Hemodynamic evaluation using four-dimensional flow magnetic resonance imaging for a patient with multichanneled aortic dissection

The hemodynamic function of multichanneled aortic dissection (MCAD) requires close monitoring and effective management to avoid potentially catastrophic sequelae. This report describes a 47-year-old man who underwent endovascular repair based on findings from four-dimensional (4D) flow magnetic resonance imaging of an MCAD. The acquired 4D flow data revealed complex, bidirectional flow patterns in the false lumens and accelerated blood flow in the compressed true lumen. The collapsed abdominal true lumen expanded unsatisfactorily after primary tear repair, which required further remodeling with bare stents. This case study demonstrates that hemodynamic analysis using 4D flow magnetic resonance imaging can help understand the complex pathologic changes of MCAD

Conditions for Nondistortion Interrogation of Quantum System

Under some physical considerations, we present a universal formulation to study the possibility of localizing a quantum object in a given region without disturbing its unknown internal state. When the interaction between the object and probe wave function takes place only once, we prove the necessary and sufficient condition that the object's presence can be detected in an initial state preserving way. Meanwhile, a conditioned optimal interrogation probability is obtained.Comment: 5 pages, Revtex, 1 figures, Presentation improved, corollary 1 added. To appear in Europhysics Letter

Projection Measurement of the Maximally Entangled N-Photon State for a Demonstration of N-Photon de Broglie Wavelength

We construct a projection measurement process for the maximally entangled N-photon state (the NOON-state) with only linear optical elements and photodetectors. This measurement process will give null result for any N-photon state that is orthogonal to the NOON state. We examine the projection process in more detail for N=4 by applying it to a four-photon state from type-II parametric down-conversion. This demonstrates an orthogonal projection measurement with a null result. This null result corresponds to a dip in a generalized Hong-Ou-Mandel interferometer for four photons. We find that the depth of the dip in this arrangement can be used to distinguish a genuine entangled four-photon state from two separate pairs of photons. We next apply the NOON state projection measurement to a four-photon superposition state from two perpendicularly oriented type-I parametric down-conversion processes. A successful NOON state projection is demonstrated with the appearance of the four-photon de Broglie wavelength in the interference fringe pattern.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, new title, some content change, replaced Fig.

Neutrino Masses, Lepton Flavor Mixing and Leptogenesis in the Minimal Seesaw Model

We present a review of neutrino phenomenology in the minimal seesaw model (MSM), an economical and intriguing extension of the Standard Model with only two heavy right-handed Majorana neutrinos. Given current neutrino oscillation data, the MSM can predict the neutrino mass spectrum and constrain the effective masses of the tritium beta decay and the neutrinoless double-beta decay. We outline five distinct schemes to parameterize the neutrino Yukawa-coupling matrix of the MSM. The lepton flavor mixing and baryogenesis via leptogenesis are investigated in some detail by taking account of possible texture zeros of the Dirac neutrino mass matrix. We derive an upper bound on the CP-violating asymmetry in the decay of the lighter right-handed Majorana neutrino. The effects of the renormalization-group evolution on the neutrino mixing parameters are analyzed, and the correlation between the CP-violating phenomena at low and high energies is highlighted. We show that the observed matter-antimatter asymmetry of the Universe can naturally be interpreted through the resonant leptogenesis mechanism at the TeV scale. The lepton-flavor-violating rare decays, such as $\mu \to e + \gamma$, are also discussed in the supersymmetric extension of the MSM.Comment: 50 pages, 22 EPS figures, macro file ws-ijmpe.cls included, accepted for publication in Int. J. Mod. Phys.

Detection of promoter hypermethylation of the CpG island of E-cadherin in gastric cardiac adenocarcinoma

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Aim</p> <p>Abnormal hypermethylation of CpG islands associated with tumor suppressor genes can lead to transcriptional silencing in neoplasia. The aim of this study was to investigate the promoter methylation and expression of E-cadherin gene in gastric cardiac adenocarcinoma (GCA).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A nested MSP approach, immunohistochemistry method and RT-PCR were used respectively to examine the methylation status of the 5' CpG island of E-cadherin, its protein expression and mRNA expression in tumors and corresponding normal tissues.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>E-cadherin was methylated in 63 of 92 (68.5%) tumor specimens, which was significantly higher than that in corresponding normal tissues (P < 0.001). Methylation frequencies of stage III and IV tumor tissues was significantly higher than that in stage I and II tumor tissues (P = 0.01). Methylation status of poor differentiation group was significantly higher than moderate and poor-moderate differentiation groups (P < 0.01). By immunostaining 51 of 92 tumor tisssues demonstrated heterogeneous, positive immunostaining of tumor tissues (44.6%), significantly different from matched normal tissues (P < 0.001). Positive immunostaining of stage III and IV tumor tissues was significantly lower than stage I and II tumor tissues (P < 0.01). Poor differentiation group was also significantly lower than moderate and poor-moderate differentiation groups (P < 0.05). 80 percent of tumor tissues with E-cadherin gene methylated showed inactivated mRNA expression.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>High methylation status of the 5' CpG island of E-cadherin gene may be one of the mechanisms in the development of gastric cardiac adenocarcinoma.</p