Coherence and Rydberg Blockade of Atomic Ensemble Qubits

We demonstrate |W⟩ state encoding of multiatom ensemble qubits. Using optically trapped Rb atoms, the T_{2} coherence time is 2.6(3) ms for N[over ¯]=7.6 atoms and scales approximately inversely with the number of atoms. Strong Rydberg blockade between two ensemble qubits is demonstrated with a fidelity of 0.89(1), and with a fidelity of ∼1.0 when postselected on a control ensemble excitation. These results are a significant step towards deterministic entanglement of atomic ensembles.

Guanine chemiluminescent biosensor capable of rapidly sensing mercury in a sample

Using DNA aptamer (T–Hg²⁺–T hairpin-DNA) and guanine chemiluminescene detection, a highly sensitive biosensor was developed for the rapid quantification and monitoring of Hg²⁺ in drinking water.

Kidney fibrosis is independent of the amount of ascorbic acid in mice with unilateral ureteral obstruction

In response to sustained damage to a kidney, fibrosis that can be characterized as the deposition of a collagenous matrix occurs and consequently causes chronic kidney failure. Because most animals used in experiments synthesize ascorbic acid (AsA) from glucose, the roles of AsA in fibrotic kidney diseases are largely unknown. Unilateral ureteric obstruction (UUO) mimics the complex pathophysiology of chronic obstructive nephropathy and is an ideal model for the investigation of the roles of AsA in kidney failure. We examined the impact of a deficiency of Akr1a, a gene that encodes aldehyde reductase and is responsible for the production of AsA, on fibrotic damage caused by UUO in mice. Oxidatively modified DNA was elevated in wild-type and Akr1a-deficient kidneys as a result of UUO to a similar extent, and was only slightly suppressed by the administration of AsA. Even though Akrla-deficient mice could produce only about 10% of the AsA produced by wild-type mice, no difference was observed in collagen I synthesis under pathological conditions. The data implied either a low demand for AsA or the presence of another electron donor for collagen I production in the mouse kidney. Next, we attempted to elucidate the potential causes for oxidative damage in kidney cells during the fibrotic change. We found decreases in mitochondrial proteins, particularly in electron transport complexes, at the initial stage of the kidney fibrosis. The data imply that a dysfunction of the mitochondria leads to an elevation of ROS, which results in kidney fibrosis by stimulating cellular transformation to myofibroblasts.

Postoperative hypoalbuminemia as a risk factor for surgical site infection after oral cancer surgery

OBJECTIVES

Postoperative surgical site infection (SSI) is a frequent postoperative complication in patients with oral cancer and significantly affects patient recovery and medical expenses. The aim of this study was to examine the predictors of SSI in patients undergoing major surgery for oral or oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and to determine the relationship between perioperative albumin and the development of SSI.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

In 337 consecutive patients who underwent clean-contaminated surgery for OSCC, serum albumin, glucose, and hemoglobin levels were perioperatively measured. Differences between the groups were examined using Fisher's exact test, Mann-Whitney U-test, and multiple logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

Surgical site infection was detected in 88 (26.1%) patients with median time to development of 10 (2-25) days. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that only postoperative serum albumin < 2.5 g dl(-1) was an independent variable predictive of SSI (P = 0.003). The duration of hospital stay was negatively correlated with postoperative albumin (R(2) = -0.302, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Early postoperative hypoalbuminemia <2.5 g dl(-1) is an independent risk factor for the development of SSI in patients undergoing oral cancer surgery. Clinicians should be aware of the implications of postoperative hypoalbuminemia and consider more intensive postoperative care in these patients.

Noncancer health events as a leading cause of competing mortality in advanced head and neck cancer

BACKGROUND

The survival of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) can be affected by noncancer health events (NCHE) as well as by index cancer progression and second primary cancer (SPC). This study aimed to investigate the risk factors for NCHE and noncancer mortality (NCM) in patients with advanced-stage HNSCC.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This cohort study involved 600 consecutive patients with overall stage III to IV HNSCC who were treated between 2001 and 2010 at our tertiary referral hospital. NCHE was defined as re-admission (i.e. after the primary treatments for the index tumors) due to noncancer-related causes. The incidences of NCHE and NCM and their risk factors were analyzed by using cumulative incidence and cause-specific hazard functions.

RESULTS

During a median follow-up period of 54 months, 224 (37.3%) and 55 (9.2%) of the 600 patients had NCHE and NCM, respectively. The 5-year index cancer mortality, SPC mortality, and NCM rates were 23.8%, 4.2%, and 8.9%, respectively. Multivariate analyses revealed that body mass index <20 kg/m(2) (P = 0.018), Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) ≥1 (P < 0.001), tumor recurrence (P < 0.001), SPC occurrence (P < 0.001), and initial chemotherapy (P = 0.049) were independent NCHE predictors. Older age (P < 0.001), CCI ≥1 (P = 0.008), tumor recurrence (P < 0.001), and SPC occurrence (P = 0.047) were independent NCM predictors. Patients with respiratory NCHE were at a higher risk of NCM than patients with other NCHE types (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

One or more comorbidities, tumor recurrence, and SPC occurrence were independent predictors of both NCHE and NCM. Patients with respiratory NCHE had a particularly high risk of NCM.

Early peripheral blood and T-cell chimerism dynamics after umbilical cord blood transplantation supported with haploidentical cells

Single-unit umbilical cord blood (CB) SCT is limited by low total nucleated cell (TNC) dose. Co-infusion of CD34+ cells from a third party HLA-mismatched donor, known as dual or haplo-cord transplant, reduces the period of post-transplant neutropenia and related complications. The aim of this study was to analyze the value of early post-transplant peripheral blood (PB) and T cell chimerism after 28 dual transplants regarding CB engraftment. Cumulative incidence of myeloid engraftment at 30 days was 93% with a median time to engraftment of 14 days (10-29). Patients who developed CB graft failure (n=5) showed very low percentages of CB cells on days +14, +21 and +28 with decreasing dynamics. On the other hand, percentages of CB cells in patients who achieved CB engraftment increased over time. Interestingly, such patients showed two distinct chimerism dynamics in PB, but all of them showed a predominance of CB T cells early after SCT with increasing dynamics over time. Early post-transplant chimerism dynamics in PB and T cells predicts CB graft failure enabling rapid therapeutic measures to be applied. On the other hand, early increasing percentages of CB T cells correlates with ultimate CB engraftment.

336 QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF TETRACYCLINE-INDUCIBLE EXPRESSION OF THE GREEN FLUORESCENT PROTEIN GENE IN TRANSGENIC CHICKENS

The use of transgenic farm animals as bioreactors to address the growing demand for biopharmaceuticals, both in terms of increased quantity and greater number, represents a key development in the advancement of medical science. However, the potential for detrimental side effects as a result of uncontrolled constitutive expression of foreign genes in transgenic animals is a well-recognised limitation of such systems. Previously, using a tetracycline-inducible expression system, we demonstrated the induction of expression of a transgene encoding green fluorescent protein (GFP) in transgenic chickens by feeding with doxycycline, a tetracycline derivative; expression of GFP reverted to pre-induction levels when the inducer was removed from the diet (Kwon et al. 2011 Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 410, 890–894). As a proof of principle study, however, quantitative assessment of expression was not possible, as only 1 G0 and 1 G1 transgenic chicken was obtained. In the current study, with 7 G2 transgenic chickens obtained from 1 G1 hen, we confirmed stable genomic integration of a single copy number of the transgene by Southern blot analysis. As we have observed in G1 transgenic chicken previously, all of the G2 transgenic chickens emitted a green fluorescence upon doxycycline feeding (50 mg kg–1 of formula feed). Fluorescence became detectable 4 days after starting doxycycline feeding, and maximum GFP expression was detected after 2 weeks. Removal of doxycycline from the diet after 14 days of induction feeding resulted in the return of external fluorescence to pre-induction levels after 39 days. Quantitative analysis of gene induction was done using protein and mRNA extracted from primary cultured cells derived from 6-day transgenic chicken embryos. The eggs were obtained by mating a nontransgenic wild-type hen with 1 of G2 transgenic roosters. Protein levels of GFP were analysed by immunoblot and quantified using a densitometer. In the absence of doxycycline, the amount of GFP per 1 µg of total protein was 0.2 ng. However, when the cells were treated with doxycycline for 6 days, the amount of GFP increased to 3.1 ng per 1 µg of total protein, which was 16-fold higher than that of the cells pre-treated with doxycycline. Switching to doxycycline-free medium after doxycycline induction resulted in significant abrogation of GFP expression in 6 days; the amount of GFP reduced from 3.1 to 0.5 ng, a 6.2-fold reduction. Transcription of the GFP gene was also assessed by Northern blot. The amount of GFP mRNA measured by band density increased as much as 20-fold (3.9/0.2) with 6 days of doxycycline induction and declined to 1/8 (3.9/0.5) when doxycycline was removed from the cell culture media for 6 days. The use of an inducible expression system that can be regulated by dietary supplementation could help mitigate the physiological disruption that can occur in transgenic animals as a result of uncontrolled constitutive expression of a transgene.