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Background: Surgery for Crohn's disease (CD) is considered to have more complications due to the underlying inflammation, immunosuppression, and malnutrition. We sought to study the outcomes of right-sided colonic resection in patients with CD and patients with cancer at a high-volume tertiary center utilizing a standardized perioperative protocol. Methods: This is a retrospective study of outcomes for all patients with CD or patients undergoing ileocolic resection or right hemicolectomy with ileocolic anastomosis at a single institution from 2013 to 2022. Patients were excluded if they simultaneously underwent another procedure or ostomy creation. Data were analyzed using Wilcoxon rank-sum and chi-squared tests for univariate analyses, and logistic and linear regressions for multivariate analyses. Results: In total 141 patients with CD and 589 patients with cancer were included. Patients with CD were significantly younger with lower body mass index and less likely to have comorbidities, including diabetes and hypertension. Patients with CD were less likely to have a smoking history or prior abdominal surgery, but more likely to be on steroids. Both groups had similar rates of laparoscopy, intraoperative complications, and blood loss. Despite the preoperative and intraoperative differences, both patients with CD and patients with cancer had similar lengths of stay (LOS), readmission, reoperation, and mortality rates. None of the surgical outcomes differed significantly between the two groups. On multivariate analysis, CD diagnosis was not associated with reoperation, readmission, mortality, or LOS while controlling for other characteristics. Conclusions: With the use of standardized perioperative protocols, surgery for CD at a high-volume center with expertise in CD can be performed with comparable results to other indications like cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Complications of incisional hernia are amongst the commonest presentations to the emergency surgical take. Outcomes from emergency hernia repair are poor, particularly for those with complex defects and for the growing population of comorbid, high-risk patients. Attempts to avoid emergency surgery by improving success rates of non-operative management could prove hugely beneficial. Botulinum toxin A (Botox) is already used in the elective management of incisional hernia and this study evaluates if the relaxation produced could be used to augment the outcomes of conservative management of acutely presenting incisional hernia. Methods: Patients presenting between October 2020 and April 2022 without evidence of visceral ischaemia, who had been selected for a non-operative approach, were given 300 units of Botox under image guidance to the abdominal wall in addition to standard conservative measures. Results: Twelve patients were eligible for Botox administration. Median age was 75 years and median BMI was 36.45 kg/m2. All patients were high risk; minimum ASA score was 3, and median frailty score was 5. In ten patients, symptoms resolved following Botox allowing for discharge without further complication. Seven subsequently referred on to the abdominal wall team. Symptoms did not settle in the two remaining patients; one required emergency laparotomy and the second was palliated. Conclusion: Botox may be a useful adjunct to established non-operative measures in patients with acute presentations of incisional hernia. It may improve the acute symptoms, eliminate the need for high-risk emergency surgery, or provide a bridge to abdominal wall reconstruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study an asymptotic property of weighted sequences of nonnegative functions which extends and unifies previous results concerned with precise asymptotics. As applications, we prove precise asymptotics for partial sums of independent identically distributed classical, noncommutative and free random variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) is a group of inherited diseases clinically and genetically heterogenous, characterised by length dependent degeneration of axons of the peripheral nervous system. A missense mutation (p.R158H) in the pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 3 gene (PDK3) has been identified as the genetic cause for an X-linked form of CMT (CMTX6) in two unrelated families. PDK3 is one of four PDK isoenzymes that regulate the activity of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC). The balance between kinases (PDKs) and phosphatases (PDPs) determines the extend of oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate to generate acetyl CoA, critically linking glycolysis and the energy producing Krebs cycle. We had shown the p.R158H mutation causes hyperactivity of PDK3 and CMTX6 fibroblasts show hyperphosphorylation of PDC, leading to reduced PDC activity and ATP production. In this manuscript we have generated induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) by re-programming CMTX6 fibroblasts (iPSCCMTX6). We also have engineered an isogenic control (iPSCisogenic) and demonstrated that genetic correction of the p.R158H mutation reverses the CMTX6 phenotype. Patient-derived motor neurons (MNCMTX6) show increased phosphorylation of the PDC, energy metabolism defects and mitochondrial abnormalities, including reduced velocity of trafficking mitochondria in the affected axons. Treatment of the MNCMTX6 with a PDK inhibitor reverses PDC hyperphosphorylation and the associated functional deficits founds in the patient motor neurons, demonstrating that the MNCMTX6 and MNisogenic motor neurons provide an excellent neuronal system for compound screening approaches to identify drugs for the treatment of CMTX6. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Single-port laparoscopic surgery (SPLS) has been introduced for totally extraperitoneal (TEP) inguinal hernia repair. Clinically, however, the benefits of single-port TEP (SP TEP) are unclear. This study aimed to compare short-term surgical outcomes between SP TEP and conventional laparoscopic TEP(CL TEP) inguinal hernia repair.Methods: Between January 2013 and February 2015, 99 men with primary unilateral inguinal hernia were randomized to the single-port or conventional 3-port TEP procedures. The primary end point was postoperative pain. Secondary end points were complications, postoperative hospital stay, days to return to daily normal activities, cosmesis, and quality of life (QOL).Results: We randomized 50 patients to SP TEP and 49 to CL TEP repair. The SP TEP group patients had significantly lower pain scores (visual analog scale) 7 days postoperation (p = 0.017). However, there were no significant differences between the two groups in postoperative pain scores 24 h (p = 0.44) and 4 weeks (p = 0.677) after operation and analgesic requirements on the operation day (p = 0.303) and 7 days after the operation (p = 0.204). Operation time, postoperative hospital stay, and complications were comparable between the two groups. The days to return to daily normal activities, QOL, and cosmetic satisfaction were not different between the two groups.Conclusion: The outcomes of SP TEP hernia repair for operation time and morbidities were comparable to CL TEP, and postoperative pain was lower at 7 days than in CL TEP hernia repair. The SP TEP technique can be recommended as an alternative treatment for inguinal hernia repair in experienced hands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A European research project METefnet addresses a fundamental obstacle to improving energy-intensive drying process control: due to ambiguous reference analysis methods and insufficient methods for estimating uncertainty in moisture measurements, the achievable accuracy in the past was limited and measurement uncertainties were largely unknown. This paper reports the developments in METefnet that provide a sound basis for the SI traceability: four new primary standards for realizing the water mass fraction were set up, analyzed and compared to each other. The operation of these standards is based on combining sample weighing with different water vapor detection techniques: cold trap, chilled mirror, electrolytic and coulometric Karl Fischer titration. The results show that an equivalence of 0.2 % has been achieved between the water mass fraction realizations and that the developed methods are applicable to a wide range of materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Safety mechanism is required for an automotive battery pack to prevent thermal failure which could lead to catastrophic events. Passively cooled battery packs can prevent thermal failure by conducting adaptive control of battery power without any external cooling device. The key to this power control is how to secure battery safety while minimizing energy loss. This paper proposes a novel, adaptive power control strategy for automotive passive-cooling battery packs. Four different cases with electrochemical battery model are simulated and compared to each other according to a city driving profile. Driving simulation result confirmed that the present power control algorithm is an effective solution for preventing thermal failure along with improving energy efficiency of automotive battery packs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective was to investigate the cellular effect and action mechanism of Artemisia capillaris extract (ACE) and its component, scopoletin, on penile corpus cavernosum smooth muscle (PCCSM). In vitro study with PCCSM, the precontracted PCCSM with phenylephrine was treated with ACE or scopoletin. Cyclic nucleotides in the perfusate were measured by radioimmunoassay and expression of protein and mRNA of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and neuronal nitric oxide synthase in the perfused PCCSM were measured by western blot and real-time PCR, respectively. The interaction of ACE or scopoletin with udenafil was also evaluated. ACE and scopoletin exerted a significant and concentration-dependent relaxation in PCCSM. The perfusion with ACE or scopoletin significantly increased cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) and the perfusion with ACE or scopoletin increased the expression of eNOS mRNA and protein. Furthermore, ACE or scopoletin enhanced udenafil-inducing relaxation in PCCSM. ACE and scopoletin relaxed the PCCSM mainly by activating nitric oxide-cGMP system and cAMP pathway and they may be additive therapeutic candidates for ED patients who do not completely respond to udenafil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The KRISS low frost-point humidity generator which has been operated by the two-temperature method in the frost-point range from $$-95\,^{\circ }\hbox {C}$$ to $$-40\,^{\circ }\hbox {C}$$ since 2006 is reformed to a two-temperature, two-pressure type, in order to extend the calibration capability to a frost point of $$-105\,^{\circ }\hbox {C}$$ . The temperature and pressure of the saturator were controlled to $$-95\,^{\circ }\hbox {C}$$ and 1 MPa, respectively. The water-vapor mole ratio generated by the upgraded humidity generator reached $$4\,\hbox {nmol}{\cdot }\hbox {mol}^{-1}$$ . The uncertainty of the generator was estimated by calculations as well as a series of experiments including the stability of the generated frost point, the saturation efficiency with a varied gas flow rate, and the change of water-vapor mole ratio in the tubing line. The standard uncertainty of the generator is less than $$0.09\,^{\circ }\hbox {C}$$ at the frost point of $$-95\,^{\circ }\hbox {C}$$ and is increased to $$0.19\,^{\circ }\hbox {C}$$ at the frost point of $$-105\,^{\circ }\hbox {C}$$ . The increase in uncertainty is mainly due to the water adsorption/desorption on the internal surface of tubing from the saturator to the hygrometer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We developed a genetic marker set of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) by summing risk scores of 14 SNPs showing a significant association with aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD) from our previous 660 W genome-wide association data. The summed scores were higher in the AERD than in the aspirin-tolerant asthma (ATA) group (P=8.58 × 10−37), and were correlated with the percent decrease in forced expiratory volume in 1 s after aspirin challenge (r2=0.150, P=5.84 × 10−30). The area under the curve of the scores for AERD in the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.821. The best cutoff value of the summed risk scores was 1.01328 (P=1.38 × 10−32). The sensitivity and specificity of the best scores were 64.7% and 85.0%, respectively, with 42.1% positive and 93.4% negative predictive values. The summed risk score may be used as a genetic marker with good discriminative power for distinguishing AERD from ATA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to investigate the effect of DME mixing on the number density and size of soot particles, DME was mixed in a counter flow non-premixed ethylene flame with mixture ratios of 5%, 14% and 30%. A laser extinction/scattering technique has been adopted to measure the volume fraction, number density, and mean size of soot particles. The experimental results showed that the highest soot concentrations were observed for flames with mixture ratios of 5% and 14%; however, for a mixture ratio of 30% the soot concentration decreased. Numerical results showed that the concentrations of propargyl radicals (CH) at the 5% and 14% ratios were higher than those measured in the ethylene-based flame, and the production of benzene (C6H6) in the 5% and 14% DME mixture flames was also increased. This indicates the crucial role of propargyl in benzene ring formation. These reactions generally become stronger with increased DME mixing, except for A1- + H → A1 + H (-R554) and n-CH + CH → A1 + H (R542). Therefore, it is indicated that adding DME to ethylene flames promotes benzene ring formation. Note that although the maximum CH concentration is largest in the 30% DME mixing flame, the soot volume fraction is smaller than those for the 5% and 14% mixture ratios. This is because the local CH concentration decreases in the relatively low temperature region in the fuel side where soot growth occurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PurposeComparison of visual acuity, refractive, and wavefront outcomes associated with optimized prolate ablation (OPA) and optical path difference custom aspheric treatment (OPDCAT) algorithms for correction of myopia exceeding 8 diopters (D).Patients and MethodsPatients were randomly assigned to have photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) with OPA (n=32) or OPDCAT (n=21) algorithms. Visual acuity, manifest refraction, ocular and corneal higher-order aberrations, corneal asphericity, modulated-transfer function, and point-spread function were compared 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively.ResultsMean manifest-refraction spherical equivalents at 6 months were −0.24 D in both groups. All patients in both groups had an uncorrected-distance visual acuity of 20/20 or better. Predictability (±1 D from intended refraction) at 6 months was 94% in the OPA group, and in the OPDCAT group it was 86%. The OPA group had less induced corneal and ocular spherical aberrations (SAs) than the OPDCAT group. Postoperative corneal asphericity change was lowest in the OPA group. Both the groups exhibited significantly-improved AreaRatio-Total value and insignificantly deteriorated AreaRatio-HO value throughout the postoperative period. The OPA group had significantly-higher AreaRatio-Total compared with OPDCAT group at both 1 and 6 months after the operation. Six months after surgery, the Strehl ratio had decreased in both groups, and there was no significant difference between the groups.ConclusionThe OPA algorithms yielded higher-objective visual quality and predictability, induced less corneal and ocular SAs, and preserved more preoperative-corneal asphericity than the OPDCAT algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HER3/ErbB3, a member of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) family, has a pivotal role in cancer and is emerging as a therapeutic antibody target. In this study, we identified NEDD4 (neural precursor cell expressed, developmentally downregulated 4) as a novel interaction partner and ubiquitin E3 ligase of human HER3. Using molecular and biochemical approaches, we demonstrated that the C-terminal tail of HER3 interacted with the WW domains of NEDD4 and the interaction was independent of neuregulin-1. Short hairpin RNA knockdown of NEDD4 elevated HER3 levels and resulted in increased HER3 signaling and cancer cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo. A similar inverse relationship between HER3 and NEDD4 levels was observed in prostate cancer tumor tissues. More importantly, the upregulated HER3 expression by NEDD4 knockdown sensitized cancer cells for growth inhibition by an anti-HER3 antibody. Taken together, our results suggest that low NEDD4 levels may predict activation of HER3 signaling and efficacies of anti-HER3 antibody therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Six cases of undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma (UES) were reviewed to determine their characteristic features on ultrasonography (US) (n = 5) and computed tomography (CT) (n = 6). US demonstrated a single large, echogenic mass with some anechoic spaces. Contrast-enhanced CT scan revealed a well-demarcated low-attenuation mass with hyperdense septations of variable shape and thickness. Discrepancy of internal architecture on US and CT was one of the important characteristics of UES. CT numbers were 25-47 HU in low-attenuation areas. Enhancing peripheral rim was found in four cases and some solid portions at the periphery or adjacent to the septa were found in all cases. Two patients who had follow-up US and CT without treatment showed enhancing solid portions, changing to hypodense as the tumor grew. When compared with the pathologic findings, US showed a more accurate representation of internal architecture than did CT. Familiarity with these US and CT findings of UES of the liver will be helpful in the differential diagnosis of primary hepatic tumors in childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe the characteristic computed tomographic (CT) appearance of iodized-oil retention in hepatic hemangioma and to evaluate the duration of the retention of iodized oil on follow-up CT.Methods: Seventeen hepatic hemangiomas of 14 patients were studied with CT performed 1-3 weeks after injection of 2-9 ml of iodized oil (iodized-oil CT) for the characterization of focal hepatic lesions, which needed differential diagnosis with hepatocellular carcinoma in 10 patients, for therapy in two patients, and for chemoembolization therapy of accompanying hepatocellular carcinomas in two. Twelve patients had 1-7 follow-up CT scans within an interval of 1-38 months.Results: In all cases, iodized-oil CT showed iodized-oil retention within the tumor, regardless of tumor size, shape, location, and amount of injected iodized oil. The distribution was incomplete and predominantly peripheral in all cases. Central retention was also seen in seven cases, in which a relatively large amount of iodized oil was injected, but retention of iodized oil in the tumor was incomplete even in two cases in which a large amount of iodized oil was injected to relieve symptoms and in three cases in which prominent uptake of surrounding liver parenchyma was seen. Patterns of retention were predominantly spotty in five, predominantly nodular in four, and mixed in eight patients. Retention materials slowly washed out but persisted for at least 3 months and up to 38 months (mean = 18.1 months), and complete washout was not seen in any cases at follow-up CT.Conclusion: In all cases of hepatic hemangiomas, iodized oil was retained, and retention persisted over several months. Distribution and patterns of retention were characteristically peripheral, spotty, and nodular at iodized-oil CT. Knowledge of the iodized-oil CT appearance of hepatic hemangioma would be helpful to interpret follow-up CT studies of patients who have undergone iodized-oil chemoembolization procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Spiral computed tomography (CT) can image the liver during arterial and late phases of contrast and optimize the evaluation of hypervascular tumor. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relative value of arterial- and late-phase spiral CT in the detection of hepatocellular carcinomas.Methods: Fifty-eight patients with hepatocellular carcinomas underwent two-phase spiral CT examination with 10-mm collimation at 10 mm/s table speed (Siemens Somatom Plus S), and 120 mL of contrast material (36 g iodine) was injected at the rate of 3 mL/s. CT images of hepatic arterial and late phases were obtained with a 35-s and 180-s delay, respectively.Results: In 58 patients, 111 hepatocellular carcinoma lesions were seen. The arterial phase detected 93 (84%) and the late phase 75 (68%) lesions (p < 0.01). The arterial phase detected more lesions in 11 patients, and the late phase detected more in two patients and an equal number in 45 patients. If lesions larger than 2 cm are excluded, the arterial phase detected 40 (74%) and the late phase 21 (39%) of 54 lesions (p < 0.001).Conclusion: The arterial phase of spiral CT greatly improves the detection of hepatocellular carcinoma when compared with the late phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the clinical utility of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis of peripheral cholangiocarcinoma of the liver, 11 patients with pathologically proven peripheral cholangiocarcinoma were examined with both CT and MRI. On CT scans in 10 cases, the tumors appeared as irregular, low-attenuation masses with a wide variation in heterogeneity. Contrast enhancement of the tumors was mild in nine cases and moderate in one case, at the periphery. Tumor was not identified in one case. On T1-weighted MRIs, the tumors showed low intensity in eight cases and isointensity in three cases. On T2-weighted images, the tumors showed high intensity in all 11 cases. Focal dilatation of the intrahepatic bile ducts around the tumor was seen in one case on MRIs and in four cases on CT scans. Portal vein invasion of the tumors was seen in one case, and lymphadenopathy was seen in four cases on both MRIs and CT scans. MRI was slightly superior to CT in detecting the tumors, was inferior to CT in delineating focal ductal dilatation around the tumors, and was equal to CT in assessing extent of the tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The purpose of this study was to describe the computed tomography (CT) findings of undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma after chemotherapy and to correlate the CT imaging findings with pathologic findings.Methods: Ten CT images obtained before and after chemotherapy in four patients with hepatic undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma were retrospectively reviewed and correlated with pathologic findings.Results: After chemotherapy, tumor volume decreased by 50-90% and initially nonresectable tumor or gross residual tumor was successfully excised in three patients. In all patients, enhancing peripheral solid portions and septations changed to low-attenuation areas, and in three patients increased or de novo calcifications were found at the periphery of the tumor. Resected pathologic specimen after chemotherapy showed well-encapsulated masses with central necrosis, fibrosis, and dystrophic calcifications.Conclusions: These CT findings will be useful in monitoring the treatment response of hepatic undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma during chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging was performed on five tumors of three patients who had hepatic hemangiomas. Four tumors were given an intraarterial infusion of 3-8 ml of iodized oil, while one tumor was not. MR images were obtained at 2.0 or 0.5 T. A single spin echo sequence with TE of 30 ms and TR of 500 ms and a double echo sequence with TEs of 60 and 150 ms and TR of 2000 ms, were used to produce relatively T1-, T2-weighted, and heavily T2-weighted images, respectively. Follow-up MR imaging was done 1-5 months after infusion of iodized oil. On relatively T1-weighted images, hemangiomas showed iso- or hypointensity. On T2-weighted images, all tumors showed hyperintensity. However, on heavily T2-weighted images, tumors with iodized oil showed heterogeneous, slight hyperintensity, while tumors without iodized oil showed characteristic appearance of marked hyperintensity in hemangiomas. In hepatic cavernous hemangiomas with intraarterial infusion of iodized oil, familiarity with this unusual MR intensity of tumors on heavily T2-weighted images is useful to avoid the incorrect diagnosis and to reduce the frequency of inappropriate hepatic resection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We performed a retrospective review of double-contrast barium enema examinations of 20 patients with clinically proven Behçet's colitis. Main lesion was ovoid or geographic ulcers with a mean diameter of 2.7 cm. The number of ulcers was single in 15 cases and multiple in five. On six resected specimens, ulcers involved submucosa in three, muscle layer in one, and serosa in two cases with an undermining tendency and transmural inflammation. Aphthous ulcers were present in three cases. Neither perforation nor fistula was demonstrated. In all 20 patients, the ulcer was localized in the ileocecal area, with extension to the ascending colon in seven. Skip lesions were observed in the transverse colon and descending colon in three cases. Destruction of surrounding mucosa resulted in cecal contraction in 19 cases, widening of the ileocecal valve in 19, and fold thickening in the terminal ileum in 12. Six cases (30%) manifested as ileocecal mass accompanied by ulcer, fold thickening, and adjacent mucosal deformity. The appendix was visualized in only three (20%) of the 15 patients with no history of appendectomy. On follow-up study of 15 cases, the ulcers disappeared or decreased in size in 13 cases (86%) and the mucosal deformity was not improved in all cases. On the basis of our results, we believe that the characteristic findings of colitis in Behçet's disease in barium enema examination are ovoid or geographic, relatively large, and deep ulcerations with persistent surrounding deformity which tend to localize in the ileocecal area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the characteristics of combined hepatocellular and cholangiocarcinoma of the liver by imaging techniques, six patients (five male and one female), aged 46-60 years, with proved combined tumors were selected for this study from the review of 500 resected specimens of liver tumors. Images obtained from sonography, computed tomography (CT), angiography, and CT after intraarterial injection of iodized oil (iodized-oil CT) were retrospectively reviewed and correlated with the appearance of pathologic specimens. Sonographic findings were round or ovoid hypoechoic masses with central hyperechoic area (target appearance) in all patients. On CT scans, tumors were relatively well-defined low-and/or iso-attenuation masses in all patients. Angiography showed hypovascular masses in five patients. In one patient, the tumor appeared as a hypovascular mass with a central hypervascular area. On iodized-oil CT scans, all patients showed partial retention of iodized oil in tumors. Echogenicity in tumors at sonography or attenuation in tumors at CT could not be correlated with histologic difference in tumors at pathologic specimens. However, the hypervascular area at angiography and the compact retention areas of iodized oil at iodized-oil CT corresponded to portions of hepatocellular carcinoma within the combined tumor. On the basis of our results, imaging features, including target appearance at sonography, hypovascular mass with central hypervascular portions at angiography, and partial retention of iodized oil in tumors at iodized-oil CT, might be helpful in making accurate diagnosis of these rare tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dependence of microwave dielectric properties on the crystallization behavior of (1- x) MgAlSiO - xCaMgSiO glass-ceramics was investigated as a function of the CaMgSiO content ( x) and heat-treatment temperatures. The crystallization behaviors of the specimens were affected by the peak temperature of crystallization, the crystalline phases, and degree of crystallization. The amounts of crystalline phases of the specimens were quantitatively evaluated by X-ray diffraction analysis using a combination of the Rietveld and the reference intensity-ratio method. For the specimens with x = 0.1 heat-treated at 1160 °C for 3 h, a single phase of α-cordierite (MgAlSiO) was detected and showed the maximum degree of crystallization. The overall dielectric constant ( K) of the specimens was affected by the density and the K of diopside. The quality factor ( Qf) of the specimens was dependent on the crystalline content of α-cordierite through the entire range of compositions. The measured dielectric constants of the specimens are also compared with those predicted by various dielectric mixing models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is overexpressed in colorectal cancer (CRC), and is correlated with poor prognosis, making it an attractive target for monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapy. A component of the therapeutic efficacy of IgG1 mAbs is their stimulation of antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) by natural killer (NK) cells bearing the CD16 receptor. As NK cells are functionally impaired in cancer patients and may be further compromised upon chemotherapy, it is crucial to assess whether immunotherapeutic strategies aimed at further enhancing ADCC are viable.Methods:CRC patients before, during and after chemotherapy were immunophenotyped by flow cytometry for major white blood cell populations. ADCC-independent NK cell functionality was assessed in cytotoxicity assays against K562 cells. ADCC-dependent killing of EGFR+ A431 cancer cells by NK cells was measured with a degranulation assay where ADCC was induced by GA201, an anti-EGFR mAb glyco-engineered to enhance ADCC.Results:Here, we confirm the observation that NK cells in cancer patients are dysfunctional. However, GA201 was able to induce robust NK cell-dependent cytotoxicity in CRC patient NK cells, effectively overcoming their impairment.Conclusions:These findings support the evaluation of the therapeutic potential of GA201 in combination with chemotherapy in CRC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Pre-election surveys are usually conducted several times to forecast election results before the actual voting. It is common that each survey includes a substantial number of non-responses and that the successive survey results are seen as a stochastic multinomial time series evolving over time. We propose a dynamic Bayesian model to examine how multinomial time series evolve over time for the irregularly observed contingency tables and to determine how sensitively the dynamic structure reacts to an unexpected event, such as a candidate scandal. Further, we test whether non-responses are non-ignorable to determine if non-responses need to be imputed for better forecast. We also suggest a Bayesian method that overcomes the boundary solution problem and show that the proposed method outperforms the previous Bayesian methods. Our dynamic Bayesian model is applied to the two pre-election surveys for the 2007 Korea presidential candidate election and for the 1998 Ohio general election. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A directionally solidified CM247LC alloy was exposed at 871 °C and 982 °C for 1000 h, 5000 h, and 10000 h under free stress in order to study the effect of microstructural degradation on the creep properties. None of the specimens exposed at temperatures up to 10000 h produced any kind of topologically close-packed phases because of the excellent phase stability of CM247LC alloy. The plate-like MC carbide was formed only at exposure of 982 °C for 10000 h through a decomposition reaction between γ and MC. Moreover, an MC carbide layer was observed between the MC and the matrix. The exposure at 982°C for 5000 h and 10000 h had a spontaneous rafting of γ′ under free stress, while the exposure at 871 °C for 1000 h, 5000 h, and 10000 h had a non-rafted structure. The spontaneous rafted structure resulted in a drastic decrease in creep life. A 3-dimensional morphology of γ′ in the as-crept specimens, which were pre-exposed at 982 °C for 5000 h and 10000 h, had a non-rafted structure. This microstructural feature proves that the significant decrease in creep life of the specimen resulted from a loss of coherency between γ and γ′. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Rare Isotope Science Project (RISP) is launched in Korea to build the IF and ISOL facilities. Current status of RISP is introduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The BCR-ABL fusion transcript encodes the BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase (TK), which causes chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). Although the TK inhibitor imatinib mesylate, which targets the BCR-ABL protein, has been proven to be effective in controlling leukemic growth, imatinib resistance has been observed with disease relapse because of point mutations in the ABL gene that inhibit imatinib efficacy. In this study, we designed oligodeoxyribozymes (DNAzymes) that specifically target and cleave both the junction sequence and the site of the point mutation (T315I), conferring imatinib resistance in BCR-ABL mRNA. DNAzymes significantly induced apoptosis and inhibited proliferation in wild-type and T315I-mutant BCR-ABL-positive cells. Selective cleavage of T315I-mutant ABL mRNA by DNAzyme (T315I Dz) led to cell cycle arrest in G0/G1 phase, with induction of caspase-3/-7 in imatinib-resistant BCR-ABL-positive cells harboring the T315I mutation. Moreover, cotreatment with the DNAzyme targeting the T315I mutation and imatinib resulted in enhanced inhibition of proliferation and induction of apoptosis in T315I leukemic cells as compared with imatinib alone, thereby antagonizing imatinib resistance in CML cells bearing T315I-mutant BCR-ABL. Therefore, cleavage of T315I-mutant ABL mRNA by DNAzyme combined with imatinib treatment may be an alternative approach to overcoming imatinib resistance in leukemic cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES:Light-to-moderate alcohol consumption has been proposed to raise serum adiponectin levels, but this view is controversial. There is little information on the effect of heavy drinking. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between alcohol consumption and serum adiponectin levels in healthy Koreans.SUBJECTS/METHODS:The design of the study was cross-sectional, using data from the Korean Multi-Rural Communities Cohort Study (MRCohort), which is a part of the Korean Genome Epidemiology Study (KoGES). The subjects were 1542 individuals (635 men and 907 women) aged 40 years who were recruited in Yangpyeong-Gun, Kyunggi province, South Korea, in 2005 and 2006. Daily alcohol consumption was calculated from average frequency of alcohol consumption and the amount of alcohol consumed per occasion using a structured questionnaire and serum adiponectin levels were measured.RESULTS:Although adiponectin levels appeared to be higher in those consuming moderate levels of alcohol than in nondrinkers, the difference was not statistically significant. Heavy drinking (90.0 g/day) was significantly related to reduced serum adiponectin levels (P=0.003), although the significance of the relationship was reduced after adjusting for potential confounders (P=0.061) such as age, waist/hip ratio, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, current smoker, higher education, protein intake, vitamin C intake and vitamin E intake in men. The relation seemed to be stronger in individuals consuming alcohol in the form of takju (Korean rice wine; P=0.022).CONCLUSIONS:Heavy alcohol drinking (90.0 g/day) may be related to lower serum adiponectin levels in Korean men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing a reliable and efficient fabrication method for phase-transition thin-film technology is critical for electronic and photonic applications. We demonstrate a novel method for fabricating polycrystalline, switchable vanadium dioxide thin films on glass and silicon substrates and show that the optical switching contrast is not strongly affected by post-processing annealing times. The method relies on electron-beam evaporation of a nominally stoichiometric powder, followed by fast annealing. As a result of the short annealing procedure we demonstrate that films deposited on silicon substrates appear to be smoother, in comparison to pulsed laser deposition and sputtering. However, optical performance of e-beam evaporated film on silicon is affected by annealing time, in contrast to glass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare three-dimensional (3D) T2-weighted turbo spin-echo (TSE) with multiplanar two-dimensional (2D) T2-weighted TSE for the evaluation of invasive cervical carcinoma. Methods: Seventy-five patients with cervical carcinoma underwent MRI of the pelvis at 3.0 T, using both 5-mm-thick multiplanar 2D (total acquisition time = 12 min 25 s) and 1-mm-thick coronal 3D T2-weighted TSE sequences (7 min 20 s). Quantitative analysis of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and qualitative analysis of image quality were performed. Local-regional staging was performed in 45 patients who underwent radical hysterectomy. Results: The estimated SNR of cervical carcinoma and the relative tumour contrast were significantly higher on 3D imaging ( P < 0.0001). Tumour conspicuity was better with the 3D sequence, but the sharpness of tumour margin was better with the 2D sequence. No significant difference in overall image quality was noted between the two sequences ( P = 0.38). There were no significant differences in terms of the diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of parametrial invasion, vaginal invasion, and lymph node metastases. Conclusion: Multiplanar reconstruction 3D T2-weighted imaging is largely equivalent to 2D T2-weighted imaging for overall image quality and staging accuracy of cervical carcinoma with a shorter MR data acquisition, but has limitations with regard to the sharpness of the tumour margin. Key Points: • 3D T2-weighted MR sequence is equivalent to 2D for cervical carcinoma staging. • Coronal 3D acquisitions can reduce the examination time. • SNR and relative tumour conspicuity were significantly higher on 3D sequences. • Reformatted 3D T2-weighted imaging had limitations in sharpness of tumour margin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the study was to investigate the disease-causing mutation in an autosomal dominant Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2 family and examine the clinical and histopathological evaluation. We enrolled a family of Korean origin with axonal Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease neuropathy (FC305; 13 males, six females) and applied genome-wide linkage analysis. Whole exome sequencing was performed for two patients. In addition, sural nerve biopsies were obtained from two patients. Through whole exome sequencing, we identified an average of 20,336 coding variants from two patients. We also found evidence of linkage mapped to chromosome 11p11-11q13.3 (LOD score of 3.6). Among these variants in the linkage region, we detected a novel p.S90W mutation in the Berardinelli-Seip congenital lipodystrophy 2 ( BSCL2) gene, after filtering 31 Korean control exomes. Our p.S90W patients had frequent sensory disturbances, pyramidal tract signs, and predominant right thenar muscle atrophy in comparison with reported p.S90L patients. The phenotypic spectra were wide and demonstrated intrafamilial variability. Two patients with different clinical features underwent sural nerve biopsies; the myelinated fiber densities were increased slightly in both patients, which differed from two previous case reports of BSCL2 mutations (p.S90L and p.N88S). This report expands the variability of the clinical spectrum associated with the BSCL2 gene and describes the first family with the p.S90W mutation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The topologically close-packed (TCP) precipitation in the secondary reaction zone (SRZ) in a thermal barrier coated alloy CMSX-4 has been investigated. The selected area electron diffraction (SAED) and high-angle annular dark field (HAADF) were used to analyze the TCP precipitates in the three different regions (including the SRZ, grain boundaries, and substrate) in this study. It was found that the interface between the SRZ and substrate was a high-angle grain boundary with a misorientation of ~51°. The TCP precipitates at the grain boundaries could inhibit the growth of SRZ. The SAED results indicate that most TCP precipitates were the faulted or twinned μ phase. In addition, the intergrowth of P phase with μ phase was found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims/hypothesis: Many of the effects of resveratrol are consistent with the activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), silent information regulator T1 (SIRT1) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)γ co-activator 1α (PGC-1α), which play key roles in the regulation of lipid and glucose homeostasis, and in the control of oxidative stress. We investigated whether resveratrol has protective effects on the kidney in type 2 diabetes. Methods: Four groups of male C57BLKS/J db/ m and db/ db mice were used in this study. Resveratrol was administered via gavage to diabetic and non-diabetic mice, starting at 8 weeks of age, for 12 weeks. Results: The db/ db mice treated with resveratrol had decreased albuminuria. Resveratrol ameliorated glomerular matrix expansion and inflammation. Resveratrol also lowered the NEFA and triacylglycerol content of the kidney, and this action was related to increases in the phosphorylation of AMPK and the activation of SIRT1-PGC-1α signalling and of the key downstream effectors, the PPARα-oestrogen-related receptor (ERR)-1α-sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 (SREBP1). Furthermore, resveratrol decreased the activity of phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K)-Akt phosphorylation and class O forkhead box (FOXO)3a phosphorylation, which resulted in a decrease in B cell leukaemia/lymphoma 2 (BCL-2)-associated X protein (BAX) and increases in BCL-2, superoxide dismutase (SOD)1 and SOD2 production. Consequently, resveratrol reversed the increase in renal apoptotic cells and oxidative stress, as reflected by renal 8-hydroxy-deoxyguanosine (8-OH-dG), urinary 8-OH-dG and isoprostane concentrations. Resveratrol prevented high-glucose-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis in cultured mesangial cells through the phosphorylation of AMPK and activation of SIRT1-PGC-1α signalling and the downstream effectors, PPARα-ERR-1α-SREBP1. Conclusions/interpretation: The results suggest that resveratrol prevents diabetic nephropathy in db/ db mice by the phosphorylation of AMPK and activation of SIRT1-PGC-1α signalling, which appear to prevent lipotoxicity-related apoptosis and oxidative stress in the kidney. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We performed an experimental investigation of the flowfield of a transverse jet into supersonic flow with a pseudo-shock wave (PSW). In this study, we injected compressed air as the injectant, simulating hydrocarbon fuel. A back pressure control valve generated PSW into Mach 2.5 supersonic flow and controlled its position. The positions of PSW were set at nondimensional distance from the injector by the duct height ( x/ H) of −1.0, −2.5, and −4.0. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) gave us the velocity of the flowfield. Mie scattering of oil mist only with the jet was used to measure the spread of the injectant. Furthermore, gas sampling measurements at the exit of the test section were carried out to determine the injectant mole fraction distributions. Gas sampling data qualitatively matched the intensity of Mie scattering. PIV measurements indicated that far-upstream PSW decelerated the flow speed of the main stream and developed the boundary layer on the wall of the test section. The flow speed deceleration at the corner of the test section was remarkable. The PSW produced nonuniformity in the main stream and reduced the momentum flux of the main stream in front of the injector. The blowing ratio, defined as the square root of the momentum flux ratio, of the jet and the main stream considering the effect of the boundary layer thickness was shown to be a useful parameter to explain the jet behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]