Electron energy loss study of Ag- and Au-GaAs(110) interfaces

A high-resolution electron energy loss investigation of the Ag- and Au-GaAs(110) interfaces is presented. The loss spectra (0.5 less than or equal to E(loss) less than or equal to 5 eV) show clearly a broad feature centred at 1.2 eV, that is within the energy gap, due to the metal coverage. This structure, which starts appearing at coverages as low as 0.1 Angstrom, becomes undetectable at coverages of 24 Angstrom of Ag and 1.6 Angstrom of Au. The gap energy region has been examined on several freshly cleaved surfaces. In the case of bad cleaveges, a peak similar to that induced by the metal overlayer develops, a fact which supports mechanisms ascribing the Fermi level pinning to defect states

PD-L1 and Notch as novel biomarkers in Pancreatic Sarcomatoid Carcinoma: a pilot study

Background: The improved immunological understanding revealed the tumor microenvironment as an appealing driver to restore the immune response against cancer cells resulting in a paradigm shift in the oncology field. However, the complexity of the tumor milieu suggests a role of several pathways linking in immunomodulation mechanisms. Pancreatic cancer represents a model of the intricate relationship between malignant cells and their surrounding neighborhood. Research design and methods: In this study we analyzed, retrospectively, 6 cases of rare pancreatic sarcomatoid carcinoma (PSC) and evaluated the expression of PD-L1 and Notch, aiming to explore new attributes in immunophenotype. Results: PD-L1 CPS≥1% was common in PSCs (83%) with half samples expressing PD-L1 CPS≥50%. Notch1 and Notch3 expression resulted positive demonstrating a high IRS range of expression. A direct significant correlation between PD-L1 and Nocth3 overexpression (r=0.7; p=0.036) has been observed. Moreover, immunofluorescence studies revealed a co-localization of Notch3 and PD-L1 when both proteins were over-expressed within cytoplasmic or membranous compartments of the same cells. Conclusions: Our data identify a unique biological characterization of this rare pancreatic histotype. These findings provide a rationale for future studies evaluating the potential crosstalk between PD-L1/PD-1 axis and Notch pathways and prompting the development of novel therapeutics strategy