A multichannel, frequency-modulated, tunable Doppler backscattering and reflectometry system

A novel multichannel Doppler backscattering system has been designed and tested for application on the DIII-D [J. L. Luxon, Fusion Sci. Technol. 48, 828 (2005)] and National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) [M. Ono et al., Nucl. Fusion 40, 557 (2000)] fusion plasma devices. Doppler backscattering measures localized intermediate wavenumber (k(perpendicular)rho(i) approximately 1-4,k(perpendicular) approximately 2-15 cm(-1)) density fluctuations and the propagation velocity of turbulent structures. Microwave radiation is launched at a frequency that approaches a cutoff layer in the plasma and at an angle that is oblique to the cutoff layer. Bragg backscattering occurs near the cutoff layer for fluctuations with k(perpendicular) approximately -2k(i), where k(i) is the incident probe wave vector at the scattering location. The turbulence propagation velocity can be determined from the Doppler shift in the return signal together with knowledge of the scattering wavenumber. Ray tracing simulations are used to determine k(perpendicular) and the scattering location. Frequency modulation of a voltage-controlled solid state microwave source followed by frequency multiplication is used to create an array of finely spaced (Delta f=350 MHz) frequencies spanning 1.4 GHz. The center of the array bandwidth is tunable within the range of approximately 53-78 GHz. This article details the system design, laboratory tests, and presents initial data from DIII-D plasmas.

Tissue expression and subcellular localization of Mipu1, a novel myocardial ischemia-related gene

Myocardial ischemic preconditioning up-regulated protein 1 (Mipu1), a novel zinc finger protein, was originally cloned using bioinformatic analysis and 5' RACE technology of rat heart after a transient myocardial ischemia/reperfusion procedure in our laboratory. In order to investigate the functions of Mipu1, the recombinant prokaryotic expression vector pQE31-Mipu1 was constructed and transformed into Escherichia coli M15(pREP4), and Mipu1-6His fusion protein was expressed and purified. The identity of the purified protein was confirmed by mass spectrometry. The molecular mass of the Mipu1 protein was 70.03779 kDa. The fusion protein was intracutaneously injected to immunize New Zealand rabbits to produce a polyclonal antibody. The antibody titer was approximately 1:16,000. The antibody was tested by Western blotting for specificity and sensitivity. Using the antibody, it was found that Mipu1 was highly expressed in the heart and brain of rats and was localized in the nucleus of H9c2 myogenic cells. The present study lays the foundation for further study of the biological functions of Mipu1.

Association between painful physical symptoms and clinical outcomes in East Asian patients with major depressive disorder: a 3-month prospective observational study

AIMS

Reports from non-Asian populations indicate that painful physical symptoms (PPS) are associated with poorer clinical and functional outcomes in major depressive disorder (MDD). The purpose of this study is to report comparative changes in disease severity, treatment patterns and quality of life observed in East Asian patients with MDD, with and without PPS, as assessed prospectively over a 3-month observation period.

METHODS

This observational study enrolled 909 patients with MDD in psychiatric care settings in China, Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. Patients were classified as PPS positive (PPS+) or negative (PPS-) based on mean modified Somatic Symptom Inventory scores of >or= 2 or < 2 respectively. The Clinical Global Impression of Severity (CGI-S) and 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD(17)) determined depression severity; a visual analogue scale (VAS) determined pain severity; and the EuroQoL (EQ-5D) assessed well-being after 3 months observation.

RESULTS

Of the 909 enrollees, 355/471 (75.4%) of PPS+ patients and 363/438 (82.9%) of PPS- patients completed the study (p = 0.006). PPS+ patients improved less than PPS- patients on depression, pain and quality of life measures during the study (HAMD(17) p < 0.001, CGI-S p < 0.001, VAS p = 0.008 and EQ-5D p = 0.004). Fewer PPS+ patients (46.5%) achieved remission compared with PPS- patients (69.4%, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

As the presence of PPS is associated with poorer outcomes in East Asian MDD patients, clinical management should aim to address both the mental and PPS associated with MDD.

OPTICAL PROPERTY CHARACTERIZATION BASED ON A PHASE FUNCTION APPROXIMATION MODEL

Recently, we generalized the Delta-Eddington phase function and applied it to the radiative transfer equation for modeling the photon propagation in biological tissue. The resultant phase approximation model was shown to be highly accurate with a wide range of optical properties, including the strongly absorbing and weakly scattering media. In this paper, we propose phase-approximation-based method for estimating the optical parameters. Specifically, we design an iterative algorithm to take advantage of both the global search ability of the differential evolution algorithm and the efficiency of the conjugate gradient method. Then, we demonstrate the feasibility and merits of the proposed method in both numerical simulation and phantom experiments.

Protein kinase CK2 in health and disease: CK2: a key player in cancer biology

Elevated levels of protein kinase CK2 (formerly casein kinase 2 or II) have long been associated with increased cell growth and proliferation both in normal and cancer cells. The ability of CK2 to also act as a potent suppressor of apoptosis offers an important link to its involvement in cancer since deregulation of both cell proliferation and apoptosis are among the key features of cancer cell biology. Dysregulated CK2 may impact both of these processes in cancer cells. All cancers that have been examined show increased CK2 expression, which may also relate to prognosis. The extensive involvement of CK2 in cancer derives from its impact on diverse molecular pathways controlling cell proliferation and cell death. Downregulation of CK2 by various approaches results in induction of apoptosis in cultured cell and xenograft cancer models suggesting its potential as a therapeutic target.

The formation of an aligned 1D nanostructure on annealed Fe/ZnSe bilayers

A highly aligned one-dimensional (1D) nanostructure was realized at the surface of Fe/ZnSe bilayers grown on GaAs(001) substrates through thermal annealing. These 1D nano-grooves were found to align along the [110] direction resulting in bent reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) patterns when the sample was rotated relative to the e-beam. A model based on Ewald construction is presented to explain the unusual RHEED observation. The formation mechanism of this 1D nanostructure is possibly related to the minimization of surface energy, together with an Fe-Se exchange interaction and Fe-induced decomposition of several top ZnSe atomic layers during thermal annealing.

Small molecule pan-bcl-2 inhibitor AT-101 induces apoptosis in NSCLC by up-regulating noxa and enhances antitumor activity of docetaxel or targeted kinase inhibitors

e14591

Background: AT-101 is an orally active pan Bcl-2 inhibitor currently under clinical development in Phase II trials. We investigated the effect of AT-101 alone or in combination with chemotherapies or targeted kinase inhibitors in NSCLC both in vitro and in vivo. Methods: Growth inhibition was measured by WST assays. The CalculSyn method was used to assess drug interaction by calculating the Combination Index (CI) value. The ability of AT-101 to potentiate the anti-cancer effect of chemotherapies or kinase inhibitors was evaluated in xenograft models. Results: A panel of 11 NSCLC cell lines with overexpression of Bcl-2, Bcl- XL or Mcl-1 proteins was treated with AT-101, docetaxel, pemetrexed, erlotinib, sorafenib, sunitinib, rapamycin, as a single agent and in combination. AT-101 inhibited the growth with IC50 at 3–9 uM. When treating cells simultaneously with both agents, AT-101 demonstrated strong synergy with those agents in A549 or H460 cells with CI values < 1.0. Protein analysis results indicated that AT-101 caused apoptosis by a time- and dose-dependent induction of Noxa expression in those cells. The expression of Bcl- XL was not influenced by AT-101. Pro-Caspase-3 was reduced with increasing doses of AT-101. In vivo, combined treatment of AT-101 with docetaxel, erlotinib, or sorafenib synergistically suppressed subcutaneous NSCLC A549 cells tumor growth compared with treatment with either agent alone. The synergist effects with the ErbB1 inhibitor Erlotinib is associated with the overexpression of the target protein ErbB1 in those cells. Only combination therapy resulted in significant tumor growth delay and no significant toxicities were observed. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that AT-101significantly enhances the anti-tumor activity of chemotherapy and targeted agents and may represent a promising new anticancer agent with a novel molecular mechanism. Molecular targeted therapy with AT-101 may improve the outcome of current chemotherapy for NSCLC with Bcl-2, Bcl-xL and/or Mcl-1 overexpression.

[Table: see text]

Skp2, a prognostic marker and potential therapeutic target in metastatic melanoma

11034

Background: Skp2, a known oncogene, is overexpressed in several types of tumors and is associated with worse recurrence rate and overall survival in primary melanoma patients. Moreover, the anti-proliferative effects of Skp2 siRNA on various tumor cell lines have prompted the preclinical testing of Skp2 small molecule inhibitors. In this study, we assessed the clinical relevance and molecular mechanism(s) underlying Skp2 overexpression in metastatic melanoma patients. Methods: Skp2 protein levels were measured in 122 metastatic melanoma specimens using immunohistochemistry (IHC), and the association between Skp2 overexpression and post-recurrence survival was examined. Moreover, 22 cell lines (2 normal primary melanocytes, 2 primary immortal melanocytes, 4 primary melanoma cell lines, and 18 metastatic melanoma cell lines) were evaluated for Skp2 genomic amplification using Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) arrays (Affymetrix 6.0) and Skp2 gene expression using mRNA arrays (Affymetrix U133A 2.0) and quantitative RT-PCR. We also screened 18 cell lines for Skp2 mutation by sequencing. Results: Skp2 overexpression, defined as >25% tumor cells, was associated with shorter 3-yr post-recurrence survival (37%) compared to Skp2 expression ≤25% (55%) (HR=1.89, 95%, CI= 1.04, 3.42, p=0.04). Skp2 overexpression was significantly associated with the site of melanoma metastasis: visceral (n= 12; 89%), lymph node (n=49; 36%), brain (n=15; 14%), and soft-tissue (n=36; 6%) (p<0.001). SNP array revealed genomic amplification at the Skp2 locus in 6 (33%) metastatic cell lines and one primary melanoma cell line. Skp2 genomic amplification was associated with increased transcript expression. No Skp2 mutations were identified. Conclusions: Skp2 protein overexpression is associated with worse prognosis in metastasis in melanoma. Our results also support that gene amplification, rather than a Skp2 gene mutation, may be the major mechanism responsible for Skp2 aberrant expression in metastatic melanoma.

No significant financial relationships to disclose.

A broadband imaging system for research applications

We have developed a compact, computer-piloted, high sensitivity broadband imaging system for laboratory research that is compatible with various detectors. Mirror optics allow application from the visible to the far infrared spectral range. A prototype tested in conjunction with a mercury cadmium telluride detector exhibits a peak detectivity of 6.7x10(10) cm Hz(1/2)/W at a wavelength of 11.8 microm. Temperature and spatial resolutions of 0.06 K and 1.6 mrad, respectively, were demonstrated.

Observation of two-source interference in the photoproduction reaction AuAu --> AuAurho0

In ultraperipheral relativistic heavy-ion collisions, a photon from the electromagnetic field of one nucleus can fluctuate to a quark-antiquark pair and scatter from the other nucleus, emerging as a rho{0}. The rho{0} production occurs in two well-separated (median impact parameters of 20 and 40 F for the cases considered here) nuclei, so the system forms a two-source interferometer. At low transverse momenta, the two amplitudes interfere destructively, suppressing rho{0} production. Since the rho{0} decays before the production amplitudes from the two sources can overlap, the two-pion system can only be described with an entangled nonlocal wave function, and is thus an example of the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox. We observe this suppression in 200 GeV per nucleon-pair gold-gold collisions. The interference is 87%+/-5%(stat.)+/-8%(syst.) of the expected level. This translates into a limit on decoherence due to wave function collapse or other factors of 23% at the 90% confidence level.

The Pirh2-keratin 8/18 interaction modulates the cellular distribution of mitochondria and UV-induced apoptosis

Intermediate filaments (IFs) provide crucial structural support in higher eukaryotic cells. Accumulating evidences show that IFs also participate in various cellular activities including stress responses, cell growth, cell death and cell migration through dynamic interactions with various non-structure proteins. Here we report the identification of Pirh2, a RING-H2-type ubiquitin E3 ligase, as a novel binding partner of the cytoplasmic IF proteins keratin 8/18 (K8/18). Phosphorylation of either Pirh2 or K8/18 affects their association. Although Pirh2 was not found to influence the stability of K8/18, it displayed an unexpected role in regulating the organization of the network of K8/18 keratin filaments. Disruption of Pirh2-K8/K18 interaction by either UV irradiation or knockdown with Pirh2 or K18 led to the aggregation of K8/18 keratin filaments. It further induced mitochondrial redistribution, and this process is likely through a microtubule-mediated pathway. The abnormal localization of mitochondria in Pirh2-knockdown cells may partially account for its increased cell sensitivity to UV-induced apoptosis, probably through enhancing the release of pro-apoptotic proteins, such as cytochrome c and Smac/DIABLO to the cytosol. Overall, our data reveal the novel role of the Pirh2-K8/18 complex in governing the distribution of mitochondria.