Mena, a new available marker in tumors of salivary glands?

Mena (mammalian Ena) is an actin regulatory protein involved in cell motility and adhesion. Based on its potential role in malignant transformation revealed in other organs, we analyzed the Mena expression in normal salivary glands (SG) and salivary tumors. Mena expression was determined in normal SG (n=10) and also benign (n=20) and malignant (n=35) lesions of SG. For the immunohistochemical staining we used the anti-Mena antibody. All normal SG and the benign lesions (10 pleomorphic adenomas, 10 Warthin's tumors) were Mena negative. Salivary duct carcinomas (n=5), carcinomas in pleomorphic adenoma (n=5), acinic cell carcinomas (n=5), squamous cell carcinomas (n=10) and high-grade mucoepidermoid carcinomas (n=2) were positive. The lymphomas (n=5) and low-grade mucoepidermoid carcinomas (n=1) were Mena negative. In one case the lymphoblastic cells stained positive for Mena. Some of the endothelial cells, in the peritumoral vessels, were Mena positive. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study in the literature about Mena expression in salivary tumors. Our study suggests that Mena protein seems to play a role in malignant transformation and its intensity is correlated with the type and grade of tumor and also with vascular invasion. Its positivity in endothelial cells may suggest its potential role in tumor angiogenesis

Evolution and competition between chiral spin textures in nanostripes with D_2d symmetry

Chiral spin textures are of considerable interest for applications in spintronics. It has recently been shown that magnetic materials with (D2d) symmetry can sustain several distinct spin textures. Here, we show, using Lorentz transmission electron microscopy, that single and double chains of antiskyrmions can be generated at room temperature in nanostripes less than 0.5 mu m in width formed from the D-2d Heusler compound Mn1.4Pt0.9Pd0.1Sn. Typically, truncated helical spin textures are formed in low magnetic fields, whose edges are terminated by half antiskyrmions. These evolve into chains of antiskyrmions with increasing magnetic field. Single chains of these objects are located in the middle of the nanostripes even when the stripes are much wider than the antiskyrmions. Moreover, the chains can even include elliptical Bloch skyrmions depending on details of the applied magnetic field history. These findings make D-2d materials special and highly interesting for applications such as magnetic racetrack memory storage devices

Gap solitons in a model of a hollow optical fiber

We introduce a models for two coupled waves propagating in a hollow-core fiber: a linear dispersionless core mode, and a dispersive nonlinear quasi-surface one. The linear coupling between them may open a bandgap, through the mechanism of the avoidance of crossing between dispersion curves. The third-order dispersion of the quasi-surface mode is necessary for the existence of the gap. Numerical investigation reveals that the entire bandgap is filled with solitons, and they all are stable in direct simulations. The gap-soliton (GS) family is extended to include pulses moving relative to the given reference frame, up to limit values of the corresponding boost $\delta$, beyond which the solitons do not exists. The limit values are nonsymmetric for $\delta >0$ and $\delta <0$. The extended gap is also entirely filled with the GSs, all of which are stable in simulations. Recently observed solitons in hollow-core photonic-crystal fibers may belong to this GS family.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

Neuromarketing: qué sabe de ti, que los demás no

En este documento se describe la forma en la que el neuromarketing hace que la segmentación de género, sea una herramienta funcional para poder conocer al cliente y sus deseos. Se explorará el mercadeo desde sus inicios, mostrando cómo evoluciona hasta enfocarse en el cliente como su principal objetivo. Al llegar a este punto el mercadeo se encuentra con un nuevo aliado, la neurociencia, la cual le muestra que por medio de diversas técnicas tiene la capacidad de medir las reacciones de su consumidor, a los distintos estímulos que le envía para cautivarlo. En este proceso se dan a conocer las tecnologías más usadas por el neuromarketing para este fin; además se expondrá parte de la anatomía del consumidor con la que interactúa el mercadeo: sus sentidos y su cerebro. Posteriormente se explica cómo a través del entendimiento de las percepciones y comportamiento del cliente, puede beneficiarse el mercadeo en sus propósitos y su vez, satisfacer al mercado en lo que realmente quiere.This document describes the way in which neuromarketing makes of gender segmentation a functional tool for knowing the customers and their desires. Marketing will be explored from its origins, showing how it evolves to focus on the customer as its main objective. At this point, marketing meets neuroscience, a new ally who shows through many techniques, that has the ability to measure the consumers’ reactions to the different stimuli that marketing sends to captivate them. In this process, it will make known the technologies that neuromarketing uses the most for this purpose; it will also present the consumers’ anatomy, which the marketing interacts with the most: the senses and the brain. Subsequently, it will be explained how, with understanding clients’ perceptions and behavior, marketing gets to benefit its purposes and at the same time satisfy what the market’s really wants.Centro de Estudios Empresariales para la Perdurabilida

Using longitudinal antibiotic point prevalence survey (PPS) to drive antimicrobial stewardship programmes in a Nigerian tertiary hospital

Background: Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) provides a means of tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Unfortunately, in Nigeria, like in some other low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs), AMS practice has been lacklustre due to poor institutional support amongst other factors. Efforts were made to address this situation by engaging with the management of National Hospital Abuja, Nigeria, using antibiotic prescription information obtained through repeated point prevalence survey.Methodology: Two rounds of antibiotic PPS were conducted in 2015 and 2017 using the Global Point Prevalence Survey (G-PPS) format. Data were collected from all inpatients receiving antibiotics on the selected day of study, including patient characteristics, antimicrobial prescription details, laboratory results and information on a set of quality indicators. The data were uploaded to an online G-PPS application hosted at the University of Antwerp in Belgium for validation, analysis and reporting.Results: The PPS data showed that hospital-wide antibiotic use prevalence increased from 58% in 2015 to 61% in 2017. Surgical prophylaxis beyond 24 hours also increased from 88-90% in 2015 to 100% in 2017, and only minority of therapies were supported by laboratory input for diagnosis and monitoring; 22% in 2015 and 5% in 2017.Conclusion: These results were used for evidence-based engagement with the management to formally support AMS activities in the hospital. Positive outcomes were the formal reconstitution and inauguration of AMS committee in 2018 as well as the issuance of a formal policy statement by the hospital in 2020. The ease and free availability of Global PPS methodology makes it ideal in driving antimicrobial stewardship programme (ASP) in LMICs like Nigeria. Keywords: Antibiotic stewardship checklist, institutional support, point &nbsp; French Title: Utilisation d'une enquête longitudinale sur la prévalence ponctuelle des antibiotiques (PPS) pour conduire des programmes de gestion des antimicrobiens dans un hôpital tertiaire nigérian Contexte: La gestion des antimicrobiens (AMS) offre un moyen de lutter contre la résistance aux antimicrobiens (RAM). Malheureusement, au Nigéria, comme dans certains autres pays à revenu faible ou intermédiaire (PRFI), la pratique de la MGS a été médiocre en raison d'un soutien institutionnel insuffisant, entre autres facteurs. Des&nbsp; Longitudinal PPS for AMS programmes efforts ont été faits pour remédier à cette situation en collaborant avec la direction de l'hôpital national d'Abuja, au Nigéria, en utilisant les informations sur les prescriptions d'antibiotiques obtenues grâce à une enquête ponctuelle répétée de prévalence.Méthodologie: Deux séries d'antibiotiques PPS ont été menées en 2015 et 2017 en utilisant le format Global Point Prevalence Survey (G-PPS). Des données ont été recueillies auprès de tous les patients hospitalisés recevant des antibiotiques le jour sélectionné de l'étude, y compris les caractéristiques des patients, les détails de la prescription d'antimicrobiens, les résultats de laboratoire et les informations sur un ensemble d'indicateurs de qualité. Les données ont été téléchargées sur une application en ligne G-PPS hébergée à l'Université d'Anvers en Belgique à des fins de validation, d'analyse et rapports.Résultats: Les données PPS ont montré que la prévalence de l'utilisation d'antibiotiques à l'échelle de l'hôpital est passée de 58% en 2015 à 61% en 2017. La prophylaxie chirurgicale au-delà de 24 heures est également passée de 88 à 90% en 2015 à 100% en 2017, et seule une minorité de thérapies a été soutenue par entrée de laboratoire pour le diagnostic et la surveillance; 22% en 2015 et 5% en 2017.Conclusion: Ces résultats ont été utilisés pour un engagement fondé sur des données probantes avec la direction afin de soutenir officiellement les activités AMS à l'hôpital. Les résultats positifs ont été la reconstitution formelle et l'inauguration du comité AMS en 2018 ainsi que la publication d'une déclaration de politique formelle par l'hôpital en 2020. La facilité et la disponibilité gratuite de la méthodologie Global PPS la rend idéale pour conduire le programme de gestion des antimicrobiens (ASP) en PRFI comme le Nigéria. Mots clés: liste de contrôle pour la gestion des antibiotiques, soutien institutionnel, enquête ponctuelle de prévalence, déclaration de politique prevalence survey, policy statement &nbsp

Salvage high-dose chemotherapy for children with extragonadal germ-cell tumours

We reviewed the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) experience with salvage high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) in paediatric patients with extragonadal germ-cell tumour (GCT). A total of 23 children with extragonadal GCT, median age 12 years (range 1–20), were treated with salvage HDC with haematopoietic progenitor cell support. The GCT primary location was intracranial site in nine cases, sacrococcyx in eight, retroperitoneum in four, and mediastinum in two. In all, 22 patients had a nongerminomatous GCT and one germinoma. Nine patients received HDC in first- and 14 in second- or third-relapse situation. No toxic deaths occurred. Overall, 16 of 23 patients (70%) achieved a complete remission. With a median follow-up of 66 months (range 31–173 months), 10 (43%) are continuously disease-free. Of six patients who had a disease recurrence after HDC, one achieved a disease-free status with surgical resection followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy. In total, 11 patients (48%) are currently disease-free. Eight of 14 patients (57%) with extracranial primary and three of nine patients (33%) with intracranial primary GCT are currently disease-free. HDC induced impressive long-term remissions as salvage treatment in children with extragonadal extracranial GCTs. Salvage HDC should be investigated in prospective trials in these patients

Attacks by a piercing-sucking insect (Myzus persicae Sultzer) or a chewing insect (Leptinotarsa decemlineata Say) on potato plants (Solanum tuberosum L.) induce differential changes in volatile compound release and oxylipin synthesis

Plant defensive strategies bring into play blends of compounds dependent on the type of attacker and coming from different synthesis pathways. Interest in the field is mainly focused on volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and jasmonic acid (JA). By contrast, little is known about the oxidized polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), such as PUFA-hydroperoxides, PUFA-hydroxides, or PUFA-ketones. PUFA-hydroperoxides and their derivatives might be involved in stress response and show antimicrobial activities. Hydroperoxides are also precursors of JA and some volatile compounds. In this paper, the differential biochemical response of a plant against insects with distinct feeding behaviours is characterized not only in terms of VOC signature and JA profile but also in terms of their precursors synthesized through the lipoxygenase (LOX)-pathway at the early stage of the plant response. For this purpose, two leading pests of potato with distinct feeding behaviours were used: the Colorado Potato Beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata Say), a chewing herbivore, and the Green Peach Aphid (Myzus persicae Sulzer), a piercing-sucking insect. The volatile signatures identified clearly differ in function with the feeding behaviour of the attacker and the aphid, which causes the smaller damages, triggers the emission of a higher number of volatiles. In addition, 9-LOX products, which are usually associated with defence against pathogens, were exclusively activated by aphid attack. Furthermore, a correlation between volatiles and JA accumulation and the evolution of their precursors was determined. Finally, the role of the insect itself on the plant response after insect infestation was highlighted

Asymmetries between the production of D+ and D- mesons from 500 GeV/c pi- nucleon interactions as a function of xF and pt**2

We present asymmetries between the production of D+ and D- mesons in Fermilab experiment E791 as a function of xF and pt**2. The data used here consist of 74,000 fully-reconstructed charmed mesons produced by a 500 GeV/c pi- beam on C and Pt foils. The measurements are compared to results of models which predict differences between the production of heavy-quark mesons that have a light quark in common with the beam (leading particles) and those that do not (non-leading particles). While the default models do not agree with our data, we can reach agreement with one of them, PYTHIA, by making a limited number of changes to parameters used

Study of the D^0 \to pi^-pi^+pi^-pi^+ decay

Using data from the FOCUS (E831) experiment at Fermilab, we present new measurements for the Cabibbo-suppressed decay mode $D^0 \to \pi^-\pi^+\pi^-\pi^+$. We measure the branching ratio $\Gamma(D^0 \to\pi^+\pi^- \pi^+\pi^-)/\Gamma(D^0 \to K^-\pi^+\pi^-\pi^+) = 0.0914 \pm 0.0018 \pm 0.0022$. An amplitude analysis has been performed, a first for this channel, in order to determine the resonant substructure of this decay mode. The dominant component is the decay $D^0 \to a_1(1260)^+ \pi^-$, accounting for 60% of the decay rate. The second most dominant contribution comes from the decay $D^0 \to \rho(770)^0\rho(770)^0$, with a fraction of 25%. We also study the $a_1(1260)$ line shape and resonant substructure. Using the helicity formalism for the angular distribution of the decay $D^0 \to \rho(770)^0\rho(770)^0$, we measure a longitudinal polarization of $P_L = (71 \pm 4\pm 2)$%.Comment: 38 pages, 8 figures. accepted for publication in Physical Review