Cancer of unknown primary.

FDG-PET has been proven to be very sensitive in detecting a large variety of carcinomas. The FDG accumulation in malignant tumors is quite stereotyped and often reflects the aggressiveness of the tumor. Therefore, FDG appears to be suitable to detect unknown primaries independent of the type of disease.

Size-dependent dynamics in excited states of gold clusters: from oscillatory motion to photoinduced melting.

Femtosecond time resolved photoelectron spectroscopy in combination with direct ab initio molecular dynamics "on the fly" based on density functional theory has been used to study the relaxation dynamics of optically excited states in small mass selected anionic gold clusters (Au(n) (-); n = 5-8). The nature of the dynamics strongly depends on the cluster size and structure. Oscillatory wavepacket motion (Au(5)(-)), a long lived excited state (Au(6)(-)), as well as photoinduced melting (Au(7)(-),Au(8)(-)) is observed in real time.

Extended field of view soft x-ray Fourier transform holography: toward imaging ultrafast evolution in a single shot.

Panoramic full-field imaging is demonstrated by applying spatial multiplexing to Fourier transform holography. Multiple object and reference waves extend the effective field of view for lensless imaging without compromising the spatial resolution. In this way, local regions of interest distributed throughout a sample can be simultaneously imaged with high spatial resolution.

Prophylactic cranial irradiation in operable stage IIIA non small-cell lung cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy: results from a German multicenter randomized trial.

Purpose: To investigate the role of prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) within a trimodality protocol (chemotherapy, chemoradiotherapy, surgery) for patients with operable stage IIIA non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Patients And Methods: After mediastinoscopic staging, patients with operable stage IIIA NSCLC were enrolled to a German multicenter trial and randomly assigned to receive either primary resection followed by adjuvant thoracic radiation therapy (50 to 60 Gy; arm A) or preoperative chemotherapy (cisplatin/etoposide [PE]; three cycles) followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy (PE plus 45 Gy; 1.5 Gy twice per day) and definitive surgery (arm B), respectively.

Photoinduced formation of N2 molecules in ammonium compounds.

Via fluorescence yield (FY) and resonant inelastic scattering spectroscopy in the soft X-ray range we find that soft X-rays induce formation of N2 molecules in solid NH4Cl and in related compounds. The nitrogen molecules form weak bonds in NH4Cl, so that a substantial fraction of the molecules remains in the sample. From measurements of the FY as a function of exposure and temperature, the rates for the photochemical processes are estimated.

Femtosecond modification of electron localization and transfer of angular momentum in nickel.

The rapidly increasing information density required of modern magnetic data storage devices raises the question of the fundamental limits in bit size and writing speed. At present, the magnetization reversal of a bit can occur as quickly as 200 ps (ref. 1).

[Significance of the ICD for the comparability of indicator sets].

Classifications and compliance with definitions and rules are necessary requirements for the construction of indicator sets. Many classification rules are included in the regulatory framework of the ICD and serve as a basis for the indicator sets of the federal states, the Federal Republic of Germany, WHO, the EU and OECD. Based on selected examples of population and mortality data, the authors of the following article analyse the compliance with and/or deviations from coding rules which make the comparability of indicator sets possible, sometimes however more difficult.

Nitric oxide and vascular remodeling: spotlight on the kidney.

Extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling with successive tissue fibrosis is a key feature of chronic cardiovascular diseases, including atherosclerosis and restenosis. The atherogenic changes underlying these pathologies result from chronification of an acute repair response towards injurious and inflammatory stimuli. Thereby functional tissue is replaced by excessive ECM deposition.

Sphingosylphosphorylcholine acts in an anti-inflammatory manner in renal mesangial cells by reducing interleukin-1beta-induced prostaglandin E2 formation.

Sphingosylphosphorylcholine (SPC) is a bioactive lipid that binds to G protein-coupled-receptors and activates various signaling cascades. Here, we show that in renal mesangial cells, SPC not only activates various protein kinase cascades but also activates Smad proteins, which are classical members of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGFbeta) signaling pathway. Consequently, SPC is able to mimic TGFbeta-mediated cell responses, such as an anti-inflammatory and a profibrotic response.

Direct contact versus solvent-shared ion pairs in NiCl2 electrolytes monitored by multiplet effects at Ni(II) L edge X-ray absorption.

We investigate the local electronic structure in aqueous NiCl2 electrolytes by Ni L edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy. The experimental findings are interpreted in conjunction with multiplet calculations of the electronic structure and the resulting spectral shape. In contrast to the situation in the solid, the electronic structure in the electrolyte reflects the absence of direct contact Ni-Cl ion pairs.

Protein kinase C alpha-dependent phosphorylation of the mRNA-stabilizing factor HuR: implications for posttranscriptional regulation of cyclooxygenase-2.

In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying the ATP analogue adenosine-5'-O-(3-thio)triphosphate-induced nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of the mRNA stabilizing factor HuR in human (h) mesangial cells (MC). Using synthetic protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitors and small interfering RNA approaches, we demonstrated that knockdown of PKC alpha efficiently blocked the ATP-dependent nuclear HuR export to the cytoplasm. The functional importance of PKC alpha in HuR shuttling is highlighted by the high cytosolic HuR content detected in hMC stably overexpressing PKC alpha compared with mock-transfected cells.

FTY720 suppresses interleukin-1beta-induced secretory phospholipase A2 expression in renal mesangial cells by a transcriptional mechanism.

Background And Purpose: FTY720 is a potent immunomodulatory prodrug that is converted to its active phosphorylated form by a sphingosine kinase. Here we have studied whether FTY720 mimicked the action of sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) and exerted an anti-inflammatory potential in renal mesangial cells.

Experimental Approach: Prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) was quantified by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent-assay.

Sample preserving deep interface characterization technique.

We propose a nondestructive technique based on atomic core-level shifts to characterize the interface quality of thin film nanomaterials. Our method uses the inherent sensitivity of the atomic core-level binding energies to their local surroundings in order to probe the layer-resolved binary alloy composition profiles at deeply embedded interfaces. From an analysis based upon high energy x-ray photoemission spectroscopy and density functional theory of a Ni/Cu fcc (100) model system, we demonstrate that this technique is a sensitive tool to characterize the sharpness of a buried interface.

Molecular mechanisms of cyclosporin A inhibition of the cytokine-induced matrix metalloproteinase-9 in glomerular mesangial cells.

The effects of the immunosuppressants cyclosporin A (CsA) and tacrolimus (FK506) on the IL-1beta-induced matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) were investigated. Impairment of the protease-antiprotease balance contributes to renal fibrosis, which is observed collectively under long-term treatment with either immunosuppressant. It is demonstrated that CsA, in contrast to FK506, reduced the IL-1beta-induced MMP-9 content in conditioned media of mesangial cells, which coincides with a reduction in the cytokine-induced MMP-9 mRNA level.

Induction chemotherapy, concurrent chemoradiation and surgery for Pancoast tumour.

The traditional treatment of Pancoast tumour with local approaches (surgery, radiotherapy or a combination of both) leads to a poor outcome due to the high rate of incomplete resection and the lack of systemic control. The aim of the present prospective feasibility study was to determine whether a trimodality approach improves local control and survival. Patients with stage IIB-IIIB Pancoast tumour received induction chemotherapy (three courses of split-dose cisplatin and etoposide or paclitaxel) followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy (a course of cisplatin/etoposide combined with 45 Gy hyperfractionated accelerated radiotherapy).

Chemoradiation paradigm for the treatment of lung cancer.

For the treatment of locoregional advanced stage III non-small-cell lung cancer, when chemotherapy is added sequentially to radiotherapy it acts systemically and is aimed at reducing distant metastases. Concurrent chemotherapy and radiation, however, is intended to enhance the locoregional efficacy of this modality. Combined effects of these modalities are based on their different toxicity profiles, leading to a reduced toxicity : efficacy ratio of the combination.

Molecular and electronic structure in NaCl electrolytes of varying concentration: identification of spectral fingerprints.

Near edge x-ray absorption spectra at the Na K edge in aqueous NaCl electrolytes are presented as a function of concentration. The spectra are modeled by electronic structure calculations. We find and identify the orbital origin of two spectral fingerprints with sensitivity to the Na+-H2O distance and the Na+-Cl- distance in the electrolyte.

Value of 18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography in non-small-cell lung cancer for prediction of pathologic response and times to relapse after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy.

Purpose: To determine the value of combined positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) during induction chemotherapy (CTx) followed by chemoradiotherapy (CTx/RTx) for non-small-cell lung cancer to predict histopathologic response in primary tumor and mediastinum and prognosis of the patient.

Experimental Design: Fifty consecutive patients with locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer received induction therapy and, if considered resectable, proceeded to surgery (37 of 50 patients). Patients had at least two repeated 18F-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG)-PET/CT scans either before treatment (t0) or after induction CTx (t1) or CTx/RTx (t2).

The immunomodulator FTY720 and its phosphorylated derivative activate the Smad signalling cascade and upregulate connective tissue growth factor and collagen type IV expression in renal mesangial cells.

1.--The immunomodulating agent FTY720 is a substrate for the sphingosine kinase and the phosphorylated form is able to bind to sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) receptors. In this study, we show that exposure of renal mesangial cells to phospho-FTY720 leads to a rapid and transient activation of several protein kinase cascades, including the mitogen- and stress-activated protein kinases.