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In this study, we evaluated the partial replacement of roughage with wood kraft pulp (KP) on rumen fermentation and productivity of dairy cows. Eighteen cows were divided into control and KP groups. The KP group started adaptation to KP 3 weeks before calving; after calving, they were fed a total mixed ration for 12 weeks, wherein 18% Timothy hay was replaced with KP. The dry matter intake, body weight, and milk yield and composition were similar in the control and KP groups. The average daily rumen pH was higher with KP feeding, and the average daily ruminal temperature remained lower at 16 days after calving (P < 0.05). The concentration of volatile fatty acids remained unaltered, the molar proportion of acetic acid decreased, and the molar proportion of propionic acid increased, indicating a low acetic acid:propionic acid ratio (P < 0.05). Lipopolysaccharide activity in the rumen fluid was higher in the KP group (P < 0.05); however, the rumen microbiota were unaffected. The digestibility of dry matter and neutral detergent fiber increased 12 weeks after calving, whereas excretion of urinary nitrogen decreased (P < 0.05). Partial replacement of roughage with KP did not suppress rumen fermentation and maintained postpartum productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although KCNJ11 mutation is the main cause of neonatal diabetes mellitus, reports of maturity-onset diabetes in the young (MODY) related to KCNJ11 are rare. Here, we report a case of KCNJ11-MODY in a 12-yrold Japanese female. Hyperglycemia was initially detected during a school urine screening program. Subsequent laboratory examinations revealed impaired insulin secretion; however, no islet autoantibodies were detected. Genetic testing of KCNJ11 revealed a novel heterozygous variant, c.153G>C, p.Glu51Asp. The patient's father had the same mutation and was diagnosed with diabetes at 46 yr of age. KCNJ11-MODY was suspected, and sulfonylurea administration resulted in adequate glycemic control in the patient. The American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics guidelines classify this variant as likely pathogenic, and the effectiveness of sulfonylureas supports its pathogenicity. The patient could be treated with 0.02-0.03 mg/kg/d of glibenclamide, as this mutation may be responsive to only a small amount of sulfonylurea. A detailed family history and sequencing of causative genes, including KCNJ11, may help diagnose diabetes in school-aged patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microscopic mechanism of the metal-insulator transition is studied by orbital-resolved 51V NMR spectroscopy in a prototype of the quasi-one-dimensional system V6O13. We uncover that the transition involves a site-selective d orbital order lifting twofold orbital degeneracy in one of the two VO6 chains. The other chain leaves paramagnetic moments on the singly occupied dxy orbital across the transition. The two chains respectively stabilize an orbital-assisted spin-Peierls state and an antiferromagnetic long-range order in the ground state. The site-selective Mott transition may be a source of the anomalous metal and the Mott-Peierls duality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on a member of the spin-disordered honeycomb lattice antiferromagnet in a quasi-one-dimensional cobaltate Ba3Co2O6(CO3)0.7. Resistivity exhibits as semimetallic along the face-sharing CoO6 chains. Magnetic susceptibility shows strongly anisotropic Ising-spin character with the easy axis along the chain due to significant spin-orbit coupling and a trigonal crystal field. Nevertheless, 135Ba NMR detects no indication of the long-range magnetic order down to 0.48 K. Marginally itinerant electrons possess large entropy and low-lying excitations with a Wilson ratio RW=116, which highlight interplays of charge, spin, and orbital in the disordered ground state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spin-state crossover beyond a conventional ligand-field theory has been a fundamental issue in condensed matter physics. Here, we report microscopic observations of spin states and low-energy dynamics through orbital-resolved NMR spectroscopy in the prototype compound LaCoO3. The 59Co NMR spectrum shows the preserved crystal symmetry across the crossover, inconsistent with d orbital ordering due to the Jahn-Teller distortion. The orbital degeneracy results in a pseudospin (J = 1) excited state with an orbital moment observed as 59Co hyperfine coupling tensors. We found that the population of the excited state evolves above the heart crossover temperature. The crossover involves critical spin-state fluctuations emerging under the magnetic field. These results suggest that the spin-state crossover can be mapped into a statistical problem, analogous to the supercritical liquid in liquid-gas transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predicting the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence before treatment is necessary for developing subsequent treatment policies. Several tumor markers found in blood, such as alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist-II (PIVKA-II), are presently used to determine the occurrence and recurrence of HCC and to predict patient prognosis. However, these markers are insufficient for these purposes as certain patients have HCC recurrence despite exhibiting negative AFP and PIVKA-II. The present study identified glypican-3 (GPC3), an embryonal carcinoma antigen that is expressed specifically in HCC and is secreted into blood. Although the N-terminal domain of GPC3 in sera may be a potential prognostic factor for HCC, its biological role remains unclear. By contrast, full-length GPC3 (FL-GPC3) is reported to serve important roles in cell differentiation, proliferation and signaling events that cause HCC. Given the biological roles of FL-GPC3 in HCC progression, the present study evaluated its potential as a predictive marker of HCC recurrence. In the present study, a novel measurement system was constructed to specifically measure plasma FL-GPC3. Subsequently, its ability to predict recurrence after radical surgery in 39 HCC patients was evaluated. The results revealed that preoperative FL-GPC3 levels in patients with recurrence were significantly higher than those in patients without recurrence, suggesting that FL-GPC3 could be a better predictive maker of risk of recurrence than AFP or PIVKA-II. Furthermore, it was determined that the combination of FL-GPC3, AFP and PIVKA-II could predict recurrence within one year of radical surgery with high sensitivity and specificity. Based on these results, the validation of FL-GPC3 as a predictive marker of HCC recurrence in a larger population is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of pressure on a quantum spin liquid are investigated in an organic Mott insulator κ-(ET)2Ag2(CN)3 with a spin-1/2 triangular lattice. The application of negative chemical pressure to κ-(ET)2Cu2(CN)3, which is a well-known sister Mott insulator, allows for extensive tuning of antiferromagnetic exchange coupling, with J/kB=175-310 K, under hydrostatic pressure. Based on C13 nuclear magnetic resonance measurements under pressure, we uncover universal scaling in the static and dynamic spin susceptibilities down to low temperatures ~0.1kBT/J. The persistent fluctuations and residual specific heat coefficient are consistent with the presence of gapless low-lying excitations. Our results thus demonstrate the fundamental finite-temperature properties of a quantum spin liquid in a wide parameter range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have made 53Cr NMR measurements on polycrystalline and single-crystalline film samples to study the local electronic state of a half-metallic ferromagnet CrO2 which has the rutile structure with one crystallographically equivalent Cr site. We observe two kinds of 53Cr NMR spectra in the ferromagnetic state of both the samples. An analysis on the hyperfine field shows the presence of two Cr sites with different orbital occupancies, suggesting that a local orbital order takes place with breaking the local symmetry in the rutile structure. This may be ascribed to the negative charge transfer between chromium and oxygen ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tranexamic acid (TXA) may reduce intraoperative blood loss, but it has not been investigated in pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). Methods: A pragmatic, multicentre, randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled trial was conducted. Adult patients undergoing planned PD for biliary, duodenal, or pancreatic diseases were randomly assigned to TXA or placebo groups. Patients in the TXA group were administered 1 g TXA before incision, followed by a maintenance infusion of 125 mg/h TXA. Patients in the placebo group were administered the same volume of saline as those in the placebo group. The primary outcome was blood loss during PD. The secondary outcomes included perioperative blood transfusions, operating time, morbidity, and mortality. Results: Between September 2019 and May 2021, 218 patients were randomly assigned and underwent surgery (108 in the TXA group and 110 in the placebo group). Mean intraoperative blood loss was 659 ml in the TXA group and 701 ml in the placebo group (mean difference -42 ml, 95 per cent c.i. -191 to 106). Of the 218 patients, 202 received the intervention and underwent PD, and the mean blood loss during PD was 667 ml in the TXA group and 744 ml in the placebo group (mean difference -77 ml, 95 per cent c.i. -226 to 72). The secondary outcomes were comparable between the two groups. Conclusion: Perioperative TXA use did not reduce blood loss during PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ST0452 protein is a bifunctional protein exhibiting sugar-1-phosphate nucleotidylyltransferase (sugar-1-P NTase) and amino-sugar-1-phosphate acetyltransferase activities and was isolated from the thermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus tokodaii. Based on the previous observation that five single mutations increased ST0452 sugar-1-P NTase activity, nine double-mutant ST0452 proteins were generated with the intent of obtaining enzymes exhibiting a further increase in catalysis, but all showed less than 15% of the wild-type N-acetyl-D-glucosamine-1-phosphate uridyltransferase (GlcNAc-1-P UTase) activity. The Y97A mutant exhibited the highest activity of the single-mutant proteins, and thus site saturation mutagenesis of the 97th position (Tyr) was conducted. Six mutants showed both increased GlcNAc-1-P UTase and glucose-1-phosphate uridyltransferase activities, eight mutants showed only enhanced GlcNAc-1-P UTase activity, and six exhibited higher GlcNAc-1-P UTase activity than that of the Y97A mutant. Kinetic analyses of three typical mutants indicated that the increase in sugar-1-P NTase activity was mainly due to an increase in the apparent kcat value. We hypothesized that changing the 97th position (Tyr) to a smaller amino acid with similar electronic properties would increase activity, and thus the Tyr at the corresponding 103rd position of the Escherichia coli GlmU (EcGlmU) enzyme was replaced with the same residues. The Y103N mutant EcGlmU showed increased GlcNAc-1-P UTase activity, revealing that the Tyr at the 97th position of the ST0452 protein (103rd position in EcGlmU) plays an important role in catalysis. The present results provide useful information regarding how to improve the activity of natural enzymes and how to generate powerful enzymes for the industrial production of sugar nucleotides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, double-multilayer monochromators that generate intense, high-energy, pink X-ray beams are designed, installed and evaluated at the SPring-8 medium-length (215 m) bending-magnet beamline BL20B2 for imaging applications. Two pairs of W/B4C multilayer mirrors are designed to utilize photon energies of 110 keV and 40 keV with bandwidths of 0.8% and 4.8%, respectively, which are more than 100 times larger when compared with the Si double-crystal monochromator (DCM) with a bandwidth of less than 0.01%. At an experimental hutch located 210 m away from the source, a large and uniform beam of size 14 mm (V) × 300 mm (H) [21 mm (V) × 300 mm (H)] was generated with a high flux density of 1.6 × 109 photons s-1 mm-2 (6.9 × 1010 photons s-1 mm-2) at 110 keV (40 keV), which marked a 300 (190) times increase in the photon flux when compared with a DCM with Si 511 (111) diffraction. The intense pink beams facilitate advanced X-ray imaging for large-sized objects such as fossils, rocks, organs and electronic devices with high speed and high spatial resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Type 4 gastric cancer (GC) has a very poor prognosis even after curative resection, and the survival benefit of splenectomy for splenic hilar lymph node (LN; #10) dissection in type 4 GC remains equivocal. This study aimed to clarify the clinical significance of splenectomy for #10 dissection in patients with type 4 GC. Materials and Methods: The data of a total of 56 patients with type 4 GC who underwent total gastrectomy with splenectomy were retrospectively analyzed. Postoperative morbidity, state of LN metastasis, survival outcomes, and therapeutic value index (TVI) of each LN station were evaluated. TVI was calculated by multiplying the incidence of LN metastasis at each nodal station and the 5-year overall survival (OS) of patients who had metastasis to each node. Results: Overall, the postoperative morbidity rate was 28.6%, and the incidence of #10 metastasis in the patients was 28.6%. The 5-year OS rate for all patients was 29.9%, and most patients developed peritoneal recurrence. Moreover, the 5-year OS rates with and without #10 metastasis were 6.7% and 39.1% (median survival time, 20.4 vs. 46.0 months; P=0.006). The TVI of #10 was as low as 1.92. Conclusions: The clinical significance of splenectomy in the dissection of #10 for type 4 GC is limited and splenectomy for splenic hilar dissection alone should be omitted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mesoporous and/or macroporous SnO2-based powders have been prepared and their gas-sensing properties as thick film sensors towards H2 and NO2 have been investigated. The mesopores and macropores of various SnO2-based powders were controlled by self-assembly of sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate and polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA) microspheres (ca. 800 nm in diameter), respectively. The introduction of mesopores and macropores into SnO2-based sensors increased their sensor resistance in air significantly. The additions of SiO2 and Sb2O5 into mesoporous and/or macroporous SnO2 were found to improve the sensing properties of the sensors. The addition of SiO2 into mesoporous and/or macroporous SnO2 was found to increase the sensor resistance in air, whereas doping of Sb2O5 into mesoporous and/or macroporous SnO2 was found to markedly reduce the sensor resistance in air, and to increase the response to 1,000 ppm H2 as well as 1 ppm NO2 in air. Among all the sensors tested, meso-macroporous SnO2 added with 1 wt% SiO2 and 5 wt% Sb2O5, which were prepared with the above two templates simultaneously, exhibited the largest H2 and NO2 responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report an antiferromagnetic (AF) ordering at ambient pressure and a superconducting transition under pressure for κ-(ET)2CF3SO3 [ET=bis(ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene], which has a two-dimensional electronic system with quasi-one-dimensional triangular spin lattice. At ambient pressure, AF ordering was detected at TN=2.5K by ¹H NMR, subsequent to two structural phase transitions at 230 and 190 K. Under hydrostatic pressures, metallic behavior appeared above ~1.1 GPa, and a superconducting transition (maximum onset Tc=4.8K at ~1.3 GPa) was observed up to 2.2 GPa. Superconductivity was also found under c-axis strain, which reduced t'/t, but was absent under b-axis strain which increased t'/t. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and study aims Anastomotic stricture is a late complication after biliary reconstructive surgery, but standard treatments are currently lacking. We selected patients who had undergone pancreaticoduodenectomy and Child's procedure, and aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of temporary placement of fully covered self-expandable metal stents (FCSEMSs) to treat postoperative anastomotic stricture. Patients and methods This study retrospectively analyzed 13 patients who underwent treatment with FCSEMSs for anastomotic stricture between June 2011 and March 2016. We evaluated technical and clinical success, complications, duration of patency after FCSEMS removal, and re-stenosis. Results All of the anastomotic strictures were improved by FCSEMS placement and luminal patency was maintained throughout the follow-up period, with no complications. After 2 months, the FCSEMSs were removed endoscopically in nine patients, and in four patients the stent had been expelled spontaneously per rectum. Median duration of follow-up was 225 days (range 30 - 935 days). No re-stenosis occurred in any of the 13 cases following stent removal. Conclusion Deployment of FCSEMSs for anastomotic stricture offers a safe and promising treatment that may replace percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage and deployment of multiple plastic stents as the first-line treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although adjuvant chemotherapy with gemcitabine is standard care for resected pancreatic cancer, S-1 has shown non-inferiority to gemcitabine for advanced disease. We aimed to investigate the non-inferiority of S-1 to gemcitabine as adjuvant chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer in terms of overall survival.Methods: We did a randomised, open-label, multicentre, non-inferiority phase 3 trial undertaken at 33 hospitals in Japan. Patients who had histologically proven invasive ductal carcinoma of the pancreas, pathologically documented stage I-III, and no local residual or microscopic residual tumour, and were aged 20 years or older were eligible. Patients with resected pancreatic cancer were randomly assigned (in a 1:1 ratio) to receive gemcitabine (1000 mg/m(2), intravenously administered on days 1, 8, and 15, every 4 weeks [one cycle], for up to six cycles) or S-1 (40 mg, 50 mg, or 60 mg according to body-surface area, orally administered twice a day for 28 days followed by a 14 day rest, every 6 weeks [one cycle], for up to four cycles) at the data centre by a modified minimisation method, balancing residual tumour status, nodal status, and institutions. The primary outcome was overall survival in the two treatment groups, assessed in the per-protocol population, excluding ineligible patients and those not receiving the allocated treatment. The protocol prespecified that the superiority of S-1 with respect to overall survival was also to be assessed in the per-protocol population by a log-rank test, if the non-inferiority of S-1 was verified. We estimated overall and relapse-free survival using the Kaplan-Meier methods, and assessed non-inferiority of S-1 to gemcitabine using the Cox proportional hazard model. The expected hazard ratio (HR) for mortality was 0.87 with a non-inferiority margin of 1.25 (power 80%; one-sided type I error 2.5%). This trial is registered at UMIN CTR (UMIN000000655).Findings: 385 patients were randomly assigned to treatment between April 11, 2007, and June 29, 2010 (193 to the gemcitabine group and 192 to the S-1 group). Of these, three were exlcuded because of ineligibility and five did not receive chemotherapy. The per-protocol population therefore consisted of 190 patients in the gemcitabine group and 187 patients in the S-1 group. On Sept 15, 2012, following the recommendation from the independent data and safety monitoring committee, this study was discontinued because the prespecified criteria for early discontinuation were met at the interim analysis for efficacy, when all the protocol treatments had been finished. Analysis with the follow-up data on Jan 15, 2016, showed HR of mortality was 0.57 (95% CI 0.44-0.72, pnon-inferiority<0.0001, p<0.0001 for superiority), associated with 5-year overall survival of 24.4% (18.6-30.8) in the gemcitabine group and 44.1% (36.9-51.1) in the S-1 group. Grade 3 or 4 leucopenia, neutropenia, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase were observed more frequently in the gemcitabine group, whereas stomatitis and diarrhoea were more frequently experienced in the S-1 group.Interpretation: Adjuvant chemotherapy with S-1 can be a new standard care for resected pancreatic cancer in Japanese patients. These results should be assessed in non-Asian patients.Funding: Pharma Valley Center, Shizuoka Industrial Foundation, Taiho Pharmaceutical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adsorption/combustion-type gas sensors employing mesoporous γ-alumina (mp-Al2O3) powders loaded with core(Au)/shell(Pd) nanoparticles, which were synthesized by sonochemical reduction, (n(Au/Pd)/mp-Al2O3, n: the amount of Au/Pd nanoparticles loaded, (0.1-1.0 wt%), Au:Pd = 1:4 in weight) have been fabricated and their sensing properties to ethanol, toluene and n-hexane have been investigated in air. The n(Au/Pd)/mp-Al2O3 sensors showed larger responses to these target gases at lower temperatures than those of sensors fabricated with mp-Al2O3 powders loaded with Au and Pd by general impregnation technique (n(Au-Pd)/mp-Al2O3 sensors, Au:Pd = 1:4 in weight), especially when the amount of Au and Pd loaded onto the mp-Al2O3 powders was reduced (≤0.5 wt%). These sensing properties seem to be largely dependent on the morphological and compositional characteristics of Au and Pd loaded on the γ-alumina surface. In addition, the n(Au/Pd)/mp-Al2O3 sensors showed much larger response to ethanol than those to toluene and n-hexane, probably because of the difference in the magnitude of polarity (dipole moment and dielectric constant) of their molecules. However, the sensors obviously detected even 10 ppm n-hexane with the extremely low dipole moment and dielectric constant. These results promise that the n(Au/Pd)/mp-Al2O3 sensors can detect the lower concentration of these gases as well as other VOCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ultrasonic measurement has been performed on the spin-liquid organic candidate κ-(BEDT-TTF)2Cu2(CN)3 at low temperatures. A softening anomaly was observed on the longitudinal velocity along a direction perpendicular to the organic planes with a consistent one on the attenuation. The velocity anomaly appears as a frequency dependent softening peak below 20 K with a maximum value found near 5-6 K. A magnetic field affects predominantly the peak only below a temperature Tp = 5.9 K that is associated with the 6 K transition found on other physical properties. We suggest to relate the frequency dependent velocity softening at low temperatures to a spinon-phonon coupling, softening that is reduced below 5.9 K due to a pairing instability transition of the spinons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and study aim: Malignancy in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs) is graded by assessing the resected specimens according to theWorld Health Organization (WHO) 2010 criteria. The feasibility of such grading using endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) specimens remains unclear. The aim of this study was to ascertain the optimal method of measuring the Ki-67 index in EUS-FNA specimens, using resected specimens as the criterion standard. Patients and methods: A total of 58 consecutive patients diagnosed with PNETs between March 1998 and May 2011 were included. The study measured intratumoral Ki-67 index heterogeneity, concordance rates of PNET grading by EUS- FNA with grade of the resected tumor, optimal method of measuring the Ki-67 index in EUS- FNA specimens, and survival analysis based on EUS-FNA specimen grading. Results: Intratumoral dispersion of Ki-67 index in resected specimens was 0.033 for Grade 1 and 0.782 for Grade 2 tumors (P<0.001). Concordance rates for WHO classification between EUS-FNA and resected specimens were 74.0% using the mean Ki-67 index in EUS-FNA specimens and 77.8% using the highest Ki-67 index. The concordance rate rose to 90% when EUS-FNA samples with less than 2000 tumor cells were excluded (26% of EUS-FNA cases). The Kaplan-Meier survival curves were significantly stratified by the EUS-FNA grading of PNETs with 5-year survival rates of 100%, 58.3 %, and 0%, for Grade 1, Grade 2, and neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC) tumors, respectively. Conclusions: Grading of PNETs by the highest Ki-67 index in EUS-FNA specimens with adequate cellularity has a high concordance with grading of resected specimens, and can predict long term patient survival with high accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the first 3D spin liquid state of isotropic organic spins. Structural analysis, and magnetic and heat-capacity measurements were carried out for a chiral organic radical salt, (TBA)1.5[(-)-NDI-Δ] (TBA denotes tetrabutylammonium and NDI denotes naphthalene diimide), in which (-)-NDI-Δ forms a K4 structure due to its triangular molecular structure and an intermolecular π-π overlap between the NDI moieties. This lattice was identical to the hyperkagome lattice of S=1/2 Mott dimers, and should exhibit 3D spin frustration. In fact, even though the high-temperature magnetic susceptibility followed the Curie-Weiss law with a negative Weiss constant of θ=-15 K, the low-temperature magnetic measurements revealed no long-range magnetic ordering down to 70 mK, and suggested the presence of a spin liquid state with a large residual paramagnetism χ0 of 8.5×10-6 emu g-1 at the absolute zero temperature. This was supported by the 14N NMR measurements down to 0.38 K. Further, the low-temperature heat capacities cp down to 68 mK clearly indicated the presence of cp for the spin liquid state, which can be fitted to the power law of T0.62 in the wide temperature range 0.07-4.5 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

7Li and 51V NMR measurements up to 9.8 GPa have been made to elucidate local magnetic properties of a heavy-fermion spinel oxide LiV2O4 which undergoes a metal-insulator transition above ~7 GPa. The temperature T and pressure P dependences of the 7Li and 51V Knight shifts and the nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rates 1/T1 show that in the metallic phase, there is a crossover from a high-T region with weak ferromagnetic fluctuations to a low-T one with antiferromagnetic (AFM) fluctuations. The AFM fluctuations are enhanced below 20 K and 1.5 GPa, where a heavy Fermi-liquid state with the modified Korringa relation is formed. The evolution of the magnetic fluctuations is discussed from the aspect of the competition among several magnetic interactions. Above PMI~6.7 GPa, we find the coexistence of metallic and insulating phases due to the first-order metal-insulator transition. The 7Li and 51V NMR spectra coming from the insulating phase have T-independent small Knight shifts and 7(1/T1) with the thermally activated T dependence, indicating the formation of a spin-singlet cluster. We propose a model of a spin-singlet tetramer as discussed in geometrically frustrated materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report detections of new exoplanets from a radial-velocity (RV) survey of metal-rich FGK stars by using three telescopes. By optimizing our RV analysis method to long time-baseline observations, we have succeeded in detecting five new Jovian planets around three metal-rich stars, HD 1605, HD 1666, and HD 67087, with masses of , , and , respectively. A K1 subgiant star, HD 1605 hosts two planetary companions with minimum masses of and in circular orbits with the planets’ periods and 2111 days, respectively. HD 1605 shows a significant linear trend in RVs. Such a system consisting of Jovian planets in circular orbits has rarely been found and thus HD 1605 should be an important example of a multi-planetary system that is likely unperturbed by planet–planet interactions. HD 1666 is an F7 main-sequence star that hosts an eccentric and massive planet of in an orbit with AU and eccentricity . Such an eccentric and massive planet can be explained as a result of planet–planet interactions among Jovian planets. While we have found large residuals of , the periodogram analysis does not support any additional periodicities. Finally, HD 67087 hosts two planets of and in orbits with and 2374 days, and and 0.76, respectively. Although the current RVs do not lead to accurate determinations of its orbit and mass, HD 67087 c can be one of the most eccentric planets ever discovered in multiple systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) most commonly arises from chronic inflammation due to viral infection, as a result of genetic and epigenetic abnormalities. A global picture of epigenetic changes in HCC is lacking. We used methylated CpG island amplification microarrays (MCAMs) to study 6458 CpG islands in HCC and adjacent preneoplastic tissues [chronic hepatitis (CH) or liver cirrhosis (LC)] in comparison with normal liver tissues where neither viral infection nor hepatitis has existed. MCAM identified 719 (11%) prominent genes of hypermethylation in HCCs. HCCs arising from LC had significantly more methylation than those arising from CH (1249 genes or 19% versus 444 genes or 7%, P < 0.05). There were four patterns of aberrant methylation: Type I (4%, e.g. matrix metalloproteinase 14) shows a substantially high methylation level in adjacent tissue and does not increase further in cancer. Type II (55%, e.g. RASSF1A) shows progressively increasing methylation from adjacent tissue to HCC. Type III (4%, e.g. GNA14) shows decreased methylation in adjacent tissue but either similar or increased methylation in HCC. Type IV (37%, e.g. CDKN2A) shows low levels of methylation in normal tissue and adjacent tissue but high levels in HCC. These DNA methylation changes were confirmed by quantitative pyrosequencing methylation analysis in representative 24 genes and were analyzed for correlation with clinicopathological parameters in 38 patients. Intriguingly, methylation in the Type IV genes is characteristic of moderately/poorly differentiated cancer. Our global epigenome analysis reveals distinct patterns of methylation that are probably to represent different pathophysiologic processes in HCCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]