Peritumoral vascular invasion (PVI) may assist in assigning optimal adjuvant systemic therapy for women with early breast cancer.
Patients participated in two International Breast Cancer Study Group ...randomized trials testing chemoendocrine adjuvant therapies in premenopausal (trial VIII) or postmenopausal (trial IX) node-negative breast cancer. PVI was assessed by institutional pathologists and/or central review on hematoxylin–eosin-stained slides in 99% of patients (analysis cohort 2754 patients, median follow-up >9 years).
PVI, present in 23% of the tumors, was associated with higher grade tumors and larger tumor size (trial IX only). Presence of PVI increased locoregional and distant recurrence and was significantly associated with poorer disease-free survival. The adverse prognostic impact of PVI in trial VIII was limited to premenopausal patients with endocrine-responsive tumors randomized to therapies not containing goserelin, and conversely the beneficial effect of goserelin was limited to patients whose tumors showed PVI. In trial IX, all patients received tamoxifen: the adverse prognostic impact of PVI was limited to patients with receptor-negative tumors regardless of chemotherapy.
Adequate endocrine adjuvant therapy appears to abrogate the adverse impact of PVI in node-negative disease, while PVI may identify patients who will benefit particularly from adjuvant therapy.
Dendritic cells (DCs) are potent antigen-presenting cells responsible for the activation and functional polarization of specific T cells. In patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and other ...cancers, coordinate DC and T cell defects have been reported. In particular, DC and T cell functional subsets that are not conducive to tumor clearance are hypothesized to predominate in patients with advanced-stage disease. Two major peripheral blood DC subsets have been identified in humans: myeloid dendritic cells (mDCs) and plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) that are believed to mediate contrasting effects on cancer immunity.
Given the lack of information regarding DC subsets in patients with RCC, in the present study we have investigated the comparative frequencies and activation states of mDC and pDC in peripheral blood, cancer tissues and lymph nodes of patients with RCC using flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry. Three monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) reactive against specific DC subsets (BDCA-2 or BDCA-4 for pDC and BDCA-1 and BDCA-3 which represent two distinct subsets of mDC, mDC1 and mDC2, respectively) were employed. We observed a significant reduction of both DC subsets in the peripheral blood of patients as compared to normal donors. Similarly, both mDC and pDC were recruited in large numbers into RCC tumor tissues, where they displayed an immature phenotype (DC-LAMP
−) and appeared unable to differentiate into mature DC (CD83
+) that were competent to migrate to draining lymph nodes.
However, we were readily able to generate
ex vivo mDC from RCC patients. These DC stimulated robust anti-tumor CTL
in vitro and would be envisioned for use in DC-based vaccines applied in patients with RCC whose existing immune system is judged dysfunctional, anergic or prone to undergo apoptosis.
We report on photometric, spectroscopic and polarimetric monitoring of the optical and near-infrared (NIR) afterglow of GRB020405. Ground-based optical observations, performed with 8 different ...telescopes, started about 1 day after the high-energy prompt event and spanned a period of ~10 days; the addition of archival HST data extended the coverage up to ~150 days after the GRB. We report the first detection of the afterglow in NIR bands. The detection of Balmer and oxygen emission lines in the optical spectrum of the host galaxy indicates that the GRB is located at redshift $z =0.691$. Fe ii and Mg ii absorption systems are detected at $z= 0.691$ and at $z = 0.472$ in the afterglow optical spectrum. The latter system is likely caused by absorbing clouds in the galaxy complex located ~2'' southwest of the GRB020405 host. Hence, for the first time, the galaxy responsible for an intervening absorption line system in the spectrum of a GRB afterglow is spectroscopically identified. Optical and NIR photometry of the afterglow indicates that, between 1 and 10 days after the GRB, the decay in all bands is consistent with a single power law of index $\alpha = 1.54\pm 0.06$. The late-epoch VLT J-band and HST optical points lie above the extrapolation of this power law, so that a plateau (or “bump") is apparent in the VRIJ light curves at 10–20 days after the GRB. The light curves at epochs later than day ~20 after the GRB are consistent with a power-law decay with index $\alpha' = 1.85\pm 0.15$. While other authors have proposed to reproduce the bump with the template of the supernova (SN) 1998bw, considered the prototypical “hypernova”, we suggest that it can also be modeled with a SN having the same temporal profile as the other proposed hypernova SN2002ap, but 1.3 mag brighter at peak, and located at the GRB redshift. Alternatively, a shock re-energization may be responsible for the rebrightening. A single polarimetric R-band measurement shows that the afterglow is polarized, with $P = 1.5\pm 0.4$% and polarization angle $\theta = 172^{\circ}\pm 8^{\circ}$. Broad-band optical-NIR spectral flux distributions show, in the first days after the GRB, a change of slope across the J band which we interpret as due to the presence of the electron cooling frequency $\nu_{\rm c}$. The analysis of the multiwavelength spectrum within the standard fireball model suggests that a population of relativistic electrons with index $p \sim 2.7$ produces the optical-NIR emission via synchrotron radiation in an adiabatically expanding blastwave, with negligible host galaxy extinction, and the X–rays via Inverse Compton scattering off lower-frequency afterglow photons.
We present and discuss the results of an extensive observational campaign devoted to GRB071010A, a long-duration gamma-ray burst detected by the Swift satellite. This event was followed for almost a ...month in the optical-near-infrared (NIR) with various telescopes starting from about 2min after the high-energy event. Swift XRT observations started only later at about 0.4d. The light-curve evolution allows us to single out an initial rising phase with a maximum at about 7min, possibly the afterglow onset in the context of the standard fireball model, which is then followed by a smooth decay interrupted by a sharp rebrightening at about 0.6d. The rebrightening was visible in both the optical-NIR and X-rays and can be interpreted as an episode of discrete energy injection, although various alternatives are possible. A steepening of the afterglow light curve is recorded at about 1d. The entire evolution of the optical-NIR afterglow is consistent with being achromatic. This could be one of the few identified GRB afterglows with an achromatic break in the X-ray through the optical-NIR bands. Polarimetry was also obtained at about 1d, just after the rebrightening and almost coincident with the steepening. This provided a fairly tight upper limit of 0.9 per cent for the polarized-flux fraction.
Context. X-shooter is the first second-generation instrument to become operative at the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT). It is a broad-band medium-resolution spectrograph designed with gamma-ray burst ...(GRB) afterglow spectroscopy as one of its main science drivers. Aims. During the first commissioning night on sky with the instrument fully assembled, X-shooter observed the afterglow of GRB 090313 as a demonstration of the instrument's capabilities. Methods. GRB 090313 was observed almost two days after the burst onset, when the object had already faded to R ~ 21.6. Furthermore, the 90% illuminated Moon was just 30 degrees away from the field. In spite of the adverse conditions, we obtained a spectrum that, for the first time in GRB research, simultaneously covers the range from 5700 to 23 000 Å. Results. The spectrum shows multiple absorption features at a redshift of 3.3736, which we identify as the redshift of the GRB. These features are composed of 3 components with different ionisation levels and velocities. Some of the features have never been observed before in a GRB at such a high redshift. Furthermore, we detect two intervening systems at redshifts of 1.8005 and 1.9597. Conclusions. These results demonstrate the potential of X-shooter in the GRB field, because it was capable of observing a GRB down to a magnitude limit that would include 72% of long GRB afterglows 2 h after the burst onset. Coupled with the rapid response mode available at VLT, allowing reaction times of just a few minutes, X-shooter constitutes an significant leap forward on medium resolution spectroscopic studies of GRBs, their host galaxies and intervening systems, probing the early history of the Universe.
Objective
Our study evaluated the performance of different two-chambered microbial fuel cell (MFC) prototypes, operated with variable distance between electrodes and Nafion membrane and specific ...inoculum concentration, applied for vinasse treatment.
Results
The performance of the developed MFC resulted in a maximum current density of 1200 mA m
−2
and power density of 800 mW m
−2
in a period of 61 days. MFC performed a chemical oxygen demand removal at a rate ranging from 51 to 60%.
Conclusions
Taking our preliminary results into consideration, we concluded that the MFC technology presents itself as highly promising for the treatment of vinasse.
We present and discuss the results of an extensive observational campaign devoted to GRB 071010A, a long-duration gamma-ray burst detected by the Swift satellite. This event was followed for almost a ...month in the optical/near-infrared (NIR) with various telescopes starting from about 2 min after the high-energy event. Swift XRT observations started only later at about 0.4 d. The light-curve evolution allows us to single out an initial rising phase with a maximum at about 7 min, possibly the afterglow onset in the context of the standard fireball model, which is then followed by a smooth decay interrupted by a sharp rebrightening at about 0.6 d. The rebrightening was visible in both the optical/NIR and X-rays and can be interpreted as an episode of discrete energy injection, although various alternatives are possible. A steepening of the afterglow light curve is recorded at about 1 d. The entire evolution of the optical/NIR afterglow is consistent with being achromatic. This could be one of the few identified GRB afterglows with an achromatic break in the X-ray through the optical/NIR bands. Polarimetry was also obtained at about 1 d, just after the rebrightening and almost coincident with the steepening. This provided a fairly tight upper limit of 0.9 per cent for the polarized-flux fraction.
Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) is the most common intraoral malignancy and is mainly located between hard and soft palate. Its surgical therapy could be difficult and depends on location, dimension, ...infiltration, and histologic grading.
The aim is to report the importance of a clinicopathologic protocol for microinvasive preoperative diagnosis, grading, and staging of MEC to sketch out a targeted surgical therapy in intraoral difficult locations.
In 64 cases of intraoral MEC treated between 2000 and 2019 at the Oro-maxillo-facial Surgery Unit of Policlinico-University-Hospital of Bari (Italy), the following preoperative protocol was performed: clinical examination, high-definition intraoral ultrasonography, radiological assessment (rxOPT, computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging), microinvasive biopsy with fine-needle aspiration biopsy/fine-needle aspiration cytology with HeE, PAS+/−Alcian stains, and immunohistochemical panel (high-/low-molecular-weight cytokeratins, calponin, smooth muscle actin, S-100, Ki-67). Surgery was targeted for each patient and guided from histopathologic data and consisted of conservative excision with wide margins for low-grade MEC and demolitive resection with neck dissection for high-grade MEC.
Application of our protocol gave a 100% preoperative histologic diagnosis and grading. Forty-one cases were low-grade MEC (29 female and 12 male patients, mean age = 37; site: 33 palate, 4 cheek, 2 lip, and 2 tongue); 23 were high-grade MEC (16 female and 7 male patients, mean age = 41; site: 19 palate, 1 cheek, 2 lip, and 1 tongue), and 4 were clear cells.
Preoperative fine-needle aspiration biopsy/fine-needle aspiration cytology for histologic diagnosis of MEC is mandatory in order to make decisions on the type of surgical treatment to avoid over- or undertreatment.
PDF
