Shift Current Photovoltaics based on A Noncentrosymmetric Phase in in‐plane Ferroelectric SnS

原子層強誘電材料のバルク光起電力発電を実証 --ナノ発電実現へ新たな道を開拓--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2023-06-09.The shift-current photovoltaics of group-IV monochalcogenides has been predicted to be comparable to those of state-of-the-art Si-based solar cells. However, its exploration has been prevented from the centrosymmetric layer stacking in the thermodynamically stable bulk crystal. Herein, the non-centrosymmetric layer stacking of tin sulfide (SnS) is stabilized in the bottom regions of SnS crystals grown on a van der Waals substrate by physical vapor deposition and the shift current of SnS, by combining the polarization angle dependence and circular photogalvanic effect, is demonstrated. Furthermore, 180° ferroelectric domains in SnS are verified through both piezoresponse force microscopy and shift-current mapping techniques. Based on these results, an atomic model of the ferroelectric domain boundary is proposed. The direct observation of shift current and ferroelectric domains reported herein paves a new path for future studies on shift-current photovoltaics

CAXII Is a Sero-Diagnostic Marker for Lung Cancer

To develop sero-diagnostic markers for lung cancer, we generated monoclonal antibodies using pulmonary adenocarcinoma (AD)-derived A549 cells as antigens by employing the random immunization method. Hybridoma supernatants were immunohistochemically screened for antibodies with AMeX-fixed and paraffin-embedded A549 cell preparations. Positive clones were monocloned twice through limiting dilutions. From the obtained monoclonal antibodies, we selected an antibody designated as KU-Lu-5 which showed intense membrane staining of A549 cells. Based on immunoprecipitation and MADLI TOF/TOF-MS analysis, this antibody was recognized as carbonic anhydrase XII (CAXII). To evaluate the utility of this antibody as a sero-diagnostic marker for lung cancer, we performed dot blot analysis with a training set consisting of sera from 70 lung cancer patients and 30 healthy controls. The CAXII expression levels were significantly higher in lung cancer patients than in healthy controls in the training set (P<0.0001), and the area under the curve of ROC was 0.794, with 70.0% specificity and 82.9% sensitivity. In lung cancers, expression levels of CAXII were significantly higher in patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) than with AD (P = 0.035). Furthermore, CAXII was significantly higher in well- and moderately differentiated SCCs than in poorly differentiated ones (P = 0.027). To further confirm the utility of serum CAXII levels as a sero-diagnostic marker, an additional set consisting of sera from 26 lung cancer patients and 30 healthy controls was also investigated by dot blot analysis as a validation study. Serum CAXII levels were also significantly higher in lung cancer patients than in healthy controls in the validation set (P = 0.030). Thus, the serum CAXII levels should be applicable markers discriminating lung cancer patients from healthy controls. To our knowledge, this is the first report providing evidence that CAXII may be a novel sero-diagnostic marker for lung cancer

Copy number alterations in urothelial carcinomas: their clinicopathological significance and correlation with DNA methylation alterations

The aim of this study was to clarify the genetic backgrounds underlying the clinicopathological characteristics of urothelial carcinomas (UCs). Array comparative genomic hybridization analysis using a 244K oligonucleotide array was performed on 49 samples of UC tissue. Losses of 2q33.3–q37.3, 4p15.2–q13.1 and 5q13.3–q35.3 and gains of 7p11.2–q11.23 and 20q13.12–q13.2 were correlated with higher histological grade, and gain of 7p21.2–p21.12 was correlated with deeper invasion. Losses of 6q14.1–q27 and 17p13.3–q11.1 and gains of 19q13.12–q13.2 and 20q13.12–q13.33 were correlated with lymph vessel involvement. Loss of 16p12.2–p12.1 and gain of 3q26.32–q29 were correlated with vascular involvement. Losses of 5q14.1–q23.1, 6q14.1–q27, 8p22–p21.3, 11q13.5–q14.1 and 15q11.2–q22.2 and gains of 7p11.2–q11.22 and 19q13.12–q13.2 were correlated with the development of aggressive non-papillary UCs. Losses of 1p32.2–p31.3, 10q11.23–q21.1 and 15q21.3 were correlated with tumor recurrence. Unsupervised hierarchical clustering analysis based on copy number alterations clustered UCs into three subclasses: copy number alterations associated with genome-wide DNA hypomethylation, regional DNA hypermethylation on C-type CpG islands and genome-wide DNA hypo- and hypermethylation were accumulated in clusters A, B1 and B2, respectively. Tumor-related genes that may encode therapeutic targets and/or indicators useful for the diagnosis and prognostication of UCs should be explored in the above regions. Both genetic and epigenetic events appear to accumulate during urothelial carcinogenesis, reflecting the clinicopathological diversity of UCs

Moesin and stress-induced phosphoprotein-1 are possible sero-diagnostic markers of psoriasis.

To identify diagnostic markers for psoriasis vulgaris and psoriatic arthritis, autoantibodies in sera from psoriasis vulgaris and psoriatic arthritis patients were screened by two-dimensional immunoblotting (2D-IB). Based on 2D-IB and MADLI TOF/TOF-MS analyses, eleven proteins each in psoriasis vulgaris and psoriatic arthritis were identified as autoantigens. Furthermore, serum levels of moesin, keratin 17 (K17), annexin A1 (ANXA1), and stress-induced phophoprotein-1 (STIP1), which were detected as autoantigens, were studied by dot blot analysis with psoriasis patients and healthy controls. The levels of moesin and STIP1 were significantly higher in sera from patients with psoriasis vulgaris than in the controls (moesin: P<0.05, STIP1: P<0.005). The area under the curve (AUC) for moesin and STIP1 between patients with psoraisis vulgaris and controls was 0.747 and 0.792, respectively. STIP1 and K17 levels were significantly higher in sera from patients with psoriatic arthritis than in those with psoriasis vulgaris (P<0.05 each). The AUC for STIP1 and K17 between patients with psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis vulgaris was 0.69 and 0.72, respectively. The STIP1 or moesin, CK17 serum level was not correlated with disease activity of psoriasis patients. These data suggest that STIP1 and moesin may be novel and differential sero-diagnostic markers for psoriasis vulgaris and psoriatic arthritis

DJ-1 Expression Might Serve as a Biologic Marker in Patients with Bladder Cancer

The overexpression of DJ-1 protein and its secretion into the bloodstream has been reported in various neoplasms. However, serum levels and the subcellular localization of DJ-1 have not been analyzed in detail in bladder cancer (BC). Our comprehensive analysis of these variables started with the measurement of DJ-1 in serum from 172 patients with BC, 20 patients with urolithiasis and 100 healthy participants. Next, an immunohistochemical study of DJ-1 expression and localization was conducted in 92 patients with BC, and associations with clinicopathologic factors and patient outcomes were evaluated. Serum DJ-1 was significantly higher in patients with BC than in those with urolithiasis or in healthy participants. Immunohistochemically, a cytoplasm-positive (Cy+) and nucleus-negative (N&minus;) DJ-1 pattern was associated with age and pathologic stage. Log-rank tests indicated that the Cy+, N&minus; pattern was significantly associated with overall survival (OS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), and cancer specific survival (CSS). In addition, the Cy+, N&minus; pattern was an independent prognostic factor in the multivariate analysis adjusted for the effects of the clinicopathologic outcomes. The investigation of DJ-1 expression might help physicians to make decisions regarding further follow-up and additional treatments

Expression of moesin (A, B, C), K17 (D, E, F), STIP1 (G, H, I), and ANXA1 (J, K, L) in psoriasis vulgaris (A, D, G, J), psoriatic arthritis (B, E, H, K), and control (C, F, I, L).

<p>Different expression levels of moesin, K17, STIP1, and ANXA1 were observed in epidermis of psoriasis vulgaris and psoriatic arthritis, but weak expressions were detected in the epidermis of normal skin. Bar = 200 µm.</p

Autoantigens identified using sera from psoriasis vulgaris patients.

<p>Autoantigens identified using sera from psoriasis vulgaris patients.</p

Detection of Autoantibodies by 2D-immunoblotting.

<p>(<b>A</b>) The 2-DE protein pattern after CBB staining. Immunoblot analysis with mixed sera from patients with psoriasis vulgaris (<b>B</b>) and psoriatic arthritis (<b>C</b>) as primary antibodies, respectively. Several proteins were positively detected as autoantigens in each disease.</p