Randomised phase III trial of carboplatin plus etoposide vs split doses of cisplatin plus etoposide in elderly or poor-risk patients with extensive disease small-cell lung cancer: JCOG 9702

We compared the efficacy and the safety of a carboplatin plus etoposide regimen (CE) vs split doses of cisplatin plus etoposide (SPE) in elderly or poor-risk patients with extensive disease small-cell lung cancer (ED-SCLC). Eligibility criteria included: untreated ED-SCLC; age ⩾70 and performance status 0–2, or age <70 and PS 3. The CE arm received carboplatin area under the curve of five intravenously (IV) on day 1 and etoposide 80 mg m−2 IV on days 1–3. The SPE arm received cisplatin 25 mg m−2 IV on days 1–3 and etoposide 80 mg m−2 IV on days 1–3. Both regimens were given with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor support in a 21–28 day cycle for four courses. A total of 220 patients were randomised. Median age was 74 years and 74% had a PS of 0 or 1. Major grade 3–4 toxicities were (%CE/%SPE): leucopenia 54/51, neutropenia 95/90, thrombocytopenia 56/16, infection 7/6. There was no significant difference (CE/SPE) in the response rate (73/73%) and overall survival (median 10.6/9.9 mo; P=0.54). Palliation scores were very similar between the arms. Although the SPE regimen is still considered to be the standard treatment in elderly or poor-risk patients with ED-SCLC, the CE regimen can be an alternative for this population considering the risk–benefit balance

Proteomic analysis of the Plasmodium male gamete reveals the key role for glycolysis in flagellar motility.

BACKGROUND: Gametogenesis and fertilization play crucial roles in malaria transmission. While male gametes are thought to be amongst the simplest eukaryotic cells and are proven targets of transmission blocking immunity, little is known about their molecular organization. For example, the pathway of energy metabolism that power motility, a feature that facilitates gamete encounter and fertilization, is unknown. METHODS: Plasmodium berghei microgametes were purified and analysed by whole-cell proteomic analysis for the first time. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD001163. RESULTS: 615 proteins were recovered, they included all male gamete proteins described thus far. Amongst them were the 11 enzymes of the glycolytic pathway. The hexose transporter was localized to the gamete plasma membrane and it was shown that microgamete motility can be suppressed effectively by inhibitors of this transporter and of the glycolytic pathway. CONCLUSIONS: This study describes the first whole-cell proteomic analysis of the malaria male gamete. It identifies glycolysis as the likely exclusive source of energy for flagellar beat, and provides new insights in original features of Plasmodium flagellar organization

Certification of butyltins and phenyltins in marine sediment certified reference material by species-specific isotope-dilution mass spectrometric analysis using synthesized (118)Sn-enriched organotin compounds

A new marine sediment certified reference material, NMIJ CRM 7306-a, for butyltin and phenyltin analysis has been prepared and certified by the National Metrological Institute of Japan at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (NMIJ/AIST). Candidate sediment material was collected at a bay near industrial activity in Japan. After air-drying, sieving, and mixing the material was sterilized with γ-ray irradiation. The material was re-mixed and packaged into 250 glass bottles (15 g each) and these were stored in a freezer at −30 °C. Certification was performed by use of three different types of species-specific isotope-dilution mass spectrometry (SSID–MS)—SSID–GC–ICP–MS, SSID–GC–MS, and SSID–LC–ICP–MS, with (118)Sn-enriched organotin compounds synthesized from (118)Sn-enriched metal used as a spike. The (118)Sn-enriched mono-butyltin (MBT), dibutyltin (DBT), and tributyltin (TBT) were synthesized as a mixture whereas the (118)Sn-enriched di-phenyltin (DPhT) and triphenyltin (TPhT) were synthesized individually. Four different extraction methods, mechanical shaking, ultrasonic, microwave-assisted, and pressurized liquid extraction, were adopted to avoid possible analytical bias caused by non-quantitative extraction and degradation or inter-conversion of analytes in sample preparations. Tropolone was used as chelating agent in all the extraction methods. Certified values are given for TBT 44±3 μg kg(−1) as Sn, DBT 51 ± 2 μg kg(−1) as Sn, MBT 67 ± 3 μg kg(−1) as Sn, TPhT 6.9 ± 1.2 μg kg(−1) as Sn, and DPhT 3.4 ± 1.2 μg kg(−1) as Sn. These levels are lower than in other sediment CRMs currently available for analysis of organotin compounds

Properties of Graphene: A Theoretical Perspective

In this review, we provide an in-depth description of the physics of monolayer and bilayer graphene from a theorist's perspective. We discuss the physical properties of graphene in an external magnetic field, reflecting the chiral nature of the quasiparticles near the Dirac point with a Landau level at zero energy. We address the unique integer quantum Hall effects, the role of electron correlations, and the recent observation of the fractional quantum Hall effect in the monolayer graphene. The quantum Hall effect in bilayer graphene is fundamentally different from that of a monolayer, reflecting the unique band structure of this system. The theory of transport in the absence of an external magnetic field is discussed in detail, along with the role of disorder studied in various theoretical models. We highlight the differences and similarities between monolayer and bilayer graphene, and focus on thermodynamic properties such as the compressibility, the plasmon spectra, the weak localization correction, quantum Hall effect, and optical properties. Confinement of electrons in graphene is nontrivial due to Klein tunneling. We review various theoretical and experimental studies of quantum confined structures made from graphene. The band structure of graphene nanoribbons and the role of the sublattice symmetry, edge geometry and the size of the nanoribbon on the electronic and magnetic properties are very active areas of research, and a detailed review of these topics is presented. Also, the effects of substrate interactions, adsorbed atoms, lattice defects and doping on the band structure of finite-sized graphene systems are discussed. We also include a brief description of graphane -- gapped material obtained from graphene by attaching hydrogen atoms to each carbon atom in the lattice.Comment: 189 pages. submitted in Advances in Physic

The Hubbard model within the equations of motion approach

The Hubbard model has a special role in Condensed Matter Theory as it is considered as the simplest Hamiltonian model one can write in order to describe anomalous physical properties of some class of real materials. Unfortunately, this model is not exactly solved except for some limits and therefore one should resort to analytical methods, like the Equations of Motion Approach, or to numerical techniques in order to attain a description of its relevant features in the whole range of physical parameters (interaction, filling and temperature). In this manuscript, the Composite Operator Method, which exploits the above mentioned analytical technique, is presented and systematically applied in order to get information about the behavior of all relevant properties of the model (local, thermodynamic, single- and two- particle ones) in comparison with many other analytical techniques, the above cited known limits and numerical simulations. Within this approach, the Hubbard model is shown to be also capable to describe some anomalous behaviors of the cuprate superconductors.Comment: 232 pages, more than 300 figures, more than 500 reference

Whole-genome sequencing identifies genetic alterations in pediatric low-grade gliomas

The most common pediatric brain tumors are low-grade gliomas (LGGs). We used whole-genome sequencing to identify multiple new genetic alterations involving BRAF, RAF1, FGFR1, MYB, MYBL1 and genes with histone-related functions, including H3F3A and ATRX, in 39 LGGs and low-grade glioneuronal tumors (LGGNTs). Only a single non-silent somatic alteration was detected in 24 of 39 (62%) tumors. Intragenic duplications of the portion of FGFR1 encoding the tyrosine kinase domain (TKD) and rearrangements of MYB were recurrent and mutually exclusive in 53% of grade II diffuse LGGs. Transplantation of Trp53-null neonatal astrocytes expressing FGFR1 with the duplication involving the TKD into the brains of nude mice generated high-grade astrocytomas with short latency and 100% penetrance. FGFR1 with the duplication induced FGFR1 autophosphorylation and upregulation of the MAPK/ERK and PI3K pathways, which could be blocked by specific inhibitors. Focusing on the therapeutically challenging diffuse LGGs, our study of 151 tumors has discovered genetic alterations and potential therapeutic targets across the entire range of pediatric LGGs and LGGNTs.Jinghui Zhang, Gang Wu, Claudia P Miller, Ruth G Tatevossian, James D Dalton, Bo Tang, Wilda Orisme, Chandanamali Punchihewa, Matthew Parker, Ibrahim Qaddoumi, Fredrick A Boop, Charles Lu, Cyriac Kandoth, Li Ding, Ryan Lee, Robert Huether, Xiang Chen, Erin Hedlund, Panduka Nagahawatte, Michael Rusch, Kristy Boggs, Jinjun Cheng, Jared Becksfort, Jing Ma, Guangchun Song, Yongjin Li, Lei Wei, Jianmin Wang, Sheila Shurtleff, John Easton, David Zhao, Robert S Fulton, Lucinda L Fulton, David J Dooling, Bhavin Vadodaria, Heather L Mulder, Chunlao Tang, Kerri Ochoa, Charles G Mullighan, Amar Gajjar, Richard Kriwacki, Denise Sheer, Richard J Gilbertson, Elaine R Mardis, Richard K Wilson, James R Downing, Suzanne J Baker and David W Elliso

GABA-A Channel Subunit Expression in Human Glioma Correlates with Tumor Histology and Clinical Outcome

GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid) is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the CNS and is present in high concentrations in presynaptic terminals of neuronal cells. More recently, GABA has been ascribed a more widespread role in the control of cell proliferation during development where low concentrations of extrasynaptic GABA induce a tonic activation of GABA receptors. The GABA-A receptor consists of a ligand-gated chloride channel, formed by five subunits that are selected from 19 different subunit isoforms. The functional and pharmacological properties of the GABA-A channels are dictated by their subunit composition. Here we used qRT-PCR to compare mRNA levels of all 19 GABA-A channel subunits in samples of human glioma (n = 29) and peri-tumoral tissue (n = 5). All subunits except the ρ1 and ρ3 subunit were consistently detected. Lowest mRNA levels were found in glioblastoma compared to gliomas of lower malignancy, except for the θ subunit. The expression and cellular distribution of the α1, γ1, ρ2 and θ subunit proteins was investigated by immunohistochemistry on tissue microarrays containing 87 gliomas grade II. We found a strong co-expression of ρ2 and θ subunits in both astrocytomas (r = 0.86, p<0.0001) and oligodendroglial tumors (r = 0.66, p<0.0001). Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazards modeling to estimate the impact of GABA-A channel subunit expression on survival identified the ρ2 subunit (p = 0.043) but not the θ subunit (p = 0.64) as an independent predictor of improved survival in astrocytomas, together with established prognostic factors. Our data give support for the presence of distinct GABA-A channel subtypes in gliomas and provide the first link between specific composition of the A-channel and patient survival