of diabetes, HbA_1c, glomerular filtration rate and triglycerides.

CONCLUSION

In terms of diabetic complications, the lowest EI@3Pa group was closely associated with only the risk of diabetic retinopathy in our study. These results suggest that RBC deformability might be contributory to the development of the microvascular complication.

Blue Emitters Based on Aryl End-Capped Pyrene Groups for OLEDs

We have synthesized four pyrene-derived blue emitting materials using Suzuki cross coupling reactions. All OLED devices using these materials as emitting materials showed efficient blue electroluminescence (EL). Particularly, a device using 1,1'-(9,9-dimethyl-9H-fluorene-2,7-diyl)bis-pyrene (1) showed best EL properties with the luminous efficiency of 4.32 cd/A, the power efficiency of 3.98 lm/W and the external quantum efficiency of 2.48% at 500 cd/m2.

Abstract P3-07-10: The association between the expression of progesterone receptor and clinical benefit of adjuvant trastuzumab in estrogen receptor-positive and HER2-positive breast cancer patients

Background: Previous studies have shown that progesterone receptor (PR) status has a prognostic value in hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. In this study, we evaluated the clinical significance of PR status in estrogen receptor (ER)-positive and HER2-positive breast cancer.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the data of ER+ and HER2+ breast cancer patients who underwent surgery at Gangnam Severance hospital and Severance hospital from 2002 to 2012. We excluded patients who had a history of previous cancer, received neoadjuvant chemotherapy, did not received adjuvant chemotherapy, and had contralateral breast cancer or metastasis at diagnosis. A total of 346 patients were identified. Among them, 155 patients (44.8%) received adjuvant trastuzumab.

Results: At a median follow-up of 59 months, median disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were 56 and 59 months, respectively. The DFS and OS showed no difference according to PR status in overall patients. Then, these patients were categorized into two groups: ER+/HER2+/PR+ and ER+/HER2+/PR-. In ER+/HER2+PR+ patient, there was no difference of DFS or OS according to trastuzumab use. In ER+/HER2+/PR- patients, DFS was significantly better in patients who received adjuvant trastuzumab treatment compared to those who did not (p=0.009). We also analyzed influence of PR status on treatment outcome between patients who received adjuvant trastuzumab and those who did not. In patients who received adjuvant trastuzumab, there was no difference of DFS or OS according to PR status. However, in patients who did not receive adjuvant trastuzumab, ER+/HER2+/PR- patients showed worse DFS than ER+/HER2+/PR+ patients (p=0.006).

Conclusions: In patients with ER+/HER2+ breast cancer, we found that a prognostic value of PR only retained in those who did not receive adjuvant trastuzumab. Our findings suggest that the use of adjuvant trastuzumab may offer less clinical benefit for the patients with ER+/HER2+/PR+ breast cancer.

Citation Format: Lee HW, Ahn SG, Park JT, Yang BS, Park S, Jeong J, Kim SI. The association between the expression of progesterone receptor and clinical benefit of adjuvant trastuzumab in estrogen receptor-positive and HER2-positive breast cancer patients. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-07-10.

Phosphorylated 4E-binding protein 1 expression is associated with poor prognosis in small-cell lung cancer

Phosphorylation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) binding protein (4E-BP1) results in release of eIF4E, which sequentially relieves translational repression and enhances oncogenic protein synthesis. We assessed the expression of phosphorylated 4E-BP1 (p-4E-BP1) in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) and its correlation with clinicopathological factors and patient survival. This study included 117 SCLCs, which comprised 108 primary and 9 metastatic tumor tissues. We performed immunohistochemical staining for p-4E-BP1 in 117 tumors and found that 77 (66 %) were positive for p-4E-BP1 with cytoplasmic and/or nuclear immunostaining. The positive rate of p-4E-BP1 staining was significantly higher in never smokers (p = 0.034) and metastatic tumor tissues (p = 0.027). Patients with p-4E-BP1-positive SCLC tended to have poor performance status, although the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.087). High p-4E-BP1 expression was significantly correlated with worse overall survival (OS) in all cohorts (p = 0.016). After stratification by clinical stage, p-4E-BP1 expression showed a stronger relationship with OS in patients with limited disease (p = 0.008). In addition, when stratified by treatment status, p-4E-BP1 expression was still significantly associated with worse OS in a subgroup of patients who completed treatment (p = 0.021). Our results indicate that p-4E-BP1 expression could represent oncogenic potential and contribute to the progression and aggressiveness of SCLC, suggesting it could be a candidate prognostic biomarker of SCLC, especially in limited disease.

NOX1 deficiency in apolipoprotein E-knockout mice is associated with elevated plasma lipids and enhanced atherosclerosis

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidases (NOX) are enzymes that generate reactive oxygen species (ROS). NOX2 activity in the vascular wall is elevated in hypercholesterolemia, and contributes to oxidative stress and atherogenesis. Here we examined the role of another NOX isoform, NOX1, in atherogenesis in apolipoprotein E-knockout (APOE(-/-)) mice fed a Western diet for 14 weeks. Although NOX1 mRNA expression was unchanged in aortas from APOE(-/-) versus wild-type mice, expression of the NOX1-specific organizer, NOXO1, was diminished, consistent with an overall reduction in NOX1 activity in APOE(-/-) mice. To examine the impact of a further reduction in NOX1 activity, APOE(-/-) mice were crossed with NOX1(-/y) mice to generate NOX1(-/y)/APOE(-/-) double-knockouts. NOX1 deficiency in APOE(-/-) mice was associated with 30-50% higher plasma very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL)/LDL and triglyceride levels (P < 0.01). Vascular ROS levels were also elevated by twofold in NOX1(-/y)/APOE(-/-) versus APOE(-/-) mice (P < 0.05), despite no changes in expression of other NOX subunits. Although en face analysis of the descending aorta revealed no differences in plaque area between NOX1(-/y)/APOE(-/-) and APOE(-/-) mice, intimal thickening in the aortic sinus was increased by 40% (P < 0.05) in the double-knockouts. Moreover, NOX1 deficiency was associated with a less stable plaque phenotype; aortic sinus lesions contained 60% less collagen (P < 0.01), 40% less smooth muscle (P < 0.01), and 2.5-fold higher levels of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (P < 0.001) than lesions in APOE(-/-) mice. Thus, these data, which suggest a protective role for NOX1 against hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis in APOE(-/-) mice, highlight the complex and contrasting roles of different NOX isoforms (e.g., NOX2 versus NOX1) in vascular pathology.

High nuclear expression of protein arginine methyltransferase-5 is a potentially useful marker to estimate submucosal invasion in endoscopically resected early colorectal carcinoma

Protein arginine methyltransferase-5 (PRMT5), a major type II arginine methyltransferase, is an important epigenetic modifier with oncogene-like properties because of its ability to repress the expression of tumor suppressor genes. We determined the correlations between PRMT5 expression or its cellular localization and malignant progression, with special reference to invasiveness, in colorectal adenomas and early colorectal carcinomas (CRCs). We performed immunohistochemical detection of PRMT5 in 108 endoscopically resected tissue samples (6 adenomas with low-grade dysplasia, 34 adenomas with high-grade dysplasia, 30 intramucosal carcinomas, and 38 submucosal invasive carcinomas). Early CRC (55 of 68, 80.9%) showed more frequent nuclear expression of PRMT5 than adenoma (15 of 40, 37.5%) (P < 0.001). Furthermore, high (strong staining in ≥ 50% of nuclei) nuclear expression of PRMT5 was more common in submucosal invasive carcinoma (21 of 38, 55.3%) than in intramucosal carcinoma (9 of 30, 30.0%) (P = 0.037). In conclusion, our data suggests that high nuclear expression of PRMT5 is a potentially useful marker for estimating submucosal invasion of early CRC in endoscopically resected specimens.

Differential expression of heat shock protein 90 isoforms in small cell lung cancer

Heat shock protein 90 (HSP90), a molecular chaperone, plays important roles in cellular protection against various stressful stimuli and in the regulation of cellular growth and apoptosis. HSP90 has 4 different types of human isoforms; HSP90α, HSP90β, glucose related protein 94 (GRP94) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor-associated protein 1 (TRAP1). We assessed the differential expression of these HSP90 isoforms in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) and the correlation of their expression levels with clinicopathological factors and patient survival rates. This study included 117 SCLCs, comprised of 108 primary and 9 metastatic tumor tissues. We performed immunohistochemical staining for HSP90α, HSP90β, GRP94 and TRAP1 in 117 tumors and found that HSP90α and HSP90β were positive in 11 (9%) and 61 tumors (52%), respectively, most of which showed weak expression, whereas GRP94 and TRAP1 were positive in 115 (98%) and 117 tumors (100%), respectively, the majority of which showed moderate or strong expression. None of the HSP90 isoforms showed significant associations with clinicopathological factors or survival status in patients with SCLC. Our results indicate that GRP94 and TRAP1 might contribute more to the carcinogenesis or biology of SCLC than HSP90α and HSP90β, and that isoform selectivity should be considered when HSP90 inhibitors are studied or utilized for the treatment of SCLC.

Expression of alpha B crystallin and BCL2 in patients with infiltrating ductal carcinoma

Alpha B crystallin was characterized as a negative prognostic factor in breast cancer. BCL2 has an antiapoptotic role and sustains cell survival in vitro, ironically BCL2 expression has been associated with a good prognosis of breast cancer patients. To investigate the significance of alpha B crystallin and BCL2 expression in breast cancer and the relationship between these proteins, we performed immunohistochemical staining for both proteins in human breast cancer tissues. In the present study, overexpression of alpha B crystallin was observed more frequently in triple negative cancer (9/20, 45%) than in luminal type cancer (8/53, 15.1%, P=0.02161). BCL2 tended to be more highly expressed in luminal type cancer than in HER2 and triple negative cancer types (luminal: 36/53, 68%, HER2: 2/9, 22%, triple negative: 7/20 35%, P=0.008652). In multivariate analysis using ANCOVA, alpha B crystallin was related to short overall survival (P=0.017173). These findings suggest that alpha B crystallin is an independent prognostic factor of infiltrating ductal carcinoma. BCL2 was not associated with survival in multivariate analysis using ANCOVA. Thus, in our study BCL2 was not an independent prognostic indicator.

Renal tumor with alpha B crystallin expression

In human, proximal convoluted tubules and thin limbs of Henle show expression of αB crystallin. Renal cell carcinoma also showed expression of αB crystallin in previous reports. We aimed to study the association between αB crystallin expression and renal cell carcinoma and urothelial carcinoma. Furthermore, we also investigated αB crystallin expression depending on the subtype of renal cell carcinoma and examined the relationship between αB crystallin expression and survival in patients with renal cell carcinoma. In our study, αB crystallin expression was different according to the type of tumor. A greater proportion of the clear cell type (52/77, 67.5%) and papillary type (4/4, 100%) showed reactivity compared to the chromophobe type (0/10, 0%). In the present study, a significantly greater number of renal cell carcinomas showed strong expression of αB crystallin (56/91, 61.5%) compared to urothelial carcinoma (P=7.967e-07). Therefore, αB crystallin might be a significant marker of renal cell carcinoma and might help to determine the type of renal tumor in cases of poorly differentiated kidney lesions and metastatic lesions. αB crystallin expression was not related to overall survival in univariate and multivariate models. In our study, alpha B crystallin could not be considered a prognostic marker of renal cell carcinoma.

Anagliptin and sitagliptin as add-ons to metformin for patients with type 2 diabetes: a 24-week, multicentre, randomized, double-blind, active-controlled, phase III clinical trial with a 28-week extension

We conducted a 24-week, multicentre, double-blind, randomized study with a 28-week extension to compare the efficacy and safety of anagliptin and sitagliptin as an add-on to metformin in patients with type 2 diabetes. Patients inadequately controlled on metformin were randomized to either anagliptin (100 mg twice daily, n = 92) or sitagliptin (100 mg once daily, n = 88). The primary endpoint was the change in glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) from baseline to week 24. The mean changes in HbA1c were -0.85 ± 0.70% (p < 0.0001) for anagliptin and -0.83 ± 0.61% (p < 0.0001) for sitagliptin, with a mean difference of -0.02% (95% confidence interval of difference, -0.22 to 0.18%). In both groups, the fasting proinsulin : insulin ratio significantly decreased from baseline, with improved insulin secretion. Safety profiles were similar in each group. In conclusion, the non-inferiority of the efficacy of anagliptin to sitagliptin as an add-on therapy was established with regard to efficacy and safety.

Prognostic significance of phosphorylated 4E-binding protein 1 in non-small cell lung cancer

Phosphorylation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) binding protein (4E-BP1) results in release of eIF4E, which sequentially relieves translational repression and enhances oncogenic protein synthesis. We assessed the expression of phosphorylated 4E-BP1 (p-4E-BP1) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and its correlation with clinicopathological parameters and patient survival. In addition, we investigated whether phosphorylation site made a difference in outcome. Tissue microarray blocks were generated from 73 NSCLC samples and immunohistochemically stained for p-4E-BP1 Thr37/46 and p-4E-BP1 Thr70. Both p-4E-BP1 Thr37/46 and p-4E-BP1 Thr70 were more highly expressed in squamous cell carcinoma than in adenocarcinoma (P = 0.006 and P = 0.003, respectively). Expression of p-4E-BP1 Thr70 was higher in tumours with a diameter larger than 3 cm (P = 0.024) and nodal metastasis (P = 0.053). High p-4E-BP1 Thr70 expression significantly correlated with worse overall survival (P = 0.001) and was an independent prognostic factor (hazard ratio 2.64, P = 0.004). p-4E-BP1 Thr37/46 had no prognostic significance. Phosphorylation site affected the prognostic significance of p-4E-BP1. p-4E-BP1 Thr70 is a candidate biomarker to predict poor prognosis in patients with NSCLC.

High-level expression of Hsp90β is associated with poor survival in resectable non-small-cell lung cancer patients

AIMS

The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of Hsp90β and GRP94, and elucidate the clinical significance of their expression, in patients with resectable non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

METHODS AND RESULTS

Surgical tissue specimens were obtained from 208 patients with NSCLC who underwent surgical resection. The expression levels of Hsp90β and GRP94 were assessed with tissue microarrays and immunohistochemistry. No correlations were observed between Hsp90β or GRP94 expression and several clinicopathological factors. The high-Hsp90β group [median overall survival (OS) 20.4 months; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.000-40.864] showed a significant decrease in OS as compared with the low-Hsp90β group (median OS not reached; P = 0.003). In contrast to the Hsp90β analysis, the GRP94 analysis did not show a difference in OS. Moreover, in subgroup analyses of patients with squamous cell carcinoma histology, OS (P = 0.012) and relapse-free survival (P = 0.044) were significantly worse in the high-Hsp90β group than in the low-Hsp90β group. Multivariate analysis suggested that old age [hazard ratio (HR) 1.568; 95% CI 1.019-2.412; P = 0.041], advanced disease (HR 2.066; 95% CI 1.218-3.502; P = 0.007) and high Hsp90β expression (HR 1.802; 95% CI 1.061-3.060; P = 0.029) were independent poor prognostic factors for OS.

CONCLUSIONS

Hsp90β expression might be a useful marker of poor OS, although further large prospective studies are warranted to validate our findings.

Efficacy and safety of teneligliptin, a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor, combined with metformin in Korean patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a 16-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase III trial

The aim of the present study was to assess the efficacy and safety of teneligliptin in combination with metformin in Korean patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who were inadequately controlled with metformin monotherapy. Patients [glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) 7.0-10.0%, on stable metformin ≥1000 mg/day] were randomized 2 : 1 to receive 20 mg teneligliptin plus metformin (n = 136) or placebo plus metformin (n = 68). The primary endpoint was the change in HbA1c levels from baseline to week 16. The mean baseline HbA1c was 7.9% in the teneligliptin group and 7.8% in the placebo group. The differences between the teneligliptin and placebo groups regarding changes in HbA1c and fasting plasma glucose levels were -0.78 % and -1.24 mmol/l (22.42 mg/dl), respectively, at week 16. The incidence of adverse events was similar between the groups. The addition of teneligliptin once daily to metformin was effective and generally well tolerated in Korean patients with type 2 diabetes.

Expression of phosphorylated mTOR and its clinical significances in small cell lung cancer

The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a serine/threonine kinase regulating the cell cycle and protein synthesis, and is an attractive molecule for novel molecular targeting therapy in various cancers, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In contrast with NSCLC, mTOR expression has not been fully investigated in SCLC. In this study, we evaluated the correlations between mTOR expression and clinical characteristics in SCLC. Immunohistochemical staining for phosphorylated mTOR (p-mTOR) was performed and histoscores were calculated on 115 SCLC tissue specimens. Based on the distribution of the data, a histoscore of 60 was used as a cutoff to dichotomize SCLCs into low versus high expression groups. Extended-stage SCLCs showed significantly lower p-mTOR expression than those of a limited-stage (P=0.008). Lymph node metastasis was more frequently detected in the low than high expression group (P=0.074). The high p-mTOR expression group had a weak tendency toward prolonged overall survival, but the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.170). We found that there is a significant difference in p-mTOR expression between different clinical stages in SCLC. This result indicates that p-mTOR might play a more pivotal role in the biologic behavior of early SCLCs than advanced ones and the effectiveness of mTOR inhibitors might vary according to the extent of disease.

Overexpression of phosphorylated 4E-binding protein 1 and its clinicopathological significances in gastric cancer

Multiple intracellular transforming signals regulate eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E)-binding protein (4E-BP1). The signals result in hierarchical phosphorylation of 4E-BP1, resulting in release of eIF4E, relieving translational repression and enhancing oncogenic protein synthesis. This study assessed the expression of phosphorylated 4E-BP1 (p-4E-BP1) in gastric cancer and its correlation with clinicopathological parameters and patient survival. Tissue microarray blocks were generated from 179 gastric carcinomas and immunohistochemically stained for p-4E-BP1. The expression of p-4E-BP1 was higher in tumors that were intestinal-type (P=0.028); had a diameter smaller than 5cm (P=0.001); were lower pathological T stage (P<0.001), N stage (P=0.004), or TNM stage (P<0.001); did not have distant metastasis (P=0.027). High p-4E-BP1 expression significantly correlated with prolonged overall survival (P=0.046) and disease-free survival (P=0.035), but was not an independent prognostic factor in multivariate analysis. Our results indicate that p-4E-BP1 is more highly expressed in early gastric cancers than in advanced ones, and has limited potential as an independent prognostic biomarker in patients with gastric cancer. Larger well-controlled studies with molecular validation are warranted to elucidate more exact prognostic significance and working mechanism of p-4E-BP1 in gastric cancer.

Uncertain areas in the diagnosis of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis in patients with asthma

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

The prevalence of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) in patients with bronchial asthma remains unknown. We evaluated the roles of various laboratory tests in the diagnosis of ABPA, including, skin prick test (SPT) for Aspergillus fumigatus (Af), and serum Af specific IgE and IgG antibody measurement.

METHODS

A total of 50 asthma patients with more than 1000cell/μL of peripheral blood eosinophils were prospectively collected between January 2007 and September 2011. Evaluations using SPT for Af, serum total IgE and specific IgE antibody to Af by CAP system, IgG antibody to Af by enzyme immunoassay (EIA) or CAP system were performed according to the essential minimal criteria for the diagnosis of ABPA - asthma, immediate cutaneous reactivity to Af, elevated total IgE, and raised Af specific IgE and IgG.

RESULTS

Among 50 patients, three patients (6.0%) were diagnosed as ABPA, of whom each confirmed five items of the essential minimal diagnostic criteria for the diagnosis of ABPA. Six patients (12.0%) showed negative responses to Af in SPT, but positive responses in specific IgE by CAP system. Eight patients (16.0%) showed negative responses to IgG to Af by CAP system, but positive responses by enzyme immunoassay (EIA).

CONCLUSIONS

SPT and serum IgE to Af measurement by CAP system should be performed simultaneously. It is reasonable to set up cut-off values in Af specific IgE/IgG by CAP system for the differentiation of ABPA from Af sensitised asthma patients.

Expression of microRNA miR-126 and miR-200c is associated with prognosis in patients with non-small cell lung cancer

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNAs that exert a critical influence on tumorigenesis through post-transcriptional modification and are considered to be potential biomarkers for the diagnosis or prognosis of various cancers. Although several miRNAs have been proposed as relevant biomarkers for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), detailed working mechanisms and validated prognostic significance of these miRNAs remain controversial. In this study, we evaluated expression levels of miRNA-126 (miR-126) and miR-200c in 72 NSCLCs and 30 benign lung tissues by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and analyzed the correlation of miRNA expression with a variety of clinicopathological factors and patient survival. Compared with the benign control group, miR-126 expression was significantly downregulated in NSCLCs (p < 0.001), while miR-200c expression was significantly upregulated in NSCLCs (p < 0.001). The expression of miR-126 was significantly higher in NSCLCs with a tumor size of ≤3 cm than in those with a tumor size of >3 cm (p = 0.026). There were no other significant associations between miRNA expression and clinicopathological features. In univariate survival analysis for all NSCLC patients, high miR-200c expression (p = 0.037), large tumor size (p = 0.026), and lymphovascular invasion (p = 0.012) were significantly correlated with worse overall survival. High miR-126 expression was significantly associated with favorable prognosis only in patients with adenocarcinoma (p = 0.033). In multivariate analysis, miR-200c and tumor size remained as independent prognostic factors. Our results suggest that miR-126 might play tumor-suppressive and miR-200c an oncogenic role, and these miR's are potential prognostic biomarkers for NSCLC.

Effect of an organic buffer layer on the stability of zinc oxide thin-film transistors

Compared with other materials, zinc oxide (ZnO) exhibits stability in air, high-electron mobility, transparency and low light sensitivity. We investigated these properties in ZnO thin-film transistors (TFTs) containing a cross-linked poly(vinyl alcohol) (C-PVA) (1:3) buffer layer stacked between the semiconductor and gate dielectric. We measured the impact of this C-PVA layer on gate bias stress. We measured the transfer characteristics of the saturation region to determine the threshold voltage and the field-effect mobility of the transistors. We recorded a threshold voltage of 11.53 V in the ZnO TFTs with the C-PVA buffer layer, the field-effect mobility was 0.2 cm2/Vs. There was a positive shift in the threshold voltage of deltaV(TH) approximately 10 V in response to the application of a gate bias stress of 20 V. The positive shift in the threshold voltage was lower than that in pristine ZnO TFTs. This finding suggests that the shift in threshold voltage was due to reduced charge trapping at the semiconductor-gate dielectric interface. Our report indicates that the organic buffer layer enhanced the stability of ZnO TFTs.

Understanding evaporation characteristics of a drop of distilled sulfur mustard (HD) chemical agent from stainless steel and aluminum substrates

We report herein the evaporation rates and mechanism of a drop of distilled sulfur mustard (HD) agent from stainless steel and aluminum substrates. For systematic analysis, we used a laboratory-sized wind tunnel, thermal desorption (TD) connected to gas chromatograph/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and drop shape analysis (DSA). We found that the evaporation rates of HD from stainless steel and aluminum increased with temperature. The rates were also linearly proportional to drop size. The time-dependent contact angle measurement showed that the evaporation of the drop of HD proceeded only by constant contact area mechanism from stainless steel surface. On the other hand, the evaporation of HD from aluminum proceeded by a combined mechanism of constant contact area mode and constant contact angle mode. Our experimental data sets and analysis could be used to predict vapor and contact hazard persistence of chemical warfare agents (CWAs) in the air and on exterior surfaces with chemical releases, which assists the military decision influencing personnel safety and decontamination of the site upon a chemical attack event.

Perimenopausal ovarian carcinoma patient with subclavian node metastasis proven by immunohistochemistry

Ovarian cancer is the seventh most common cancer in the world and the fifth most common cause of death from cancer; it is responsible for over half of all deaths related to gynecological cancers. The presence of lymphatic metastasis is an important prognostic factor in ovarian cancer. Nodal metastases to the pelvic and the para-aortic lymph nodes are common, particularly in an advanced of the disease (stages III-IV). The finding of distant nodal metastasis, especially subclavian lymph node metastasis, from ovarian carcinoma is very uncommon. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) or FDG-PET/computed tomography (CT) provides an improved imaging for detecting metastatic lymph nodes in patients with ovarian cancer. Immunohistochemically, ovarian carcinoma cells are positive for estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, cancer antigen 125, Wilms' tumor 1 protein, and p53; they are negative for thyroid transcription factor (TTF-1) and caudal-related homeobox 2 (CDX-2). This report describes a Korean woman diagnosed with ovarian cancer with subclavian lymph node metastasis revealed by FDG PET/CT and verified by an immunohistochemical staining. Differentiating between the primary ovarian lesion and the metastatic lesion will allow the initiation of an appropriate treatment and help predict the prognosis.

Analysis of rheumatoid factor according to various hepatitis B virus infectious statuses

OBJECTIVES

Rheumatoid factor (RF) can be seen in hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. We investigated RF positive rates according to various HBV infectious statuses and vaccination, and the relationship between RF titers and serum HBV DNA levels.

METHODS

We examined 13,670 individuals who visited the Severance Hospital in Seoul, Korea, for a routine health check-up, and obtained serum samples from all individuals.

RESULTS

RF was positive in 3.5% of all subjects, and HBsAg was positive in 4.3%. HBsAg was positive in 21.7% of all RF positive subjects. RF was positive in 17.5% of the HBsAg positive group, while it was positive in 2.9% of the HBsAg negative group (p<0.001). The RF positive rate was increased in positive HBsAg, female sex, and older age. The RF positive rate was lower in those who had anti-HBs after HBV vaccination than in HBsAg positive subjects (2.7% vs. 17.5%, p<0.001). Among the RF positive patients, the RF titer in HBsAg positive patients were higher than that in HBsAg negative patients (159.7±217.1IU/mL vs. 83.0±179.2 IU/mL, p=0.001). The load of HBV DNA may be closely correlated with RF titer in patients with chronic hepatitis B (r=0.508, p=0.005).

CONCLUSIONS

Persistent HBV infection is an important cause for the positive RF in HBV endemic areas. Hepatitis B viral load is associated with RF titer. HBV vaccination may reduce the risk of RF formation.

Altered Expression of PTEN and Its Major Regulator MicroRNA-21 in Pulmonary Neuroendocrine Tumors

Background

Phosphatase and tensin homolog on chromosome ten (PTEN) is one of the most frequently inactivated tumor suppressors in various tumor types. MicroRNA-21 (miR-21) may affect tumor progression by post-transcriptional repression of expression of tumor suppressors, such as PTEN. This study was conducted to evaluate the significance of PTEN expression in pulmonary neuroendocrine (NE) tumors and to analyze the relationship between PTEN and miR-21 expressions.

Methods

Expressions of PTEN and miR-21 were investigated by immunohistochemistry and real time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, respectively, in 75 resected pulmonary NE tumors (23 typical carcinoids [TCs], nine atypical carcinoids [ACs], 22 large cell NE carcinomas [LCNECs], and 21 small cell lung carcinomas [SCLCs]).

Results

Loss of PTEN expression was observed in four of 23 TCs (17.4%), four of nine ACs (44.4%), 16 of 22 LCNECs (72.7%) and nine of 21 SCLCs (42.9%) (p=.025). The expression level of miR-21 was significantly higher in high-grade NE carcinomas than in carcinoid tumors (p<.001). PTEN expression was inversely correlated with miR-21 expression (p<.001).

Conclusions

This study suggests that aberrant expression of PTEN in relation to miR-21 may represent an important step in the development and progression of pulmonary NE tumors.

A Case of Perimenopausal Endometrial Cancer in a Woman with MSH2 Germline Mutation

Lynch syndrome is a genetic malignancy syndrome affecting the colon, endometrium, and other organs. It is difficult to find a Lynch syndrome patient without any family history of cancer. We have recently examined an endometrial cancer patient with a MSH2 gene mutation without a family history of cancer. A 55-year old Korean woman was admitted to a local clinic for vaginal bleeding. An endometrial biopsy revealed the presence of adenocarcinoma (endometrioid type, grade 1). After surgical staging, no further adjuvant therapy was required. Analysis of the tissue using immunohistochemistry (IHC) showed the endometrium stained negatively for MSH2. Microsatellite instability (MSI) was analyzed for five markers. The patient was scored as unstable. Further, additional gene sequencing revealed one missense mutation in c.23C > T (p.Thr8Met). This is the first case of Lynch syndrome endometrial cancer in Korea in which the patient does not have any family history of cancer.

Abstract P6-05-21: High standardized uptake value of 18F-fluorodeoxy-glucose positron emission tomography is related with FOXM1 expression, which negatively influences survival in breast cancer patients

Background

Standardized uptake value (SUV), which is an indicator reflecting glucose uptake in 18F-fluorodeoxy-glucose positron emission tomography (18FDG-PET), can be implicated to be a prognostic factor in various malignant tumors. Using a data set with gene expression profiling, we tried to uncover a molecular marker associated with a high SUV, along with an exploration its prognostic value in breast cancer.

Methods

Microarray gene expression profiling was performed in 287 breast tumor samples. Five hundred nanograms of total RNA were used for labeling and hybridization, according to the manufacturer's protocols (Illumina, San Diego, CA). In 66 samples with SUV, genes with expression patterns highly correlated with the value of SUV were selected for cluster analysis. Five hundred thirty tree gene features were selected for analysis. Patients were divided into the following two groups: SUV-high cluster and SUV-low cluster. Hierarchical clustering analysis based on 533 gene features. The prognostic value of the identified gene was validated in 287 samples and the online public set.

Results

Gene network analysis using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis software revealed considerable enrichment of the gene network toward FOXM1 in the SUV-high cluster, suggesting that its activation might be a key determinant associated with SUV level. Also, the expression of many marker genes for cell proliferation, such as AURKA, AURKB, BIRC5, BUB1, and TOP2A, was significantly higher in the SUV-high cluster than in the SUV-low cluster. Next, in the 287 patients with known FOXM1 expression levels, the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed a negative prognostic impact of highly expressed FOXM1 for overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and distant-metastasis-free survival (DMFS) (P = 0.002, P = 0.015, P = 0.008, respectively; Table 1). To validate a prognostic impact of FOXM1 in an external data, we performed a survival analysis using online gene-expression array data. There was significant correlation between the FOXM1 expression level and OS, DFS and DMFS.

Conclusion

Here we analyzed FOXM1 as a biomarker associated with a high SUV and demonstrated that FOXM1 is a negative prognostic factor in breast cancer.

Prognostic significance of FOXM1 in 287 patients Overall SurvivalBreast cancer-specific survivalDisease-free survivalDistant metastasis-free survivalFOXM1 high (n = 144)log-rank testlog-rank testlog-rank testlog-rank testFOXM1 low (n = 133)P = 0.002P = 0.001P = 0.015P = 0.008

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2013;73(24 Suppl): Abstract nr P6-05-21.