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AIM To report our initial experience with robotic single-port myomectomy (RSPM) using the da Vinci SP surgical system and to evaluate the feasibility of the procedure. MATERIAL AND METHODS This prospective observational study was performed at a university teaching hospital from January 2019 to December 2019. Sixty-one women with symptomatic fibroids received RSPM. RESULTS Based on seven resected fibroids and a maximal diameter of resected fibroids

Transgenic rice (Bt‐T event) shows resistance against rice leaf roller (Cnaphalocrocis medinalis) by expressing a toxic protein (mCry1Ac1) mediated from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis. Environmental risk assessment of Bt‐T event, in addition to the parent variety Dongjin‐byeo and cultivar Ilmi‐byeo, was performed during the rice cultivation seasons of 2016 and 2017 at LMO quarantine fields in Gunwi and Jeonju, Korea. Non‐target arthropods (insects and spiders) were captured using an aspirator from the three rice ecosystems of both locations, and in total 39,734 individuals of 57 families and 11 orders were collected. The numbers of individuals collected from the Bt‐T, Dongjin‐byeo and Ilmi‐byeo rice ecosystems were 12,899, 12,730, and 14,105, respectively, which did not differ significantly among rice ecosystems. The dominance, diversity, evenness, and richness indices of the collected insects were not statistically different among the rice ecosystems, but significant variations between the two locations and survey years were detected. Principal component analysis showed that insects and spiders in the Bt‐T, Dongjin‐byeo, and Ilmi‐byeo rice ecosystems were separated by the study locations and years irrespective of rice variety. In conclusion, results obtained in two consecutive years from two non‐genetically modified rice ecosystems and a Bt‐T rice ecosystem showed that the Bt‐T rice had no significant negative impacts on the above‐ground insect and spider communities.

Emerging immune profiling data suggest a higher sensitivity to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), compared to those without COPD. This study aimed to investigate the clinical impact of COPD on the treatment response to ICIs in a large number of patients with NSCLC. In total, 133 patients with spirometry test results were retrospectively identified among those who received palliative pembrolizumab for NSCLC. COPD was defined as pre-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 s/forced vital capacity

An electronic nose (e‐nose) is a device that can detect and recognize odors and flavors using a sensor array. It has received considerable interest in the past decade because it is required in several areas such as health care, environmental monitoring, industrial applications, automobile, food storage, and military. However, there are still obstacles in developing a portable e‐nose that can be used for a wide variety of applications. For practical applications of an e‐nose, it is necessary to collect a massive amount of data from various sensing materials that can transduce interactions with molecules reliably and analyze them via pattern recognition. In addition, the possibility of miniaturizing the e‐nose and operating it with low power consumption should be considered. Moreover, it should work efficiently over a long period of time. To satisfy these requirements, several different chemoresistive material platforms including metal oxides, organics such as polymers and carbon‐based materials, and two‐dimensional materials were investigated as sensor elements for an e‐nose. As an individual material has limited selectivity, there is a continuing effort to improve the selectivity and gas sensing properties through surface decoration and compositional and structural variations. To produce a reliable e‐nose, which can be used for practical applications, researches in various fields have to be harmonized. This paper reviews the progress of research on e‐noses based on a chemoresistive gas sensor array and discusses the inherent challenges and potential solutions.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE The global burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is increasing and COPD patients are at higher risk for all-cause mortality. We aimed to evaluate the impact of COPD on specific-cause mortality using national data. METHODS This was nationwide retrospective cohort study of 340, 767 adults aged 40-84 years who lacked COPD diagnosis at baseline between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2013. Incident COPD was defined by reference to COPD claim codes and prescription of COPD medication at least twice annually. Cox proportional hazard ratio (HR) for each cause of death in the COPD group was compared to that of the non-COPD group, with other causes of death accounted as the competing risk. RESULTS All-cause mortality was higher in the COPD (2,978 per 100, 000 person-years) than the non-COPD group (629 per 100, 000 person-years) and adjusted HR was 1.41 (95% CI = 1.32, 1.50). The association was particularly strong for chronic lower airway disease (adjusted sub-HR = 9.67; 95% CI = 7.21, 12.96) and lung cancer (adjusted sub-HR = 3.16; 95% CI = 2.68, 3.71), and the association was stronger in those aged

This paper contributes to the study of social change by considering boundary work as a dimension of cultural change. Drawing on the computer-assisted qualitative analysis of 73 formal speeches made by Donald Trump during the 2016 electoral campaign, we argue that his political rhetoric, which led to his presidential victory, addressed the white working class's concern with their declining position in the national pecking order. He addressed this group's concern by raising their moral status, that is, by (1) emphatically describing them as hard-working Americans who are victims of globalization; (2) voicing their concerns about 'people above' (professionals, the rich, and politicians); (3) drawing strong moral boundaries toward undocumented immigrants, refugees, and Muslims; (4) presenting African Americans and (legal) Hispanic Americans as workers who also deserve jobs; (5) stressing the role of working-class men as protectors of women and LGBTQ people. This particular case study of the role of boundary work in political rhetoric provides a novel, distinctively sociological approach for capturing dynamics of social change.

Background and objective Poor functional status (FS) has been suggested as a poor prognostic factor in both pneumonia and severe pneumonia in elderly patients. However, it is still unclear whether FS is associated with outcomes and improves survival prediction in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in the general population. Methods Data on hospitalized patients with CAP and FS, assessed by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) scale were prospectively collected between January 2008 and December 2012. The independent association of FS with 30-day mortality in CAP patients was evaluated using multivariable logistic regression. Improvement in mortality prediction when FS was added to the CRB-65 (confusion, respiratory rate, blood pressure and age 65) score was evaluated for discrimination, reclassification and calibration. Results The 30-day mortality of study participants (n = 1526) was 10%. Mortality significantly increased with higher ECOG score (P for trend

Background and objective The association between airflow limitation severity and post-operative pulmonary complications (PPCs) among COPD patients undergoing extra-pulmonary surgery is unknown. We evaluated the association between forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1 ) and PPC in COPD patients undergoing extra-pulmonary surgery. Methods Using prospective cohort of PPC evaluation for extra-pulmonary surgery, we identified 694 COPD patients who conducted PPC evaluation before extra-pulmonary surgery between March 2014 and January 2015 at a tertiary hospital, Seoul, Korea. Results The overall incidence of PPC was 24.4%. The incidence of PPC in quintiles 1–5 of FEV1 (% predicted) was 31.4, 25.8, 23.7, 21.6 and 19.7%, respectively (P for trend: 0.019). In fully adjusted multivariable models, the relative risks (RRs, 95% CI) for PPC comparing participants in quintiles 1–4 of FEV1 (% predicted) with those in quintile 5 were 1.69 (1.03–2.79), 1.41 (0.83–2.37), 1.26 (0.75–2.11) and 1.30 (0.76–2.22), respectively (P for trend: 0.046). The association of severe airflow limitation with respiratory failure and post-operative exacerbations was stronger in participants who did not use bronchodilators compared with those who did. Conclusion We found a progressive and significant relationship between severity of airflow limitation and the incidence of PPC in COPD patients undergoing extra-pulmonary surgery. Furthermore, perioperative bronchodilator use was associated with a reduced risk of respiratory failure and post-operative exacerbations in patients with severe airflow limitation.

To take advantage of nanostructures beyond their large surface area for light‐activated gas sensing, in article number 2001883, Seokwoo Jeon, Young‐Seok Shim, Ho Won Jang, and co‐workers introduce a new class of UV‐activated sensing of rationally designed highly periodic 3D TiO(2). The 3D TiO(2) facilitates 55 times enhanced light absorption and ultra‐sensitive NO(2) sensing properties with a detection limit of ∼200 ppt at room temperature. [Image: see text]

An unusually large bandgap modulation of 1.23-2.65 eV in monolayer MoS2 on a SiO2 /Si substrate is found due to the inherent local bending strain induced by the surface roughness of the substrate, reaching the direct-to-indirect bandgap transition. Approximately 80% of the surface area reveals an indirect bandgap, which is confirmed further by the degraded photoluminescence compared to that from suspended MoS2 .

Triclosan (TCS; 2,4,4'-trichloro-2'-hydroxydiphenyl ether) is a broad-spectrum antibacterial agent used in common industrial, personal care and household products which are eventually rinsed down the drain and discharged with wastewater effluent. It is therefore commonly found in the aquatic environment, leading to the continual exposure of aquatic organisms to TCS and the accumulation of the antimicrobial and its harmful degradation products in their bodies. Toxic effects of TCS on reproductive and developmental progression of some aquatic organisms have been suggested but the underlying molecular mechanisms have not been defined. We investigated the expression patterns of genes involved in the early development of TCS-treated sea urchin Strongylocentrotus nudus using cDNA microarrays. We observed that the predominant consequence of TCS treatment in this model system was the widespread repression of TCS-modulated genes. In particular, empty spiracles homeobox 1 (EMX-1), bone morphogenic protein, and chromosomal binding protein genes showed a significant decrease in expression in response to TCS. These results suggest that TCS can induce abnormal development of sea urchin embryos through the concomitant suppression of a number of genes that are necessary for embryonic differentiation in the blastula stage. Our data provide new insight into the crucial role of genes associated with embryonic development in response to TCS. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 32: 426-433, 2017.

Summary A safety assessment of genetically modified (GM) rice Agb0102 (resveratrol synthesis) and Agb0103 (drought-tolerant) were conducted by comparing with their non-GM comparators. Phytic acid, trypsin inhibitors and phenolic acids of the rices were analysed to identify the biological equivalences and the impacts of the environment. The analytical tools were principal component analysis (PCA), Pearson's correlation analysis and hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA). The PCA results of phytic acid and trypsin inhibitors revealed no clear separation among rices due to breeding conditions, environmental conditions or among various cultivars. The total, bound, free and ester forms of phenolic acids were not separated in the environmental conditions and different cultivars. The HCA analysis showed strong relationship between GM rice and non-GM rice. The concentrations of anti-nutrient and phenolic compounds of the GM rices were not different from those of non-GM comparators and that various chemometric tools were useful to describe the separation of GM and non-GM groups.

For the polymer electrolyte fuel cell application, novel multilayer metal-coated polyether ether ketone (PEEK) monopolar plates were developed via electroless plating and electroplating process. The coating layers consisted of 7 µm thick Ni–P layer on a PEEK surface, 7 µm thick Cu layer on it, and 500 nm thick Au layer on the top surface. With metal-coated PEEK monopolar plates on both anode and cathode side, the current density of a single cell at 0.6 V was found to be 734 mA/cm2, which is about 85% using the conventional plates (869 mA/cm2).

Asthma-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) overlap syndrome (ACOS) is characterized by persistent airflow limitation with several features usually associated with asthma and several features usually associated with COPD. ACOS may be a special phenotype of a spectrum of chronic obstructive airway diseases, in which asthma and COPD are at the two opposite ends. The prevalence of ACOS varies considerably due to differing criteria being applied for diagnosis. Patients with ACOS utilize a large proportion of medical resources. They are associated with more frequent adverse outcomes than those with asthma or COPD alone. ACOS is currently a diagnostic challenge for physicians because there are no specific biomarkers to differentiate ACOS from asthma or COPD. The approach to diagnosing ACOS depends on the population from which the patient originated. The management of ACOS should be individualized to ensure the most effective treatment with minimal side effects. In this paper, we review the diagnostic criteria of ACOS used in previous studies, propose practical approaches to diagnosing and managing ACOS and raise some research questions related to ACOS.

In this work, a whole manufacturing process of the curved copper nanowires (CCNs) based flexible transparent conductive electrode (FTCE) is reported with all solution processes, including synthesis, coating, and networking. The CCNs with high purity and good quality are designed and synthesized by a binary polyol coreduction method. In this reaction, volume ratio and reaction time are the significant factors for the successful synthesis. These nanowires have an average 50 nm in width and 25-40 μm range in length with curved structure and high softness. Furthermore, a meniscus-dragging deposition (MDD) method is used to uniformly coat the well-dispersed CCNs on the glass or polyethylene terephthalate substrate with a simple process. The optoelectrical property of the CCNs thin films is precisely controlled by applying the MDD method. The FTCE is fabricated by networking of CCNs using solvent-dipped annealing method with vacuum-free, transfer-free, and low-temperature conditions. To remove the natural oxide layer, the CCNs thin films are reduced by glycerol or NaBH4 solution at low temperature. As a highly robust FTCE, the CCNs thin film exhibits excellent optoelectrical performance (T = 86.62%, R(s) = 99.14 Ω ◻(-1)), flexibility, and durability (R/R(0) < 1.05 at 2000 bending, 5 mm of bending radius).

Summary Compositional analysis of genetically modified (GM) rice (OsCK1), non-GM comparator and reference rice as commercial rice was conducted for the safety assessment. The tolerance intervals (TI) of commercial rice were also set to illustrate compositional variability. GM rice, non-GM rice and reference rice were compared using principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) to assess the impact of genetic modification vs. environmental influence on the rice component. Seventeen components in forty-six analysed components were significantly different between GM rice and non-GM rice. But, the mean ranges of the seventeen components were all within those of the reference TIs. These results demonstrate that the nutrition components of GM rice (OsCK1) fell within the range of natural variability and were biologically equivalent to non-GM rice. In addition, multivariate analysis by PCA and PLS-DA revealed that environmental factors such as growing locations were important due to the variability of the rice metabolite profiles. These comparisons lead to the conclusion that disease-resistant transgenic rice (OsCK1) is compositionally equivalent to and as safe and nutritious as conventional rice varieties grown commercially.

Solution-processed oxide semiconductors (OSs) used as channel layer have been presented as a solution to the demand for flexible, cheap, and transparent thin-film transistors (TFTs). In order to produce high-performance and long-sustainable portable devices with the solution-processed OS TFTs, the low-operational voltage driving current is a key issue. Experimentally, increasing the gate-insulator capacitances by high-k dielectrics in the OS TFTs has significantly improved the field-effect mobility of the OS TFTs. But, methodical examinations of how the field-effect mobility depends on gate capacitance have not been presented yet. Here, a systematic analysis of the field-effect mobility on the gate capacitances in the solution-processed OS TFTs is presented, where the multiple-trapping-and-release and hopping percolation mechanism are used to describe the electrical conductivity of the nanocrystalline and amorphous OSs, respectively. An intuitive single-piece expression showing how the field-effect mobility depends on gate capacitance is developed based on the aforementioned mechanisms. The field-effect mobility, depending on the gate capacitances, of the fabricated ZnO and ZnSnO TFTs clearly follows the theoretical prediction. In addition, the way in which the gate insulator properties (e.g., gate capacitance or dielectric constant) affect the field-effect mobility maximum in the nanocrystalline ZnO and amorphous ZnSnO TFTs are investigated.

The diagnostic criteria of asthma–chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) overlap syndrome (ACOS) advocated by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA)/Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) are somewhat complicated, and limited data are available regarding how ACOS patients respond to current medications. We present a case of a 64‐year‐old man with ACOS. With features favoring asthma including childhood asthma history with intermittent episodes of dyspnea at night, elevated blood eosinophil count and total IgE, increased forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV 1) after bronchodilator (>200 mL and >12% from baseline), and positive skin prick tests, he also had features favoring COPD such as heavy smoker, persistent exertional dyspnea, and airflow limitation after inhaled therapy. Over 5‐year follow up, our patient experienced a single episode of moderate exacerbation. However, post‐bronchodilator FEV 1 decreased by 240 mL for 4 years (−60 mL/year) after 1.5 years of treatment, indicating rapid lung function decline. Longitudinal studies are necessary to assess optimal interventions and natural course of ACOS.

SUMMARY Mouse testis actin-like proteins 1 and 2 (mTact1 and mTact2), which are expressed in murine haploid germ cells, have been described previously. Here, we report the cloning and characterization of a third actin-like protein from rat, rat testis actin-like protein 3 (rTact3). The complete cDNA of the rTact3 gene was approximately 3.7 kb in length, and its corresponding amino acid sequence consisted of 1219 amino acids. The rTact3 gene lacks introns, similar to mTact1 and mTact2. The 356 C-terminal amino acids of rTact3 showed 43% homology with mTact1, whereas the 863 N-terminal amino acids did not show any significant homology. Northern blot analysis revealed that rTact3 mRNA was expressed only in adult rat testes and not during the prepubescent stage. In situ hybridization revealed that rTact3 was expressed exclusively during round and elongated spermatids maturation stages in rat testes. Immunohistochemical experiments using antibodies raised against a synthetic peptide showed that the expression of the rTact3 protein was also restricted in round and elongated spermatids, specifically in the head and acrosome of mature rat sperm. The 5′-flanking region of the mTact3 gene was found to contain a TATA-box motif as well as two putative CREB/c-Jun and five C/EBP motifs. mTact3 promoter activity was enhanced in a dose-dependent manner by the transfection of CREB, c-Jun, or C/EBP in NIH3T3 cells. These results suggest that Tact3 proteins might play an important role in rodent germ-cell development. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 80: 988–999, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH), which has unknown pathogenesis, can manifest as many kinds of signs and symptoms at any age. Although its genetic background has not been exactly identified, the familial clustering of this disease has been described in some reports. It is very uncommon, however, in siblings who are not monozygotic or dizygotic twins. Reported herein is a case of LCH in non-twin siblings (younger sister and elder brother) who were diagnosed at 3.3 and 14.5 years of age, respectively, and successfully treated with chemotherapy, with BRAF V600E mutation status, and a brief review of the literature.

Solution-processed and alkali metals, such as Li and Na, are introduced in doped amorphous zinc tin oxide (ZTO) semiconductor TFTs, which show better electrical performance, such as improved field effect mobility, than intrinsic amorphous ZTO semiconductor TFTs. Furthermore, by using spectroscopic UV-visible analysis we propose a comprehensive technique for monitoring the improved electrical performance induced by alkali metal doping in terms of the change in optical properties. The change in the optical bandgap supported by the Burstein-Moss theory could successfully show a mobility increase that is related to interstitial doping of alkali metal in ZTO semiconductors.

Diabet. Med. 29, 1165-1170 (2012) Abstract Aims The aim of this study was to investigate whether increased apolipoprotein B/apolipoprotein A-I ratio is associated with Type 2 diabetes mellitus independent of other risk factors for Type 2 diabetes. Methods A total of 70 063 subjects (41 391 men and 28 672 women; mean age 41.5 years) who visited the Health Screening Center at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital for a routine medical check-up between January 2009 and December 2009 were enrolled in this study. Results The mean apolipoprotein B/apolipoprotein A-I ratio in the study subjects was 0.66 ± 0.18. The prevalence of Type 2 diabetes increased across the apolipoprotein B/apolipoprotein A-I ratio quartiles (1.0%, 1.6%, 2.9%, and 4.8% for the 1st through 4th quartiles, respectively, P

Policosanols (PCs) are a group of long-chain alcohols that have been reported to have many beneficial physiological activities. In this study, the total content and composition of PCs in 15 rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars from Korea were characterized by gas chromatography–time-of-flight mass spectrometry. This method proved to be sufficiently precise and accurate with respect to the degree of endogenous biological variability found in the rice samples. Octacosanol (C28) and triacontanol (C30) were the major components of PCs in all cultivars. In addition, there were positive correlations among the determined PC contents. Given its high PC content, the Heughyangbyeo cultivar may appear to be a good candidate for future breeding programs.

Among 33 cytochrome P450s (CYPs) of Streptomyces avermitilis, CYP102D1 encoded by the sav575 gene is naturally a unique and self-sufficient CYP. Since the native cyp102D1 gene could not be expressed well in Escherichia coli, its expression was attempted using codon-optimized synthetic DNA. The gene was successfully overexpressed and the recombinant CYP102D1 was functionally active, showing a Soret peak at 450 nm in the reduced CO difference spectrum. FMN/FAD isolated from the reductase domain showed the same fluorescence in thin layer chromatography separation as the authentic standards. Characterization of the substrate specificity of CYP102D1 based on NADPH oxidation rate revealed that it catalysed the oxidation of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids with very good regioselectivity, similar to other CYP102A families depending on NADPH supply. In particular, CYP102D1 catalysed the rapid oxidation of myristoleic acid with a k(cat)/K(m) value of 453.4 ± 181.5 μM(-1)·min(-1). Homology models of CYP102D1 based on other members of the CYP102A family allowed us to alter substrate specificity to aromatic compounds such as daidzein. Interestingly, replacement of F96V/M246I in the active site increased catalytic activity for daidzein with a k(cat)/K(m) value of 100.9 ± 10.4 μM(-1)·min(-1) (15-fold).

) and its dep-osition requires a high-cost vacuum process. More importantly, the poor transparency of silicon makes it unsuitable for trans-parent applications, and transparency is one of the key issues for future display technology. Consequently, in a search for alterna-tives for amorphous silicon, considerable interest has focused on metal oxide semiconductors, such as In, Ga, or Zn oxides, as these exhibit high optical transparencies, and have excel-lent electrical properties with high electron mobility, chemical stability, and solution processability. For example, ZnO-based semiconductors have been successfully incorporated into var-ious electronic devices, such as electron transfer layers for solar cells

Focal CpG island hypermethylation and diffuse genomic hypomethylation signify the changes in the DNA methylation status in cancer cells. ALU and LINE-1 repetitive DNA elements comprise ~28% of the human genome. PCR-based measurements of these repetitive DNA elements can be used as a surrogate marker of the genomewide methylation content. Our study aimed to identify the timing of ALU and LINE-1 hypomethylations during multistep gastric carcinogenesis and their prognostic implications in gastric cancer (GC). In our study, we analyzed the methylation statuses of ALU and LINE-1 in 249 cases of gastric biopsy samples and another independent set of 198 cases of advanced GC by pyrosequencing. Regardless of the Helicobacter pylori infection status, a significant decrease in the ALU methylation levels was noted during the transitions from chronic gastritis to intestinal metaplasia and from gastric adenoma to GC. LINE-1 methylation decreased during the transition from intestinal metaplasia to gastric adenoma and no further decrease occurred during the transition from gastric adenoma to GC. A low LINE-1 methylation status was strongly associated with poor prognosis in GC. A multivariate analysis revealed that LINE-1 methylation status was an independent prognostic factor. Our findings suggest that ALU and LINE-1 hypomethylations are early events during multistep gastric carcinogenesis. Furthermore, the LINE-1 methylation status can be used as a molecular biomarker to define a subset of GC patients with poor prognosis.

CYP51, a sterol 14α-demethylase, is one of the key enzymes involved in sterol biosynthesis and requires electrons transferred from its redox partners. A unique CYP51 from Nocardia farcinica IFM10152 forms a distinct cluster with iron-sulfur containing NADPH-P450 reductase (FprD) downstream of CYP51. Previously, sequence alignment of nine reductases from N. farcinica revealed that FprC, FprD, and FprH have an additional sequence at their N-termini that has very high identity with iron-sulfur clustered ferredoxin G (FdxG). To construct an artificial self-sufficient cytochrome P450 monooxygenase (CYP) with only FprD, CYP51, and iron-sulfur containing FprD were fused together with designed linker sequences. CYP51-FprD fusion enzymes showed distinct spectral properties of both flavoprotein and CYP. CYP51-FprD F1 and F2 in recombinant Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) catalyzed demethylation of lanosterol more efficiently, with k(cat) /K(m) values of 96.91 and 105.79 nmol/min/nmol, respectively, which are about 35-fold higher compared to those of CYP51 and FprD alone.

Park S Y, Chang H J, Kim D Y, Jung K H, Kim S Y, Park J W, Oh J H, Lim S-B, Choi H S & Jeong S-Y (2011) Histopathology59, 650–659 Is step section necessary for determination of complete pathological response in rectal cancer patients treated with preoperative chemoradiotherapy? Aims: To assess the efficacy of the step section for determination of pathological complete response (pCR) in rectal cancer treated with preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT). Methods and results: Of 709 patients with rectal cancer who received preoperative CRT, 88 were initially diagnosed as having pCR. These 88 patients were re-evaluated after two-level step sections of the entire tumour by using Dworak’s regression grade. Additional serial step sections revealed residual tumour cells in seven of 88 patients (7.95%), all of whom were upgraded to regression grade 3 (near total regression) from regression grade 4 (total regression). Of these seven patients, one (14.3%) showed tumour recurrence, compared with 11 of 81 (13.6%) patients with a final regression grade of 4. Neither recurrence rate nor disease-free survival rate differed significantly between these two groups (P > 0.5). Calcification was significantly more frequent in grade 3 than in grade four patients (71.4% versus 32.1%; P = 0.037), and acellular mucin pools were associated with better disease-free survival (P = 0.022). Conclusions: Stratifying patient outcome by final regression grade after step section did not yield different outcomes in patients with initial pCR. If residual tumour cells are not identified on initial meticulous examination, further processing of step sections is not necessary.

As transparent displays become recog-nized as next-generation displays, the transparent thin-fi lm transistor (TTFT) is becoming an important device in the display industry. In addition, because the transparent device is causing a strong ripple effect through the whole industry, it has been spotlighted in response to changing markets and technological demands. For example, this technology can be applied to ultra-mobile PCs, smart windows, transparent tablets, and paper-thin displays. In particular, one anticipated application is the smart window. The smart window could transmit visual information onto the windshields of automobiles and airplanes. The use of transparent window displays has no limitations in space and visibility. Therefore, the transparent device has the potential to drive the future of the IT industry. From a technological standpoint, advances in trans-parent devices mean an increase in the transmittance in order to enhance the aperture ratio of device. Higher transmittance of the thin fi lm transistor (TFT) allows the effective use of back light and improves power consumption effi ciency. In order to achieve the TTFT, the development of transparent materials must be fi rst addressed. Of prime importance is zinc oxide (ZnO) with extensive applications in the industry. ZnO is a wide bandgap (

A 10-year-old male and his family members visited a pediatric hematology clinic due to coagulopathy. Laboratory tests indicated von Willebrand disease (vWD) in all the family members. We conducted diagnostic exome sequencing for confirmation. The patient was confirmed to be a compound heterozygote for vWD: c.2574C > G (p.Cys858Trp) from his father (known variant of vWD type 1) and c.3390C > T (p.Pro1127_Gly1180delinsArg) from his mother (variant known to result in exon 26 skipping in vWD type 2A). He was managed with factor VIII and von Willebrand factor complex concentrate during palatoplasty due to bleeding despite pre-operative desmopressin injection. The operation was completed successfully.

The enhancement of interfacial charge collection efficiency using buffer layers is a cost-effective way to improve the performance of organic photovoltaic devices (OPVs) because they are often universally applicable regardless of the active materials. However, the availability of high-performance buffer materials, which are solution-processable at low temperature, are limited and they often require burdensome additional surface modifications. Herein, high-performance ZnO based electron transporting layers (ETLs) for OPVs are developed with a novel g-ray-assisted solution process. Through careful formulation of the ZnO precursor and g-ray irradiation, the pre-formation of ZnO nanoparticles occurs in the precursor solutions, which enables the preparation of high quality ZnO films. The g-ray assisted ZnO (ZnO-G) films possess a remarkably low defect density compared to the conventionally prepared ZnO films. The low-defect ZnO-G films can improve charge extraction efficiency of ETL without any additional treatment. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the device using the ZnO-G ETLs is 11.09% with an open-circuit voltage (VOC), short-circuit current density ( JSC), and fill factor (FF) of 0.80 V, 19.54 mA cm-2, and 0.71, respectively, which is one of the best values among widely studied poly[4,8-bis(5-(2-ethylhexyl)thiophen-2-yl)benzo[1,2-b;4,5-b']dithiophene-2,6-diyl-alt-(4-(2-ethylhexyl)-3-fluorothieno[3,4-b]thiophene-)-2-carboxylate-2-6-diyl)]: [6,6]-phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester (PTB7-Th:PC71BM)-based devices.

Craniofacial deformities (CFDs) frequently accompany midfacial hypoplasia. The authors evaluated characteristics of maxillary sinuses that had CFDs with variable degrees of midfacial hypoplasia.Cross-sectional survey with chart review.Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.We investigated 40 patients with CFDs having midfacial hypoplasia. Study group 1 (SG 1) consisted of eight patients with Crouzon syndrome (16 maxillary sinuses). Study group 2 (SG 2) consisted of 10 patients with midfacial hypoplasia after palatoplasty (20 maxillary sinuses). Study group 3 (SG 3) consisted of 22 patients with Pruzansky grade I hemifacial microsomia (22 maxillary sinuses on the affected sides). Data on volume and three-dimensional distances (height, width, and depth) from computed tomography were collected and compared with each corresponding control group. Correlation coefficient between volume and the three distances was also calculated.The volume, height, width, and depth of the maxillary sinus were significantly decreased in SG 1 (P0.01). In SG 2, only the depth was significantly decreased (P0.05). In SG 3, there were no significant differences in any parameters. A multiple-regression analysis between the volume and the three distances showed a statistically significant relationship for width in SG 1, width and height in SG 2, and all distances in SG 3.There were differences in the structure of the maxillary sinuses among patients with different CFDs.

CpG island hypermethylation and genomic DNA hypomethylation are found not only in gastric cancers but also in associated premalignant lesions. Helicobacter pylori infection induces aberrant CpG island hypermethylation in gastric mucosae. However, little is known about the relationship between H. pylori infection and aberrant methylation in premalignant lesions. The present study characterized methylation changes in a subset of genes and repetitive DNA elements (ALU, LINE-1, SAT2) and examined their relationship with H. pylori infection in premalignant lesions of gastric cancers. We performed MethyLight analysis of 25 genes and SAT2 and COBRA analysis of ALU and LINE-1 in 212 gastric tissue samples. H. pylori infection was closely associated with enhanced hypermethylation of CpG island loci in chronic gastritis samples, but this association was not found among intestinal metaplasias, gastric adenomas and gastric cancers. The number of methylated genes was greater in intestinal metaplasia and gastric adenoma samples than in chronic gastritis samples, regardless of H. pylori infection. Methylation of repetitive DNA elements in gastric lesions generally decreased with progression of the gastric lesion along the multistep carcinogenesis. No difference was noted in the number of methylated genes in chronic gastritis or intestinal metaplasia between gastric cancer patients and non-cancer subjects. In conclusion, we found that there was no enhanced CpG island hypermethylation in gastric cancer and premalignant lesions in association with H. pylori infection and our findings suggest that CpG island hypermethylation and repetitive DNA hypomethylation are enhanced with progression of the gastric lesion through the multistep carcinogenesis, regardless of the status of H. pylori infection.

Background and objective: The treatment choice for post-intubation tracheal stenosis (PITS) in patients for whom surgery is not initially feasible is bronchoscopic silicone stenting. A new silicone stent, called the Natural stent (N stent), was investigated for its clinical efficacy and safety in patients with PITS. Methods: A retrospective review was conducted of 32 patients with PITS who underwent N stenting between November 2001 and December 2006 and were followed for at least 12 months. Results: Airway dilatation with combined modalities such as Nd : YAG laser, ballooning or bougienage was followed by N stent insertion. After intervention, all patients had symptomatic and spirometric improvement without immediate complications. Removal of the stent without re-stenosis was successful in 38% of the patients at a median time of 7 months after insertion. The stent could not be removed or needed reinsertion in 31% of patients, and 16% of patients underwent surgery after initial stabilization by stenting. Late complications were stent migration (34%), mucostasis (31%), granulation tissue formation (38%) and re-stenosis (40%). All patients tolerated the management of complications during a median follow up of 22 months. Conclusions: Bronchoscopic N stenting is an effective treatment for patients with PITS in whom surgery is not feasible on initial presentation. Further stent development is necessary to reduce the late complication rate.

Ferromagnetic properties were observed at room temperature for 57 Fe-doped cupric oxide (CuO) film and powder samples. MOssbauer spectroscopy measurements on the Fe 0.02 Cu 0.98 O samples revealed that the octahedral Cu 2+ sites are mostly substituted by Fe 3+ ions. Both ferromagnetic and paramagnetic Fe 3+ signals were detected. The Fe 0.02 Cu 0.98 O samples were found to be ferromagnetic even above the Neel temperature of CuO. A carrier localized around oxygen vacancy can mediate a ferromagnetic coupling among neighboring Fe 3+ ions. Additional Li doping into Fe 0.02 Cu 0.98 O resulted in an increase of the ferromagnetic strength. Unpaired s 1 electron in interstitial Li atom is likely to mediate a ferromagnetic coupling between neighboring spins.

As predicted by Moore’s Law, [1] the feature size of semiconductor devices reached the 90 nm node in 2004. [2] Presently, research is focused on reaching 32 nm. [3] Unfortunately, standard UV lithography cannot be used at this scale. [3] Thus, several next-generation lithographic techniques have been proposed. [4–7] Work combining scanning probe lithography and self-assembly [8] has demonstrated that a hybridization of topdown and bottom-up techniques may be effective. [9] As photolithography using shorter-wavelength light, such as extreme UV or soft X-rays, is considered to be a leading next-generation lithography technology, a hybrid approach combining extreme UV lithography (EUVL) with bottom-up assembly could be used in the industrial production of microelectronic devices. Polymers have typically been used as templates for this type of hybrid patterning, [10,11] but thinner layers are required to continue to reduce feature sizes via EUVL. Nanolayers of small molecules on silicon consist of only a few atomic layers. As these systems are structurally simple and well ordered, a number of surface science studies have been performed to probe the behavior of these materials during the last several decades. [12] Therefore, they are well understood and are an excellent choice for studying EUV-induced surface modification at the atomic scale. EUV is normally used in the identification of chemical structures or the analysis of chemical environments, but an EUV-induced surface modification is clearly observed for a molecular nanolayer of Cl2 in this work. We report that EUV-induced surface modification can be used to pattern surfaces, resulting in a variety of possible functionalities. As surface modification originates from secondary electrons produced by EUV, it can also occur from primary electrons or photons with shorter wavelengths, suggesting that our concept could be extended to electron-beam (e-beam) and proximity X-ray lithographies.

Process variables for manufacturing CuInSe2 thin films were established in order to clarify optimum conditions for growth of the thin film depending upon process conditions (substrate temperature, sputtering pressure, DC/RF power), and then by changing the number of vapor deposition conditions and annealing conditions, structural and electrical characteristics were measured. Thereby, optimum process variables were derived. For the manufacture of CuInSe2, Cu, In and Se were vapor-deposited in the named order. Among them, Cu and In were vapor-deposited by using the sputtering method in consideration of their adhesive force to the substrate, and the DC/RF power was controlled so that the composition of Cu and In might be 1 : 1, while the surface temperature having an effect on the quality of the thin film was changed from 100 °C to 300 °C at intervals of 50 °C. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

The decoration of p-type nickel oxide (NiO) with n-type hematite (α-Fe2O3) to achieve vertically ordered 1D nanostructures is an attractive strategy to enhance gas sensing properties. Herein, the authors report a facile method for α-Fe2O3 decoration of the whole surface of vertical NiO nanorods. An NiO/Fe heterostructure is deposited in multiple steps using a glancing angle deposition method, which is followed by the oxidation of Fe into α-Fe2O3. Thermally agglomerated α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles are uniformly distributed on the whole surface of the NiO nanorods. Due to the α-Fe2O3 decoration, the NiO nanorods exhibit a coral-like rough surface and, more interestingly, their preferential crystallographic orientation changed from (111) to (200). Compared to bare NiO nanorods, the α-Fe2O3-decorated NiO nanocorals exhibit a 45.4 times higher response to 50 ppm toluene (C7H8) at 350 °C. Their theoretical detection limit for C7H8 is calculated to be ≈22 ppb. The observed unprecedented synergetic effects of α-Fe2O3-decorated NiO nanocorals for the extremely selective C7H8 sensing, as well as their facile synthetic route, establish a new perspective on heterostructured metal oxide 1D nanostructures for selective gas sensing.

Red heteroleptic tris-cyclometalated iridium complex, Ir(ppy)2(dpq-3-F), have been characterized. When Ir(ppy)2(dpq-3-F) is placed in the excited state, the excitation energy is quickly intramolecular transferred from two ppy to one luminescent dpq-3-F. Thus, Ir(ppy)2(dpq-3-F) shows emission at 620nm from dpq-3-F. The device with Ir(ppy)2(dpq-3-F) showed superior electrical characteristics by decreasing self-quenching.