Feasibility study on the design of a probe for rectal cancer detection

Rectal examination techniques are considered in terms of detection capability, patient acceptance, and cost reduction. A review of existing clinical techniques are considered in terms of detection capability, patient acceptance, and cost reduction. A review of existing clinical techniques and of relevant aerospace technology included evaluation of the applicability of visual, thermal, ultrasound, and radioisotope modalities of examination. The desired improvements can be obtained by redesigning the proctosigmoidoscope to have reduced size, additional visibility, and the capability of readily providing a color photograph of the entire rectosigmoid mucosa in a single composite view

Expression of the HPV16E7 Oncoprotein by Thymic Epithelium is Accompanied by Disrupted T Cell Maturation and a Failure of the Thymus to Involute with Age

Transgenic mice expressing the E7 protein of HPV16 from the keratin 14 promoter demonstrate increasing thymic hypertrophy with age. This hypertrophy is associated with increased absolute numbers of all thymocyte types, and with increased cortical and medullary cellularity. In the thymic medulla, increased compartmentalization of the major thymic stromal cell types and expansion of thymic epithelial cell population is observed. Neither an increased rate of immature thymocyte division nor a decreased rate of immature thymocyte death was able to account for the observed hypertrophy

The size of the proton - closing in on the radius puzzle

We analyze the recent electron-proton scattering data from Mainz using a dispersive framework that respects the constraints from analyticity and unitarity on the nucleon structure. We also perform a continued fraction analysis of these data. We find a small electric proton charge radius, r_E^p = 0.84_{-0.01}^{+0.01} fm, consistent with the recent determination from muonic hydrogen measurements and earlier dispersive analyses. We also extract the proton magnetic radius, r_M^p = 0.86_{-0.03}^{+0.02} fm, consistent with earlier determinations based on dispersion relations.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, fit improved, small modifications, section on continued fractions modified, conclusions on the proton charge radius unchanged, version accepted for publication in European Physical Journal

On the Dalitz Plot Approach in Non-leptonic Charm Meson Decays

We claim that the non-resonant contribution to non-leptonic charm meson decays may not be constant in the phase space of the reaction. We argue that this can be relevant for any weak reaction. We discuss in detail the decay $D^+ \to K^- \pi^+ \pi^+$.Comment: Version accepted for publication in Physical Review Letters. 9 pages, Latex, including 2 figure

Spectral functions of isoscalar scalar and isovector electromagnetic form factors of the nucleon at two-loop order

We calculate the imaginary parts of the isoscalar scalar and isovector electromagnetic form factors of the nucleon up to two-loop order in chiral perturbation theory. Particular attention is paid on the correct behavior of Im $\sigma_N(t)$ and Im $G_{E,M}^V(t)$ at the two-pion threshold $t_0=4 m_\pi^2$ in connection with the non-relativistic 1/M-expansion. We recover the well-known strong enhancement near threshold originating from the nearby anomalous singularity at $t_c = 4m_\pi^2-m_\pi^4/M^2 = 3.98 m_\pi^2$. In the case of the scalar spectral function Im $\sigma_N(t)$ one finds a significant improvement in comparison to the lowest order one-loop result. Higher order $\pi\pi$-rescattering effects are however still necessary to close a remaining 20%-gap to the empirical scalar spectral function. The isovector electric and magnetic spectral functions Im $G_{E,M}^V(t)$ get additionally enhanced near threshold by the two-pion-loop contributions. After supplementing their two-loop results by a phenomenological $\rho$-meson exchange term one can reproduce the empirical isovector electric and magnetic spectral functions fairly well.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Physical Review

Ruthenocuprates RuSr2(Eu,Ce)2Cu2O10: Intrinsic magnetic multilayers

We report ac susceptibility data on RuSr_2(Eu,Ce)_2Cu_2O_(10-y) (Ru-1222, Ce content x=0.5 and 1.0), RuSr_2GdCu_2O_8 (Ru-1212) and SrRuO_3. Both Ru-1222 (x=0.5, 1.0) sample types exhibit unexpected magnetic dynamics in low magnetic fields: logarithmic time relaxation, switching behavior, and `inverted' hysteresis loops. Neither Ru-1212 nor SrRuO_3 exhibit such magnetic dynamics. The results are interpreted as evidence of the complex magnetic order in Ru-1222. We propose a specific multilayer model to explain the data, and note that superconductivity in the ruthenocuprate is compatible with both the presence and absence of the magnetic dynamics.Comment: 9 pages, 11 figures, Revtex; submitted to Phys.Rev.

Immunological responses in human papillomavirus 16 E6/E7-transgenic mice to E7 protein correlate with the presence of skin disease

The human papillomavirus (HPV) oncogenes, E6 and E7, are believed to contribute to the development of cervical cancers in women infected with certain HPV genotypes, most notably HPV-16 and HPV-18. Given their expression in tumor tissue, E6 and E7 have been implicated as potential tumor-specific antigens. We have examined an HPV-16 E6- and E7-transgenic mouse lineage for immune responses to these viral oncoproteins. Mice in this lineage express the HPV-16 E6 and E7 genes in their skin and eyes, and on aging, these mice frequently develop squamous cell carcinomas and lenticular tumors. Young transgenic mice, which had measurable E7 protein in the eye but not in the skin, were immunologically naive to E7 protein. They mounted an immune response to E7 on immunization comparable to that of nontransgenic controls, suggesting a lack of immune tolerance to this protein. Older line 19 mice, which are susceptible to skin disease associated with transcription of the E6 and E7 open reading frames, had measurable E7 protein in their skin. These older transgenic mice spontaneously developed antibody responses to endogenous E7 protein, particularly in association with skin disease. Also detected in older mice were delayed-type hypersensitivity responses to E7. These finding parallel the humoral immune response to E7 protein in patients with HPV-associated cervical cancer and suggest that line 19 mice may provide a model for studying the immunobiology of HPV-associated cancers

Microprojection arrays applied to skin generate mechanical stress, induce an inflammatory transcriptome and cell death, and improve vaccine-induced immune responses

Abstract: Chemical adjuvants are typically used to improve immune responses induced by immunisation with protein antigens. Here we demonstrate an approach to enhance immune responses that does not require chemical adjuvants. We applied microprojection arrays to the skin, producing a range of controlled mechanical energy to invoke localised inflammation, while administering influenza split virus protein antigen. We used validated computational modelling methods to identify links between mechanical stress and energy generated within the skin strata and resultant cell death. We compared induced immune responses to those induced by needle-based intradermal antigen delivery and used a systems biology approach to examine the nature of the induced inflammatory response, and correlated this with markers of cell stress and death. Increasing the microprojection array application energy and the addition of QS-21 adjuvant were each associated with enhanced antibody response to delivered antigen and with induction of gene transcriptions associated with TNF and NF-κB signalling pathways. We concluded that microprojection intradermal antigen delivery inducing controlled local cell death could potentially replace chemical adjuvants to enhance the immune response to protein antigen

Strong Coupling Constant from the Photon Structure Function

We extract the value of the strong coupling constant alpha_s from a single-parameter pointlike fit to the photon structure function F_2^gamma at large x and Q^2 and from a first five-parameter full (pointlike and hadronic) fit to the complete F_2^gamma data set taken at PETRA, TRISTAN, and LEP. In next-to-leading order and the MSbar renormalization and factorization schemes, we obtain alpha_s(m_Z)=0.1183 +/- 0.0050(exp.)^+0.0029_-0.0028(theor.) [pointlike] and alpha_s(m_Z)=0.1198 +/- 0.0028(exp.)^+0.0034_-0.0046(theor.) [pointlike and hadronic]. We demonstrate that the data taken at LEP have reduced the experimental error by about a factor of two, so that a competitive determination of alpha_s from F_2^gamma is now possible.Comment: 11 pages, 2 tables, 2 figures. Version accepted for publication by Phys. Rev. Let