Synthesis and properties of fluorescence poly(benzoxazole–imide)s containing naphthalene

Novel aromatic poly(benzoxazole–imide)s containing naphthalene were prepared from synthesized 1,4-di(5-aminobenzoxazol-2-yl)naphthalene and commercial dianhydrides by conventional two-step polymerization. The polymers showed high levels of tensile strength of up to 294 MPa and modulus of up to 6.5 GPa. The glass transition temperatures of the polymers were observed between 267°C and 345°C. The 5% weight loss temperatures of the polymers were tested in the range of 517–562°C in nitrogen atmosphere. The excellent properties of polymers were attributed to their rigid-rod-like molecular structure. The polymers emitted different fluorescence with maximum emission wavelengths in the range of 470–560 nm. Increasing the dianhydride electron affinity, the emission spectra peak value of polyimides (PIs) except PI6 increased gradually, but the fluorescent intensity of the PIs decreased. The 1,4-bis(3,4-dicarboxyphenoxy)benzene dianhydride-derived PI film exhibit highly fluorescent characteristics; however, the PI film from pyromellitic dianhydride was nonfluorescent.

Probing the repulsive core of the nucleon-nucleon interaction via the (4)He(e,e'pN) triple-coincidence reaction

We studied simultaneously the (4)He(e,e'p), (4)He(e,e'pp), and (4)He(e,e'pn) reactions at Q(2)=2(GeV/c)(2) and x(B)>1, for an (e,e'p) missing-momentum range of 400 to 830  MeV/c. The knocked-out proton was detected in coincidence with a proton or neutron recoiling almost back to back to the missing momentum, leaving the residual A=2 system at low excitation energy. These data were used to identify two-nucleon short-range correlated pairs and to deduce their isospin structure as a function of missing momentum, in a region where the nucleon-nucleon (NN) force is expected to change from predominantly tensor to repulsive. The abundance of neutron-proton pairs is reduced as the nucleon momentum increases beyond ∼500  MeV/c. The extracted fraction of proton-proton pairs is small and almost independent of the missing momentum. Our data are compared with calculations of two-nucleon momentum distributions in (4)He and discussed in the context of probing the elusive repulsive component of the NN force.

Combined analysis of νμ disappearance and νμ→νe appearance in MINOS using accelerator and atmospheric neutrinos

We report on a new analysis of neutrino oscillations in MINOS using the complete set of accelerator and atmospheric data. The analysis combines the ν(μ) disappearance and ν(e) appearance data using the three-flavor formalism. We measure |Δm(32)(2)| = [2.28-2.46] × 10(-3) eV(2) (68% C.L.) and sin(2)θ(23) = 0.35-0.65 (90% C.L.) in the normal hierarchy, and |Δm(32)(2)| = [2.32-2.53] × 10(-3) eV(2) (68% C.L.) and sin(2)θ(23) = 0.34-0.67 (90% C.L.) in the inverted hierarchy. The data also constrain δ(CP), the θ(23} octant degeneracy and the mass hierarchy; we disfavor 36% (11%) of this three-parameter space at 68% (90%) C.L.

Abstract P5-14-15: Discovery and validation of simple heart measurements to screen patients who will benefit from deep inspiration breath hold for left breast irradiation

Purpose:

Deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH) using active breath control in left-sided breast irradiation (RT) can significantly reduce radiation dose to heart and coronary arteries in selected patients. At our institution, a cutoff of V50% >10cc is currently used to identify patients who require DIBH. This dose-volume cutoff requires generation of a radiation plan in order to select patients. The purpose of this study was to identify simple 2-D measurements of the heart at the time of CT simulation that can help screen patients for DIBH in order to streamline the process for left-sided breast RT.

Methods:

This study evaluated CT simulation scans from 50 left-sided breast cancer patients treated with tangent RT alone, where 50% of patients were treated with DIBH. On each CT dataset, a tangential line was drawn between the medial and lateral tattoos. The following heart measurements were recorded by a blinded observer at 2, 3, 4, and 5 cm below the tattoos: (1) maximal heart distance (MHD) perpendicular to this line and (2) heart length (HL) along this line. Predictive models were created using two strategies; (1) step wise approach utilizing the most significant factor and (2) principle component analysis. Using C-statistics, 3 cutoffs with the highest correlations with heart dose were determined from the model. These cutoffs were validated in a cohort of 100 consecutive patients treated from Jan-May 2012.

Results:

Data from 49 patients in the derivation cohort were analyzable. The HL at 2 cm had the strongest correlation with V50 (R2 = 0.45; p <0.0001). Other values that were associated with V50 were HL at 3 cm (R2 = 0.37; p = <0.0001), MHD at 2cm (R2 = 0.25; p = 0.0003), MHD at 3 cm (R2 = 0.23; p = 0.0006) and HL at 4 cm (R2 = 0.17, p = 0.0035). The predictive model using HL at 2 cm gave an adjusted R2 = 0.4385 (P<0.0001). Adding other variables into the predictive model did not improve the adjusted R2. The following 3 cutoffs for HL at 2 cm with respective (sensitivity; specificity) were identified: 3.92 cm (0.955; 0.48), 7.65 cm (0.32; 0.48), and 6.5 cm (0.5; 0.8). In the validation cohort, 22/100 had V50% > 10 cc. Validation of the 3 derived cutoffs for HL at 2 cm yielded the following sensitivities and specificities: 1.0 and 0.28 for 3.92 cm; 0.53 and 0.93 for 7.65 cm; 0.58 and 0.69 for 6.5 cm. Positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) were as follows: 3.92 cm (PPV = 0.25; NPV = 1.00). 7.65 cm (PPV = 0.63; NPV = 0.89), and 6.5cm (PPV = 0.30; NPV = 0.87).

Conclusions:

A simple 2-D heart measurement, heart length at 2 cm below the tattoos, had moderate correlation with the irradiated heart volume. Although HL at 2 cm did not have both high specificity and sensitivity to predict who would benefit from DIBH, cut-offs could be selected to maximize sensitivity (3.92 cm for sensitivity 1.0) or specificity (7.65 cm for specificity 0.93). For example, in departments that routinely acquire both free-breathing and DIBH CT simulation scans for all left-sided patients, a cutoff of 3.92cm would minimize the number of unnecessary DIBH scans.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2013;73(24 Suppl): Abstract nr P5-14-15.

Multiple target-specific molecular agents for detection and image analysis of breast cancer characteristics in mice

Breast cancer is a heterogenetic tumor at the cellular level with multiple factors and components. The inconsistent expression of molecular markers during disease progression reduces the accuracy of diagnosis and efficacy of target-specific therapy. Single target-specific imaging agents can only provide limited tumor information at one time point. In contrast, multiple target-specific imaging agents can increase the accuracy of diagnosis. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the ability of multi-agent imaging to discriminate such differences in single tumor. Mice bearing human cancer cell xenografts were tested to determine individual differences under optimal experimental conditions. Neovasculature agent (RGD peptide), tumor stromal agent (matrix metalloproteinase), and tumor cell markers (epidermal growth factor, Her-2, interleukin 11) imaging agents were labeled with reporters. 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose was used to evaluate the tumor glucose status. Optical, X-ray, positron emission tomography, and computer tomography imaging modalities were used to determine tumor characteristics. Tumor size and imaging data demonstrated that individual differences exist under optimal experimental conditions. The target-specific agents used in the study bind to human breast cancer cell lines in vitro and xenografts in vivo. The pattern of binding corresponds to that of tumor markers. Multi-agent imaging had complementary effects in tumor detection. Multiple noninvasive imaging agents and modalities are complementary in the interrogation of unique biological information from each individual tumor. Such multi-agent approaches provide methods to study several disease components simultaneously. In addition, the imaging results provide information on disease status at the molecular level.

Measurement of neutrino and antineutrino oscillations using beam and atmospheric data in MINOS

We report measurements of oscillation parameters from ν(μ) and ν(μ) disappearance using beam and atmospheric data from MINOS. The data comprise exposures of 10.71×10(20) protons on target in the ν(μ)-dominated beam, 3.36×10(20) protons on target in the ν(μ)-enhanced beam, and 37.88 kton yr of atmospheric neutrinos. Assuming identical ν and ν oscillation parameters, we measure |Δm2| = (2.41(-0.10)(+0.09))×10(-3)  eV2 and sin2(2θ) = 0.950(-0.036)(+0.035). Allowing independent ν and ν oscillations, we measure antineutrino parameters of |Δm2| = (2.50(-0.25)(+0.23))×10(-3)  eV2 and sin2(2θ) = 0.97(-0.08)(+0.03), with minimal change to the neutrino parameters.

Electron neutrino and antineutrino appearance in the full MINOS data sample

We report on ν(e) and ν(e) appearance in ν(μ) and ν(μ) beams using the full MINOS data sample. The comparison of these ν(e) and ν(e) appearance data at a 735 km baseline with θ13 measurements by reactor experiments probes δ, the θ23 octant degeneracy, and the mass hierarchy. This analysis is the first use of this technique and includes the first accelerator long-baseline search for ν(μ) → ν(e). Our data disfavor 31% (5%) of the three-parameter space defined by δ, the octant of the θ23, and the mass hierarchy at the 68% (90%) C.L. We measure a value of 2sin(2)(2θ13)sin(2)(θ23) that is consistent with reactor experiments.

Multiple target-specific molecular imaging agents detect liver cancer in a preclinical model

Liver cancer is the fifth most common cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Noninvasive diagnosis is difficult and the disease heterogeneity reduces the accuracy of pathological assays. Improvement in diagnostic imaging of specific molecular disease markers has provided hope for accurate and early noninvasive detection of liver cancer. However, all current imaging technologies, including ultrasonography, computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET), and magnetic resonance imaging, are not specific targets for detection of liver cancer. The aim of this study was to test the feasibility of injecting a cocktail of specific molecular imaging agents to noninvasively image liver cancer. The target-specific cocktail contained agents for imaging the neovasculature (RGD peptide), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP), and glucose transport (¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose [¹⁸F-FDG]). Imaging studies were performed in liver cancer cells and xenograft models. The distribution of MMP at the intracellular level was imaged by confocal microscopy. RGD, MMP, and ¹⁸F-FDG were imaged on tumor-bearing mice using PET, CT, X-ray, and multi-wavelength optical imaging modalities. Image data demonstrated that each agent bound to a specific disease target component. The same liver cancer xenograft contained multiple disease markers. Those disease markers were heterogenetically distributed in the same tumor nodule. The molecular imaging agents had different distributions in the whole body and inside the tumor nodule. All target-specific agents yielded high tumor-to-background ratios after injection. In conclusion, target-specific molecular imaging agents can be used to study liver cancer in vitro and in vivo. Noninvasive multimodal/multi-target-specific molecular imaging agents could provide tools to simultaneously study multiple liver cancer components.

siRNA silencing of gene expression in trabecular meshwork: RhoA siRNA reduces IOP in mice

Few reports described efficient transfection in the trabecular meshwork (TM) in vivo. In the present study, we investigated the distribution of cy3-labeled siRNAs after giving injection into the anterior chamber (AC) and explored the use of RhoA siRNA (siRhoA) to modulate intraocular pressure (IOP) through downregulation of RhoA gene and protein expression. Cy3-labeled siRNAs were injected into the AC to investigate the distribution. In addition, siRhoA was applied to normal and DEX-induced elevated IOP mice. The RhoA gene was detected at 1d post-injection (PI) using real-time RT-PCR. Proteins were examined using immunofluorescence staining at 1, 2, and 3 day PI. IOP was measured pre- and post-injection using a TONOPEN. Toxicity was preliminarily assessed using clinical observation and hematoxylin-eosin staining. The study demonstrated that cy3-labeled siRNAs accumulated in mouse TM in a dose-dependent manner, with a peak at 24h PI. There was no visible siRNA fluorescence in the corneal endothelium, and little in the iris. siRhoA caused large decreases in RhoA mRNA and protein expression in mouse TM (p < 0.01). In normal mice, injections of siRhoA induced decreases in IOP, by 2d, with recovery to baseline by 3d PI. For DEX-treated animals, IOP significantly decreased from 2d to 5d PI (p < 0.05). There was no obvious toxicity after the siRhoA application. These results suggest that (1) siRNA injection into the AC leads to transient gene transfection in TM; (2) inhibiting RhoA expression in TM with siRNA is effective in suppressing elevated IOP in mice, suggesting that siRhoA is a potential pharmaceutical intervention for glaucoma.

Identification of Wnt pathway, uPA, PAI-1, MT1-MMP, S100A4 and CXCR4 associated with enhanced metastasis of human large cell lung cancer by DNA microarray

AIM

The aim of this paper was to investigate the differentially expressed genes in large cell lung cancer cell lines with different metastatic potential, and to screen out new candidate genes related to metastasis of lung cancer.

METHODS

The total RNAs of low and high metastatic large cell lung cancer cell lines (NL9980 and L9981) were extracted and processed, then hybridized to Affymetrix HG U133 Plus 2.0 array. The hybridization signals were scanned and compared to find out the differentially expressed genes. Chosen genes were verified by Western Blot. Bioinformatics were used to analyze the functions and related pathways of the genes.

RESULTS

There were 933 differentially expressed genes between NL9980 and L9981 cell lines. In the high metastatic cell line L9981, 672 genes were up-regulated and 260 genes were down-regulated compared with the low metastatic cell line NL9980. The differentially expressed genes were mainly associated with binding, catalytic activity, signal transducer activity and transporter activity, and mainly involved in pathways including, pathways in cancer, focal adhesion, regulation of actin cytoskeleton, ECM-receptor interaction.

CONCLUSION

Differentially expressed genes with the functions including binding, catalytic activity, signal transducer activity and transporter activity may promote metastasis of lung cancer cells through complicated networks including Wnt pathway and metastasis-related genes such as uPA, PAI-1, MT1-MMP, S100A4 and CXCR4.

Improved measurement of muon antineutrino disappearance in MINOS

We report an improved measurement of ν(μ) disappearance over a distance of 735 km using the MINOS detectors and the Fermilab Main Injector neutrino beam in a ν(μ)-enhanced configuration. From a total exposure of 2.95×10(20) protons on target, of which 42% have not been previously analyzed, we make the most precise measurement of Δm2=[2.62(-0.28)(+0.31)(stat)±0.09(syst)]×10(-3)  eV2 and constrain the ν(μ) mixing angle sin2(2θ)>0.75 (90% C.L.). These values are in agreement with Δm2 and sin2(2θ) measured for ν(μ), removing the tension reported in [P. Adamson et al. (MINOS), Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 021801 (2011).].

MTSS1, a novel target of DNA methyltransferase 3B, functions as a tumor suppressor in hepatocellular carcinoma

DNA methyltransferase 3B (DNMT3B) mediates gene silencing via epigenetic mechanisms during hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression. We aimed to identify novel targets of DNMT3B and their potential regulatory mechanisms in HCC. Metastasis suppressor 1 (MTSS1) was one of the DNMT3B targets and selected for further study. DNMT3B overexpression was detected in 81.25% of clinical HCC specimens and was negatively associated with MTSS1 in HCC cells and clinical samples. The underlying mechanism by which DNMT3B silences MTSS1 was studied using a combination of methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and bisulfite genome sequencing, chromatin immunoprecipitation-PCR and luciferase reporter assays. We found that the MTSS1 promoter region was sparsely methylated, and the methylation inhibitors failed to abolish DNMT3B-mediated MTSS1 silencing. DNMT3B protein bound directly to the 5'-flanking region (-865/-645) of the MTSS1 gene to inhibit its transcription. The functional role of MTSS1 was investigated using in vitro and in vivo tumorigenicity assays. As a result, MTSS1 exerted tumor suppressor effects and arrested cells in the G2/M phase, but not the G1/S phase of the cell cycle when it was depleted or overexpressed in HCC cells. Taken together, MTSS1, a novel target of DNMT3B, is repressed by DNMT3B via a DNA methylation-independent mechanism. MTSS1 was further characterized as a novel tumor suppressor gene in HCC. These findings highlight how DNMT3B regulates MTSS1, and such data may be useful for the development of new treatment options for HCC.

Neurotrophic effect of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells for erectile dysfunction in diabetic rats

It has been demonstrated that intracavernous injection of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) had beneficial effects on improving erectile function in type-1 diabetic rats. This study was designed to investigate the neurotrophic effect of BM-MSCs for type-1 diabetic rats. Streptozocin-induced type-1 diabetic rats were randomly divided into three groups: diabetic group, BM-MSCs-treated group and BM-MSCs-conditioned medium-treated group. At the 3d, 1 and 2w time points after BM-MSCs injection, three randomly selected rats in MSCs group were sacrificed and penile samples were harvested to detect BM-MSCs in penile tissue. Four weeks after intracavernous injection of BM-MSCs or BM-MSCs-conditioned medium, intracavernous pressure (ICP) was assessed to evaluate the erectile function. Immunohistochemistry was used to track labelled BM-MSCs in penile tissue and to detect neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) and neurofilament (NF) positive fibres in penile dorsal nerve. Enzyme lined immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure the concentrations of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in BM-MSCs-conditioned medium. BM- MSCs secreted detectable levels of VEGF, BDNF and NGF. Intracavernous injection of BM-MSCs improved erectile function in diabetic rats. The functional improvement was accompanied by promoted nNOS and NF positive nerve fibres within penile dorsal nerve in type-1 diabetic rats. Histological data revealed a time-dependent decrease in the number of BM-MSCs in the corpus cavernosum following injection. Furthermore, the beneficial effect of BM-MSCs was partially repeated by BM-MSCs-conditioned medium. Intracavernous injection of BM-MSCs is effective in improving nerve regeneration in diabetic rats. Paracrine effects of BM-MSCs are probably involved in the improvement.

Recent developments of peptidomimetic HIV-1 protease inhibitors

HIV protease plays a crucial role in the viral life cycle by processing the viral Gag and Gag-Pol polyproteins into structural and functional proteins essential for viral maturation. Inhibition of HIV-1 protease leads to the production of noninfectious virus particles and hence is an important therapeutic target for antiviral therapy in AIDS patients. Among many strategies to combat this disease, highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) with HIV protease inhibitors (PIs) in combination with reverse transcriptase inhibitors and fusion inhibitor continues to be the first line treatment for control of HIV infection. However, the rapid emergence of drug-resistant HIV-1 strains and the appearance of cross-resistance are severely limiting the long-term treatment options. Thus, numerous efforts have been made in the design and synthesis of novel protease inhibitors with broad-spectrum activity against multidrug-resistant HIV-1 variants by medicinal chemists. This review will focus on the substrate-based drug design of novel peptidomimetic PIs in recent years since 2006.

Point-of-care oral-based diagnostics

Many of the target molecules that reside in blood are also present in oral fluids, albeit at lower concentrations. Oral fluids are, however, relatively easy and safe to collect without the need for specialized equipment and training. Thus, oral fluids provide convenient samples for medical diagnostics. Recent advances in lab-on-a-chip technologies have made minute, fully integrated diagnostic systems practical for an assortment of point-of-care tests. Such systems can perform either immunoassays or molecular diagnostics outside centralized laboratories within time periods ranging from minutes to an hour. The article briefly reviews recent advances in devices for point-of-care testing with a focus on work that has been carried out by the authors as part of a NIH program.

Improved search for Muon-neutrino to electron-neutrino oscillations in MINOS

We report the results of a search for ν(e) appearance in a ν(μ) beam in the MINOS long-baseline neutrino experiment. With an improved analysis and an increased exposure of 8.2 × 10(20) protons on the NuMI target at Fermilab, we find that 2 sin(2) (θ(23))sin(2)(2θ(13))<0.12(0.20) at 90% confidence level for δ = 0 and the normal (inverted) neutrino mass hierarchy, with a best-fit of 2sin(2) (θ(23))sin(2)(2θ(13)) = 0.041(-0.031)(+0.047) (0.079(-0.053) (+0.071)). The θ(13) = 0 hypothesis is disfavored by the MINOS data at the 89% confidence level.

Histone modifications and methyl-CpG-binding domain protein levels at the TNFSF7 (CD70) promoter in SLE CD4+ T cells

Abstract: In systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), T lymphocytes overexpress CD70 ( TNFSF7 gene), leading to the synthesis of autoreactive IgGs. CD70 upregulation in SLE CD4+ T cells is associated with hypomethylation of TNFSF7 promoter. In this study, we explored histone modifications in the TNFSF7 promoter region in SLE CD4+ T cells, and characterized the effects of a DNA methyltransferase inhibitor (5-azaC) and a histone deacetylase inhibitor (TSA) on CD70 expression. We found that CD70 mRNA was significantly increased in active lupus CD4+ T cells, and in control cells treated with 5-azaC, TSA, or both. Histone H3 acetylation and dimethylated H3 lysine 4 (H3K4me2) levels were significantly elevated in patients with lupus, and both factors correlated positively with disease activity. MeCP2 protein levels within the TNFSF7 promoter decreased in patients with active lupus. Treatment of CD4+ T cells with 5-azaC alone significantly raised H3K4 dimethyl levels at the TNFSF7 locus. TSA treatment significantly increased H3 and H4 acetylation levels, as well as levels of H3K4 dimethylation at the TNFSF7 locus. Treatment with 5-azaC plus TSA enhanced H3 acetylation levels. These findings indicate that aberrant histone modifications within the TNFSF7 promoter may contribute to the development of lupus by increasing CD70 expression in CD4+ T cells.

Tracking intracavernously injected adipose-derived stem cells to bone marrow

Intracavernous (IC) injection of stem cells (SCs) has been shown to improve erectile function in various erectile dysfunction (ED) animal models. However, the tissue distribution of the injected cells remains unknown. In this study we tracked IC injected adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) in various tissues. Rat paratesticular fat was processed for ADSC isolation and culture. The animals were then subject to cavernous nerve (CN) crush injury or sham operation, followed by IC injection of one million autologous or allogeneic ADSCs that were labeled with 5-ethynyl-2-deoxyuridine (EdU). Another group of rats received IC injection of EdU-labeled allogeneic penile smooth muscle cells (PSMCs). At 2 and 7 days post-injection, penises and femoral bone marrow were processed for histological analyses. Whole femoral bone marrows were also analyzed for EdU-positive cells by flow cytometry. The results show that ADSCs exited the penis within days of IC injection and migrated preferentially to bone marrow. Allogenicity did not affect ADSC's bone marrow appearance either at 2 or 7 days, while CN injury reduced the number of ADSCs in bone marrow significantly at 7 but not 2 days. The significance of these results in relation to SC therapy for ED is discussed.

First direct observation of muon antineutrino disappearance

This Letter reports the first direct observation of muon antineutrino disappearance. The MINOS experiment has taken data with an accelerator beam optimized for ν(μ) production, accumulating an exposure of 1.71 × 10²⁰ protons on target. In the Far Detector, 97 charged current ν(μ) events are observed. The no-oscillation hypothesis predicts 156 events and is excluded at 6.3σ. The best fit to oscillation yields |Δm²| = [3.36(-0.40)(+0.46)(stat) ± 0.06(syst)] × 10⁻³ eV², sin²(2θ) = 0.86(-0.12)(+0.11)(stat) ± 0.01(syst). The MINOS ν(μ) and ν(μ) measurements are consistent at the 2.0% confidence level, assuming identical underlying oscillation parameters.

Active to sterile neutrino mixing limits from neutral-current interactions in MINOS

Results are reported from a search for active to sterile neutrino oscillations in the MINOS long-baseline experiment, based on the observation of neutral-current neutrino interactions, from an exposure to the NuMI neutrino beam of 7.07×10(20) protons on target. A total of 802 neutral-current event candidates is observed in the Far Detector, compared to an expected number of 754 ± 28(stat) ± 37(syst) for oscillations among three active flavors. The fraction f(s) of disappearing ν(μ) that may transition to ν(s) is found to be less than 22% at the 90% C.L.

Measurement of the neutrino mass splitting and flavor mixing by MINOS

Measurements of neutrino oscillations using the disappearance of muon neutrinos from the Fermilab NuMI neutrino beam as observed by the two MINOS detectors are reported. New analysis methods have been applied to an enlarged data sample from an exposure of 7.25×10(20) protons on target. A fit to neutrino oscillations yields values of |Δm(2)|=(2.32(-0.08)(+0.12))×10(-3) eV(2) for the atmospheric mass splitting and sin(2)(2θ)>0.90 (90% C.L.) for the mixing angle. Pure neutrino decay and quantum decoherence hypotheses are excluded at 7 and 9 standard deviations, respectively.

Results from a low-energy analysis of the CDMS II germanium data

We report results from a reanalysis of data from the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS II) experiment at the Soudan Underground Laboratory. Data taken between October 2006 and September 2008 using eight germanium detectors are reanalyzed with a lowered, 2 keV recoil-energy threshold, to give increased sensitivity to interactions from weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) with masses below ∼10  GeV/c(2). This analysis provides stronger constraints than previous CDMS II results for WIMP masses below 9  GeV/c(2) and excludes parameter space associated with possible low-mass WIMP signals from the DAMA/LIBRA and CoGeNT experiments.

Persistence of psychosine in brain lipid rafts is a limiting factor in the therapeutic recovery of a mouse model for Krabbe disease

Sphingolipids are intrinsic components of membrane lipid rafts. The abnormal accumulation of these molecules may introduce architectural and functional changes in these domains, leading to cellular dysfunction. Galactosylsphingosine (psychosine) is a pathogenic lipid raft-associated molecule whose accumulation leads to brain deterioration and irreversible neurological handicap in the incurable leukodystrophy Krabbe disease (KD). The relevance of clearing excessive levels of pathogenic psychosine from lipid rafts in therapy for KD has not been investigated. The work presented here demonstrates that psychosine inhibits raft-mediated endocytosis in neural cells. In addition, although in vitro enzyme reconstitution is sufficient for the reversal of related endocytic defects in affected neural cells, traditional in vivo enzyme therapies in the mouse model of KD appear to be insufficient for complete removal of pathogenic levels of raft-associated psychosine. This work describes a mechanism that may contribute to limiting the in vivo efficacy of traditional therapies for KD.

BP neural network classification for bleeding detection in wireless capsule endoscopy

Bleeding in the digestive tract is one of the most common gastrointestinal tract (GI) diseases, as well as the complication of some fatal diseases. Wireless capsule endoscopy (WCE) allows physicians to noninvasively examine the entire GI tract. However it is very laborious and time-consuming to inspect large numbers of WCE images, which limits the wider application of WCE. It is therefore important to develop an automatic and intelligent computer-aided bleeding detection technique. In this paper, a new method aimed at bleeding detection in WCE images is proposed. Colour texture features distinguishing the bleeding regions from non-bleeding regions are extracted in RGB and HSI colour spaces; then a neural network using the colour texture features as the feature vector inputs is designed to recognize the bleeding regions. The experiments demonstrate that the bleeding regions can be correctly recognized and clearly marked out. The sensitivity of the algorithm is 93% and the specificity is 96%.

Oncogenic E17K mutation in the pleckstrin homology domain of AKT1 promotes v-Abl-mediated pre-B-cell transformation and survival of Pim-deficient cells

Abl-mediated transformation requires the activation of multiple pathways involved in the cellular proliferation and survival, including PI3K/AKT and JAK/STAT-dependent Pim kinases. Recently, the E17K mutation in the AKT1 has been associated with multiple human malignancies and leukemia in mice. However, this mutation has not been identified in Abl-transformed cells. We investigated the presence of the AKT1(E17K) mutation in v-Abl-transformed cell clones. AKT1(E17K) was detected in 3 (2.6%) of 116 specimens examined. To show the involvement of AKT1(E17K) directly in v-Abl-mediated tumorigenesis, we infected bone marrow cells from mice with bicistronic retroviruses encoding v-Abl and either wild-type or the mutant AKT1. Interestingly, we found that E17K mutant greatly increased the v-Abl transformation efficiency as compared with wild-type AKT1. Ectopic expression of E17K mutant increased the expression levels of antiapoptotic protein BCL2 and phosphorylation levels of proapoptotic protein BAD. This correlated with an increased protection from imatinib-induced apoptosis in Abl transformants. Furthermore, AKT1(E17K) promotes survival of the Pim-deficient cells, indicating a functional link between AKT and Pim in v-Abl transformation. In addition, AKT1(E17K) delays loss of Pim-1 and Pim-2 protein levels on v-Abl inactivation, which suggests that there exists reciprocal signaling between AKT and Pim in v-Abl transformants.

Quantum criticality and nodal superconductivity in the FeAs-based superconductor KFe2As2

The in-plane resistivity rho and thermal conductivity kappa of the FeAs-based superconductor KFe2As2 single crystal were measured down to 50 mK. We observe non-Fermi-liquid behavior rho(T) approximately T{1.5} at H{c{2}}=5 T, and the development of a Fermi liquid state with rho(T) approximately T{2} when further increasing the field. This suggests a field-induced quantum critical point, occurring at the superconducting upper critical field H{c{2}}. In zero field, there is a large residual linear term kappa{0}/T, and the field dependence of kappa_{0}/T mimics that in d-wave cuprate superconductors. This indicates that the superconducting gaps in KFe2As2 have nodes, likely d-wave symmetry. Such a nodal superconductivity is attributed to the antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations near the quantum critical point.

Quantitation of thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor mRNA with real-time PCR for early diagnosis of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma

Recently, the value of thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor(TSHR) mRNA as a molecular marker in diagnosis of thyroid cancer has been greatly explored. However, its role in detecting thyroid microcarcinoma has never been reported. In this study, we aim to investigate the value of TSHR mRNA in diagnosis of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma(PTMC). To do that, TSHR mRNA levels were measured by real time PCR in 30 healthy subjects and 72 patients (benign thyroid nodules, n=38; PTMC, n=34). TSHR mRNA levels were then compared with cancer volume in surgical specimen. We found that TSHR mRNA levels in PTMC were significantly higher than benign thyroid nodules(P<0.01). At a cutoff value of 0.71 ng/microg total RNA, the TSHR mRNA correctly classified 77.8% of patients preoperatively (sensitivity= 76.5%; specificity= 79.4%). Comparatively, it performed better in larger PTMC of 0.5-1.0 cm than <0.5 cm(sensitivity, 83.4% vs 72.4%; specificity, 88.5% vs 74.1%). Combining TSHR mRNA and ultra sound examination correctly detect 97.1% of PTMC and could spared surgery in 86.8% of patients with benign thyroid nodules. Thus, TSHR mRNA measured with real time PCR enhances the preoperative detection of PTMC in patients with thyroid nodules, which dramatically reduces unnecessary surgeries.

KEYWORDS

thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor, papillary thyroid microcarcinoma, diagnosis.

Search for axions with the CDMS experiment

We report on the first axion search results from the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS) experiment at the Soudan Underground Laboratory. An energy threshold of 2 keV for electron-recoil events allows a search for possible solar axion conversion into photons or local galactic axion conversion into electrons in the germanium crystal detectors. The solar axion search sets an upper limit on the Primakov coupling g(agammagamma) of 2.4x10(-9) GeV-1 at the 95% confidence level for an axion mass less than 0.1 keV/c2. This limit benefits from the first precise measurement of the absolute crystal plane orientations in this type of experiment. The galactic axion search analysis sets a world-leading experimental upper limit on the axioelectric coupling g(aee) of 1.4x10(-12) at the 90% confidence level for an axion mass of 2.5 keV/c2.