Primary cutaneous anaplastic large cell lymphoma shows a distinct miRNA expression profile and reveals differences from tumor-stage mycosis fungoides

Copyright @ 2012 John Wiley & SonsThe miRNA expression profiles of skin biopsies from 14 primary cutaneous anaplastic large cell lymphoma (C-ALCL) patients were analysed with miRNA microarrays using the same control group of 12 benign inflammatory dermatoses (BID) as previously used to study the miRNA expression profile of tumor-stage mycosis fungoides (MF). We identified 13 differentially expressed miRNAs between C-ALCL and BID. The up-regulation of miR-155, miR-27b, miR-30c and miR-29b in C-ALCL was validated by miRNA-Q-PCR on independent study groups. Additionally, the miRNA expression profiles of C-ALCL were compared with those of tumor-stage MF. Although miRNA microarray analysis did not identify statistically significant differentially expressed miRNAs, miRNA-Q-PCR demonstrated statistically significantly differential expression of miR-155, miR-27b, miR-93, miR-29b and miR-92a between tumor-stage MF and C-ALCL. This study, the first describing the miRNA expression profile of C-ALCL, reveals differences with tumor-stage MF, suggesting a different contribution to the pathogenesis of these lymphomas.This work was funded by grants from Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) (MHV) and the Fondation Rene´ Touraine (MvK), and grants from the Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research (EB) and the Julian Starmer-Smith Memorial Fund (CHL)

Quasi F-Covers of Tychonoff Spaces

A Tychonoff topological space is called a quasi F-space if each dense cozero-set of X is C*-embedded in X. In Canad. J. Math. 32 (1980), 657-685 Dashiell, Hager, and Henriksen construct the minimal quasi F-cover QF(X) of a compact space X as an inverse limit space, and identify the ring C(QF(X)) as the order-Cauchy completion of the ring C*(X). In On perfect irreducible preimages, Topology Proc. 9 (1984), 173-189, Vermeer constructed the minimal quasi F-cover of an arbitrary Tychonoff space. In this paper the minimal quasi F-cover of a compact space X is constructed as the space of ultrafilters on a certain sublattice of the Boolean algebra of regular closed subsets of X. The relationship between QF(X) and QF(βX) is studied in detail, and broad conditions under which β(QF(X)) = QF(βX) are obtained, together with examples of spaces for which the relationship fails. (Here βX denotes the Stone-Cech compactification of X.) The role of QF(X) as a projective object in certain topological categories is investigated

Stress-strain behavior and geometrical properties of packings of elongated particles

We present a numerical analysis of the effect of particle elongation on the quasistatic behavior of sheared granular media by means of the Contact Dynamics method. The particle shapes are rounded-cap rectangles characterized by their elongation. The macroscopic and microstructural properties of several packings subjected to biaxial compression are analyzed as a function of particle elongation. We find that the shear strength is an increasing linear function of elongation. Performing an additive decomposition of the stress tensor based on a harmonic approximation of the angular dependence of branch vectors, contact normals and forces, we show that the increasing mobilization of friction force and the associated anisotropy are key effects of particle elongation. These effects are correlated with partial nematic ordering of the particles which tend to be oriented perpendicular to the major principal stress direction and form side-to-side contacts. However, the force transmission is found to be mainly guided by cap-to-side contacts, which represent the largest fraction of contacts for the most elongated particles. Another interesting finding is that, in contrast to shear strength, the solid fraction first increases with particle elongation, but declines as the particles become more elongated. It is also remarkable that the coordination number does not follow this trend so that the packings of more elongated particles are looser but more strongly connected.Comment: Submited to Physical Review

Batch fabrication of scanning microscopy probes for thermal and magnetic imaging using standard micromachining

We present a process for batch fabrication of a novel scanning microscopy probe for thermal and magnetic imaging using standard micromachining and conventional optical contact lithography. The probe features an AFM-type cantilever with a sharp pyramidal tip composed of four freestanding silicon nitride nanowires coated by conductive material. The nanowires form an electrical cross junction at the apex of the tip, addressable through the electrodes integrated on the cantilever. The cross junction on the tip apex can be utilized to produce heat and detect local temperature changes or to serve as a miniaturized Hall magnetometer enabling, in principle, thermal and magnetic imaging by scanning the probe tip over a surface. We have successfully fabricated a first probe prototype with a nanowire tip composed of 140 nm thick and 11 μ m long silicon nitride wires metallized by 6 nm titan and 30 nm gold layers. We have experimentally characterized electrical and thermal properties of the probe demonstrating its proper functioning. ©2010 IEEE

DNA unzipped under a constant force exhibits multiple metastable intermediates

Single molecule studies, at constant force, of the separation of double-stranded DNA into two separated single strands may provide information relevant to the dynamics of DNA replication. At constant applied force, theory predicts that the unzipped length as a function of time is characterized by jumps during which the strands separate rapidly, followed by long pauses where the number of separated base pairs remains constant. Here, we report previously uncharacterized observations of this striking behavior carried out on a number of identical single molecules simultaneously. When several single lphage molecules are subject to the same applied force, the pause positions are reproducible in each. This reproducibility shows that the positions and durations of the pauses in unzipping provide a sequence-dependent molecular fingerprint. For small forces, the DNA remains in a partially unzipped state for at least several hours. For larger forces, the separation is still characterized by jumps and pauses, but the double-stranded DNA will completely unzip in less than 30 min

The anisotropy of granular materials

The effect of the anisotropy on the elastoplastic response of two dimensional packed samples of polygons is investigated here, using molecular dynamics simulation. We show a correlation between fabric coefficients, characterizing the anisotropy of the granular skeleton, and the anisotropy of the elastic response. We also study the anisotropy induced by shearing on the subnetwork of the sliding contacts. This anisotropy provides an explanation to some features of the plastic deformation of granular media.Comment: Submitted to PR

Crying Without Tears:Dimensions of Crying and Relations With Ocular Dryness and Mental Well-Being in Patients With Sjogren's Syndrome

This study examined dimensions of crying and its relations with ocular dryness and mental well-being in patients with Sjogren's syndrome, a systemic autoimmune disease with dryness as primary symptom. Three-hundred patients with Sjogren's syndrome completed questionnaires on crying, dryness, and well-being. The crying questionnaire revealed four dimensions: "Cryability" (comprising both crying sensibility and ability to cry), Somatic consequences, Frustration, and Suppression. Compared to 100 demographically-matched control participants from the general population, patients scored low on Cryability and high on Somatic consequences and Frustration. The crying dimensions generally showed significant but weak associations with ocular dryness and mental well-being in patients. This is the first quantitative study indicating that crying problems are more common in patients with Sjogren's syndrome than in the general population. Perhaps, patients who experience problems with crying could be helped to rely on other ways of expressing emotions than crying in tear-inducing situations.</p