2,814 research outputs found
On the group theoretic structure of a class of quantum dialogue protocols
Intrinsic symmetry of the existing protocols of quantum dialogue are
explored. It is shown that if we have a set of mutually orthogonal -qubit
states {\normalsize
and a set of
() unitary operators
and
forms a group under multiplication then it
would be sufficient to construct a quantum dialogue protocol using this set of
quantum states and this group of unitary operators}. The sufficiency condition
is used to provide a generalized protocol of quantum dialogue. Further the
basic concepts of group theory and quantum mechanics are used here to
systematically generate several examples of possible groups of unitary
operators that may be used for implementation of quantum dialogue. A large
number of examples of quantum states that may be used to implement the
generalized quantum dialogue protocol using these groups of unitary operators
are also obtained. For example, it is shown that GHZ state, GHZ-like state, W
state, 4 and 5 qubit Cluster states, Omega state, Brown state, state
and state can be used for implementation of quantum dialogue protocol.
The security and efficiency of the proposed protocol is appropriately analyzed.
It is also shown that if a group of unitary operators and a set of mutually
orthogonal states are found to be suitable for quantum dialogue then they can
be used to provide solutions of socialist millionaire problem.Comment: 15 page
Room-temperature single-photon emission from zinc oxide nanoparticle defects and their in vitro photostable intrinsic fluorescence
published_or_final_versio
Integrated positron emission tomography/computed tomography fusion imaging: An emerging gold standard in lung cancer
Positron emission tomography (PET) has emerged as an important
diagnostic tool in the management of lung cancers. Although PET is
sensitive in detection of lung cancer, but FDG (2-deoxy-2- 18
fluro-D-glucose) is not tumor specific and may accumulate in a variety
of nonmalignant conditions occasionally giving false positive result.
Addition of CT to PET improves specificity foremost, but also
sensitivity in tumor imaging. Thus, PET/CT fusion images are a more
accurate test than either of its individual components and are
probably also better than side-by-side viewing of images from both
modalities. PET/CT fusion images are useful in differentiating between
malignant and benign disease, fibrosis and recurrence, staging and in
changing patient management to more appropriate therapy. With analysis
and discussion it appears that PET/ CT fusion images have the potential
to dramatically improve our ability to manage the patients with lung
cancer and is contributing to our understanding of cancer cell biology
and in development of new therapies
Chiral emergence in multistep hierarchical assembly of achiral conjugated polymers
Intimately connected to the rule of life, chirality remains a long-time
fascination in biology, chemistry, physics and materials science. Chiral
structures, e.g., nucleic acid and cholesteric phase developed from chiral
molecules are common in nature and synthetic soft materials. While it was
recently discovered that achiral but bent core mesogens can also form chiral
helices, the assembly of chiral microstructures from achiral polymers has
rarely been explored. Here, we reveal chiral emergence from achiral conjugated
polymers for the first time, in which hierarchical helical structures are
developed through a multistep assembly pathway. Upon increasing concentration
beyond a threshold volume fraction, pre-aggregated polymer nanofibers form
lyotropic liquid crystalline (LC) mesophases with complex, chiral morphologies.
Combining imaging, X-ray and spectroscopy techniques with molecular
simulations, we demonstrate that this structural evolution arises from
torsional polymer molecules which induce multiscale helical assembly,
progressing from nano- to micron scale helical structures as the solution
concentration increases. This study unveils a previously unknown complex state
of matter for conjugated polymers that can pave way to a new field of chiral
(opto)electronics. We anticipate that hierarchical chiral helical structures
can profoundly impact how conjugated polymers interact with light, transport
charges, and transduce signals from biomolecular interactions and even give
rise to properties unimagined before.Comment: 47 pages, 7 figure
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Efficacy of avalglucosidase alfa on forced vital capacity percent predicted in treatment-naïve patients with late-onset Pompe disease: A pooled analysis of clinical trials.
BACKGROUND: The efficacy of avalglucosidase alfa (AVA) versus alglucosidase alfa (ALG) on forced vital capacity percent predicted (FVCpp) in patients with late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD) has been assessed in the Phase 3 COMET trial (NCT02782741). Due to the rarity of LOPD and thus small sample size in COMET, additional data were analyzed to gain further insights into the efficacy of AVA versus ALG. METHODS: Data from treatment-naive patients with LOPD were pooled from COMET and Phase 1/2 NEO1/NEO-EXT (NCT01898364/NCT02032524) trials for patients treated with AVA, and Phase 3 LOTS trial (NCT00158600) for patients treated with ALG. Regression analyses using mixed models with repeated measures consistent with those pre-specified in COMET were performed post-hoc. Analyses were adjusted for trials and differences in baseline characteristics. Four models were developed: Model 1 considered all trials; Model 2 included Phase 3 trials; Model 3 included Phase 3 trials and was adjusted for baseline ventilation use; Model 4 included COMET and NEO1/NEO-EXT (i.e., AVA trials only). RESULTS: Overall, 100 randomized patients from COMET (AVA, n = 51, ALG, n = 49), 60 from LOTS (ALG arm only), and three patients from NEO1/NEO-EXT (who received open-label AVA only) were considered for analysis. Mean age at enrollment was similar across trials (45.3-50.3 years); however, patients from LOTS had a longer mean duration of disease versus COMET and NEO1/NEO-EXT trials (9.0 years and 0.5-2.2 years, respectively) and younger mean age at diagnosis (36.2 years and 44.7-48.6 years, respectively). Least squares mean (95% confidence interval) improvement from baseline in FVCpp at Week 49-52 for AVA versus ALG was 2.43 (-0.13; 4.99) for COMET (n = 98); 2.31 (0.06; 4.57) for Model 1 (n = 160); 2.43 (0.21; 4.65) for Model 2 (n = 157); 2.80 (0.54; 5.05) for Model 3 (n = 154); and 2.27 (-0.30; 4.45) for Model 4 (n = 101). CONCLUSIONS: Models 1 to 3, which had an increased sample size versus COMET, demonstrated a nominally significant effect on FVCpp favoring AVA versus ALG after 1 year of treatment, consistent with results from COMET
Study of temperature dependent atomic correlations in MgB
We have studied the evolution with temperature of the local as well as the
average crystal structure of MgB using the real-space atomic pair
distribution function (PDF) measured by high resolution neutron powder
diffraction. We have investigated the correlations of the B-B and B-Mg nearest
neighbor pair motion by comparing, in the wide temperature range from T=10 K up
to T=600 K, the mean-square displacements (MSD) of single atoms with the
mean-square relative displacements (MSRD) obtained from the PDF peak
linewidths. The results show that the single atom B and Mg vibrations are
mostly decoupled from each other, with a small predominance of positive (in
phase) correlation factor for both the B-B and B-Mg pairs. The small positive
correlation is almost temperature independent, in contrast with our theoretical
calculations; this can be a direct consequence of the strong decay processes of
the anharmonic phonons
Mammary tuberculosis mimicking breast cancer: a case report
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>The incidence of tuberculosis is rising worldwide and rare manifestations of the past are seen more often nowadays. Mammary tuberculosis is a rare clinical entity, often mimicking breast cancer or abscesses of benign or malignant origin. Clinical awareness is necessary during diagnostic work-up for establishing the correct diagnosis and treatment.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We present a case of breast tuberculosis diagnosed in a 73 year old woman at our institution. The patient presented with a palpable mass of the right breast with clinical, laboratory and mammographic findings indicative of breast carcinoma. The patient underwent lumpectomy and sentinel lymph node biopsy. Frozen section of the tumor and the sentinel node revealed "granulomatous inflammation", while gross examination confirmed the diagnosis of tuberculous mastitis. The patient received anti-tuberculosis therapy for six months with no side effects or any further complications.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Breast tuberculosis is an obscure disease often mistaken for carcinoma or pyogenic abscess of the breast, especially if well-defined clinical features are absent. A high index of suspicion is required because the disease can usually be treated conservatively with current antituberculous modalities while surgical intervention is reserved for rare cases only.</p
Inhibition of proteasome activity by the dietary flavonoid apigenin is associated with growth inhibition in cultured breast cancer cells and xenografts
Abstract
Introduction
Proteasome inhibition is an attractive approach to anticancer therapy and may have relevancy in breast cancer treatment. Natural products, such as dietary flavonoids, have been suggested as natural proteasome inhibitors with potential use for cancer prevention and therapeutics. We previously reported that apigenin, a flavonoid widely distributed in many fruits and vegetables, can inhibit proteasome activity and can induce apoptosis in cultured leukemia Jurkat T cells. Whether apigenin has proteasome-inhibitory activity in the highly metastatic human breast MDA-MB-231 cells and xenografts, however, is unknown.
Methods
MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell cultures and xenografts were treated with apigenin, followed by measurement of reduced cellular viability/proliferation, proteasome inhibition, and apoptosis induction. Inhibition of the proteasome was determined by levels of the proteasomal chymotrypsin-like activity, by ubiquitinated proteins, and by accumulation of proteasome target proteins in extracts of the treated cells or tumors. Apoptotic cell death was measured by capase-3/caspase-7 activation, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage, and immunohistochemistry for terminal nucleotidyl transferase-mediated nick end labeling positivity.
Results
We report for the first time that apigenin inhibits the proteasomal chymotrypsin-like activity and induces apoptosis not only in cultured MDA-MB-231 cells but also in MDA-MB-231 xenografts. Furthermore, while apigenin has antibreast tumor activity, no apparent toxicity to the tested animals was observed.
Conclusion
We have shown that apigenin is an effective proteasome inhibitor in cultured breast cancer cells and in breast cancer xenografts. Furthermore, apigenin induces apoptotic cell death in human breast cancer cells and exhibits anticancer activities in tumors. The results suggest its potential benefits in breast cancer prevention and treatment
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