Feasibility tests of transmission x-ray photoelectron emission microscopy of wet samples

We performed feasibility tests of photoelectron emission spectromicroscopy of wet samples in the water window (285-532 eV) soft x-ray spectral region. Water was successfully confined in an ultrahigh vacuum compatible compartment with x-ray transparent sides. This water cell was placed in the MEPHISTO spectromicroscope in a transmission geometry, and complete x-ray absorption spectra of the water window region were acquired. We also show micrographs of test samples, mounted outside of the compartment, and imaged through the water. This technique can be used to study liquid chemistry and, at least to the micron level, the microstructure of wet samples. Possibilities include cells in water or buffer, proteins in solution, oils of tribological interest, liquid crystals, and other samples not presently accessible to the powerful x-ray photoelectron emission spectromicroscopy technique

Level Statistics of XXZ Spin Chains with Discrete Symmetries: Analysis through Finite-size Effects

Level statistics is discussed for XXZ spin chains with discrete symmetries for some values of the next-nearest-neighbor (NNN) coupling parameter. We show how the level statistics of the finite-size systems depends on the NNN coupling and the XXZ anisotropy, which should reflect competition among quantum chaos, integrability and finite-size effects. Here discrete symmetries play a central role in our analysis. Evaluating the level-spacing distribution, the spectral rigidity and the number variance, we confirm the correspondence between non-integrability and Wigner behavior in the spectrum. We also show that non-Wigner behavior appears due to mixed symmetries and finite-size effects in some nonintegrable cases.Comment: 19 pages, 6 figure

Outcomes and Risk Factors for Complications of Laser Ablation for Thyroid Nodules: A Multicenter Study on 1531 Patients

Image-guided laser ablation therapy (LAT) of benign thyroid nodules demonstrated favorable results in randomized trials with fixed modalities of treatment. The aim of this retrospective multicenter study was to assess the effectiveness, tolerability, and complications of LAT in a large consecutive series of patients from centers using this technique in their routine clinical activity

Electronic States and Superconductivity in Multi-layer High-Tc Cuprates

We study electronic states of multilayer cuprates in the normal phases as functions of the number of CuO_2 planes and the doping rate. The resonating valence bond wave function and the Gutzwiller approximation are used for a two-dimensional multilayer t-t'-t''-J model. We calculate the electron-removal spectral functions at (\pi,0) in the CuO_2 plane next to the surface to understand the angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) spectra. We find that the trilayer spectrum is narrower than the bilayer spectrum but is wider than the monolayer spectrum. In the tri- and tetralayer systems, the outer CuO_2 plane has different superconducting amplitude from the inner CuO_2 plane, while each layer in the bilayer systems has same amplitude. The recent ARPES and NMR experiments are discussed in the light of the present theory.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure

Different impact of definitions of sarcopenia in defining frailty status in a population of older women with early breast cancer

Sarcopenia is a geriatric syndrome characterized by losses of quantity and quality of skeletal muscle, which is associated with negative outcomes in older adults and in cancer patients. Different definitions of sarcopenia have been used, with quantitative data more frequently used in oncology, while functional measures have been advocated in the geriatric literature. Little is known about the correlation between frailty status as assessed by comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) and sarcopenia in cancer patients. We retrospectively analyzed data from 96 older women with early breast cancer who underwent CGAs and Dual X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) scans for muscle mass assessment before cancer treatment at a single cancer center from 2016 to 2019 to explore the correlation between frailty status as assessed by CGA and sarcopenia using different definitions. Based on the results of the CGA, 35 patients (36.5%) were defined as frail. Using DXA Appendicular Skeletal Mass (ASM) or the Skeletal Muscle Index (SMI=ASM/heightˆ2), 41 patients were found to be sarcopenic (42.7%), with no significant difference in prevalence between frail and nonfrail subjects. Using the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP2) definition of sarcopenia (where both muscle function and mass are required), 58 patients were classified as “probably” sarcopenic; among these, 25 were sarcopenic and 17 “severely” sarcopenic. Only 13 patients satisfied both the requirements for being defined as sarcopenic and frail. Grade 3-4 treatment-related toxicities (according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events) were more common in sarcopenic and frail sarcopenic patients. Our data support the use of a definition of sarcopenia that includes both quantitative and functional data in order to identify frail patients who need tailored treatment

Charge Imbalance Effects on Interlayer Hopping and Fermi Surfaces in Multilayered High-T_c Cuprates

We study doping dependence of interlayer hoppings, t_\perp, in multilayered cuprates with four or more CuO_2 planes in a unit cell. When the double occupancy is forbidden in the plane, an effective amplitude of t_\perp in the Gutzwiller approximation is shown to be proportional to the square root of the product of doping rates in adjacent two planes, i.e., t^eff_\perp \propto t_\perp \sqrt{\delta_1\delta_2}, where \delta_1 and \delta_2 represent the doping rates of the two planes. More than three-layered cuprates have two kinds of \cuo planes, i.e., inner- and outer planes (IP and OP), resulting in two different values of t^eff_{\perp}, i.e., t^eff_\perp 1 \propto t_\perp \sqrt{\delta_IP \delta_IP} between IP's, and t^eff_\perp 2 \propto t_\perp \sqrt{\delta_IP \delta_OP} between IP and OP. Fermi surfaces are calculated in the four-layered t-t'-t''-J model by the mean-field theory. The order parameters, the renormalization factor of t_\perp, and the site-potential making the charge imbalance between IP and OP are self-consistently determined for several doping rates. We show the interlayer splitting of the Fermi surfaces, which may be observed in the angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurement.Comment: Some typographical errors are revised. Journal of Physical Society of Japan, Vol.75, No.3, in pres

Genetic Reconstruction of Protozoan rRNA Decoding Sites Provides a Rationale for Paromomycin Activity against Leishmania and Trypanosoma

Aminoglycoside antibiotics target the ribosomal decoding A-site and are active against a broad spectrum of bacteria. These compounds bind to a highly conserved stem-loop-stem structure in helix 44 of bacterial 16S rRNA. One particular aminoglycoside, paromomycin, also shows potent antiprotozoal activity and is used for the treatment of parasitic infections, e.g. by Leishmania spp. The precise drug target is, however, unclear; in particular whether aminoglycoside antibiotics target the cytosolic and/or the mitochondrial protozoan ribosome. To establish an experimental model for the study of protozoan decoding-site function, we constructed bacterial chimeric ribosomes where the central part of bacterial 16S rRNA helix 44 has been replaced by the corresponding Leishmania and Trypanosoma rRNA sequences. Relating the results from in-vitro ribosomal assays to that of in-vivo aminoglycoside activity against Trypanosoma brucei, as assessed in cell cultures and in a mouse model of infection, we conclude that aminoglycosides affect cytosolic translation while the mitochondrial ribosome of trypanosomes is not a target for aminoglycoside antibiotics

Disease-specific and general health-related quality of life in newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients: The Pros-IT CNR study

Background: The National Research Council (CNR) prostate cancer monitoring project in Italy (Pros-IT CNR) is an observational, prospective, ongoing, multicentre study aiming to monitor a sample of Italian males diagnosed as new cases of prostate cancer. The present study aims to present data on the quality of life at time prostate cancer is diagnosed. Methods: One thousand seven hundred five patients were enrolled. Quality of life is evaluated at the time cancer was diagnosed and at subsequent assessments via the Italian version of the University of California Los Angeles-Prostate Cancer Index (UCLA-PCI) and the Short Form Health Survey (SF-12). Results: At diagnosis, lower scores on the physical component of the SF-12 were associated to older ages, obesity and the presence of 3+ moderate/severe comorbidities. Lower scores on the mental component were associated to younger ages, the presence of 3+ moderate/severe comorbidities and a T-score higher than one. Urinary and bowel functions according to UCLA-PCI were generally good. Almost 5% of the sample reported using at least one safety pad daily to control urinary loss; less than 3% reported moderate/severe problems attributable to bowel functions, and sexual function was a moderate/severe problem for 26.7%. Diabetes, 3+ moderate/severe comorbidities, T2 or T3-T4 categories and a Gleason score of eight or more were significantly associated with lower sexual function scores at diagnosis. Conclusions: Data collected by the Pros-IT CNR study have clarified the baseline status of newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients. A comprehensive assessment of quality of life will allow to objectively evaluate outcomes of different profile of care