Expression of c-myc, bcl-2 and survivin in cutaneous and oral squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma and actinic keratosis

Genes involved in apoptosis are important and over expression of these genes are thought to contribute to carcinogenesis. Aim: to evaluate the expression of anti-apoptotic factors in a series of epithelial malignancies and actinic keratosis using immunohistochemistry. Design: Laboratory microscopy of stained biopsy specimen. Materials and methods: Sections of specimens diagnosed as cutaneous-SCCs (CSCC), oral-SCCs (OSCC), basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and actinic keratosis (AK) were stained by using c-myc, bcl-2 and survivin antibodies. Results: In AK, c-myc expression was found in the nuclei of epithelium mostly in basal cell layers. In BCC, CSCC and OSCC, c-myc expression was found in both the nuclear and cytoplasmic regions of the tumor cells. Among all the cancer tissues, OSCC showed the strongest positive staining for c-myc. The expression of bcl-2 and survivin in AK were also found mostly as nuclear staining in the basal cell layer areas, while in the other cancer tissues, positive staining were found in both the nucleus and cytoplasm of the tumor cell. Conclusion: c-myc expressions correspond to the survivin expressions. c-myc expression was stronger in OSCC than in CSCC and BCC, and weaker in AK than in other malignant tumors. Key Words: c-myc, bcl-2, suvivin, cancer, immunohistochemistry

The Vector Meson Form Factor Analysis in Light-Front Dynamics

We study the form factors of vector mesons using a covariant fermion field theory model in $(3+1)$ dimensions. Performing a light-front calculation in the $q^+ =0$ frame in parallel with a manifestly covariant calculation, we note the existence of a nonvanishing zero-mode contribution to the light-front current $J^+$ and find a way of avoiding the zero-mode in the form factor calculations. Upon choosing the light-front gauge (\ep^+_{h=\pm}=0) with circular polarization and with spin projection $h=\uparrow\downarrow=\pm$, only the helicity zero to zero matrix element of the plus current receives zero-mode contributions. Therefore, one can obtain the exact light-front solution of the form factors using only the valence contribution if only the helicity components, $(h'h)=(++),(+-)$, and $(+0)$, are used. We also compare our results obtained from the light-front gauge in the light-front helicity basis (i.e. $h=\pm,0$) with those obtained from the non-LF gauge in the instant form linear polarization basis (i.e. $h=x,y,z$) where the zero-mode contributions to the form factors are unavoidable.Comment: 33 pages; typo in Eq.(15) is corrected; comment on Ref.[9] is corrected; version to appear in Phys. Rev.

Genetic structure of Pseudo-nitzschia pungens (Bacillariophyceae) populations: Implications of a global diversification of the diatom

Pseudo-nitzschia pungens is a planktonic marine diatom known to be widespread in tropical and temperate coastal waters. We examined the population genetic structure of tropical Southeast Asian populations of P. pungens and compared it with those of northern and southern temperate populations. The secondary structures of the nuclear encoded internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of 164 strains of P. pungens were modeled and analyzed. The tree revealed three ITS entities: clade I (comprised of P. pungens var. pungens) was distributed mainly in northern temperate waters; clade II (comprised of both P. pungens var. pungens and var. cingulata) was mainly from the NE Pacific; and clade III (comprised of both P. pungens var. pungens and var. aveirensis) was restricted to tropical and warm-temperate waters. Hybrids of both P. pungens var. pungens and var. cingulata co-occurred in clades I and II. Sixty haplotypes were revealed from the sequences of 164 strains. Haplotype diversity inferred from the median-joining network was in accordance with phylogenetic analysis, further supporting the grouping of the P. pungens haplogroups. Our results revealed limited gene flow between P. pungens from tropical and temperate waters, and significant population structure, as estimated by an analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA), with 75% of the total ITS variation found among populations (KST = 0.75). This study suggests that distinct environmental clines, such as ocean thermohaline circulation, have a potential for fragmenting and dispersing global populations of P. pungens. Formation of the Isthmus of Panama, in particular, is speculated to play a role in this allopatric differentiation in P. pungens populations worldwide

Transition Form Factors between Pseudoscalar and Vector Mesons in Light-Front Dynamics

We study the transition form factors between pseudoscalar and vector mesons using a covariant fermion field theory model in $(3+1)$ dimensions. Performing the light-front calculation in the $q^+ =0$ frame in parallel with the manifestly covariant calculation, we note that the suspected nonvanishing zero-mode contribution to the light-front current $J^+$ does not exist in our analysis of transition form factors. We also perform the light-front calculation in a purely longitudinal $q^+ > 0$ frame and confirm that the form factors obtained directly from the timelike region are identical to the ones obtained by the analytic continuation from the spacelike region. Our results for the $B \to D^* l \nu_l$ decay process satisfy the constraints on the heavy-to-heavy semileptonic decays imposed by the flavor independence in the heavy quark limit.Comment: 20 pages, 14 figure

Pseudo-nitzschia kodamae sp. nov. (Bacillariophyceae), a toxigenic species from the Strait of Malacca, Malaysia

A recent field survey of Pseudo-nitzschia species from coastal waters of Malaysia demonstrated the presence of a novel morphotype, P. sp. Port Dickson, in the Strait of Malacca. In this study, we revisited the site and established five clonal cultures of this morphotype, assessed the strains’ morphology and genetics, and delineated it as a novel species. As observed by electron microscopy, these strains showed morphological features identical to those of the previous field specimens designated as P. sp. Port Dickson. The cells differ from other Pseudo-nitzschia species in the P. pseudodelicatissima complex sensu lato by their lower densities of fibulae, striae and band striae in 10 mm. Molecular data of the nuclear encoded large subunit ribosomal rRNA gene and the internal transcript spacer region (ITS) further supported the delineation of this novel lineage. Based on both morphological and molecular data, P. sp. Port Dickson is considered to represent a new species, for which we propose the name Pseudo-nitzschia kodamae sp. nov. Production of domoic acid (DA) in the strains was examined by FMOC–LC–FLD. Only strains of P. kodamae were observed with a peak corresponding to DA, giving a concentration of 1.2– 42.5 pg DA cell�1. Screening of Pseudo-nitzschia caciantha, Pseudo-nitzschia batesiana, Pseudo-nitzschia fukuyoi and Pseudo-nitzschia lundholmiae cultures from the same waters, however, showed no detectable DA. This is the first report of a potentially toxigenic Pseudo-nitzschia species from the region

Incident Heart Failure and Long-Term Risk for Venous Thromboembolism

Background: Heart failure (HF) hospitalization places patients at increased short-term risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE). Long-term risk for VTE associated with incident HF, HF subtypes, or structural heart disease is unknown. Objectives: In the ARIC (Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities) cohort, VTE risk associated with incident HF, HF subtypes, and abnormal echocardiographic measures in the absence of clinical HF was assessed. Methods: During follow-up, ARIC identified incident HF and subcategorized HF with preserved ejection fraction or reduced ejection fraction. At the fifth clinical examination, echocardiography was performed. Physicians adjudicated incident VTE using hospital records. Adjusted Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate the association between HF or echocardiographic exposures and VTE. Results: Over a mean of 22 years in 13,728 subjects, of whom 2,696 (20%) developed incident HF, 729 subsequent VTE events were identified. HF was associated with increased long-term risk for VTE (adjusted hazard ratio: 3.13; 95% confidence interval: 2.58 to 3.80). In 7,588 subjects followed for a mean of 10 years, the risk for VTE was similar for HF with preserved ejection fraction (adjusted hazard ratio: 4.71; 95% CI: 2.94 to 7.52) and HF with reduced ejection fraction (adjusted hazard ratio: 5.53; 95% confidence interval: 3.42 to 8.94). In 5,438 subjects without HF followed for a mean of 3.5 years, left ventricular relative wall thickness and mean left ventricular wall thickness were independent predictors of VTE. Conclusions: In this prospective population-based study, incident hospitalized HF (including both heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and reduced ejection fraction), as well as echocardiographic indicators of left ventricular remodeling, were associated with greatly increased risk for VTE, which persisted through long-term follow-up. Evidence-based strategies to prevent long-term VTE in patients with HF, beyond time of hospitalization, are needed

Cosmological distance indicators

We review three distance measurement techniques beyond the local universe: (1) gravitational lens time delays, (2) baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO), and (3) HI intensity mapping. We describe the principles and theory behind each method, the ingredients needed for measuring such distances, the current observational results, and future prospects. Time delays from strongly lensed quasars currently provide constraints on $H_0$ with < 4% uncertainty, and with 1% within reach from ongoing surveys and efforts. Recent exciting discoveries of strongly lensed supernovae hold great promise for time-delay cosmography. BAO features have been detected in redshift surveys up to z <~ 0.8 with galaxies and z ~ 2 with Ly-$\alpha$ forest, providing precise distance measurements and $H_0$ with < 2% uncertainty in flat $\Lambda$CDM. Future BAO surveys will probe the distance scale with percent-level precision. HI intensity mapping has great potential to map BAO distances at z ~ 0.8 and beyond with precisions of a few percent. The next years ahead will be exciting as various cosmological probes reach 1% uncertainty in determining $H_0$, to assess the current tension in $H_0$ measurements that could indicate new physics.Comment: Review article accepted for publication in Space Science Reviews (Springer), 45 pages, 10 figures. Chapter of a special collection resulting from the May 2016 ISSI-BJ workshop on Astronomical Distance Determination in the Space Ag