592 research outputs found
Highest performance computing machines
Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/29854/1/0000201.pd
Complementarity of Galactic radio and collider data in constraining WIMP dark matter models
In this work we confront dark matter models to constraints that may be
derived from radio synchrotron radiation from the Galaxy, taking into account
the astrophysical uncertainties and we compare these to bounds set by
accelerator and complementary indirect dark matter searches. Specifically we
apply our analysis to three popular particle physics models. First, a generic
effective operator approach, in which case we set bounds on the corresponding
mass scale, and then, two specific UV completions, the Z' and Higgs portals. We
show that for many candidates, the radio synchrotron limits are competitive
with the other searches, and could even give the strongest constraints (as of
today) with some reasonable assumptions regarding the astrophysical
uncertainties.Comment: 22 pages, 12 figure
Phase I/II study of sequential therapy with irinotecan and S-1 for metastatic colorectal cancer
The Yuan-Tseh Lee Array for Microwave Background Anisotropy
The Yuan-Tseh Lee Array for Microwave Background Anisotropy (AMiBA) is the
first interferometer dedicated to studying the cosmic microwave background
(CMB) radiation at 3mm wavelength. The choice of 3mm was made to minimize the
contributions from foreground synchrotron radiation and Galactic dust emission.
The initial configuration of seven 0.6m telescopes mounted on a 6-m hexapod
platform was dedicated in October 2006 on Mauna Loa, Hawaii. Scientific
operations began with the detection of a number of clusters of galaxies via the
thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect. We compare our data with Subaru weak lensing
data in order to study the structure of dark matter. We also compare our data
with X-ray data in order to derive the Hubble constant.Comment: accepted for publication in ApJ (13 pages, 7 figures); a version with
high resolution figures available at
http://www.asiaa.sinica.edu.tw/~keiichi/upfiles/AMiBA7/pho_highreso.pd
Cytotoxic activity of Thai medicinal plants against human cholangiocarcinoma, laryngeal and hepatocarcinoma cells in vitro
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cholangiocarcinoma is a serious public health in Thailand with increasing incidence and mortality rates. The present study aimed to investigate cytotoxic activities of crude ethanol extracts of a total of 28 plants and 5 recipes used in Thai folklore medicine against human cholangiocarcinoma (CL-6), human laryngeal (Hep-2), and human hepatocarcinoma (HepG2) cell lines in vitro.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Cytotoxic activity of the plant extracts against the cancerous cell lines compared with normal cell line (renal epithelial cell: HRE) were assessed using MTT assay. 5-fluorouracil was used as a positive control. The IC<sub>50 </sub>(concentration that inhibits cell growth by 50%) and the selectivity index (SI) were calculated.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The extracts from seven plant species (<it>Atractylodes lancea</it>, <it>Kaempferia galangal</it>, <it>Zingiber officinal</it>, <it>Piper chaba</it>, <it>Mesua ferrea</it>, <it>Ligusticum sinense</it>, <it>Mimusops elengi</it>) and one folklore recipe (Pra-Sa-Prao-Yhai) exhibited promising activity against the cholangiocarcinoma CL-6 cell line with survival of less than 50% at the concentration of 50 μg/ml. Among these, the extracts from the five plants and one recipe (<it>Atractylodes lancea</it>, <it>Kaempferia galangal</it>, <it>Zingiber officinal</it>, <it>Piper chaba</it>, <it>Mesua ferrea</it>, and Pra-Sa-Prao-Yhai recipe) showed potent cytotoxic activity with mean IC<sub>50 </sub>values of 24.09, 37.36, 34.26, 40.74, 48.23 and 44.12 μg/ml, respectively. All possessed high activity against Hep-2 cell with mean IC<sub>50 </sub>ranging from 18.93 to 32.40 μg/ml. In contrast, activity against the hepatoma cell HepG2 varied markedly; mean IC<sub>50 </sub>ranged from 9.67 to 115.47 μg/ml. The only promising extract was from <it>Zingiber officinal </it>(IC<sub>50 </sub>= 9.67 μg/ml). The sensitivity of all the four cells to 5-FU also varied according to cell types, particularly with CL-6 cell (IC<sub>50 </sub>= 757 micromolar). The extract from <it>Atractylodes lancea </it>appears to be both the most potent and most selective against cholangiocarcinoma (IC<sub>50 </sub>= 24.09 μg/ml, SI = 8.6).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The ethanolic extracts from five plants and one folklore recipe showed potent cytotoxic activity against CL-6 cell. Sensitivity to other cancerous cell lines varied according to cell types and the hepatocarcinoma cell line. HepG2 appears to be the most resistant to the tested extracts.</p
Combination therapy with PEG-IFN-α and 5-FU inhibits HepG2 tumour cell growth in nude mice by apoptosis of p53
When the tumour suppressor p53 is activated by DNA damage, it stimulates the transcription of its target genes, which then induce cell cycle arrest or apoptosis. Here, we examined the role p53 plays in the antitumour effect of combination treatment with pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN)-α and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), which has been shown to effectively treat advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Nude mice were injected subcutaneously with cultured HepG2 cells, in which p53 is functional. They were treated a week later with PEG-IFN and/or 5-FU for 7 weeks, after which we measured and examined their tumours. Combination groups showed significantly lower tumour volumes and higher tumour cell apoptosis than the other groups. Combination treatment and PEG-IFN monotherapy also significantly elevated the p53 protein and mRNA levels in the tumour but only combination treatment increased the degree of p53 phosphorylation at serine46 and induced p53-regulated apoptosis-inducing protein 1 (p53AIP1) expression. The antitumour effects of combination treatment is due in part to the elevation by PEG-IFN of p53 protein and mRNA expression and in part to the DNA damage that is generated by 5-FU, which induces p53 serine46 phosphorylation, which in turn upregulates p53AIP1 expression
Activation of Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway induces chemoresistance to interferon-α/5-fluorouracil combination therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma
Type I IFN receptor type 2 (IFNAR2) expression correlates significantly with clinical response to interferon (IFN)-α/5-fluorouracil (5-FU) combination therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, some IFNAR2-positive patients show no response to the therapy. This result suggests the possibility of other factors, which would be responsible for resistance to IFN-α/5-FU therapy. The aim of this study was to examine the mechanism of anti-proliferative effects of IFN-α/5-FU therapy and search for a biological marker of chemoresistance to such therapy. Gene expression profiling and molecular network analysis were used in the analysis of non-responders and responders with IFNAR2-positive HCC. The Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway contributed to resistance to IFN-α/5-FU therapy. Immunohistochemical analysis showed positive epithelial cell adhesion molecule (Ep-CAM) expression, the target molecule of Wnt/β-catenin signalling, only in non-responders. In vitro studies showed that activation of Wnt/β-catenin signalling by glycogen synthesis kinase-3 inhibitor (6-bromoindirubin-3′-oxime (BIO)) induced chemoresistance to IFN-α/5-FU. BrdU-based cell proliferation ELISA and cell cycle analysis showed that concurrent addition of BIO and IFN-α/5-FU significantly to hepatoma cell cultures reduced the inhibitory effects of the latter two on DNA synthesis and accumulation of cells in the S-phase. The results indicate that activation of Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway induces chemoresistance to IFN-α/5-FU therapy and suggest that Ep-CAM is a potentially useful marker for resistance to such therapy, especially in IFNAR2-positive cases
Measurement of triple gauge boson couplings from WW production at LEP energies up to 189 GeV
A measurement of triple gauge boson couplings is presented, based on W-pair
data recorded by the OPAL detector at LEP during 1998 at a centre-of-mass
energy of 189 GeV with an integrated luminosity of 183 pb^-1. After combining
with our previous measurements at centre-of-mass energies of 161-183 GeV we
obtain k_g=0.97 +0.20 -0.16, g_1^z=0.991 +0.060 -0.057 and lambda_g=-0.110
+0.058 -0.055, where the errors include both statistical and systematic
uncertainties and each coupling is determined by setting the other two
couplings to their SM values. These results are consistent with the Standard
Model expectations.Comment: 28 pages, 8 figures, submitted to Eur. Phys. J.
Measurements of Flavour Dependent Fragmentation Functions in Z^0 -> qq(bar) Events
Fragmentation functions for charged particles in Z -> qq(bar) events have
been measured for bottom (b), charm (c) and light (uds) quarks as well as for
all flavours together. The results are based on data recorded between 1990 and
1995 using the OPAL detector at LEP. Event samples with different flavour
compositions were formed using reconstructed D* mesons and secondary vertices.
The \xi_p = ln(1/x_E) distributions and the position of their maxima \xi_max
are also presented separately for uds, c and b quark events. The fragmentation
function for b quarks is significantly softer than for uds quarks.Comment: 29 pages, LaTeX, 5 eps figures (and colour figs) included, submitted
to Eur. Phys. J.
Search for Neutral Higgs Bosons in e+e- Collisions at sqrt(s) ~189GeV
A search for neutral Higgs bosons has been performed with the OPAL detector
at LEP, using approximately 170 pb-1 of e+e- collision data collected at
sqrt(s)~189GeV. Searches have been performed for the Standard Model (SM)
process e+e- to H0Z0 and the MSSM processes e+e- to H0Z0, A0h0. The searches
are sensitive to the b b-bar and tau antitau decay modes of the Higgs bosons,
and also to the MSSM decay mode h0 to A0A0. OPAL search results at lower
centre-of-mass energies have been incorporated in the limits we set, which are
valid at the 95% confidence level. For the SM Higgs boson, we obtain a lower
mass bound of 91.0 GeV. In the MSSM, our limits are mh>74.8GeV and mA>76.5GeV,
assuming tan(beta)>1, that the mixing of the scalar top quarks is either zero
or maximal, and that the soft SUSY-breaking masses are 1 TeV. For the case of
zero scalar top mixing, we exclude values of tan(beta) between 0.72 and 2.19.Comment: 38 pages, 15 figures, submitted Euro. Phys. J.
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