144 research outputs found
Expression of submaxillary gland androgen-regulated protein 3A (SMR3A) in adenoid cystic carcinoma of the head and neck
Background: Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the head and neck (ACC) is a rare tumor entity which originates from the salivary glands. The prognosis remains poor, as the tumor tends to exhibit perineural invasion and frequently develops distant metastases. The submaxillary gland androgen-regulated protein 3A (SMR3A) belongs to a gene family producing opiorphin homologs and is physiologically secreted by salivary glands. Expression of SMR3A has been identified as an unfavorable risk factor in survival of patients with squamous cell carcinoma in the head and neck, but its value as a prognostic biomarker for ACC has not been addressed. Materials and Methods: Tissue sections from primary ACC (n=86) and healthy glandular tissue as reference, were stained by immunohistochemistry. SMR3A expression levels were correlated with clinical and pathological features, including overall survival. Results: All patients had undergone surgery and 67 received adjuvant radiotherapy. The median disease-free survival (DFS) was 37 months and the median overall survival (OS) was 75 months. Prominent SMR3A expression in tumor cells was found in 24 of 86 patients (27,9%), and was inversely correlated with a male gender (p=0.009). There was no significant correlation between SMR3A expression and DFS, metastasis-free survival or OS. Conclusion: Our data demonstrate for the first time decreased levels of SMR3A in ACC compared to normal glandular tissue. These data suggest a context-dependent regulation of SMR3A expression in the pathogenesis of distinct subtypes of head and neck tumors, and support the assumption that detection of SMR3A expression serves as a surrogate for aberrant differentiation into mucosal- or glandular-like cells in ACC and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
Expression of Kallikrein-related peptidase 6 in primary mucosal malignant melanoma of the head and neck
Mucosal melanomas of the head and neck (MMHN) are aggressive tumors with poor prognosis, different opposed to cutaneous melanoma. In this study, we characterized primary mucosal malignant melanoma for the expression of Kallikrein-related peptidase 6 (KLK6), a member of the KLK family with relevance to the malignant phenotype in various cancer types including cutaneous melanoma. Paraffin-embedded MMHN of 22 patients were stained immunohistochemically for KLK6 and results were correlated with clinical and pathological data. In 77.3% (17/22) of MMHN cases, positive KLK6 staining was found. Staining pattern for tumor cells showed a predominant cytoplasmic staining. However, in six cases we also observed a prominent nuclear staining. MMHN with a high KLK6 expression showed significantly better outcome concerning local recurrence-free survival (p = 0.013) and nuclear KLK6 staining was significantly associated with the survival status (p = 0.027). Overexpression of KLK6 was detected in more than 70% of MMHN and approximately 40% of tumors showed a strong expression pattern. Correlation between clinical outcome of MMHN patients and overexpression of KLK6 has not been addressed so far. Our data demonstrate for the first time increased levels of KLK6 in MMHN and strengthen the hypothesis that there might be a context-specific regulation and function of KLK6 in mucosal melanoma
GRS 1915+105 : High-energy Insights with SPI/INTEGRAL
We report on results of two years of INTEGRAL/SPI monitoring of the Galactic
microquasar GRS 1915+105. From September 2004 to May 2006, the source has been
observed twenty times with long (approx 100 ks) exposures. We present an
analysis of the SPI data and focus on the description of the high-energy (> 20
keV) output of the source. We found that the 20 - 500 keV spectral emission of
GRS 1915+105 was bound between two states. It seems that these high-energy
states are not correlated with the temporal behavior of the source, suggesting
that there is no direct link between the macroscopic characteristics of the
coronal plasma and the the variability of the accretion flow. All spectra are
well fitted by a thermal comptonization component plus an extra high-energy
powerlaw. This confirms the presence of thermal and non-thermal electrons
around the black hole.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figures, 2 tables; accepted (09/11/2008) for publication
in A&
Microfabricated Ion Traps
Ion traps offer the opportunity to study fundamental quantum systems with
high level of accuracy highly decoupled from the environment. Individual atomic
ions can be controlled and manipulated with electric fields, cooled to the
ground state of motion with laser cooling and coherently manipulated using
optical and microwave radiation. Microfabricated ion traps hold the advantage
of allowing for smaller trap dimensions and better scalability towards large
ion trap arrays also making them a vital ingredient for next generation quantum
technologies. Here we provide an introduction into the principles and operation
of microfabricated ion traps. We show an overview of material and electrical
considerations which are vital for the design of such trap structures. We
provide guidance in how to choose the appropriate fabrication design, consider
different methods for the fabrication of microfabricated ion traps and discuss
previously realized structures. We also discuss the phenomenon of anomalous
heating of ions within ion traps, which becomes an important factor in the
miniaturization of ion traps
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