EEG alpha power and laterality during dreaming in N-REM and REM sleep

In the present study，electroencephalic (EEG) alpha power，alpha frequency and their individual laterality were studied. The dream data used in this study were collected during N-REM and REM sleeps for 3 or 4 nights. In N-REM sleep，the alpha power spectrum tend to show higher value in dreaming than in non dreaming. On the other hand，the decrement of the alpha power in REM sleep was rather apparent during dreaming. The correlation between the alpha power and the mean alpha frequency was significantly positive，while as ignificantly negative correlation was seen in N-REM sleep. Finally，we discussed the relation between the cortical activation and the alpha activities in dreaming on the basis of the results we obtained

Sunitinib Versus Sorafenib as Initial Targeted Therapy for mCC-RCC With Favorable/Intermediate Risk: Multicenter Randomized Trial CROSS-J-RCC

Purpose: The present study compared the efficacy of sunitinib and sorafenib as first-line treatment of metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (mCC-RCC) with favorable or intermediate Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) risk. Patients and methods: Treatment-naive patients with mCC-RCC were randomized to receive open-label sunitinib followed by sorafenib (SU/SO) or sorafenib followed by sunitinib (SO/SU). The primary endpoint was first-line progression-free survival (PFS). The secondary endpoints were total PFS and overall survival (OS). Results: Of the 124 patients enrolled at 39 institutions from February 2010 to July 2012, 120 were evaluated. The median first-line PFS duration was 8.7 and 7.0 months in the SU/SO and SO/SU groups, respectively (hazard ratio [HR], 0.67; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.42-1.08). The total PFS and OS were not significantly different between the SU/SO and SO/SU groups (27.8 and 22.6 months; HR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.428-1.246; and 38.4 and 30.9 months; HR, 0.934; 95% CI, 0.588-1.485, respectively). The subgroup analysis revealed that the total PFS with SU/SO was superior to the total PFS with SO/SU in the patients with favorable MSKCC risk and those with Conclusions: No statistically significant differences were found in first-line PFS, total PFS, or OS between the 2 treatment arms (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT01481870)

Chromobox 2 Expression Predicts Prognosis after Curative Resection of Oesophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Background/Aim: To investigate the function of chromobox 2 (CBX2) in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Materials and Methods: We used real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) and immunohisto - chemistry to determine CBX2 expression levels in 13 human OSCC cell lines and clinical specimens of two independent cohorts of patients with OSCC. Results: PCR array analysis revealed that CBX2 was co-ordinately expressed with WNT5B in OSCC cell lines. RT-qPCR analysis of clinical samples revealed a high tumour-specific CBX2 expression compared with normal oesophageal tissues. High CBX2 expression was significantly associated with shorter disease-specific survival, hematogenous recurrence, and overall recurrence. Analysis of tissue microarrays of one cohort revealed that patients with higher CBX2 levels tended to have a shorter disease-specific survival. Conclusion: CBX2 overexpression in OSCC tissues may serve as a novel biomarker for predicting survival and hematogenous recurrence

Feeding Cues and Injected Nutrients Induce Acute Expression of Multiple Clock Genes in the Mouse Liver

The circadian clock is closely associated with energy metabolism. The liver clock can rapidly adapt to a new feeding cycle within a few days, whereas the lung clock is gradually entrained over one week. However, the mechanism underlying tissue-specific clock resetting is not fully understood. To characterize the rapid response to feeding cues in the liver clock, we examined the effects of a single time-delayed feeding on circadian rhythms in the liver and lungs of Per2::Luc reporter knockin mice. After adapting to a night-time restricted feeding schedule, the mice were fed according to a 4, 8, or 13 h delayed schedule on the last day. The phase of the liver clock was delayed in all groups with delayed feeding, whereas the lung clock remained unaffected. We then examined the acute response of clock and metabolism-related genes in the liver using focused DNA-microarrays. Clock mutant mice were bred under constant light to attenuate the endogenous circadian rhythm, and gene expression profiles were determined during 24 h of fasting followed by 8 h of feeding. Per2 and Dec1 were significantly increased within 1 h of feeding. Real-time RT-PCR analysis revealed a similarly acute response in hepatic clock gene expression caused by feeding wild type mice after an overnight fast. In addition to Per2 and Dec1, the expression of Per1 increased, and that of Rev-erbα decreased in the liver within 1 h of feeding after fasting, whereas none of these clock genes were affected in the lung. Moreover, an intraperitoneal injection of glucose combined with amino acids, but not either alone, reproduced a similar hepatic response. Our findings show that multiple clock genes respond to nutritional cues within 1 h in the liver but not in the lung