Data on 68 146 hematopoietic stem cell transplants (HSCTs) (53% autologous and 47% allogeneic) gathered by 1566 teams from 77 countries and reported through their regional transplant organizations ...were analyzed by main indication, donor type and stem cell source for the year 2012. With transplant rates ranging from 0.1 to 1001 per 10 million inhabitants, more HSCTs were registered from unrelated 16 433 donors than related 15 493 donors. Grafts were collected from peripheral blood (66%), bone marrow (24%; mainly non-malignant disorders) and cord blood (10%). Compared with 2006, an increase of 46% total (57% allogeneic and 38% autologous) was observed. Growth was due to an increase in reporting teams (18%) and median transplant activity/team (from 38 to 48 HSCTs/team). An increase of 167% was noted in mismatched/haploidentical family HSCT. A Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats (SWOT) analysis revealed the global perspective of WBMT to be its major strength and identified potential to be the key professional body for patients and authorities. The limited data collection remains its major weakness and threat. In conclusion, global HSCT grows over the years without plateauing (allogeneic>autologous) and at different rates in the four World Health Organization regions. Major increases were observed in allogeneic, haploidentical HSCT and, to a lesser extent, in cord blood transplantation.
Ultrafast laser welding of ceramics Penilla, E H; Devia-Cruz, L F; Wieg, A T ...
Science,
08/2019, Letnik:
365, Številka:
6455
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Welding of ceramics is a key missing component in modern manufacturing. Current methods cannot join ceramics in proximity to temperature-sensitive materials like polymers and electronic components. ...We introduce an ultrafast pulsed laser welding approach that relies on focusing light on interfaces to ensure an optical interaction volume in ceramics to stimulate nonlinear absorption processes, causing localized melting rather than ablation. The key is the interplay between linear and nonlinear optical properties and laser energy-material coupling. The welded ceramic assemblies hold high vacuum and have shear strengths comparable to metal-to-ceramic diffusion bonds. Laser welding can make ceramics integral components in devices for harsh environments as well as in optoelectronic and/or electronic packages needing visible-radio frequency transparency.
A Japan Society of Clinical Oncology (JSCO)-hosted expert meeting was held in Japan on 27 October 2019, which comprised experts from the JSCO, the Japanese Society of Medical Oncology (JSMO), the ...European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), and the Taiwan Oncology Society (TOS). The purpose of the meeting was to focus on what we have learnt from both microsatellite instability (MSI)/deficient mismatch repair (dMMR) biomarkers in predicting the efficacy of anti-programmed death-1 (PD-1)/programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) immunotherapy, and the neurotrophic tyrosine receptor kinase (NTRK) gene fusions in predicting the efficacy of inhibitors of the tropomyosin receptor kinase (TRK) proteins across a range of solid tumour types. The recent regulatory approvals of the anti-PD-1 antibody pembrolizumab and the TRK inhibitors larotrectinib and entrectinib, based on specific tumour biomarkers rather than specific tumour type, have heralded a paradigm shift in cancer treatment approaches. The purpose of the meeting was to develop international expert consensus recommendations on the use of such tumour-agnostic treatments in patients with solid tumours. The aim was to generate a reference document for clinical practice, for pharmaceutical companies in the design of clinical trials, for ethics committees in the approval of clinical trial protocols and for regulatory authorities in relation to drug approvals, with a particular emphasis on diagnostic testing and patient selection.
•The PD-1 antibody pembrolizumab and the TRK inhibitors larotrectinib and entrectinib recently received regulatory approval.•Such tumour-agnostic regulatory approvals, based on tumour biomarker status, represent a paradigm shift in cancer therapy.•These recommendations provide guidance on which patients should be selected and tested for tumour MSI and NTRK gene fusions.
High-performance thermal insulating materials are desired especially from the viewpoint of saving energy for a sustainable society. Aerogel is the long-awaited material for extended applications due ...to its excellent thermal insulating ability. These materials are, however, seriously fragile against even small mechanical stress due to their low density, and their poor mechanical properties inhibit their practical use as superinsulators. In this paper, we report relationships between the thermal conductivity, pore size and mechanical properties of organic–inorganic hybrid polymethylsilsesquioxane (PMSQ) aerogels with improved mechanical properties and controllable pore sizes from ∼50 nm to 3 μm. The dependency of thermal conductivity on gas pressure and pore properties can be well explained by the thermal conduction theory of porous materials. These PMSQ aerogels show improved mechanical properties due to their elastic networks, which enable easier handling compared to conventional aerogels and facile production by simple ambient pressure drying. An aerogel-like “xerogel” monolithic panel has been successfully prepared via ambient pressure drying, which shows a low thermal conductivity (0.015 W m −1 K −1 ) comparable with those of the corresponding PMSQ aerogel and conventional silica aerogels. These results would open the gate for practical applications of these porous materials.
Background
Peritoneal metastasis is a frequent cause of death in patients with gastric cancer. The aim of this study was to identify molecules responsible for mediating peritoneal metastasis of ...gastric cancer.
Methods
Transcriptome and bioinformatics analyses were conducted to identify molecules associated with peritoneal metastasis. The therapeutic effects of intraperitoneally administered small interfering (si) RNA were evaluated using mouse xenograft models. Expression of mRNA and protein was determined in gastric tissues from patients with gastric cancer.
Results
Synaptotagmin XIII (SYT13) was expressed at significantly higher levels in patients with peritoneal recurrence, but not in those with hepatic or distant lymph node recurrence. Inhibition of SYT13 expression in a gastric cancer cell line transfected with SYT13‐specific siRNA (siSYT13) was associated with decreased invasion and migration ability of the cells, but not with proliferation and apoptosis. Intraperitoneal administration of siSYT13 significantly inhibited the growth of peritoneal nodules and prolonged survival in mice. In an analysis of 200 patients with gastric cancer, SYT13 expression in primary gastric cancer tissues was significantly greater in patients with peritoneal recurrence or metastasis. A high level of SYT13 expression in primary gastric cancer tissues was an independent risk factor for peritoneal recurrence.
Conclusion
SYT13 expression in gastric cancer is associated with perioneal metatases and is a potential target for treatment.
Potential target for therapy
We review recent advances in using current-activated pressure-assisted densification (CAPAD) for fabricating polycrystalline ceramics that are transparent to visible and infrared light. In addition, ...we discuss important one-dimensional (vacancies), two-dimensional (grain boundaries) and three-dimensional (pores) defects that can affect optical properties. We pay special attention to procedures whereby the benefits of CAPAD can be used to ensure the precise control of microstructure that facilitates transparency and other functionalities.
Few nomograms can predict overall survival (OS) after curative resection of advanced gastric cancer (AGC), and these nomograms were developed using data from only a few large centers over a long time ...period. The aim of this study was to develop and externally validate an elaborative nomogram that predicts 5-year OS after curative resection for serosa-negative, locally AGC using a large amount of data from multiple centers in Japan over a short time period (2001–2003).
Of 39 859 patients who underwent surgery for gastric cancer between 2001 and 2003 at multiple centers in Japan, we retrospectively analyzed 5196 patients with serosa-negative AGC who underwent Resection A according to the 13th Japanese Classification of Gastric Carcinoma. The data of 3085 patients who underwent surgery from 2001 to 2002 were used as a training set for the construction of a nomogram and Web software. The data of 2111 patients who underwent surgery in 2003 were used as an external validation set.
Age at operation, gender, tumor size and location, macroscopic type, histological type, depth of invasion, number of positive and examined lymph nodes, and lymphovascular invasion, but not the extent of lymphadenectomy, were associated with OS. Discrimination of the developed nomogram was superior to that of the TNM classification (concordance indices of 0.68 versus 0.61; P < 0.001). Moreover, calibration was accurate.
We have developed and externally validated an elaborative nomogram that predicts the 5-year OS of postoperative serosa-negative AGC. This nomogram would be helpful in the assessment of individual risks and in the consideration of additional therapy in clinical practice, and we have created freely available Web software to more easily and quickly predict OS and to draw a survival curve for these purposes.
The integration of different material classes (e.g, oxides and metals) with nanoscale dimensions in large 3D materials remains a fundamental challenge in nanocomposite fabrication. The incentive is ...that some of the most interesting properties occur at nanoscale interfaces, while the challenge arises from the difficulty in densifying the materials without deleterious reaction at the interface. Here, we introduce a method based on the synthesis of core–shell powders followed by efficient, relatively low-temperature densification with current-activated pressure-assisted densification. The composition of the bulk nanocomposites can be controlled by varying the core–shell weight ratio, leading to controllable thicknesses of the hard/soft magnetic phases. We demonstrate intimate mixtures of nanoscale strontium ferrite (hard magnetic phase) and Co–Fe (soft magnetic phase) with minimal reaction. The high volume content of high-quality oxide/metal interfaces leads to magnetic exchange coupling in the composites.
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