Spontaneous scattering of Raman photons from cavity-QED systems in the ultrastrong coupling regime

We show that spontaneous Raman scattering of incident radiation can be observed in cavity-QED systems without external enhancement or coupling to any vibrational degree of freedom. Raman scattering processes can be evidenced as resonances in the emission spectrum, which become clearly visible as the cavity-QED system approaches the ultrastrong coupling regime. We provide a quantum mechanical description of the effect, and show that ultrastrong light-matter coupling is a necessary condition for the observation of Raman scattering. This effect, and its strong sensitivity to the system parameters, opens new avenues for the characterization of cavity QED setups and the generation of quantum states of lightC. S. M. acknowledges that the project that gave rise to these results received the support of a fellowship from “la Caixa” Foundation (ID 100010434) and from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Grant Agreement No. 847648, with fellowship code LCF/BQ/PI20/11760026, and financial support from the Proyecto Sinérgico CAM 2020 Y2020/TCS-6545 (NanoQuCo-CM). F. N. is supported in part by Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) Research, the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) [via the Quantum Leap Flagship Program (Q-LEAP) program, and the Moonshot R&D Grant No. JPMJMS2061], the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) [via the Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI) Grant No. JP20H00134], the Army Research Office (ARO) (Grant No. W911NF-18-1-0358), the Asian Office of Aerospace Research and Development (AOARD) (via Grant No. FA2386-20-1-4069), and the Foundational Questions Institute Fund (FQXi) via Grant No. FQXiIAF19-06. S. S. acknowledges the Army Research Office (ARO) (Grant No. W911NF1910065

Herpes vírus simples e carcinoma cérvico-uterino

An important role has been ascribed to the herpes-vírus simplex (HSV) in the etiology of uterine cervical cancer. We have studied 60 women, 30 of them with cervical uterine cancer and another 30 without them. We performed clinicai, cytological, cytophatic and sorological studies. The last one permited to conclude past infections and the others the presence of the virus concomitantly. The clinical study found out the antecedents of the women and their partners concerned signs and symptoms of the disease. In addition we performed a careful gynecological exam in order to detect the viral disease. By the other hand we searched cytological alterations characteristical of the presence of the virus in cervical smears. The cytopathic effects was observed in rabbit cornea culture cells (SIRC-cells). The sorological study consisted in a complement fixation microtechnics againt antigen of the herpes virus (50% of hemolysis). We compared statistically the results of the two groups and did not find any significative difference relatively of the various parameters studied.Nos últimos anos tem-se imputado relevante papel ao herpes vírus simples (HSV), como agente etiológico do carcinoma cérvico-uterino. Tal premissa baseia-se em dados epidemiológicos, similares em ambas as condições: a infecciosa e a neoplásica. Sabendo-se da possibilidade,comprovada experimentalmente e, às vezes clinicamente, de vírus constituirem-se em agentes neoplásicos, aventou-se a hipótese acima referida. No intuito de colaborar no esclarecimento de tão importante questão, procuramos, em nosso meio, pesquisar essa possibilidade. Efetuamos estudos clínico-anamnésticos, citológico, virológicos e sorológicos em portadoras de câncer comparando-as a mulheres de grupo controle. As três primeiras pesquisas objetivaram surpreender a presençamomentânea do vírus; e a última permitiu intuir uma possível infecção pregressa, que possivelmente possa ter induzido à oncogênese. A análise suscinta clínico-anamnéstica pesquisou sintomas e sinais de infecção presente e passada na mulher e no parceiro. O estudo citológico, demonstrando características celulares típicas de doença herpética, autorizou-nos, com certa precisão, detectar a presença do vírus. Igualmente o estudo virológico, através de efeitos indiretos citopáticos em culturas de células, acarretados pelo herpes, denunciou a presença de tal micro-organismo. O estudo sorológico procurou detectar no sangue periférico, anti-corpos anti-SHV, por meio de uma reação de fixação de complemento. Os nossos estudos não demonstraram que as cancerosas eram mais assíduamente suspeitas de infecção herpética atual ou passada

Haploinsufficiency of COQ4 causes coenzyme Q10 deficiency

PMCID: PMC3983946.-- et al.[Background]: COQ4 encodes a protein that organises the multienzyme complex for the synthesis of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). A 3.9 Mb deletion of chromosome 9q34.13 was identified in a 3-year-old boy with mental retardation, encephalomyopathy and dysmorphic features. Because the deletion encompassed COQ4, the patient was screened for CoQ10 deficiency. [Methods]: A complete molecular and biochemical characterisation of the patient's fibroblasts and of a yeast model were performed. [Results]: The study found reduced COQ4 expression (48% of controls), CoQ10 content and biosynthetic rate (44% and 43% of controls), and activities of respiratory chain complex II+III. Cells displayed a growth defect that was corrected by the addition of CoQ10 to the culture medium. Knockdown of COQ4 in HeLa cells also resulted in a reduction of CoQ10. Diploid yeast haploinsufficient for COQ4 displayed similar CoQ deficiency. Haploinsufficency of other genes involved in CoQ10 biosynthesis does not cause CoQ deficiency, underscoring the critical role of COQ4. Oral CoQ10 supplementation resulted in a significant improvement of neuromuscular symptoms, which reappeared after supplementation was temporarily discontinued. [Conclusion]: Mutations of COQ4 should be searched for in patients with CoQ10 deficiency and encephalomyopathy; patients with genomic rearrangements involving COQ4 should be screened for CoQ10 deficiency, as they could benefit from supplementation.This work was supported by Telethon Italy grant no GGP09207, CARIPARO foundation, the Spanish Ministerio de Sanidad (FIS) grant no PI 08/0500, University of Padova grant no 2010-CPDA102953, Italian Ministry of Health grant no GR-2009-1578914, National Institute of Health grant nos 1R01HD057543-01 and HD 32062, and Cariplo Foundation grant no 2007.5197.Peer reviewe

Cephalometric effects of the use of 10-hour Force Theory for Class II treatment

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the cephalometric effects promoted by the orthodontic treatment of Class II malocclusion patients with the use of the 10-Hour Force Theory, that consists in the use of fixed appliances with 8 hours a day using a cervical headgear appliance and 16 hours a day using Class II elastics, 8 hours on the first mandibular molar and 8 hours in the second mandibular molar. METHODS: Sample comprised 31 patients with mean initial age of 14.90 years, final mean age of 17.25 years and mean treatment time of 2.35 years. The lateral cephalograms in pre-treatment and post-treatment stages were evaluated. Evaluation of cephalometric changes between initial and final treatment phases was performed by paired t test. RESULTS: The cases treated with the 10-Hour Force Theory presented a slight restriction of anterior displacement of the maxilla, increase in the effective length of the mandible, significant improvement of the maxillomandibular relationship, significant increase in anterior lower face height, distal tipping of the maxillary premolar crowns, extrusion and distal tipping of the roots of maxillary molars, significant proclination and protrusion of mandibular incisors, significant extrusion and mesialization of mandibular molars, besides a significant correction of the molar relationship, overjet and overbite. CONCLUSION: The use of the 10-Hour Force Theory in treatment of Class II malocclusion provided satisfactory results

Metabolomic profile of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) identifies methionine, porphyrin and tryptophan metabolism as key dysregulated pathways associated with patient survival

Objective: Metabolic profiling is a valuable tool to characterize tumor biology but remains largely unexplored in neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). Our aim was to comprehensively assess the metabolomic profile of NETs and identify novel prognostic biomarkers and dysregulated molecular pathways.Design and Methods: Multiplatform untargeted metabolomic profiling (GC-MS, CE-MS, and LC-MS) was performed in plasma from 77 patients with G1-2 extra-pancreatic NETs enrolled in the AXINET trial (NCT01744249) (study cohort) and from 68 non-cancer individuals (control). The prognostic value of each differential metabolite (n = 155) in NET patients (P < .05) was analyzed by univariate and multivariate analyses adjusted for multiple testing and other confounding factors. Related pathways were explored by Metabolite Set Enrichment Analysis (MSEA) and Metabolite Pathway Analysis (MPA).Results: Thirty-four metabolites were significantly associated with progression-free survival (PFS) (n = 16) and/or overall survival (OS) (n = 27). Thirteen metabolites remained significant independent prognostic factors in multivariate analysis, 3 of them with a significant impact on both PFS and OS. Unsupervised clustering of these 3 metabolites stratified patients in 3 distinct prognostic groups (1-year PFS of 71.1%, 47.7%, and 15.4% (P = .012); 5-year OS of 69.7%, 32.5%, and 27.7% (P = .003), respectively). The MSEA and MPA of the 13-metablolite signature identified methionine, porphyrin, and tryptophan metabolisms as the 3 most relevant dysregulated pathways associated with the prognosis of NETs.Conclusions: We identified a metabolomic signature that improves prognostic stratification of NET patients beyond classical prognostic factors for clinical decisions. The enriched metabolic pathways identified reveal novel tumor vulnerabilities that may foster the development of new therapeutic strategies for these patients

La vida es bella. Parte VI : Desdramatización de la situación hospitalaria en los pacientes internados en el hospital, para mejorar su salud bucal y calidad de vida

Un grupo de docentes y alumnos de la asignatura Odontología Preventiva y Social de la Facultad de Odontología de la UNLP desarrollan tareas relacionadas con la atención odontológica en los consultorios externos del hospital “Mi Pueblo” de la localidad de Florencio Varela, a raíz de observar el pabellón de internación de niños se han permitido interpretar la necesidad de implementar un proyecto que se basa en la desdramatización de la situación hospitalaria, donde se trabaja, además del aspecto humano, lo concerniente a la salud. Se ha incluido en las diferentes etapas a los adolescentes y embarazadas.Facultad de Odontologí

Impact of safety-related dose reductions or discontinuations on sustained virologic response in HCV-infected patients: Results from the GUARD-C Cohort

BACKGROUND: Despite the introduction of direct-acting antiviral agents for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, peginterferon alfa/ribavirin remains relevant in many resource-constrained settings. The non-randomized GUARD-C cohort investigated baseline predictors of safety-related dose reductions or discontinuations (sr-RD) and their impact on sustained virologic response (SVR) in patients receiving peginterferon alfa/ribavirin in routine practice. METHODS: A total of 3181 HCV-mono-infected treatment-naive patients were assigned to 24 or 48 weeks of peginterferon alfa/ribavirin by their physician. Patients were categorized by time-to-first sr-RD (Week 4/12). Detailed analyses of the impact of sr-RD on SVR24 (HCV RNA <50 IU/mL) were conducted in 951 Caucasian, noncirrhotic genotype (G)1 patients assigned to peginterferon alfa-2a/ribavirin for 48 weeks. The probability of SVR24 was identified by a baseline scoring system (range: 0-9 points) on which scores of 5 to 9 and <5 represent high and low probability of SVR24, respectively. RESULTS: SVR24 rates were 46.1% (754/1634), 77.1% (279/362), 68.0% (514/756), and 51.3% (203/396), respectively, in G1, 2, 3, and 4 patients. Overall, 16.9% and 21.8% patients experienced 651 sr-RD for peginterferon alfa and ribavirin, respectively. Among Caucasian noncirrhotic G1 patients: female sex, lower body mass index, pre-existing cardiovascular/pulmonary disease, and low hematological indices were prognostic factors of sr-RD; SVR24 was lower in patients with 651 vs. no sr-RD by Week 4 (37.9% vs. 54.4%; P = 0.0046) and Week 12 (41.7% vs. 55.3%; P = 0.0016); sr-RD by Week 4/12 significantly reduced SVR24 in patients with scores <5 but not 655. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, sr-RD to peginterferon alfa-2a/ribavirin significantly impacts on SVR24 rates in treatment-naive G1 noncirrhotic Caucasian patients. Baseline characteristics can help select patients with a high probability of SVR24 and a low probability of sr-RD with peginterferon alfa-2a/ribavirin

A Systematic Review and International Web-Based Survey of Randomized Controlled Trials in the Perioperative and Critical Care Setting: Interventions Reducing Mortality

The authors aimed to identify interventions documented by randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that reduce mortality in adult critically ill and perioperative patients, followed by a survey of clinicians’ opinions and routine practices to understand the clinicians’ response to such evidence. The authors performed a comprehensive literature review to identify all topics reported to reduce mortality in perioperative and critical care settings according to at least 2 RCTs or to a multicenter RCT or to a single-center RCT plus guidelines. The authors generated position statements that were voted on online by physicians worldwide for agreement, use, and willingness to include in international guidelines. From 262 RCT manuscripts reporting mortality differences in the perioperative and critically ill settings, the authors selected 27 drugs, techniques, and strategies (66 RCTs, most frequently published by the New England Journal of Medicine [13 papers], Lancet [7], and Journal of the American Medical Association [5]) with an agreement ≥67% from over 250 physicians (46 countries). Noninvasive ventilation was the intervention supported by the largest number of RCTs (n = 13). The concordance between agreement and use (a positive answer both to “do you agree” and “do you use”) showed differences between Western and other countries and between anesthesiologists and intensive care unit physicians. The authors identified 27 clinical interventions with randomized evidence of survival benefit and strong clinician support in support of their potential life-saving properties in perioperative and critically ill patients with noninvasive ventilation having the highest level of support. However, clinician views appear affected by specialty and geographical location

¡Cuidame, no me dañes con tus remedios!

La automedicación ha tomado una nueva dimensión. Hoy, es clara la relación directa entre sociedad desarrollada y consumo abusivo de fármacos, tanto en los adolescentes como en las embarazadas, comparado con décadas anteriores. Dicho hábito es la práctica mediante la cual la población reconoce por sí misma las enfermedades o síntomas, y los trata con los medicamentos disponibles, sin prescripción médica. Estudios realizados a través de la Organización Mundial de la Salud se ha observado una tendencia progresiva del uso de fármacos sin recetas en condiciones de sobreoferta, en el 65 % de embarazadas durante el segundo y tercer trimestre de embarazo. En estudios de Extensión realizados en diferentes establecimientos primarios de la localidad de Berisso, se registró un 62 % de automedicación en embarazadas con antibióticos y analgésicos antiinflamaflamtorios no esteroideos, y un 30 % de autoprescripción el mismo tipo de fármaco, pudiendo causar efectos mutantes en el niño, o alteraciones cerebrales súbitas en los recién nacidos, entre otras manifestaciones.Facultad de Odontología (FOLP

¡Cuidame, no me dañes con tus remedios!

La automedicación ha tomado una nueva dimensión. Hoy, es clara la relación directa entre sociedad desarrollada y consumo abusivo de fármacos, tanto en los adolescentes como en las embarazadas, comparado con décadas anteriores. Dicho hábito es la práctica mediante la cual la población reconoce por sí misma las enfermedades o síntomas, y los trata con los medicamentos disponibles, sin prescripción médica. Estudios realizados a través de la Organización Mundial de la Salud se ha observado una tendencia progresiva del uso de fármacos sin recetas en condiciones de sobreoferta, en el 65 % de embarazadas durante el segundo y tercer trimestre de embarazo. En estudios de Extensión realizados en diferentes establecimientos primarios de la localidad de Berisso, se registró un 62 % de automedicación en embarazadas con antibióticos y analgésicos antiinflamaflamtorios no esteroideos, y un 30 % de autoprescripción el mismo tipo de fármaco, pudiendo causar efectos mutantes en el niño, o alteraciones cerebrales súbitas en los recién nacidos, entre otras manifestaciones.Facultad de Odontología (FOLP