We present the results of experiments on the generation of both high and low frequency electromagnetic radiation from the nonlinear interaction of intense laser beams with underdense plasmas. High ...frequency radiation is generated as a result of the reflection of a near-infrared laser beam by breaking plasma waves. In the proof-of-principle experiment, a 2 TW, 76 fs Ti:sapphire laser pulse was focused to generate wake waves, and a ~0.1 TW laser pulse was focused to collide with the electron density modulations. Frequencies of the reflected light were 56–110 times higher than that of the initial laser. The estimated number of photons per solid angle was 3×10
7
photons/sr. Low frequency radiation is emitted by the plasma as well. We found that the polarization of the radiation was similar to that of the driver laser. These properties are in accordance with the generation mechanism by relativistic solitons.
Here we demonstrate 2 patients who showed marked hyperglycemia after androgen-deprivation therapy for prostate cancer and the efficacy of the thiazolidinedione pioglitazone on their glycemic control. ...Case 1 was a 61-year-old man diagnosed with prostate cancer who had type 2 diabetes mellitus for 7 years. His glycemic control had been good for the previous 5 years because of diet therapy and acarbose administration. He was given the gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist leuprolide acetate and the androgen receptor antagonist flutamide for the treatment of prostate cancer. After the second injection of leuprolide acetate, fasting glucose and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels were found to be markedly elevated (22.8 mmol/L and 10.5%, respectively). Case 2 was an 81-year-old man whose fasting glucose and HbA1c had been normal 10 months ago. He was injected with leuprolide acetate for the treatment of prostate cancer. Six months after starting the leuprolide treatment, the patient complained of thirst and weight loss and was diagnosed with diabetes mellitus with a fasting glucose of 19.4 mmol/L and HbA1c of 9.9%. The correct homeostasis model assessment evaluation indexes for pancreatic
β-cell function (HOMA-%
β) and for insulin sensitivity (HOMA-%S) were reduced in these 2 patients compared with control men. Their serum testosterone and 17
β-estradiol concentrations were depressed. After improvement of hyperglycemia by insulin treatment, their glycemic control remained good after treatment with pioglitazone without use of insulin. The values of HOMA-%
β and HOMA-%S increased to control ranges. Insulin resistance after the androgen-deprivation therapy might lead to marked hyperglycemia in these patients.
We recently demonstrated that the WT1 gene was overexpressed in the majority of de novo lung cancers regardless of cancer subtypes. Here, we examined WT1 genomic DNA in 38 cases of de novo non-small ...cell lung cancers (NSCLC) for mutations using direct sequencing. The sequencing analysis showed no mutations of WT1 genomic DNA in any of 38 de novo non-small cell lung cancers examined. These results indicated that the non-mutated, wild-type WT1 gene played an important role in de novo NSCLC.
We demonstrate a new high-order harmonic generation mechanism reaching the `water window' spectral region in experiments with multi-terawatt femtosecond lasers irradiating gas jets. A few hundred ...harmonic orders are resolved, giving uJ/sr pulses. Harmonics are collectively emitted by an oscillating electron spike formed at the joint of the boundaries of a cavity and bow wave created by a relativistically self-focusing laser in underdense plasma. The spike sharpness and stability are explained by catastrophe theory. The mechanism is corroborated by particle-in-cell simulations.
