Clinical relevance of circulating tumour cells in the bone marrow of patients with SCCHN

Background: Clinical outcome of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (SCCHN) depends on several risk factors like the presence of locoregional lymph node or distant metastases, stage, localisation and histologic differentiation of the tumour. Circulating tumour cells in the bone marrow indicate a poor prognosis for patients with various kinds of malignoma. The present study examines the clinical relevance of occult tumour cells in patients suffering from SCCHN. Patients and Methods: Bone marrow aspirates of 176 patients suffering from SCCHN were obtained prior to surgery and stained for the presence of disseminated tumour cells. Antibodies for cytokeratin 19 were used for immunohistochemical detection with APAAP on cytospin slides. Within a clinical follow-up protocol over a period of 60 months, the prognostic relevance of several clinicopathological parameters and occult tumour cells was evaluated. Results: Single CK19-expressing tumour cells could be detected in the bone marrow of 30.7% of the patients. There is a significant correlation between occult tumour cells in the bone marrow and relapse. Uni- and multivariate analysis of all clinical data showed the metastases in the locoregional lymph system and detection of disseminated tumour cells in the bone marrow to be statistically highly significant for clinical prognosis. Conclusion: The detection of minimal residual disease underlines the understanding of SCCHN as a systemic disease. Further examination of such cells will lead to a better understanding of the tumour biology, as well as to improvement of diagnostic and therapeutic strategies

Polarization-preserving confocal microscope for optical experiments in a dilution refrigerator with high magnetic field

We present the design and operation of a fiber-based cryogenic confocal microscope. It is designed as a compact cold-finger that fits inside the bore of a superconducting magnet, and which is a modular unit that can be easily swapped between use in a dilution refrigerator and other cryostats. We aimed at application in quantum optical experiments with electron spins in semiconductors and the design has been optimized for driving with, and detection of optical fields with well-defined polarizations. This was implemented with optical access via a polarization maintaining fiber together with Voigt geometry at the cold finger, which circumvents Faraday rotations in the optical components in high magnetic fields. Our unit is versatile for use in experiments that measure photoluminescence, reflection, or transmission, as we demonstrate with a quantum optical experiment with an ensemble of donor-bound electrons in a thin GaAs film.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figure

Electromagnetically Induced Transparency with an Ensemble of Donor-Bound Electron Spins in a Semiconductor

We present measurements of electromagnetically induced transparency with an ensemble of donor- bound electrons in low-doped n-GaAs. We used optical transitions from the Zeeman-split electron spin states to a bound trion state in samples with optical densities of 0.3 and 1.0. The electron spin dephasing time T* \approx 2 ns was limited by hyperfine coupling to fluctuating nuclear spins. We also observe signatures of dynamical nuclear polarization, but find these effects to be much weaker than in experiments that use electron spin resonance and related experiments with quantum dots.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures; Improved analysis of data in Fig. 3, corrected factors of 2 and p

Characterization of Polyphosphoesters by Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry

FT-ICR mass spectrometry, together with collision-induced dissociation and electron capture dissociation, has been used to characterize the polyphosphoester poly[1,4-bis(hydroxyethyl)terephthalate-alt-ethyloxyphosphate] and its degradation products. Three degradation pathways were elucidated: hydrolysis of the phosphate–[1,4-bis(hydroxyethyl)terephthalate]bonds; hydrolysis of the phosphate–ethoxy bonds; and hydrolysis of the ethyl–terephthalate bonds. The dominant degradation reactions were those that involved the phosphate groups. This work constitutes the first application of mass spectrometry to the characterization of polyphosphoesters and demonstrates the suitability of high mass accuracy FT-ICR mass spectrometry, with CID and ECD, for the structural analysis of polyphosphoesters and their degradation products

Hot blast stove process model and model-based controller

This paper describes the process model and model-based control techniques implemented on the hot blast stoves for the No. 7 Blast Furnace at the Inland Steel facility in East Chicago, Indiana. A detailed heat transfer model of the stoves is developed and verified using plant data. This model is used as part of a predictive control scheme to determine the minimum amount of fuel necessary to achieve the blast air requirements. The model is also used to predict maximum and minimum temperature constraint violations within the stove so that the controller can take corrective actions while still achieving the required stove performance

Beneficial Effect of Young Oocytes for Rabbit Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer

Abstract This study was designed to examine the effect of the age of rabbit oocytes on the developmental potential of cloned embryos. The metaphase II oocytes used for nuclear transfer (NT) were collected at 10, 12, 14, and 16h post-hCG injection (hpi). The total number of oocytes collected per donor (21.4-23.7) at 12 to 16 hpi was similar, but significantly higher than that collected at 10 hpi (16.2). Additionally, a significant improvement in blastocyst development was achieved with embryos generated by electrically mediated cell fusion (56.0%), compared to those from nuclear injection (13.1 %) (Experiment 1). Markedly higher blastocyst development (45.8-54.5%) was also achieved with oocytes collected at 10-12 hpi than from those collected 14-16 hpi (8.3-14.3%) (Experiment 2). In Experiment 3, the blastocyst rates of NT embryos derived from oocytes harvested 12 hpi (39.2-42.8 %) were significantly higher than from those collected at 16 hpi (6.8-8.4 %) (p<0.05), regardless of the donor cell age. Kinase activity assays showed variable changes of activity in rabbit oocytes over the period of 10-16 hpi; however, there was no correlation with preimplantational development (blastocyst rate vs. MPF, R=0.326; blastocyst rate vs. MAPK, R=0.131). Embryo transfer of NT embryos utilizing 12 hpi oocytes resulted in one full-term but stillborn, and one live cloned rabbit; thus, an efficiency of 1.7 % (n=117) (Experiment 4). These results demonstrated that NT utilizing relatively young rabbit oocytes, harvested at 10-12h after hCG injection, was beneficial for the development of NT embryos.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78139/1/clo.2008.0042.pd

Oocyte Source and Hormonal Stimulation for In Vitro

The aim of this study was to investigate the efficiency of in vitro embryo production in cattle utilizing sexed sperm from two bulls and oocytes recovered by OPU. Twenty donor animals were employed in eight OPU replicates: the first four OPU trials were conducted on animals without hormone treatment, and the last four were run on the same animals, following FSH subcutaneous and intramuscular administration. A higher rate of blastocyst development was recorded in stimulated, as compared to nonstimulated animals, (25.2% versus 12.8%, P = .001). Ocytes derived from slaughterhouse (SH) ovaries were also fertilized with sperm from the same bulls. Overall, non-sexed sperm used with oocytes derived from SH ovaries was significantly more efficient for blastocyst development than was sexed sperm with these same SH derived oocytes and sexed sperm with stimulated donor oocytes (39.8% versus 25.0% and 25.2%, P = .001). In conclusion, the use of sexed sperm with OPU-derived oocytes resulted in a significantly higher blastocyst development when donors were hormonally stimulated; furthermore, the level of efficiency achieved was comparable to that attained when the same sexed sperm was tested on oocytes derived from SH ovaries

Improving Cosmological Constraints from Galaxy Cluster Number Counts with CMB-cluster-lensing Data: Results from the SPT-SZ Survey and Forecasts for the Future

We show the improvement to cosmological constraints from galaxy cluster surveys with the addition of cosmic microwave background (CMB)-cluster lensing data. We explore the cosmological implications of adding mass information from the 3.1 sigma detection of gravitational lensing of the CMB by galaxy clusters to the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) selected galaxy cluster sample from the 2500 deg(2) SPT-SZ survey and targeted optical and X-ray follow-up data. In the ACDM model, the combination of the cluster sample with the Planck power spectrum measurements prefers sigma(8) (Omega(m)/0.3)(0.5) = 0.831 +/- 0.020. Adding the cluster data reduces the uncertainty on this quantity by a factor of 1.4, which is unchanged whether the 3.1 sigma CMB-cluster lensing measurement is included or not. We then forecast the impact of CMB-cluster lensing measurements with future cluster catalogs. Adding CMB-cluster lensing measurements to the SZ cluster catalog of the ongoing SPT-3G survey is expected to improve the expected constraint on the dark energy equation of state w by a factor of 1.3 to sigma(w) = 0.19. We find the largest improvements from CMB-cluster lensing measurements to be for sigma(8), where adding CMB-cluster lensing data to the cluster number counts reduces the expected uncertainty on sigma(8) by respective factors of 2.4 and 3.6 for SPT-3G and CMB-S4

Solitary neurofibroma of the gingiva with prominent differentiation of Meissner bodies : a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Oral neurofibromas are peripheral nerve sheath tumors, similar to schwannomas. Histological variations in oral neurofibromas are relatively uncommon.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>Here, we present a case of unique variation in the observed characteristics of a neurofibroma, with no relation to neurofibromatosis type-1 or von Recklinghausen disease of the skin. The neurofibroma was observed in the right mandibular gingiva of a 32-year-old Japanese woman. Histologically, it differed from conventional neurofibromas in that the tumor was composed of a mixture of fine fibrillary collagen in sheets and/or cords of neoplastic Schwann cells containing numerous clusters of Meissner bodies. Histologically, these bodies were in contact with neoplastic Schwann cells. The Meissner bodies were immunopositive for S-100 protein, neuron-specific enolase, and vimentin, but were negative for calretinin. CD34-positive spindle cells were observed around the Meissner bodies. No recurrence or signs of other tumors have been observed in the patient for 5 years after tumor resection.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>To the best of our knowledge, no formal descriptions of sporadic, solitary neurofibromas containing numerous Meissner bodies occurring in the oral cavity are available in literature. We believe that an uncommon proliferation of Meissner bodies, as seen in the present case, may result from aberrant differentiation of neoplastic Schwann cells.</p

Measurements of B-mode Polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background from 500 Square Degrees of SPTpol Data

We report a B-mode power spectrum measurement from the cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization anisotropy observations made using the SPTpol instrument on the South Pole Telescope. This work uses 500 deg$^2$ of SPTpol data, a five-fold increase over the last SPTpol B-mode release. As a result, the bandpower uncertainties have been reduced by more than a factor of two, and the measurement extends to lower multipoles: $52 < \ell < 2301$. Data from both 95 and 150 GHz are used, allowing for three cross-spectra: 95 GHz x 95 GHz, 95 GHz x 150 GHz, and 150 GHz x 150 GHz. B-mode power is detected at very high significance; we find $P(BB < 0) = 5.8 \times 10^{-71}$, corresponding to a $18.1 \sigma$ detection of power. An upper limit is set on the tensor-to-scalar ratio, $r < 0.44$ at 95% confidence (the expected $1 \sigma$ constraint on $r$ given the measurement uncertainties is 0.22). We find the measured B-mode power is consistent with the Planck best-fit $\Lambda$CDM model predictions. Scaling the predicted lensing B-mode power in this model by a factor Alens, the data prefer Alens = $1.17 \pm 0.13$. These data are currently the most precise measurements of B-mode power at $\ell > 320$.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures, Submitted to PR