Robust nodal superconductivity induced by isovalent doping in Ba(Fe1−x_{1-x}Rux_x)2_2As2_2 and BaFe2_2(As1−x_{1-x}Px_x)2_2

We present the ultra-low-temperature heat transport study of iron-based superconductors Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Ru$_x$)$_2$As$_2$ and BaFe$_2$(As$_{1-x}$P$_x$)$_2$. For optimally doped Ba(Fe$_{0.64}$Ru$_{0.36}$)$_2$As$_2$, a large residual linear term $\kappa_0/T$ at zero field and a $\sqrt{H}$ dependence of $\kappa_0(H)/T$ are observed, which provide strong evidences for nodes in the superconducting gap. This result demonstrates that the isovalent Ru doping can also induce nodal superconductivity, as P does in BaFe$_2$(As$_{0.67}$P$_{0.33}$)$_2$. Furthermore, in underdoped Ba(Fe$_{0.77}$Ru$_{0.23}$)$_2$As$_2$ and heavily underdoped BaFe$_2$(As$_{0.82}$P$_{0.18}$)$_2$, $\kappa_0/T$ manifests similar nodal behavior, which shows the robustness of nodal superconductivity in the underdoped regime and puts constraint on theoretical models.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures - with two underdoped samples added, this paper supersedes arXiv:1106.541

A Protective Role for Heme Oxygenase-1 in INS-1 Cells and Rat Islets that are Exposed to High Glucose Conditions

Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) has been described as an inducible protein that is capable of cytoprotection via radical scavenging and the prevention of apoptosis. Chronic exposure to hyperglycemia can lead to cellular dysfunction that may become irreversible over time, and this process has been termed glucose toxicity. Yet little is known about the relation between glucose toxicity and HO-1 in the islets. The purposes of the present study were to determine whether prolonged exposure of pancreatic islets to a supraphysiologic glucose concentration disrupts the intracellular balance between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and HO-1, and so this causes defective insulin secretion; we also wanted to evaluate a protective role for HO-1 in pancreatic islets against high glucose levels. The intracellular peroxide levels of the pancreatic islets (INS-1 cell, rat islet) were increased in the high glucose media (30 mM glucose or 50 mM ribose). The HO-1 expression was induced in the INS-1 cells by the high glucose levels. Both the HO-1 expression and glucose stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) was decreased simultaneously in the islets by treatment of the HO-1 antisense. The HO-1 was upregulated in the INS-1 cells by hemin, an inducer of HO-1. And, HO-1 upregulation induced by hemin reversed the GSIS in the islets at a high glucose condition. These results suggest HO-1 seems to mediate the protective response of pancreatic islets against the oxidative stress that is due to high glucose conditions

A Prospective Randomized Trial of Either Famotidine or Pantoprazole for the Prevention of Bleeding after Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection

Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) has been reported to have a higher bleeding rate than conventional methods. However, there are few reports on whether a proton pump inhibitor or a histamine2-receptor antagonist is the more effective treatment for preventing bleeding after ESD. In a prospective trial, patients undergoing ESD due to gastric adenoma or adenocarcinoma were randomly assigned to pantoprazole or famotidine. Both drugs were given intravenously for the first 2 days, thereafter by mouth. Eighty-five in the pantoprazole group and 79 in the famotidine group were included for analysis. Primary outcome measure was the delayed bleeding rate. Clinical characteristics were not different between the two groups. The delayed bleeding rate was significantly lower in the pantoprazole group compared with the famotidine group (3.5% vs. 12.7%, p=0.031). On multivariate analysis, the preventive use of pantoprazole (relative hazard: 0.220, 95% CI: 0.051- 0.827, p=0.026) and the specimen size (≥34 mm, relative hazard: 4.178, 95% CI: 1.229-14.197, p=0.022) were two independent factors predictive of delayed bleeding. There were no significant differences in en bloc and complete resection rate between the two groups. In conclusion, pantoprazole is more effective than famotidine for the prevention of delayed bleeding after ESD

Identification of Serum MicroRNAs as Novel Non-Invasive Biomarkers for Early Detection of Gastric Cancer

BACKGROUND: To investigate the potential of serum miRNAs as biomarkers for early detection of gastric cancer (GC), a population-based study was conducted in Linqu, a high-risk area of GC in China. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: All subjects were selected from two large cohort studies. Differential miRNAs were identified in serum pools of GC and control using TaqMan low density array, and validated in individual from 82 pairs of GC and control, and 46 pairs of dysplasia and control by real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The temporal trends of identified serum miRNA expression were further explored in a retrospective study on 58 GC patients who had at least one pre-GC diagnosis serum sample based on the long-term follow-up population. The miRNA profiling results demonstrated that 16 miRNAs were markedly upregulated in GC patients compared to controls. Further validation identified a panel of three serum miRNAs (miR-221, miR-744, and miR-376c) as potential biomarkers for GC detection, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve-based risk assessment analysis revealed that this panel could distinguish GCs from controls with 82.4% sensitivity and 58.8% specificity. MiR-221 and miR-376c demonstrated significantly positive correlation with poor differentiation of GC, and miR-221 displayed higher level in dysplasia than in control. Furthermore, the retrospective study revealed an increasing trend of these three miRNA levels during GC development (P for trend<0.05), and this panel could classify serum samples collected up to 5 years ahead of clinical GC diagnosis with 79.3% overall accuracy. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These data suggest that serum miR-221, miR-376c and miR-744 have strong potential as novel non-invasive biomarkers for early detection of GC

The first whole genome and transcriptome of the cinereous vulture reveals adaptation in the gastric and immune defense systems and possible convergent evolution between the Old and New World vultures

Background: The cinereous vulture, Aegypius monachus, is the largest bird of prey and plays a key role in the ecosystem by removing carcasses, thus preventing the spread of diseases. Its feeding habits force it to cope with constant exposure to pathogens, making this species an interesting target for discovering functionally selected genetic variants. Furthermore, the presence of two independently evolved vulture groups, Old World and New World vultures, provides a natural experiment in which to investigate convergent evolution due to obligate scavenging. Results: We sequenced the genome of a cinereous vulture, and mapped it to the bald eagle reference genome, a close relative with a divergence time of 18 million years. By comparing the cinereous vulture to other avian genomes, we find positively selected genetic variations in this species associated with respiration, likely linked to their ability of immune defense responses and gastric acid secretion, consistent with their ability to digest carcasses. Comparisons between the Old World and New World vulture groups suggest convergent gene evolution. We assemble the cinereous vulture blood transcriptome from a second individual, and annotate genes. Finally, we infer the demographic history of the cinereous vulture which shows marked fluctuations in effective population size during the late Pleistocene. Conclusions: We present the first genome and transcriptome analyses of the cinereous vulture compared to other avian genomes and transcriptomes, revealing genetic signatures of dietary and environmental adaptations accompanied by possible convergent evolution between the Old World and New World vulturesopen

Increased Expression of Herpes Virus-Encoded hsv1-miR-H18 and hsv2-miR-H9-5p in Cancer-Containing Prostate Tissue Compared to That in Benign Prostate Hyperplasia Tissue

Purpose: Previously, we reported the presence of virus-encoded microRNAs (miRNAs) in the urine of prostate cancer (CaP) patients. In this study, we investigated the expression of two herpes virus-encoded miRNAs in prostate tissue. Methods: A total of 175 tissue samples from noncancerous benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), 248 tissue samples from patients with CaP and BPH, and 50 samples from noncancerous surrounding tissues from these same patients were analyzed for the expression of two herpes virus-encoded miRNAs by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunocytochemistry using nanoparticles as molecular beacons. Results: Real-time reverse transcription-PCR results revealed significantly higher expression of hsv1-miR-H18 and hsv2-miRH9- 5p in surrounding noncancerous and CaP tissues than that in BPH tissue (each comparison, P<0.001). Of note, these miRNA were expressed equivalently in the CaP tissues and surrounding noncancerous tissues. Moreover, immunocytochemistry clearly demonstrated a significant enrichment of both hsv1-miR-H18 and hsv2-miR-H9 beacon-labeled cells in CaP and surrounding noncancerous tissue compared to that in BPH tissue (each comparison, P<0.05 for hsv1-miR-H18 and hsv2- miR-H9). Conclusions: These results suggest that increased expression of hsv1-miR-H18 and hsv2-miR-H95p might be associated with tumorigenesis in the prostate. Further studies will be required to elucidate the role of these miRNAs with respect to CaP and herpes viral infections

THEMIS: A Parameter Estimation Framework for the Event Horizon Telescope

The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) provides the unprecedented ability to directly resolve the structure and dynamics of black hole emission regions on scales smaller than their horizons. This has the potential to critically probe the mechanisms by which black holes accrete and launch outflows, and the structure of supermassive black hole spacetimes. However, accessing this information is a formidable analysis challenge for two reasons. First, the EHT natively produces a variety of data types that encode information about the image structure in nontrivial ways; these are subject to a variety of systematic effects associated with very long baseline interferometry and are supplemented by a wide variety of auxiliary data on the primary EHT targets from decades of other observations. Second, models of the emission regions and their interaction with the black hole are complex, highly uncertain, and computationally expensive to construct. As a result, the scientific utilization of EHT observations requires a flexible, extensible, and powerful analysis framework. We present such a framework, Themis, which defines a set of interfaces between models, data, and sampling algorithms that facilitates future development. We describe the design and currently existing components of Themis, how Themis has been validated thus far, and present additional analyses made possible by Themis that illustrate its capabilities. Importantly, we demonstrate that Themis is able to reproduce prior EHT analyses, extend these, and do so in a computationally efficient manner that can efficiently exploit modern high-performance computing facilities. Themis has already been used extensively in the scientific analysis and interpretation of the first EHT observations of M87