A laboratory intercomparison of organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) measurements of atmospheric particulate matter samples collected on quartz filters was conducted among eight participants ...of the ACE-Asia field experiment. The intercomparison took place in two stages: the first round of the intercomparison was conducted when filter samples collected during the ACE-Asia experiment were being analyzed for OC and EC, and the second round was conducted after the ACE-Asia experiment and included selected samples from the ACE-Asia experiment. Each participant operated ECOC analyzers from the same manufacturer and utilized the same analysis protocol for their measurements. The precision of OC measurements of quartz fiber filters was a function of the filter's carbon loading but was found to be in the range of 4−13% for OC loadings of 1.0−25 μg of C cm-2. For measurements of EC, the precision was found to be in the range of 6−21% for EC loadings in the range of 0.7−8.4 μg of C cm-2. It was demonstrated for three ambient samples, four source samples, and three complex mixtures of organic compounds that the relative amount of total evolved carbon allocated as OC and EC (i.e., the ECOC split) is sensitive to the temperature program used for analysis, and the magnitude of the sensitivity is dependent on the types of aerosol particles collected. The fraction of elemental carbon measured in wood smoke and an extract of organic compounds from a wood smoke sample were sensitive to the temperature program used for the ECOC analysis. The ECOC split for the three ambient samples and a coal fly ash sample showed moderate sensitivity to temperature program, while a carbon black sample and a sample of secondary organic aerosol were measured to have the same split of OC and EC with all temperature programs that were examined.
Although significant advances have recently been made in the diagnosis and treatment of cervical carcinoma, the long-term survival rate for advanced cervical cancer remains low. Therefore, an urgent ...need exists to both uncover the molecular mechanisms and identify potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of cervical cancer. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have important roles in cancer progression and could be used as either potential therapeutic agents or targets. miR-506 is a component of an X chromosome-linked miRNA cluster. The biological functions of miR-506 have not been well established. In this study, we found that miR-506 expression was downregulated in approximately 80% of the cervical cancer samples examined and inversely correlated with the expression of Ki-67, a marker of cell proliferation. Gain-of-function and loss-of-function studies in human cervical cancer, Caski and SiHa cells, demonstrated that miR-506 acts as a tumor suppressor by inhibiting cervical cancer growth in vitro and in vivo. Further studies showed that miR-506 induced cell cycle arrest at the G1/S transition, and enhanced apoptosis and chemosensitivity of cervical cancer cell. We subsequently identified Gli3, a hedgehog pathway transcription factor, as a direct target of miR-506 in cervical cancer. Furthermore, Gli3 silencing recapitulated the effects of miR-506, and reintroduction of Gli3 abrogated miR-506-induced cell growth arrest and apoptosis. Taken together, we conclude that miR-506 exerts its anti-proliferative function by directly targeting Gli3. This newly identified miR-506/Gli3 axis provides further insight into the pathogenesis of cervical cancer and indicates a potential novel therapeutic agent for the treatment of cervical cancer.
Multifunctional polymer nanomedical platforms make simultaneous cancer‐targeted MRI or optical imaging together with efficient drug delivery in vitro possible. In addition, clusters of Fe3O4 ...nanoparticles loaded in the polymer nanoparticles endow the magnetic guiding of the polymer particles, providing synergetic targeting efficiency.
This international, randomized, double-blind phase III study (ONO-4538-52/TASUKI-52) evaluated nivolumab with bevacizumab and cytotoxic chemotherapy as first-line treatment for nonsquamous ...non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Between June 2017 and July 2019, this study enrolled treatment-naïve patients with stage IIIB/IV or recurrent nonsquamous NSCLC without sensitizing EGFR, ALK, or ROS1 alterations. They were randomly assigned in a 1 : 1 ratio to receive nivolumab or placebo in combination with carboplatin, paclitaxel, and bevacizumab every 3 weeks for up to six cycles, followed by nivolumab/placebo with bevacizumab until progressive disease or unacceptable toxicity. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) assessed by an independent radiology review committee (IRRC).
Overall, 550 patients from Japan, Korea, and Taiwan were randomized; of these patients, 273 and 275 received the nivolumab and placebo combinations, respectively. In the present preplanned interim analysis with a median follow up of 13.7 months, the IRRC-assessed median PFS was significantly longer in the nivolumab arm than in the placebo arm (12.1 versus 8.1 months; hazard ratio 0.56; 96.4% confidence interval 0.43-0.71; P < 0.0001). The PFS benefit was observed across all patients with any programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression levels including PD-L1-negative patients. The IRRC-assessed objective response rates were 61.5% and 50.5% in the nivolumab and placebo arms, respectively. The incidence of treatment-related adverse events of grade 3 or 4 was comparable between the two arms; treatment-related adverse events leading to death were observed in five and four patients in the nivolumab and placebo arms, respectively.
The TASUKI-52 regimen should be considered a viable new treatment strategy for treatment-naïve patients with advanced nonsquamous NSCLC.
•Nivolumab with carboplatin, paclitaxel, and bevacizumab was evaluated as first-line therapy for nonsquamous NSCLC.•The nivolumab combination therapy provided superior PFS across all patients with any PD-L1 expression levels.•The median PFS of 12.1 months is the longest among all phase III studies for nonsquamous NSCLC without driver mutations.•No new safety signals were observed.
The integration of nanophotonics and atomic physics has been a long-sought goal that would open new frontiers for optical physics, including novel quantum transport and many-body phenomena with ...photon-mediated atomic interactions. Reaching this goal requires surmounting diverse challenges in nanofabrication and atomic manipulation. Here we report the development of a novel integrated optical circuit with a photonic crystal capable of both localizing and interfacing atoms with guided photons. Optical bands of a photonic crystal waveguide are aligned with selected atomic transitions. From reflection spectra measured with average atom number N=1.1+/-0.4, we infer that atoms are localized within the waveguide by optical dipole forces. The fraction of single-atom radiative decay into the waveguide is Γ1D/Γ'≃(0.32±0.08), where Γ1D is the rate of emission into the guided mode and Γ' is the decay rate into all other channels. Γ1D/Γ' is unprecedented in all current atom-photon interfaces.
We report a search result for a light sterile neutrino oscillation with roughly 2200 live days of data in the RENO experiment. The search is performed by electron antineutrino (νe) disappearance ...taking place between six 2.8 GW th reactors and two identical detectors located at 294 m (near) and 1383 m (far) from the center of the reactor array. A spectral comparison between near and far detectors can explore reactor νe oscillations to a light sterile neutrino. An observed spectral difference is found to be consistent with that of the three-flavor oscillation model. This yields limits on sin 22θ14 in the 10−4 ≲ | Δm412 | ≲ 0.5 eV2 region, free from reactor νe flux and spectrum uncertainties. The RENO result provides the most stringent limits on sterile neutrino mixing at | Δm412 | ≲ 0.002 eV2 using the νe disappearance channel.
Summary
Men with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and obesity are often characterised by low testosterone (T). We aimed to determine whether exenatide (EXE) combined metformin (MET) treatment has a better ...effect on serum total testosterone (TT) levels than glimepiride (GLI) combined MET treatment in men with T2D and obesity. In a multicentre, 12‐week observational study, 176 obese T2D men with failed glycaemic control were included in the study: ninety men (mean age, 43.00 ± 8.50 years) in EXE + MET group and 86 men (mean age, 44.00 ± 7.00 years) in GLI + MET group. Serum TT levels were more significantly increased in EXE + MET group than GLI + MET group (121.72 ± 56.73 ng/dl versus 34.67 ± 16.30 ng/dl). The increasement of TT levels in those patients who lost body weight ≥5% was significantly greater than those who lost weight <5% in the two groups. The changes in TT levels are closely related to the changes in waist circumference (r = −.443, p < .001). Sexual function assessment of EXE + MET group was more significantly improved than GLI + MET group (p < .001). No serious adverse events were observed. In conclusion, short‐term combined treatment with EXE and MET is superior to GLI combined MET treatment in the improvement of serum TT levels, which could lead to an improvement of sexual hypofunction in patients with obesity and T2D.
Establishing the appropriate theoretical framework for unconventional superconductivity in the iron-based materials requires correct understanding of both the electron correlation strength and the ...role of Fermi surfaces. This fundamental issue becomes especially relevant with the discovery of the iron chalcogenide superconductors. Here, we use angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to measure three representative iron chalcogenides, FeTe0.56Se0.44, monolayer FeSe grown on SrTiO3 and K0.76Fe1.72Se2. We show that these superconductors are all strongly correlated, with an orbital-selective strong renormalization in the dxy bands despite having drastically different Fermi surface topologies. Furthermore, raising temperature brings all three compounds from a metallic state to a phase where the dxy orbital loses all spectral weight while other orbitals remain itinerant. These observations establish that iron chalcogenides display universal orbital-selective strong correlations that are insensitive to the Fermi surface topology, and are close to an orbital-selective Mott phase, hence placing strong constraints for theoretical understanding of iron-based superconductors.
Haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT) is associated with an increased risk of graft failure and severe graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Recent studies have shown that ...mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) display potent immunosuppressive effects and can support normal hematopoiesis. In a multi-center trial, we co-transplanted culture-expanded donor-derived bone marrow MSCs (BM-MSCs) into 35 children with severe aplastic anemia (SAA) undergoing haplo-HSCT. All 35 patients (100%) achieved hematopoietic reconstitution and showed sustained full donor chimerism. The median time for myeloid engraftment was 14 days (range 10–22 days), while that for platelet engraftment was 18 days (range 9–36 days). The incidence of grade II–IV acute GVHD and chronic GVHD was 25.71 and 22.86%, respectively. The overall survival rate was 85.71% with a median of 22 months (range 3.5–37 months). The combined transplantation of haploidentical HSCs and BM-MSCs into children with SAA without an HLA-identical sibling donor is relatively safe and may represent an effective new therapy to improve survival rates and reduce the risk of graft failure.
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