Novel mechanism of photoinduced reversible phase transitions in molecule-based magnets

A novel microscopic mechanism of bi-directional structural changes is proposed for the photo-induced magnetic phase transition in Co-Fe Prussian blue analogues on the basis of ab initio quantum chemical cluster calculations. It is shown that the local potential energies of various spin states of Co are sensitive to the number of nearest neighbor Fe vacancies. As a result, the forward and backward structural changes are most readily initiated by excitation of different local regions by different photons. This mechanism suggests an effective strategy to realize photoinduced reversible phase transitions in a general system consisting of two local components.Comment: 4 pages, LaTex, 3 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev. Let

Epidemiology of biliary tract cancers: an update

Background: Biliary tract cancer (BTC) is a rare cancer in Europe and North America, characterized by wide geographic variation, with high incidence in some areas of Latin America and Asia. Materials and methods: BTC mortality and incidence have been updated according to recent data, using joinpoint regression analysis. Results: Since the 1980s, decreasing trends in BTC mortality rates (age-standardized, world standard population) were observed in the European Union as a whole, in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Israel, New Zealand, and the United States, and high-risk countries such as Japan and Venezuela. Joinpoint regression analysis indicates that decreasing trends were more favorable over recent calendar periods. High-mortality rates are, however, still evident in central and eastern Europe (4-5/100 000 women), Japan (4/100 000 women), and Chile (16.6/100 000 women). Incidence rates identified other high-risk areas in India (8.5/100 000 women), Korea (5.6/100 000 women), and Shanghai, China (5.2/100 000 women). Conclusions: The decreasing BTC mortality trends essentially reflect more widespread and earlier adoption of cholecystectomy in several countries, since gallstones are the major risk factor for BTC. There are, however, high-risk areas, mainly from South America and India, where access to gall-bladder surgery remains inadequat

Electron scattering from molecules and molecular aggregates of biological relevance

In this Topical Review we survey the current state of the art in the study of low energy electron collisions with biologically relevant molecules and molecular clusters. We briefly describe the methods and techniques used in the investigation of these processes and summarise the results obtained so far for DNA constituents and their model compounds, amino acids, peptides and other biomolecules. The applications of the data obtained is briefly described as well as future required developments

Androgen receptor phosphorylation at serine 515 by Cdk1 predicts biochemical relapse in prostate cancer patients

<br>Background:Prostate cancer cell growth is dependent upon androgen receptor (AR) activation, which is regulated by specific kinases. The aim of the current study is to establish if AR phosphorylation by Cdk1 or ERK1/2 is of prognostic significance.</br> <br>Methods: Scansite 2.0 was utilised to predict which AR sites are phosphorylated by Cdk1 and ERK1/2. Immunohistochemistry for these sites was then performed on 90 hormone-naive prostate cancer specimens. The interaction between Cdk1/ERK1/2 and AR phosphorylation was investigated in vitro using LNCaP cells.</br><br>Results:Phosphorylation of AR at serine 515 (pAR(S515)) and PSA at diagnosis were independently associated with decreased time to biochemical relapse. Cdk1 and pCdk1(161), but not ERK1/2, correlated with pAR(S515). High expression of pAR(S515) in patients with a PSA at diagnosis of ≤20 ng ml(-1) was associated with shorter time to biochemical relapse (P=0.019). This translated into a reduction in disease-specific survival (10-year survival, 38.1% vs 100%, P<0.001). In vitro studies demonstrated that treatment with Roscovitine (a Cdk inhibitor) caused a reduction in pCdk1(161) expression, pAR(S515)expression and cellular proliferation.</br> <br>Conclusion: In prostate cancer patients with PSA at diagnosis of ≤20 ng ml(-1), phosphorylation of AR at serine 515 by Cdk1 may be an independent prognostic marker.</br&gt

Collective effects in spin-crossover chains with exchange interaction

The collective properties of spin-crossover chains are studied. Spin-crossover compounds contain ions with a low-spin ground state and low lying high-spin excited states and are of interest for molecular memory applications. Some of them naturally form one-dimensional chains. Elastic interaction and Ising exchange interaction are taken into account. The transfer-matrix approach is used to calculate the partition function, the fraction of ions in the high-spin state, the magnetization, susceptibility, etc., exactly. The high-spin-low-spin degree of freedom leads to collective effects not present in simple spin chains. The ground-state phase diagram is mapped out and compared to the case with Heisenberg exchange interaction. The various phases give rise to characteristic behavior at nonzero temperatures, including sharp crossovers between low- and high-temperature regimes. A Curie-Weiss law for the susceptibility is derived and the paramagnetic Curie temperature is calculated. Possible experiments to determine the exchange coupling are discussed.Comment: 9 pages, 13 color figures, published versio

Adjustment to colostomy: stoma acceptance, stoma care self-efficacy and interpersonal relationships

‘The definitive version is available at www.blackwell-synergy.com.’ Copyright Blackwell Publishing. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2007.04446.xThis paper is a report of a study to examine adjustment and its relationship with stoma acceptance and social interaction, and the link between stoma care self-efficacy and adjustment in the presence of acceptance and social interactions.Peer reviewe

'Being there' for women with metastatic breast cancer: a pan-European patient survey

BACKGROUND: Understanding their experiences of diagnosis is integral to improving the quality of care for women living with advanced/metastatic breast cancer. METHODS: A survey, initiated in March 2011, was conducted in two stages. First, the views of 47 breast cancer-related patient groups in eight European countries were sought on standards of breast cancer care and unmet needs of patients. Findings were used to develop a patient-centric survey to capture personal experiences of advanced breast cancer to determine insights into the ‘trade-off' between extending overall survival and side effects associated with its treatment. The second online survey was open to women with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer, or their carers, and responders were recruited through local patient groups. Data were collected via anonymous local language questionnaires. RESULTS: The online stage II survey received a total of 230 responses from 17 European countries: 94% of respondents had locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer and 6% were adult carers. Although the overall experience of care was generally good/excellent (77%), gaps were still perceived in terms of treatment choice and information provision. Treatment choice for patients was felt to be lacking by 32% of responders. In addition, 68% of those who responded would have liked more information about future medical treatments and research, with 57% wishing to receive this information from their oncologist. Two-thirds (66%) of women with advanced breast cancer, or their carers, believed life-extending treatment to be important so that they can spend more time with family and friends, and 67% said that the treatment was worthwhile, despite potential associated side effects. CONCLUSION: These findings show a continuing need to provide women with advanced breast cancer with better information and emphasise the importance that these patients often place on prolonging survival

Circulating Cell-Free DNA in Dogs with Mammary Tumors: Short and Long Fragments and Integrity Index

Circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) has been considered an interesting diagnostic/prognostic plasma biomarker in tumor-bearing subjects. In cancer patients, cfDNA can hypothetically derive from tumor necrosis/apoptosis, lysed circulating cells, and some yet unrevealed mechanisms of active release. This study aimed to preliminarily analyze cfDNA in dogs with canine mammary tumors (CMTs). Forty-four neoplastic, 17 non-neoplastic disease-bearing, and 15 healthy dogs were recruited. Necrosis and apoptosis were also assessed as potential source of cfDNA on 78 CMTs diagnosed from the 44 dogs. The cfDNA fragments and integrity index significantly differentiated neoplastic versus non-neoplastic dogs (P<0.05), and allowed the distinction between benign and malignant lesions (P<0.05). Even if without statistical significance, the amount of cfDNA was also affected by tumor necrosis and correlated with tumor size and apoptotic markers expression. A significant (P<0.01) increase of Bcl-2 in malignant tumors was observed, and in metastatic CMTs the evasion of apoptosis was also suggested. This study, therefore, provides evidence that cfDNA could be a diagnostic marker in dogs carrying mammary nodules suggesting that its potential application in early diagnostic procedures should be further investigated

Magnetic properties of exactly solvable doubly decorated Ising-Heisenberg planar models

Applying the decoration-iteration procedure, we introduce a class of exactly solvable doubly decorated planar models consisting both of the Ising- and Heisenberg-type atoms. Exact solutions for the ground state, phase diagrams and basic physical quantities are derived and discussed. The detailed analysis of the relevant quantities suggests the existence of an interesting quantum antiferromagnetic phase in the system.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures, submitted to Physical Review