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Background/Aim: Cholangiocarcinoma is a devastating malignancy with limited treatment options and poor prognosis. Natural products have gained considerable attention for showing antitumor effects with less toxicities. Flavokawain B (FKB), a natural product, has been studied for its antitumor effects on various cancer cells. However, the anti-tumor effect of FKB on cholangiocarcinoma cells remains unknown. This study aimed at investigating the antitumor effect of FKB on cholangiocarcinoma cells in vitro and in vivo. Materials and Methods: SNU-478, a human cholangiocarcinoma cell line, was used in this study. Effects of FKB on cell growth inhibition and apoptosis were investigated. The synergistic anti-tumor effect of FKB and cisplatin in combination was also evaluated. Western blotting was performed to examine the underlying molecular mechanisms of the effect of FKB. A xenograft mouse model study was performed to investigate the effect of FKB in vivo. Results: FKB inhibited cell proliferation of cholangiocarcinoma cells in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. FKB also induced cellular apoptosis additively in combination with cisplatin. Akt pathway was suppressed by FKB either alone or in combination with cisplatin. In the xenograft model, FKB treatment in combination with cisplatin/gemcitabine significantly inhibited tumor growth of SNU-478 cells. Conclusion: FKB showed an antitumor effect through the induction of apoptosis, which was mediated by suppressing the Akt pathway in cholangiocarcinoma cells. However, the synergistic effect of FKB and cisplatin was not definite.

BackgroundAs of date, endoscopic biliary stenting with plastic stent (PS) and self-expandable metal stent (SEMS) have been widely used for the palliation of biliary tract strictures. However, these two stents have several limitations regarding the management of biliary strictures caused by intrahepatic and hilar cholangiocarcinoma. PS has short patency and also risks bile duct injury and bowel perforation. SEMS is difficult to revise when occluded by tumor overgrowth. To compensate for such shortcomings, we developed a novel biliary metal stent with coil-spring structure. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility and efficacy of the novel stent in a swine model.MethodsThe biliary stricture model was prepared in six mini-pigs using endobiliary radiofrequency ablation. Conventional PS (n=2) and novel stents (n=4) were deployed endoscopically. Technical success was defined as successful stent placement and clinical success was defined as >50% reduction of serum bilirubin level. Adverse events, stent migration, and endoscopic removability for one month after stenting were also assessed.ResultsThe biliary stricture was successfully created in all animals. The technical success rate was 100 %, and the clinical success rate was 50% in the PS group and 75% in the novel stent group. In the novel stent group, the median pre- and post-treatment serum bilirubin levels were 3.94 and 0.3 mg/dL. Stent migration occurred in two pigs and two stents were removed by endoscopy. There was no stent-related mortality.ConclusionsThe newly designed biliary metal stent was feasible and effective in a swine biliary stricture model. Further studies are needed to verify the usefulness of the novel stent in the management of biliary strictures.

Additional file 1: Figure S1. The full-length nucleotide sequence for C. tripartitus Toll-like receptor-2 (Ct_TLR-2). Figure S2. Secondary structure prediction of Ct_TLR2 using PSI-PRED (version 4.0). Figure S3. The full-length nucleotide sequence for C. tripartitus CTL (C-type Lectin; Ct_CTL). Figure S4. Secondary structure prediction of Ct_CTL using PSI-PRED (version 4.0). Figure S5. The full-length nucleotide sequence for C. tripartitus Peptidoglycan Recognition Protein SC-2-like (Ct_PGRP_SC-2-like). Figure S6. Secondary structure prediction of Ct_PGRP_SC-2-like using PSI-PRED (version 4.0).

Additional File 1Supplemental Table 1 Incidence rates and multivariate aHRs of acute pancreatitis according to glycemic status, duration of diabetes, and the serum glucose level. Supplemental Table 2 Statistical data (p-values) for comparison of the aHR for acute pancreatitis between the subgroups classified according to the glycemic status. Supplemental Table 3 Subgroup analyses based on the type and number of anti-diabetic medications in diabetes patients.

Additional file 2: Table S1. Preprocessing of raw reads obtained from C. tripartitus using Illumina next-generation sequencer. Table S2. Classification of C. tripartitus Candidate genes to the innate immune signaling process. Table S3. Genes of interest related to growth in the dung beetle, C. tripartitus. Table S4. Candidate Sex-Determination and Reproduction related genes from C. tripartitus unigenes.

Yujin Jo,1 Yong Tae Kim,2 Hoonsung Cho,2 Min-Kyung Ji,3 Jaeyeong Heo,2,3 Hyun-Pil Lim1 1Department of Prosthodontics, School of Dentistry, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, Korea; 2Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, 61186, Korea; 3Optoelectronics Convergence Research Center, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, 61186, Republic of KoreaCorrespondence: Hyun-Pil LimDepartment of Prosthodontics, School of Dentistry, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, 61186, KoreaTel +82-10-2645-7528Fax +82-62-530-5577Email mcnihil@jnu.ac.krJaeyeong HeoDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, 61186, KoreaTel +82-62-530-1716Fax +82-62-530-1699Email jheo@jnu.ac.krPurpose: The study was intended to create a uniform zirconia layer even on the surface of complex structures via atomic layer deposition (ALD). The impact of crystalline zirconia deposited by ALD on bacterial adhesion and osteoblast viability was assessed via surface treatment of dental implants.Methods: Amorphous zirconia was deposited using an atomic layer deposition reactor (Atomic Classic, CN1, Hwaseong, Korea) on titanium discs. Heating the samples at 400°C resulted in crystallization. Samples were divided into three groups: the control group, the group carrying amorphous ALD-zirconia (Z group), and the heat-treated group following zirconia ALD deposition (ZH group).The surface of each sample was analyzed, followed by the assessment of adhesion of Streptococcus mutans and Porphyromonas gingivalis, and viability and differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells.Results: The adhesion of S. mutans and P. gingivalis was significantly reduced in the Z and ZH groups compared with the control group (P < 0.05). The viability of MC3T3-E1 cells was significantly increased in the ZH group compared with the control group (P < 0.001), while no significant differences were observed in the Z group (P > 0.05). Differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells showed a marginally significant increase in the ZH group compared with the control group (P < 0.1), while no significant differences were found in the Z group (P > 0.1).Conclusion: Compared with the pure titanium group, the groups that were coated with zirconia via ALD showed a decreased adhesion of S. mutans during the early stages of biofilm formation and P. gingivalis adhesion inducing peri-implantitis, and an increase in MC3T3-E1 cell viability and differentiation. The findings indicate the possibility of treating the implant surface to reduce peri-implantitis and improve osseointegration.Keywords: atomic layer deposition, ALD, surface treatment, titanium, zirconia, implant

The development of a new ultrasonic transducer capable of improved focusing performance has become a necessity to overcome the limitations of conventional ultrasonic transducer technology. In this study, we designed and optimized a metasurface piezoelectric ring device, and using multiphysics finite element analysis, we examined the performance of a planar ultrasonic transducer consisting of this device, a matching layer, a backing layer, and housing in producing a needle-like subwavelength focusing beam in water. For practical experiments, a metasurface piezoelectric ring device was fabricated using a laser ablation process. Subsequently, using a pulse-echo test, we found that the − 6 dB bandwidth of a planar ultrasonic transducer with a center frequency of 1.0 MHz was 37.5%. In addition, the results of an ultrasonic-focusing performance test showed that the full width at half-maximum of the axial subwavelength focusing beam was 0.78λ, and the full lateral width at half-maximum of the subwavelength lateral focusing beam was 7.03λ at a distance of 10.89λ. The needle-like focused ultrasonic beam technology implemented with a piezoelectric ring array based new planar ultrasound transducer is expected to be used in high-resolution imaging devices or medical ultrasound focusing devices in the future.

Additional file 1: Table S1. Standardized Differences Before and After the Propensity Score Matching. Table S2. The Number of Risk Factors Before and After the Propensity Score Matching.

Digital files in .STL format for 3D-print microfluidic chips.

Supplemental material, sj-docx-1-tam-10.1177_17588359221119539 for A real-world analysis of nanoliposomal-irinotecan with 5-fluorouracil and folinic acid as third- or later-line therapy in patients with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma by Jung Won Chun, Sang Myung Woo, Sang Hyub Lee, Jin Ho Choi, Namyoung Park, Joo Seong Kim, In Rae Cho, Woo Hyun Paik, Woo Jin Lee, Ji Kon Ryu and Yong-Tae Kim in Therapeutic Advances in Medical Oncology

Additional file 1: Supplementary Table 1. Uni−/multi-variable analyses of prognostic factors for overall survival. Supplementary Table 2. Recently published studies comparing FOLFIRINOX vs Gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel including sequential treatment. Supplementary Figure 1. Subgroup analyses for overall survival in the (A) whole and (B) matched populations according to the first-line treatment regimens. Supplementary Figure 2. Kaplan–Meier curves of overall survival among patients with age

Additional file 1. The difference of 30-day mortality rate between urgent, early, and delayed ERCP groups in each subgroup.

Additional file 1. Touchable 3D hierarchically structured polyaniline nanoweb for capture and detection of pathogenic bacteria.

Additional file 2. The difference of 180-day mortality rate between urgent, early, and delayed ERCP groups in each subgroup.

Additional file 3: Supplementary Table 1. Clinical characteristics of patients according to NLR, LMR, and AGR. Supplementary Table 2. Multivariable Cox regression analysis of factors associated with progression-free survival (SIR marker-specific model). Supplementary Table 3. Multivariable Cox regression analysis of factors associated with overall survival (SIR marker-specific model).

Additional file 1. Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials (SPIRIT) 2013 Checklist: recommended items to address in a clinical trial protocol and related documents*.

Additional file 1: Table S1. Detailed data regarding adjuvant treatment.

session poster; International audience

session poster; International audience

2-D numerical simulations are used to demonstrate the Z²-FET as a competitive embedded capacitor-less dynamic random access memory cell for low-power applications. Experimental results in 28-nm fully depleted-silicon on insulator technology are used to validate the simulations prior to downscaling tests. Default scaling, without any structure optimization, and enhanced scaling scenarios are considered before comparing the bit cell area consumption and integration density with other eDRAM cells in the literature.

The Z²-FET operation as capacitorless DRAM\ud is analyzed using advanced 2-D TCAD simulations for IoT\ud applications. The simulated architecture is built based on\ud actual 28-nm fully depleted silicon-on-insulatordevices. It is\ud found that the triggering mechanism is dominated by the\ud front-gate bias and the carrier’s diffusion length. As in other\ud FB-DRAMs, the memory window is defined by the ON voltage\ud shift with the stored body charge. However, the Z²-FET’s\ud memory state is not exclusively defined by the inner charge\ud but also by the reading conditions.

An integrated microdevice, consisting of a micropump, a passive mixer, a magnetic separation chamber, and a microcapillary electrophoretic channel, was constructed for biobarcode assay based multiplex biological agent detection in a sample-to-answer-out manner within 30 min with high sensitivity.

session poster; International audience

session poster; International audience

The global ultrasonic system for the self-localization of a mobile robot consists of several ultrasonic transmitters fixed at some reference positions in the global coordinates of robot environment. By activating the ultrasonic transmitters, the mobile robot is able to get the distance to the ultrasonic transmitters and compute its own position in the global coordinate. Due to the limitation on the ultrasonic signal strength and beam width as well as the environmental obstacles however, the ultrasonic signals from some generator may not be transmitted to the robot. Thus, instead of activating the all ultrasonic transmitters, it is necessary to select some ultrasonic generators to activate based on the current robot position. In this paper, we propose a selective activation algorithm for self-localization with the global ultrasonic system. The selective activation algorithm gets the meaningful ultrasonic data at every sampling instants, which results in the faster and more accurate response of the self-localization than the conventional sequential activation. Through the self-localization and path following control, we verify the effectiveness of the proposed selective activation algorithm.

In the paper, we propose an intelligent walking algorithm of biped robot on the uneven ground and a posture stabilization algorithm against external forces. At first, the mechanics and the control system of biped robot that can walk on the uneven ground and stand external forces are designed. We propose obstacle hurdling, incline walking. and going-up stairs algorithm by using infrared sensors and FSR sensors. Also, posture stabilization algorithm against external forces is designed using FSR sensors. Infrared sensors ate used to detect the obstacles in the working environment and FSR sensors are used to obtain the ZMP of biped robot. The developed biped robot can be controlled by the remote control system using vision system and RF module. The experimental results show that the biped robot Performs obstacle avoidance, obstacle hurdling, walking on the inclined plane, and going up stairs using the proposed walking and stabilization algorithm.