Results of semimonthly 5-florouracil/leucovorin combined with paclitaxel and oxaliplatin in treatment of advanced gastric cancer (AGC)

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Background: At present there is still no standard chemotherapy regimen for AGC, the progress of AGC exhibits a pessimistic result with a median survival of less than 9 months. The purpose of this trial was designed to enhance the treatment efficacy for AGC by using semimonthly FU/LV combined with paclitaxel and oxaliplatin. Methods: Patients chosen with histologically proven diagnosis of adenocarcinoma of the stomach or gastroesophageal junction, locally advanced (i.e., unresectable) or metastatic and measurable disease. The chemotherapy regimen was comprised of a 3-hour infusion of 135 mg/m2 of paclitaxel followed by oxaliplatin 85 mg/m2 and LV 400 mg/m2, administered simultaneously as a 2-hour infusion, then continued a 46-hour infusion of FU 2.4 g/m2 using an ambulatory pump. Treatment was continued until disease progressed, unacceptable toxicity, or patient choice. The primary endpoint was response rate. Results: Twenty-seven patients were enrolled onto this study in our center between September 19, 2005 and December 25, 2006. The median patient age was 51 years (range, 28 to 66 years), 21 were males and 6 were females. All patients received the chemotherapy between at least two cycles and maximum eight cycles with a median of three. Four CRs of 27 enrolled patients, fifteen PRs and eight SDs were observed. Nineteen patients were chemonaive within enrolled patients: Four CRs, eleven PRs. At a median follow-up of 8.7 months, the median survival was 6.8 months. Frequent grade 3 to 4 toxicities were: neutropenia (37.0%), stomatitis (7.4%), nausea (7.4%), vomiting (7.4%), hepatic dysfunction (3.7%), paresthesia (18.5%). No treatment-related death occurred. Conclusion: Semimonthly FU/LV combined with paclitaxel and oxaliplatin appears to be of well efficacy and is well tolerated in patients with AGC. Currently, this regimen is being tested in the phase III trial involving patients with AGC on the basis of well result.

No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Quantitative analysis of defects and domain boundaries in mesoporous SBA-16 films

Some quantitative structural analyses on defects and domain boundaries observed in SBA-16 films were performed using the lattice concept and geometric phase method. These analyses show that there exist low angle, high angle and translational anti-phase domain boundaries in SBA-16 films. While some of the domain boundaries bear analogue to those found in normal solid crystals, others are similar to that found in the liquid crystals. In particular near Sigma11 and Sigma13b high angle boundaries were observed. On the one hand the Sigma11 boundaries were found to exist with or without steps (ledge) associated with them depending on whether or not the boundary plane is parallel to the densely packed lattice plane. On the other hand segments of the boundary plane in the Sigma13b boundary were found being always associated with densely packed lattice plane, with the {011} type of lattice plane in one domain being parallel to the {112} type of plane in the other domain. The translational domain boundary was observed to have a translation vector having a projected component of (1/2) <110> on the (111) plane. The bending deformation similar to that found in the nematics liquid crystal was also observed and quantitatively analyzed using the geometric phase method, and rotational field associated with the deformation was identified.

Identification of contaminant sources in enclosed environments by inverse CFD modeling

In case contaminants are found in enclosed environments such as aircraft cabins or buildings, it is useful to find the contaminant sources. One method to locate contaminant sources is by inverse computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling. As the inverse CFD modeling is ill posed, this paper has proposed to solve a quasi-reversibility (QR) equation for contaminant transport. The equation improves the numerical stability by replacing the second-order diffusion term with a fourth-order stabilization term in the governing equation of contaminant transport. In addition, a numerical scheme for solving the QR equation in unstructured meshes has been developed. This paper demonstrates how to use the inverse CFD model with the QR equation and numerical scheme to identify gaseous contaminant sources in a two-dimensional aircraft cabin and in a three-dimensional office. The inverse CFD model could identify the contaminant source locations but not very accurate contaminant source strength because of the dispersive property of the QR equation. The results also show that this method works better for convection dominant flows than the flows that convection is not so important.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

This paper presents a methodology that can be used to find contaminant source locations and strengths in enclosed environments with the data of airflow and contaminants measured by sensors. The method can be a very useful tool to find where, what, and how contamination has happened. The results can be used to develop appropriate measures to protect occupants in the enclosed environments from infectious diseases or terrorist releases of chemical/biological warfare agents as well as to decontaminate the environments.

Electron field emission characteristics and field evaporation of a single carbon nanotube

Direct transmission electron microscope (TEM) observations of the field emission and evaporation process of emitting carbon nanotubes (CNTs) shown that the tip structure of the CNT is in general composed of irregular shaped graphitic sheets which extend typically more than 10 nm from the end of the CNT. It is found that the irregular shaped graphitic sheets at the tip of the CNT may greatly enhance the field emission characteristics of the CNT when compared with that having an ideal circular edge. The field evaporation of the CNT proceeds typically via the removal of the irregular shaped graphitic sheets from the tip of the CNT, and field emission characteristics of a CNT depend far more sensitively on the tip structure than on the geometric length of the CNT.

REW– exit-wave reconstruction and alignments for focus-variation high-resolution transmission electron microscopy images

A Windows-based computer program has been developed for exit-wave reconstruction and experimental high-resolution transmission electron microscopy image alignment. While the exit-wave reconstruction is performed mainly using the maximum-likelihood method, image alignments may be carried out using several algorithms, including the time-consuming but robust genetic algorithm.

Time-resolved MR angiography: optimal parallel imaging method

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Time-resolved (TR) MR angiography (MRA) using parallel imaging techniques is proving to have clinical utility for improving MRA spatial and temporal resolution and separating arterial from venous anatomy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate TR MRA of the intracranial vessels at different integrated parallel acquisition technique (IPAT) factors.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

3D TR MRA using time-resolved echo-shared angiographic technique was performed with different IPAT factors (0, 2, 3) at 1.5 T, resulting in temporal resolutions of 4.0, 1.7, and 1.3 seconds, respectively. We studied 14 subjects, comprising 12 patients with various pathologic conditions and 2 healthy subjects. The brain volume was covered by 36 partitions, and a bolus of 5 mL of gadopentate dimeglumine was administered. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), the number of frames that distinguished between arterial and venous phases, the conspicuity of the vasculature, and artifacts were analyzed.

RESULTS

There was no significant difference in SNR between IPAT factors 0 and 2. Moreover, SNR was significantly lower with IPAT 3 than with IPAT 0 or 2. Smaller vessel segments (M3 and P3) were rated significantly inferior with TR MRA IPAT 2 or 3 compared with MRA without IPAT. For larger proximal vessels (A1 and A2 segments of anterior cerebral artery, M1 and M2 segments of middle cerebral artery, P2 segment of posterior cerebral artery, and basilar artery), there was no difference between TR MRA IPAT 0 and 2.

CONCLUSION

To obtain arterial and venous information in a clinical setting, intracranial TR MRA is best performed with an IPAT factor of 2 with at least 5 mL of contrast.

A comparative study on SWCNT and DWCNT field-effect transistors

Field-effect transistors have been fabricated using single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs), and their electrical transport properties have been studied comparatively. While a semiconducting SWCNT exhibits better field-effect characteristics than a DWCNT counterpart, the DWCNT shows more complicated response to external gate modulation. Depending on the nature of the two shells of a DWCNT, i.e., whether the shell is semiconducting (S) or metallic (M), a DWCNT device can be described as either S-S, or S-M, or M-S, or M-M. It was found that the S-S and M-M or M-S devices show similar field-effect characteristics to those found in SWCNT devices. But for S-M DWCNT devices, distinct field-effect characteristic was found and attributed to the combined effects of intershell interactions and screening by free carriers of the inner metallic shell. The S-M DWCNT devices thus provide a perfect system for studying the important intershell interaction, and information on the effect of this interaction on the electrical properties of a multi-walled carbon nanotube can be obtained by a comparative study of S-M DWCNT and S-SWCNT devices.

Differential localization of the GluR1 and GluR2 subunits of the AMPA-type glutamate receptor among striatal neuron types in rats

Differences among the various striatal projection neuron and interneuron types in cortical input, function, and vulnerability to degenerative insults may be related to differences among them in AMPA-type glutamate receptor abundance and subunit configuration. We therefore used immunolabeling to assess the frequency and abundance of GluR1 and GluR2, the most common AMPA subunits in striatum, in the main striatal neuron types. All neurons projecting to the external pallidum (GPe), internal pallidum (GPi) or substantia nigra, as identified by retrograde labeling, possessed perikaryal GluR2, while GluR1 was more common in striato-GPe than striato-GPi perikarya. The frequency and intensity of immunostaining indicated the rank order of their perikaryal GluR1:GluR2 ratio to be striato-GPe>striatonigral>striato-GPi. Ultrastructural studies suggested a differential localization of GluR1 and GluR2 to striatal projection neuron dendritic spines as well, with GluR1 seemingly more common in striato-GPe spines and GluR2 more common in striato-GPi and/or striatonigral spines. Comparisons among projection neurons and interneurons revealed GluR1 to be most common and abundant in parvalbuminergic interneurons, and GluR2 most common and abundant in projection neurons, with the rank order for the GluR1:GluR2 ratio being parvalbuminergic interneurons>calretinergic interneurons>cholinergic interneurons>projection neurons>somatostatinergic interneurons. Striosomal projection neurons had a higher GluR1:GluR2 ratio than did matrix projection neurons. The abundance of both GluR1 and GluR2 in striatal parvalbuminergic interneurons and projection neurons is consistent with their prominent cortical input and susceptibility to excitotoxic insult, while differences in GluR1:GluR2 ratio among projection neurons are likely to yield differences in Ca(2+) permeability, desensitization, and single channel current, which may contribute to differences among them in plasticity, synaptic integration, and excitotoxic vulnerability. The apparent association of the GluR1 subunit with synaptic plasticity, in particular, suggests striato-GPe neuron spines as a particular site of corticostriatal synaptic plasticity, presumably associated with motor learning.

TTDN1 is a Plk1-interacting protein involved in maintenance of cell cycle integrity

Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) is a highly conserved serine/threonine kinase that plays critical roles in many cell cycle events, especially in mitosis. In the present study, we identified TTDN1 as a potential interacting partner of Plk1 in yeast two-hybrid screens. Sequence analysis indicates that TTDN1 contains a consensus Plk1-binding motif at its C terminus. TTDN1 colocalizes with Plk1 at the centrosome in mitosis and the midbody during cytokinesis. TTDN1 is phosphorylated by Cdk1 in mitosis, and this is required for its interaction with Plk1. Site-directed mutagenesis indicates that TTDN1 is phosphorylated at multiple residues, including Ser93 and Ser104. Mutation of Thr120 of TTDN1 abolishes its interaction with Plk1, suggesting phosphorylation of Thr120 in the consensus Plk1-binding motif is required for its interaction with Plk1. Overexpression of TTDN1 or its knockdown by siRNA causes multi-polar spindles and multiple nuclei, suggesting that TTDN1 plays a role in regulating mitosis and cytokinesis.