A 5 kDa protein (SCS23) from the 30 S subunit of the spinach chloroplast ribosome

AbstractThe proteins of the 30 S ribosomal subunits from spinach chloroplasts were investigated using a radical-free and highly reducing (RFHR) method of two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). Twenty-three proteins were resolved on the gel down to the smallest protein of 5 kDa. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the 5 kDa protein showed no homology with that of any other protein stored in databases, and the copy numbers were estimated to be 0.88±0.16 and 0.72±0.04 in the 30 S subunits and the 70 S ribosomes, respectively. The results suggest that the 5 kDa protein, which we have called SCS23, may be an essential ribosomal protein specific to spinach chloroplasts

Modified Fowler-Nordheim Field-Emission Formulae from a Nonplanar-Emitter Model

Field emission formulae, current-voltage characteristics and energy distribution of emitted electrons, are derived analytically for a nonplanar (hyperboloidal) metallic emitter model. The traditional Fowler-Nordheim formulae, which are derived from a planar emitter model, are modified, and the assumption of the planar emitter in the F-N model is reconsidered. Our analytical calculation also reveals the backgrounds of the previous numerical discussion by He et al. on the effect of the geometry of emitter on field emission. The new formulae contain a parameter which characterizes the sharpness of the hyperboloidal emitter, and experimental data of field emissions from clean tungsten emitters and nanotip emitters are analyzed by making use of this feature.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figure

Low HER2 expression is a predictor of poor prognosis in stage I triple-negative breast cancer

IntroductionTriple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is negative for hormone receptors and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). In stage I TNBC, adjuvant therapy or follow-up are performed according to risk factors, but clinical trial data is scarce. In recent years, it has been reported that HER2-low cases (1+/2+ and in situ hybridization negative) have different prognoses than HER2-0 cases. However, the risk of recurrence and risk factors in this HER2-low population for stage I TNBC have not yet been investigated.MethodsHerein, out of 174 patients with TNBC who underwent surgery from June 2004 to December 2009 at the National Cancer Center Hospital (Tokyo), we retrospectively examined 42 cases diagnosed as T1N0M0 TNBC after excluding those treated with preoperative chemotherapy.ResultsAll patients were female, the median age was 60.5 years, and 11 cases were HER2-low and 31 cases were HER2-0. The median follow-up period was 121 months. Postoperative adjuvant therapy was administered in 30 patients and recurrence occurred in 8 patients. HER2-low cases showed a significantly shorter disease-free survival (HR: 7.0; 95% CI: 1.2– 40.2; P=0.0016) and a trend towards shorter overall survival (hazard ratio [HR]: 4.2, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.58–31.4) compared with that of HER2-0 cases. HER2 was also identified as a factor for poor prognosis from the point- estimated values in univariate and multivariate analyses after confirming that there was no correlation between the other factors.ConclusionFor patients with stage I TNBC, the HER2-low population had a significantly worse prognosis than the HER2-0 population

Lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio as a prognostic and potential tumor microenvironment indicator in advanced soft tissue sarcoma treated with first-line doxorubicin therapy

Abstract Prognostic value of hematologic indices and their association with the tumor microenvironment (TME) remain unclear in advanced soft tissue sarcoma (STS). We aimed to evaluate their prognostic value and correlation with the TME status in advanced STS treated with first-line doxorubicin (DXR) therapy. Clinical data and three hematological indices, including lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, were collected from 149 patients with advanced STS. The TME status was pathologically examined by CD3, CD68, and CD20 staining of resected tumor slides. In a multivariate Cox analysis, low LMR and absence of primary tumor resection were independently associated with worse overall survival (OS) (HR 3.93, p = 0.001; HR 1.71, p = 0.03). A prognostic model using these variables predicted OS with greater area under curves than those obtained using Systemic Inflammatory Score and Glasgow Prognostic Score. The LMR significantly correlated with the tumoral CD3/CD68-positive cell ratio in surgical specimens (R = 0.959, p = 0.04). In conclusion, LMR was a prognostic factor in advanced STS treated with first-line DXR therapy. LMR could partially reflect anti-tumor immunity in the TME and have the prognostic value. The potential role of LMR as an indicator of TME status warrants further investigation