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Alterations of brain structure and functional connectivity have been described in patients with hearing impairments due to distinct pathogenesis; however, the influence of unilateral hearing loss (UHL) on brain morphology and regional brain activity is still not completely understood. In this study, we aim to investigate regional brain structural and functional alterations in patients with UHL. T1-weighted volumetric images and task-free fMRIs were acquired from 14 patients with right-sided UHL (pure tone average ≥ 40 dB HL) and 19 healthy controls. Hearing ability was assessed by pure tone audiometry. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was performed to detect brain regions with changed gray matter volume or white matter volume in UHL. The amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) was calculated to analyze brain activity at the baseline and was compared between two groups. Compared with controls, UHL patients showed decreased gray matter volume in bilateral posterior cingulate gyrus and precuneus, left superior/middle/inferior temporal gyrus, and right parahippocampal gyrus and lingual gyrus. Meanwhile, patients showed significantly decreased ALFF in bilateral precuneus, left inferior parietal lobule, and right inferior frontal gyrus and insula and increased ALFF in right inferior and middle temporal gyrus. These findings suggest that chronic UHL could induce brain morphological changes and is associated with aberrant baseline brain activity.

Structural integrity of the corticospinal tract (CST) after stroke is closely linked to the degree of motor impairment. However, current methods for measurement of fractional atrophy (FA) of CST based on region of interest (ROI) are time-consuming and open to bias. Here, we used tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) together with a CST template with healthy volunteers to quantify structural integrity of CST automatically. Two groups of patients after ischemic stroke were enrolled, group 1 (10 patients, 7 men, and Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA) scores⩽50) and group 2 (12 patients, 12 men, and FMA scores = 100). CST of FAipsi, FAcontra, and FAratiowas compared between the two groups. Relative to group 2, FA was decreased in group 1 in the ipsilesional CST (P<0.01), as well as the FAratio(P<0.01). There was no significant difference between the two subgroups in the contralesional CST (P=0.23). Compared with contralesional CST, FA of ipsilesional CST decreased in group 1 (P<0.01). These results suggest that the automated method used in our study could detect a surrogate biomarker to quantify the CST after stroke, which would facilitate implementation of clinical practice.

BACKGROUND: Attention deficit is an early and key characteristic of minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) and has been used as indicator for MHE detection. The aim of this study is to classify the cirrhotic patients with or without MHE (NMHE) and healthy controls (HC) using the resting-state attention-related brain network analysis. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Resting-state fMRI was administrated to 20 MHE patients, 21 NMHE patients, and 17 HCs. Three attention-related networks, including dorsal attention network (DAN), ventral attention network (VAN), and default mode network (DMN), were obtained by independent component analysis. One-way analysis of covariance was performed to determine the regions of interest (ROIs) showing significant functional connectivity (FC) change. With FC strength of ROIs as indicators, Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) was conducted to differentiate MHE from HC or NMHE. Across three groups, significant FC differences were found within DAN (left superior/inferior parietal lobule and right inferior parietal lobule), VAN (right superior parietal lobule), and DMN (bilateral posterior cingulate gyrus and precuneus, and left inferior parietal lobule). With FC strength of ROIs from three networks as indicators, LDA yielded 94.6% classification accuracy between MHE and HC (100% sensitivity and 88.2% specificity) and 85.4% classification accuracy between MHE and NMHE (90.0% sensitivity and 81.0% specificity). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the resting-state attention-related brain network analysis can be useful in classification of subjects with MHE, NMHE, and HC and may provide a new insight into MHE detection.

Atomically thin two-dimensional semiconductor nanomaterials have attained considerable attention currently. Here, we present a nano-optomechanical system based on a suspended monolayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ). The linear and nonlinear coherent optical properties of this system, and the phenomenon of phonon-induced transparency are demonstrated. The transmission of the probe field can be manipulated by the power of a second ‘gating' (pump) field, which indicates a promising candidate for an optical transistor. We further study the nonlinear effect of the system, and the optical Kerr effect of the monolayer MoS 2 resonator can be regulated under different parameter regimes. This scheme proposed here may indicate potential chip-scale applications of monolayer MoS 2 resonator in quantum information with the currently popular pump-probe technology.

A satisfactory biopsy determines the state-of-the-art management of lung cancer in this era of personalized medicine. This study aimed to investigate the suitability and efficacy of computed tomography (CT)-guided core needle biopsy in clinical management.A cohort of 353 patients with clinically suspected lung cancer was enrolled in the study. Patient factors and biopsy variables were recorded. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene mutations and echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4 (EML4)-anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangement were detected in tumor specimens. Adequacy of biopsic obtainment for clinical trial screening and tissue bank establishment were reviewed.Overall diagnostic accuracy of malignancy achieved 98.5%. The median biopsy time of the cohort was 20 minutes. In patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), 99.3% (287/289) were diagnosed as specific histologic subtypes, and two patients (0.7%) were determined as NSCLC not otherwise specified (NOS). EGFR mutations were analyzed in 81.7% (236/289) of patients with NSCLC, and 98.7% (233/236) showed conclusive results. EML4-ALK gene fusion was tested in 43.9% (127/289) of NSCLC patients, and 98.4% (125/127) showed conclusive results: 6.4% (8/125) of those had gene fusion. Ninety-six NSCLC patients participated in clinical trial screening and provided mandatory tumor slides for molecular profiling. Pathological evaluation was fulfilled in 90 patients (93.8%); 99.4% (320/322) of patients with malignancy provided extra tissue for the establishment of a tumor bank.CT-guided core needle biopsy provided optimal clinical management in this era of translational medicine. The biopsic modality should be prioritized in selected lung cancer patients.

Introduction The demographical/clinical characteristics of being Asian, having an adenocarcinoma, being female, and being a “never-smoker” are regarded as favorable predictors for epidermal growth factor receptor ( EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) efficacy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with unknown EGFR gene status. In this study, we examined the effects of the supposedly unfavorable clinical variables in EGFR-mutant patients. Method In total, 159 EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients' clinical features were correlated with progression-free survival (PFS), response rate (RR), and overall survival (OS). Multivariate analysis of clinical characteristics was performed using the Cox and logistic regression methods. Result There were 90 females (56.6%), 112 never-smokers (70.4%), and 153 patients with adenocarcinomas (96.2%). All patients were treated with EGFR-TKI, and 52.8% received TKI in a first-line setting. The median PFS of patients receiving first-line TKI was similar, regardless of gender (males vs females: 9.1 vs 9.7 months, p=0.793), smoking status (never-smokers vs smokers: 9.9 vs 9.1 months, p=0.570), or histology (adenocarcinoma vs non-adenocarcinoma: 9.7 vs 9.2 months, p=0.644). OS curves of first-line TKI-treated patients were also not associated with gender (p=0.722), smoking status (p=0.579), or histology (p=0.480). Similar results of PFS and OS were obtained for patients who received TKI beyond first-line. Multivariate analysis indicated that none of these clinical factors was an independent predictor of survival. Conclusions The supposedly ‘favorable’ clinical factors of female gender, non-smoking status, and adenocarcinoma were not independent predictive factors for PFS or OS in this population of EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients.

Motivated by a recent experiment providing evidence for Majorana zero modes in iron (Fe) chains on the superconducting Pb surface, in the present work, an optical method for probing Majorana fermions is proposed theoretically, which is very different from the current tunneling spectroscopy experiments with electrical means. The optical detection proposal consists of a hybrid quantum dot-nanomechanical resonator system driven by one strong pump field and one weak probe field. With the optical means, the signal in the coherent optical spectrum indicates a distinct signature of Majorana fermions in the end of iron chains when the quantum dot coupled to Majorana fermions. In addition, an optical scheme for determining the coupling strength between Majorana fermions and the quantum dot is also introduced, which affords a straightforward method to measure such coupling. We further investigate the role of the nanomechanical resonator in the hybrid system. The vibration of the nanomechanical resonator behaving as a phonon cavity will enhance the exciton resonance spectrum, which is robust for the detection of Majorana fermions. This optical scheme affords a potential supplement to detecte Majorana fermions and supports to use Majorana fermions in Fe chains as qubits for potential applications in quantum computing devices.

9054Background: The common driver genes in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) include EGFR, ALK, KRAS and so on. MET amplification coexisting with EGFR mutation is recognized as intrinsic resistanc...

e20601Background: In patients with advanced non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) activating mutations, EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are oft...

Background White matter (WM) abnormalities are common in cirrhotic patients and possibly contribute to hepatic encephalopathy (HE), a frequent neuropsychiatric complication of cirrhosis. However, little is known about these WM abnormalities and their relationship to neurocognitive deficits in patients with HBV-related cirrhosis. Methods Three-dimensional T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) scans were obtained from 67 patients with HBV-related cirrhosis and 40 controls. Voxel-based morphometry and voxel-based DTI were performed to detect macroscopic atrophy and damage to the microstructural integrity of the WM, respectively. Correlation analyses were performed to investigate the relationships between WM abnormalities and neurocognitive performances. Results Patients with cirrhosis exhibited significantly decreased WM volume and fractional anisotropy (FA) values, especially in the corpus callosum, thalamus, extra-nuclear area, sensorimotor area, fusiform gyrus, lingual gyrus, and frontal lobes. These abnormalities were more severe with increasing Child–Pugh stage, minimal HE, and previous overt HE. Changes in the corpus callosum, frontal lobe, sensorimotor area, internal capsule, and temporal–occipital lobes were correlated with poor neurocognitive performance. Also, the significantly decreased global WM volume and mean FA value were correlated with poor neurocognitive performances. Conclusions Diffuse WM abnormalities are common in patients with HBV-related cirrhosis. Advanced liver disease and episodes of HE are two factors associated with WM abnormalities. The correlation between poor neurocognitive performance and WM abnormalities suggests that WM abnormalities may be one of mechanisms underlying neurocognitive deficits in patients with HBV-related cirrhosis.

Neurobiological and neuroimaging studies have emphasized the structural and functional alterations in the striatum of cirrhotic patients, but alterations in the functional connections between the striatum and other brain regions have not yet been explored. Of note, manganese accumulation in the nervous system, frequently reflected by hyperintensity at the bilateral globus pallidus (GP) on T1-weighted imaging, has been considered a factor affecting the striatal and cortical functions in hepatic decompensation. We employed resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging to analyze the temporal correlation between the striatum and the remaining brain regions using seed-based correlation analyses. The two-sample t-test was conducted to detect the differences in corticostriatal connectivity between 44 cirrhotic patients with hyperintensity at the bilateral GP and 20 healthy controls. Decreased connectivity of the caudate was detected in the anterior/middle cingulate gyrus, and increased connectivity of the caudate was found in the left motor cortex. A reduction in functional connectivity was found between the putamen and several regions, including the anterior cingulate gyrus, right insular lobe, inferior frontal gyrus, left parahippocampal gyrus, and anterior lobe of the right cerebellum; increased connectivity was detected between the putamen and right middle temporal gyrus. There were significant correlations between the corticostriatal connectivity and neuropsychological performances in the patient group, but not between the striatal connectivity and GP signal intensity. These alterations in the corticostriatal functional connectivity suggested the abnormalities in the intrinsic brain functional organiztion among the cirrhotic patients with manganese deposition, and may be associated with development of metabolic encephalopathy. The manganese deposition in nervous system, however, can not be an independent factor predicting the resting-state brain dysfunction in real time.

Brain-metastatic breast cancer (BMBC) is increasing and poses a severe clinical problem because of the lack of effective treatments and because the underlying molecular mechanisms are largely unknown. Recent work has demonstrated that deregulation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) may correlate with BMBC progression. However, the exact contribution that EGFR makes to BMBC remains unclear.The role of EGFR in BMBC was explored by serial analyses in a brain-trophic clone of human MDA-MB-231 breast carcinoma cells (231-BR cells). EGFR expression was inhibited by stable short-hairpin RNA transfection or by the kinase inhibitor erlotinib, and it was activated by heparin-binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor (HB-EGF). Cell growth and invasion activities also were analyzed in vitro and in vivo.EGFR inhibition or activation strongly affected 231-BR cell migration/invasion activities as assessed by an adhesion assay, a wound-healing assay, a Boyden chamber invasion assay, and cytoskeleton staining. Also, EGFR inhibition significantly decreased brain metastases of 231-BR cells in vivo. Surprisingly, changes to EGFR expression affected cell proliferation activities less significantly as determined by a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, an anchorage-independent growth assay, and cell cycle analysis. Immunoblot analysis suggested that EGFR drives cells' invasiveness capability mainly through phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B and phospholipase C γ downstream pathways. In addition, EGFR was involved less in proliferation because of the insensitivity of the downstream mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway.The current results indicated that EGFR plays more important roles in cell migration and invasion to the brain than in cell proliferation progression on 231-BR cells, providing new evidence of the potential value of EGFR inhibition in treating BMBC.

Objective Diffuse brain atrophy has been observed in cirrhotic patients and recent reports have revealed the persistence of cognitive impairment after clinical resolution of overt hepatic encephalopathy. We sought to explore the continued influence of overt hepatic encephalopathy on neurological function by measuring brain resting-state inherent connectivity, based on an investigation of structural abnormalities. Methods Neuropsychological tests and structural and functional magnetic resonance scanning were conducted in 20 healthy controls and 21 cirrhotic patients with a history of overt hepatic encephalopathy. The analysis of voxel-based morphometry and functional connectivity were performed to detect the alterations in brain structure and function, respectively. Results Patients showed significantly worse performance in neuropsychological tests as compared with controls, despite apparently normal mental status. Analysis of voxel-based morphometry revealed a decrease in gray matter volume primarily in the midline regions, bilateral insular cortex and caudates, left parahippocampal gyrus, and right cerebellum posterior lobe, while the volume of the bilateral thalamus showed an increase. Of these regions, the posterior cingulate cortex with peak atrophy was selected as the origin for the analysis of functional connectivity. Typical patterns of a default mode network were identified in both groups. Decreased functional connectivity was found in the medial prefrontal gyrus, left inferior parietal lobule, and left middle temporal gyrus in the patients. Conclusions Both functional and structural impairments were evident after apparent recovery from overt hepatic encephalopathy, demonstrating that brain dysfunction induced by hepatic encephalopathy persisted after clinical resolution and provided a basis for further evolution of the disease.

Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has facilitated the study of spontaneous brain activity by measuring low-frequency oscillations in blood-oxygen-level-dependent signals. Analyses of regional homogeneity (ReHo), which reflects the local synchrony of neural activity, have been used to reveal the mechanisms underlying the brain dysfunction in various neuropsychiatric diseases. However, it is not known whether the ReHo is altered in cirrhotic patients with minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE). We recruited 18 healthy controls and 18 patients with MHE. The ReHo was calculated to assess the strength of the local signal synchrony. Compared with the healthy controls, the patients with MHE had significantly decreased ReHo in the cuneus and adjacent precuneus, and left inferior parietal lobe, whereas the regions showing increased ReHo in patients with MHE included the left parahippocampal gyrus, right cerebellar vermis, and bilateral anterior cerebellar lobes. We found a positive correlation between the mean ReHo in the cuneus and adjacent precuneus and the score on the digit-symbol test in the patient group. In conclusion, the analysis of the regional homogeneity of resting-state brain activity may provide additional information with respect to a clinical definition of MHE.

Purpose Our aim was to determine whether abundance of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations in tumors predicts benefit from treatment with EGFR–tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) for advanced non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Patients and Methods We detected EGFR mutations in 100 lung cancer samples using direct DNA sequencing and amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS). Mutation-positive tumors by both methods carried high abundance of EGFR mutations. Tumors that were mutation positive by ARMS but mutation negative by direct DNA sequencing harbored low abundance of EGFR mutations. Mutation-negative tumors by both methods carried wild-type EGFR. All patients received gefitinib treatment. The correlation between EGFR mutation abundance and clinical benefit from gefitinib treatment was analyzed. Results Of 100 samples, 51 and 18 harbored high and low abundances of EGFR mutations, respectively; 31 carried wild-type EGFR. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 11.3 (95% CI, 7.4 to 15.2) and 6.9 months (95% CI, 5.5 to 8.4) in patients with high and low abundances of EGFR mutations, respectively (P = .014). Median PFS of patients with low abundance of EGFR mutations was significantly longer than that of those with wild-type tumors (2.1 months; 95% CI, 1.0 to 3.2; P = .010). Objective response rates (ORRs) were 62.7%, 44.4%, and 16.1%, and overall survival (OS) rates were 15.9 (95% CI, 13.4 to 18.3), 10.9 (95% CI, 2.7 to 19.1), and 8.7 months (95% CI, 4.6 to 12.7) for patients with high abundance of EGFR mutations, low abundance of EGFR mutations, and wild-type EGFR, respectively. The difference between patients with high and low abundances of EGFR mutations was not significant regarding ORR and OS. Conclusion The relative EGFR mutation abundance could predict benefit from EGFR-TKI treatment for advanced NSCLC.

The unsymmetrical air flow of the dual slot die in the melt blowing process is simulated. The diameter and transverse displacement of the threadline are obtained numerically. The result shows that the threadline diameter in the unsymmetrical air flow is larger than that in the symmetrical one. This paper helps to point out the research direction for producing finer melt blown fibers.

Using XML web services in embedded system could be able to use the existing geodata and geoprocessing services through wired/wireless network. However, the processing and memory limitations of embedded devices exacerbate the problem in the area of complexity, constraints, and the verbosity of the protocols used in XML web services effect the usability of XML. This paper presents a GPS navigation system, which accesses OGC-compliant geodata and geoprocessing services using gSOAP toolkit. This system composes of hardware platform, embedded operation system and software system. Our experimental result shows gSOAP could provides transparent SOAP API allows embedded system using XML web services.

In clinical trials, the epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) administered concomitantly with first-line cytotoxicity chemotherapy failed to confer a survival benefit to patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aim of this study was to test whether paclitaxel followed by gefitinib is superior to other treatment schedules of NSCLC cell lines and to clarify the underlying mechanisms. Human lung cancer cell lines with wild-type and mutant-type EGFR genes were used as in vitro models to define the differential effects of various schedules of paclitaxel with gefitinib treatment on cell growth, signaling pathway, and cell cycle distribution. Sequence-dependent antiproliferative effects differed between EGFR-TKI-resistant and EGFR-TKI-sensitive lung cancer cell lines. Exposure to paclitaxel resulted in an increased pEGFR level. This increase in phosphorylation was inhibited by subsequent exposure to gefitinib, whereas during the reverse sequence, the inhibition effect was reduced. After paclitaxel exposure, a higher level of pEGFR was observed in mitotic than in interphase cells. The sequence of paclitaxel followed by gefitinib resulted in greater anti-VEGF activity than did the reverse sequence. We confirmed that gefitinib arrested cells in G1, and paclitaxel arrested them in S phase. The sequence of paclitaxel followed by gefitinib arrested cells in G1, whereas the reverse sequence arrested cells in S and G2 phases. These findings suggest that the sequence of paclitaxel followed by gefitinib may be superior to other sequences in treating NSCLC cell lines. Our results also provide molecular evidence to support clinical treatment strategies for patients with lung cancer.

Abscisic acid (ABA) and Jasmonic acid (JA) play an important role in inducing the stress-resistance of plants. In this study, parts of the needles on a ring of Pinus massoniana seedling shoots were subjected to 4 hours Dendrolimus punctatus feeding or 4 hours fumigation with 10 micromol x L(-1) of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) or terpenes, and the ABA and JA contents in treated needles, untreated neighboring sister needles, and untreated needles above and below the ring were determined by GC/MS. An obvious increase of ABA and JA contents was observed in all of the needles, whether they were treated or not, illustrating that ABA and JA were the vital signaling molecules in the wound signal transduction pathway, and participated in the formation of systematic resistance of P. massoniana seedlings.

BackgroundKinase insert domain-containing receptor (KDR) plays a critical role in the metastasis of cancer and is used as a molecular target in cancer therapy. We investigated the characteristics of the -271 G>A polymorphism of the KDR gene to gain information that may benefit the development of individualized therapies for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).MethodsThe -271 G>A polymorphism of the KDR gene in 106 lung cancer patients and 203 healthy control individuals was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA sequencing methods. Real-time quantitative PCR and immunohistochemical methods were used to evaluate KDR mRNA and protein expression levels, respectively, in frozen tumor specimens.ResultsThe -271 G>A polymorphism was associated with the mRNA expression level of the KDR gene in tumor tissues (t = 2.178, P = 0.032, independent samplest-test). Compared with the AG/GG genotype, the AA genotype was associated with higher KDR mRNA expression in tumor tissues. We found no relationship between the genotype and the KDR protein expression level and no significant difference in the distribution of the KDR gene polymorphism genotypes between lung cancer patients and the control group (χ2= 1.269, P = 0.264, Fisher's exact test).ConclusionThis study is the first to show that the -271 G>A polymorphism of the KDR gene may be a functional polymorphism related to the regulation of gene transcription. These findings may have important implications for therapies targeting KDR in patients with NSCLC.

e19139 Background: No randomized controlled trials compared first-line to second-line crizotinib in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring ALK rearrangements. We aim to investigate p...

8089 Background: The common driver genes in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) include EGFR, ALK and KRAS. We investigate the frequency of MET overexpression coexisting with oncogenic drivers and r...

e19003 Background: C-ros oncogene 1 receptor tyrosine kinase (ROS1) is a newly identified gene-rearranged oncogenic receptor tyrosine kinase and patients seem to benefit from crizotinib treatment. ...

Motor impairment after stroke is related to the integrity of the corticospinal tract (CST). However, considerable variability in motor impairment remains unexplained. To increase the accuracy in evaluating long-term motor function after ischemic stroke, we tested the hypothesis that combining diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and gray matter (GM) volumetry can better characterize long-term motor deficit than either method alone in patients with chronic stroke. We recruited 31 patients whose Medical Research Council strength grade was ≤ 3/5 in the extensor muscles of the affected upper extremity in the acute phase. We used the Upper Extremity Fugl-Meyer (UE-FM) assessment to evaluate motor impairment, and as the primary outcome variable. We computed the fractional anisotropy ratio of the entire CST (CSTratio) and the volume of interest ratio (VOIratio), between ipsilesional and contralesional hemispheres, to explain long-term motor impairment. The results showed that CSTratio, VOIratio of motor-related brain regions, and VOIratio in the temporal lobe were correlated with UE-FM. A multiple regression model including CSTratio and VOIratio of the caudate nucleus explained 40.7% of the variability in UE-FM. The adjusted R2 of the regression model with CSTratio as an independent variable was 29.4%, and that of using VOIratio of the caudate nucleus as an independent variable was 23.1%. These results suggest that combining DTI and GM volumetry may achieve better explanation of long-term motor deficit in stroke patients, than using either measure individually. This finding may provide guidance in determining optimal neurorehabilitative interventions.

In the present paper, the fluorescence spectral behavior of gallium with trimethoxyphenylflurone (TM-PF) in microemulsion was studied. In the buffer medium of HAc-NaAc at pH 4.95, the fluorescence intensity is in proportion to the concentration of gallium (III) in the range of 0-0.045 microg x mL(-1). The CTMAB microemulsion was efficiently used to enhance the sensibility and stability of the system, and the limits of detection were 1.2 ng x mL(-1). The coexistent metal ions can be separated and gallium can be enriched by the extraction of butyl acetate, greatly improving the selectivity and sensibility of the system. The method possesses high sensitivity as well as high selectivity. It can be used to determine trace amount of gallium in ore samples successfully.

Graphene-like nanomaterials such as monolayer MoS2 have attracted considerable attention recently. In this article, we propose a nano-optomechanical system based on a suspended monolayer MoS2. The coherent linear and nonlinear optical properties of this system have been investigated theoretically. A scheme for measuring the coupling strength of exciton–nanoresonator and the frequency of the nanoresonator is also demonstrated by the optical pump-probe method. Based on the coherent optical spectrum, we further propose a nonlinear optical scheme to determine the mass of the biomolecules (such as single influenza virus and HIV virus). This scheme proposed here may have potential applications in quantum sensing and all-optical MoS2-based devices.

e19149 Background: The identification of genetic mutational profiles is significant in personalized management of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Previous techniques are limited to analyzing on...

8085 Background: The administration of nab-paxlitaxel/carboplatin (nab-PC) as first-line therapy in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer was efficacious and resulted in a significantly...

e19010 Background: Concomitant epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangements define a rare molecular subtype of non-small-cell lung cancer (N...

e19047 Background: MET amplification is recognized as one of common molecular mechanisms of acquired resistance (AR) to epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR TKIs) in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aim of the present study is to investigate the frequency of MET overexpression, the correlated clinicopathologic features and the possible treatments in NSCLC with AR. Methods: Advanced NSCLC patients with AR to EGFR TKIs were detected for MET overexpression by immunohistochemistry (IHC). ≥50% tumor cells with moderate to high intensity staining were defined as MET positive. MET positive patients were recommended to participate a clinical trial if eligible or receive other molecularly targeted therapies. The statuses of EGFR, ALK, KRAS and ROS1 were also tested. Results: From January 2013 to January 2014, 58 advanced NSCLC patients with AR to gefitinib or erlotinib were enrolled prospectively. The frequencies of MET overexpression was 32.8% (19/58), MET overexpressi...

Nanomechanical resonator makes itself as an ideal system for ultrasensitive mass sensing due to its ultralow mass and high vibrational frequency. The mass sensing principle is due to the linear relationship of the frequency-shift and mass-variation. In this work, we will propose a nonlinear optical mass sensor based on a doubly clamped suspended carbon nanotube resonator in all-optical domain. The masses of external particles (such as nitric oxide molecules) landing onto the surface of carbon nanotube can be determined directly and accurately via using the nonlinear optical spectroscopy. This mass sensing proposed here may provide a nonlinear optical measurement technique in quantum measurements and environmental science.

4741 Background: An herbal combination PC-SPES was available in US for prostate cancer treatment and withdrawn in 2002 due to contamination. In China, the number of Prostate cancer recurrence after surgical castration has increased recently. There is an urgent need to find an effective therapy for these patients. We therefore investigated the effect of the seven Chinese herbal extract in PC- SPES on androgen insensitive prostate cancer (AIPC) cell lines and in nude mice inoculated with the cancer cells. Methods: LC-MS was used to detect any synthetic drug contamination. Flow cytometry was used to measure cell cycle and apoptosis. Western blot was used to measure p16, p-RB, p21, Bax, Bad, bcl-2 and Bcl-X, Caspase and PARP protein expressions. IL-6 was detected by the method of ELISA. Each group of 40 nude mice was inoculated with PC-3 and DU-145 separately. Oral administration of the herbal extract continued for 8 weeks. After sacrifice, various tissues were examined for pathological toxicity and the tumor...