The Very First Changes in the Tongue with the Development of Cancer

We describe the case of an elderly man with a 3-month history of pain at the tip of his tongue due to a lingual cancer. The lesion appeared slightly depressed and reddish. Our images show the very first changes in the tongue with the development of cancer. Patients with tongue pain often visit the internal medicine department first, so highlighting this case will help physicians detect lingual cancer quickly

Advanced Oropharyngeal Cancer Can Be Easily Missed During Esophagogastroduodenoscopy

The case of an elderly man with an advanced oropharyngeal cancer that was missed during esophagogastroduodenoscopy is described. He was referred for endoscopic resection of superficial esophageal squamous cell neoplasms. He died a month after referral due to an advanced oropharyngeal cancer with a metastatic lesion to the brain. Patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma are high risk for head and neck cancer. The pharynx is the most common site for cancer in the head and neck region. Consequently, the pharynx should be observed carefully when patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma undergo esophagogastroduodenoscopy

Absence of a True Vortex-Glass Phase above the Bragg Glass Transition Line in Bi-2212

In magnetic measurements on Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+\delta}$ (Bi-2212) single crystals, a general peak with a dynamical feature on both $S-H$ and $S-T$ curves was found with S the magnetic relaxation rate. At higher fields, the characteristic exponent $\mu$ becomes negative, together with the positive curvature of $logE$ vs. $logj$ and the scaling based on the 2D vortex glass theory or plastic creep theory, we conclude that the vortex motion above the second peak is plastic when $j\to 0$ and there is no vortex glass phase at finite temperatures in Bi-2212. The peak of S is then explained as the crossover between different meta-stable vortex states.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, To appear in Physica

Turbulent Magnetic Field Amplification from Spiral SASI Modes: Implications for Core-Collapse Supernovae and Proto-Neutron Star Magnetization

We extend our investigation of magnetic field evolution in three-dimensional flows driven by the stationary accretion shock instability (SASI) with a suite of higher-resolution idealized models of the post-bounce core-collapse supernova environment. Our magnetohydrodynamic simulations vary in initial magnetic field strength, rotation rate, and grid resolution. Vigorous SASI-driven turbulence inside the shock amplifies magnetic fields exponentially; but while the amplified fields reduce the kinetic energy of small-scale flows, they do not seem to affect the global shock dynamics. The growth rate and final magnitude of the magnetic energy are very sensitive to grid resolution, and both are underestimated by the simulations. Nevertheless our simulations suggest that neutron star magnetic fields exceeding $10^{14}$ G can result from dynamics driven by the SASI, \emph{even for non-rotating progenitors}.Comment: 28 pages, 17 figures, accepted for publication in the Ap

New highly radioactive particles derived from Fukushima Daiichi Reactor Unit 1 : Properties and environmental impacts

A contaminated zone elongated toward Futaba Town, north-northwest of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP), contains highly radioactive particles released from reactor Unit 1. There are uncertainties associated with the physio-chemical properties and environmental impacts of these particles. In this study, 31 radioactive particles were isolated from surface soils collected 3.9 km north-northwest of the FDNPP. Two of these particles have the highest particle-associated 134+137Cs activity ever reported for Fukushima (6.1 × 105 and 2.5 × 106 Bq per particle after decay-correction to March 2011). The new, highly-radioactive particle labeled FTB1 is an aggregate of flaky silicate nanoparticles with an amorphous structure containing ~0.8 wt% Cs, occasionally associated with SiO2 and TiO2 inclusions. FTB1 likely originates from the reactor building, which was damaged by a H2 explosion, after adsorbing volatilized Cs. The 134+137Cs activity in the other highly radioactive particle labeled FTB26 exceeded 106 Bq. FTB26 has a glassy carbon core and a surface that is embedded with numerous micro-particles: Pb–Sn alloy, fibrous Al-silicate, Ca-carbonate or hydroxide, and quartz. The isotopic signatures of the micro-particles indicate neutron capture by B, Cs volatilization, and adsorption of natural Ba. The composition of the micro-particles on FTB26 reflects the composition of airborne particles at the moment of the H2 explosion. Owing to their large size, the health effects of the highly radioactive particles are likely limited to external radiation during static contact with skin; the highly radioactive particles are thus expected to have negligible health impacts for humans. By investigating the mobility of the highly radioactive particles, we can better understand how the radiation dose transfers through environments impacted by Unit 1. The highly radioactive particles also provide insights into the atmospheric conditions at the time of the Unit 1 explosion and the physio-chemical phenomena that occurred during reactor meltdown.Peer reviewe

Particulate plutonium released from the Fukushima Daiichi meltdowns

Traces of Pu have been detected in material released from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) in March of 2011; however, to date the physical and chemical form of the Pu have remained unknown. Here we report the discovery of particulate Pu associated with cesium-rich microparticles (CsMPs) that formed in and were released from the reactors during the FDNPP meltdowns. The Cs-pollucite-based CsMP contained discrete U(IV)O2 nanoparticles,Peer reviewe

Hydrogen Susceptibility of Nanostructured Bainitic Steels

Abstract Nanostructured steels with an ultimate tensile strength of 1.6 GPa were produced with austenite content varying from 0 to 35 vol pct. The effect on the mechanical properties was assessed after saturating the steel with hydrogen. Elongation was reduced to 2 to 5 pct and UTS to 65 to 70 pct of prior value. Thermal desorption measurements confirmed the higher solubility of hydrogen in the steel with higher austenite content. The level of hydrogen saturation was found to correlate to the total area of grain boundaries rather than to the volume fraction of retained austenite.This is the final version of the article. It was first available from Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11661-015-3221-

A Preclinical Assessment of Neural Stem Cells as Delivery Vehicles for Anti-Amyloid Therapeutics

Transplantation of neural stems cells (NSCs) could be a useful means to deliver biologic therapeutics for late-stage Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this study, we conducted a small preclinical investigation of whether NSCs could be modified to express metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9), a secreted protease reported to degrade aggregated Aβ peptides that are the major constituents of the senile plaques. Our findings illuminated three issues with using NSCs as delivery vehicles for this particular application. First, transplanted NSCs generally failed to migrate to amyloid plaques, instead tending to colonize white matter tracts. Second, the final destination of these cells was highly influenced by how they were delivered. We found that our injection methods led to cells largely distributing to white matter tracts, which are anisotropic conduits for fluids that facilitate rapid distribution within the CNS. Third, with regard to MMP9 as a therapeutic to remove senile plaques, we observed high concentrations of endogenous metalloproteinases around amyloid plaques in the mouse models used for these preclinical tests with no evidence that the NSC-delivered enzymes elevated these activities or had any impact. Interestingly, MMP9-expressing NSCs formed substantially larger grafts. Overall, we observed long-term survival of NSCs in the brains of mice with high amyloid burden. Therefore, we conclude that such cells may have potential in therapeutic applications in AD but improved targeting of these cells to disease-specific lesions may be required to enhance efficacy

High Strength Conductive Composites with Plasmonic Nanoparticles Aligned on Aramid Nanofibers

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135653/1/adfm201603230.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135653/2/adfm201603230-sup-0001-S1.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135653/3/adfm201603230_am.pd

Regulation of Oxidative Stress Response by CosR, an Essential Response Regulator in Campylobacter jejuni

CosR (Campylobacter oxidative stress regulator; Cj0355c) is an OmpR-type response regulator essential for the viability of Campylobacter jejuni, a leading foodborne pathogen causing human gastroenteritis worldwide. Despite importance, the function of CosR remains completely unknown mainly because of cell death caused by its knockout mutation. To overcome this technical limitation, in this study, antisense technology was used to investigate the regulatory function of CosR by modulating the level of CosR expression. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DGE) was performed to identify the CosR regulon either by suppressing CosR expression with antisense peptide nucleic acid (PNA) or by overexpressing CosR in C. jejuni. According to the results of 2DGE, CosR regulated 32 proteins involved in various cellular processes. Notably, CosR negatively regulated a few key proteins of the oxidative stress response of C. jejuni, such as SodB, Dps, Rrc and LuxS, whereas CosR positively controlled AhpC. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay showed that CosR directly bound to the promoter region of the oxidative stress genes. DNase I footprinting assays identified 21-bp CosR binding sequences in the sodB and ahpC promoters, suggesting CosR specifically recognizes and binds to the regulated genes. Interestingly, the level of CosR protein was significantly reduced by paraquat (a superoxide generator) but not by hydrogen peroxide. Consistent with the overall negative regulation of oxidative stress defense proteins by CosR, the CosR knockdown by antisense rendered C. jejuni more resistant to oxidative stress compared to the wild type. Overall, this study reveals the important role played by the essential response regulator CosR in the oxidative stress defense of C. jejuni