Recently, significant enhancements of e+e− pair production at very low transverse momentum (pT<0.15 GeV/c) were observed by the STAR collaboration in peripheral hadronic A+A collisions. This excesses ...can not be described by the QGP thermal radiation and ρ in-medium broadening calculations. This is a sign of coherent photon–photon interactions, which were conventionally studied only in ultra-peripheral collisions. In this article, we present calculations of lepton pair (e+e− and μ+μ−) production from coherent photon–photon interactions in hadronic A+A collisions at RHIC and LHC energies within the STAR and ALICE acceptance.
Summary
Background
Thiopurine‐induced leukopenia is the most common dangerous adverse event in Asians. NUDT15 R139C was recently proposed to be a promising biomarker for leukopenia with thiopurine ...therapy in Asians, but this has not been replicated in the Chinese population.
Aim
To investigate the influence of NUDT15 R139C, thiopurine S‐methyltransferase (TPMT), 6‐TGN and 6‐MMPR on thiopurine‐induced leukopenia in Chinese patients with Crohn's disease.
Methods
Clinical and epidemiological characteristics were reviewed from medical records. NUDT15 R139C and TPMT were genotyped. 6‐TGN/6‐MMPR concentrations were measured with high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).
Results
A total of 253 patients were included, 65 (25.7%) of whom experienced leukopenia. The median follow‐up with thiopurine treatment was 38.0 weeks (range, 1–192 weeks). NUDT15 R139C was strongly associated with the incidence of leukopenia (70.2% mutation vs. 12.8% wild type; P=8.61×10−19; odds ratio, 10.80; 95% CI, 5.89–19.83). However, TPMT genotype was not found to be correlated with the incidence of leukopenia (P = 0.44). In subgroup of NUDT15 wild type, there was significant difference of 6TGN concentration between patients with and without leukopenia (413.0 (174.2–831.4) vs. 279.7 (77.3–666.9) pmol/8 × 108 RBC, P = 0.0055). In contrast, no association was found in patients with NUDT15 R139C variant alleles (P = 0.26). 6‐MMPR was not correlated with leukopenia (P = 0.84).
Conclusions
In Chinese patients, it is strongly recommended to detect NUDT15 genotype rather than TPMT before initiating thiopurine drugs. 6TGN concentration should be routinely monitored in CD patients with NUDT15 wild type. As for CT genotype, starting at low dose and careful monitoring for leukopenia and 6TGN levels is recommended.
► In this study, the new kinetics model of DRX was built. ► The model reflects slow-beginning, rapid-increasing, slow-rising-to-balance phases. ► The strain
ɛ
3 is of great significance to optimize ...industrial processes. ► This new kinetics model of DRX has fewer parameters—
k
v
except
ɛ
c
and
ɛ
0.5. ► The calculated results are in good agreement with the experimental data.
The classical kinetics models of dynamic recrystallization (DRX) in the form of Avrami function describe the development of DRX process to a large extent; however, because of the characteristics of exponent function, the conventional models cannot exactly exhibit the development speed of DRX process. Based on this analysis, a new kinetics model of DRX was proposed, which represents the ‘slow–rapid–slow’ property of DRX development. According to the new model, the development process of DRX can be divided into three phases: slow-beginning phase, rapid-increasing phase and slow-rising-to-balance phase. Because the turning point between the second phase and the third one corresponds to the inflexion from the faster velocity of DRX development to the slower one, the strain at this moment can be considered as the most appropriate and economic strain that guarantees fine grains and saves energy consumption. Take a typical metal characterized by DRX magnesium alloy AZ31B for instance, the Gleeble-1500 thermomechanical simulation compression tests were conducted together with microscopic examination, according to which the model parameters were determined. Statistics shows that the experimental results are in good agreement with the predicted values, which validates the accuracy of the new kinetics model.
Itraconazole is an FDA‐approved antifungal agent, which has been reported to possess promising anticancer activities in recent years. This study investigates the antiproliferative effects of ...itraconazole on pancreatic cancer cells and the molecular mechanism of its apoptosis‐inducing effects. In this study, our results showed that itraconazole inhibited the growth of pancreatic cancer cells in vitro, and it also significantly inhibited the tumor growth of CFPAC‐1 xenografts in vivo. Itraconazole induced apoptosis through ROS generation and mitochondrial membrane depolarization. A Bak‐1 activation dependent apoptosis was identified in CFPAC‐1 cells. These data suggested that itraconazole exhibited antiproliferative effects in pancreatic cancer cells by inducing apoptosis through Bak‐1 activation.
Itraconazole inhibited the growth of pancreatic cancer cells in vitro, and it also significantly inhibited the tumor growth of CFPAC‐1 xenografts in vivo. Itraconazole induced apoptosis through ROS generation and mitochondrial membrane depolarization.
To compare diagnostic value of two-dimensional (2D) ultrasonography and elastosonography for suspected axillary lymph node metastasis of breast cancer.
Elastosonography and 2D ultrasonography were ...performed on 78 axillary lymph nodes of 78 patients with suspected breast cancer. Scores of shape, long- to short-axis ratio, cortical thickness, and lymph node hilum were summed as the score of each lymph node at 2D ultrasonography, while a four-point scale was adopted for elasticity scoring. The combined score of each lymph node was obtained by summing the score at 2D ultrasonography and that at elasticity scoring. The strain ratio was calculated by comparison of the average strain of the lymph node with that of the subcutaneous tissue. Diagnostic efficacies of 2D ultrasonography, elasticity scoring, and the combined method were compared.
There were 78 axillary lymph nodes, including 34 non-metastatic and 44 metastatic nodes. The elasticity scores of non-metastatic and metastatic axillary lymph nodes were 1.44±0.82 and 3.11±0.75, respectively (p<0.05). The difference in area under the operating characteristic curve (AUC) was statistically significant between 2D ultrasonography and the combined method (p<0.05). The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 2D ultrasonography and elasticity scoring were 77.3% versus 86.4%, 76.5% versus 85.3%, and 76.9% versus 85.9%, respectively (all p>0.05), and those of the combined method were 93.2%, 73.5%, and 84.6%, respectively. There was a significant difference in sensitivity between 2D ultrasonography and the combined method (p<0.05).
Combined application of 2D ultrasonography with elastosonography can improve the diagnostic capability for metastatic axillary lymph node characterisation in breast cancer.
•We compared diagnostic value for suspected metastatic axillary lymph node in breast cancer with 2D ultrasonography and elastosonography.•Scores in shape, long- to short-axis ratio, cortical thickness and hilum of lymph node were summed up as the score of each lymph node in 2D ultrasonography, while the 4-point scale was adopted for elasticity scoring.•There was a significant difference in sensitivity between 2D ultrasonography and the combined method in differentiating metastatic from non-metatstatic nodes (P<0.05).•Combined application of 2D ultrasonography with elastosonography can improve the diagnostic value for metastatic axillary lymph node in breast cancer.
We report experimental observations on the drastically enhanced toughness in the high-strength and high-modulus ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) films due to the addition of 1wt% ...multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). A combination of tensile and Raman spectroscopic measurements showed that the presence of MWCNTs in the composites can lead to a ∼150% increase in strain energy density in comparison with the pure UHMWPE film at similar draw ratios. This is accompanied with an increase of ∼140% in ductility and up to 25% in tensile strength. We attribute the above observations to the chain mobility enhancement in UHMWPE induced by the MWCNTs.
Recently, significant enhancements of J/ψ and e+e− pair production at very low transverse momenta were observed by the STAR and ALICE collaborations in peripheral hadronic A + A collisions. The ...anomalous excesses point to evidence of coherent photon–nucleus and photon–photon interactions in violent hadronic heavy-ion collisions, which were conventionally studied only in ultra-peripheral collisions. The isobaric collisions performed at RHIC provides a unique opportunity to test the existence of coherent photon products in hadronic heavy-ion collisions. The idea is that the possible production of coherent photon products is significantly different in different collision systems due to the variations in their charge and nuclear density distributions. In this letter, we focus on the peripheral collisions and provide theoretical predictions for coherent production of J/ψ and dielectron in isobaric collisions. We show that the expected yields differ significantly to perform the experimental test.
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•Amylene (C5H10) limits the lifespan of stabilized chloroform (CHCl3) as a good solvent.•Metanol (MeOH) produces similar stabilization of pure CHCl3 when compared with C5H10.•The ...combination of C5H10 and MeOH leads to additional routes for controlling interchain interactions.
The understanding of excitonic transitions associated with polymeric aggregates is fundamental, as such transitions have implications on coherence lengths, coherence numbers and inter- and intra-chain binding parameters. In this context, the investigation of efficient solvents and other ways to control polymer aggregate formation is key for their consolidation as materials for new technologies. In this manuscript, we use Poly(3-hexothiophene) (P3HT) as a probe to investigate the significance of amylene (C5H10) and its association with methanol (MeOH) in both pure and C5H10-stabilized chloroform (CHCl3)-based polymeric solutions. Using the intensity ratio between the first and second vibronic transitions of the P3HT H-aggregates formed, values for their exciton bandwidths and interchain interactions are obtained and correlated with the presence of C5H10 and MeOH as agents determining the CHCl3 quality.
A major concern in natural drug research is that many substances with potent biological activity in vitro are unable to generate good activity in vivo owing to their poor water-solubility, poor ...permeability and/or poor stability. The permeability of drug candidates across the intestinal mucosa is one of the most important factors in defining drug bioavailability and biological activity. In order to screen promising compounds for further investigation, a non-everted rat intestinal sac model has been developed successfully to assay the permeability of natural compounds and to predict their human absorption. In this system, the drug solution was placed in non-everted intestinal sacs (NEIS), which were placed in an acceptor solution and the permeability of drug across intestine walls was determined. The feasibility of this method has been validated and demonstrated for 11 model compounds chosen from currently marketed drugs whose human fraction absorbed (
F
a) data have been reported. The results of the studies indicate that a good relationship exists between the permeability of the model drugs and their corresponding
F
a data. The permeability of 13 natural compounds was evaluated using this system. Only fraxinellone and vitexin-7-glucoside exhibited high intestinal permeability, and predictive of excellent human absorption, which awaits confirmation from further investigation in vivo. This model provides an alternative method to everted intestinal sacs for the evaluation of in vitro permeability in rats, and for estimating human absorption of drugs. It may therefore hold great promise for oral absorption screening of new drug candidates.
A simple high throughput methodology has been developed and validated to estimate the human absorption of drugs by the assessment of their permeability in a non-everted rat intestinal sac model.
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