Cloning of a Carcinoembryonic Antigen Gene Family Member Expressed in Leukocytes of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Patients and Bone Marrow

The carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) gene family belongs to the immunoglobulin superfamily and can be subdivided into the CEA and pregnancy-specific glycoprotein subgroups. The basic structure of the encoded proteins consists of, in addition to a leader, one IgV-like and 2, 3, or 6 IgC-like domains. These domains are followed by varying COOH-terminal regions responsible for secretion, transmembrane anchoring, or insertion into the membrane by a glycosyl phosphatidylinositol tail. Here we report on the characterization of CGM6, a new member of the CEA gene subgroup, by complementary DNA cloning. The deduced coding region comprises 349 amino acids and consists of a leader, one IgV-like, two IgC-like domains, and a hydrophobic region, which is replaced by a glycosyl phosphatidylinositol moiety in the mature protein. CGM6 transcripts were only found thus far in leukocytes of chronic myeloid leukemia patients, in normal bone marrow, and in marginal amounts in normal granulocytes. The CGM6 gene product might, therefore, represent a myeloid marker. Analyses of CGM6 protein-expressing HeLa transfectants with monoclonal antibodies strongly indicate that the CGM6 gene codes for the CEA family member NCA-95

Clinical, biochemical, and genetic spectrum of seven patients with NFU1 deficiency

Disorders of the mitochondrial energy metabolism are clinically and genetically heterogeneous. An increasingly recognized subgroup is caused by defective mitochondrial iron-sulfur (Fe-S) cluster biosynthesis, with defects in 13 genes being linked to human disease to date. Mutations in three of them, NFU1, BOLA3, and IBA57, affect the assembly of mitochondrial [4Fe-4S] proteins leading to an impairment of diverse mitochondrial metabolic pathways and ATP production. Patients with defects in these three genes present with lactic acidosis, hyperglycinemia, and reduced activities of respiratory chain complexes I and II, the four lipoic acid-dependent 2-oxoacid dehydrogenases and the glycine cleavage system (GCS). To date, five different NFU1 pathogenic variants have been reported in 15 patients from 12 families. We report on seven new patients from five families carrying compound heterozygous or homozygous pathogenic NFU1 mutations identified by candidate gene screening and exome sequencing. Six out of eight different disease alleles were novel and functional studies were performed to support the pathogenicity of five of them. Characteristic clinical features included fatal infantile encephalopathy and pulmonary hypertension leading to death within the first 6 months of life in six out of seven patients. Laboratory investigations revealed combined defects of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (five out of five) and respiratory chain complexes I and II+III (four out of five) in skeletal muscle and/or cultured skin fibroblasts as well as increased lactate (five out of six) and glycine concentration (seven out of seven). Our study contributes to a better definition of the phenotypic spectrum associated with NFU1 mutations and to the diagnostic workup of future patients

Laparoscopic Fertility-Sparing Surgery for Early Ovarian Malignancies

The demand for fertility-sparing surgery (FSS) has increased in the last decade due to increased maternal age, increased incidence of ovarian malignancies in younger patients, and technical advances in surgery. Data on oncological safety and fertility outcomes of patients with ovarian cancer after laparoscopic FSS are sparse, but some retrospective studies have shown that open FSS may be offered to selected patients. We assessed the role of minimally invasive FSS in comparison with radical surgery (RS) in terms of oncological safety and reproductive outcomes after FSS in this multicenter study. Eighty patients with FIGO stage I/II ovarian cancer treated with laparoscopic FSS or RS between 01/2000 and 10/2018 at the participating centers (comprehensive gynecological cancer centers with minimally invasive surgical expertise) were included in this retrospective analysis of prospectively kept data. Case–control (n = 40 each) matching according to the FIGO stage was performed. Progression-free survival [150 (3–150) and 150 (5–150) months; p = 0.61] and overall survival [36 (3–150) and 50 (1–275) months; p = 0.65] did not differ between the FSS and RS groups. Eight (25.8%) women became pregnant after FSS, resulting in seven (22.5%) deliveries; three (37.5%) patients conceived after in vitro fertilization, and five (62.5%) conceived spontaneously. Laparoscopic FSS seems to be applicable and oncologically safe for patients with early-stage ovarian cancer, with adequate fertility outcomes

Different reactions to adverse neighborhoods in games of cooperation

In social dilemmas, cooperation among randomly interacting individuals is often difficult to achieve. The situation changes if interactions take place in a network where the network structure jointly evolves with the behavioral strategies of the interacting individuals. In particular, cooperation can be stabilized if individuals tend to cut interaction links when facing adverse neighborhoods. Here we consider two different types of reaction to adverse neighborhoods, and all possible mixtures between these reactions. When faced with a gloomy outlook, players can either choose to cut and rewire some of their links to other individuals, or they can migrate to another location and establish new links in the new local neighborhood. We find that in general local rewiring is more favorable for the evolution of cooperation than emigration from adverse neighborhoods. Rewiring helps to maintain the diversity in the degree distribution of players and favors the spontaneous emergence of cooperative clusters. Both properties are known to favor the evolution of cooperation on networks. Interestingly, a mixture of migration and rewiring is even more favorable for the evolution of cooperation than rewiring on its own. While most models only consider a single type of reaction to adverse neighborhoods, the coexistence of several such reactions may actually be an optimal setting for the evolution of cooperation.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures; accepted for publication in PLoS ON

SIP an Biokohlen - Neue Ergebnisse und neue Einsichten in das elektrochemische Modell von Wong (Geophysics 1979, 44(7), 1245-1265)

Biokohlen unterscheiden sich je nach Ausgangsmaterial und Herstellungsverfahren mitunter beträchtlich. Bei den Herstellungsverfahren kann man im Wesentlichen drei Typen unterscheiden. Die Pyrolyse, d.h. die Erhitzung auf 300-800 °C unter Sauerstoffausschluss, die Vergasung, d.h. die Erhitzung unter Zusatz eines Oxidationsmittels im Unterschuss vorwiegend bei noch höheren Temperaturen und die hydrothermale Karbonisierung. Letztere findet im Gegensatz zu den ersten beiden im Kontakt des zu karbonisierenden Materials mit einer Wasserphase unter Druck bei Temperaturen von 150-300 °C statt. Die Produkte der hydrothermalen Karbonisierung unterscheiden sich deshalb beträchtlich von denen der beiden anderen Verfahrenstypen. Die hydrothermale Karbonisierung ist besonders vorteilhaft, wenn das Ausgangsmaterial eine hohe Feuchte hat und bei den anderen beiden Verfahren viel Energie verbraucht wird, um die Feuchte aus dem Material auszutreiben. In diesem Beitrag werden die Ergebnisse aus der Bestimmung oberflächenfunktioneller Gruppen durch Boehm-Titration und elektrischer Messungen mit spektraler induzierter Polarisation (SIP) für eine pyrolytische Kohle aus Kiefernholz und einer Kohle aus der hydrothermalen Karbonisierung von Miscanthus giganteus (Elefantengras) verglichen. Die Kohle aus der hydrothermalen Karbonisierung enthält deutlich mehr funktionelle Gruppen, zeigt aber nur eine relativ geringe elektrische Polarisation in wassergesättigten Mischungen mit Sand. Die pyrolytische Kohle, die mit einer langen Kontaktzeit bei 400 °C hergestellt worden war, zeigt dagegen eine sehr hohe Polarisation und im Gegensatz zu der anderen Kohle keine Abhängigkeit des Phasenwinkels vom Elektrolytgehalt des Wassers. Daraus kann geschlossen werden, dass der Polarisationsmechanismus für beide Kohlen unterschiedlich ist. Während bei der Kohle aus der hydrothermalen Karbonisierung im Wesentlichen eine Polarisation durch Verschiebung der Ionen in der elektrischen Doppelschicht stattfindet, erfolgt bei der pyrolytischen Kohle eine Polarisation der Elektronenverteilung in den elektronisch leitenden Kohlepartikeln. Die SIP-Spektren solcher Materialien lassen sich mit der Theorie von Wong beschreiben, welche die Leckströme durch Redox-Reaktionen über die Partikel-Elektrolyt-Grenzfläche mitberücksichtigt. Die Messwerte für die Kohle aus Kiefernholz lassen sich bei Verwendung sinnvoller Parameter mit dieser Theorie recht gut beschreiben, wenn man in Betracht zieht, dass einige der Voraussetzungen der Theorie nicht erfüllt sind. Elektronenmikroskopische Aufnahmen zeigen, dass die pyrolytische Kohle eine hohe Porosität besitzt, weswegen die Kontaktfläche mit dem Elektrolyt verglichen mit der Kontaktfläche starrer Kugeln, wie sie die Theorie voraussetzt, wesentlich größer wird. Deshalb muss ein wesentlich höherer Volumenanteil an Kohle in das theoretische Modell eingesetzt werden, um die gemessene Peakhöhe des Phasenwinkels zu erhalten. Eine Weiterentwicklung der Theorie von Wong wäre deshalb anzustreben

Geometric IR subtraction for final state real radiation

A scheme is proposed for the subtraction of soft and collinear divergences present in massless real emission phase space integrals. The scheme is based on a local slicing procedure which utilises the soft and collinear factorisation properties of amplitudes to produce universal counter-terms whose analytic integration is relatively simple. We propose that this scheme can be promoted to a fully local subtraction method. As a first application the scheme is applied to establish a general pole formula for final state real radiation at NLO and NNLO in Yang Mills theory for arbitrary multiplicities. All required counter-terms are evaluated to all orders in the dimensional regulator in terms of $\Gamma$ - and ${}_pF_q$ hypergeometric - functions. As a proof of principle the poles in the dimensional regulator of the $H\to gggg$ double real emission contribution to the $H\to gg$ decay rate are reproduced.Comment: 48 pages, 7 figure

Electron Dynamics in Nd1.85_{1.85}Ce.15_{.15}CuO4+δ_{4+\delta}: Evidence for the Pseudogap State and Unconventional c-axis Response

Infrared reflectance measurements were made with light polarized along the a- and c-axis of both superconducting and antiferromagnetic phases of electron doped Nd$_{1.85}$Ce$_{.15}$CuO$_{4+\delta}$. The results are compared to characteristic features of the electromagnetic response in hole doped cuprates. Within the CuO$_2$ planes the frequency dependent scattering rate, 1/$\tau(\omega)$, is depressed below $\sim$ 650 cm$^{-1}$; this behavior is a hallmark of the pseudogap state. While in several hole doped compounds the energy scales associated with the pseudogap and superconducting states are quite close, we are able to show that in Nd$_{1.85}$Ce$_{.15}$CuO$_{4+\delta}$ the two scales differ by more than one order of magnitude. Another feature of the in-plane charge response is a peak in the real part of the conductivity, $\sigma_1(\omega)$, at 50-110 cm$^{-1}$ which is in sharp contrast with the Drude-like response where $\sigma_1(\omega)$ is centered at $\omega=0$. This latter effect is similar to what is found in disordered hole doped cuprates and is discussed in the context of carrier localization. Examination of the c-axis conductivity gives evidence for an anomalously broad frequency range from which the interlayer superfluid is accumulated. Compelling evidence for the pseudogap state as well as other characteristics of the charge dynamics in Nd$_{1.85}$Ce$_{.15}$CuO$_{4+\delta}$ signal global similarities of the cuprate phase diagram with respect to electron and hole doping.Comment: Submitted to PR

Study of Spin and Decay-Plane Correlations of W Bosons in the e+e- -> W+W- Process at LEP

Data collected at LEP at centre-of-mass energies \sqrt(s) = 189 - 209 GeV are used to study correlations of the spin of W bosons using e+e- -> W+W- -> lnqq~ events. Spin correlations are favoured by data, and found to agree with the Standard Model predictions. In addition, correlations between the W-boson decay planes are studied in e+e- -> W+W- -> lnqq~ and e+e- -> W+W- -> qq~qq~ events. Decay-plane correlations, consistent with zero and with the Standard Model predictions, are measured

Ultrarelativistic sources in nonlinear electrodynamics

The fields of rapidly moving sources are studied within nonlinear electrodynamics by boosting the fields of sources at rest. As a consequence of the ultrarelativistic limit the delta-like electromagnetic shock waves are found. The character of the field within the shock depends on the theory of nonlinear electrodynamics considered. In particular, we obtain the field of an ultrarelativistic charge in the Born-Infeld theory.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure

Measurement of the Cross Section for Open-Beauty Production in Photon-Photon Collisions at LEP

The cross section for open-beauty production in photon-photon collisions is measured using the whole high-energy and high-luminosity data sample collected by the L3 detector at LEP. This corresponds to 627/pb of integrated luminosity for electron-positron centre-of-mass energies from 189GeV to 209GeV. Events containing b quarks are identified through their semi-leptonic decay into electrons or muons. The e+e- -> e+e-b b~X cross section is measured within our fiducial volume and then extrapolated to the full phase space. These results are found to be in significant excess with respect to Monte Carlo predictions and next-to-leading order QCD calculations