Oncologic Outcomes of Radical Prostatectomy and Prognostic Stratification in Patients with Clinically Locally Advanced Prostate Cancer

Oncologic outcomes of radical prostatectomy in 106 patients with clinically locally advanced prostate cancer were demonstrated. The mean follow-up was 50.6 (12-129) months. 5-year recurrence-free survival was 47.7 %, 5-year cancer-specific and overall survival - 85.8 %. Patients were devided into three different risk groups: low risk patients had PSA level <20 ng/ml, biopsy Gleason score ≤6 and absence of the seminal vesicle invasion of cancer; intermediate risk was noted when the patient had only one of poor prognostic factors (PSA ≥20 ng/ml or biopsy Gleason score≥7 or presence of cancer invasion to the seminal vesicle) and high risk patients had 2 or 3 poor prognostic factors. For patients of low, intermediate and high risk the biochemical reccurence rates were 14.3 %, 37.1 % and 70.2 %, respectively (p=0.002). The patients of intermediate and high risk had clinically significant higher risk of biochemical reccurence than those of low risk with odds ratio 3.0 and 8.5, respectively. Such grouping may help in guiding the individualized treatment for these patients

Sea ice decline drives biogeographical shifts of key Calanus species in the central Arctic Ocean

In recent decades, the central Arctic Ocean has been experiencing dramatic decline in sea ice coverage, thickness and extent, which is expected to have a tremendous impact on all levels of Arctic marine life. Here, we analyze the regional and temporal changes in pan-Arctic distribution and population structure of the key zooplankton species Calanus glacialis and C. hyperboreus in relation to recent changes in ice conditions, based on historical (1993–1998) and recent (2007–2016) zooplankton collections and satellite-based sea ice observations. We found strong correlations between Calanus abundance/population structure and a number of sea ice parameters. These relationships were particularly strong for C. glacialis, with higher numbers being observed at locations with a lower ice concentration, a shorter distance to the ice edge, and more days of open water. Interestingly, early stages of C. hyperboreus followed the same trends, suggesting that these two species substantially overlap in their core distribution area in the Arctic Ocean. Calanus glacialis and C. hyperboreus have been historically classified as shelf versus basin species, yet we conclude that both species can inhabit a wide range of bottom depths and their distribution in the Arctic Ocean is largely shaped by sea ice dynamics. Our data suggest that the core distribution patterns of these key zooplankton are shifting northwards with retreating sea ice and changing climate conditions.publishedVersio

Sea ice decline drives biogeographical shifts of key Calanus species in the central Arctic Ocean

publishedVersio

In a comfort zone and beyond—Ecological plasticity of key marine mediators

Copepods of the genus Calanus are the key components of zooplankton. Understanding their response to a changing climate is crucial to predict the functioning of future warmer high‐latitude ecosystems. Although specific Calanus species are morphologically very similar, they have different life strategies and roles in ecosystems. In this study, C. finmarchicus and C. glacialis were thoroughly studied with regard to their plasticity in morphology and ecology both in their preferred original water mass (Atlantic vs. Arctic side of the Polar Front) and in suboptimal conditions (due to, e.g., temperature, turbidity, and competition in Hornsund fjord). Our observations show that “at the same place and time,” both species can reach different sizes, take on different pigmentation, be in different states of population development, utilize different reproductive versus lipid accumulation strategies, and thrive on different foods. Size was proven to be a very mutable morphological trait, especially with regard to reduced length of C. glacialis. Both species exhibited pronounced red pigmentation when inhabiting their preferred water mass. In other domains, C. finmarchicus individuals tended to be paler than C. glacialis individuals. Gonad maturation and population development indicated mixed reproductive strategies, although a surprisingly similar population age structure of the two co‐occurring species in the fjord was observed. Lipid accumulation was high and not species‐specific, and its variability was due to diet differences of the populations. According to the stable isotope composition, both species had a more herbivorous diatom‐based diet in their original water masses. While the diet of C. glacialis was rather consistent among the domains studied, C. finmarchicus exhibited much higher variability in its feeding history (based on lipid composition). Our results show that the plasticity of both Calanus species is indeed impressive and may be regulated differently, depending on whether they live in their “comfort zone” or beyond it.publishedVersionUnit Licence Agreemen

Spring plankton dynamics in the Eastern Bering Sea, 1971-2050 : mechanisms of interannual variability diagnosed with a numerical model

A new planktonic ecosystem model was constructed for the Eastern Bering Sea based on observations from the 2007-2010 BEST/BSIERP (Bering Ecosystem Study/Bering Sea Integrated Ecosystem Research Program) field program. When run with forcing from a data-assimilative ice-ocean hindcast of 1971-2012, the model performs well against observations of spring bloom time evolution (phytoplankton and microzooplankton biomass, growth and grazing rates, and ratios among new, regenerated, and export production). On the southern middle shelf (57°N, station M2), the model replicates the generally inverse relationship between ice-retreat timing and spring bloom timing known from observations, and the simpler direct relationship between the two that has been observed on the northern middle shelf (62°N, station M8). The relationship between simulated mean primary production and mean temperature in spring (15 February to 15 July) is generally positive, although this was found to be an indirect relationship which does not continue to apply across a future projection of temperature and ice cover in the 2040s. At M2, the leading direct controls on total spring primary production are found to be advective and turbulent nutrient supply, suggesting that mesoscale, wind-driven processes - A dvective transport and storminess - may be crucial to long-term trends in spring primary production in the southeastern Bering Sea, with temperature and ice cover playing only indirect roles. Sensitivity experiments suggest that direct dependence of planktonic growth and metabolic rates on temperature is less significant overall than the other drivers correlated with temperature described above

Observation of B+- -> omega K+- Decay

We report the first observation of the charmless two-body mode $B^{\pm} \to \omega K^{\pm}$ decay, and a new measurement of the branching fraction for the $B^{\pm} \to \omega \pi^{\pm}$ decay. The measured branching fractions are ${\cal B} (B^{\pm} \to \omega K^{\pm}) = (9.2{}^{+2.6}_{-2.3}\pm 1.0) \times 10^{-6}$ and ${\cal B} (B^{\pm} \to \omega \pi^{\pm}) = (4.2{}^{+2.0}_{-1.8}\pm 0.5) \times 10^{-6}$. %and we set 90% confidence level upper limits of %${\cal B} (B^- \to \omega \pi^-) < 8.1\times 10^{-6}$. We also measure the partial rate asymmetry of $B^{\pm}\to\omega K^{\pm}$ decays and obtain ${\cal A}_{CP} = -0.21 \pm 0.28 \pm 0.03$. The results are based on a data sample of 29.4 fb$^{-1}$ collected on the $\Upsilon(4S)$ resonance by the Belle detector at the KEKB $e^{+} e^{-}$ collider.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, resubmitted to Phys. Rev. Let

Observation of B0bar --> D(*)0 p pbar

The B meson decay modes B --> D p pbar and B --> D* p pbar have been studied using 29.4 fb^{-1} of data collected with the Belle detector at KEKB. The B0bar --> D0 p pbar and B0bar --> D*0 p pbar decays have been observed for the first time with branching fractions Br(B0bar --> D0 p pbar) =(1.18\pm 0.15\pm 0.16) 10^{-4} and Br(B0bar --> D*0 p pbar) =(1.20^{+0.33}_{-0.29}\pm 0.21) 10^{-4}. No signal has been found for the B+ --> D+ p pbar and B+ --> D*+ p pbar decay modes, and the corresponding upper limits at 90% C.L. are presented.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, submited to Phys. Rev. Let

Observation of the decay B^0->D+D*-

We report the first observation of the decay B^0->D+-D*-+ with the Belle detector at the KEKB e^+e^- collider operated at the Upsilon(4S) resonance. The sum of branching fractions B(B^0->D+D*-)+B(B^0->D-D*+) is measured to be (1.17+-0.26+0.22-0.25)x10^-3 using the full reconstruction method where both charmed mesons from B^0 decays are reconstructed. A consistent value ((1.48+-0.38+0.28-0.31)x10^-3) is obtained using a partial reconstruction technique that only uses the slow pion from the D*- ->bar D^0pi- decay and a fully reconstructed D+ to reconstruct the B^0.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure

Observation of Double cc bar Production in e+ e- Annihilation at sqrt{s} ~ 10.6 GeV

We report the observation of prompt J/psi via double ccbar production from the e+e- continuum. In this process one ccbar pair fragments into a J/psi meson while the remaining pair either produces a bound charmonium state or fragments into open charm. Both cases have been observed: the first by studying the mass spectrum of the system recoiling against the J/psi, and the second by reconstructing the J/psi together with a charmed meson. We find cross-sections of \sigma(e+ e- -> J/psi eta_c (gamma)) * BR (eta_c -> >=4 charged) = 0.033 (+0.007 -0.006)(stat) \pm 0.009(syst)pb and \sigma(e+ e- -> J/psi D*+ X) = 0.53 (+0.19 -0.15)(stat) \pm 0.14(syst) pb, and infer \sigma(e+ e- -> J/psi c cbar) / \sigma(e+ e- -> J/psi X) = 0.59 (+0.15 -0.13)(stat) \pm 0.12(syst). These results are obtained from a 46.2/fb data sample collected near the Upsilon(4S) resonance, with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric energy e+ e- collider.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, to be submitted to Physical Review Letter