Concurrent loss of the PTEN and RB1 tumor suppressors attenuates RAF dependence in melanomas harboring (V600E)BRAF

Identifying the spectrum of genetic alterations that cooperate with critical oncogenes to promote transformation provides a foundation for understanding the diversity of clinical phenotypes observed in human cancers. Here, we performed integrated analyses to identify genomic alterations that co-occur with oncogenic BRAF in melanoma and abrogate cellular dependence upon this oncogene. We identified concurrent mutational inactivation of the PTEN and RB1 tumor suppressors as a mechanism for loss of BRAF/MEK dependence in melanomas harboring (V600E)BRAF mutations. RB1 alterations were mutually exclusive with loss of p16(INK4A), suggesting that whereas p16(INK4A) and RB1 may have overlapping roles in preventing tumor formation, tumors with loss of RB1 exhibit diminished dependence upon BRAF signaling for cell proliferation. These findings provide a genetic basis for the heterogeneity of clinical outcomes in patients treated with targeted inhibitors of the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. Our results also suggest a need for comprehensive screening for RB1 and PTEN inactivation in patients treated with RAF and MEK-selective inhibitors to determine whether these alterations are associated with diminished clinical benefit in patients whose cancers harbor mutant BRAF.

Characterization of a novel Klebsiella pneumoniae sequence type 476 carrying both bla KPC-2 and bla IMP-4

Carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae has recently spread rapidly throughout China. In this study, we characterized a carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae isolate that produced both KPC-2 and IMP-4 type carbapenemases. A clinical isolate of K. pneumoniae, resistant to both meropenem and imipenem, was recovered from a urine sample. Antibiotic susceptibility was determined using the broth microdilution method and Etest (bioMérieux, France). Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) were used for gene type analysis. bla (KPC) and the encoding genes of ESBLs and plasmid-mediated AmpC enzymes were polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplified and sequenced. Plasmids were analyzed by transformation, enzyme restriction and Southern blot. PCR analysis revealed that the isolate was simultaneously carrying bla (KPC-2), bla (IMP-4), bla (TEM-1), and bla (OKP-B) genes. MLST assigned the isolate to a novel sequence type, ST476. bla (KPC-2)-harbouring plasmids of the isolate and comparative strains had similar EcoRI and HindIII restriction maps, while IMP-4-harbouring plasmids had variable HindIII restriction maps. Coexistence of bla (KPC-2) and bla (IMP-4) was probably due to bla (IMP-4)-harbouring plasmid transmission into KPC-2-producing K. pneumoniae (ST476). The concomitant presence of these genes is alarming and poses both therapeutic and infection control problems.

Core/shell structured NaYF4:Yb3+/Er3+/Gd+3 nanorods with Au nanoparticles or shells for flexible amorphous silicon solar cells

A simple approach for preparing near-infrared (NIR) to visible upconversion (UC) NaYF4:Yb/Er/Gd nanorods in combination with gold nanostructures has been reported. The grown UC nanomaterials with Au nanostructures have been applied to flexible amorphous silicon solar cells on the steel substrates to investigate their responses to sub-bandgap infrared irradiation. Photocurrent–voltage measurements were performed on the solar cells. It was demonstrated that UC of NIR light led to a 16-fold to 72-fold improvement of the short-circuit current under 980 nm illumination compared to a cell without upconverters. A maximum current of 1.16 mA was obtained for the cell using UC nanorods coated with Au nanoparticles under 980 nm laser illumination. This result corresponds to an external quantum efficiency of 0.14% of the solar cell. Mechanisms of erbium luminescence in the grown UC nanorods were analyzed and discussed.

First observation of the P-wave spin-singlet bottomonium states hb(1P) and hb(2P)

We report the first observations of the spin-singlet bottomonium states h(b)(1P) and h(b)(2P). The states are produced in the reaction e(+)e(-)→h(b)(nP)π(+)π(-) using a 121.4 fb(-1) data sample collected at energies near the Υ(5S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e(+)e(-) collider. We determine M[h(b)(1P)]=(9898.2(-1.0-1.1)(+1.1+1.0)) MeV/c(2) and M[h(b)(2P)]=(10,259.8±0.6(-1.0)(+1.4)) MeV/c(2), which correspond to P-wave hyperfine splittings ΔM(HF)=(+1.7±1.5) and (+0.5(-1.2)(+1.6)) MeV/c(2), respectively. The significances of the h(b)(1P) and h(b)(2P) are 5.5σ and 11.2σ, respectively. We find that the production of the h(b)(1P) and h(b)(2P) is not suppressed relative to the production of the Υ(1S), Υ(2S), and Υ(3S).

Search for a Higgs boson in the diphoton final state in pp collisions at sqrt[s]=1.96 TeV

A search for a narrow Higgs boson resonance in the diphoton mass spectrum is presented based on data corresponding to 7.0  fb{-1} of integrated luminosity from pp collisions at sqrt[s]=1.96  TeV collected by the CDF experiment. No evidence of such a resonance is observed, and upper limits are set on the cross section times branching ratio of the resonant state as a function of Higgs boson mass. The limits are interpreted in the context of the standard model and one fermiophobic benchmark model where the data exclude fermiophobic Higgs bosons with masses below 114  GeV/c{2} at a 95% Bayesian credibility level.

Enhanced P, N and C removal from domestic wastewater using constructed wetland employing construction solid waste (CSW) as main substrate

Construction solid waste (CSW), an inescapable by-product of the construction and demolition process, was used as main substrate in a four-stage vertical subsurface flow constructed wetland system to improve phosphorus P removal from domestic wastewater. A 'tidal flow' operation was also employed in the treatment system. Under a hydraulic loading rate (HLR) of 0.76 m3/m2 d for 1st and 3rd stage and HLR of 0.04 m3/m2 d for 2nd and 4th stage of the constructed wetland system respectively and tidal flow operation strategy, average removal efficiencies of 99.4% for P, 95.4% for ammoniacal-nitrogen, 56.5% for total nitrogen and 84.5% for total chemical oxygen demand were achieved during the operation period. The CSW-based constructed wetland system presents excellent P removal performance. The adoption of tidal flow strategy creates the aerobic/anoxic condition intermittently in the treatment system. This can achieve better oxygen transfer and hence lead to more complete nitrification and organic matter removal and enhanced denitrification. Overall, the CSW-based tidal flow constructed wetland system holds great promise for enabling high rate removal of P, ammoniacal-nitrogen and organic matter from domestic wastewater, and transforms CSW from a waste into a useful material.

Measurement of the B(s)0 lifetime in fully and partially reconstructed B(s)0→D(s)(-)(ϕπ(-))X decays in p¯p collisions at √s=1.96 TeV

We present a measurement of the B(s)(0) lifetime in fully and partially reconstructed B(s)(0)→D(s)(-)(ϕπ(-))X decays in 1.3  fb(-1) collected in pp ¯ collisions at √s=1.96 TeV by the CDF II detector at the Fermilab Tevatron. We measure τ(B(s)(0))=1.518±0.041(stat)±0.027(syst)  ps. The ratio of this result and the world average B(0) lifetime yields τ(B(s)(0))/τ(B(0))=0.99±0.03, which is in agreement with recent theoretical predictions.

Metabolic effects of bariatric surgery in type 2 diabetic patients with body mass index < 35 kg/m2

AIM

The aim of this meta-analysis is to assess the metabolic effects of bariatric surgery in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients with body mass index (BMI) < 35 kg/m(2) .

METHODS

We performed an electronic literature search of published articles to identify relevant evidence since inception to June 2011. Primary outcome measures were metabolic improvement and resolution diabetes after bariatric surgery. The weighted mean difference (WMD) and its 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated from the raw data extracted from the original literature. The software Review Manager (version 4.3.1) was applied for meta-analysis.

RESULTS

Thirteen trials involving 357 patients were included in the meta-analysis. The follow-up interval ranged from 6 months to 18 years. According to WMD calculation, bariatric surgery led to 5.18 kg/m(2) of BMI lowering (95% CI, 3.79-6.57, p < 0.00001), 4.8 mmol/l of fasting plasma glucose (FPG) decrement (95% CI, 3.88-5.71 mmol/l, p < 0.00001), 2.59% of HbA1c decreasing (95% CI, 2.12-3.07%, p < 0.00001), 56.67 mg/dl of triglyceride decrement (95% CI 11.53-101.82, p = 0.01) and 48.38 mg/dl of total cholesterol reduction (95% CI 21.08-75.68, p = 0.0005). Moreover, the procedures produced an increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol by 5.37 mg/dl (95% CI -11.37-0.63, p = 0.08). However, this effect was not statistically significant. Overall, 80.0% of the patients achieved adequate glycaemic control (HbA1c < 7%) without antidiabetic medication. The surgeries produced a low incidence of major complications (3.2%) with no mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

Bariatric surgery is effectual and safe in the treatment of non-severely obese (BMI < 35 kg/m(2) ) T2DM patients. Moreover, the metabolic benefits acquired from the procedures can be long sustained after the surgery.

Measurement of polarization and search for CP violation in B(s)0→φφ decays

We present the first measurement of polarization and CP-violating asymmetries in a B(s)(0) decay into two light vector mesons, B(s)(0)→φφ, and an improved determination of its branching ratio using 295 decays reconstructed in a data sample corresponding to 2.9 fb(-1) of integrated luminosity collected by the CDF experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron collider. The fraction of longitudinal polarization is determined to be f(L)=0.348±0.041(stat)±0.021(syst), and the branching ratio B(B(s)(0)→φφ)=[2.32±0.18(stat)±0.82(syst)]×10(-5). Asymmetries of decay angle distributions sensitive to CP violation are measured to be A(u)=-0.007±0.064(stat)±0.018(syst) and A(v)=-0.120±0.064(stat)±0.016(syst).

Search for a heavy toplike quark in pp collisions at √s=1.96 TeV

We present the results of a search for pair production of a heavy toplike (t') quark decaying to Wq final states using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.6 fb(-1) collected by the CDF II detector in pp collisions at √s=1.96 TeV. We perform parallel searches for t'→Wb and t'→Wq (where q is a generic down-type quark) in events containing a lepton and four or more jets. By performing a fit to the two-dimensional distribution of total transverse energy versus reconstructed t' quark mass, we set upper limits on the t't' production cross section and exclude a standard model fourth-generation t' quark decaying to Wb (Wq) with mass below 358 (340) GeV/c(2) at 95% C.L.

Acceptable warm ischemia time of tracheal grafts from non-heart-beating donors in rats

OBJECTIVES

Warm ischemia (WI)-induced airway complications are common in clinical lung transplantation. However, the acceptable WI time of tracheal grafts from non-heart-beating donors (NHBDs) is unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine the acceptable WI time by observing tracheal epithelial regeneration among NHBD.

METHOD

Forty-eight rats were randomly divided into four groups (each with 12 rats): WI-0 minutes (group A), WI-30 minutes (group B), WI-45 minutes (group C), and WI-60 minutes (group D). In each group, the tracheas from 6 rats were imbedded in the greater omentum of 6 other rats. Fourteen days later, the transplanted trachea was obtained from the recipient to evaluate epithelial thickness and regeneration. Six tracheas were obtained from living donors as a control group.

RESULTS

There were no significant differences in tracheal transplantation time (mean, 17.66±1.21 minutes). There were no significant differences in epithelial thickness and regeneration between the controls and groups A, B, and C (P<.05). Group D showed no normal epithelial structure of the trachea only with monolayer cells.

CONCLUSIONS

The time limits of tolerance to WI of tracheal grafts from NHBDs may be 45 minutes.

P1-06-24: Nuclear Localization of Stat5a Predicts Response to Antiestrogen Therapy and Prognosis of Clinical Breast Cancer Outcome

Nuclear-localized and tyrosine-phosphorylated Stat5 has been reported as a favorable prognostic marker and predictor of response to antiestrogen therapy in breast cancer. Phospho-Stat5 antibodies do not distinguish between phosphorylated Stat5a and the closely related Stat5b, but Stat5a is considered more critical for normal mammary development than Stat5b. The purpose of this study was to determine whether levels of nuclear-localized Stat5a protein (Nuc-Stat5a) were prognostic of clinical outcome or predictive of antiestrogen response. Stat5a was detected by traditional diaminobenzidine-chromogen immunohistochemistry (IHC) and pathologist scoring or by quantitative immunofluorescence in five archival cohorts of breast cancer. Levels of nuclear-localized Stat5a (Nuc-Stat5a) were evaluated by pathologist scoring of whole tissue sections detected by IHC or automated quantitative analysis (AQUA) of immunofluorescently-labeled tissue microarrays. Levels of Nuc-Stat5a were reduced in invasive breast cancer tissues and lymph node metastases compared to normal tissue and ductal carcinoma in situ when quantified by AQUA (Material I; n=180). Tissues from patients not treated with adjuvant therapy or treated with antiestrogen monotherapy were analyzed according to Nuc-Stat5a status for breast cancer-specific survival (CSS) and time to recurrence (TTR) using univariate and multivariate statistical models, adjusting for clinical features including tumor grade, size, lymph node and ER, PR and Her2 status. In two prognostic cohorts of node-negative breast cancer patients, low expression of Nuc-Stat5a, detected by standard IHC (Material II; n=223) or quantitative analysis (Material III; n=198), was prognostic of poor breast cancer outcome as measured by univariate and multivariate CSS (Material II/III) and TTR (Material II). CSS and TTR analysis of two independent materials of tumors from patients treated with antiestrogen monotherapy and analyzed by standard IHC (Material IV; n=73) or quantitative immunofluorescence (Material V; n=97) indicated that patients whose tumors expressed low levels of Nuc-Stat5a were at a greater than 4-fold risk of antiestrogen therapy failure when adjusted for hormone receptor status and clinical features (multivariate CSS: Material IV HR=4.3 (1.2,15.6), p=0.03; Material V HR=5.0 (1.87,13.06), p=0.001). In conclusion, loss of Nuc-Stat5a is a promising independent marker of poor breast cancer prognosis in node-negative, non-adjuvant treated breast cancer patients. Additionally, Nuc-Stat5a may be a useful clinical tool to predict tumor response to antiestrogen therapy.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2011;71(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-06-24.

MRCP and 3D LAVA imaging of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma at 3 T MRI

Extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a primary bile duct malignant tumour with poor prognosis. Familiarity with their varied imaging characteristics can be helpful in developing a correct diagnosis and in optimal treatment planning, and thus contribute to a better prognosis. The purpose of this article is to illustrate the typical appearances of extrahepatic CCA on magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) and three-dimensional (3D) LAVA (liver acquisition with volume acceleration) sequences at 3 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and to discuss the superiority of the two techniques in the diagnosis of CCA.

Top-quark mass measurement using events with missing transverse energy and jets at CDF

We present a measurement of the top-quark mass using a sample of t ̄t events in 5.7 fb(-1) of integrated luminosity from p ̄p collisions at the Fermilab Tevatron with √s=1.96 TeV and collected by the CDF II Detector. We select events having large missing transverse energy, and four, five, or six jets with at least one jet tagged as coming from a b quark, and reject events with identified charged leptons. This analysis considers events from the semileptonic t ̄t decay channel, including events that contain tau leptons. The measurement is based on a multidimensional template method. We fit the data to signal templates of varying top-quark masses and background templates, and measure a top-quark mass of M(top)=172.32±2.4(stat)±1.0(syst)  GeV/c(2).

Immediate Repair Compared with Delayed Repair of Congenital Omphalocele: Short-Term Neonatal Outcomes in China

This prospective study evaluated the short-term outcomes of 16 neonates undergoing single congenital omphalocele repair. Parents made informed choices for their baby to receive either immediate repair (IR group, n = 8) or repair ≥ 3 h after delivery (control group, n = 8). All babies were delivered by elective caesarian section. Babies in the two groups were matched one-to-one according to their birth weight, bulging volume and gestational age. Short-term outcomes included the incidence of infection and the lengths of stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and in the hospital. Compared with the control group, the IR group showed a significantly lower incidence of infection, shorter surgical duration, shorter NICU stay, less time on total parenteral nutrition, less time to total enteral nutrition and shorter length of hospital stay. Immediate repair significantly improved the short-term neonatal outcomes of congenital omphalocele in China.

Negative regulation of inflammatory responses by immunoglobulin A receptor (FcαRI) inhibits the development of Toll-like receptor-9 signalling-accelerated glomerulonephritis

Myeloid FcαRI, a receptor for immunoglobulin (Ig)A, mediates cell activation or inhibition depending on the type of ligand interaction, which can be either multivalent or monovalent. Anti-inflammatory signalling is triggered by monomeric targeting using anti-FcαRI Fab or IgA ligand binding, which inhibits immune and non-immune-mediated renal inflammation. The participation of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) in kidney pathology in experimental models and various forms of human glomerular nephritis has been discussed. However, little is known about negative regulation of innate-immune activation. In the present study, we generated new transgenic mice that express FcαRI(R209L) /FcRγ chimeric protein and showed that the monovalent targeting of FcαRI exhibited inhibitory effects in an in vivo model of TLR-9 signalling-accelerated nephritis. Mouse monoclonal anti-FcαRI MIP8a Fab improved urinary protein levels and reduced the number of macrophages and immunoglobulin deposition in the glomeruli. Monovalent targeting using MIP8a Fab attenuates the TLR-9 signalling pathway and is associated with phosphorylation of extracellular signal-related protein kinases [extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), P38, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)] and the activation of nuclear factor (NF)-κB. The inhibitory mechanism involves recruitment of tyrosine phosphatase Src homology 2 domain-containing phosphatase-1 (SHP-1) to FcαRI. Furthermore, cell transfer studies with macrophages pretreated with MIP8a Fab showed that blockade of FcαRI signalling in macrophages prevents the development of TLR-9 signalling-accelerated nephritis. These results suggest a role of anti-FcαRI Fab as a negative regulator in controlling the magnitude of the innate immune response and a new type of anti-inflammatory drug for treatment of kidney disease.