High-speed photon-counting laser ranging for broad range of distances

We demonstrate a high-speed photon-counting laser ranging system with laser pulses of multiple repetition rates to extend the unambiguous range. In the experiment, the laser pulses of three different repetition rates around 10 MHz were employed to enlarge the maximum unambiguous range from 15 m to 165 km. Moreover, the range of distances was increased as well, enabling the measurement on different targets of large separation distance with high depth resolution. An outdoor photon-counting laser ranging up to 21 km was realized with high repetition rate, which is beneficial for the airborne and satellite-based topographic mapping.

Postmarketing cases of eluxadoline-associated pancreatitis in patients with or without a gallbladder

BACKGROUND

Cases of pancreatitis were identified in the eluxadoline clinical development program, reflected in initial product labelling, and the subject of postmarketing reports.

AIM

To analyse postmarketing cases of eluxadoline-associated pancreatitis.

METHODS

We retrospectively analysed all US adverse event reports of pancreatitis associated with eluxadoline reported to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database from May 27, 2015 through February 15, 2017.

RESULTS

The analysis included 119 cases of pancreatitis associated with eluxadoline; one resulted in death and 75 in hospitalisation. Sixty-seven cases reported the presence (n = 12) or absence (n = 55) of the patient's gallbladder. The eluxadoline dose received in the 55 cases of patients without gallbladders was 75 mg (n = 43), 100 mg (n = 5), or not reported (n = 7). Of the 119 cases, 37 reported the patient did not abuse alcohol and 82 did not report the alcohol abuse status. The single fatal case occurred in a patient without a gallbladder who received eluxadoline 75 mg and did not abuse alcohol. Forty-seven cases reported development of pancreatitis within the first or second dose of eluxadoline initiation. The median time to onset for the development of pancreatitis (n = 83) was 1 day, ranging from 1 to 56 days of continued use of eluxadoline.

CONCLUSION

The FAERS cases suggest that patients with or without a gallbladder receiving eluxadoline are at risk for the development of pancreatitis. However, patients without a gallbladder, despite receiving the recommended lower dose of eluxadoline 75 mg and screening for alcohol abuse, appear to be overrepresented among patients who developed eluxadoline-associated pancreatitis.

Plasmon-enhanced fluorescence of submonolayer porphyrins by silver-polymer core-shell nanoparticles

We investigate the fluorescence from submonolayer porphyrin molecules near silver-polymer core-shell nanoparticles (NPs) at a well-controlled separation distance of about 1 nm - 5 nm. When porphyrin molecules are deposited on silver NPs with the plasmonic resonance peak at about 410 nm, which matches very closely with the 405-nm excitation laser and the absorption band of porphyrin molecules, their emission intensity is found to be enhanced due to the plasmonic resonant excitation enhancement, and shows a decline as the increasing polymer shell thickness. Meanwhile, the lifetime results demonstrate that there exists the fluorescence quenching due to the charge transfer and nonradiative energy transfer losses, which is also the main reason that the maximum enhancement factor obtained in experiment is only about 2.3, although the theoretical one is above 60 according to the electric field distribution near silver NPs calculated by finite-difference time-domain method.

The higher prevalence of truncal obesity and diabetes in American than Chinese patients with chronic hepatitis C might contribute to more rapid progression to advanced liver disease

BACKGROUND

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is the leading cause of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the United States (US) and an emerging cause in China.

AIM

To compare the clinical characteristics of hepatitis C patients in the US and China, and factors influencing disease stage.

METHODS

Prospective study of 2 cohorts of HCV patients recruited at 1 site in the US and 3 sites in China. Standardised questionnaire on risk factors and medical history were used and diagnosis of cirrhosis and HCC was based on pre-defined criteria.

RESULTS

One thousand nine hundred and fifty seven patients (1000 US and 957 China) were enrolled. US patients were more likely to be men (61.4% vs 48.5%), older (median age 57 vs 53 years), obese (38.4% vs 16.8%) and diabetic (21.8% vs 10.8%). A significantly higher per cent of US patients had cirrhosis (38.2% vs 16.0%) and HCC (14.1% vs 2.7%). Investigator estimated time at infection in US was 10 years earlier than in Chinese patients but US patients were more likely to have advanced disease even after stratifying for duration of infection. Study site in the US, older age, truncal obesity, diabetes and prior HCV treatment were significant predictors of advanced disease on multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

HCV patients in the US had more advanced liver disease than those in China. We speculate that underlying fatty liver disease may be a major contributor to this difference, and management of glycometabolic abnormalities should occur in parallel with anti-viral therapy to achieve optimal outcomes.

Tuning Plasmonic Enhancement of Single Nanocrystal Upconversion Luminescence by Varying Gold Nanorod Diameter

Plasmonic enhancement induced by metallic nanostructures is an effective strategy to improve the upconversion efficiency of lanthanide-doped nanocrystals. It is demonstrated that plasmonic enhancement of the upconversion luminescence (UCL) of single NaYF₄ :Yb³⁺ /Er³⁺ /Mn²⁺ nanocrystal can be tuned by tailoring scattering and absorption cross sections of gold nanorods, which is synthesized wet chemically. The assembly of the single gold nanorod and single upconversion nanocrystal is achieved by the atomic force microscope probe manipulation. By selecting two kinds of gold nanorods with similar longitudinal surface plasmon resonance wavelength but different diameters (27.3 and 46.7 nm), which extinction spectra are separately dominant by the absorption and scattering, the maximum UCL enhancement by a factor of 110 is achieved with the 46.7 nm-diameter gold nanorod, while it is 19 for the nanorod with the diameter of 27.3 nm. Such strong enhancement with the larger gold nanorod is due to stronger scattering ability and greater extent of the near-field enhancement. The enhanced UCL shows a strong dependence on the excitation polarization relative to the nanorod long axis. Time-resolved measurements and finite-difference time-domain simulations unveil that both excitation and emission processes of UCL are accelerated by the nanorod plasmonic effect.

Ubiquitin orchestrates proteasome dynamics between proliferation and quiescence in yeast

Proteasomes are key protease complexes responsible for protein degradation, and their localization changes with the growth conditions. This work in yeast shows that proteasomes exit the nucleus with the transition from proliferation to quiescence. Ubiquitin is a key player in proteasome dynamics and cytoplasmic proteasome granule formation.

Proteasomes are essential for protein degradation in proliferating cells. Little is known about proteasome functions in quiescent cells. In nondividing yeast, a eukaryotic model of quiescence, proteasomes are depleted from the nucleus and accumulate in motile cytosolic granules termed proteasome storage granules (PSGs). PSGs enhance resistance to genotoxic stress and confer fitness during aging. Upon exit from quiescence PSGs dissolve, and proteasomes are rapidly delivered into the nucleus. To identify key players in PSG organization, we performed high-throughput imaging of green fluorescent protein (GFP)-labeled proteasomes in the yeast null-mutant collection. Mutants with reduced levels of ubiquitin are impaired in PSG formation. Colocalization studies of PSGs with proteins of the yeast GFP collection, mass spectrometry, and direct stochastic optical reconstitution microscopy of cross-linked PSGs revealed that PSGs are densely packed with proteasomes and contain ubiquitin but no polyubiquitin chains. Our results provide insight into proteasome dynamics between proliferating and quiescent yeast in response to cellular requirements for ubiquitin-dependent degradation.

Multi-beam single-photon-counting three-dimensional imaging lidar

Photon-counting laser ranging has attracted a lot of research interest for its application in the altimeter. In this letter, we report a large scale multi-beam photon-counting laser imaging system by using 100 laser beams in linear array as the light source. Taking advantage of a 100-channel low-noise high-efficiency single-photon detector, the three-dimensional image of remote targets could be constructed rapidly according to the time-of-flight measurement. This system provides a solution for a high-speed, high-resolution, low energy-consumption pushbroom airborne or spaceborne laser altimeter.

Temporal and spatial multiplexed infrared single-photon counter based on high-speed avalanche photodiode

We report on a high-speed temporal and spatial multiplexed single-photon counter with photon-number-resolving capability up to four photons. The infrared detector combines a fiber loop to split, delay and recombine optical pulses and a 200 MHz dual-channel single-photon detector based on InGaAs/InP avalanche photodiode. To fully characterize the photon-number-resolving capability, we perform quantum detector tomography and then reconstruct its positive-operator-valued measure and the associated Wigner functions. The result shows that, despite of the afterpulsing noise and limited system detection efficiency, this temporal and spatial multiplexed single-photon counter can already find applications for large repetition rate quantum information schemes.

Quantum detector tomography of a single-photon frequency upconversion detection system

We experimentally presented a full quantum detector tomography of a synchronously pumped infrared single-photon frequency upconversion detector. A maximum detection efficiency of 37.6% was achieved at the telecom wavelength of 1558 nm with a background noise about 1.0 × 10^-3 counts/pulse. The corresponding internal quantum conversion efficiency reached as high as 84.4%. The detector was then systematically characterized at different pump powers to investigate the quantum decoherence behavior. Here the reconstructed positive operator valued measure elements were equivalently illustrated with the Wigner function formalism, where the quantum feature of the detector is manifested by the presence of negative values of the Wigner function. In our experiment, pronounced negativities were attained due to the high detection efficiency and low background noise, explicitly showing the quantum feature of the detector. Such quantum detector could be useful in optical quantum state engineering, quantum information processing and communication.

Increase in thyroid follicular cell tumors in nelfinavir-treated rats observed in a 2-year carcinogenicity study is consistent with a rat-specific mechanism of thyroid neoplasia

The carcinogenic potential of nelfinavir mesylate (nelfinavir) was evaluated in a 2-year oral (gavage) study on Sprague-Dawley rats at dose levels of 0 (control), 0 (vehicle control), 100, 300 and 1000 mg/kg per day. At the end of the treatment, increased incidences of thyroid follicular cell hyperplasia and neoplasms were observed at 300 (males) and 1000 mg/kg per day (both sexes). There were no other treatment-related effects and no tumors at other sites. Results from previous studies indicated a number of effects in the liver and thyroid, as well as metabolic profiles that suggested nelfinavir might cause thyroid hyperplasia/neoplasia secondary to hormone imbalance by altering thyroid hormone disposition. To investigate this hypothesis, the effects of nelfinavir on gene expression in rat hepatocytes and liver slices (in vitro), thyroxine plasma clearance, and thyroid gland function were evaluated. Compared to controls, gene expression analyses demonstrated an increased expression of glucuronyltransferase (UDPGT) and CYP450 3A1 in nelfinavir-treated rat hepatocytes and liver slices. In rats treated with nelfinavir (1000 mg/kg per day) for 4 weeks, liver weights and centrilobular hepatocellular hypertrophy were increased and minimal to mild diffuse thyroid follicular cell hypertrophy and follicular cell hyperplasia were evident in the thyroid gland. Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels were significantly increased (three-fold), while tri-iodothyronine (T3)/tetraiodothyronine (T4) and reverse T3(rT3) levels were unchanged, indicating that a compensated state to maintain homeostasis of T3/T4 had been achieved. Plasma 125I-thyroxine clearance was increased and the plasma thyroxine AUC0 48 was decreased (24%) compared to control. In conclusion, these data indicate that thyroid neoplasms observed in the nelfinavir-treated rats were secondary to thyroid hormone imbalance. Increased thyroxine clearance contributes to the effects of nelfinavir on thyroid gland function and is probably a result of UDPGT induction that leads to elevated TSH levels in the rat and eventual thyroid neoplasia. These results are consistent with a well-recognized rat-specific mechanism for thyroid neoplasms.

Selective Inhibition of SIRT2 Improves Outcomes in a Lethal Septic Model

BACKGROUND

Seven isoforms of histone deacetylase Class III have been reported - Sirtuin (SIRT) 1-7. We recently demonstrated that EX-527, an inhibitor of SIRT1, reduces mortality in a mouse model of lethal-cecal-ligationand- puncture (CLP)-induced septic shock. Our present study was aimed at determining whether selective inhibition of SIRT2, with AGK2, would decrease animal death and attenuate the inflammatory response in a septic model.

METHODS

Experiment I: C57BL/6J mice were intraperitoneally given either AGK2 (82 mg/kg) in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) or DMSO alone, and 2 h later subjected to CLP. Survival was monitored for 240 hours. Experiment II: mice treated the same way as Experiment I, were grouped into (i) DMSO vehicle, and (ii) AGK2, with sham mice (operating but without any treatment) serving as controls. Peritoneal fluid and peripheral blood were examined at 24 and 48 hours for cytokine production. Samples of blood at 48 h were also allocated to assess coagulability using Thrombelastography (TEG). Morphological changes of bone marrow were evaluated from long bones (femurs and tibias) with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. Bone marrow atrophy was quantified by a blinded pathologist. Experiment III: cytokines in supernatant of the cultured normal primary splenocytes were measured after the cells were stimulated by lipopolysaccharide and treated with or without AGK2 (10 µM) for 6 hours.

RESULTS

AGK2 significantly reduced mortality and decreased levels of cytokines in blood (TNF-α: 298.3±24.6 vs 26.8±2.8 pg/ml, p=0.0034; IL-6: 633.4±82.8 vs 232.6±133.0 pg/ml, p=0.0344) and peritoneal fluid (IL-6: 704.8±67.7 vs 391.4±98.5 pg/ml, p=0.033) compared to vehicle control. Also, AGK2 suppressed the TNF-α and IL-6 production in the cultured splenocytes (TNF-α: 68.1±6.4 vs 23.9±2.8 pg/ml, p=0.0009; IL-6: 73.1±4.2 vs 49.6±3.0 pg/ml; p=0.0051). The TEG data showed that the mice subjected to CLP displayed prolonged fibrin formation and fibrin cross-linkage time, slower clot formation, decreased platelet function, and clot rigidity. AGK2 treatment was associated with dramatic improvements in fibrin cross-linkage and clot formation times, without a significant impact on the clot initiation parameters or platelet function. Additionally, AGK2 significantly attenuated the bone marrow atrophy (58.3±6.5 vs 30.0±8.2%, p=0.0262).

CONCLUSION

Selective inhibition of SIRT2 significantly improves survival, and attenuates sepsis-associated "cytokine storm", coagulopathy, and bone marrow atrophy in a mouse model of lethal septic shock.

Assessment of the impact of scheduled postmarketing safety summary analyses on regulatory actions

In addition to standard postmarketing drug safety monitoring, Section 915 of the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007 (FDAAA) requires the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to conduct a summary analysis of adverse event reports to identify risks of a drug or biologic product 18 months after product approval, or after 10,000 patients have used the product, whichever is later. We assessed the extent to which these analyses identified new safety signals and resultant safety-related label changes. Among 458 newly approved products, 300 were the subjects of a scheduled analysis; a new safety signal that resulted in a safety-related label change was found for 11 of these products. Less than 2% of 713 safety-related label changes were based on the scheduled analyses. Our study suggests that the safety summary analyses provide only marginal value over other pharmacovigilance activities.

Numb induces e-cadherin adhesion dissolution, cytoskeleton reorganization, and migration in tubular epithelial cells contributing to renal fibrosis

Numb, an endocytic protein, is involved in both neural differentiation and protein post-endocytic trafficking. Although negative Numb expression has been linked to human mammary carcinomas, little is known about its expression and functions in other diseases. In the present study, we observed that Numb is expressed in renal tubule epithelia and its expression is increased in the fibrotic kidney in vivo. We determined that in proximal tubular epithelial cells (NRK52E cells), TGF-β1 induces the expression of Numb and ectopic expression of Numb leads to dissolution of E-cadherin adhesion, reorganization of cytoskeleton, activation of Rac1 and Cdc42, and enhancement of migration. Either knockdown of α-adaptin or overexpression of Numb asparagine-proline-phenylalanine (NPF) mutant interferes with AP-2 dependent endocytosis and rescues Ecadherin level in NRK52E cells. Moreover, knockdown of integrin β1 or α-adaptin, and overexpression of a Numb dominant-negative form (Numb phosphotyrosine binding [PTB] domain) impair integrin endocytosis, and markedly inhibit Numb-induced cell migration and activation of Rac1 and Cdc42. Taken together, our work identifies Numb as an important player in renal fibrosis, by regulating epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process including E-cadherin adhesion dissolution, actin reorganization, and migration enhancement in NRK52E cells.

Abstract P4-14-04: A chart review of patient characteristics, treatment patterns and response in metastatic breast cancer patients treated with ado-trastuzumab emtansine in first-line therapy and beyond

Background: Ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) approved for HER2+ unresectable locally advanced metastatic breast cancer (mBC) has been shown to significantly improve progression-free and overall survival in patients (pts) previously treated with trastuzumab and a taxane. However, little is known about real-world patterns and outcomes of T-DM1.

Method: Pt-level data was collected from 90 US oncologists using an online chart extraction tool. Oncologists randomly selected eligible adult mBC pts started on T-DM1 on or after February 22nd 2013. Pts demographics, clinical information, and T-DM1 patterns and responses were described. Among pts whose T-DM1 response was assessed, univariate logistic regression models were used to assess the association between each factor and the probability of achieving complete response (CR).

Results: Among the 303 pts, median follow-up after T-DM1 initiation was 5.1 months; 58.4% started T-DM1 in the 2nd half of 2014. Median age was 58 years, most pts were Caucasian (62.0%), median number of metastatic sites was 2, and 65.3% of pts had a mBC diagnosis (dx) within 1 year of the BC dx. Most common metastatic sites were liver (51.5%), lung/pleura (42.6%), and bone/bone marrow (41.6%). Median time from mBC dx to T-DM1 initiation was 7.1 months. 34.0% of pts started T-DM1 in 1st line for mBC, 55.4% in 2nd line, and 10.6% in later lines after mBC dx; most common prior treatments were trastuzumab, pertuzumab, and taxane. Best response achieved while on T-DM1 was CR in 17.5% of pts, partial response (PR) in 46.2%, stable disease in 11.2%, recurrence/progression in 3.6%, and the response was unknown in 21.5% of pts. CR/PR was achieved within a median of 5 months of T-DM1 initiation. At the end of follow-up, 80.2% were still on T-DM1, 3.3% had switched, 12.9% had discontinued without switching, and 3.6% were deceased. 44.9% of pts discontinued/switched after CR/PR and 32.7% after progression. When physicians were surveyed about their practice, 30.0% reported intention to interrupt T-DM1 after CR and 7.8% after an a priori determined number of cycles. Among pts whose response on T-DM1 was assessed (78.5%), race (Asian), initiation of T-DM1 shortly after mBC dx or in 1st line for mBC, ≤ 2 metastatic lesions, single metastatic site, and estrogen (ER)+ /progesterone (PR)+ at T-DM1 initiation were found to be significant predictors of CR, while pts who progressed between mBC dx and T-DM1 were less likely to achieve CR.

Table 1. Factors Associated with CR Odds Ratio and 95% Confidence IntervalsAsian (vs non-Asian)2.9 (1.2 - 7.4)T-DM1 ≤ 1 year after mBC dx (vs > 1)3.2 (1.4 - 7.6)T-DM1 in 1st line after mBC dx (vs later lines)3.8 (2.0 - 7.2)≤ 2 metastases (vs>2)3.8 (1.9 - 7.6)1 metastatic site (vs >1)4.4 (2.3 - 8.4)ER+/PR+ (vs other status)4.9 (2.5 - 9.7)Progression between mBC dx and T-DM1 (vs no progression)0.2 (0.1 - 0.4)

Conclusions: Most pts started T-DM1 as 1st or 2nd line therapy for mBC and were still treated with T-DM1 at the end of follow-up. CR/PR, assessed by treating oncologists, was achieved in >50% of pts within 5 months of T-DM1 initiation.

Citation Format: Gauthier G, Guerin A, Zhdanava M, Wu E, Masaquel A, Barnett B. A chart review of patient characteristics, treatment patterns and response in metastatic breast cancer patients treated with ado-trastuzumab emtansine in first-line therapy and beyond. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-14-04.

Investigation of the silicon vacancy color center for quantum key distribution

Single photon sources (SPS) are crucial for quantum key distribution. Here we demonstrate a stable triggered SPS at 738 nm with linewidth less than 5 nm at room temperature based on a negatively charged single silicon vacancy color center. Thanks to the short photon duration of about 1.3-1.7 ns, by using high repetition pulsed excitation at 30 MHz, the triggered single photon source generates 16.6 kcounts/s. And we discuss the feasibility of this triggered SPS in the application of quantum key distribution.

Quantum witness of high-speed low-noise single-photon detection

We demonstrate high-speed and low-noise near-infrared single-photon detection by using a capacitance balancing circuit to achieve a high spike noise suppression for an InGaAs/InP avalanche photodiode. The single-photon detector could operate at a tunable gate repetition rate from 10 to 60 MHz. A peak detection efficiency of 34% has been achieved with a dark count rate of 9 × 10⁻³ per gate when the detection window was set to 1 ns. Additionally, quantum detector tomography has also been performed at 60 MHz of repetition rate and for the detection window of 1 ns, enabling to witness the quantum features of the detector with the help of a negative Wigner function. By varying the bias voltage of the detector, we further demonstrated a transition from the full-quantum to semi-classical regime.