Importance of the Doppler Effect to the Determination of the Deuteron Binding Energy

The deuteron binding energy extracted from the reaction ${}^1H(n,\gamma){}^2H$ is reviewed with the exact relativistic formula, where the initial kinetic energy and the Doppler effect are taken into account. We find that the negligible initial kinetic energy of the neutron could cause a significant uncertainty which is beyond the errors available up to now. Therefore, we suggest an experiment which should include the detailed informations about the initial kinetic energy and the detection angle. It could reduce discrepancies among the recently reported values about the deuteron binding energy and pin down the uncertainty due to the Doppler broadening of $\gamma$ ray.Comment: 5 page

Predictors of treatment outcome in patients treated with radical chemoradiotherapy for stage III Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

Proffered SessionBACKGROUND: Chemoradiation has been well established as standard treatment for stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Previous studies have shown that the tumour size as well as its metabolic activity predict treatment outcome after definitive treatment for early-stage disease. We would like to investigate if there are any clinical and metabolic predictors of treatment outcome for stage III NSCLC after chemoradiation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 56 consecutive patients (46 males and 10 females) treated with radical concurrent chemoradiation for their stage IIIA (n=21) and IIIB (n=35) (AJCC 7th edition) unresectable non-small cell lung cancer between July 2006 to February 2012 were retrospectively reviewed. 42 patients had positron emission tomography with integrated computed tomography (PET-CT) scan performed at diagnosis. Of which 14 patients also had PET-CT scan after induction chemotherapy and before concurrent chemoradiation. All received concurrent chemoradiation +/- induction ...postprin

Prognostic and therapeutic significance of carbohydrate antigen 19-9 as tumor marker in patients with pancreatic cancer

In pancreatic cancer ( PC) accurate determination of treatment response by imaging often remains difficult. Various efforts have been undertaken to investigate new factors which may serve as more appropriate surrogate parameters of treatment efficacy. This review focuses on the role of carbohydrate antigen 19- 9 ( CA 19- 9) as a prognostic tumor marker in PC and summarizes its contribution to monitoring treatment efficacy. We undertook a Medline/ PubMed literature search to identify relevant trials that had analyzed the prognostic impact of CA 19- 9 in patients treated with surgery, chemoradiotherapy and chemotherapy for PC. Additionally, relevant abstract publications from scientific meetings were included. In advanced PC, pretreatment CA 19- 9 levels have a prognostic impact regarding overall survival. Also a CA 19- 9 decline under chemotherapy can provide prognostic information for median survival. A 20% reduction of CA 19- 9 baseline levels within the first 8 weeks of chemotherapy appears to be sufficient to define a prognostic relevant subgroup of patients ('CA 19- 9 responder'). It still remains to be defined whether the CA 19- 9 response is a more reliable method for evaluating treatment efficacy compared to conventional imaging. Copyright (c) 2006 S. Karger AG, Basel

Ancient micrometeorites suggestive of an oxygen-rich Archaean upper atmosphere

It is widely accepted that Earth’s early atmosphere contained less than 0.001 per cent of the present-day atmospheric oxygen (O2) level, until the Great Oxidation Event resulted in a major rise in O2 concentration about 2.4 billion years ago1. There are multiple lines of evidence for low O2 concentrations on early Earth, but all previous observations relate to the composition of the lower atmosphere2 in the Archaean era; to date no method has been developed to sample the Archaean upper atmosphere. We have extracted fossil micrometeorites from limestone sedimentary rock that had accumulated slowly 2.7 billion years ago before being preserved in Australia’s Pilbara region. We propose that these micrometeorites formed when sand-sized particles entered Earth’s atmosphere and melted at altitudes of about 75 to 90 kilometres (given an atmospheric density similar to that of today3). Here we show that the FeNi metal in the resulting cosmic spherules was oxidized while molten, and quench-crystallized to form spheres of interlocking dendritic crystals primarily of magnetite (Fe3O4), with wüstite (FeO)+metal preserved in a few particles. Our model of atmospheric micrometeorite oxidation suggests that Archaean upper-atmosphere oxygen concentrations may have been close to those of the present-day Earth, and that the ratio of oxygen to carbon monoxide was sufficiently high to prevent noticeable inhibition of oxidation by carbon monoxide. The anomalous sulfur isotope (Δ33S) signature of pyrite (FeS2) in seafloor sediments from this period, which requires an anoxic surface environment4, implies that there may have been minimal mixing between the upper and lower atmosphere during the Archaean

Defending the genome from the enemy within:mechanisms of retrotransposon suppression in the mouse germline

The viability of any species requires that the genome is kept stable as it is transmitted from generation to generation by the germ cells. One of the challenges to transgenerational genome stability is the potential mutagenic activity of transposable genetic elements, particularly retrotransposons. There are many different types of retrotransposon in mammalian genomes, and these target different points in germline development to amplify and integrate into new genomic locations. Germ cells, and their pluripotent developmental precursors, have evolved a variety of genome defence mechanisms that suppress retrotransposon activity and maintain genome stability across the generations. Here, we review recent advances in understanding how retrotransposon activity is suppressed in the mammalian germline, how genes involved in germline genome defence mechanisms are regulated, and the consequences of mutating these genome defence genes for the developing germline

The Influence of Crude Sheabutter Leaf-Extracts on Digestibility and Nitrogen Economy in Goats Fed a Concentrate Diet

A 28-day feed intake and digestibility trial was conducted with sixteen adult West African Dwarf goats to evaluate the influence of crude aqueous extracts of sheabutter leaf, added to maize-soy bean meal based concentrate diet (18.53 % CP). Goats were divided into four equal dietary groups balanced for body weight (range = 8.34 – 11.62; average = 9.17) and sex (4 males; 12 females). Each group was assigned to one of four treatments in a completely randomized design. Treatments consisted of different levels of crude extracts of shed sheabutter leaf added to 50 kg of the concentrate diet. The extracts were obtained by boiling 0, 12.5, 25.0 or 50.0 g) of powdered sheabutter leaf for 15 minutes in 1000 dm3 water. The four dietary treatments were designated as A, B, C and D respectively. Goats fed shed sheabutter leaf extracts- treated diet C or D consumed less (P < 0.05) dry matter than the control group A. Coefficients of digestibility of dry matter, crude protein, crude fibre, or ether extracts were higher (P < 0.05) for goats receiving the control diet A than for the treatment group C or D. Urinary nitrogen excretion was reduced (P < 0.05) in goats on sheabutter leaf extracts treatments, when compared with the control group and resulted in higher (P < 0 .05) nitrogen retention for goats on treatments B. All the goats remained in positive weight balance and showed no sign of malaise throughout the 28-day feeding trial. Results from the study supported the hypothesis that crude sheabutter leaf extracts at moderate dietary levels could positively influence the feeding values of concentrate diets as goats receiving dietary treatment B had improved (P < 0.05) body weight change, feed conversion ratio and nitrogen retention.Keywords: sheabutter leaf extracts, digestibility nitrogen economy and goa

Components Separation Technique Combined with a Double-Mesh Repair for Large Midline Incisional Hernia Repair

Background The surgical treatment of large midline incisional hernias remains a challenge. The aim of this report is to present the results of a new technique for large midline incisional hernia repair which combines the components- separation technique with a double-prostheticmesh repair. Methods The records of all consecutive patients who received a double-mesh combined with the componentsseparation technique for ventral hernia repair were reviewed. The clinical, surgical, and follow-up data were analyzed. Results Nine patients [3 women, 6 men; median age = 62 years (range = 26-77)] were included in the study. Median transverse defect size was 20 cm (range = 15-25). The median duration of hospital stay was 8 days (range = 5-17). Postoperative complications occurred in 66% (6/9). Follow-up [median = 13 months (range = 3-49)] showed no recurrent hernias, but one patient had a small hernia after a relaparotomy for colon carcinoma recurrence. The overall occurrence of wound infections was 44% (4/9). There was no mortality. Conclusion The components-separation technique in combination with a double-mesh has shown a low recurrence rate in the short-term follow-up. However, there is a considerable occurrence of postoperative wound infections. Long-term results of the hernia recurrence rate have to be awaited

GC-Rich Sequence Elements Recruit PRC2 in Mammalian ES Cells

Polycomb proteins are epigenetic regulators that localize to developmental loci in the early embryo where they mediate lineage-specific gene repression. In Drosophila, these repressors are recruited to sequence elements by DNA binding proteins associated with Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2). However, the sequences that recruit PRC2 in mammalian cells have remained obscure. To address this, we integrated a series of engineered bacterial artificial chromosomes into embryonic stem (ES) cells and examined their chromatin. We found that a 44 kb region corresponding to the Zfpm2 locus initiates de novo recruitment of PRC2. We then pinpointed a CpG island within this locus as both necessary and sufficient for PRC2 recruitment. Based on this causal demonstration and prior genomic analyses, we hypothesized that large GC-rich elements depleted of activating transcription factor motifs mediate PRC2 recruitment in mammals. We validated this model in two ways. First, we showed that a constitutively active CpG island is able to recruit PRC2 after excision of a cluster of activating motifs. Second, we showed that two 1 kb sequence intervals from the Escherichia coli genome with GC-contents comparable to a mammalian CpG island are both capable of recruiting PRC2 when integrated into the ES cell genome. Our findings demonstrate a causal role for GC-rich sequences in PRC2 recruitment and implicate a specific subset of CpG islands depleted of activating motifs as instrumental for the initial localization of this key regulator in mammalian genomes.Burroughs Wellcome FundCharles E. Culpeper FoundationMassachusetts General HospitalBroad Institute of MIT and Harvar

HIV and HPV infections and ocular surface squamous neoplasia: systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The frequency of ocular surface squamous neoplasias (OSSNs) has been increasing in populations with a high prevalence of infection with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) and infection with human papillomavirus (HPV). We aimed to quantify the association between HIV/AIDS and HPV infection and OSSN, through systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: The articles providing data on the association between HIV/AIDS and/or HPV infection and OSSN were identified in MEDLINE, SCOPUS and EMBASE searched up to May 2013, and through backward citation tracking. The DerSimonian and Laird method was used to compute summary relative risk (RR) estimates and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Heterogeneity was quantified with the I(2) statistic. RESULTS: HIV/AIDS was strongly associated with an increased risk of OSSN (summary RR=8.06, 95% CI: 5.29-12.30, I(2)=56.0%, 12 studies). The summary RR estimate for the infection with mucosal HPV subtypes was 3.13 (95% CI: 1.72-5.71, I(2)=45.6%, 16 studies). Four studies addressed the association between both cutaneous and mucosal HPV subtypes and OSSN; the summary RR estimates were 3.52 (95% CI: 1.23-10.08, I(2)=21.8%) and 1.08 (95% CI: 0.57-2.05, I(2)=0.0%), respectively. CONCLUSION: Human immunodeficiency virus infection increases the risk of OSSN by nearly eight-fold. Regarding HPV infection, only the cutaneous subtypes seem to be a risk factor

A novel piggybac transposon inducible expression system identifies a role for akt signalling in primordial germ cell migration

In this work, we describe a single piggyBac transposon system containing both a tet-activator and a doxycycline-inducible expression cassette. We demonstrate that a gene product can be conditionally expressed from the integrated transposon and a second gene can be simultaneously targeted by a short hairpin RNA contained within the transposon, both in vivo and in mammalian and avian cell lines. We applied this system to stably modify chicken primordial germ cell (PGC) lines in vitro and induce a reporter gene at specific developmental stages after injection of the transposon-modified germ cells into chicken embryos. We used this vector to express a constitutively-active AKT molecule during PGC migration to the forming gonad. We found that PGC migration was retarded and cells could not colonise the forming gonad. Correct levels of AKT activation are thus essential for germ cell migration during early embryonic development