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Holographic data storage system is a candidate for the information recording due to its large storage capacity and high transfer rate. We propose an unequally spaced four levels phase encoding in the holographic data storage system here. Compared with two levels or three levels phase encoding, four levels phase encoding effectively improves the code rate. While more phase levels can further improve code rate, it also puts higher demand for the camera to differentiate the resulting smaller grayscale difference. Unequally spaced quaternary level phases eliminates the ambiguity of pixels with same phase difference relative to reference light compared to equally spaced quaternary levels. Corresponding encoding pattern design with phase pairs as the data element and decoding method were developed. Our encoding improves the code rate up to 0.875, which is 1.75 times of the conventional amplitude method with an error rate of 0.13 % according to our simulation results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New drugs targeting the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway have generated striking clinical response in melanoma therapy. From the discovery of BRAF mutation in melanoma in 2002, to the approval of first BRAF inhibitor vemurafenib for melanoma treatment by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2011, therapies targeting the MAPK pathway have been proven effective in less than a decade. The success of vemurafenib stimulated more intensive investigation of the molecular mechanisms of melanoma pathogenesis and development of new treatment strategies targeting specific molecules in MAPK pathway. Although selective BRAF inhibitors and MEK inhibitors demonstrated improved overall survival of metastatic melanoma patients, limited duration or development of resistance to BRAF inhibitors have been reported. Patients with metastatic melanoma still face very poor prognosis and lack of clarified therapies. Studies and multiple clinical trials on more potent and selective small molecule inhibitory compounds to further improve the clinical effects and overcome drug resistance are underway. In this review, we analyzed the therapeutic potentials of each member of the MAPK signaling pathway, summarized important MAPK-inhibiting drugs, and discussed the promising combination treatment targeting multiple targets in melanoma therapy, which may overcome the drawbacks of current drugs treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fbw7 is a member of F-box family proteins, which constitute one subunit of Skp1, Cul1, and F-box protein (SCF) ubiquitin ligase complex. SCF targets a set of well-known oncoproteins, including c-Myc, cyclin E, Notch, c-Jun, and Mcl-1, for ubiquitylation and degradation. Fbw7 provides specificity of the ubiquitylation of these substrate proteins via recognition of a consensus phosphorylated degron. Through regulation of several important proteins, Fbw7 controls diverse cellular processes, including cell-cycle progression, cell proliferation, differentiation, DNA damage response, maintenance of genomic stability, and neural cell stemness. As reduced Fbw7 expression level and loss-of-function mutations are found in a wide range of human cancers, Fbw7 is generally considered as a tumor suppressor. However, the exact mechanisms underlying Fbw7-induced tumor suppression is unclear. This review focuses on regulation network, biological functions, and genetic alteration of Fbw7 in connection with its role in cancer development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prolyl isomerase Pin1 is widely over-expressed or over-activated in cancers and promotes tumorigenesis. The authors investigated the expression level of Pin1 and analyzed the prognostic value of Pin1 expression using a large-scale melanoma tissue microarray study. Two independent sets of tissue microarrays were employed, including 114 melanoma cases in the discovery set and 424 in the validation set (538 cases in total), 32 normal nevi and 86 dysplastic nevi 118 cases of nevi. The subcellular Pin1 expression in different stages of melanocytic lesions and its prognostic significance were studied. High expression (IRS 0-8) of cytoplasmic Pin1 was observed in 3.13%, 8.33%, 16.49% and 22.76% of the biopsies in normal nevi, dysplastic nevi, primary melanoma and metastatic melanoma, respectively. Significant differences for cytoplasmic Pin1 staining were observed between normal nevi and metastatic melanoma (P = 0.011, χ2 test), between dysplastic nevi and primary melanoma (P = 0.046, χ2 test) and between dysplastic nevi and metastatic melanoma (P = 0.016, χ2 test). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that increased cytoplasmic Pin1 expression was associated with a worse 5-year melanoma-specific survival of melanoma (P < 0.001) and metastatic melanoma patients (P = 0.004). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that cytoplasmic Pin1 expression is an independent prognostic factor in melanoma. Our data indicate that cytoplasmic Pin1 plays an important role in melanoma pathogenesis and progression, and serve as a potential prognostic marker for melanoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]