84 research outputs found
Violation of prophylactic vancomycin administration timing is a potential risk factor for rate of surgical site infections in cardiac surgery patients: A prospective cohort study
Creation and characterization of He-related color centers in diamond
Diamond is a promising material for the development of emerging applications
in quantum optics, quantum information and quantum sensing. The fabrication and
characterization of novel luminescent defects with suitable opto-physical
properties is therefore of primary importance for further advances in these
research fields. In this work we report on the investigation in the formation
of photoluminescent (PL) defects upon MeV He implantation in diamond. Such
color centers, previously reported only in electroluminescence and
cathodoluminescence regime, exhibited two sharp emission lines at 536.5 nm and
560.5 nm, without significant phonon sidebands. A strong correlation between
the PL intensities of the above-mentioned emission lines and the He
implantation fluence was found in the 10^15-10^17 cm^{-2} fluence range. The PL
emission features were not detected in control samples, i.e. samples that were
either unirradiated or irradiated with different ion species (H, C). Moreover,
the PL emission lines disappeared in samples that were He-implanted above the
graphitization threshold. Therefore, the PL features are attributed to
optically active defects in the diamond matrix associated with He impurities.
The intensity of the 536.5 nm and 560.5 nm emission lines was investigated as a
function of the annealing temperature of the diamond substrate. The emission
was observed upon annealing at temperatures higher than 500{\deg}C, at the
expenses of the concurrently decreasing neutral-vacancy-related GR1 emission
intensity. Therefore, our findings indicate that the luminescence originates
from the formation of a stable lattice defect. Finally, the emission was
investigated under different laser excitations wavelengths (i.e. 532 nm and 405
nm) with the purpose of gaining a preliminary insight about the position of the
related levels in the energy gap of diamond
Ovarian Cancer Cells in Ascites Form Aggregates That Display a Hybrid Epithelial-Mesenchymal Phenotype and Allows Survival and Proliferation of Metastasizing Cells
Peritoneal metastases are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in ovarian cancer. Cancer cells float in peritoneal fluid, named ascites, together with a definitely higher number of non neo-neoplastic cells, as single cells or multicellular aggregates. The aim of this work is to uncover the features that make these aggregates the metastasizing units. Immunofluorescence revealed that aggregates are made almost exclusively of ovarian cancer cells expressing the specific nuclear PAX8 protein. The same cells expressed epithelial and mesenchymal markers, such as EPCAM and αSMA, respectively. Expression of fibronectin further supported a hybrid epithelia-mesenchymal phenotype, that is maintained when aggregates are cultivated and proliferate. Hematopoietic cells as well as macrophages are negligible in the aggregates, while abundant in the ascitic fluid confirming their prominent role in establishing an eco-system necessary for the survival of ovarian cancer cells. Using ovarian cancer cell lines, we show that cells forming 3D structures neo-expressed thoroughly fibronectin and αSMA. Functional assays showed that αSMA and fibronectin are necessary for the compaction and survival of 3D structures. Altogether these data show that metastasizing units display a hybrid phenotype that allows maintenance of the 3D structures and the plasticity necessary for implant and seeding into peritoneal lining
Identification of the Best Cut-Off Value of PIVKA-II for the Surveillance of Patients at Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Development
Diagnostic accuracy of soluble sCD163 for the detection of severe fibrosis in patients with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
Interplay between Oxidative Stress and Metabolic Derangements in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: The Role of Selenoprotein P
Immunological and virological markers during pegylated interferon therapy in HDV chronic hepatitis: any predictor of response?
Risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in HBV cirrhotic patients assessed by the combination of miR-122, AFP and PIVKA-II
Xenopatients show the need for precision medicine approach to chemotherapy in ovarian cancer.
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