Comparative proteomic analysis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Ranking as the fourth commonest cancer, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) represents one of the leading causes of cancer death in China. One of the main reasons for the low survival rate is that neoplasms in esophagus are not detected until they have invaded into surrounding tissues or spread throughout the body at advanced stages. A better understanding of the malignant mechanism and early diagnosis are important for fighting ESCC. In this study, we used proteomics to analyze ESCC tissues, aiming at defining the proteomic features implicated in the multistage progression of esophageal carcinogenesis. Proteins that exhibited significantly different expressions were identified by peptide mass fingerprinting and validated by Western blotting and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. The protein changes were then correlated to the different grades of disease differentiation. Compared to those in adjacent normal epitheliums, the expression of 15 proteins including enolase, elongation factor Tu, isocitrate dehydrogenase, tubulin alpha-1 chain, tubulin beta-5 chain, actin (cytoplasmic 1), glyceraldehyde-3 phosphate dehydrogenase, tropomyosin isoform 4 (TPM4), prohibitin, peroxiredoxin 1 (PRX1), manganese-containing superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), neuronal protein, and transgelin was up-regulated; and the expression of five proteins including TPM1, squamous cell carcinoma antigen 1 (SCCA1), stratifin, peroxiredoxin 2 isoform a, and alpha B crystalline was down-regulated in cancer tissues with a statistical significance (p < 0.05). In addition, the differential expression of SCCA1, PRX1, MnSOD, TPM4, and prohibitin can be observed in precancerous lesions of ESCC. The expression of stratifin, prohibitin, and SCCA1 dropped with increasing dedifferentiation of ESCC. These data may suggest that these proteins contribute to the multistage process of carcinogenesis, tumor progression, and invasiveness of ESCC. © 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.postprin

Solar neutrino interactions: Using charged currents at SNO to tell neutral currents at Super-Kamiokande

In the presence of flavor oscillations, muon and tau neutrinos can contribute to the Super-Kamiokande (SK) solar neutrino signal through the neutral current process \nu_{\mu,\tau} e^{-}\to \nu_{\mu,\tau} e^{-}. We show how to separate the \nu_e and \nu_{\mu,\tau} event rates in SK in a model independent way, by using the rate of the charged current process \nu_e d \to p p e^{-} from the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) experiment, with an appropriate choice of the SK and SNO energy thresholds. Under the additional hypothesis of no oscillations into sterile states, we also show how to determine the absolute ^{8}B neutrino flux from the same data set, independently of the \nu_e survival probability.Comment: 14 pages (RevTeX), incl. 3 figures (epsf), submitted to Phys. ReV.

09311 Abstracts Collection -- Classical and Quantum Information Assurance Foundations and Practice

From 26 July 2009 to 31 July 2009, the Dagstuhl Seminar 09311 ``Classical and Quantum Information Assurance Foundations and Practice\u27\u27 was held in Schloss Dagstuhl~--~Leibniz Center for Informatics. The workshop was intended to explore the latest developments and discuss the open issues in the theory and practice of classical and quantum information assurance. A further goal of the workshop was to bring together practitioners from both the classical and the quantum information assurance communities. To date, with a few exceptions, these two communities seem to have existed largely separately and in a state of mutual ignorance. It is clear however that there is great potential for synergy and cross-fertilization between and this we sought to stimulate and facilitate

Nonet Symmetry and Two-Body Decays of Charmed Mesons

The decay of charmed mesons into pseudoscalar (P) and vector (V) mesons is studied in the context of nonet symmetry. We have found that it is badly broken in the PP channels and in the P sector of the PV channels as expected from the non-ideal mixing of the \eta and the \eta'. In the VV channels, it is also found that nonet symmetry does not describe the data well. We have found that this discrepancy cannot be attributed entirely to SU(3) breaking at the usual level of 20--30%. At least one, or both, of nonet and SU(3) symmetry must be very badly broken. The possibility of resolving the problem in the future is also discussed.Comment: 9 pages, UTAPHY-HEP-

Prospects for detection of Υ(1D)→Υ(1S)ππ\Upsilon(1D) \to \Upsilon(1S) \pi \pi via Υ(3S)→Υ(1D)+X\Upsilon(3S) \to \Upsilon(1D) + X

At least one state in the first family of D-wave $b \bar b$ quarkonium levels has been discovered near the predicted mass of 10.16 GeV/$c^2$. This state is probably the one with J=2. This state and the ones with J=1 and J=3 may contribute a detectable amount to the decay $\Upsilon(1D) \to \Upsilon(1S) \pi \pi$, depending on the partial widths for these decays for which predictions vary considerably. The prospects for detection of the chain $\Upsilon(3S) \to \Upsilon(1D) + X \to \Upsilon \pi \pi + X$ are discussed.Comment: 4 pages, LaTeX, 1 figure, to be published in Phys. Rev. D, comment added after Eq. (2

A balanced homodyne detector for high-rate Gaussian-modulated coherent-state quantum key distribution

We discuss excess noise contributions of a practical balanced homodyne detector in Gaussian-modulated coherent-state (GMCS) quantum key distribution (QKD). We point out the key generated from the original realistic model of GMCS QKD may not be secure. In our refined realistic model, we take into account excess noise due to the finite bandwidth of the homodyne detector and the fluctuation of the local oscillator. A high speed balanced homodyne detector suitable for GMCS QKD in the telecommunication wavelength region is built and experimentally tested. The 3dB bandwidth of the balanced homodyne detector is found to be 104MHz and its electronic noise level is 13dB below the shot noise at a local oscillator level of 8.5*10^8 photon per pulse. The secure key rate of a GMCS QKD experiment with this homodyne detector is expected to reach Mbits/s over a few kilometers.Comment: 22 pages, 11 figure

Bc spectroscopy in a quantum-chromodynamic potential model

We have investigated $B_c$ spectroscopy with the use of a quantum-chromodynamic potential model which was recently used by us for the light-heavy quarkonia. We give our predictions for the energy levels and the $E$1 transition widths. We also find, rather surprisingly, that although $B_c$ is not a light-heavy system, the heavy quark effective theory with the inclusion of the $m_b^{-1}$ and $m_b^{-1}\ln m_b$ corrections is as successful for $B_c$ as it is for $B$ and $B_s$.Comment: 10 page ReVTeX pape

Higgs particle detection using jets

We study the possibility of detecting the Higgs boson in the intermediate mass range via its two jet channel. We consider only Higgs bosons produced in association with a $t \bar{t}$ pair. Both $t$ and $\bar{t}$ are required to decay semileptonically to reduce the QCD background. The signal is compared with the main background, $t \bar{t} + 2$ jets, after appropriate cuts. A sizable signal above background is seen in our simulation at the parton level. Use of the $t\bar{t}Z$ channel with $Z$ decaying to $l^+ l^-$ is suggested for eliminating theoretical uncertainties in determining the $t \bar{t}H$ signal.Comment: 10 pages, Fig.1 a,b,c,d(surve on request), plain tex, PVAM-HEP-93-

MicroRNA-375 inhibits tumour growth and metastasis in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma through repressing insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor

Background: To understand the involvement of micro- RNA (miRNA) in the development and progression of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), miRNA profiles were compared between tumour and corresponding non-tumour tissues. Methods: miRCURY LNA array was used to generate miRNA expressing profile. Real-time quantitative PCR was applied to detectthe expression of miR-375 in ESCC samples and its correlation with insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R). Methylation-specific PCR was used to study the methylation status in the promoter region of miR-375. The tumour-suppressive effect of miR-375 was determined by both in-vitro and in-vivo assays. Results: The downregulation of miR-375 was frequently detected in primary ESCC, which was significantly correlated with advanced stage (p=0.003), distant metastasis (p<0.0001), poor overall survival (p=0.048) and disease-free survival (p=0.0006). Promoter methylation of miR-375 was detected in 26 of 45 (57.8%) ESCC specimens. Functional assays demonstrated that miR-375 could inhibit clonogenicity, cell motility, cell proliferation, tumour formation and metastasis in mice. Further study showed that miR-375 could interact with the 39-untranslated region of IGF1R and downregulate its expression. In clinical specimens, the expression of IGF1R was also negatively correlated with miR-375 expression (p=0.008). Conclusions: This study demonstrates that miR-375 has a strong tumour-suppressive effect through inhibiting the expression of IGF1R. The downregulation of miR-375, which is mainly caused by promoter methylation, is one of the molecular mechanisms involved in the development and progression of ESCC.published_or_final_versio

Searching for the MSW Enhancement

We point out that the length scale associated with the MSW effect is the radius of the Earth. Therefore to verify matter enhancement of neutrino oscillations, it will be necessary to study neutrinos passing through the Earth. For the parameters of MSW solutions to the solar neutrino problem, the only detectable effects occur in a narrow band of energies from 5 to 10 MeV. We propose that serious consideration be given to mounting an experiment at a location within 9.5 degrees of the equator.Comment: 10 pages, RevTe