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The emission of muonium () atoms into vacuum from silica aerogel with laser ablation on its surface was studied with various ablation structures at room temperature using the subsurface muon beams at TRIUMF and Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC). Laser ablation was applied to produce holes or grooves with typical dimensions of a few hundred m to a few mm, except for some extreme conditions. The measured emission rate tends to be higher for larger fractions of ablation opening and for shallower depths. More than a few ablation structures reach the emission rates similar to the highest achieved in past measurements. The emission rate is found to be stable at least for a couple of days. Measurements of spin precession amplitudes for the produced muonium atoms and remaining muons in a magnetic field determine a muonium formation fraction of %. The precession of the polarized muonium atoms is also observed clearly in vacuum. A projection of the emission rates measured at TRIUMF to the corresponding rates at J-PARC is demonstrated taking the different beam condition into account reasonably.

Cetuximab, a monoclonal antibody against the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), has been successfully used to treat some patients with colorectal cancer and those with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). For the effective treatment, it is essential to first identify cetuximab-responsive patients. The level of EGFR expression and/or the presence of mutations in signalling molecules downstream of the EGFR pathway have been reported to be determining factors for cetuximab responsiveness in colorectal cancer patients; however, limited data have been reported for HNSCC patients. We previously reported that the chemokine CXCL14 exhibits tumour-suppressive effects against xenografted HNSCC cells, which may be classified into two groups, CXCL14-expressing and non-expressing cells under serum-starved culture conditions. Here we employed CXCL14-expressing HSC-3 cells and CXCL14-non-expressing YCU-H891 cells as representatives of the two groups and compared their responses to cetuximab and their CXCL14 expression under various conditions. The growth of xenografted tumours initiated by HSC-3 cells, which expressed CXCL14 in vivo and in vitro, was suppressed by the injection of cetuximab into tumour-bearing mice; however, neither the expression of the chemokine nor the cetuximab-dependent suppression of xenograft tumour growth was observed for YCU-H891 cells. Both types of cells expressed EGFR and neither type harboured mutations in signalling molecules downstream of EGFR that have been reported in cetuximab-resistant colon cancer patients. The inhibition of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signalling increased the levels of CXCL14 messenger RNA (mRNA) in HSC-3 cells, but not in YCU-H891 cells. We also observed that the CXCL14 promoter region in YCU-H891 cells was hypermethylated, and that demethylation of the promoter by treatment with 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine restored CXCL14 mRNA expression and in vivo cetuximab-mediated tumour growth suppression. Finally, we observed in vivo tumour growth suppression when YCU-H891 cells were engineered to express CXCL14 ectopically in the presence of doxycycline. These results indicate that CXCL14 expression may be a good predictive biomarker for cetuximab-dependent tumour suppression.

1. Rats were infused with 15NH4+ or L-[15N]alanine to induce hyperammonaemia, a potential cause of hepatic encephalopathy. HClO4 extracts of freeze-clamped brain, liver and kidney were analysed by 15N-n.m.r. spectroscopy in combination with biochemical assays to investigate the effects of hyperammonaemia on tissue concentrations of ammonia, glutamine, glutamate and urea. 2. 15NH4+ infusion resulted in a 36-fold increase in the concentration of blood ammonia. Cerebral glutamine concentration increased, with 15NH4+ incorporated predominantly into the gamma-nitrogen atom of glutamine. Incorporation into glutamate was very low. Cerebral ammonia concentration increased 5-10-fold. The results suggest that the capacity of glutamine synthetase for ammonia detoxification was saturated. 3. Pretreatment with the glutamine synthetase inhibitor L-methionine DL-sulphoximine resulted in 84% inhibition of [gamma-15N]glutamine synthesis, but incorporation of 15N into other metabolites was not observed. The result suggests that no major alternative pathway for ammonia detoxification, other than glutamine synthetase, exists in rat brain. 4. In the liver 15NH4+ was incorporated into urea, glutamine, glutamate and alanine. The specific activity of 15N was higher in the gamma-nitrogen atom of glutamine than in urea. A similar pattern was observed when [15N]alanine was infused. The results are discussed in terms of the near-equilibrium states of the reactions involved in glutamate and alanine formation, heterogeneous distribution in the liver lobules of the enzymes involved in ammonia removal and their different affinities for ammonia. 5. Synthesis of glutamine, glutamate and hippurate de novo was observed in kidney. Hippurate, as well as 15NH4+, was contributed by co-extracted urine. 6. The potential utility and limitations of 15N n.m.r. for studies of mammalian metabolism in vivo are discussed.

In simultaneous assays of urinary proteins by the Coomassie Brilliant Blue G-250 (CBB) and the sulfosalicylic acid (SSA) methods, we noticed that about 18% of samples showed about twice higher protein values by the former method than by the latter. Some urinary proteins are soluble in SSA and react with CBB. Examinations with sodium dodecyl sulfate/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that these proteins migrated in 13 protein bands having relative molecular masses ranging from 15 000 to 230 000. The protein corresponding to the most intensely stained band in urine samples from the patients studied (with malignant tumors, renal disorders, etc.) had an Mr of 45 000; that in the pattern for healthy subjects had an Mr of 94 000. The former was identified as alpha 1-acid glycoprotein, the latter as Tamm-Horsfall mucoprotein.