Growth kinetics of Cu6Sn5 intermetallic compound at liquid-solid interfaces in Cu/Sn/Cu interconnects under temperature gradient

The growth behavior of intermetallic compounds (IMCs) at the liquid-solid interfaces in Cu/Sn/Cu interconnects during reflow at 250 °C and 280 °C on a hot plate was investigated. Being different from the symmetrical growth during isothermal aging, the interfacial IMCs showed clearly asymmetrical growth during reflow, i.e., the growth of Cu₆Sn₅ IMC at the cold end was significantly enhanced while that of Cu₃Sn IMC was hindered especially at the hot end. It was found that the temperature gradient had caused the mass migration of Cu atoms from the hot end toward the cold end, resulting in sufficient Cu atomic flux for interfacial reaction at the cold end while inadequate Cu atomic flux at the hot end. The growth mechanism was considered as reaction/thermomigration-controlled at the cold end and grain boundary diffusion/thermomigration-controlled at the hot end. A growth model was established to explain the growth kinetics of the Cu₆Sn₅ IMC at both cold and hot ends. The molar heat of transport of Cu atoms in molten Sn was calculated as + 11.12 kJ/mol at 250 °C and + 14.65 kJ/mol at 280 °C. The corresponding driving force of thermomigration in molten Sn was estimated as 4.82 × 10⁻¹⁹ N and 6.80 × 10⁻¹⁹ N.

The synergistic interaction between the calcineurin B subunit and IFN-γ enhances macrophage antitumor activity

Macrophages are involved in tumor growth and progression. They infiltrate into tumors and cause inflammation, which creates a microenvironment favoring tumor growth and metastasis. However, certain stimuli may induce macrophages to act as tumor terminators. Here we report that the calcineurin B subunit (CnB) synergizes with IFN-γ to make macrophages highly cytotoxic to cancer cells. Furthermore, CnB and IFN-γ act synergistically to polarize mouse tumor-associated macrophages, as well as human monocyte-derived macrophages to an M1-like phenotype. This synergy is mediated by the crosstalk between CnB-engaged integrin αM-p38 MAPK signaling and IFN-γ-initiated p38/PKC-δ/Jak2 signaling. Interestingly, the signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) is a key factor that orchestrates the synergy of CnB and IFN-γ, and the phosphorylation status at Ser727 and Tyr701 of STAT1 is directly regulated by CnB and IFN-γ.

Abstract P4-01-11: Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) detect HER2+ status and phenotypic heterogeneity in metastatic breast cancer (MBC)

Background

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are epithelial cells that can be found circulating in the blood of MBC patients and may represent a heterogeneous population including epithelial cells and cancer stem cells (CSC) shed from the tumor. Their detection and enumeration has prognostic significance and can be used for longitudinal monitoring of response to treatment. Recent advances have allowed for the detection of HER2 protein expressing CTCs using the CellSearch™ platform. HER2 expression has been associated with CSCs phenotype in absence of gene amplification (Korkaya et al, Oncogene 2008) and particularly in Luminal B disease (Ithimakin et al, Cancer Res, 2014). We hypothesized that HER2+/CTCs are detectable in patients with MBC irrespective of their HER2 status and this information can be potentially be used for treatment selection. Targeting HER2+ CSCs may result in clinical benefit and improved outcome.

Methods

This is a prospective analysis of 40 patients with locally advanced or MBC whose blood was analyzed for the baseline detection of CTCs as part of their disease initial evaluation. Blood was drawn for CTC detection on eligible patients at initiation of a new line of therapy; CTCs monitoring was repeated at progression or change in therapy. The 7.5mL of whole blood was collected in a CellSave™ Preservative Tube, and CTC isolation, enumeration and characterization were performed using the FDA-approved CellSearch™ System (Janssen Diagnostics, USA). The CellSearch™ tumor phenotyping reagent HER-2/neu (Fluorescein-conjugated) was used to determine CTC with HER-2/neu expression using the CellTrack™ Analyzer II.

Results

Most patients in this study had metastatic disease (90%). According to disease subtype, 43% of patients were ER+/HER2- (Luminal A), 17% ER+/HER2+ (Luminal B), 20% ER-/HER2+ (HER2) and 20% ER-/HER2- (TNBC). Moreover, 55% had a clinical diagnosis of Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC). Twenty-two patients had CTCs detected (55%), the average number of CTCs was 8.6 (0-135) with a median follow up of two months. Of the patients who had CTCs detected and had HER2+ disease (IHC/FISH), 83% (5/6) had concordance in HER2+ CTCs. Interestingly, in the subset of patients who had HER2 negative disease (ICH/FISH) and had detectable CTCs, there was discordance in HER2 status: 44% (7/16) had HER2+ CTCs and all but one had Luminal A disease. Two patients have been started on HER2 targeted therapy based on finding HER2+ CTCs. One of these patients had 22 CTCs, 8 of which were HER2+, was initiated on HER-2 combined regimen and at a repeat evaluation in 3 months demonstrated 0 CTCs and clinical response.

Conclusions

CTCs offer a new and innovative approach to detect HER2+ cells in MBC. Tissue analysis with IHC and FISH has been the gold standard but these methods are unable to account for disease phenotyopic hetereogeity and identify patients who have CSCs (HER2+) and therefore would benefit from HER2 targeted therapy. This warrants further investigation in a prospective trial in Luminal disease to formally compare these methods and correlate the results with clinical outcomes.

Citation Format: Laura Austin, Zhaomei Mu, Tiffany Avery, Rebecca Jaslow, Carmela Paolillo, Angela Toss, Paolo Fortuna, Ye Zhong, Hushan Yang, Massimo Cristofanilli. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) detect HER2+ status and phenotypic heterogeneity in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Seventh Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2014 Dec 9-13; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(9 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-01-11.

Abstract P4-01-20: A novel microfluidic system for the detection, enumeration and molecular analysis of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in metastatic breast cancer (MBC)

Background: In recent years blood testing for circulating tumor cells (CTC) has gained increasing interest in cancer research. CTC detection and enumeration can serve as a ‘liquid biopsy’ and an early marker of response to systemic therapy. Different analytical systems for CTC detection and isolation have been developed, but the CellSearch® is currently the only FDA-approved technology. We aimed to evaluate CTCs detection by a novel microfluidific technology, a size- and deformability-based capture system. This unique platform not only allows flex[not]ibility in the selection of antibody markers but also segregates the CTCs in their own chambers, thus, enabling morphological, immunological and genetic characterization of each CTC at the single cell level.

Methods: We performed a prospective study to compare the detection of CTCs using the CellSearch® (Janssen Diagnostics) vs. the new microfluidic platform. Enumeration by the CellSearch® was performed according to standard protocol. For the microfluidific-device capture (De Novo Sciences, MI) peripheral blood from MBC patients was diluted 1:1 with PFA 0.8% and PBS 1%. Prior to sample loading, the microfluidic device was coated with priming buffer. After cells were fixed using 4.0% PFA and were subsequently stained with pancytokeratin, Zym 5.2 and CD45. Nuclei were coun[not]terstained with Hoechst-33342. CTCs were identified as round and bright green cells not stained with red (CK+/CD45-/DAPI+). Data were analyzed using non-parametric methods: Cohen’s kappa, Chi2 test, Spearman rank correlations and Mann-Whitney test. Associations with CTCs were calculated in two ways: CTCs as a continuous variable normalized for ml of blood and CTCs categorized as < 5 versus ≥ 5.

Results: The two methods was concordant in 88.2% of patients with a Cohen’s kappa of 0.743 when the detection of a single CTC is considered like positive. We also found a concordance of 85% (k=0.70) when we use the CTC cut-off level of ≥5 cells per 7.5 ml of blood to identify patient with higher risk for disease progression. Thirty-one patients with MBC were tested for CTCs using both methods. CTC detection by microfluidific platform was positively associated with Her2 positive patients if we consider as categorical variable; a weak association was seen also with the CellSearch®.

CTCs AssociationCTC/ml of blood ContinuousCTC categorized (≥5)DeNovomedian [min, max]p-valueNn (%)OR ( 95% CI)p-valueHer 20.5620.038No0.5 [0, 62]197 (36.8)refYes1.75 [0, 4]129 (75.0)5.14 (1.03, 25.6)CellSearch®median [min, max]p-valueNn (%)OR ( 95% CI)p-valueHer 20.7040.056No0.13 [0, 335.7]196 (41.2)refYes0.95 [0, 3.33]128 (34.7)4.33 (0.93, 20.2)

Conclusions: The enumeration of CTCs showed strong prognostic significance in MBC raising interest in a more accurate molecular characterization to achieve the possibility for a dynamic molecular monitoring. Introducing novel methodologies should demonstrate comparable detection rate for epithelial cells. This new microfluidic system showed accuracy and flexibility to move to the next phase of molecular testing with the intent of assessing the value as liquid biopsy.

Citation Format: Carmela Paolillo, Zhaomei Mu, Angela Toss, Priyadarshini Gogoi, Saedeh Sepehri, Yi Zhou, Kalyan Handique, Ye Zhong, Hushan Yang, Ettore Capoluongo, Massimo Cristofanilli, Paolo Fortina. A novel microfluidic system for the detection, enumeration and molecular analysis of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Seventh Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2014 Dec 9-13; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(9 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-01-20.

An association analysis between psychophysical characteristics and genome-wide gene expression changes in human adaptation to the extreme climate at the Antarctic Dome Argus

Genome-wide gene expression measurements have enabled comprehensive studies that integrate the changes of gene expression and phenotypic information to uncover their novel associations. Here we reported the association analysis between psychophysical phenotypes and genome-wide gene expression changes in human adaptation to one of the most extreme climates on Earth, the Antarctic Dome Argus. Dome A is the highest ice feature in Antarctica, and may be the coldest, driest and windiest location on earth. It is considered unapproachable due to its hostile environment. In 2007, a Chinese team of 17 male explorers made the expedition to Dome A for scientific investigation. Overall, 133 psychophysical phenotypes were recorded, and genome-wide gene expression profiles from the blood samples of the explorers were measured before their departure and upon their arrival at Dome A. We found that mood disturbances, including tension (anxiety), depression, anger and fatigue, had a strong, positive, linear relationship with the level of a male sex hormone, testosterone, using the Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC) analysis. We also demonstrated that significantly lowest-level Gene Ontology groups in changes of gene expression in blood cells with erythrocyte removal were consistent with the adaptation of the psychophysical characteristics. Interestingly, we discovered a list of genes that were strongly related to significant phenotypes using phenotype and gene expression PCC analysis. Importantly, among the 70 genes that were identified, most were significantly related to mood disturbances, where 42 genes have been reported in the literature mining, suggesting that the other 28 genes were likely novel genes involved in the mood disturbance mechanism. Taken together, our association analysis provides a reliable method to uncover novel genes and mechanisms related to phenotypes, although further studies are needed.

Control of Established Gingivitis and Dental Plaque Using a 1450 ppm Fluoride/Zinc-based Dentifrice: A Randomized Clinical Study

PURPOSE

To investigate the clinical efficacy in controlling established gingivitis and dental plaque of a 1450 ppm fluoride as sodium monofluorophosphate (SMFP)/zinc-based dentifrice, as compared to a zinc-free dentifrice with 1450 ppm fluoride as SMFP after six months product use.

METHODS

A six-month clinical study, with eighty-six (86) subjects, was conducted in Chengdu, China, using a double-blind, randomized, parallel-group treatment design. After a baseline evaluation, study subjects were randomly assigned to one of the two study treatments: 1) 1450 ppm fluoride as SMFP/zinc-based dentifrice (Test) or 2) 1450 ppm fluoride as SMFP/zinc-free dentifrice (Negative Control). Subjects were provided with a soft bristle toothbrush and brushed their teeth twice daily (morning and evening) for one minute with their assigned dentifrice. After three months, and again after six months of product use, subjects returned to the testing facility for their followup gingivitis and plaque examinations. Statistical analyses were performed separately for the gingivitis assessments and dental plaque assessments using the appropriate statistical methods. All statistical tests of hypotheses were two-sided, and employed a level of significance of α = 0.05.

RESULTS

After three and six months of product use, subjects assigned to the Test treatment exhibited statistically significant (p < 0.001) reductions in gingival index and plaque index scores as compared to subjects assigned to the Negative Control treatment.

CONCLUSION

The results of this single-center, double-blind, parallel-group and randomized clinical study support the conclusion that a 1450 ppm fluoride as SMFP/zinc-based dentifrice provides clinically meaningful and statistically significant reductions in gingivitis (23.8%) and dental plaque (22.5%) as compared to a 1450 ppm fluoride as SMFP/zinc-free dentifrice over a six-month period of twice-daily product use.

Comprehensive electronic medical record implementation levels not associated with 30-day all-cause readmissions within Medicare beneficiaries with heart failure

BACKGROUND

Regulatory standards for 30-day readmissions incentivize hospitals to improve quality of care. Implementing comprehensive electronic health record systems potentially decreases readmission rates by improving medication reconciliation at discharge, demonstrating the additional benefits of inpatient EHRs beyond improved safety and decreased errors.

OBJECTIVE

To compare 30-day all-cause readmission incidence rates within Medicare fee-for-service with heart failure discharged from hospitals with full implementation levels of comprehensive EHR systems versus those without.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study uses data from the American Hospital Association Health IT survey and Medicare Part A claims to measure associations between hospital EHR implementation levels and beneficiary readmissions. Multivariable Cox regressions estimate the hazard ratio of 30-day all-cause readmissions within beneficiaries discharged from hospitals implementing comprehensive EHRs versus those without, controlling for beneficiary health status and hospital organizational factors. Propensity scores are used to account for selection bias.

RESULTS

The proportion of heart failure patients with 30-day all-cause readmissions was 30%, 29%, and 32% for those discharged from hospitals with full, some, and no comprehensive EHR systems. Heart failure patients discharged from hospitals with fully implemented comprehensive EHRs compared to those with no comprehensive EHR systems had equivalent 30-day readmission incidence rates (HR = 0.97, 95% CI 0.73 - 1.3).

CONCLUSIONS

Implementation of comprehensive electronic health record systems does not necessarily improve a hospital's ability to decrease 30-day readmission rates. Improving the efficiency of post-acute care will require more coordination of information systems between inpatient and ambulatory providers.

Mid-infrared emission from In(Ga)Sb layers on InAs(Sb)

We demonstrate infrared light emission from thin epitaxially-grown In(Ga)Sb layers in InAs(Sb) matrices across a wide range (3-8 µm) of the mid-infrared spectral range. Our structures are characterized by x-ray diffraction, photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Emission is characterized by temperature- and power-dependent infrared step-scan photoluminescence spectroscopy. The epitaxial In(Ga)Sb layers are observed to form either quantum wells, quantum dots, or disordered quantum wells, depending on the insertion layer and substrate material composition. The observed optical properties of the monolayer-scale insertions are correlated to their structural properties, as determined by transmission electron and atomic force microscopy.

RNA-seq analysis of the rat placentation site reveals maternal obesity-associated changes in placental and offspring thyroid hormone signaling

INTRODUCTION

In animal models, maternal obesity (OB) leads to augmented risk of offspring OB. While placental function is influenced by maternal habitus, the effect of maternal obesity on the interacting zones of the placenta [the labyrinth (LZ), junctional (JZ) and metrial gland (MG)] remains unknown.

METHODS

Using a rat maternal obesity model, we conducted transcriptomic profiling of the utero-placental compartments and fetal liver (FL) at dpc 18.5, in conjunction with analyses of mRNA expression of key thyroid hormone (TH) signaling genes in the placenta, fetus and weanling offspring.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Gene expression analysis of placenta and offspring revealed that each utero-placental compartment responds distinctly to maternal OB with changes in inflammatory signaling, lipid metabolism and hormone stimulus being the predominant effects. OB-induced alterations in 17 genes were confirmed by qPCR, including reductions in thyrotropin-releasing hormone (Trh) in JZ. We further characterized mRNA and protein expression of TH signaling regulators including deiodinases (Dio), TH receptors (Tr), and downstream targets (uncoupling proteins (Ucp)). A concerted down-regulation of multiple facets of thyroid hormone signaling in the JZ and FL was observed. JZ expression of thyroid hormone signaling components Trh, Dio2, Trα, and Ucp2 were negatively associated with maternal leptin. mRNA expression of TRH, TRβ and UCP1 were also decreased in term placenta from OB women. Finally, our studies identified persistent impairments in expression of TH related genes in tissues from offspring of obese dams.

CONCLUSIONS

The role of lower placental thyroid expression is worthy of further study as a possible pathway that leads to low energy metabolism and obesity in animals born to obese mothers.

Visualizing cerebral veins in fetal brain using susceptibility-weighted MRI

AIM

To explore the feasibility of two-dimensional (2D) susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) in the visualization of cerebral veins in the foetal brain.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Forty-two pregnant healthy women (gestational age: 19-37 weeks, mean: 28.5 ± 7.1 weeks) underwent SWI examination using a 1.5 T MRI system. Two neurologists independently analysed all magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies. The relationship between the veins detected and the gestational age was investigated. The prominence of veins was assessed using a categorical score.

RESULTS

In total, 167 veins were detected by SWI in 29 subjects with a symmetric hemisphere distribution (p > 0.05). An additional vein was detected by SWI biweekly from 24 weeks of gestation. Most veins of Galen and internal cerebral veins on SWI images were prominent, whereas others were faint or moderate.

CONCLUSION

SWI appears to be a feasible method of detecting cerebral veins in the foetal brain.

Abnormalities in whole-brain functional connectivity observed in treatment-naive post-traumatic stress disorder patients following an earthquake

BACKGROUND

Convergent studies have highlighted the dysfunction of the amygdala, prefrontal cortex and hippocampus in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, only a few studies have investigated the functional connectivity between brain regions in PTSD patients during the resting state, which may improve our understanding of the neuropathophysiology of PTSD. The aim of this study was to investigate patterns of whole-brain functional connectivity in treatment-naive PTSD patients without co-morbid conditions who experienced the 8.0-magnitude earthquake in the Sichuan province of China.

METHOD

A total of 72 PTSD patients and 86 trauma-exposed non-PTSD controls participated in the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study. All these subjects were recruited from the disaster zone of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. Functional connectivities between 90 paired brain regions in PTSD patients were compared with those in trauma-exposed non-PTSD controls. Furthermore, Pearson correlation analysis was performed between significantly abnormal connectivities in PTSD patients and their clinician-administered PTSD scale (CAPS) scores.

RESULTS

Compared with non-PTSD controls, PTSD patients showed weaker positive connectivities between the middle prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the amygdala, hippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus and rectus, as well as between the inferior orbitofrontal cortex and the hippocampus. In addition, PTSD patients showed stronger negative connectivity between the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and the insula. The CAPS scores in PTSD patients correlated negatively with the connectivity between the amygdala and the mPFC.

CONCLUSIONS

PTSD patients showed abnormalities in whole-brain functional connectivity, primarily affecting the connectivities between the mPFC and limbic system, and connectivity between the PCC and insula.

Characterization of glucagon-like peptide 2 receptor (GLP2R) gene in chickens: functional analysis, tissue distribution, and developmental expression profile of GLP2R in embryonic intestine

This study characterized the glucagon-like peptide 2 receptor (GLP2R) gene of chickens because relatively little is known about the underlying mechanism of GLP2 actions in nonmammalian species. With the use of reverse transcription PCR, we first cloned the chicken GLP2R (cGLP2R) from adult intestine, which was predicted to encode a 529-amino acid receptor precursor. With the use of a pGL3-CRE luciferase reporter system, we demonstrated that cGLP2R expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells could be potently activated by cGLP2 (half maximal effective concentration, 1.06 nM) but not by its structurally related peptides, including the newly identified glucagon-like peptide, indicating that cGLP2R is a functional receptor specific to cGLP2. Reverse transcription PCR assay revealed that cGLP2R mRNA was widely expressed in adult chicken tissues, including pancreas and various parts of the gastrointestinal tract. With the use of quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR assays, we further investigated the mRNA expression of cGLP2R and its potential downstream mediators, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) ligands (heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor, epiregulin, and amphiregulin), in the distal duodenum of developing embryos. The mRNA expression levels of GLP2R and EGFR ligands (heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor and amphiregulin) were shown to increase (P < 0.05 or 0.01) during the late embryonic stages (E16 and E20), implying a potential coordinated action of GLP2 and EGFR ligands on embryonic intestine development. Taken together, our findings not only establish a molecular basis to explore the physiological roles of GLP2 in birds, but they also provide comparative insights into the roles of GLP2R and its ligand in vertebrates, such as its roles in embryonic intestine development.

Height, its components, and coagulability among older Chinese: the Guangzhou biobank cohort study

OBJECTIVES

The causal role of some cardiovascular risk factors, such as HDL cholesterol, has been increasingly challenged and attention is returning to all elements of Virchow's triad, i.e., hypercoagulability (including viscosity) as well as endothelial function and blood flow. We examined the life course origins of coagulability.

METHODS

We used multivariable linear regression to assess whether childhood influences, proxied by height and its components, were associated with hematocrit (Hct), hemoglobin (HGB), and other hematological parameters in 28,595 older Chinese adults (mean age = 61.8 years) from the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study.

RESULTS

Adjusted for age, sex, and recruitment phase, leg length was negatively associated with platelets (PLT) (-0.83 × 10(9) /l per centimeter (cm), 95% confidence interval (CI) -1.01 to -0.65). Sitting height and height were positively associated with Hct (0.05% per cm, 95% CI 0.04-0.07 for sitting height; 0.02% per cm, 95% CI 0.01-0.02 for height), HGB (0.21 g/l per cm, 95% CI 0.17-0.25; 0.07 g/l per cm, 95% CI 0.04-0.09) and negatively associated with PLT (-1.2 × 10(9) /l per cm, 95% CI -1.4 to -1.0; -0.83 × 10(9) /l per cm, 95% CI -0.95 to -0.70). Further adjustment for potential confounders did little to change the estimates.

CONCLUSIONS

For the first time we provide anthropometric evidence for the different roles of prepubertal and pubertal influences in relation to Hct and HGB. Whether factors that promote leg growth but reduce growth of sitting height may help to prevent cardiovascular events, via effects on hypercoagulability or viscosity, overall or in specific subgroups, remains to be determined.