Effects of TiO2 and ZnO nanoparticles on the growth of phytoplankton assemblages in seawater.

Compounds in sunscreen such as ultraviolet (UV) filters protect human skin from damage caused by UV radiation exposure. However, sunscreen components reach marine ecosystems after their release from human skin during activities such as swimming and washing, and are potentially toxic to marine organisms. TiO2 and ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) are commonly used as inorganic UV filters. In this study, we explored the effects of TiO2 and ZnO NPs on natural phytoplankton assemblages in coastal seawater. Growth rates of natural phytoplankton assemblages were significantly decreased by 10 mg L-1 TiO2 and 1 and 10 mg L-1 ZnO NP treatments. NP addition also modified the size structure of phytoplankton assemblages, and small phytoplankton (mainly cyanobacteria) are vulnerable to NPs. Because herbivore food preferences depend strongly on algal cell size, NP contamination could also affect higher trophic levels. Notably, small phytoplankton are an important component in microbial loop, and this energy transfer pathway may be more vulnerable to NP contamination.

Spontaneously implemented spatial coherence in vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser dot array.

We report a self-induced spatially-coherent dot array consisting of fourteen units of vertical-cavity surface-emitting modes that exhibit spatially uniform spectra. A 47.5 µm total beam width and 0.5° narrow emission are achieved using an oblong cavity enclosed with a flat top mirror, cylindrically curved bottom mirror, and side facet. Notably, terminating the side of the cavity with a perpendicular facet enhances the horizontal propagation, which couples with the vertical resonance in each dot, similar to the case of master lasers in injection-locked lasers that delocalize the modes. Conventional semiconductor lasers, edge-emitting lasers, and vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers have a Fabry-Pérot cavity; furthermore, emission and resonance are in identical directions, limiting the beam width to micrometers. Though the present structure has the same scheme of propagation, the right-angled facet synchronizes the modes and drastically expands the beam width.

Compact symmetric polarization rotator-splitter on InP.

Symmetric polarization rotator-splitter (PRS) is proposed and experimentally demonstrated on InP for the first time. Instead of integrating a mode-selective splitter, we employ a symmetric multimode-interference (MMI) splitter at the output of an adiabatic taper section to extract the linear superpositions of the transverse-electric (TE) and the transverse-magnetic (TM) components of the input signal. As a result, the entire device functions as a PRS with its basis on the S2-S3 plane of the Poincaré sphere, whereas we can fully eliminate complicated asymmetric structures that are challenging to fabricate on InP. Moreover, the adiabatic taper, which operates as a mode-evolution-based polarization converter, is designed judiciously to minimize the overall length. The designed InP PRS with a total length of 750 µm is fabricated by a simple single-etching process. A polarization extinction ratio of more than 16.3 dB and a polarization-dependent loss of 0.67 dB are demonstrated experimentally at a 1550-nm wavelength.

A Comparison of Gene Expression Profiles of Rat Tissues after Mild and Short-Term Calorie Restrictions.

Many studies have shown the beneficial effects of calorie restriction (CR) on rodents' aging; however, the molecular mechanism explaining these beneficial effects is still not fully understood. Previously, we conducted transcriptomic analysis on rat liver with short-term and mild-to-moderate CR to elucidate its early response to such diet. Here, we expanded transcriptome analysis to muscle, adipose tissue, intestine, and brain and compared the gene expression profiles of these multiple organs and of our previous dataset. Several altered gene expressions were found, some of which known to be related to CR. Notably, the commonly regulated genes by CR include nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase and heat shock protein 90, which are involved in declining the aging process and thus potential therapeutic targets for aging-related diseases. The data obtained here provide information on early response markers and key mediators of the CR-induced delay in aging as well as on age-associated pathological changes in mammals.

Efficient InGaAsP MQW-based polarization controller without active-passive integration.

Carrier-injection-based efficient polarization controller with a strained InGaAsP multiple-quantum-well (MQW) layer is demonstrated on a regrowth-free InP platform. We employ a straight-line device configuration by cascading an asymmetric polarization rotator (PR) to provide a fixed polarization conversion and a polarization-dependent phase shifter (PD-PS) to enable tunable polarization rotation. Based on a novel design concept, both the PR and PD-PS sections are integrated monolithically without active-passive integration. Using the fabricated device, we experimentally demonstrate efficient polarization conversion over the entire Poincaré sphere with a total current of less than 40 mA. With the capability of monolithically integrating other InP-based active components, the demonstrated scheme should be attractive for various applications, such-as low-cost coherent communication, microwave photonics, and quantum key distribution.

Integrated dual-polarization coherent receiver without a polarization splitter-rotator.

We propose and demonstrate a simple integrated dual-polarization (DP) coherent receiver that does not require a polarization splitter-rotator (PSR). Based on a novel concept, a DP coherent signal is mixed with the local-oscillator (LO) waves inside a single interferometer and detected by five single-ended photodetectors. The signal-signal and LO-LO beat noises are eliminated through differential detection. We design and fabricate a proof-of-concept device on InP and experimentally demonstrate complete retrieval of DP quadrature phase-shift keyed signals. Requiring minimal number of optical components without a PSR, the demonstrated scheme would be attractive particularly for the InP and thick-silicon photonic platforms due to its significantly reduced footprint and ease of fabrication.

Can proximal Gastrectomy Be Justified for Advanced Adenocarcinoma of the Esophagogastric Junction?

PURPOSE: To evaluate the status of number 3b lymph node (LN) station in patients with adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction (AEG) and to investigate the optimal indications for radical proximal gastrectomy (PG) for AEG. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data of 51 patients with clinically advanced Siewert types II and III AEG who underwent total gastrectomy (TG) between April 2010 and July 2017 were reviewed. The proportion of metastatic LNs at each LN station was examined. Number 3 LN station was separately classified into number 3a and number 3b. The risk factors for number 3b LN metastasis and the clinicopathological features of number 3b-positive AEG patients were investigated. RESULTS: The incidences of LN metastasis were the highest in number 1 (47.1%), followed by number 2 (23.5%), number 3a (39.2%), and number 7 (23.5%) LN stations. LN metastasis in number 3b LN station was detected in 4 patients (7.8%). A gastric invasion length of more than 40 mm was a significant risk factor for number 3b LN metastasis. All 4 patients with number 3b-positive AEG had advanced cancer with a gastric invasion length of more than 40 mm. The 5-year survival rate of patients with a gastric invasion length of more than 40 mm was 50.0%. CONCLUSIONS: Radical PG may be indicated for patients with AEG with gastric invasion length of less than 40 mm.

Evaluation of aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 and transcription factors in both primary breast cancer and axillary lymph node metastases as a prognostic factor.

BACKGROUND: Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) is a marker of breast cancer stem cells, and the expression of ALDH1 may be a prognostic factor of poor clinical outcome. The epithelial-mesenchymal transition may produce cells with stem-cell-like properties promoted by transcription factors. We investigated the expression of ALDH1 and transcription factors in both primary and metastatic lesions, and prognostic value of them in breast cancer patients with axillary lymph node metastasis (ALNM). METHOD: Forty-seven breast cancer patients with ALNM who underwent surgery at Okayama University Hospital from 2002 to 2008 were enrolled. We retrospectively evaluated the levels of ALDH1 and transcription factors, such as Snail, Slug and Twist, in both primary and metastatic lesions by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: In primary lesions, the positive rate of ALDH1, Snail, Slug and Twist was 19, 49, 40 and 26%, respectively. In lymph nodes, that of ALDH1, Snail, Slug and Twist was 21, 32, 13 and 23%, respectively. The expression of ALDH1 or transcription factors alone was not significantly associated with a poor prognosis. However, co-expression of ALDH1 and Slug in primary lesions was associated with a shorter DFS (P = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS: The evaluation of the co-expression of ALDH1 and transcription factors in primary lesions may be useful in prognosis of node-positive breast cancers.

Correlation between 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/computed Tomography and Clinicopathological Features in Invasive Ductal Carcinoma of the Breast.

We evaluated the usefulness of preoperative 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) examinations to predict the pathological features in primary breast cancer. In particular, we evaluated the correlation between the maximum standardized uptake values (SUVmax) obtained by 18F-FDG PET/CT and the Ki67 expression in estrogen receptor (ER)-positive invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC). Primary IDC patients operated between March 2009 and July 2013 at Okayama University Hospital were enrolled. We evaluated the correlations between the SUVmax and age, postoperative pT, histological grade, lymph vascular invasion, status of hormone receptor, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), Ki67 expression and node status. The Ki67 expression was classified as high (＞ 14%) versus low (< 14%). We enrolled 138 patients with IDC. Their median SUVmax was 3.85 (range:0-52.57). In a univariate analysis, the SUVmax was significantly related to age, pT, histological grade, lymphovascular invasion, hormone receptor status, HER2 status, node status and Ki67. In the 113 patients with ER-positive IDC, there was a significant correlation between Ki67 and SUVmax (p ＝ 0.0030). The preoperative 18F-FDG PET/CT results of IDC patients had significant relationships with pathological status parameters. The determination of the preoperative SUVmax might help classify Luminal A and Luminal B patients among luminal-type breast cancer patients.

[A case of recurrent breast cancer with multiple lung metastases responding to anastrozole monotherapy].

A 51-year-old postmenopausal woman was referred to our hospital for treatment of ER-positive recurrent breast cancer. The patient had lung and pleural metastases with pleural effusion from breast cancer. She was treated with anastrozole, a 3rd-generation aromatiase inhibitor. The efficacy of the treatment was definite: the multiple metastatic lung lesions showed a partial response after 5 months' treatment, and reached a complete response after 14 months' treatment. The patient experienced no adverse effects with this therapy. Anastrozole therapy is a useful treatment for postmenopausal woman with ER-positive recurrent breast cancer.

Intake of phytochemicals among Japanese, calculated by the new FFF database.

Effects of phytochemicals on human health are suggested from various animal experiments, but human studies remain insufficient. We have constructed a database of various phytochemicals (polyphenols, carotenoids, and sulphur compounds) (http://www.life-science.jp/fff/) and estimated the amount of intake among Japanese population. The subjects were volunteers (16 males and 63 females, averagely aged 71 and 61, respectively) in Iwate city. Average BMI was 23 in both sexes. Intake of 36 phytochemicals was calculated from one-day dietary records of all intake, by multiplying concentrations of each phytochemical in foods. Phytochemicals with average intake of at least 10 micromole per day were catechin, isoflavones, isothiocyanate, ferulic acid, quercetin, cinnamic acid and chlorogenic acid. Chief component analysis yielded 12 factors (80%).