Harnessing Soluble NK Cell Killer Receptors for the Generation of Novel Cancer Immune Therapy

The natural cytotoxic receptors (NCRs) are a unique set of activating proteins expressed mainly on the surface of natural killer (NK) cells. The NCRs, which include three members; NKp46, NKp44 and NKp30, are critically involved in NK cytotoxicity against different targets, including a wide range of tumor cells derived from various origins. Even though the tumor ligands of the NCRs have not been identified yet, the selective manner by which these receptors target tumor cells may provide an excellent basis for the development of novel anti-tumor therapies. To test the potential use of the NCRs as anti-tumor agents, we generated soluble NCR-Ig fusion proteins in which the constant region of human IgG1 was fused to the extracellular portion of the receptor. We demonstrate, using two different human prostate cancer cell lines, that treatment with NKp30-Ig, dramatically inhibits tumor growth in vivo. Activated macrophages were shown to mediate an ADCC response against the NKp30-Ig coated prostate cell lines. Finally, the Ig fusion proteins were also demonstrated to discriminate between benign prostate hyperplasia and prostate cancer. This may provide a novel diagnostic modality in the difficult task of differentiating between these highly common pathological conditions

Universal Algebraic Relaxation of Velocity and Phase in Pulled Fronts generating Periodic or Chaotic States

We investigate the asymptotic relaxation of so-called pulled fronts propagating into an unstable state. The ``leading edge representation'' of the equation of motion reveals the universal nature of their propagation mechanism and allows us to generalize the universal algebraic velocity relaxation of uniformly translating fronts to fronts, that generate periodic or even chaotic states. Such fronts in addition exhibit a universal algebraic phase relaxation. We numerically verify our analytical predictions for the Swift-Hohenberg and the Complex Ginzburg Landau equation.Comment: 4 pages Revtex, 2 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let

Plasmonic Meta-Surface for Efficient Ultra-Short Pulse Laser-Driven Particle Acceleration

A laser-driven particle accelerator based on plasmonic nano-antennas is proposed and analyzed. The concept utilizes the enhancement and localization of the electric field by nano-antennas to maximize the acceleration gradient and to overcome potential metallic losses. The structure is optimized for accelerating relativistic particles using a femto-second laser source operating at 800nm, and is shown to support the bandwidth of ultra-short laser pulses (up to 16fsec) while providing a high acceleration gradient potentially reaching 11.6GV/m.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure

Occupational cataracts and lens opacities in interventional cardiology (O'CLOC study): are X-Rays involved? Radiation-induced cataracts and lens opacities.

International audienceBACKGROUND: The eye is well known to be sensitive to clearly high doses (>2 Gy) of ionizing radiation. In recent years, however, cataracts have been observed in populations exposed to lower doses. Interventional cardiologists are repeatedly and acutely exposed to scattered ionizing radiation (X-rays) during the diagnostic and therapeutic procedures they perform. These "low" exposures may cause damage to the lens of the eye and induce early cataracts, known as radiation-induced cataracts. The O'CLOC study (Occupational Cataracts and Lens Opacities in interventional Cardiology) was designed to test the hypothesis that interventional cardiologists, compared with an unexposed reference group of non-interventional cardiologists, have an increased risk of cataracts. METHOD/DESIGN: The O'CLOC study is a cross-sectional study that will include a total of 300 cardiologists aged at least 40 years: one group of exposed interventional cardiologists and another of non-interventional cardiologists. The groups will be matched for age and sex. Individual information, including risk factors for cataracts (age, diabetes, myopia, etc.), will be collected during a telephone interview. A specific section of the questionnaire for the exposed group focuses on occupational history, including a description of the procedures (type, frequency, radiation protection tool) used. These data will be used to classify subjects into "exposure level" groups according to cumulative dose estimates. Eye examinations for all participants will be performed to detect cataracts, even in the early stages (lens opacities, according to LOCS III, the international standard classification). The analysis will provide an estimation of the cataract risk in interventional cardiology compared with the unexposed reference group, while taking other risk factors into account. An analysis comparing the risks according to level of exposure is also planned. DISCUSSION: This epidemiological study will provide further evidence about the potential risk of radiation-induced cataracts at low doses and contribute to cardiologists' awareness of the importance of radiation protection. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT01061463

Compton Scattering by Nuclei

The concept of Compton scattering by even-even nuclei from giant-resonance to nucleon-resonance energies and the status of experimental and theoretical researches in this field are outlined. Nuclear Compton scattering in the giant-resonance energy-region provides information on the dynamical properties of the in-medium mass of the nucleon. The electromagnetic polarizabilities of the nucleon in the nuclear medium can be extracted from nuclear Compton scattering data obtained in the quasi-deuteron energy-region. Recent results are presented for two-body effects due to the mesonic seagull amplitude and due to the excitation of nucleon internal degrees of freedom accompanied by meson exchanges. Due to these studies the in-medium electromagnetic polarizabilities are by now well understood, whereas the understanding of nuclear Compton scattering in the Delta-resonance range is only at the beginning. Phenomenological methods how to include retardation effects in the scattering amplitude are discussed and compared with model predictions.Comment: 146 pages, 37 figures, submitted to Phys. Report

Revisiting Egyptian Foreign Policy towards Israel under Mubarak: From Cold Peace to Strategic Peace

This article is the first academic study of Egyptian foreign policy towards Israel under Hosni Mubarak (1981–2011). It challenges a deeply entrenched conventional wisdom that Egypt pursued a cold-peace foreign policy towards Israel throughout this period. We demonstrate that Egyptian foreign policy towards Israel was dynamic – comprising cold peace (1981–91), a hybrid foreign policy of cold peace and strategic peace (1991–2003), and a pure strategic peace posture (2003–11). We also use the case of Egyptian foreign policy towards Israel as a heuristic to develop a conception of a new type of peace, strategic peace, as an intermediary analytical category between cold and stable peace

Respiratory Distress Secondary to Esophageal Foreign Body. A Case Report

The ingestion or aspiration of a foreign body is a common, but preventable occurrence in childhood. Primary healthcare personnel should alert parents to the risk of swallowing a foreign object, the signs and the need for immediate medical attention. It should be emphasized that protecting children from access to objects that can be swallowed or aspirated is the best preventive measure. A case of an eight year old child, who had swallowed a marble ball is presented and the symptoms and intervention discussed. Medical staff should be aware of the symptomatic variation in ingested foreign body presentation and the importance of rapid diagnosis and management