Scenarios for modeling solar radiation modification.

Making informed future decisions about solar radiation modification (SRM; also known as solar geoengineering)-approaches such as stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) that would cool the climate by reflecting sunlight-requires projections of the climate response and associated human and ecosystem impacts. These projections, in turn, will rely on simulations with global climate models. As with climate-change projections, these simulations need to adequately span a range of possible futures, describing different choices, such as start date and temperature target, as well as risks, such as termination or interruptions. SRM modeling simulations to date typically consider only a single scenario, often with some unrealistic or arbitrarily chosen elements (such as starting deployment in 2020), and have often been chosen based on scientific rather than policy-relevant considerations (e.g., choosing quite substantial cooling specifically to achieve a bigger response). This limits the ability to compare risks both between SRM and non-SRM scenarios and between different SRM scenarios. To address this gap, we begin by outlining some general considerations on scenario design for SRM. We then describe a specific set of scenarios to capture a range of possible policy choices and uncertainties and present corresponding SAI simulations intended for broad community use.

Birth month and risk of atopic dermatitis: a nationwide population-based study.

BACKGROUND: An individual's birth month has been associated with allergic diseases, but little is known about the association between birth month and atopic dermatitis (AD). OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the risk of AD in children born in various months. METHODS: Using Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database, we conducted a case-control study that included 31 237 AD cases and 124 948 age- and gender-matched controls without AD. Data regarding sociodemographic factors and coexisting medical conditions were collected and controlled in the multivariate logistic regression to determine the adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for AD associated with the participant's birth month. RESULTS: Compared with people born in May, people born in December had the highest risk of AD (OR 1.17, 95% CI 1.10-1.25), followed by people born in October (OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.08-1.22) and November (OR 1.13, 95% CI 1.06-1.20). Low income (OR 1.28), asthma (OR 1.88), allergic rhinitis (OR 1.70), psoriasis (OR 2.36), vitiligo (OR 1.99), urticaria (OR 2.14), and systemic lupus erythematosus (OR 1.91) were significant coexisting medical conditions associated with AD. CONCLUSION: Being born in December, October, or November may be associated with an increased risk of AD. Future investigations are needed to evaluate the possible mechanism behind the association between birth month and AD.

The efficacy of adjuvant radiotherapy in dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans: a systemic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is a rare and locally aggressive tumour, with a high recurrence rate, even after complete surgical excision. Adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) has been suggested to reduce the risk of local recurrence after inadequate surgical resection in patients with narrow or positive surgical margins. However, the overall efficacy of adjuvant RT has not been well studied because of the rarity of DFSP and lack of an appropriate comparison group. OBJECTIVE: We sought to evaluate the efficacy of adjuvant RT for DFSP by conducting a systemic review and meta-analysis to provide a more evidence-based measure of its effectiveness. METHODS: We conducted a systemic review of articles published before 31 June 2015. Due to the rarity of the disease, we included all studies that reported DFSP patients who received adjuvant RT (postoperatively). The pooled recurrence rates were analysed from these extracted data. RESULTS: Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria. The pooled estimate of the recurrence rate for all adjuvant radiotherapy was 11.74% (95% CI 7.4-17.38; n = 167). Patients with positive/close had a pooled recurrence rate of 14.23% (95% CI 8.13-22.49; n = 92), whereas there was no recurrence in patients with negative margins. The pooled estimate of the recurrence rate between surgery alone and surgery combined with adjuvant radiotherapy showed no significant difference (odds ratio 0.31, P = 0.07), although there was a trend that adjuvant RT had a lower recurrence rate than surgery alone. CONCLUSION: Adjuvant RT might be considered for all patients undergoing surgical excision, even if a negative surgical margin has been achieved. Furthermore, for patients with large or recurrent tumours, especially when wide excision with negative margin would result in a significant functional or cosmetic deficit, postoperative radiotherapy is highly recommended in order to achieve a lower recurrence rate.

A phase 2 multimodality trial of docetaxel/prednisone with sunitinib followed by salvage radiation therapy in men with PSA recurrent prostate cancer after radical prostatectomy.

BACKGROUND: In men with high Gleason PC and rapid PSA progression after surgery, failure rates remain unacceptably high despite salvage radiation. We explored a novel multimodality approach of docetaxel with anti-angiogenic therapy before salvage radiotherapy (RT). METHODS: This was a phase 2 single-arm prospective open-label trial with historic controls. Eligible men had a rising PSA of 0.1-3.0 ng ml(-1) within 4 years of radical prostatectomy, no metastases except resected nodal disease, no prior androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) and Gleason 7-10. Men received four cycles of docetaxel 70 mg m(-2) every 3 weeks with low dose prednisone and sunitinib 37.5 mg daily for 14/21 days each cycle, with no ADT. Salvage prostate bed RT (66 Gy) started at day 100. The primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS) rate at 24 months. Safety data, quality of life (QOL) and dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) were measured over time. RESULTS: Thirty-four men accrued in this multi-institutional clinical trial: 24% of men were node positive, 47% were Gleason 8-10, median PSA at entry was 0.54. The trial was terminated prematurely owing to excess DLTs (nine) including grade 3 hand-foot syndrome (n=4), neutropenic fever (n=2), AST increase (n=1), fatigue (n=1) and vomiting with diarrhea (n=1). PFS rate at 24 months was 51% (95% CI: 33, 67%) with a median PFS of 26.2 months (95% CI: 12.5, -). Six men (17.6%) had an undetectable PSA at 2 years. CONCLUSIONS: Sunitinib and docetaxel/prednisone followed by salvage RT resulted in excess pre-specified DLTs. Although nearly half of the men experienced durable disease control, efficacy was not greater than expected with radiation alone. The use of the intermediate end point of PFS in this salvage setting permitted an early decision on further development of this combination.

Therapeutic targeting of tetraspanin8 in epithelial ovarian cancer invasion and metastasis.

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) invasion and metastasis are complex phenomena that result from the coordinated action of many metastatic regulators and must be overcome to improve clinical outcomes for patients with these cancers. The identification of novel therapeutic targets is critical because of the limited success of current treatment regimens, particularly in advanced-stage ovarian cancers. In this study, we found that tetraspanin 8 (TSPAN8) is overexpressed in about 52% (14/27) of EOC tissues and correlates with poor survival. Using small interfering RNA-mediated TSPAN8 knockdown and a competition assay with purified TSPAN8 large extracellular loop (TSPAN8-LEL) protein, we identified TSPAN8-LEL as a key regulator of EOC cell invasion. Furthermore, monotherapy with TSPAN8-blocking antibody we developed shows that antibody-based modulation of TSPAN8-LEL can significantly reduce the incidence of EOC metastasis without severe toxicity in vivo. Finally, we demonstrated that the TSPAN8-blocking antibody promotes the internalization and concomitant downregulation of cell surface TSPAN8. Collectively, our data suggest TSPAN8 as a potential novel therapeutic target in EOCs and antibody targeting of TSPAN8 as an effective strategy for inhibiting invasion and metastasis of TSPAN8-expressing EOCs.

Effect of etanercept therapy on psoriasis symptoms in patients from Latin America, Central Europe, and Asia: a subset analysis of the PRISTINE trial.

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis prevalence and characteristics in Asia, Central Europe, and Latin America have not been thoroughly investigated and there are no large trials for biologic treatments for patients from these regions. The goal of this analysis was to report clinical response to anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha treatment in these patients. METHODS: Patients from Argentina, Czech Republic, Hungary, Mexico, Taiwan, and Thailand (N=171) were included in this subset analysis of the PRISTINE trial. Patients with stable moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis were blinded and randomized to receive etanercept 50 mg once weekly (QW) or biweekly (BIW) for 12 weeks, followed by 12 weeks of open-label QW treatment with etanercept 50 mg through week 24 (QW/QW vs. BIW/QW). Concomitant methotrexate (≤20 mg/week) and mild topical corticosteroids or other agents were permitted at the physician's discretion, in accordance with therapeutic practice. RESULTS: As early as week 8, 26.7 % in the etanercept QW group and 44.0 % in the BIW group achieved Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) 75. At weeks 12 and 24, respectively, PASI 75 increased to 39.5 % and 62.8 % in the QW/QW group and 66.7 % and 83.3 % in the BIW/QW group. PASI 75 was significantly different between treatment groups from week 8 through the end of study (p<0.05). The Kaplan-Meier estimate of the proportions achieving PASI 75 in QW/QW and BIW/QW groups, respectively, was 27.4 % and 45.8 % through week 8; 41.9 % and 68.7 % through week 12; and 72.5 % and 95.2 % through week 24. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with etanercept 50 mg provided rapid relief of psoriasis symptoms in patients from Asia, Central Europe, and Latin America. A more rapid response was observed in patients who received BIW treatment for the first 12 weeks which was sustained after reducing to QW dosing for the subsequent 12 weeks. Response rates were similar to those observed in the overall PRISTINE population. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT00663052 .

Edge profile measurements using Thomson scattering on the KSTAR tokamak.

In the KSTAR Tokamak, a "Tangential Thomson Scattering" (TTS) diagnostic system has been designed and installed to measure electron density and temperature profiles. In the edge system, TTS has 12 optical fiber bundles to measure the edge profiles with 10-15 mm spatial resolution. These 12 optical fibers and their spatial resolution are not enough to measure the pedestal width with a high accuracy but allow observations of L-H transition or H-L transitions at the edge. For these measurements, the prototype ITER edge Thomson Nd:YAG laser system manufactured by JAEA in Japan is installed. In this paper, the KSTAR TTS system is briefly described and some TTS edge profiles are presented and compared against the KSTAR Charge Exchange Spectroscopy and other diagnostics. The future upgrade plan of the system is also discussed in this paper.

Development of frequency modulation reflectometer for Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research tokamak.

Frequency modulation reflectometer has been developed to measure the plasma density profile of the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research tokamak. Three reflectometers are operating in extraordinary polarization mode in the frequency range of Q band (33.6-54 GHz), V band (48-72 GHz), and W band (72-108 GHz) to measure the density up to 7 × 10(19) m(-3) when the toroidal magnetic field is 2 T on axis. The antenna is installed inside of the vacuum vessel. A new vacuum window is developed by using 50 µm thick mica film and 0.1 mm thick gold gasket. The filter bank of low pass filter, notch filter, and Faraday isolator is used to reject the electron cyclotron heating high power at attenuation of 60 dB. The full frequency band is swept in 20 µs. The mixer output is directly digitized with sampling rate of 100 MSamples/s. The phase is obtained by using wavelet transform. The whole hardware and software system is described in detail and the measured density profile is presented as a result.

Phase 1 trial of neoadjuvant radiation therapy before prostatectomy for high-risk prostate cancer.

PURPOSE: To evaluate, in a phase 1 study, the safety of neoadjuvant whole-pelvis radiation therapy (RT) administered immediately before radical prostatectomy in men with high-risk prostate cancer. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Twelve men enrolled and completed a phase 1 single-institution trial between 2006 and 2010. Eligibility required a previously untreated diagnosis of localized but high-risk prostate cancer. Median follow-up was 46 months (range, 14-74 months). Radiation therapy was dose-escalated in a 3 × 3 design with dose levels of 39.6, 45, 50.4, and 54 Gy. The pelvic lymph nodes were treated up to 45 Gy with any additional dose given to the prostate and seminal vesicles. Radical prostatectomy was performed 4-8 weeks after RT completion. Primary outcome measure was intraoperative and postoperative day-30 morbidity. Secondary measures included late morbidity and oncologic outcomes. RESULTS: No intraoperative morbidity was seen. Chronic urinary grade 2+ toxicity occurred in 42%; 2 patients (17%) developed a symptomatic urethral stricture requiring dilation. Two-year actuarial biochemical recurrence-free survival was 67% (95% confidence interval 34%-86%). Patients with pT3 or positive surgical margin treated with neoadjuvant RT had a trend for improved biochemical recurrence-free survival compared with a historical cohort with similar adverse factors. CONCLUSIONS: Neoadjuvant RT is feasible with moderate urinary morbidity. However, oncologic outcomes do not seem to be substantially different from those with selective postoperative RT. If this multimodal approach is further evaluated in a phase 2 setting, 54 Gy should be used in combination with neoadjuvant androgen deprivation therapy to improve biochemical outcomes.

Synchronized operation by field programmable gate array based signal controller for the Thomson scattering diagnostic system in KSTAR.

The Thomson scattering diagnostic system is successfully installed in the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) facility. We got the electron temperature and electron density data for the first time in 2011, 4th campaign using a field programmable gate array (FPGA) based signal control board. It operates as a signal generator, a detector, a controller, and a time measuring device. This board produces two configurable trigger pulses to operate Nd:YAG laser system and receives a laser beam detection signal from a photodiode detector. It allows a trigger pulse to be delivered to a time delay module to make a scattered signal measurement, measuring an asynchronous time value between the KSTAR timing board and the laser system injection signal. All functions are controlled by the embedded processor running on operating system within a single FPGA. It provides Ethernet communication interface and is configured with standard middleware to integrate with KSTAR. This controller has operated for two experimental campaigns including commissioning and performed the reconfiguration of logic designs to accommodate varying experimental situation without hardware rebuilding.

Spectator behavior in a quantum Hall antidot with multiple bound modes.

We theoretically study Aharonov-Bohm resonances in an antidot system with multiple bound modes in the integer quantum Hall regime, taking capacitive interactions between the modes into account. We find the spectator behavior that the resonances of some modes disappear and instead are replaced by those of other modes, due to internal charge relaxation between the modes. This behavior is a possible origin of the features of previous experimental data which remain unexplained, spectator behavior in an antidot molecule and resonances in a single antidot with three modes.

Kimura's disease mimicking an earlobe keloid.

Kimura's disease (KD) is a rare chronic inflammatory disorder of unknown aetiology. It usually presents as soft-tissue masses predominantly in the head or neck region. We report a case of an asymptomatic tumour on the left earlobe mimicking a keloid. The tumour was histopathologically diagnosed as KD. This case suggests the importance of conducting skin biopsies of keloidal lesions on head and neck regions, particularly in patients who have peripheral eosinophilia and increased IgE levels.

Revival of electron coherence in a quantum wire of finite length.

We study the spatial decay of electron coherence due to electron-electron interaction in a finite-length disorder-free quantum wire. Based on the Luttinger liquid theory, we demonstrate that the coherence length characterizing the exponential decay of the coherence can vary from region to region, and that the coherence can even revive after the decay. This counterintuitive behavior, which is in clear contrast to the conventional exponential decay with single coherence length, is due to the fractionalization of an electron and the finite-size-induced recombination of the fractions.

Plasma-cell cheilitis: successful treatment with intralesional injections of corticosteroids.

Plasma-cell cheilitis is a rare inflammatory disorder of the lip characterized histologically by a band-like infiltrate of plasma cells in the upper dermis. It is considered an oral counterpart of plasma-cell balanitis. Clinically, it presents as a circumscribed, flat to slightly raised, eroded area of the lip. The cause of plasma-cell cheilitis is unknown, and the treatment is often disappointing. We describe a 55-year-old woman who had a long-lasting painful, swollen, and eroded area on her lips, which responded poorly to various topical treatments. Biopsy showed a band-like infiltrate composed mainly of mature plasma cells in the dermis. A diagnosis of plasma-cell cheilitis was made after excluding contact dermatitis, lichen planus, bacterial, fungal and spirochaete infections, and an extramedullary plasmacytoma. Dramatic improvements were observed after intralesional injections of corticosteroids. The lesion cleared up after two treatments, and there has been no recurrence in 1 year of follow-up.

Electro-fluorescence switching of bis-imidazolium ionic liquids.

Room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) containing bis-imidazolium salts were explored to control their optical properties of them in an organic device. The neat bis-imidazolium salts showed ionic conductivity of 3.5 x 10(-4) S/cm at room-temperature and the electrochemical window was exhibited within +/-2.5 V in a two electrode cell. The bis-imidazolium salts were transparent yellow and showed fluorescence upon excitation with light in the range of 360 to 500 nm. A two electrode organic ionic liquid cell was fabricated using a mixture of PEO200Blm-TFSI and electroactive molecules to control the emission property of the ionic liquid by electrochemical methods. The first example of the ionic liquid containing electro-fluorescence switch was explored with an electroactive benzyl viologen (BzV) blend of bis-imidazolium ionic liquid.

Reduction of polarization-induced performance degradation in WDM PON utilizing MQW-SLD-based broadband source.

We report on the reduction of polarization-induced performance degradation in WDM PON utilizing MQW-SLD-based ASE source for injection locking to FPLD. The results show that, to suppress the polarization-induced Q penalty sufficiently less than 0.5 dB, the MQW-SLD output should be depolarized within the locking range of the wavelength-locked FPLD.

No association of cytokine gene polymorphisms in Chinese patients with atopic dermatitis.

BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common chronically relapsing skin disease associated with the activation of T-helper 2 cells. Recent studies have shown that polymorphisms in the genes for interleukin (IL)-4, the IL-4 receptor, IL-13, and signal transducer and activator 6 (STAT6) may contribute to susceptibility of AD. To date, no cytokine gene polymorphism study has been conducted on Chinese patients with AD. AIMS: To determine whether genetic polymorphisms of the cytokine genes might influence the development of AD. METHODS: DNA samples were obtained from 94 patients and 186 control subjects. Using direct sequencing and microsatellite genotyping, we examined 22 polymorphisms in eight cytokine genes including the genes for IL-4, -10, -12B and -13, the IL-4 receptor, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, STAT6, and interferon (IFN)-gamma. RESULTS: No significantly different allelic and genotypic distributions of the cytokine gene polymorphisms could be found between patients and controls. Moreover, no association was observed with disease onset, gender, the presence of elevated serum total IgE level or blood eosinophilia. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that the analysed genetic polymorphisms of cytokine genes do not appear to be associated with AD susceptibility in our Chinese population.