Infinite square-well, trigonometric P\"oschl-Teller and other potential wells with a moving barrier

Using mainly two techniques, a point transformation and a time dependent supersymmetry, we construct in sequence several quantum infinite potential wells with a moving barrier. We depart from the well known system of a one-dimensional particle in a box. With a point transformation, an infinite square-well potential with a moving barrier is generated. Using time dependent supersymmetry, the latter leads to a trigonometric P\"oschl-Teller potential with a moving barrier. Finally, a confluent time dependent supersymmetry transformation is implemented to generate new infinite potential wells, all of them with a moving barrier. For all systems, solutions of the corresponding time dependent Schr\"odinger equation fulfilling boundary conditions are presented in a closed form

Grade of recurrent in situ and invasive carcinoma following treatment of pure ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast

Grade of recurrent in situ and invasive carcinoma following treatment of pure ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast The grade of recurrent in situ and invasive carcinoma occurring after treatment of pure ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) has been compared with the grade of the original DCIS in 122 patients from four different centres (The Royal Marsden Hospitals, London and Sutton, 57 patients; Guy's Hospital, London, 19 patients; Nottingham City Hospital, 31 patients and The Royal Liverpool Hospital, 15 patients). The recurrent carcinoma was pure DCIS in 70 women (57%) and in 52 women (43%) invasive carcinoma was present, which was associated with an in situ element in 43. In all, 19 patients developed a second recurrence (pure DCIS in 11 and invasive with or without an in situ element in eight). The majority of invasive carcinomas followed high-grade DCIS. There was strong agreement between the grade of the original DCIS and that of the recurrent DCIS (k = 0.679), which was the same in 95 of 113 patients (84%). The grade of the original DCIS showed only fair agreement with the grade of recurrent invasive carcinoma (k = 0.241), although agreement was stronger with the pleomorphism score of the recurrent carcinoma (k = 0.396). There was moderate agreement, in recurrent invasive lesions, between the grade of the DCIS and that of the associated invasive element (k = 0.515). Other features that showed moderate or strong agreement between the original and recurrent DCIS were necrosis and periductal inflammation. The similarity between the histological findings of the original and subsequent DCIS is consistent with the concept that recurrent lesions represent regrowth of residual carcinoma. In addition, although agreement between the grade of the original DCIS and that of any subsequent invasive carcinoma was only fair, there is no suggestion that low-grade DCIS lesions progress to higher grade lesions or to the development of higher grade invasive carcinoma. This is in agreement with immunohistochemical and molecular data indicating that low- grade and high-grade mammary carcinomas are quite different lesions

Spectrin-based skeleton as an actor in cell signaling

This review focuses on the recent advances in functions of spectrins in non-erythroid cells. We discuss new data concerning the commonly known role of the spectrin-based skeleton in control of membrane organization, stability and shape, and tethering protein mosaics to the cellular motors and to all major filament systems. Particular effort has been undertaken to highlight recent advances linking spectrin to cell signaling phenomena and its participation in signal transduction pathways in many cell types

Pan-cancer analysis of whole genomes

Cancer is driven by genetic change, and the advent of massively parallel sequencing has enabled systematic documentation of this variation at the whole-genome scale(1-3). Here we report the integrative analysis of 2,658 whole-cancer genomes and their matching normal tissues across 38 tumour types from the Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium of the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We describe the generation of the PCAWG resource, facilitated by international data sharing using compute clouds. On average, cancer genomes contained 4-5 driver mutations when combining coding and non-coding genomic elements; however, in around 5% of cases no drivers were identified, suggesting that cancer driver discovery is not yet complete. Chromothripsis, in which many clustered structural variants arise in a single catastrophic event, is frequently an early event in tumour evolution; in acral melanoma, for example, these events precede most somatic point mutations and affect several cancer-associated genes simultaneously. Cancers with abnormal telomere maintenance often originate from tissues with low replicative activity and show several mechanisms of preventing telomere attrition to critical levels. Common and rare germline variants affect patterns of somatic mutation, including point mutations, structural variants and somatic retrotransposition. A collection of papers from the PCAWG Consortium describes non-coding mutations that drive cancer beyond those in the TERT promoter(4); identifies new signatures of mutational processes that cause base substitutions, small insertions and deletions and structural variation(5,6); analyses timings and patterns of tumour evolution(7); describes the diverse transcriptional consequences of somatic mutation on splicing, expression levels, fusion genes and promoter activity(8,9); and evaluates a range of more-specialized features of cancer genomes(8,10-18).Peer reviewe

The effects of Hedera helix on viral respiratory infections in humans: A rapid review

Brief overviewBased on the evidence identified in this rapid review, Hedera helix preparations and herbal complex preparations including H. helix may be a therapeutic option for treating early symptoms of respiratory tract infections. The best effectiveness for H. helix preparations has been proven for coughing, as an expectorant and to reduce the frequency and intensity of cough. Only weak evidence was found for all other researched symptoms. Both adults and children tolerate H. helix well. Currently, there is insufficient evidence to recommend the use of this supplement in the treatment or prevention of COVID-19. However, the current evidence justifies further research to better understand its applicability in coronavirus infections.VerdictCurrent evidence suggests H. helix may improve the frequency and intensity of cough associated with viral respiratory infection. The overall applicability of additional findings is limited by the poorly defined outcome measures employed. However, studies focused explicitly on expectoration did report an increased conversion from dry to productive cough, and an improvement in expectoration amount, consistency and colour. These effects may be explained by a related finding of reduced oropharyngeal congestion and improved inflammatory markers (erythrocyte sedimentation rate and c-reactive protein). A decrease in frequency of night cough and respiratory pain was also reported, as was improved sleep quality and reduced cough-related sleep disturbance.Some studies also measured general respiratory tract infection symptoms and identified clinical improvement or resolution of fever, fatigue, sore throat, sneezing, wheezing, nasal congestion, post-nasal drip and body-ache. A reduced need for antibiotic prescriptions was also identified. While not consistently reported, the majority of studies also found H. helix reduced the overall severity of viral bronchitis and related conditions. Tolerability was rated as between 'good' and 'high'. Adverse events were rare or non-existent in almost all studies, and those that were reported were defined as non-serious and not drug-related