Nanoscale hydration dynamics of DNA-lipid blend dry films: DNA-size dependency

In this study, nanoscale hydration dynamics of DNA-lipid blend dry films are investigated via small angle X-ray diffraction. Compared to the hydration of lipid films, fragmented short DNA strands and counterions in stacked lipid layers dramatically accelerate both the relaxation of the lamellar distance to a metastable interval and the subsequent peeling-off process of lipid bilayers. Moreover, genome-sized long DNA and counterions accelerate the relaxation process, but suppress the peeling-off process and simultaneously induce a damped-oscillation of the lamellar interval; this is probably due to the viscoelastic properties of the entangled long DNA dissolved in hydrated water between the stacked lipid bilayers. This study's findings can pave the way for producing cell-sized liposomes, which efficiently encapsulate any arbitrary sized DNA through natural swelling.

Time trend analyses of child pedestrian morbidity in Japan

OBJECTIVES

Road traffic injuries, particularly pedestrian injuries, are a major health issue among children worldwide. The present study quantitatively analyzed the time trends of child pedestrian injuries in Japan from 1975 to 2013 by age.

STUDY DESIGN

Time trend analysis of nationally aggregated data.

METHODS

We analyzed police data on pedestrian injuries requiring medical treatment among children aged 0-15 years occurring between 1975 and 2013. To quantify the time trends of pedestrian injury morbidity rates and to identify change-points in the trends, joinpoint regression analysis was applied by age group. Children were categorized into the age groups of 0-3, 4-6, 7-9, 10-12, and 13-15 years old.

RESULTS

Preschool children aged 0-6 years old showed continuous declining trends throughout the study period; these declining trends accelerated in the 2000s. School-age children aged 7-15 years old showed minimal changes from the early 1970s to the 1990s; of this age group, children aged 7-12 years old showed slight but significant declining trends in the first half and increasing trends in the latter half of this period. Children aged 7-15 years old showed declining trends in the 2000s. Despite the consistent declining trends among all age groups in the 2000s, the younger age groups showed steeper declines during this period.

CONCLUSIONS

The declining trends in all age groups in the 2000s may reflect the improved traffic environments in Japan although the environmental approaches are not yet sufficiently adopted yielding modest effects. The continuing contrast between preschool and school-age children may reflect different behaviour changes by age such as more restricted outdoor activities among young children.

Compact permanent magnet H⁺ ECR ion source with pulse gas valve

Compact H(+) ECR ion source using permanent magnets is under development. Switching the hydrogen gas flow in pulse operations can reduce the gas loads to vacuum evacuation systems. A specially designed piezo gas valve chops the gas flow quickly. A 6 GHz ECR ion source equipped with the piezo gas valve is tested. The gas flow was measured by a fast ion gauge and a few ms response time is obtained.

Development of the negative ion beams relevant to ITER and JT-60SA at Japan Atomic Energy Agency

In order to realize negative ion sources and accelerators to be applicable to International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor and JT-60 Super Advanced, a large cesium (Cs)-seeded negative ion source and a multi-aperture and multi-stage electric acceleration have been developed at Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA). Long pulse production and acceleration of the negative ion beams have been independently carried out. The long pulse production of the high current beams has achieved 100 s at the beam current of 15 A by modifying the JT-60 negative ion source. The pulse duration time is increased three times longer than that before the modification. As for the acceleration, a pulse duration time has been also extended two orders of magnitudes from 0.4 s to 60 s. The developments of the negative ion source and acceleration at JAEA are well in progress towards the realization of the negative ion sources and accelerators for fusion applications.

Time evolution of negative ion profile in a large cesiated negative ion source applicable to fusion reactors

To understand the physics of the cesium (Cs) recycling in the large Cs-seeded negative ion sources relevant to ITER and JT-60SA with ion extraction area of 45-60 cm × 110-120 cm, the time evolution of the negative ion profile was precisely measured in JT-60SA where the ion extraction area is longitudinally segmented into 5. The Cs was seeded from the oven at 180 °C to the ion source. After 1 g of Cs input, surface production of the negative ions appeared only in the central segment where a Cs nozzle was located. Up to 2 g of Cs, the negative ion profile was longitudinally expanded over full ion extraction area. The measured time evolution of the negative ion profile has the similar tendency of distribution of the Cs atoms that is calculated. From the results, it is suggested that Cs atom distribution is correlated with the formation of the negative ion profile.

Development of design technique for vacuum insulation in large size multi-aperture multi-grid accelerator for nuclear fusion

Design techniques for the vacuum insulation have been developed in order to realize a reliable voltage holding capability of multi-aperture multi-grid (MAMuG) accelerators for fusion application. In this method, the nested multi-stage configuration of the MAMuG accelerator can be uniquely designed to satisfy the target voltage within given boundary conditions. The evaluation of the voltage holding capabilities of each acceleration stages was based on the previous experimental results about the area effect and the multi-aperture effect. Since the multi-grid effect was found to be the extension of the area effect by the total facing area this time, the total voltage holding capability of the multi-stage can be estimated from that per single stage by assuming the stage with the highest electric field, the total facing area, and the total apertures. By applying these consideration, the analysis on the 3-stage MAMuG accelerator for JT-60SA agreed well with the past gap-scan experiments with an accuracy of less than 10% variation, which demonstrated the high reliability to design MAMuG accelerators and also multi-stage high voltage bushings.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel chiral diazepine derivatives as bombesin receptor subtype-3 (BRS-3) agonists incorporating an antedrug approach

Novel compounds based on the lead BRS-3 agonists from our HTS compounds 2a and 2b have been synthesized with the focus on obtaining peripheral BRS-3 agonists. To identify potent anti-obesity compounds without adverse effects on the central nerve system, a labile carboxylic ester with an antedrug functionality was introduced onto the terminal position. Through the extensive synthetic exploration and the pharmacokinetic studies of oral administration in mice, the phenol ester 17c was selected due to the most suitable pharmacological profile. In the evaluation of food intake suppression in B6 mice, 17c showed significant in vivo efficacy and no clear adverse effect on heart rate and blood pressure change in dog iv infusion. Our study paved the way for development of anti-diabetes and obesity drugs with a safer profile.

Abstract P5-14-02: Postmastectomy radiation improves loco-regional control for patients with advanced breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy

Purpose

The value of postmastectomy radiation (PMRT) with adjuvant chemotherapy has been established, but the role of PMRT after neoadjuvant chemotherapy remains unclear.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of radiation in patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and mastectomy, and to determine which subsets of patients benefit from PMRT.

Patients and Methods

From 2003 to 2008, 94 patients were treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and mastectomy. The median number of lymph nodes removed was 20. 90 patients received anthracycline-based (anthracycline alone: 5, anthracycline followed by taxane: 85) chemotherapy and 4 patients received taxane alone. 82.6 percent (19/23) of the patients with HER2 positive cancer received trastuzumab and 91.3 percent (63/69) of the patients with hormone receptor positive cancer received hormone therapy. In this study, pathological complete response (pCR) was defined as absence of invasive tumor in the breast.

We compared the outcomes of 55 patients who received radiation (PMRT group) from 39 patinets who did not receive radiation (non-PMRT group).

The 5 years rate of loco-regional recurrence (LRR) was calculated according to the Kaplan-Meier method, and comparisons between the two groups were made using the log-rank test.

Results

Median follow-up time was 61.8 months. The breast pCR rate was 17.0% (16/94). 14 patients developed LRR as first events (local: 8, regional: 4, local and regional: 2). There were no differences between the two groups with respect to age, use of trastzumab, use of hormone therapy, pathological tumor size, number of dissected axillary nodes, percentage of hormone receptor positive tumors, or HER2 positive tumors.

The 5-years rate of LRR for the PMRT group and the non-PMRT group were 12.8% and 27.0% respectively. (p = 0.144) In the patients with positive lymph nodes after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, the PMRT group had significantly lower LRR risk than the non-PMRT group (5-yaers rate: 11.9% vs 37.5%, p = 0.039). But in the patients with negative lymph node, there were no significant difference between the PMRT group and the non-PMRT group. For hormone receptor positive and HER2 negative subtype, a significantly improved LRR risk found after PMRT (5-yaers rate: 5.9% vs 26.1%, p = 0.048). No significant difference in HER2 positive subtype and triple negative subtype were observed between two groups. In the patients who did not achieve breast pCR, the PMRT group had significantly lower LRR risk than the non-PMRT group (5-yaers rate: 9.0% vs 30.6%, p = 0.037). The 5-years rate of lymphedema was no significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.787).

Conclusion

After neoadjuvant chemotherapy and mastectomy, PMRT was found to benefit local control for the patients with positive lymph nodes, the patients with hormone receptor positive and HER2 negative cancer, and the patients who did not achieve breast pCR.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2013;73(24 Suppl): Abstract nr P5-14-02.

Abstract P3-06-16: The difference of molecular subtypes and prognosis after surgery for breast cancer patients with each blood types

(Introduction) ABO blood type has been associated with various malignancies, including pancreatic and stomach cancer. However the correlation between blood type and hormone receptor (ER/PR), HER2/neu, patient outcomes remains largely unexplored in patients with breast cancer.

(Methods)This study involved retrospective chart review of patients diagnosed with primary breast cancer stages I-III at Aichi Cancer Hospital between January 2004 and December 2011. Among 1944 breast cancer patients, the relationships between ABO blood type and clinicopathological findings, outcomes were analyzed. Descriptive statistics and c2 analysis were utilized for data summary and comparisons.

(Results) Of 1944 patients, 723 (37%), 577 (29%), 446 (23%), 198 (11%) were blood type A, O, B, AB respectively. This distribution is similar to that reported previously for general Japanese population. 327 (16.8%) patients were ductal carcinoma in situ and 1617 (83.2%) were invasive cancer, and there were no significant differences in this distribution based on each blood types. Among 1617 invasive breast cancer patients, we did not observe significant associations between blood type and pathological T stage or pathological N stage. However, patients with blood type O had lower rate of Luminal type (68.2%) compared blood type A, B, AB (73.5%, 75.2% and 76.0%, respectively (P = 0.03). The blood type O had higher rate of Tripe Negative type (13.7%) compared blood type A, B, AB (10.6%, 9.9% and 8.4%, respectively (P = 0.04). No other statistically significant differences in baseline characteristics among the four blood type groups were noted. No significant differences were observed in type of treatment (endcrine therapy, chemotherapy and anti-HER2 therapy) in each breast cancer subtypes among four blood type groups. Compared to women with blood type A, there was no significant difference in disease free survival among the for blood type O [hazard ratio (HR) 1.754; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.735-2.731], blood type B (HR 0.978; 95% CI 0.724-1.542.), blood type AB (HR 1.235; 95% CI 0.694-2.864). For patients with blood type O, this difference did not reach statistical significance, although a trend toward worse prognosis of the patients with blood type O status was seen.

(Conclusion) The blood type O had lower rate of Luminal type and higher rate of Tripe Negative type compared other blood types. No significant differences were observed in disease-free survival according to ABO blood types.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2013;73(24 Suppl): Abstract nr P3-06-16.

Discovery of DF-461, a Potent Squalene Synthase Inhibitor

We report the development of a new trifluoromethyltriazolobenzoxazepine series of squalene synthase inhibitors. Structure-activity studies and pharmacokinetics optimization on this series led to the identification of compound 23 (DF-461), which exhibited potent squalene synthase inhibitory activity, high hepatic selectivity, excellent rat hepatic cholesterol synthesis inhibitory activity, and plasma lipid lowering efficacy in nonrodent repeated dose studies.