Phase I neoadjuvant study of intravesical recombinant fowlpox-GM-CSF (rF-GM-CSF) or fowlpox-TRICOM (rF-TRICOM) in patients with bladder carcinoma.

Intravesical BCG is a highly effective treatment for high-grade nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer and carcinoma in situ (CIS); however, for patients who are either resistant or become unresponsive to BCG therapy there is a need for alternative treatment approaches. This study examined the safety and feasibility of intravesically administered recombinant fowlpox virus encoding GM-CSF (Arm A) or TRICOM (Arm B); and the local and systemic immunologic responses generated to the vector(s). Twenty bladder cancer patients scheduled for cystectomy as their standard of care received preoperatively four weekly doses of intravesical recombinant fowlpox.

Photonic Counterparts of Cooper Pairs.

The microscopic theory of superconductivity raised the disruptive idea that electrons couple through the elusive exchange of virtual phonons, overcoming the strong Coulomb repulsion to form Cooper pairs. Light is also known to interact with atomic vibrations, as, for example, in the Raman effect. We show that photon pairs exchange virtual vibrations in transparent media, leading to an effective photon-photon interaction identical to that for electrons in the BCS theory of superconductivity, in spite of the fact that photons are bosons.

Laguerre-Gauss beam generation in IR and UV by subwavelength surface-relief gratings.

The angular momentum of light can be described by the states of spin angular momentum, associated with polarization, and orbital angular momentum, related to the helical structure of the wave front. Laguerre-Gaussian beams carry orbital angular momentum and their generation can be done by using an optical device known as q-plate. However, due to the usage of liquid crystals, these components may be restricted to operate in specific wavelengths and low power sources.

Mode analysis of higher-order transverse-mode correlation beams in a turbulent atmosphere.

Due to the transfer of the angular spectrum of the pump beam to the two-photon state in spontaneous parametric downconversion, the generated twin photons are entangled in their spatial degrees of freedom. This spatial entanglement can be observed through correlation measurements in any set of modes in which one may choose to perform measurements. Choosing, e.

Non-oncogenic Acute Viral Infections Disrupt Anti-cancer Responses and Lead to Accelerated Cancer-Specific Host Death.

In light of increased cancer prevalence and cancer-specific deaths in patients with infections, we investigated whether infections alter anti-tumor immune responses. We report that acute influenza infection of the lung promotes distal melanoma growth in the dermis and leads to accelerated cancer-specific host death. Furthermore, we show that during influenza infection, anti-melanoma CD8 T cells are shunted from the tumor to the infection site, where they express high levels of the inhibitory receptor programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1).