[en] A cathodoluminescence technique using a 200-keV transmission electron microscope revealed the dispersion patterns of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) in two-dimensional plasmonic crystals with cylindrical hole arrays. The dispersion curves of the SPP modes involving the Γ point were derived from the angle-resolved spectrum patterns. The contrast along the dispersion curves changed with the polarization direction of the emitted light due to the property of the SPP modes. The SPP modes at the Γ point were identified from the photon maps, which mimicked standing SPP waves in a real space.

[en] Photoexcitation effects on ferroelectricity were investigated in a hydrogen-bonded supramolecular cocrystal by using nonlinear femtosecond spectroscopy. Irradiation of a terahertz pulse that caused proton vibrations modulated the second harmonic (SH) signal in proportion to the applied electric field of the pulse and the magnitude of the change in the SH signal reached about 10%. By contrast, a mid-infrared pulse exciting the molecular vibration nonlinearly enhanced the SH intensity by about 15%. The proton dynamics were analyzed on the basis of the nonlinear equation of motion of the molecules. The calculated results indicate that the resultant dynamical repositioning of the protons caused the averaged increase in SH intensity. Thus, photoexcitations can be viewed as a novel technique for controlling the ferroelectric cocrystal at room temperature. (author)

[en] We study the infrared renormalon in the gluon condensate in the $SU(N)$ gauge theory with $n_W$-flavor adjoint Weyl fermions (QCD(adj.)) on ${\mathbb{R}}^3\times <!--\; ??\; -->S^1$ with the ${\mathbb{Z}}_N$ twisted boundary conditions. We rely on the so-called large-${\mathrm{\beta <!--\; ??\; -->}}_0$ approximation as a conventional tool to analyze the renormalon, in which only Feynman diagrams that dominate in the large-$n_W$ limit are considered, while the coefficient of the vacuum polarization is set by hand to the one-loop beta function ${\mathrm{\beta <!--\; ??\; -->}}_0=11/3-<!--\; ???\; -->2n_W/3$. In the large $N$ limit within the large-${\mathrm{\beta <!--\; ??\; -->}}_0$ approximation, the W-boson, which acquires the twisted Kaluza-Klein momentum, produces the renormalon ambiguity corresponding to the Borel singularity at $u=2$. This provides an example that the system in the compactified space ${\mathbb{R}}^3\times <!--\; ??\; -->S^1$ possesses the renormalon ambiguity identical to that in the uncompactified space ${\mathbb{R}}^4$. We also discuss the subtle issue that the location of the Borel singularity can change depending on the order of two necessary operations.

[en] Recent progress of ultrafast laser technologies has realized waveform-controlled intense mid-infrared sources. These new light sources are ideal for strong-field physics in condensed matter. We review such intense mid-infrared sources and their applications to ultrafast strong-field physics in solids, with an emphasize on a route to sub-cycle spectroscopy. (author)

[en] NUT midline carcinoma (NMC) is a rare and highly aggressive malignancy. Although more information on NMC has been recently accumulating in the literature, most oncologists and pathologists remain unfamiliar with the clinical and pathologic features of this disease. The clinical features of NMC sometimes mimic those of other malignancies, and NMC can therefore be overlooked if the diagnosis is not suspected. We present the case of a young male with NMC arising in the mediastinum with elevated serum alpha-fetoprotein levels suggestive of an extragonadal nonseminomatous germ-cell tumor. A 28-year-old Japanese male presented with cough and left-sided chest pain for 6 weeks. The patient had a mediastinal tumor with metastases to the right lung, lymph nodes, and bones at initial presentation. Nonseminomatous germ cell tumor was suspected due to the young age, location of the tumors, and elevated serum alpha-fetoprotein. However, biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of NMC with immunohistochemistry. The tumor briefly responded to cytotoxic chemotherapy but subsequently progressed and became refractory to the chemotherapy regimen. External beam radiotherapy was administered with dramatic shrinkage of the tumor and a metabolic response on 18-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ("1"8F-FDG PET/CT) scan. However, the patient died 4.5 months after the diagnosis of NMC. Serum levels of alpha-fetoprotein may be elevated in patients with NMC. Regardless of the level of tumor markers, immunohistochemistry for NUT should be performed in cases of poorly differentiated carcinomas without glandular differentiation arising in the midline structures. "1"8F-FDG PET/CT is useful for staging and assessing responses to therapy

[en] The TNFAIP3 gene, which encodes a ubiquitin-modifying enzyme (A20) involved in the negative regulation of NF-κB signaling, is frequently inactivated by gene deletions/mutations in a variety of B-cell malignancies. However, the detection of this in primary Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) specimens is hampered by the scarcity of Hodgkin Reed-Sternberg (HR-S) cells even after enrichment by micro-dissection. We used anti-CD30 immunofluorescence with fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) to evaluate the relative number of TNFAIP3/CEP6 double-positive signals in CD30-positive cells. From a total of 47 primary classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) specimens, 44 were evaluable. We found that the relative numbers of TNFAIP3/CD30 cells were distributed among three groups, corresponding to those having homozygous (11%), heterozygous (32%), and no (57%) deletions in TNFAIP3. This shows that TNFAIP3 deletions could be sensitively detected using our chosen methods. Comparing the results with mutation analysis, TNFAIP3 inactivation was shown to have escaped detection in many samples with homozygous deletions. This suggests that TNFAIP3 inactivation in primary cHL specimens might be more frequent than previously reported

[en] The aim of this study was to evaluate the initial treatment results and toxicities of radiation therapy for patients with early stage low-grade follicular lymphoma (FL) arising from the duodenum. We reviewed 21 consecutive patients with early stage duodenal FL treated with radiation therapy between January 2005 and December 2013 at the Cancer Institute Hospital, Tokyo. The characteristics of patients were: median age 62 years (range, 46–79 years), gender (male, 6; female, 15), clinical stage (I, 20; II_1_, 1), histological grade (I, 17; II, 4). All patients were treated with radiation therapy alone. The median radiation dose was 30.6 Gy (range, 30.6–39.6) in 17 fractions. The involved-site radiation therapy was delivered to the whole duodenum. The median follow-up time was 43.2 months (range 21.4–109.3). The 3-year overall survival (OS), relapse-free survival (RFS) and local control (LC) rates were 94.7%, 79.3% and 100%, respectively. There were four relapses documented outside the treated volumes: two in the gastrointestinal tract (jejunum, terminal ileum), one in an abdominal lymph node (mesenteric lymph node) and one in the bone marrow. None died of the disease; one death was due to acute myeloid leukemia. No toxicities greater than Grade 1 were observed during treatment and over the follow-up time. The 30.6 Gy of involved-site radiation therapy provided excellent local control with very low toxicities. Radiation therapy could be an effective and safe treatment option for patients with localized low grade FL arising from the duodenum

[en] The EML4–ALK (echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4 gene and the anaplastic lymphoma kinase gene) fusion oncogene represents a novel molecular target in a small subset of non–small–cell lung cancers (NSCLCs). The EML4–ALK fusion gene occurs generally in NSCLC without mutations in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and KRAS. We report that a case of EML4–ALK-positive NSCLC with EGFR mutation had a response of stable disease to both an EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) and ALK inhibitor. We described the first clinical report of a patient with EML4–ALK-positive NSCLC with EGFR mutation that had a response of stable disease to both single-agent EGFR-TKI and ALK inhibitor. EML4–ALK translocation may be associated with resistance to EGFR-TKI, and EGFR signaling may contribute to resistance to ALK inhibitor in EML4–ALK-positive NSCLC

[en] A subset of lung adenocarcinomas harboring an EML4-ALK fusion gene resulting in dominant oncogenic activity has emerged as a target for specific therapy. EML4-ALK fusion confers a characteristic histology and is detected more frequently in never or light smokers and younger patients. To gain insights into etiology and carcinogenic mechanisms we conducted analyses to compare allelotypes of 35 ALK fusion-positive and 95 -negative tumours using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays and especially designed software which enabled precise global genomic profiling. Overall aberration numbers (gains + losses) of chromosomal alterations were 8.42 and 9.56 in tumours with and without ALK fusion, respectively, the difference not being statistically significant, although patterns of gain and loss were distinct. Interestingly, among selected genomic regions, oncogene-related examples such as 1p34.3(MYCL1), 7q11.2(EGFR), 7p21.1, 8q24.21(MYC), 16p13.3, 17q12(ERBB2) and 17q25.1 showed significantly less gain. Also, changes in tumour suppressor gene-related regions, such as 9p21.3 (CDKN2A) 9p23-24.1 (PTPRD), 13q14.2 (RB1), were significantly fewer in tumours with ALK fusion. Global genomic comparison with SNP arrays showed tumours with ALK fusion to have fewer alterations in oncogenes and suppressor genes despite a similar overall aberration frequency, suggesting very strong oncogenic potency of ALK activation by gene fusion