Association between homologous recombination deficiency and outcomes with platinum and platinum-free chemotherapy in patients with triple-negative breast cancer

Objective:The choice of chemotherapeutic regimen for triple-negative breast cancer(TNBC)remains controversial.Homologous recombination deficiency(HRD)has attracted increasing attention in informing chemotherapy treatment.This study was aimed at investigating the feasibility of HRD as a clinically actionable biomarker for platinum-containing and platinum-free therapy.Methods:Chinese patients with TNBC who received chemotherapy between May 1,2008 and March 31,2020 were retrospectively analyzed with a customized 3D-HRD panel.HRD positivity was defined by an HRD score≥30 or deleterious BRCA1/2 mutation.A total of 386 chemotherapy-treated patients with TNBC were screened from a surgical cohort(NCT01150513)and a metastatic cohort,and 189 patients with available clinical and tumor sequencing data were included.Results:In the entire cohort,49.2%(93/189)of patients were identified as HRD positive(40 with deleterious BRCA1/2 mutations and 53 with BRCA1/2 intact with an HRD score of≥30).In the first-line metastatic setting,platinum therapy was associated with longer median progression-free survival(mPFS)than platinum-free therapy[9.1 vs.3.0 months;hazard ratio(HR),0.43;95%confidence interval 0.22–0.84;P=0.01].Among HRD-positive patients,the mPFS was significantly longer in those treated with platinum rather than platinum-free therapy(13.6 vs.2.0 months;HR,0.11;P=0.001).Among patients administered a platinum-free regimen,HRD-negative patients showed a PFS significantly superior to that of HRD-positive patients(P=0.02;treatment-biomarker P-interaction=0.001).Similar results were observed in the BRCA1/2-intact subset.In the adjuvant setting,HRD-positive patients tended to benefit more from platinum chemotherapy than from platinum-free chemotherapy(P=0.05,P-interaction=0.02).Conclusions:HRD characterization may guide decision-making regarding the use of platinum treatment in patients with TNBC in both adjuvant and metastatic settings.

Absolute dielectronic recombination rate coefficients of highly charged ions at the storage ring CSRm and CSRe

Dielectronic recombination(DR)is one of the dominant electron-ion recombination mechanisms for most highly charged ions(HCIs)in cosmic plasmas,and thus,it determines the charge state distribution and ionization balance therein.To reliably interpret spectra from cosmic sources and model the astrophysical plasmas,precise DR rate coefficients are required to build up an accurate understanding of the ionization balance of the sources.The main cooler storage ring(CSRm)and the experimental cooler storage ring(CSRe)at the Heavy-Ion Research Facility in Lanzhou(HIRFL)are both equipped with electron cooling devices,which provide an excellent experimental platform for electron-ion collision studies for HCIs.Here,the status of the DR experiments at the HIRFL-CSR is outlined,and the DR measurements with Na-like Kr25^(+)ions at the CSRm and CSRe are taken as examples.In addition,the plasma recombination rate coefficients for Ar12^(+),14^(+),Ca14^(+),16^(+),17^(+),Ni19^(+),and Kr25^(+)ions obtained at the HIRFL-CSR are provided.All the data presented in this paper are openly available at https://doi.org/10.57760/sciencedb.j00113.00092.

AC Back Surface Recombination Velocity as Applied to Optimize the Base Thickness under Temperature of an (n+-p-p+) Bifacial Silicon Solar Cell, Back Illuminated by a Light with Long Wavelength

The bifacial silicon solar cell, placed at temperature (T) and illuminated from the back side by monochromatic light in frequency modulation (ω), is studied from the frequency dynamic diffusion equation, relative to the density of excess minority carriers in the base. The expressions of the dynamic recombination velocities of the minority carriers on the rear side of the base Sb1(D(ω, T);H) and Sb2(α, D(ω, T);H), are analyzed as a function of the dynamic diffusion coefficient (D(ω, T)), the absorption coefficient (α(λ)) and the thickness of the base (H). Thus their graphic representation makes it possible to go up, to the base optimum thickness (Hopt(ω, T)), for different temperature values and frequency ranges of modulation of monochromatic light, of strong penetration. The base optimum thickness (Hopt(ω, T)) decreases with temperature, regardless of the frequency range and allows the realization of the solar cell with few material (Si).

The p recombination layer in tunnel junctions for micromorph tandem solar cells

A new tunnel recombination junction is fabricated for n-i-p type micromorph tandem solar cells. We insert a thin heavily doped hydrogenated amorphous silicon （a-Si：H） p^＋ recombination layer between the n a-Si：H and the p hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon （nc-Si：H） layers to improve the performance of the n-i-p tandem solar cells. The effects of the boron doping gas ratio and the deposition time of the p-a-Si：H recombination layer on the tunnel recombination junctions have been investigated. The current-voltage characteristic of the tunnel recombination junction shows a nearly ohmic characteristic, and the resistance of the tunnel recombination junction can be as low as 1.5 Ω-cm^2 by using the optimized p-a-Si：H recombination layer. We obtain tandem solar cells with open circuit voltage Voc = 1.4 V, which is nearly the sum of the Vocs of the two corresponding single cells, indicating no Voc losses at the tunnel recombination junction.

Simulation study of the losses and influences of geminate and bimolecular recombination on the performances of bulk heterojunction organic solar cells

We use the method of device simulation to study the losses and influences of geminate and bimolecular recombinations on the performances and properties of the bulk heterojunction organic solar cells. We find that a fraction of electrons（holes）in the device are collected by anode（cathode）. The direction of the corresponding current is opposite to the direction of photocurrent. And the current density increases with the bias increasing but decreases as bimolecular recombination（BR）or geminate recombination（GR） intensity increases. The maximum power, short circuit current, and fill factor display a stronger dependence on GR than on BR. While the influences of GR and BR on open circuit voltage are about the same.Our studies shed a new light on the loss mechanism and may provide a new way of improving the efficiency of bulk heterojunction organic solar cells.

Effect of recombination process in femtosecond laser-induced modification on Ge crystal

The dynamics of produced excited carriers under the irradiation of Ge crystal is investigated theoretically by using femtosecond laser pulse.A two-temperature model combined with the Drude model is also used to study the nonequilibrium carrier density,carrier and lattice temperatures,and optical properties of the crystal.The properties of the surface plasmon wave when excited are also studied.The influences of non-radiation and radiative recombination process on the photoexcitation of the semiconductor during pulse and the relaxation after the pulse are described in detail.The results show that the effects of Auger recombination on the nonequilibrium carrier density and optical properties of the crystal and the properties of the surface plasmon polariton are great,whereas the effect of radiative recombination is extremely small.

Investigations of the dielectronic recombination of phosphorus-like tin at CSRm

The electron–ion recombination for phosphorus-like^（112） Sn^（35＋）has been measured at the main cooler storage ring of the Heavy Ion Research Facility in Lanzhou, China, employing an electron–ion merged-beams technique. The absolute total recombination rate coefficients for electron–ion collision energies from 0 e V–14 e V are presented. Theoretical calculations of recombination rate coefficients were performed using the Flexible Atomic Code to compare with the experimental results. The contributions of dielectronic recombination and trielectronic recombination on the experimental rate coefficients have been identified with the help of the theoretical calculation. The present results show that the trielectronic recombination has a substantial contribution to the measured electron–ion recombination spectrum of^（112）Sn^（35＋）. Although a reasonable agreement is found between the experimental and theoretical results the precise calculation of the electron–ion recombination rate coefficients for M-shell ions is still challengeable for the current theory.

Recombination-induced voltage-dependent photocurrent collection loss in CdTe thin film solar cell

Recently, the efficiency of CdTe thin film solar cell has been improved by using new type of window layer Mg_(x)Zn_(1-x)O(MZO). However, it is hard to achieve such a high efficiency as expected. In this report a comparative study is carried out between the MZO/CdTe and CdS/CdTe solar cells to investigate the factors affecting the device performance of MZO/CdTe solar cells. The efficiency loss quantified by voltage-dependent photocurrent collection efficiency(ηC(V′)) is 3.89% for MZO/CdTe and 1.53% for CdS/CdTe solar cells. The higher efficiency loss for the MZO/CdTe solar cell is induced by more severe carrier recombination at the MZO/CdTe p-n junction interface and in CdTe bulk region than that for the CdS/CdTe solar cell. Activation energy(Ea) of the reverse saturation current of the MZO/CdTe and CdS/CdTe solar cells are found to be 1.08 e V and 1.36 e V, respectively. These values indicate that for the CdS/CdTe solar cell the carrier recombination is dominated by bulk Shockley-Read-Hall(SRH) recombination and for the MZO/CdTe solar cell the carrier recombination is dominated by the p-n junction interface recombination. It is found that the tunneling-enhanced interface recombination is also involved in carrier recombination in the MZO/CdTe solar cell. This work demonstrates the poor device performance of the MZO/CdTe solar cell is induced by more severe interface and bulk recombination than that of the CdS/CdTe solar cell.

秩序·扰动·RECOMBINATION

这个事实我们知道了很久:一种生物,若遇到人为的物理、化学、生物方法引导,或者遗传因子得到重组,就可能在合适的新环境中发生多元突变。世界美术的古典风格、中世纪风格、文艺复兴风格、巴洛克风格,艺术设计的现代理念、后现代理念,手工艺的传统方式、"莫里斯方式"、"柳宗悦方式"……我们看到了,一部历史,就是传统秩序,经演进中的社会经济、政治、哲学、文化、生活方式等新生因子的扰动催化,最后产生复合变异的结果。

Influence of Recombination Centers on the Phase Portraits in Nanosized Semiconductor Films

Influence of recombination centers’ changes on the form of phase portraits has been studied. It has been shown that the shape of the phase portraits depends on the concentration of semiconductor materials’ recombination centers.

The multi-factor recombination and processes superimposition model for hydrocarbon accumulation:application to the Silurian in the Tarim Basin

The multi-factor recombination and processes superimposition model for hydrocarbon accumulation is put forward in view of the hydrocarbon geological characteristics of multiple episodes of structural evolution, multiple sets of source-reservoir-seal assemblage, multiple cycles of hydrocarbon accumulation and multiple episodes of readjustment and reconstruction in the complex superimposed basins in China. It is a system including theories and methods that can help to predict favorable exploration regions. According to this model, the basic discipline for hydrocarbon generation, evolution and distribution in the superimposed basins can be summarized in multi-factor recombination, processes superimposition, multiple stages of oil filling and latest stage preservation. With the Silurian of the Tarim basin as an example, based on the reconstruction of the evolution history of the four factors （paleo-anticline, source rock, regional cap rock and kinematic equilibrium belt） controlling hydrocarbon accumulation, this model was adopted to predict favorable hydrocarbon accumulation areas and favorable exploration regions following structural destruction in three stages of oil filling, to provide guidance for further exploration ofoil and gas in the Silurian of the Tarim basin.

Vleiotic recombination and male infertility： from basic science to clinical reality？

Infertility is a common problem that affects approximately 15% of the population. Although many advances have been made in the treatment of infertility, the molecular and genetic causes of male infertility remain largely elusive. This review will present a summary of our current knowledge on the genetic origin of male infertility and the key events of male meiosis. It focuses on chromosome synapsis and meiotic recombination and the problems that arise when errors in these processes occur, specifically meiotic arrest and chromosome aneuploidy, the leading cause of pregnancy loss in humans. In addition, meiosis-specific candidate genes will be discussed, including a discussion on why we have been largely unsuccessful at identifying disease-causing mutations in infertile men. Finally clinical applications of sperm aneuploidy screening will be touched upon along with future prospective clinical tests to better characterize male infertility in a move towards personalized medicine.

The mutational pattern of homologous recombination(HR)-associated genes and its relevance to the immunotherapeutic response in gastric cancer

Objective:Currently,there is an urgent need to identify immunotherapeutic biomarkers to increase the benefit of immune checkpoint inhibitors(ICIs)for patients with gastric cancer(GC).Homologous recombination deficiency(HRD)can modify the tumor immune microenvironment by increasing the presence of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and therefore might serve as a biomarker of immunotherapeutic response.We aimed to analyze the mutational pattern of HR-associated genes in Chinese patients with GC and its relevance to the tumor immune profile and clinical immunotherapeutic response.Methods:A panel of 543 cancer-associated genes was used to analyze genomic profiles in a cohort comprising 484 Chinese patients with GC.Correlations between HR gene mutations and tumor immunity or clinical outcomes were identified via bioinformatic analysis using 2 GC genomic datasets(TCGA and MSK-IMPACT).Results:Fifty-one of the 484(10.54%)patients carried at least one somatic mutation in an HR gene;ATM(16/484,3.31%)was among the most frequently mutated HR genes in the Chinese cohort.Mutations in HR genes were associated with elevated tumor mutational burden,enhanced immune activity,and microsatellite instability status.In the MSK-IMPACT cohort comprising 49 patients with stomach adenocarcinoma or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma treated with ICIs,patients with HR-mut GC(n=12)had significantly better overall survival than those with HR-wt GC(n=37)(log-rank test,P<0.05).Conclusions:Our data suggest that detection of somatic mutations in HR genes might aid in identifying patients who might benefit from immune checkpoint blockade therapy.

miR-506: a regulator of chemo-sensitivity through suppression of the RAD51-homologous recombination axis

Ovarian carcinoma is the most lethal gynecologic malignancy. Resistance to platinum is considered the major problem afecting prognosis. Our recent study established that micro RNA-506(mi R-506) expression was closely associated with progression-free survival and overall survival in two independent patient cohorts totaling 598 epithelial ovarian cancer cases. Further functional study demonstrated that mi R-506 could augment the response to cisplatin and olaparib through targeting RAD51 and suppressing homologous recombination in a panel of ovarian cancer cell lines. Systemic delivery of mi R-506 in an orthotopic ovarian cancer mouse model signiicantly augmented the cisplatin response, thus recapitulating the clinical observation. Therefore, mi R-506 plays a functionally important role in homologous recombination and has important therapeutic value for sensitizing cancer cells to chemotherapy, especially in chemo-resistant patients with attenuated expression of mi R-506.

The study of a new n/p tunnel recombination junction and its application in a-Si:H/μc-Si:H tandem solar cells

This paper reports that a double N layer （a-Si：H/μc-Si：H） is used to substitute the single microcrystalline silicon n layer （n-μc-Si：H） in n/p tunnel recombination junction between subcells in a-Si：H/μc-Si：H tandem solar cells. The electrical transport and optical properties of these tunnel recombination junctions are investigated by current voltage measurement and transmission measurement. The new n/p tunnel recombination junction shows a better ohmic contact. In addition, the n/p interface is exposed to the air to examine the effect of oxidation on the tunnel recombination junction performance. The open circuit voltage and FF of a-Si：H/μc-Si：H tandem solar cell are all improved and the current leakage of the subcells can be effectively prevented efficiently when the new n/p junction is implemented as tunnel recombination junction.

Risk Assessment of Synergism and Recombination on the Transgenic Plants Containing Viral Movement Protein and Replicase Genes

The transgenic tobacco plants transformed with movement protein gene of Tomato mosaic virus (ToMV) or Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and partial replicase gene of Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) P1 isolate (CMV-P1), were inoculated with Potato virus X, Potato virus Y, TMV and CMV isolate RB (CMV-RB), respectively. Symptom observation showed there were no symptom differences in transgenic tobacco plants as compared with those in non-transgenie tobacco plants. ELISA also illustrated that the virus concentrations in the transgenic plants were similar to those in non-transgenic plants, indicating that no synergism is found in these plants. The transgenic tobacco plants expressing movement protein gene of ToMV or partial replicase gene of CMV-P1 were inoculated with TMV and CMV-RB, respectively. The local or systemic infected leaves were then used for elucidation of the possible virus recombination in transgenic plants with biological infectivity test, ELISA and immuno-capture RT-PCR. Within 16 months, no recombination was found between transformed genes and inoculated virus genomes. The research provides fundamental data for understanding of the possible risk of the transgenic plants expressing viral sequences.

Construction of Marker-Free GFP Transgenic Tobacco by Cre/lox Site-Specific Recombination System

Marker-free GFP transgenic tobacco plants were constructed based on Cre/lox site-specific recombination system. A GFP gene was introduced into the tobacco genome using the Bar gene as a linked selectable marker flanked by recombination sites in a directed orientation. The Bar gene expression box was subsequently excised from the plant genome by a strategy of Cre gene retransformation. After removal of the Cre-NPT Ⅱ locus by genetic segregation through self-cross, plants that incorporated only the GFP transgene were obtained. Transgenic tobacco plants mediated by Agrobacterium tumefaciens were obtained, which resisted herbicide Basta and GFP expressed well, then the Cre gene was subsequently introduced into 5 plants of them, respectively, by retransformation. The leaf disks from Cre transgenic plants were used to test the resistance to Basta on the medium with 8 mg L-1 of PPT. The results showed that few discs were able to regenerate normally, and the excision at 76-100% efficiency depended on individual retransformation events. Evidence for a precise recombination event was confirmed by cloning the nucleotides sequence surrounding the lox sites of the Basta sensitive plants. The result indicated that the excision event in the recombination sites was precise and conservative, without loss or alteration of any submarginal nucleotides of the recombination sites. Bar gene excised plants were selfpollinated to allow segregation of the GFP gene from the Cre-NPT Ⅱ locus. The progenies from self-pollinated plants were scored for Kan senstivity, then the segregation of GFP gene from Cre-NPT Ⅱ locus in the Kan senstive plants were confirmed by PCR analysis subsequently. Hence, constructing marker-free transgenic tobacco plants by Cre/lox sitespecific recombination system was reliable, and the strategy presented here should be applicable to other plants for the construction of marker-free transgenic plants as well.

The KLL dielectronic recombination processes for highly charged krypton,iodine and barium ions

The KLL dielectronic recombination （DR） processes of ions from highly charged helium-like to oxygen-like krypton, iodine and barium ions are studied systematically in the relativistic distorted-wave approximation with configuration interaction. The KLL DR resonant energies, the corresponding resonant strengths and the theoretical spectra for each highly charged ion species are obtained. The results accord well with other available values. The behaviour of KLL resonant strengths for He-like ions with atomic number Z is analysed.

Inhibition of KU70 and KU80 by CRISPR interference,not NgAgo interference,increases the efficiency of homologous recombination in pig fetal fibroblasts

Non-homologous end-joining(NHEJ) is a predominant pathway for the repair of DNA double-strand breaks(DSB). It inhibits the efficiency of homologous recombination(HR) by competing for DSB targets. To improve the efficiency of HR, multiple CRISPR interference(CRISPRi) and Natronobacterium gregoryi Argonaute(NgAgo) interference(NgAgoi) systems have been designed for the knockdown of NHEJ key molecules, KU70, KU80, polynucleotide kinase/phosphatase(PNKP), DNA ligase IV(LIG4), and NHEJ1. Suppression of KU70 and KU80 by CRISPRi dramatically promoted(P<0.05) the efficiency of HR to 1.85-and 1.58-fold, respectively, whereas knockdown of PNKP, LIG4, and NHEJ1 repair factors did not significantly increase(P>0.05) HR efficiency. Interestingly, although the NgAgoi system significantly suppressed(P<0.05) KU70, KU80, PNKP, LIG4, and NHEJ1 expression, it did not improve(P>0.05) HR efficiency in primary fetal fibroblasts. Our result showed that both NgAgo and catalytically inactive Cas9(dCas9) could interfere with the expression of target genes, but the downstream factors appear to be more active following CRISPR-mediated interference than that of NgAgo.

A novel color image encryption algorithm based on genetic recombination and the four-dimensional memristive hyperchaotic system

Recently, many image encryption algorithms based on chaos have been proposed. Most of the previous algorithms encrypt components R, G, and B of color images independently and neglect the high correlation between them. In the paper, a novel color image encryption algorithm is introduced. The 24 bit planes of components R, G, and B of the color plain image are obtained and recombined into 4 compound bit planes, and this can make the three components affect each other. A four-dimensional(4D) memristive hyperchaotic system generates the pseudorandom key streams and its initial values come from the SHA 256 hash value of the color plain image. The compound bit planes and key streams are confused according to the principles of genetic recombination, then confusion and diffusion as a union are applied to the bit planes,and the color cipher image is obtained. Experimental results and security analyses demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is secure and effective so that it may be adopted for secure communication.