ALTERED PHOSPHORYLATION STATUS, PHOSPHOLIPID-METABOLISM AND GLUCONEOGENESIS IN THE HOST LIVER OF RATS WITH PROSTATE-CANCER - A P-31 MAGNETIC-RESONANCE SPECTROSCOPY STUDY

31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) in vivo and in vitro was used to study modulation of host liver (HL) metabolism in rats bearing the MAT-LyLu variant of the Dunning prostate tumour. Animals were inoculated either with 10(6) or 10(7) MAT-LyLu cells, or with saline to serve as controls. Carcass weight in tumour-bearing (TB) animals decreased despite similar food and water intake in both groups. Absence of metastatic tumour cells from HL of all TB animals was confirmed by histological examination. Twenty-one days after inoculation, 31P MRS showed a 2.5-fold increase in [Pi]/[ATP] ratios in HL in vivo (P < 0.001) which was confirmed by 31P MRS of liver extracts in vitro (P < 0.005). Phosphodiester to ATP ratios were significantly increased (P < 0.05) in HL in vivo, but absolute PDE levels were similar in both groups. Phosphomonoester to ATP ratios did not change, although absolute phosphomonoester levels in HL were reduced by -41% (not significant). In HL extracts in vitro, sharp reductions in the levels of glucose-6-phosphate (P < 0.05), fructose-6-phosphate (P = 0.05), phosphocholine (P < 0.001), glycerophosphocholine (P < 0.001), and glycerophosphoethanolamine (P < 0.001) were observed. Electron microscopy revealed increased amounts and altered distribution of rough endoplasmic reticulum in HL. These findings show that experimental prostate cancer significantly affects hepatic phosphorylation status, phospholipid metabolism, and gluconeogenesis in the host animal, and demonstrate the value of combined MRS in vivo and in vitro in monitoring HL metabolism in cancer

Sputter deposition and characterization of lithium cobalt oxide thin films and their applications in thin-film rechargeable lithium batteries

Li Co oxide thin films were deposited by rf magnetron sputtering of a LiCoO{sub 2} target in a 3:1 Ar/O{sub 2} mixture gas. From proton-induced gamma-ray emission analysis and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, the average composition of these films was determined to be Li{sub 1.15}CoO{sub 2.16}. X-ray powder diffraction patterns of films annealed in air at 500-700 C were consistent with regular rhombohedral structure of crystalline LiCoO{sub 2}. Discharge curves of thin film lithium cells with amoprohous LiCoO{sub 2} showed no obvious structural transition between 4.2 and 1.5 V. Shape of discharge curves of cells with polycrystalline cathodes were consistent with a two-phase voltage plateau at {similar_to}3.9 V with a relatively large capacity and two additional smaller plateaus at higher voltages. Cells with the 700 C annealed cathodes showed a capacity loss of {similar_to} after 1000 cycles between 4.2 and 3.0 V

Inter-rater reliability of the EPUAP pressure ulcer classification system using photographs

Background. Many classification systems for grading pressure ulcers are discussed in the literature. Correct identification and classification of a pressure ulcer is important for accurate reporting of the magnitude of the problem, and for timely prevention. The reliability of pressure ulcer classification systems has rarely been tested. Aims and objectives. The purpose of this paper is to examine the inter-rater reliability of classifying pressure ulcers according to the European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel classification system when using pressure ulcer photographs.Design. Survey was among pressure ulcer experts.Methods. Fifty-six photographs were presented to 44 pressure ulcer experts. The experts classified the lesions as normal skin, blanchable erythema, pressure ulcer (four grades) or incontinence lesion. Inter-rater reliability was calculated.Results. The multirater-Kappa for the entire group of experts was 0.80 (P &lt; 0.001).Various groups of experts obtained comparable results. Differences in classifications are mainly limited to 1 degree of difference. Incontinence lesions are most often confused with grade 2 (blisters) and grade 3 pressure ulcers (superficial pressure ulcers).Conclusions. The inter-rater reliability of the European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel classification appears to be good for the assessment of photographs by experts. The difference between an incontinence lesion and a blister or a superficial pressure ulcer does not always seem clear.Relevance to clinical practice. The ability to determine correctly whether a lesion is a pressure ulcer lesion is important to assess the effectiveness of preventive measures. In addition, the ability to make a correct distinction between pressure ulcers and incontinence lesions is important as they require different preventive measures. A faulty classification leads to mistaken measures and negative results. Photographs can be used as a practice instrument to learn to discern pressure ulcers from incontinence lesions and to get to know the different grades of pressure ulcers. The Pressure Ulcer Classification software package has been developed to facilitate learning

Ionic Conductivities of Lithium Phosphorus Oxynitride Glasses, Polycrystals and Thin Films

Various lithium phosphorus oxynitrides have been prepared in the form of glasses, polycrystals, and thin films. The structures of these compounds were investigated by X-ray and neutron diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The ac impedance measurements indicate a significant improvement of ionic conductivity as the result of incorporation of nitrogen into the structure. In the case of polycrystalline Li{sub 2.88}PO{sub 3.73}N{sub 0.14} with the {gamma}-Li{sub 3}PO{sub 4} structure, the conductivity increased by several orders of magnitude on small addition of nitrogen. The highest conductivities in the bulk glasses and thin films were found to be 3.0 {times} 10{sup -7} and 8.9 {times} 10{sup -7} S{center_dot}cm{sup -1} at 25{degrees}C, respectively

The Synthesis of [{n-Bu2Sn(S2N2)}2] and its use in the preparation of Organometallic Iridium Sulfur Nitrogen Complexes

The addition of [n-Bu2SnCl2] to a solution of [S4N3][Cl] in liquid ammonia gave after extraction of the dry reaction mixture the new tin disulfur dinitrido compound [{n-Bu2Sn(S2N2)}(2)] (1). Reaction of [{n-Bu2Sn(S2N2)}(2)] (1) with the pentamethylcyclopentadienyl (Cp*) iridium derivatives [{IrCl(mu-Cl)(eta(5)-C5Me5)}(2)] or [(eta(5)-C5Me5)IrCl2(PPh3)] gave different products, which were dependent on the reactant ratios. A 1:1 reaction between 1 and [{IrCl(mu-Cl)(eta(5)-C5Me5)}(2)] gave only [(eta(5)-C5Me5)Ir(S2N2)] (2) in moderate yield; the same product in higher yield was obtained from a 2:1 reaction between 1 and [(eta(5)-C5Me5)IrCl2(PPh3)]. Reaction of 1 and [(eta(5)-C5Me5)(2)IrCl2(PPh3)] (1:1 molar ratio) in the presence of NH4[PF6] gave the unusual bimetallic species [(eta(5)-C5Me5)IrCl(PPh3)(S2N2)Ir(eta(5)-C5Me5)][PF6] (3). The X-ray crystal structures of 1, 2, and 3 are reported.PostprintPeer reviewe

Four lectures on secant varieties

This paper is based on the first author's lectures at the 2012 University of Regina Workshop "Connections Between Algebra and Geometry". Its aim is to provide an introduction to the theory of higher secant varieties and their applications. Several references and solved exercises are also included.Comment: Lectures notes to appear in PROMS (Springer Proceedings in Mathematics & Statistics), Springer/Birkhause

Observation of a new chi_b state in radiative transitions to Upsilon(1S) and Upsilon(2S) at ATLAS

The chi_b(nP) quarkonium states are produced in proton-proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV and recorded by the ATLAS detector. Using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.4 fb^-1, these states are reconstructed through their radiative decays to Upsilon(1S,2S) with Upsilon->mu+mu-. In addition to the mass peaks corresponding to the decay modes chi_b(1P,2P)->Upsilon(1S)gamma, a new structure centered at a mass of 10.530+/-0.005 (stat.)+/-0.009 (syst.) GeV is also observed, in both the Upsilon(1S)gamma and Upsilon(2S)gamma decay modes. This is interpreted as the chi_b(3P) system.Comment: 5 pages plus author list (18 pages total), 2 figures, 1 table, corrected author list, matches final version in Physical Review Letter

Search for displaced vertices arising from decays of new heavy particles in 7 TeV pp collisions at ATLAS

We present the results of a search for new, heavy particles that decay at a significant distance from their production point into a final state containing charged hadrons in association with a high-momentum muon. The search is conducted in a pp-collision data sample with a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV and an integrated luminosity of 33 pb^-1 collected in 2010 by the ATLAS detector operating at the Large Hadron Collider. Production of such particles is expected in various scenarios of physics beyond the standard model. We observe no signal and place limits on the production cross-section of supersymmetric particles in an R-parity-violating scenario as a function of the neutralino lifetime. Limits are presented for different squark and neutralino masses, enabling extension of the limits to a variety of other models.Comment: 8 pages plus author list (20 pages total), 8 figures, 1 table, final version to appear in Physics Letters