From Correlators to Wilson Loops in Chern-Simons Matter Theories

We study n-point correlation functions for chiral primary operators in three dimensional supersymmetric Chern-Simons matter theories. Our analysis is carried on in N=2 superspace and covers N=2,3 supersymmetric CFT's, the N=6 ABJM and the N=8 BLG models. In the limit where the positions of adjacent operators become light-like, we find that the one-loop n-point correlator divided by its tree level expression coincides with a light-like n-polygon Wilson loop. Remarkably, the result can be simply expressed as a linear combination of five dimensional two-mass easy boxes. We manage to evaluate the integrals analytically and find a vanishing result, in agreement with previous findings for Wilson loops.Comment: 32 pages, 6 figures, JHEP

hnRNPA1 couples nuclear export and translation of specific mRNAs downstream of FGF-2/S6K2 signalling

The increased cap-independent translation of anti-apoptotic proteins is involved in the development of drug resistance in lung cancer but signalling events regulating this are poorly understood. Fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2) signalling-induced S6 kinase 2 (S6K2) activation is necessary, but the downstream mediator(s) coupling this kinase to the translational response is unknown. Here, we show that S6K2 binds and phosphorylates hnRNPA1 on novel Ser4/6 sites, increasing its association with BCL-XL and XIAP mRNAs to promote their nuclear export. In the cytoplasm, phosphoS4/6-hnRNPA1 dissociates from these mRNAs de-repressing their IRES-mediated translation. This correlates with the phosphorylation-dependent association of hnRNPA1 with 14-3-3 leading to hnRNPA1 sumoylation on K183 and its re-import into the nucleus. A non-phosphorylatible, S4/6A mutant prevented these processes, hindering the pro-survival activity of FGF-2/S6K2 signalling. Interestingly, immunohistochemical staining of lung and breast cancer tissue samples demonstrated that increased S6K2 expression correlates with decreased cytoplasmic hnRNPA1 and increased BCL-XL expression. In short, phosphorylation on novel N-term sites of hnRNPA1 promotes translation of anti-apoptotic proteins and is indispensable for the pro-survival effects of FGF-2

A completely phased diploid genome assembly for "Malbec" cultivar (Vitis vinifera L.)

Most grapevine cultivars originated from the outcrossing of two genetically diverse parents, and are clonally propagated to preserve phenotypes of productive interest. Hence, cultivars are first filial generations (F1) with highly heterozygous diploid genomes, that turn challenging to assemble. "Malbec" is the main cultivar for the Argentine wine industry and it originated in France, from the outcrossing of Magdeleine Noir des Charentes and Prunelard cultivars. Based on that mother-father-offspring relationship, here we followed the algorithm implemented in the software CanuTrio to produce a phased assembly of Malbec genome. For this aim, parental cultivars? Illumina short-reads were used to sort ?Malbec? PacBio long-reads into its haploid complements, to be assembled separately. Post- assembly, bioinformatic procedures were employed to reduce the number of duplicated regions and perform sequence error corrections (using Malbec Illumina short-reads). We obtained two highly complete and contiguous haploid assemblies for Malbec, Haplotype- Prunelard (482.4 Mb size; contig N50=7.7 Mb) and Haplotype-Magdeleine (479.4 Mb size; contig N50=6.6 Mb), with 96.1 and 95.8% of BUSCO genes, respectively. We tested for the composition of both haplophases with the tool Merqury, and observed 15% of both assemblies affected by structural variations, along with 3.2 million SNPs and 0.6 million InDels. Our results indicate that this is a valid approach to assemble highly heterozygous and complex diploid genomes in a completely-phased way.Fil: Calderón, Pablo Luciano Sebastian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Biología Agrícola de Mendoza. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Instituto de Biología Agrícola de Mendoza; ArgentinaFil: Carbonell Bejerano, P.. Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology; AlemaniaFil: Mauri, N. Instituto de Ciencias de la Vid y del Vino; EspañaFil: Muñoz, Claudio Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Biología Agrícola de Mendoza. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Instituto de Biología Agrícola de Mendoza; ArgentinaFil: Bree, Laura. No especifíca;Fil: Sola, C. No especifíca;Fil: Bergamin, D. No especifíca;Fil: Gómez Talquenca, Sebastián. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria; ArgentinaFil: Ibañez, J. Instituto de Ciencias de la Vid y del Vino; EspañaFil: Martinez-Zapater, JM. Instituto de Ciencias de la Vid y del Vino; EspañaFil: Lijavetzky, Diego Claudio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Biología Agrícola de Mendoza. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Instituto de Biología Agrícola de Mendoza; ArgentinaXVIII Congreso Latinoamericano de Genética; LIV Reunión Anual de la Sociedad de Genética de Chile; XLIX Congreso Argentino de Genética; VIII Congreso de la Sociedad Uruguaya de Genética; I Congreso Paraguayo de Genética y V Congreso Latinoamericano de Genética HumanaChileSociedad Argentina de Genétic

Accounting for the mortality benefit of drug-eluting stents in percutaneous coronary intervention: a comparison of methods in a retrospective cohort study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Drug-eluting stents (DES) reduce rates of restenosis compared with bare metal stents (BMS). A number of observational studies have also found lower rates of mortality and non-fatal myocardial infarction with DES compared with BMS, findings not observed in randomized clinical trials. In order to explore reasons for this discrepancy, we compared outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with DES or BMS by multiple statistical methods.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We compared short-term rates of all-cause mortality and myocardial infarction for patients undergoing PCI with DES or BMS using propensity-score adjustment, propensity-score matching, and a stent-era comparison in a large, integrated health system between 1998 and 2007. For the propensity-score adjustment and stent era comparisons, we used multivariable logistic regression to assess the association of stent type with outcomes. We used McNemar's Chi-square test to compare outcomes for propensity-score matching.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Between 1998 and 2007, 35,438 PCIs with stenting were performed among health plan members (53.9% DES and 46.1% BMS). After propensity-score adjustment, DES was associated with significantly lower rates of death at 30 days (OR 0.49, 95% CI 0.39 - 0.63, <it>P </it>< 0.001) and one year (OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.49 - 0.68, <it>P </it>< 0.001), and a lower rate of myocardial infarction at one year (OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.59 - 0.87, <it>P </it>< 0.001). Thirty day and one year mortality were also lower with DES after propensity-score matching. However, a stent era comparison, which eliminates potential confounding by indication, showed no difference in death or myocardial infarction for DES and BMS, similar to results from randomized trials.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Although propensity-score methods suggested a mortality benefit with DES, consistent with prior observational studies, a stent era comparison failed to support this conclusion. Unobserved factors influencing stent selection in observational studies likely account for the observed mortality benefit of DES not seen in randomized clinical trials.</p

Scattering Amplitudes/Wilson Loop Duality In ABJM Theory

For N=6 superconformal Chern-Simons-matter theories in three dimensions, by a direct superspace Feynman diagram approach, we compute the two-loop four-point scattering amplitude with external chiral matter fields. We find that the result is in perfect agreement with the two-loop result for a light-like four-polygon Wilson loop. This is a nontrivial evidence of the scattering amplitudes/Wilson loop duality in three dimensions. Moreover, both the IR divergent and the finite parts of our two-loop result agree with a BDS-like ansatz for all-loop amplitudes where the scaling function is given in terms of the N=4 SYM one, according to the conjectured Bethe equations for ABJM. Consequently, we are able to make a prediction for the four-loop correction to the amplitude. We also discuss the dual conformal invariance of the two-loop result.Comment: 1+16 pages, 2 figures, minor modifications and references adde

Guidelines on Chemotherapy in Advanced Stage Gynecological Malignancies: An Evaluation of 224 Professional Societies and Organizations

BACKGROUND: Clinical practice guidelines are important for guiding practice, but it is unclear if they are commensurate with the available evidence. METHODS: We examined guidelines produced by cancer and gynecological societies and organizations and evaluated their coverage of and stance towards chemotherapy for advanced stage disease among 4 gynecological malignancies (breast, ovarian, cervical, endometrial cancer) where the evidence for the use of chemotherapy is very different (substantial and conclusive for breast and ovarian cancer, limited and suggesting no major benefit for cervical and endometrial cancer). Eligible societies and organizations were identified through systematic internet searches (last update June 2009). Pertinent websites were scrutinized for presence of clinical practice guidelines, and relative guidelines were analyzed. RESULTS: Among 224 identified eligible societies and organizations, 69 (31%) provided any sort of guidelines, while recommendations for chemotherapy on advanced stage gynecological malignancies were available in 20 of them. Only 14 had developed their own guideline, and only 5 had developed guidelines for all 4 malignancies. Use of levels of evidence and grades of recommendations, and aspects of the production, implementation, and timeliness of the guidelines did not differ significantly across malignancies. Guidelines on breast and ovarian cancer utilized significantly more randomized trials and meta-analyses. Guidelines differed across malignancies on their coverage of disease-free survival (p = 0.033), response rates (p = 0.024), symptoms relief (p = 0.005), quality of life (p = 0.001) and toxicity (p = 0.039), with breast and ovarian cancer guidelines typically covering more frequently these outcomes. All guidelines explicitly or implicitly endorsed the use of chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical practice guidelines are provided by the minority of professional societies and organizations. Available guidelines tend to recommend chemotherapy even for diseases where the effect of chemotherapy is controversial and recommendations are based on scant evidence

Kinetic modelling of competition and depletion of shared miRNAs by competing endogenous RNAs

Non-conding RNAs play a key role in the post-transcriptional regulation of mRNA translation and turnover in eukaryotes. miRNAs, in particular, interact with their target RNAs through protein-mediated, sequence-specific binding, giving rise to extended and highly heterogeneous miRNA-RNA interaction networks. Within such networks, competition to bind miRNAs can generate an effective positive coupling between their targets. Competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) can in turn regulate each other through miRNA-mediated crosstalk. Albeit potentially weak, ceRNA interactions can occur both dynamically, affecting e.g. the regulatory clock, and at stationarity, in which case ceRNA networks as a whole can be implicated in the composition of the cell's proteome. Many features of ceRNA interactions, including the conditions under which they become significant, can be unraveled by mathematical and in silico models. We review the understanding of the ceRNA effect obtained within such frameworks, focusing on the methods employed to quantify it, its role in the processing of gene expression noise, and how network topology can determine its reach.Comment: review article, 29 pages, 7 figure

Quantum Symmetries and Marginal Deformations

We study the symmetries of the N=1 exactly marginal deformations of N=4 Super Yang-Mills theory. For generic values of the parameters, these deformations are known to break the SU(3) part of the R-symmetry group down to a discrete subgroup. However, a closer look from the perspective of quantum groups reveals that the Lagrangian is in fact invariant under a certain Hopf algebra which is a non-standard quantum deformation of the algebra of functions on SU(3). Our discussion is motivated by the desire to better understand why these theories have significant differences from N=4 SYM regarding the planar integrability (or rather lack thereof) of the spin chains encoding their spectrum. However, our construction works at the level of the classical Lagrangian, without relying on the language of spin chains. Our approach might eventually provide a better understanding of the finiteness properties of these theories as well as help in the construction of their AdS/CFT duals.Comment: 1+40 pages. v2: minor clarifications and references added. v3: Added an appendix, fixed minor typo

Scattering in ABJ theories

We study the correspondence between scattering amplitudes and Wilson loops in three-dimensional Chern-Simons matter theories. In particular, using N=2 superspace formalism, we compute at one loop the whole spectrum of four-point superamplitudes for generic N>=2 supersymmetric theories and find a vanishing result for N=6 ABJ(M) and N=8 BLG models. This restricts the possible range of theories for which Wilson loops/scattering amplitudes duality might work. At two loops, we present the computation of the four-point ABJ scattering amplitude for external chiral superfields. Extending the known result for the ABJM Wilson loop to the ABJ case we find perfect agreement. We also discuss the dual conformal invariance of our results and the relationship between the Feynman diagram computation and unitarity methods. While for the ABJM theory dual conformally invariant integrals exactly reproduce the amplitude, for the ABJ case this happens only up to a residual constant depending on the parity-violating parameter. Finally we propose a BDS-like exponentiation for the amplitude based on an analogy with the four-dimensional N=4 SYM case, and discuss its strong coupling dual counterpart.Comment: 1+54 pages, 8 figure

Supplementation of diet with krill oil protects against experimental rheumatoid arthritis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Although the efficacy of standard fish oil has been the subject of research in arthritis, the effect of krill oil in this disease has yet to be investigated. The objective of the present study was to evaluate a standardised preparation of krill oil and fish oil in an animal model for arthritis.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Collagen-induced arthritis susceptible DBA/1 mice were provided <it>ad libitum </it>access to a control diet or diets supplemented with either krill oil or fish oil throughout the study. There were 14 mice in each of the 3 treatment groups. The level of EPA + DHA was 0.44 g/100 g in the krill oil diet and 0.47 g/100 g in the fish oil diet. Severity of arthritis was determined using a clinical scoring system. Arthritis joints were analysed by histopathology and graded. Serum samples were obtained at the end of the study and the levels of IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-7, IL-10, IL-12p70, IL-13, IL-15, IL-17 and TGF-β were determined by a Luminex™ assay system.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Consumption of krill oil and supplemented diet significantly reduced the arthritis scores and hind paw swelling when compared to a control diet not supplemented with EPA and DHA. However, the arthritis score during the late phase of the study was only significantly reduced after krill oil administration. Furthermore, mice fed the krill oil diet demonstrated lower infiltration of inflammatory cells into the joint and synovial layer hyperplasia, when compared to control. Inclusion of fish oil and krill oil in the diets led to a significant reduction in hyperplasia and total histology score. Krill oil did not modulate the levels of serum cytokines whereas consumption of fish oil increased the levels of IL-1α and IL-13.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The study suggests that krill oil may be a useful intervention strategy against the clinical and histopathological signs of inflammatory arthritis.</p