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Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations are detected in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and associated with responses to therapy with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). We compared the analytical performances of two real-time PCRs and droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) to detect EGFR mutations using plasma.Plasma EGFR tests were performed using 86 plasma samples from 75 prospectively enrolled NSCLC patients with early and advanced stages. Analytical performances of plasma-using two real-time PCR, Cobas EGFR mutation v2 and PANAMutyper, EGFR kit, and ddPCR were evaluated based on the tissue EGFR test results. The frequencies of EGFR mutations and acquired T790M mutation after TKI therapy were also assessed.The incidence of all EGFR mutations was 52.3% (23/44) in tissue and was up to 43.2% (19/44) in plasma. The Cobas detection rates of three EGFR mutations (exon 19 deletions, L858R, and T790M) in plasma were similar to those in tissue. The Cobas showed a higher detection rate (76.7%) than that by the PANAMutyper (60.5%). Sensitivity for T790M mutation was lower than the sensitivity for the exon 19 deletions or L858R in both tests. Mutant allele frequency measured by ddPCR was significantly correlated with the semi-quantitative values of the Cobas.Plasma EGFR tests showed similar detection rates for common EGFR mutations compared to the tissue EGFR tests. Cobas showed higher sensitivity in detection of EGFR mutations in body fluids than the PANAMutyper. Real-time PCR using plasma or body fluids could be a suitable first test for the detection of EGFR mutations.

Converting CO2 into useful chemicals through an electrocatalytic process is an attractive solution to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere. However, the process suffers from high overpotential, low activity, or poor product selectivity. In this study, N,S dual-doped carbon nanoweb (NSCNW) materials were proposed as an efficient nonmetallic electrocatalyst for CO2 reduction. The NSCNW catalysts preferentially and rapidly converted CO2 into CO with a high Faradaic efficiency of 93.4 % and a partial current density of -5.93 mA cm-2 at a low overpotential of 490 mV. A small Tafel slope value (93 mV dec-1 ) was obtained, demonstrating a high rate for CO2 reduction. Moreover, the catalysts also exhibited a quite stable current-density profile during 20 h with a high CO Faradaic efficiency above 90 % throughout the electrolysis reaction. The high catalytic performance of the catalysts for CO2 reduction could be attributed to synergistic effects associated with the structural advantages of 3 D carbon nanoweb structures and effective S doping of the carbon materials with the highest ratio of thiophene-like S to oxidized S species.

OBJECTIVES The gut microbiota varies across human populations. The first years of life are a critical period in its development. While delivery mode and diet contribute to observed variation, the additional contribution of specific environmental factors remains poorly understood. One factor is waterborne enteric pathogen exposure. In this pilot study, we explore the relationship between household water security and the gut microbiota of children. METHODS From Nicaraguan households (n = 39), we collected drinking water samples, as well as fecal samples from children aged one month to 5.99 years (n = 53). We tested water samples for total coliforms (CFU/mL) and the presence of common enteric pathogens. Composition and diversity of the gut microbiota were characterized by 16S rRNA sequencing. Households were classified as having drinking water that was "low" (

Microcystin is one of the most common toxins associated with freshwater harmful algal blooms, but little is known about microcystin fate in the aquatic environment. Laboratory wave tank experiments were performed to determine whether exchange of surface water and pore water (benthic exchange) removes and dilutes microcystin-LR (MC-LR) at environmentally relevant concentrations in coastal waters overlying permeable sediments. Over the 100 h experiment, 60% of MC-LR mass was removed due to interaction with sediment (via adsorption and/or biodegradation), while only 20% was removed in an experiment without sediment. The observed fate and transport of MC-LR in sediments was adequately described with a one-dimensional reactive transport model that uses an enhanced diffusion coefficient to represent benthic exchange of solutes. Numerical sensitivity studies showed that MC-LR removal increases with hydraulic conductivity of sediment and wave height and decreases with water depth. For MC-LR concentration at the WHO recreational guideline (20 ppb), sandy sediments can remove the equivalent MC-LR mass in 1 m of surface water under typical nearshore wave conditions within tens of hours. In open water at large depths above a silty bed, removal times are much longer (on the order of weeks). Wave-driven benthic exchange is therefore an important control on MC-LR fate in energetic coastal areas but not in deep or calm settings where sediment–water interactions are greatly reduced. The nearshore fate of algal toxins is important to human health and socioeconomic vitality, since recreational activities and direct human exposures are concentrated along coasts.

Graphene-based materials are promising as metal-free, cost-effective electrocatalysts owing to their feasibility for mass production and excellent electrochemical properties. Recently, heteroatom co-doping of graphene networks has been identified as a promising route to produce efficient electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). In this study, we have synthesized a P, N co-doped graphene-based material (N-P-rG-O) using a two-step solution process in which graphene oxide is sequentially reacted with phytic acid and ammonium hydroxide in water. The N-P-rG-O catalyst exhibits an onset potential for the ORR in basic medium (0.1 M KOH) of 0.89 V (vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode), following a four-electron pathway and showing excellent stability against methanol poisoning in durability tests.

In this study, a highly efficient Pd catalyst supported on a conducting polymer-carbon composite was prepared for electro-oxidations of ethanol and formic acid. A polypyrrole-carbon composite was synthesized and modified by doping camphor sulfonic acid (CSA) during the polymerization step of pyrrole at room temperature. The resulting CSA-doped polypyrrole-carbon composite (PPyCC) showed significantly increased specific surface area and enhanced electrical conductivity compared with a polypyrrole-carbon composite without doping (PPyC). From the electrochemical tests, it was observed that the Pd-supported on CSA-doped polypyrrole-carbon composite (Pd/PPyCC) exhibited much larger electrochemical surface area (ECSA), enhanced catalytic activity and high durability towards the oxidations of ethanol and formic acid. The results indicate that the camphor sulfonic acid serving as both dopant and surfactant could improve the electrical conductivity and morphology of support material with enhanced interaction between Pd nanoparticles and support material.

Summary This study investigated the inflammatory effect of cryotherapy application on collagen matrix network in human infant sclera. Donor scleral tissues taken from three infant patients divided into five groups: control group, sham-treated group, and three cryotreated groups. In the cryotherapy groups, the sclera was treated for 5 s, 10 s, and 20 s with −80°C freezing by a cryosurgical system. The cryotreated reactions were examined using double histological analysis with hematoxylin-eosin and Masson's trichrome, and atomic force microscopy analysis to quantify the diameter and D-banding of collagen fibrils. The infant scleral tissues treated with cryotherapy showed a significantly increased collagen density associated with inflammatory response (p < 0.05), increased fibril diameter (p < 0.005) compared to the scleral tissues in the control group. The results directly suggest that the cryotherapy affects the morphology of scleral collagen. SCANNING 35:302-307, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A multilayer of Al doped ZnO/gold/Al doped ZnO (AZO/Au/AZO) was deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD), and its structural, electrical, and optical properties were investigated. The thin Au interlayer was deposited by e-beam evaporator and showed a series of islands. As the Au interlayer thickness increased, the Au islands coalesced resulting in a continuous Au film at 12 nm or thicker. As the Au interlayer thickness increased to 12 nm, the carrier concentration increased from 1.3 × 1020 to 4.2 × 1021 cm−3, the Hall mobility increased from 13.4 to 22.4 cm2/Vs, and the resistivity decreased from 2.6 × 10−3 to 1.2 × 10−4 Ωcm. However, the transmittance decreased from 80 to 48%. Additionally, the AZO/Au/AZO multilayer was less crystalline than a single AZO layer.

The accurate and sensitive detection of radical oxidants is a central problem in the field of chemical biology.[1] Radical oxidants can be detected in vitro with fluorescent leucodyes such as dihydroethidium (DHE),[2] dihydrorhodamine (DHR),[3] the hydrocyanines,[4] redoxfluor-1,[5a] and their organelle-specific analogues.[5b] Although these probes are widely used in cell culture, their accuracy is compromised by their high levels of background fluorescence,[6] which is caused by their spontaneous oxidation that is catalyzed by light or oxygen. Radical oxidants can be detected by using DHE, DHR, and the hydrocyanines, as they undergo an amine oxidation reaction[7] with cellular oxidants, such as superoxide or hydroxyl radicals. However, the probes also generate background fluorescence by undergoing the same amine oxidation reaction with air and light; this reaction is often attributed to the effects of singlet oxygen (1O2).[8]

We propose an efficient digital IF down converter architecture for dual-mode WCDMA/cdma2000 based on the concept of software defined radio. Multi-rate digital filters and fractional frequency conversion techniques are adopted to implement the front end of a dual-mode receiver for WCDMA and cdma2000. A sub-sampled digital IF stage was proposed to support both WCDMA and cdma2000 while lowering the sampling frequency. Use of a CIC filter and ISOP filter combined with proper arrangement of multi-rate filters and common filter blocks resulted in optimized hardware implementation of the front end block in 292k logic gates.

In this study, the effects of a HfO2 buffer layer between an Al2O3 passivation layer and an indium-gallium-zinc-oxide (IGZO) thin film transistor (TFT) were investigated to enhance the environmental stability and electrical properties of the IGZO TFT. When applying the HfO2 buffer layer, the formation of HfAlx Oy at the Al2O3/HfO2 interface reduces the water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) due to densification of the passivation layer. Consequently, by adding the HfO2 buffer layer, WVTR of the TFT was highly improved; moreover, changes in the electrical characteristics can be prevented compared to both the non-passivated and Al2O3-passivated TFTs. (© 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Arteriolar constriction (in the rat mesentery) has been reported to occur early in the progression of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes, with the constriction observed in arterioles that are cl...

WOS: 000231302400006, A portable transdermal drug delivery system using a composite transducer array has been designed to promote insulin transmission through the skin using ultrasound. Previous investigators used large, heavy sonicators in this type of research. The aim of this study is to demonstrate ultrasound-mediated transdermal insulin delivery using small cymbal arrays. The cymbal transducer design was chosen because of its light, compact structure and low resonance frequency in water. To increase the spatial ultrasound field for drug delivery through the skin, 2 x 2 and 3 x 3 cymbal arrays were constructed. The performance of these arrays was tested under similar conditions. An ultrasound-enhanced noninvasive glucose measurement system is also under development, and a comparison with conventional glucose meters was performed. The goal is to develop a noninvasive sensor-actuator array for the treatment of disease.