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Abstract: In this paper, a novel configuration of LCD projectors for efficiently polarized stereoscopic projection with improved light efficiency is presented. In the proposed scheme, polarization orientations of the analyzers in the LCD engine of one projector are rotated by 90° with respect to those of the other one, so it causes to rotate orientations of polarized outputs by 90° as well as to change operational modes of LCD panels from the normally black mode to the normally white mode or vice versa. Then, by exchanging the green color components between the modified and original LCD projectors, two orthogonally polarized views for stereoscopic projection could be obtained without use of external polarizers. Analysis on the operational mode conversions of the LCD engines with rotation of the analyzers is discussed and its experimental results are provided. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The present study (KGOG 3030) aimed to evaluate the safety of modulated electro-hyperthermia (mEHT) therapy with weekly administration of paclitaxel or cisplatin in female patients with recurrent or persistent epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal carcinoma. A total of 12 patients were randomized into the paclitaxel or cisplatin arm at a 1:1 ratio. Patients received weekly administration of paclitaxel (70 mg/m2) or cisplatin (40 mg/m2) intravenously on days 1, 8 and 15, and underwent mEHT therapy for 1 h on days 1, 4, 8, 11, 15, 18, 21 and 24 for each 4-week cycle. The primary endpoint was the occurrence of dose-limiting toxicity (DLT). The secondary endpoints were treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs), objective response rate, carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125) response rate, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). In total, 16 patients were recruited, but four patients dropped out. None of the 12 remaining patients (6 each in the two arms) experienced DLT. Overall, 0 and 4 grade 3 TEAEs (anemia, nausea, neutrophil count decreased and platelet count decreased) occurred in the paclitaxel and cisplatin arm, respectively. Furthermore, one confirmed partial response and two CA125 responses were observed in the cisplatin arm. The median PFS time in the paclitaxel and cisplatin arms was 3.0 months (range, 1.7-4.6 months) and 6.8 months (range, 3.9-11.8 months), respectively, while the median OS time was 11.5 months (range, 8.4-28.8+ months) and not reached (range, 3.9-38.5+ months), respectively. In conclusion, mEHT therapy with weekly paclitaxel or cisplatin appeared safe and warrants further investigation. The present trial was registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov on January 22, 2015 (trial registration no. NCT02344095). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inhibitory potential of sulforaphane against cancer has been suggested for different types of cancer, including ovarian cancer. We examined whether this effect is mediated by mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and reactive oxygen species (ROS), important signaling molecules related to cell survival and proliferation, in ovarian cancer cells. Sulforaphane at a concentration of 10 μM effectively inhibited the growth of cancer cells. Use of specific inhibitors revealed that activation of MAPK pathways by sulforaphane is unlikely to mediate sulforaphane-induced growth inhibition. Sulforaphane did not generate significant levels of intracellular ROS. Pretreatment with thiol reducers, but not ROS scavengers, prevented sulforaphane-induced growth inhibition. Furthermore, diamide, a thiol-oxidizing agent, enhanced both growth inhibition and cell death induced by sulforaphane, suggesting that the effect of sulforaphane on cell growth may be related to oxidation of protein thiols or change in cellular redox status. Our data indicate that supplementation with thiol-reducing agents should be avoided when sulforaphane is used to treat cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Recent studies have indicated that a certain level of autoantibodies may be essential for maintaining good health as well as preventing cancer development, and that the levels of serum autoantibodies can decline during malignant progression. The aim of the present study was to identify such an autoantibody-based biomarker for screening cervical lesions. An autoantigen reactive with healthy female sera was detected in the cytosolic fraction of HeLa cells, a cervical cancer cell line, and identified. Serum immunoglobulin (Ig)-G and IgM levels against the purified autoantigen in normal, cervical intraepithelial neoplasias (CINs) I, II and III, and cervical cancer were compared using ELISAs. The autoantigen in HeLa cells was identified to be GAPDH. The serum levels of anti-HeLa-GAPDH IgG decreased with increasing severity of cervical lesions, and similar decreases in IgM levels were revealed. Notably, the anti-HeLa-GAPDH IgG level was discovered to discriminate cervical cancer from normal samples with 80.0% sensitivity and 96.6% specificity. The serum anti-HeLa-GAPDH autoantibody level, as a single parameter, is a promising serum biomarker for screening cervical lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A color-tunable novel-look-up-table (CT-NLUT) for fast one-step calculation of full-color computer-generated holograms is proposed. The proposed method is composed of four principal fringe patterns (PFPs) such as a baseline, a depth-compensating and two color-compensating PFPs. CGH patterns for one color are calculated by combined use of baseline-PFP and depth-compensating-PFP and from them, those for two other colors are generated by being multiplied by the corresponding color-compensating-PFPs. color-compensating-PFPs compensate for differences in the wavelength between two colors based on their unique achromatic thin-lens properties, enabling transformation of one-color CGH pattern into those for other colors. This color-conversion property of the proposed method enables simultaneous generation of full color-CGH patterns, resulting in a significant reduction of the full color-CGH calculation time. Experimental results with test scenario show that the full color-CGH calculation time of the proposed CT-NLUT has been reduced by 45.10%, compared to the conventional NLUT. It has been further reduced by 96.01% when a data compression algorithm, called temporal redundancy-based NLUT, was used together, which means 25-fold reduction of its full color-CGH calculation time. Successful computational and optical reconstructions of full color-CGH patterns confirm the feasibility of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Resistance to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in patients with colorectal cancer prevents effective treatment and leads to unnecessary and burdensome chemotherapy. Therefore, prediction of 5-FU resistance is imperative.Methods: To identify the proteins linked to 5-FU resistance, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis-based proteomics was performed using the human colon cancer cell line SNU-C4R with induced 5-FU resistance. Proteins showing altered expression in SNU-C4R were identified by matrix-associated laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight analysis, and their roles in susceptibility to 5-FU or radiation were evaluated in various cell lines by transfection of specific siRNA or creation of overexpression constructs. Changes in cellular signaling and expression of mitochondrial apoptotic factors were investigated by Western Blot analysis. A mitochondrial membrane potential probe (JC-1 dye) and a flow cytometry system were employed to determine the mitochondrial membrane potential. Finally, protein levels were determined by Western Blot analysis in tissues from 122 patients with rectal cancer to clarify whether each identified protein is a useful predictor of a chemoradiation response.Results: We identified mitochondrial phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (mPEPCK) as a candidate predictor of 5-FU resistance. PEPCK was downregulated in SNU-C4R compared with its parent cell line SNU-C4. Overexpression of mPEPCK did not significantly alter the susceptibility to either 5-FU or radiation. Suppression of mPEPCK led to a decrease in both the cellular level of phosphoenolpyruvate and the susceptibility to 5-FU and radiation. Furthermore, the cellular levels of phosphoenolpyruvate (an end product of PEPCK and a substrate of pyruvate kinase), phosphorylated AKT, and phosphorylated 4EBP1 were decreased significantly secondary to the mPEPCK suppression in SNU-C4. However, mPEPCK siRNA transfection induced changes in neither the mitochondrial membrane potential nor the expression levels of mitochondrial apoptotic factors such as Bax, Bcl-2, and Bad. Downregulation of total PEPCK was observed in tissues from patients with rectal cancer who displayed poor responses to preoperative 5-FU-based radiation therapy.Conclusion: Our overall results demonstrate that mPEPCK is a useful predictor of a response to chemoradiotherapy in patients with rectal cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a new approach for accelerated computation of hologram patterns of a three-dimensional (3-D) image by taking into account of its interline redundant data. Interline redundant data of a 3-D image are extracted with the differential pulse code modulation (DPCM) algorithm, and then the CGH patterns for these compressed line images are generated with the novel lookup table (N-LUT) technique. To confirm the feasibility of the proposed method, experiments with four kinds of 3-D test objects are carried out, and the results are comparatively discussed with the conventional methods in terms of the number of object points and the computation time. Experimental results show that the number of calculated object points and the computation time for one object point have been reduced by 73.3 and 83.9%, on the average, for four test 3-D images in the proposed method employing a top-down scanning method, compared to the conventional method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A highly performance-enhanced three-dimensional (3D) object recognition system has been implemented using a computational integral imaging technique with depth of picked-up elemental images. For this, depth data of the picked-up elemental images are extracted, and elemental images are classified into a number of groups depending on these depth values. Then, each group of depth-dependently classified elemental images is separately used for reconstructing the object image on each corresponding depth plane. By this method, defocused images resulting from the objects located on other depth planes, which unavoidably occur in the conventional computational integral imaging reconstruction (CIIR) method, can be effectively removed. That is, in the proposed method, only the clearly focused object images can be reconstructed where the objects were originally located. Thus, a significant performance improvement of the CIIR-based 3D object recognition system is obtained. Experimental results confirm the feasibility of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnopharmacological relevance Phyllanthus acidus (L.) Skeels (Phyllanthaceae) has traditionally been used to treat gastric trouble, rheumatism, bronchitis, asthma, respiratory disorders, and hepatitis. Despite this widespread use, the pharmacological activities of this plant and their molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. Therefore, we evaluated the immunopharmacological activities of the methanolic extract of the aerial parts of this plant (Pa-ME) and validated its pharmacological targets. Materials and methods Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated macrophages, an HCl/EtOH-induced gastritis model, and an acetic acid-injected capillary permeability mouse model were employed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity of Pa-ME. Potentially active anti-inflammatory components of this extract were identified by HPLC. The molecular mechanisms of the anti-inflammatory activity were studied by kinase assays, reporter gene assays, immunoprecipitation analysis, and overexpression of target enzymes. Results Pa-ME suppressed the production of nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 ) and prevented morphological changes in LPS-treated RAW264.7 cells. Moreover, both HCl/EtOH-induced gastric damage and acetic acid-triggered vascular permeability were restored by orally administered Pa-ME. Furthermore, this extract downregulated the expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and reduced the nuclear levels of NF-κB. Signalling events upstream of NF-κB translocation, such as phosphorylation of Src and Syk and formation of Src/Syk signalling complexes, were also inhibited by Pa-ME. The enzymatic activities of Src and Syk were also suppressed by Pa-ME. Moreover, Src-induced and Syk-induced luciferase activity and p85/Akt phosphorylation were also inhibited by Pa-ME. Of the identified flavonoids, kaempferol and quercetin were revealed as partially active anti-inflammatory components in Pa-ME. Conclusion Pa-ME exerts anti-inflammatory activity in vitro and in vivo by suppressing Src, Syk, and their downstream transcription factor, NF-κB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objectives: We aimed to develop a risk model to predict a risk of suboptimal cytoreduction in primary surgery of ovarian cancer. Methods: The clinical records and computed tomography (CT) data of 358 patients with stages II–IV epithelial ovarian cancer were reviewed. Tumor spread patterns identified by principal component analysis, CA-125, and a newly developed surgical skill index were integrated into a logistic model along with other variables. Internal validation was performed using bootstrapped re-sampling and calibration was assessed by goodness-of-fit test. Results: Among the 358 patients, optimal cytoreduction, which was defined as no residual tumor, was achieved in 145 patients (40.5%). The surgical capacity of an individual institution was estimated by a surgical skill index, which was the frequency of complex surgeries in patients with advanced disease. In a multivariate model, two distinctive CT patterns of tumor spread (diffuse spread pattern and upper abdominal extension pattern), a surgical skill index, and serum CA-125 independently predicted a risk of suboptimal cytoreduction (P=0.006, P=0.013, P=0.031, and P=0.001, respectively). The model showed a C-statistic of .73 (95% confidence interval .67 to .79), which was significantly higher than tumor stage or ascites. Rigorous internal validation by bootstrapped re-sampling successfully confirmed the model. Conclusions: We identified two distinct tumor spread patterns of ovarian cancer, which can be integrated to improve a prediction model. Our model may be useful in patient referral or clinical trials for patient stratification. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Adenosine dialdehyde (AdOx) inhibits transmethylation by the accumulation of S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH), a negative feedback inhibitor of methylation, through the suppression of SAH hydrolase (SAHH). In this study, we aimed to determine the regulatory effect of AdOx on cancer invasion by using three different cell lines: MDA-MB-231, MCF-7, and U87. The invasive capacity of these cells in the presence (MCF-7) or absence (MDA-MB-231 and U87) of phorbal 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) was strongly decreased by AdOx treatment. Furthermore, the expression, secretion, and activation of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, a critical enzyme regulating cell invasion, in these cells were diminished by AdOx treatment. AdOx strongly suppressed AP-1-mediated luciferase activity and, in parallel, reduced the translocation of c-Fos and c-Jun into the nucleus. AdOx was shown to block a series of upstream AP-1 activation signaling complexes composed of extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK), mitogen-activated protein ERK kinase (MEK)1/2, Raf-1, and Ras, as assessed by measuring the levels of the phosphorylated and membrane-translocated forms. Furthermore, we found that suppression of SAHH by siRNA and 3-deazaadenosine, knock down of isoprenylcysteine carboxyl methyltransferase (ICMT), and treatment with SAH showed inhibitory patterns similar to those of AdOx. Therefore, our data suggest that AdOx is capable of targeting the methylation reaction regulated by SAHH and ICMT and subsequently downregulating MMP-9 expression and decreasing invasion of cancer cells through inhibition of the Ras/Raf-1/ERK/AP-1 pathway. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]