The DNA-polymorphism rs849142 is associated with skin toxicity induced by targeted anti-EGFR therapy using cetuximab

Skin toxicity (ST) is a frequent adverse effect (AE) in anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeted treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) resulting in decreased quality of life and problems in clinical management. We wanted to identify biomarkers predicting ST in this setting and focused on 70 DNA polymorphisms associated with acne, the (immunoglobulin fragment crystallizable region) Fcγ-receptor pathway, and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) applying next-generation-sequencing (NGS). For the analysis patients with mCRC treated with cetuximab were selected from the FIRE-3 study. A training group consisting of the phenotypes low (1) - and high-grade (3) ST (n = 16) and a validation group (n = 55) representing also the intermediate grade (2) were genotyped and investigated in a genotype-phenotype association analysis. The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs849142 significantly associated with ST in both the training- (p < 0.01) and validation-group (p = 0.04). rs849142 is located in an intron of the juxtaposed with another zinc finger protein 1 (JAZF1) gene. Haplotype analysis demonstrated significant linkage disequilibrium of rs849142 with JAZF1. Thus, rs849142 might be a predictive biomarker for ST in anti-EGFR treated mCRC patients. Its value in the clinical management of AE has to be validated in larger cohorts

On the correct strong-coupling limit in the evolution from BCS superconductivity to Bose-Einstein condensation

We consider the problem of the crossover from BCS superconductivity to Bose-Einstein condensation in three dimensions for a system of fermions with an attractive interaction, for which we adopt the simplifying assumption of a suitably regularized point-contact interaction. We examine in a critical way the fermionic (self-consistent) T-matrix approximation which has been widely utilized in the literature to describe this crossover above the superconducting critical temperature, and show that it fails to yield the correct behaviour of the system in the strong-coupling limit, where composite bosons form as tightly bound fermion pairs. We then set up the correct approximation for a ``dilute'' system of composite bosons and show that an entire new class of diagrams has to be considered in the place of the fermionic T-matrix approximation for the self-energy. This new class of diagrams correctly describes both the weak- and strong-coupling limits, and consequently results into an improved interpolation scheme for the intermediate (crossover) region. In this context, we provide also a systematic mapping between the corresponding diagrammatic theories for the composite bosons and the constituent fermions. As a preliminary result to demonstrate the numerical effect of our new class of diagrams on physical quantities, we calculate the value of the scattering length for composite bosons in the strong-coupling limit and show that it is considerably modified with respect to the result obtained within the self-consistent fermionic T-matrix approximation.Comment: 25 pages, 14 figures included in pape

Density-induced BCS to Bose-Einstein crossover

We investigate the zero-temperature BCS to Bose-Einstein crossover at the mean-field level, by driving it with the attractive potential and the particle density.We emphasize specifically the role played by the particle density in this crossover.Three different interparticle potentials are considered for the continuum model in three spatial dimensions, while both s- and d-wave solutions are analyzed for the attractive (extended) Hubbard model on a two-dimensional square lattice. For this model the peculiar behavior of the crossover for the d-wave solution is discussed.In particular, in the strong-coupling limit when approaching half filling we evidence the occurrence of strong correlations among antiparallel-spin fermions belonging to different composite bosons, which give rise to a quasi-long-range antiferromagnetic order in this limit.Comment: 10 pages, 5 enclosed figure

Ginzburg-Landau theory of superconductors with short coherence length

We consider Fermions in two dimensions with an attractive interaction in the singlet d-wave channel of arbitrary strength. By means of a Hubbard-Stratonovich transformation a statistical Ginzburg-Landau theory is derived, which describes the smooth crossover from a weak-coupling BCS superconductor to a condensate of composite Bosons. Adjusting the interaction strength to the observed slope of H_c2 at T_c in the optimally doped high-T_c compounds YBCO and BSCCO, we determine the associated values of the Ginzburg-Landau correlation length xi and the London penetration depth lambda. The resulting dimensionless ratio k_F xi(0) approx 5-8 and the Ginzburg-Landau parameter kappa=lambda xi approx 90-100 agree well with the experimentally observed values. These parameters indicate that the optimally doped materials are still on the weak coupling side of the crossover to a Bose regime.Comment: 12 pages, RevTeX, 6 postscript figures, resubmitted with minor changes in section III, to appear in Physical Review

Pseudogap phase formation in the crossover from Bose-Einstein condensation to BCS superconductivity

A phase diagram for a 2D metal with variable carrier density has been derived. It consists of a normal phase, where the order parameter is absent; a so-called ``abnormal normal'' phase where this parameter is also absent but the mean number of composite bosons (bound pairs) exceeds the mean number of free fermions; a pseudogap phase where the absolute value of the order parameter gradually increases but its phase is a random value, and finally a superconducting (here Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless) phase. The characteristic transition temperatures between these phases are found. The chemical potential and paramagnetic susceptibility behavior as functions of the fermion density and the temperature are also studied. An attempt is made to qualitatively compare the resulting phase diagram with the features of underdoped high-$T_{c}$ superconducting compounds above their critical temperature.Comment: 26 pages, revtex, 5 EMTeX figures; more discussion and references added; to be published in JET

Role of symmetry and dimension on pseudogap phenomena

The attractive Hubbard model in d=2 is studied through Monte Carlo simulations at intermediate coupling. There is a crossover temperature $T_X$ where a pseudogap appears with concomitant precursors of Bogoliubov quasiparticles that are not local pairs. The pseudogap in $A(k,\omega)$ occurs in the renormalized classical regime when the correlation length is larger than the direction-dependent thermal de Broglie wave length, $\xi_{th}=\hbar v_{F}(k)/k_{B}T.$ The ratio $T_{X}/T_{c}$ for the pseudogap may be made arbitrarily large when the system is close to a point where the order parameter has SO(n) symmetry with n>2. This is relevant in the context of SO(5) theories of high $T_c$ but has more general applicability.Comment: 4 pages, LaTeX, 4 epsf figures included. Corrected to agree with published version. Main change, one new figur

The effect of phase fluctuations on the single-particle properties of the underdoped cuprates

We study the effect of order parameter phase fluctuations on the single-particle properties of fermions in the underdoped cuprate superconductors using a phenomenological low-energy theory. We identify the fermion-phase field coupling as the Doppler-shift of the quasiparticle spectrum induced by the fluctuating superfluid velocity and we calculate the effect of these fluctuations on the fermion self-energy. We show that the vortex pair unbinding near the superconducting transition causes a significant broadening in the fermion spectral function, producing a pseudogap-like feature. We also discuss the specific heat and show that the phase fluctuation effect is visible due to the short coherence length.Comment: RevTex 11 pages; 11 epsf figures included. Added and updated reference

Shrinking of a condensed fermionic cloud in a trap approaching the BEC limit

We determine the zero-temperature density profile of a cloud of fermionic atoms in a trap subject to a mutual attractive interaction, as the strength of the interaction is progressively increased. We find a significant decrease of the size of the atomic cloud as it evolves from the weak-coupling (BCS) regime of overlapping Cooper pairs to the strong-coupling (Bose-Einstein) regime of non-overlapping bound-fermion pairs. Most significantly, we find a pronounced increase of the value of the density at the center of the trap (even by an order of magnitude) when evolving between the two regimes. Our results are based on a generalized Thomas-Fermi approximation for the superfluid state, that covers continuously all coupling regimes.Comment: 5 pages, 3 postscript figure

Theory of Electric Transport in the Pseudogap State of High-Tc Cuprates

We theoretically investigate the electric transport in the pseudogap state of High-Tc cuprates. Starting from the repulsive Hubbard model, we perform the microscopic calculation to describe the pseudogap phenomena which are induced by the superconducting fluctuations. The single particle Green function, spin susceptibility and superconducting fluctuations are self-consistently determined by the SC-FLEX+T-matrix approximation. The longitudinal and transverse conductivities are calculated by using the Eliashberg and Kohno-Yamada formalism. The effects of the spin fluctuations and superconducting fluctuations are estimated, respectively. The vertex corrections arising from the two fluctuations are also calculated. The additional contribution from the Aslamazov-Larkin term is also estimated beyond the Eliashberg formalism. It is shown that the main effect of the superconducting fluctuations is the feedback effect through the spin fluctuations. The correct results are obtained by considering the superconducting fluctuations and the spin fluctuations simultaneously. The temperature and doping dependences of the resistivity and the Hall coefficient are well explained. We point out that the characteristic momentum dependence of the systems plays an essential role in this explanation.Comment: To appear in J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. Vol.71 No.1 (2002

Nonperturbative XY-model approach to strong coupling superconductivity in two and three dimensions

For an electron gas with delta-function attraction we investigate the crossover from weak- to strong-coupling supercoductivity in two and three dimensions. We derive analytic expressions for the stiffness of phase fluctuations and set up effective XY-models which serve to determine nonperturbatively the temperature of phase decoherence where superconductivity breaks down. We find the transition temperature T_c as a monotonous function of the coupling strength and carrier density both in two and three dimensions, and give analytic formulas for the merging of the temperature of phase decoherence with the temperature of pair formation in the weak-coupling limit.Comment: Few typos corrected. Emails that were sent to the address [email protected] in June and July 1999 were lost in a computer crash, so if your comments were not answered please send them once mor