Neoadjuvant Treatment with Preoperative Radiotherapy for Extremity Soft Tissue Sarcomas: Long-Term Results from a Single Institution in Turkey

Dincbas, Fazilet Oner,Oksuz, Didem Colpan,Yetmen, Ozlem,Hiz, Murat,Dervisoglu, Sergulen,Turna, Hande,Kantarci, Fatih,Mandel, Nil Molinas,Koca, Sedat Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.4

Background: To assess the long term clinical outcome of preoperative radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy followed by limb sparing surgery in patients with non-metastatic soft tissue sarcomas (STS) of the extremities. Materials and Methods: Sixty patients with locally advanced STS were retrospectively analyzed. The median tumor diameter was 12 cm. All patients were treated with preoperative radiotherapy delivered with two different fractionation schedules (35Gy/10fr or 46-50Gy/23-25fr). Neoadjuvant chemotherapy was added to 44 patients with large and/or high grade tumors. Surgery was performed 2-6 weeks after radiotherapy. Chemotherapy was completed up to 6 courses after surgery in patients who had good responses. Results: Median follow-up time was 67 months (8-268 months). All of the patients had limb sparing surgery. The 5-year local control (LC), disease free (DFS) and overall survival (OSS) rates for all of the patients were 81%, 48.1% and 68.3% respectively. 5-year LC, DFS and cause specific survival (CSS) were 81.7%, 47%, 69.8%, and 80%, 60%, 60% in the chemoradiotherapy and radiotherapy groups, respectively. On univariate analysis, patients who were treated with hypofractionation experienced significantly superior LC, DFS and CSS rates with similar rates of late toxicity when compared with patients who were treated with conventional fractionation and statistical significance was retained on multivariate analysis. Conclusions: Treatment results are consistent with the literature. As neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy provides effective LC and CSS with acceptable morbidity, it should be preferred for patients with large and borderline resectable STS.

Long-Term Treatment Results in Soft Tissue Sarcomas of the Thoracic Wall Treated with Pre-or-Postoperative Radiotherapy - a Single Institution Experience

Oksuz, Didem Colpan,Ozdemir, Sevim,Kaydihan, Nuri,Dervisoglu, Sergulen,Hiz, Murat,Tuzun, Hasan,Mandel, Nil Molinas,Koca, Sedat,Dincbas, Fazilet Oner Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.22

Objective: To evaluate the long term results among patients with soft tissue sarcoma of the thoracic wall. Materials and Methods: Twenty-six patients who were treated with pre-or postoperative radiotherapy between December 1980-December 2007, with a diagnosis of soft tissue sarcoma of the thoracic wall were retrospectively evaluated. Results: The median age was 44 years (14-85 years) and 15 of them were male. A total of 50% of patients were grade 3. The most common histologic type of tumor was undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (26.9%). Tumor size varied between 2-25 cm (median 6.5 cm). Seventeen of the cases had marginal and 9 had wide local resection. Four cases received preoperative radiotherapy and 22 postoperative radiotherapy. Six of the patients with large and high grade tumors received chemotherapy. Median follow-up time was 82 months (9-309 months). Local recurrence and metastasis was detected in 34.6% and 42.3% of patients, respectively. Five-year local control (LC), disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS), and disease-specific survival (DSS) were 62%, 38%, 69%, and 76% respectively. On univariate analysis, the patients with positive surgical margins had a markedly lower 5-year LC rate than patients with negative surgical margin, but the difference was not significant (43% vs 78%, p=0.1). Five-year DFS (66% vs 17%) and DSS (92% vs 60%) rates were significantly worse for the patients who had high grade tumors (p=0.01, p=0.008 respectively). Conclusions: Tumor grade and surgical margin are essential parameters for determining the prognosis of thoracic wall soft tissue sarcoma both in our series and the literature.

Predictive and Prognostic Significance of p27, Akt, PTEN and PI3K Expression in HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer

Okutur, Kerem,Bassulu, Nuray,Dalar, Levent,Aydin, Kubra,Bozkurt, Mustafa,Pilanci, Kezban Nur,Dogusoy, Gulen Bulbul,Tecimer, Coskun,Mandel, Nil Molinas,Demir, Gokhan Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.7

Background: The phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase/Akt (PI3K/Akt) pathway is a key regulator for HER2-overexpressing breast cancer, but data about whether activation of PI3K/Akt is associated with poor prognosis and resistance to trastuzumab therapy is controversial. In this study we investigated predictive and prognostic significance of expression of p27, Akt, PTEN and PI3K, which are components of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC), retrospectively. Materials and Methods: Fifty-four HER2-positive MBC patients who had received first-line trastuzumab-based therapy were recruited for the study group. All of the patient's breast tissue samples were examined for p27 and Akt expression. In addition, twenty-five patients with sufficient amount of tumor tissue were also examined for PTEN and PI3K expression. p27, Akt, PTEN and PI3K were evaluated by immunohistochemistry and their relationship with patient demographic features, tumor characteristics, response to trastuzumab-based treatment and survival outcomes were analyzed. Results: p27, Akt, PTEN and PI3K were positive in 25.9%, 70.4%, 24% and 96% of the cases, respectively. Nomne were significantly associated with response to trastuzumab and time to progression (TTP). A trend toward statistical significance for longer overall survival (OS) was found for PTEN-positive patients (p=0.058); there was no significant relationship between the other immunohistochemical variables and OS. When we analyzed groups regarding co-expression, the PTEN-negative/Akt-negative group had a significantly lower objective response rate (ORR) (20% vs 80%, p=0.023) and the PTEN-negative/p27-negative and PTEN-negative/Akt-negative groups had significantly lower median OS compared to other patients (26.4 months vs 76.1 months, p=0.005 and 25.6 months vs 52.0 months, p=0.007, respectively). Conclusions: p27, Akt, PTEN and PI3K expression is not statistically significantly associated with ORR, TTP and OS, individually. However, the combined evaluation of p27, Akt and PTEN could be helpful to predict the response to trastuzumab-based therapy and prognosis in HER2-positive MBC.

Closing of the Central American Gateway and its effects on the distribution of late Pliocene radiolarians in the eastern tropical Pacific

( Molina Cruz Adolfo ) 한국고생물학회 1997 Abstract volume Vol.- No.-

Modeling and Control of Integrated STATCOM-SMES System to Improve Power System Oscillations Damping

Molina, Marcelo G.,Mercado, Pedro E. The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers 2008 Journal of Electrical Engineering & Technology Vol.3 No.4

Primary frequency control(PFC) has the ability to regulate short period random variations of frequency during normal operation conditions and also to respond rapidly to emergencies. However, during the past decade, numerous significant sized blackouts occurred worldwide that resulted in serious economic losses. Therefore, the conclusion has been reached that the ability of the current PFC to meet an emergency is poor, and security of power systems should be improved. An alternative to enhance the PFC and thus security is to store excessive amounts of energy during off-peak load periods in efficient energy storage systems for substituting the primary control reserve. In this sense, superconducting magnetic energy storage(SMES) in combination with a static synchronous compensator(STATCOM) is capable of supplying power systems with both active and reactive powers simultaneously and very rapidly, and thus is able to enhance the security dramatically. In this paper, a new concept of PFC based on incorporating a STATCOM-SMES is presented. A complete detailed model is proposed and a new control scheme is designed, comprising an enhanced frequency control scheme, and a fully decoupled current control strategy in d-q coordinates with a novel controller to prevent dc bus capacitors voltage drift/imbalance. The performance of the proposed control schemes is validated through digital simulation carried out using MATLAB/Simulink.

Enrichment of single neurons and defined brain regions from human brain tissue samples for subsequent proteome analysis.

Molina, Mariana,Steinbach, Simone,Park, Young Mok,Yun, Su Yeong,Di Lorenzo Alho, Ana Tereza,Heinsen, Helmut,Grinberg, Lea T,Marcus, Katrin,Leite, Renata E Paraizo,May, Caroline Springer 2015 JOURNAL OF NEURAL TRANSMISSION Vol.122 No.7

<P>Brain function in normal aging and neurological diseases has long been a subject of interest. With current technology, it is possible to go beyond descriptive analyses to characterize brain cell populations at the molecular level. However, the brain comprises over 100 billion highly specialized cells, and it is a challenge to discriminate different cell groups for analyses. Isolating intact neurons is not feasible with traditional methods, such as tissue homogenization techniques. The advent of laser microdissection techniques promises to overcome previous limitations in the isolation of specific cells. Here, we provide a detailed protocol for isolating and analyzing neurons from postmortem human brain tissue samples. We describe a workflow for successfully freezing, sectioning and staining tissue for laser microdissection. This protocol was validated by mass spectrometric analysis. Isolated neurons can also be employed for western blotting or PCR. This protocol will enable further examinations of brain cell-specific molecular pathways and aid in elucidating distinct brain functions.</P>

Mitigating irreversible capacity losses from carbon agents via surface modification

Molina Piper, Daniela,Son, Seoung-Bum,Travis, Jonathan J.,Lee, Younghee,Han, Sang Sub,Kim, Seul Cham,Oh, Kyu Hwan,George, Steven M.,Lee, Se-Hee,Ban, Chunmei Elsevier 2015 Journal of Power Sources Vol.275 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>Greatly improved cycling performance has been demonstrated with conformally coated lithium-ion electrodes by atomic layer deposition (ALD) and molecular layer deposition (MLD) techniques. This paper reports the impact of coating on the electrode additives towards mitigating undesired parasitic reactions during cycling. The ALD and MLD coatings with conformality and atomic scale thickness control effectively stabilize the surface of the electrode components, and the current collector, resulting in the increase of coulombic efficiency throughout cycling. The organic fragment integrated into the recently developed MLD process allows the coating to possess excellent mechanical properties and enhanced ionic conductivity, which significantly reduces cell polarizations throughout cycling. This work validates the importance of ALD and MLD as surface modifiers and further demonstrates their versatility and compatibility with lithium-ion battery technology.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> Synthesis of ultrathin, conformal coating with atomic/molecular layer deposition. </LI> <LI> Mitigated parasitic reactions for the electrode additives via surface modification. </LI> <LI> Integrated organic fragments in coating chemistry for flexible, conductive coatings. </LI> <LI> Demonstrated the versatility and compatibility of atomic/molecular layer deposition with lithium-ion battery technology. </LI> </UL> </P>

Purification and Characterization of Two Isolectins with Arginase Activity from the Lichen Xanthoria parietina

Molina, M.C.,Vicente, C. The Korea Science and Technology Center 2000 BMB Reports Vol.33 No.4

Two glycoproteins were purified and biochemically characterized from the lichen X. parietina. Both behaved as enzymes with arginase activity and haemaglutinins. Secreted arginase(SA) contained galactose and glucose in the saccharide moiety and an isoelectric point of 4.54. The algal binding-protein (ABP) had N-acetyl-glucosamine and glucose as glycosidic residues and an isoelectric point of 3.53. Both proteins had the same molecular mass (58.6 kDa) and the same qualitative amino acidic composition. The results allowed us to consider these glycoprotiens as isoelectric, which have significant physicological roles in the relationship between photobiont and mycobiont of symbiotic association.

Immunomodulatory properties of stem cells and bioactive molecules for tissue engineering

Molina, Eric R.,Smith, Brandon T.,Shah, Sarita R.,Shin, Heungsoo,Mikos, Antonios G. Elsevier 2015 Journal of controlled release Vol.219 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>The immune system plays a crucial role in the success of tissue engineering strategies. Failure to consider the interactions between implantable scaffolds, usually containing cells and/or bioactive molecules, and the immune system can result in rejection of the implant and devastating clinical consequences. However, recent research into mesenchymal stem cells, which are commonly used in many tissue engineering applications, indicates that they may play a beneficial role modulating the immune system. Likewise, direct delivery of bioactive molecules involved in the inflammatory process can promote the success of tissue engineering constructs. In this article, we will review the various mechanisms in which modulation of the immune system is achieved through delivered bioactive molecules and cells and contextualize this information for future strategies in tissue engineering.</P> <P><B>Graphical abstract</B></P> <P>[DISPLAY OMISSION]</P>

Evaluation of existing bridges using neural networks

Molina, Augusto V.,Chou, Karen C. Techno-Press 2002 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.13 No.2

The infrastructure system in the United States has been aging faster than the resource available to restore them. Therefore decision for allocating the resources is based in part on the condition of the structural system. This paper proposes to use neural network to predict the overall rating of the structural system because of the successful applications of neural network to other fields which require a "symptom-diagnostic" type relationship. The goal of this paper is to illustrate the potential of using neural network in civil engineering applications and, particularly, in bridge evaluations. Data collected by the Tennessee Department of Transportation were used as "test bed" for the study. Multi-layer feed forward networks were developed using the Levenberg-Marquardt training algorithm. All the neural networks consisted of at least one hidden layer of neurons. Hyperbolic tangent transfer functions were used in the first hidden layer and log-sigmoid transfer functions were used in the subsequent hidden and output layers. The best performing neural network consisted of three hidden layers. This network contained three neurons in the first hidden layer, two neurons in the second hidden layer and one neuron in the third hidden layer. The neural network performed well based on a target error of 10%. The results of this study indicate that the potential for using neural networks for the evaluation of infrastructure systems is very good.