Derivative chromosome 9 deletions in chronic myeloid leukaemia: Interpretation of atypical D-FISH pattern

Background/Aims: New molecular cytogenetic techniques are increasingly applied as a routine investigative tool in haematological malignancies, both at diagnosis and subsequent monitoring. This report describes the interpretation of atypical signal patterns encountered using BCR-ABL dual colour dual fusion fluorescence in situ hybridisation (D-FISH) translocation probes in chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). Methods: Interphase FISH experiments were carried out using BCR-ABL D-FISH probes in 46 patients with CML at diagnosis and during subsequent disease monitoring. Atypical hybridisation signal patterns were characterised by molecular cytogenetic techniques and correlated with conventional karyotyping. Results: Two patients showed atypical interphase D-FISH patterns with one orange, one green, and one fusion (1O1G1F) signal. The presence of BCR-ABL gene fusion was documented by a dual colour single fusion (S-FISH) probe. The submicroscopic deletion of the ABL-BCR fusion gene on the derivative chromosome 9 in these cases was subsequently characterised by metaphase FISH on relocated G banded metaphases. Conclusions: Atypical interphase D-FISH patterns should not be interpreted in isolation and should be considered in conjunction with other cytogenetic or molecular genetic investigations.published_or_final_versio

A dual colour dual fusion fluorescence in situ hybridisation study on the genesis of complex variant translocations in chronic myelogenous leukaemia

Complex variant 9;22 translocations occur in a significant minority of chronic myelogenous leukaemia (CML) patients. Different mechanisms of their formation have been described. We report dual colour dual fusion fluorescence in situ hybridisation data in 12 Chinese CML patients with complex translocations. Three previously reported breakpoint hotspots in a third partner chromosome (14q32, 17q25, 1q2l) were observed. In 10/12 (83.3%) patients, the abnormality occurred as a single step 3-break event. Only a single abnormal clone harbouring the complex translocation was seen in this group. The remaining 2 cases in the chronic phase showed a 4-break mechanism (2/12,16.7%). Deletion of 5' ABL at der(9) was not observed in any of the 12 patients, however, the loss of 3' BCR was observed in 1 patient (1/12, 8.3%). Together with previous findings, these data suggest that these variant translocations occur more often as a 3-break single-step process with no reciprocal ABL-BCR fusion. On the other hand, a 4-break event is also regularly seen during the initial stages of leukaemogenesis, which likely predisposes to der(9) deletion. The observed difference in rates of der(9) deletion reported in a series of CML patients with variant translocations may be related to a difference in rates of a 4-break event.published_or_final_versio

Comparing the transitional behaviour of kaolinite and bentonite suspension flows

Past research has demonstrated the dramatic effects that variations in suspended clay can have on the properties of flow by producing a range of transitional flows between turbulent and laminar states, depending on clay concentration and fluid shear. Past studies have been restricted to kaolinite flows, a clay mineral that has relatively weak cohesive properties. This paper extends these studies to suspension flows of bentonite, a clay mineral that attains higher viscosities at far lower volumetric concentrations within a flow. The results show that the types of transitional flow behaviour recognized in past studies can also be found in bentonite suspension flows, but at lower suspended sediment concentrations, thus demonstrating an even more dramatic effect on flow properties, and potentially on sediment transport and resulting bed morphology, than kaolinite flows. The paper proposes new stability diagrams for the phase space of bentonite flows and compares these to past work on kaolinite suspension flows. These new data suggest that the transitional-flow Reynolds number can be used to delineate the types of transitional flow across different clay types and assess modern and ancient clay-suspension flows

Lack of structural rearrangement in c-kit and stem cell factor genes in Hong Kong Chinese patients with myelodysplastic syndromes or acute myeloid leukaemia

Stem cell factor is a haemopoietic growth factor that interacts with the c-kit--encoded transmembrane tyrosine kinase receptor during signal transduction in haemopoietic progenitor stem cells. We have screened 127 Chinese patients with myelodysplastic syndromes or acute myeloid leukaemia for structural rearrangements in the stem cell factor and c-kit genes using Southern blot analysis. No structural rearrangements were detected in any of the bone marrow samples that were tested. It seems that structural rearrangements in the stem cell factor and c-kit genes are rare in Hong Kong patients who have a haematological malignancy.published_or_final_versio

Ferroelectricity induced by interatomic magnetic exchange interaction

Multiferroics, where two or more ferroic order parameters coexist, is one of the hottest fields in condensed matter physics and materials science[1-9]. However, the coexistence of magnetism and conventional ferroelectricity is physically unfavoured[10]. Recently several remedies have been proposed, e.g., improper ferroelectricity induced by specific magnetic[6] or charge orders[2]. Guiding by these theories, currently most research is focused on frustrated magnets, which usually have complicated magnetic structure and low magnetic ordering temperature, consequently far from the practical application. Simple collinear magnets, which can have high magnetic transition temperature, have never been considered seriously as the candidates for multiferroics. Here, we argue that actually simple interatomic magnetic exchange interaction already contains a driving force for ferroelectricity, thus providing a new microscopic mechanism for the coexistence and strong coupling between ferroelectricity and magnetism. We demonstrate this mechanism by showing that even the simplest antiferromagnetic (AFM) insulator MnO, can display a magnetically induced ferroelectricity under a biaxial strain

Resource-efficient high-dimensional subspace teleportation with a quantum autoencoder.

Quantum autoencoders serve as efficient means for quantum data compression. Here, we propose and demonstrate their use to reduce resource costs for quantum teleportation of subspaces in high-dimensional systems. We use a quantum autoencoder in a compress-teleport-decompress manner and report the first demonstration with qutrits using an integrated photonic platform for future scalability. The key strategy is to compress the dimensionality of input states by erasing redundant information and recover the initial states after chip-to-chip teleportation. Unsupervised machine learning is applied to train the on-chip autoencoder, enabling the compression and teleportation of any state from a high-dimensional subspace. Unknown states are decompressed at a high fidelity (~0.971), obtaining a total teleportation fidelity of ~0.894. Subspace encodings hold great potential as they support enhanced noise robustness and increased coherence. Laying the groundwork for machine learning techniques in quantum systems, our scheme opens previously unidentified paths toward high-dimensional quantum computing and networking

Mass spectrometric analysis of electrophoretically separated allergens and proteases in grass pollen diffusates

BACKGROUND: Pollens are important triggers for allergic asthma and seasonal rhinitis, and proteases released by major allergenic pollens can injure airway epithelial cells in vitro. Disruption of mucosal epithelial integrity by proteases released by inhaled pollens could promote allergic sensitisation. METHODS: Pollen diffusates from Kentucky blue grass (Poa pratensis), rye grass (Lolium perenne) and Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon) were assessed for peptidase activity using a fluorogenic substrate, as well as by gelatin zymography. Following one- or two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, Coomassie-stained individual bands/spots were excised, subjected to tryptic digestion and analysed by mass spectrometry, either MALDI reflectron TOF or microcapillary liquid chromatography MS-MS. Database searches were used to identify allergens and other plant proteins in pollen diffusates. RESULTS: All pollen diffusates tested exhibited peptidase activity. Gelatin zymography revealed high M(r )proteolytic activity at ~ 95,000 in all diffusates and additional proteolytic bands in rye and Bermuda grass diffusates, which appeared to be serine proteases on the basis of inhibition studies. A proteolytic band at M(r )~ 35,000 in Bermuda grass diffusate, which corresponded to an intense band detected by Western blotting using a monoclonal antibody to the timothy grass (Phleum pratense) group 1 allergen Phl p 1, was identified by mass spectrometric analysis as the group 1 allergen Cyn d 1. Two-dimensional analysis similarly demonstrated proteolytic activity corresponding to protein spots identified as Cyn d 1. CONCLUSION: One- and two-dimensional electrophoretic separation, combined with analysis by mass spectrometry, is useful for rapid determination of the identities of pollen proteins. A component of the proteolytic activity in Bermuda grass diffusate is likely to be related to the allergen Cyn d 1

Positive psychology of Malaysian students: impacts of engagement, motivation, self-compassion and wellbeing on mental health

Malaysia plays a key role in education of the Asia Pacific, expanding its scholarly output rapidly. However, mental health of Malaysian students is challenging, and their help-seeking is low because of stigma. This study explored the relationships between mental health and positive psychological constructs (academic engagement, motivation, self-compassion, and wellbeing), and evaluated the relative contribution of each positive psychological construct to mental health in Malaysian students. An opportunity sample of 153 students completed the measures regarding these constructs. Correlation, regression, and mediation analyses were conducted. Engagement, amotivation, self-compassion, and wellbeing were associated with, and predicted large variance in mental health. Self-compassion was the strongest independent predictor of mental health among all the positive psychological constructs. Findings can imply the strong links between mental health and positive psychology, especially selfcompassion. Moreover, intervention studies to examine the effects of self-compassion training on mental health of Malaysian students appear to be warranted.N/

Hygrothermal durability of bond in FRP-strengthened masonry

Fiber reinforced polymers (FRPs) are accepted as an efficient material for external strengthening of masonry structures. Previous researches have shown that the bond between FRP and the substrate plays an important role in the effectiveness of this strengthening technique. Extensive investigations have been devoted to the characterization of the short-term bond behavior, while its durability and long-term performance requires further studies. In this regard, a full experimental program for investigating the environmental durability of bond in FRP-strengthened masonry is crucial for understanding the degrading mechanisms. This paper presents the results of an experimental program aimed at investigating the hygrothermal durability of bond in FRP-strengthened bricks. Accelerated ageing tests were performed on the FRP-strengthened brick elements and the bond degradation was periodically investigated by visual inspection and by conventional single-lap shear bond tests. The changes in the properties of material constituents have also been monitored. The obtained results are presented and critically discussed.This work was developed within the framework of the RILEM Technical Committee "223-MSC: Masonry Strengthening with Composite Materials". The financial support from the project FP7-ENV-2009-1-244123-NIKER of the 7th Framework Program of the European Commission is gratefully acknowledged. The first author also acknowledges the financial support of the Portuguese Science Foundation (Fundacao de Ciencia e Tecnologia, FCT), through grant SFRH/BD/80697/2011

Psychological Disorders, Cognitive Dysfunction and Quality of Life in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Patients with Radiation-Induced Brain Injury

PURPOSE:To evaluate factors affecting psychology, cognitive function and quality of life (QOL) of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients with radiation-induced brain injury (RI). METHODS AND MATERIALS:46 recurrence-free NPC patients with RI and 46 matched control patients without RI were recruited in our study. Subjective and objective symptoms of RI were evaluated with the LENT/SOMA systems. Psychological assessment was measured with Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS). Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) was carried out in these patients for assessing their cognitive function. QOL was evaluated by means of WHOQOL BREF. RESULTS:Of the patients with RI, 39(84.8%) had depression and 40(87.0%) had anxiety. The patients with RI got higher scores both in SDS and SAS than those without RI (SDS, 63.48±8.11 vs. 58.67±7.52, p = 0.008; SAS, 67.36±10.41 vs. 60.34±9.76, p = 0.005). Score in MoCA of patients with RI was significantly lower than that of patients without RI (21.32±2.45 vs. 25.98±1.73, p<0.001). SAS was positive correlated with post-radiotherapy interval. Both SAS and SDS had a significantly positive correlation with the rank of SOMA, while MoCA had a significantly negative correlation with SOMA. Chemotherapy was a risk factor for cognitive dysfunction. In addition, patients with RI got significantly lower scores in physical health (16.50±11.05 vs. 35.02±10.43, p<0.001), psychological health (17.70±10.33 vs. 39.48±12.00, p<0.001) and social relationship (48.00±18.65 vs. 67.15±19.70, p<0.001) compared with those in patients without RI. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that anxiety and cognitive impairment were significant predictors of global QOL. CONCLUSIONS:NPC patients with RI exhibit negative emotions, impaired cognitive function and QOL. The severity of clinical symptoms of RI plays an important role in both emotions and cognitive function. Anxiety and cognitive impairment are associated with decreased QOL