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The residence time effect of SiNx plasma atomic layer deposition (ALD) processes was investigated. The reactive species (Hx, NHy, SiHz) were analysed by a mass spectrometer. In the NH3 plasma step, a strong SiH4 peak was observed and is attributed to the desorption of SiH4 from the SiNx surface. A relatively low N/Si ratio of 1.16 was identified owing to the re-deposition of the desorbed SiH4. The re-deposition was decreased by reducing the residence time of reactants. The re-deposition species were quantitatively analysed using optical emission spectrometry, and the N/Si ratio increased nearly to the ideal stoichiometric value of 1.33.

Al2O3/plasma polymer multilayers were developed and characterized for the moisture barrier films of flexible organic devices. The inorganic Al2O3 thin films were deposited by a spatial atomic layer deposition process and the organic layers were deposited by plasma polymerization in the same chamber using CHF3, benzene, and cyclohexane precursors. The deposition rate, light transmittance, and surface roughness of the plasma polymer films obtained from the three precursors were investigated. The three plasma polymer layers were introduced between Al2O3 layers and their effect on the water permeability and flexibility of each Al2O3/plasma polymer multilayer structure was evaluated. The multilayer structure with hydrocarbon from cyclohexane shows better flexibility than that with fluorocarbon by CHF3 and hydrocarbon by benzene. Polymer interlayers with plasma thicker than 20 nm are necessary for reasonable flexibility. The authors increased the number of layers up to 21 to improve the water permeability and flexibility. The water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) of a 100 nm-thick Al2O3/plasma polymer was reduced to 8.5 × 10−5 g/m2 day with the 21-layer structure. This WVTR value is 58% lower than that of the 100 nm-thick single-layer Al2O3. The WVTR of a 100 nm-thick single-layer Al2O3 increased by 900% when it was bent 1000 times with a bending radius of 1 cm due to film cracks, while, under the same conditions, the 21-layer structure showed only a 32% increase in the WVTR. These results indicate that the nanometer-scale-thick plasma polymer can be an effective solution for multilayer moisture barrier films.Al2O3/plasma polymer multilayers were developed and characterized for the moisture barrier films of flexible organic devices. The inorganic Al2O3 thin films were deposited by a spatial atomic layer deposition process and the organic layers were deposited by plasma polymerization in the same chamber using CHF3, benzene, and cyclohexane precursors. The deposition rate, light transmittance, and surface roughness of the plasma polymer films obtained from the three precursors were investigated. The three plasma polymer layers were introduced between Al2O3 layers and their effect on the water permeability and flexibility of each Al2O3/plasma polymer multilayer structure was evaluated. The multilayer structure with hydrocarbon from cyclohexane shows better flexibility than that with fluorocarbon by CHF3 and hydrocarbon by benzene. Polymer interlayers with plasma thicker than 20 nm are necessary for reasonable flexibility. The authors increased the number of layers up to 21 to improve the water permeability and f...

In this study, an atomic layer etching (ALE) process was developed and investigated for the removal of SiO2 with CF4/NH3. An ammonium fluorosilicate [AFS, (NH4)2SiF6] layer was successfully formed on SiO2 with CF4/NH3 plasma and removed by subsequent thermal treatment above 100 °C using a lamp. An oxide removal rate of 2.7 nm/cycle was achieved with CF4/NH3 chemistry, and the self-limiting characteristic of the ALE process was demonstrated by the removal rates. After the ALE process of SiO2 with CF4/NH3 plasma, no carbon residue was observed on the SiO2 surface. The reaction characteristics of the CF4/NH3 plasma were compared with those of the NF3/NH3 plasma. The removal rate with NF3/NH3 was 9.1 nm/cycle, which is three times higher than that with CF4/NH3 without saturation at 600 s. The lower removal rate with the CF4/NH3 plasma is attributed to the stronger C–F bonding in CF4 compared to the N–F bonding in NF3. Moreover, the stronger bonding generates fewer fluorine radicals required to form HF and NH4F reactants. This work demonstrates that CF4 is suitable for the ALE process for the removal of oxide layers at the nanometer-scale; in addition, it provides an effective process for the nanoscale removal of oxides in three-dimensional devices.

In this study, silicon nitride (SiNx) thin films were deposited by inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition using trisilylamine (TSA, N(SiH3)3) and ammonia (NH3) plasma, and their moisture barrier properties were improved by plasma post-treatment. Ar, N2, and O2 plasmas were applied to the SiNx films after deposition. After O2 plasma treatment, the reduction of hydrogen in -NHx was confirmed by FT-IR analysis. Mass spectroscopic results showed a distinct hydrogen peak in the O2 plasma processes. Hydrogen was speculated to be removed from the SiNx surface, and the reduced hydrogen on the surface was attributed to the densification of the SiNx thin films. The increased film density reduced the moisture permeability of the SiNx thin films. The water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) of 120-nm thick single SiNx thin films was reduced by 77% to 3.0 × 10−3 g/m2-day from 1.3 × 10−2 g/m2-day with O2 plasma treatment. The increase of WVTR evaluated using a bending test was adopted to estimate flexibility. The increase of WVTR reduced to 71% in O2-plasma treated SiNx single layers from 88% with untreated SiNx single layers after bending the film at a bending radius of 1.5 cm. Multilayer moisture barrier films were fabricated using the O2-plasma treated SiNx layers and hydrocarbon plasma polymer layers made of cyclohexane plasma to further improve the moisture barrier properties and flexibility. The increase of WVTR reduced by approximately five times in the multilayer structure with O2 plasma treated SiNx/hydrocarbon plasma polymer after the bending test. A WVTR of 7.6 × 10−4 g/m2-day was obtained with an alternating nine-layer structure. In this study, we demonstrated that plasma post-treatment processes can improve the moisture barrier properties and flexibility by reducing the hydrogen dangling bonds and hydrogen concentration inside SiNx thin films.

(1) Background: South Korea ranked worst in sleep duration compared to other countries, but there are no clear healthcare programs to guarantee sufficient sleep. Studies are needed to suggest evidence and arouse public awareness of the negative effects of abnormal sleep duration. In this study, we investigated the relationship between biological age (BA) and sleep duration. (2) Methods: We used data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (KNHANES V-VI, 2010&ndash, 2015, which is an annually cross-sectional study including 29,309 participants). We performed multiple linear regression to investigate the associations between sleep duration and differences in BA and chronological age (CA). (3) Results: A total of 14.22% of respondents had short sleep duration (less than 6 h per day) and 7.10% of respondents had long sleep duration (more than 8 h per day). People with long sleep duration had a positive correlation with difference between BA and CA (&gt, 8 h per day, &beta, = 1.308, p-value = 0.0001, ref = 6~8 h per day, normal). Short sleep duration had an inverse trend with the difference, although the result was not statically significant. Associations were greater in vulnerable populations, such as low income, obese, or people with chronic diseases. (4) Conclusions: Excess sleep duration that is greater than the normal range was associated with increased BA. In particular, such relationships that are related to worsening BA were greater in patients with low income, obesity, and chronic diseases. Based on our findings, healthcare professionals should also consider the negative effects of excess sleep, not only insufficient sleep. Alternatives for controlling optimal sleep duration should be reviewed, especially with vulnerable populations.

In our previous study, the Kelch domain-containing 7B (KLHDC7B) was revealed to be hypermethylated at the promoter but upregulated in breast cancer. In this study, we identified a long non-coding RNA, ST8SIA6-AS1 (STAR1), whose expression was significantly associated with KLHDC7B in breast cancer (R2 = 0.3466, P

We developed hygroscopic interlayers to constitute flexible Al2O3 deposited moisture-barrier films and investigated their moisture-barrier properties and flexibility. The hygroscopic interlayers were made from titanium (IV) methoxide (TiMO) and lithium acetylacetonate (Li(acac)) and deposited by thermal evaporation. The hygroscopic interlayers were confirmed to absorb moisture to form Ti O Ti bonds in a TiMO layer and LiOH, LiH bonding in a Li (acac) layer. The water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) for a 25 nm thick Al2O3 layer on a polyethylenenaphthalate substrate was 4.6 × 10−4 g/(m2·day) in the absence of a hygroscopic layer, whereas the WVTR for the Al2O3 (12.5 nm)/hygroscopic layer (100 nm)/Al2O3 (12.5 nm) barrier film reached 1.5 × 10−4 g/(m2·day) with a Li(acac) interlayer and 1.7 × 10−4 g/(m2·day) with a TiMO interlayer. When compared to a 25 nm thick Al2O3 single layer with no hygroscopic layers, the WVTR was reduced by 62% with a thick TiMO interlayer and by 63% with a Li(acac) interlayer placed between the Al2O3 layers. The two kind of multilayer barrier films showed improved flexibility when the hygroscopic interlayer was introduced. The WVTR increased by 131% after performing 1000 bending cycles to a bending radius of 1.5 cm, while the 25 nm single Al2O3 layer showed a larger increase of 374%. The hygroscopic interlayers thus improved both the moisture-barrier property and flexibility.

Little is known regarding the extent to which dying patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) receive life-sustaining procedures and palliative care in US hospitals. We examined temporal trends and the impact of palliative care on the use of life-sustaining procedures in this population.A retrospective nationwide cohort analysis was performed using weighted National Inpatient Sample (NIS) data obtained from 2010 to 2014. Decedents ≥18 years of age at the time of death and with a principal diagnosis of COPD were included. We examined the receipt of life-sustaining procedures, defined as1 ventilation (intubation, mechanical ventilation, and noninvasive ventilation),2 vasopressor use (infusion and intravascular monitoring),3 nutrition (enteral and parenteral infusion of concentrated nutrition),4 dialysis, and5 cardiopulmonary resuscitation as well as palliative care consultation and do not resuscitate (DNR). We used compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) and the Rao-Scott correction of the χ2 statistic to determine the statistical significance of temporal trends of life-sustaining procedures, palliative care utilization, and DNR status.Among 37 312 324 hospitalizations, 38 425 patients were examined. The CAGRs of life-sustaining procedures were 6.61% and -9.73% among patients who underwent multiple procedures and patients who did not undergo any procedure, respectively (both P.001). The CAGRs of palliative consultation and DNR were 5.25% and 36.62%, respectively (both P.001).Among adults with COPD dying in US hospitals between 2010 and 2014, the utilization of life-sustaining procedures, palliative care, and DNR status increased.

Heart failure (HF) remains the most common diagnosis of hospital admission among U.S. adults. Although diagnosis and treatment have improved, mortality rates have not changed, and mortality risk remains high after hospitalization. The current researchers examined how limited health literacy is associated with mortality risk in adults with recent hospitalization due to decompensated HF. Researchers conducted a systematic literature search, selecting three cohort and three intervention studies. The fixed-effect model was used. From the three cohort studies, 2,858 study participants were analyzed. Among participants, limited health literacy was associated with higher all-cause mortality (pooled odds ratio = 2.95; 95% confidence interval [2.34, 3.72]; p < 0.01; I 2 = 47.38%). However, none of the intervention studies showed an association between limited health literacy and cardiac (or all-cause) mortality. Future research should focus on the efficiency and safety of telehealth-based medicine in patients with HF, particularly those with limited health literacy. [Res Gerontol Nurs. 2019; 12(2):91–108.]

Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) has gained attention for use in cancer treatment owing to its ability to preferentially induce cancer cell death; however, the involved molecular mechanism remains to be elucidated. Herein, an epigenetic effect of CAP on cancer cells was examined by performing a genome-wide ChIP-seq for H3K4me3 in MCF-7 breast cancer cell line. Consequently, 899 genes showed significantly changed methylation level at H3K4 with constructing "Cellular Compromise, DNA Replication, Recombination, Repair, and Cell Cycle" as the top network. Comparisons with expression array data revealed a coincidence between histone modification and gene expression for 18 genes, and the association was confirmed by ChIP-PCR and qRT-PCR for selected genes. The expression of the affected genes, such as HSCB and PRPS1, was recovered when a histone demethylase JARID1A was inhibited. Furthermore, JARID1A was induced by CAP via the reactive oxygen species signaling. The two genes are known as oncogenes and show a higher expression in breast cancer tissue, and this was supported by the decreased colony formation ability of MCF-7 cells when the cells were treated with siRNAs against each gene. Taken together, these data indicate that CAP inhibits cancer cell proliferation by modulating the methylation level of H3K4 corresponding to oncogenes.

MicroRNA-7 (miR-7) is a non-coding RNA of 23-nucleotides that has been shown to act as a tumor suppressor in various cancers including breast cancer. Although there have been copious studies on the action mechanisms of miR-7, little is known about how the miR is controlled in the mammary cell. In this study, we performed a genome-wide expression analysis in miR-7-transfected MCF-10A breast cell line to explore the upstream regulators of miR-7. Analysis of the dysregulated target gene pool predicted hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) as the most plausible upstream regulator of miR-7. MiR-7 was upregulated in MCF-10A cells by HGF, and subsequently downregulated upon treatment with siRNA against HGF. However, the expression of HGF did not significantly change through either an upregulation or downregulation of miR-7 expression, suggesting that HGF acts upstream of miR-7. In addition, the target genes of miR-7, such as EGFR, KLF4, FAK, PAK1 and SET8, which are all known oncogenes, were downregulated in HGF-treated MCF-10A; in contrast, knocking down HGF recovered their expression. These results indicate that miR-7 mediates the activity of HGF to suppress oncogenic proteins, which inhibits the development of normal cells, at least MCF-10A, into cancerous cells.

Single fulcrum laparoscopic cholecystectomy (SFLC) is a modified version of single incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy (SILC). In this article we report on the first experience of SFLC in a patient with situs inversus totalis (SIT). A 36-year-old female patient with SIT whose gallbladder was located on the left side was admitted to hospital due to a symptomatic gallbladder stone; 2 ㎝ of transumbilical skin and subcutaneous fat layer were dissected and the fascia layer was left undissected to make two openings at the upper and lower part each, dividing where trocars were placed. Compared to conventional SFLC or SILC, the right hand, which is dominant for most people, performed the main operating movements, such as cutting and clipping, while the other hand was retracting the fundus of the gallbladder to show the Calot triangle. SFLC is a facilitating operation in that it does not require a specialized trocar or instruments, and is also convenient for a patient with SIT.

Background : The diagnosis-related group-based prospective payment programme was introduced in Korea in 1997 as a pilot programme to control health spending. In July 2013, the programme was implemented throughout the nation. The aim of our study is to evaluate the relationship between quality of care and market competition following the introduction of the new payment system in Korea. Methods : We conduct an observational analysis using National Health Insurance claim data from 2011 to 2014. We analyse data on readmission within 30 days, length of stay, and number of outpatient visits for 1742 hospitals and 821 912 cases. We use a generalized estimating equation model to evaluate readmission within 30 days and number of outpatient visits and a multi-level regression model to assess length of stay. Results : Total readmission within 30 days is 10 727 (1.3%). High competition areas present a lower risk of readmission [odds ratio (OR): 0.95, P : 0.0277], a longer length of stay (1%, P < 0.0001), and an increased number of outpatient visits (Relative Risk: 1.11, P : 0.0011) as compared with moderate competition areas. Risk of readmission is higher in low competition areas as compared with moderate competition areas (OR: 1.21, P < 0.0001). Conclusion: The effects of the introduction of the new payment system differed by degree of market competition. Thus, evaluation about the effect of new payment system on hospital performance should be measured in combination with the degree of hospital market structure.

Received February 11, 2015, Revised May 20, 2015, Accepted May 27, 2015 Correspondence to: Tae Hyun Kim Department of Hospital Administration, Graduate School of Public Health, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-752, Korea Tel: +82-2-2228-1521, Fax: +82-2-392-8133, E-mail: THKIM@yuhs.ac This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

A key function of dendritic cells (DCs) is to induce either immune tolerance or immune activation. Many new DC subsets are being recognized, and it is now clear that each DC subset has a specialized function. For example, different DC subsets may express different cell surface molecules and respond differently to activation by secretion of a unique cytokine profile. Apart from intrinsic differences among DC subsets, various immune modulators in the microenvironment may influence DC function; inappropriate DC function is closely related to the development of immune disorders. The most exciting recent advance in DC biology is appreciation of human DC subsets. In this review, we discuss functionally different mouse and human DC subsets both in lymphoid organs and non-lymphoid organs, the molecules that regulate DC function, and the emerging understanding of the contribution of DCs to autoimmune diseases.

Objective Cancer is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Recently, survival rates of cancer patients have been improving. Many patients are diagnosed with cancer at an age when their career is an important component of their lives, and job status can have a significant impact on health-related quality of life (HRQOL). The purpose of this study was to determine the association of job status and HRQOL with respect to particular situations, such as long-term cancer survival and the presence of comorbid conditions, as compared with the general population. Methods Data on a total of 27,089 eligible participants from the 2007–2012 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used in the study. To identify factors associated with the HRQOL of long-term cancer survivors, multiple linear regression analysis was performed. HRQOL was measured by the EuroQol five-dimension instrument (EQ-5D). Results People who once had a job and lost it because of health issues have been shown to have a lower EQ-5D (β =−8.997, p

We report on the targeted imaging of breast cancer using self-assembled levan nanoparticles. Indocyanine green (ICG) was encapsulated in levan nanoparticles via self-assembly. Levan-ICG nanoparticles were found to be successfully accumulated in breast cancer via specific interaction between fructose moieties in levan and overexpressed glucose transporter 5 in breast cancer cells.

Objective: The purpose of the study is to develop quantitative usability evaluation criteria for senior-friendly autonomous transportation robot. Background: The Republic of Korea has become the most rapidly aging society, and is anticipated to enter the post-aged society in 2026. To raise the quality of life of a senior with limited mobility and to reduce the burden of caregivers, many hightech assistive products with information technologies are developed nowadays. The senior-friendly autonomous transportation robot is one person robot vehicle to move a senior to the destination for hospitals, nursing homes or silver town complex. With built-in navigation system and environmental monitoring censors, it automatically seeks the path to the destination and avoids collision to obstacles and pedestrians on the way. Due to the early stage of the product, few usability studies in this field have been done, mostly on general service robots to assist seniors, power wheelchairs and delivery robots. ISO and KS standards for the service robots are focused on safety. Method: Based on the reference usability index, the early draft of the usability evaluation questionnaires was developed. After small group tests and interviews, the experts modified the initial draft to the Usability Evaluation Criteria for Senior-Friendly Autonomous Transportation Robot (UEC-SFATR). Result: UEC-SFATR consisted of 4 subscales - Safety, Controllability, Efficiency and Satisfaction. All of the 4 subscales of UEC-SFATR were passed the reliability criteria by 4 groups of seniors, divided by gender and familiarity of smart-devices. Conclusion: UEC-SFATR covers wider area of user experiences of the SFATR and is a good measurement tool to help both the users and developers of the robot. Application: This study provides guide to the future product development and product competitiveness evaluation by quantifying user experiences for the SFATR.

The aerosol characteristics between haze episode and Asian dust event were identified in January and March, 2013 in Gwang-ju of Korea to investigate the metal elements, ionic concentrations and carbonaceous particles of and . In the haze episode, the concentrations were increased 1~3.2 times of ionic species and 1.6~2.7 of metal elements. Especially, the concentration of , and consists of 50 percent in ionic species during haze episode that was higher than Asian dust event. This suggests that secondary aerosols from anthropogenic air pollution were mainly contributed by haze episode. During the Asian dust event, increase of metal concentrations was higher than haze episode because of remarkable increase of Ti, K and Fe originated from soil. The concentrations of carbonaceous particles were increased 2.5 times during haze episode, and 2.4 times of OC and 2.1 times of EC during Asian dust event in . However, these aerosol mass concentration does not affect the OC/EC ratio. The average equivalence ratios of cations/anions in were 0.99 in haze episodes and 0.94 during non-event day. The neutralization factor of was higher than that of . Futhermore, aerosol was aged due to atmospheric stagnation that might be affected by the haze episode.

This study aimed to develop methods for assessing and identifying nitrogen sources in the Cheongmi River, Korea, that has intensive livestock farming areas (ILFA) in its watershed. The assessment focused on the feasibility of the simultaneous use of stable isotopic compositions of ammonium (δ15NNH4) and nitrate (δ15NNO3) for identifying the main nitrogen pollution sources in the Cheongmi River watershed. Our results suggested that the organic nitrogen (Org-N) to total nitrogen (T-N) ratio could be used as an indicator for assessing the effect of livestock excreta on waterways in ILFA. We observed that the T-N concentration was much more strongly affected by livestock excreta than the T-P concentration in the mainstream of the Cheongmi River. The positive correlation was more significant between δ15NNH4 and NH4-N than that between δ15NNO3 and NO3-N for river water samples. Furthermore, the use of δ15NNH4 was more effective than that of δ15NNO3 in evaluating nitrogen variations between May and August in the Cheongmi River because the differences in δ15NNH4 between May and August were more remarkable compared to those in δ15NNO3. Finally, the simultaneous use of δ15NNH4 and δ15NNO3 showed that the dominant nitrogen source at sites M3, M4, M5, and M6, specifically in May, was livestock excreta in the Cheongmi River. The results of this study could be used for sustainable water quality management in the Cheongmi River watershed.

Objective To explore the impact of mandatory adoption of diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) on the use of outpatient care in Korea. Data Sources National Health Claim data from 2,022 hospitals and 1,029,101 admission cases during 2011–2014: tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy, inguinal/femoral hernia operation, and hemorrhoidectomy. Study Design Outcome variables included probability of outpatient visit, number of outpatient visits, and outpatient medical expenditures within 30 days. Presurgery examination before hospitalization for surgery, including basic and other examination, was conducted to evaluate a possible shift in health care service. A difference-in-difference research design was used to evaluate the impact of the DRG system on the use of outpatient care. Principal Findings Before the introduction of the DRG system, 384,609 (91.1 percent) participants used an outpatient clinic either before or after hospitalization. In our study, the number of outpatient visits and outpatient medical expenditures within 30 days increased after mandatory adoption of the DRG system. After adoption of the DRG system, volume and costs for presurgery examinations increased before hospitalization. Conclusion We observed a spillover effect after mandatory adoption of the DRG system. A future payment system should be designed for spillover effects, and the introduction of a new payment system that expands the DRG-based reimbursement system should be considered.

Aberrant population expansion of follicular helper T cells (T

To identify dysregulated genes by abnormal methylation and expression in breast cancer, we genome-wide analyzed methylation and expression microarray data from the Gene Expression Omnibus and the Cancer Genome Atlas database. One of the genes screened in silico, FLRT2, showed hypermethylation and downregulation in the cancer dataset and the association was verified both in cultured cell lines and cancer patients’ tissue. To investigate the role of FLRT2 in breast cancer, its expression was knocked down and upregulated in mammary cell lines, and the effect was examined through three levels of approach: pathway analysis; cell activities such as proliferation, colony formation, migration, and adhesion; target gene expression. The top pathway was “Cellular growth and proliferation”, or “Cancer”-related function, with the majority of the genes deregulated in a direction pointing to FLRT2 as a potential tumor suppressor. Concordantly, downregulation of FLRT2 increased cell proliferation and cell migration, while overexpression of FLRT2 had the opposite effect. Notably, cell adhesion was significantly decreased by FLRT2 in the collagen I-coated plate. Taken together, our results provide insights into the role of FLRT2 as a novel tumor suppressor in the breast, which is inactivated by hypermethylation during tumor development.

Cancer recurrence, which is frequently accompanied by chemotherapy, has been a challenge in cancer treatment. This study was carried out to examine the potential applications of the reactive oxygen species (ROS)-producing cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) to overcome the cancer cells' drug resistance, which has been emerging as an alternative therapeutic tool for cancer. For this, we developed a tamoxifen (Tam)-resistant MCF-7 (MCF-7/TamR) breast cancer cell model and examined the effect of CAP on the recovery of Tam sensitivity at the cellular and molecular level. The ROS level was increased 1.9-fold in CAP-treated MCF-7/TamR cells compared to the non-treated cell. CAP was proven to restore sensitivity by up to 50% for MCF-7/TamR cells against Tam after CAP treatment. The comparison of genome-wide expression between the acquisition of Tam resistance and CAP treatment identified 20 genes that commonly showed significant expression changes. Notably, all the genes except two have been oppositely dysregulated in the two cellular statuses, and the majority of them are known to contribute to the acquisition of Tam resistance. The protein expression of selected genes, MX1 and HOXC6, was recovered to that of their parental cell by CAP. Furthermore, the dysregulation of MX1 and HOXC6 in MCF-7/TamR alleviated the drug sensitivity recovery effect of CAP. Taken together, CAP inhibited the growth of Tam-resistant MCF-7 cancer cells and reset it to the Tam-sensitive status by restoring the expression of drug resistance-related genes. These findings may lend credence to CAP as an alternative or complementary tool in the treatment or prevention of Tam-resistant cancer.

Background To aim of this study was to examine the association between perceived possibility of purchasing cigarettes and e-cigarette experience among adolescents who currently smoke cigarettes. METHODS Data were derived from the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-Based Survey; a total of 29,169 current smokers participated. The dependent variable was e-cigarette experience in the previous month. Analyses included χ2 test and survey logistic regression. RESULTS A perceived easy possibility of purchasing cigarettes increased the odds of e-cigarette experience (odds ratio, 1.19; 95% confidence interval, 1.07-1.33) compared to when it was perceived as impossible. An easy possibility of purchasing cigarettes increased the odds of e-cigarettes experience among males aged 12-15 or 17 years compared to when it was impossible to purchase cigarettes. CONCLUSION A perceived easy possibility of purchasing cigarettes was more likely to increase e-cigarette experience among adolescents. Laws restricting adolescents' access to e-cigarettes must be strengthened.

In this study, the reinforcement performance of the modified silicas prepared through the incorporation of 3-aminopropyltriethoxy silane (AP) and further reaction of bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BG) to styrene-butadiene/butadiene rubber (SBR/BR) compounds was investigated to discuss the effect of surface and networked states on the properties of silica-filled rubber compounds. The adjustment of the ratio of BG to AP varied the surface and networked states of silica. The amino and glycidyl groups dispersed on the silica and the networks formed on/between silica particles considerably influenced the properties of SBR/BR compounds reinforced with the modified silicas. The presence of amino group increased viscosity of the rubber compounds due to the attrition between rubber chains and silica particles, while the entanglement of rubber chains with the networks successfully improve both wet traction and rolling resistance, without sacrificing the fundamental properties of the rubber compounds, even though no coupling agents were applied. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 134, 44893.

A SNP identified as rs548234, which is found in PRDM1, the gene that encodes BLIMP1, is a risk allele associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). BLIMP1 expression was reported to be decreased in women with the PRDM1 rs548234 risk allele compared with women with the nonrisk allele in monocyte-derived DCs (MO-DCs). In this study, we demonstrate that BLIMP1 expression is regulated by the binding of Kruppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) to the risk SNP. KLF4 is highly expressed in MO-DCs but undetectable in B cells, consistent with the lack of altered expression of BLIMP1 in B cells from risk SNP carriers. Female rs548234 risk allele carriers, but not nonrisk allele carriers, exhibited decreased levels of BLIMP1 in MO-DCs, showing that the regulatory function of KLF4 is influenced by the risk allele. In addition, KLF4 directly recruits histone deacetylases (HDAC4, HDAC6, and HDAC7), established negative regulators of gene expression. Finally, the knock down of KLF4 expression reversed the inhibitory effects of the risk SNP on promoter activity and BLIMP1 expression. Therefore, the binding of KLF4 and the subsequent recruitment of HDACs represent a mechanism for reduced BLIMP1 expression in MO-DCs bearing the SLE risk allele rs548234.

Background: Ginsenoside Rh2 has been known to enhance the activity of immune cells, as well as to inhibit the growth of tumor cells. Although the repertoire of genes regulated by Rh2 is well-known in many cancer cells, the epigenetic regulation has yet to be determined, especially for comprehensive approaches to detect methylation changes. Methods: The effect of Rh2 on genome-wide DNA methylation changes in breast cancer cells was examined by treating cultured MCF-7 with Rh2. Pyrosequencing analysis was carried out to measure the methylation level of a global methylation marker, LINE1. Genome-wide methylation analysis was carried out to identify epigenetically regulated genes and to elucidate the most prominent signaling pathway affected by Rh2. Apoptosis and proliferation were monitored to examine the cellular effect of Rh2. Results: LINE1 showed induction of hypomethylation at specific CpGs by 1.6–9.1% (p

A SNP identified as rs548234, which is found in PRDM1, the gene that encodes BLIMP1, is a risk allele associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). BLIMP1 expression was reported to be decreased in women with the PRDM1 rs548234 risk allele compared with women with the nonrisk allele in monocyte-derived DCs (MO-DCs). In this study, we demonstrate that BLIMP1 expression is regulated by the binding of Kruppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) to the risk SNP. KLF4 is highly expressed in MO-DCs but undetectable in B cells, consistent with the lack of altered expression of BLIMP1 in B cells from risk SNP carriers. Female rs548234 risk allele carriers, but not nonrisk allele carriers, exhibited decreased levels of BLIMP1 in MO-DCs, showing that the regulatory function of KLF4 is influenced by the risk allele. In addition, KLF4 directly recruits histone deacetylases (HDAC4, HDAC6, and HDAC7), established negative regulators of gene expression. Finally, the knock down of KLF4 expression reversed the inhibitory effects of the risk SNP on promoter activity and BLIMP1 expression. Therefore, the binding of KLF4 and the subsequent recruitment of HDACs represent a mechanism for reduced BLIMP1 expression in MO-DCs bearing the SLE risk allele rs548234.

Objectives To assess the overall quality of life of long-stay nursing home residents with preserved cognition, to examine whether the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service's Nursing Home Compare 5-star quality rating system reflects the overall quality of life of such residents, and to examine whether residents' demographics and clinical characteristics affect their quality of life. Design/measurements Quality of life was measured using the Participant Outcomes and Status Measures—Nursing Facility survey, which has 10 sections and 63 items. Total scores range from 20 (lowest possible quality of life) to 100 (highest). Setting/participants Long-stay nursing home residents with preserved cognition (n = 316) were interviewed. Results The average quality- of-life score was 71.4 (SD: 7.6; range: 45.1–93.0). Multilevel regression models revealed that quality of life was associated with physical impairment (parameter estimate = −0.728; P = .04) and depression (parameter estimate = −3.015; P = .01) but not Nursing Home Compare's overall star rating (parameter estimate = 0.683; P = .12) and not pain (parameter estimate = −0.705; P = .47). Conclusion The 5-star quality rating system did not reflect the quality of life of long-stay nursing home residents with preserved cognition. Notably, pain was not associated with quality of life, but physical impairment and depression were.

In cloud storage system, when we search similar documentation files, keyword-based similarity evaluation scheme is well performed. However, if we want to find similar binary files then it is very difficult to satisfy user request. Because there is no widely used binary file search system that supports similarity evaluation among files. File similarity evaluation is essential for digital forensic and data deduplication field. In the file similarity processing time, the CPU consumption and resource overhead of memory are increased as the number of files increase. Moreover, as the file size is getting bigger, the overhead of metadata management is critical. In this paper, we suggest the similarity evaluation scheme using a hybrid chunking which reduce overall processing time of similarity evaluation. Experiment result shows that the proposed system can reduce processing time and data storage capacity effectively.

A single nucleotide polymorphism of PRDM1, the gene encoding Blimp-1, is strongly associated with inflammatory bowel disease. Here, we demonstrate that Blimp-1 in CD103(+) dendritic cells (DCs) critically contributes to the regulation of macrophage homeostasis in the colon. Dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-exposed Blimp-1(cko) mice with a deletion of Blimp-1 in CD103(+) DCs and CD11c(hi) macrophages exhibited severe inflammatory symptoms, pronounced weight loss, high mortality, robust infiltration of neutrophils in epithelial regions of the colon, an increased expression of proinflammatory cytokines and a significant decrease in CD103(+) DCs in the colon compared with DSS exposed wild-type (WT) mice. Purified colonic macrophages from Blimp-1(cko) mice expressed increased levels of matrix metalloproteinase 8, 9 and 12 mRNA. WT macrophages cocultured with colonic DCs but not bone marrow-derived DCs from Blimp-1(cko) produced increased matrix metalloproteinases in an interleukin (IL)-1β- and IL-6-dependent manner. Treatment of Blimp-1(cko) mice with anti-IL-1β and anti-IL-6 abrogated the exaggerated clinical response. Overall, these data demonstrate that Blimp-1 expression in DCs can alter an innate inflammatory response by modulating the activation of myeloid cells. This is a novel mechanism of contribution of Blimp-1 for the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases, implicating another therapeutic target for the development of inflammatory bowel disease.

Background Since 2011, specialty hospitals in South Korea have been known for providing high- quality care in specific clinical areas. Much research related to specialty hospitals and their performance in many such areas has been performed, but investigations about their performance in obstetrics and gynecology are lacking. Thus, we aimed to compare specialty vs. non-specialty hospitals with respect to mode of obstetric delivery, especially the costs and length of stay related to Cesarean section (CS) procedures, and to provide evidence to policy-makers for evaluating the success of hospitals that specialize in obstetric and gynecological (OBGYN) care. Methods We obtained National Health Insurance claim data from 2012 to 2014, which included information from 418,141 OBGYN cases at 214 hospitals. We used a generalized estimating equation model to identify a potential association between the likelihood of CS at specialty hospitals compared with other hospitals. We also evaluated medical costs and length of stay in specialty hospitals according to type of delivery. Results We found that 150,256 (35.9%) total deliveries were performed by CS. The odds ratio of CS was significantly lower in specialty hospitals (OR: 0.95, 95% CI: 0.93–0.96compared to other hospitals Medical costs (0.74%) and length of stay (1%) in CS cases increased in specialty hospitals, although length of stay following vaginal delivery was lower (0.57%) in specialty hospitals compared with other hospitals. Conclusions We determined that specialty hospitals are significantly associated with a lower likelihood of CS delivery and shorter length of stay after vaginal delivery. Although they are also associated with higher costs for delivery, the increased cost could be due to the high level of intensive care provided, which leads to improve quality of care. Policy-makers should consider incentive programs to maintain performance of specialty hospitals and promote efficiency that could reduce medical costs accrued by patients.

A 2,3,4,6-tetrafluoro-7,7,8,8,-tetracyanoquinodimethane (F4-TCNQ) doping interlayer was developed to improve charge imbalance and the efficiency in indium phosphide (InP)-based quantum dot light-emitting diodes (QLEDs). The doping layer was coated between a hole injecting layer (HIL) and a hole transport layer (HTL) and successfully diffused with thermal annealing. This doping reduces the hole injection barrier and improves the charge balance of InP-based QLEDs, resulting in enhancement of an external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 3.78% (up from 1.6%) and a power efficiency of 6.41 lm/W (up from 2.77 lm/W). This work shows that F4-TCNQ interlayer doping into both HIL and HTL facilitates hole injection and can provide an efficient solution of improving charge balance in QLED for the device efficiency.

We aim to examine temporal trends of orthopedic operations and opioid-related hospital stays among seniors in the nation and states of Oregon and Washington where marijuana legalization was accepted earlier than any others. As aging society advances in the United States (U.S.), orthopedic operations and opioid-related hospital stays among seniors increase in the nation. A serial cross-sectional cohort study using the healthcare cost and utilization project fast stats from 2006 through 2015 measured annual rate per 100,000 populations of orthopedic operations by age groups (45–64 vs 65 and older) as well as annual rate per 100,000 populations of opioid-related hospital stays among 65 and older in the nation, Oregon and Washington states from 2008 through 2017. Orthopedic operations (knee arthroplasty, total or partial hip replacement, spinal fusion or laminectomy) and opioid-related hospital stays were measured. The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) was used to quantify temporal trends of orthopedic operations by age groups as well as opioid-related hospital stays and was tested by Rao–Scott correction of χ2 for categorical variables. The CAGR (4.06%) of orthopedic operations among age 65 and older increased (P

목적: Mycoplasma pneumoniae 폐렴은 학동기 소아와 청소년의 지역사회 획득 폐렴 중 가장 흔한 원인으로, 조기에 원인 진단이 가능하다면 적절한 항균 요법을 결정하는데 도움이 된다. 본 연구는 하기도 감염 소아의 호흡기 검체에서 M. pneumoniae를 검출하기 위한 신속 항원 검사 방법의 진단적 가치를 평가하고자 하였다. 방법: 2010년 8월부터 2018년 8월까지 하기도 감염으로 서울대학교 어린이병원에서 응급실 또는 입원 치료를 받은 소아로부터 채취한 비인두 흡인물 중 M. pneumoniae 배양 검사를 시행한 후 -70°C 초저온냉동고에 보관되어 있는 검체 215개를 선정하였다. 비인두 흡인물 검체를 실온에서 해동하고 면역크로마토그래피를 이용한 Ribotest Mycoplasma®를 시행한 후 두 명의 검사자가 결과를 판독하였다. 검사를 시행하는 자와 판독하는 자는 배양 검사 결과를 모르는 상태에서 검사를 진행하였다. 결과: 총 215개의 비인두 흡인물 검체 중 M. pneumoniae가 배양 양성인 검체는 119개, 배양 음성인 검체는 96개였다. M. pneumo niae가 배양 양성인 119개 중 74개(62.2%)가 Ribotest Mycoplasma® 검사 결과 양성이었고, 배양 음성인 96개 중 92개(95.8%)가 Ribotest Mycoplasma® 검사 결과 음성이었다. 배양 검사 결과를 기준으로 평가한 Ribotest Mycoplasma®의 민감도는 62.2% (74/119, 95% 신뢰구간, 53.5-70.9%)이었으며, 특이도는 95.8% (92/96, 95% 신뢰구간, 91.8-99.8%)이었다. 또, 양성 예측도는 94.9% (74/78, 95% 신뢰구간, 90.0-99.8%)이었으며, 음성 예측도는 67.2% (92/137, 95% 신뢰구간, 59.3-75.0%), 그리고 일치도 77.21% (166/215, 95% 신뢰구간, 71.6-82.8%)를 보였다. 결론: 본 연구 결과, 신속 항원 검출법인 Ribotest Mycoplasma® 검사결과가 양성인 경우는 M. pneumoniae 배양 양성과의 일치도가 매우 높아서 M. pneumoniae 감염의 진단에 유용하였다. 그러나, Ribotest Mycoplasma® 검사결과가 음성인 경우의 약 1/3은 M. pneumoniae 배양 양성인 검체이었으므로, 음성 검사 결과에 대한 해석은 주의하여야 한다.

Dendritic cells (DCs) that orchestrate mucosal immunity have been studied in mice. Here we characterized human gut DC populations and defined their relationship to previously studied human and mouse DCs. CD103(+)Sirpα(-) DCs were related to human blood CD141(+) DCs and to mouse intestinal CD103(+)CD11b(-) DCs and expressed markers of cross-presenting DCs. CD103(+)Sirpα(+) DCs aligned with human blood CD1c(+) DCs and mouse intestinal CD103(+)CD11b(+) DCs and supported the induction of regulatory T cells. Both CD103(+) DC subsets induced the TH17 subset of helper T cells, while CD103(-)Sirpα(+) DCs induced the TH1 subset of helper T cells. Comparative analysis of transcriptomes revealed conserved transcriptional programs among CD103(+) DC subsets and identified a selective role for the transcriptional repressors Bcl-6 and Blimp-1 in the specification of CD103(+)CD11b(-) DCs and intestinal CD103(+)CD11b(+) DCs, respectively. Our results highlight evolutionarily conserved and divergent programming of intestinal DCs.

The purpose of this note is to introduce interesting anduseful properties difierential-basis and p -basis in theorem 3.3. Theresult gives a existence difierential basis of S P [⁄ 1 ]( S ) which has a p -basis over S p ( S [⁄ 1 ]). 1. IntroductionLet p be always a prime number and all rings are commutative ringwith an identity. The concept of difierential-basis has an important in-°uence on properties of rings, for example the connection with p -basis([4],[5],[6]). Any difierential basis of a regular local ring R of character-istic p > 0 over R p is a p -basis of R over R p ([4]). Furthermore, we candeduce interesting case as following; Let S be a ring of characteristic p and let ⁄ be a p -basis of S over S p and ⁄ 1 be a subset of ⁄, then ⁄ 1 is a p -basis of S p [⁄ 1 ] over S p and ⁄ 2 = ⁄ i ⁄ 1 is a p -basis of S over S p [⁄ 1 ]? The purpose of the present paper is to give an answer to question(Thereom 3.3). For the deflnition and elementary properties, refer to([1],[2]).2. PreliminariesFor any

In 2011, the Korean government designated hospitals with certain structural characteristics as specialty hospitals. This study compared the inpatient charges and length of stay of patients with joint diseases treated at these specialty hospitals with those of patients treated at small general hospitals. In addition, the study investigated whether the designation of certain hospitals as specialty hospitals had an effect on inpatient charges and length of stay. Multi-level models were used to perform regression analyses on inpatient claims data (N=268,809) for 2010-2012 because of the hierarchical structure of the data. The inpatient charge at specialty hospitals was 19% greater than that at small general hospitals, but the length of stay was 21% shorter. After adjusting for patient and hospital level confounders, specialty hospitals had a higher inpatient charge (34.6%) and a reduced length of stay (31.7%). However, the effect of specialty hospital designation on inpatient charge (2.7% higher) and length of stay (2.3% longer) was relatively smaller. Among the patient characteristics, female gender, age, and severity of illness were positively associated with inpatient charge and length of stay. In terms of location, hospitals in metropolitan area had higher inpatient charges (5.5%), but much shorter length of stay (-14%). Several structural factors, such as occupancy rate, bed size, number of outpatients and nurses were positively associated with both inpatient charges and length of stay. However, number of specialists was positively associated with inpatient charges, but negatively associated with length of stay. In sum, this study found that specialty hospitals treating joint diseases tend to incur higher charges but produce shorter length of stay, compared to their counterparts. Specialty hospitals' overcharging behaviors, although shorter length of stay, suggest that policy makers could introduce bundled payments for the joint procedures. To promote a successful specialty hospital system, a broader discussion and investigation that includes quality measures as well as real cost of care should be initiated.

In this study, semi-continuous measurements of mass, organic and elemental carbon (OC and EC), black carbon (BC), and ionic species concentrations were made for the period of April 03~13, 2012, at a South Area Supersite at Gwangju. Possible sources causing the high concentrations of major chemical species in observed during a haze episode were investigated. The measurement results, along with meteorological parameters, gaseous pollutants data, air mass back trajectory analyses and PSCF (potential source contribution function) results, were used to study the haze episode. Substantial enhancements of OC, EC, BC, , , , , and CO concentrations were closely associated with air masses coming from regions of forest fires in southeastern China, suggesting likely an impact of the forest fires. Also the PSCF maps for EC, OC, , and demonstrate further that the long-range transport of smoke plumes of forest fires detected over the southeastern China could be a possible source of haze phenomena observed at the site. Another possible source leading to haze formation was likely from photochemistry of precursor gases such as volatile organic compounds, , and , resulting in accumulation of secondary organic aerosol, and . Throughout the episode, local wind directions were between 200 and , where two industrial areas are situated, with moderate wind speeds of 3~5 m/s, resulting in highly elevated concentration of with a maximum of 15 ppb. The peak occurring in the afternoon hours coincided with maximum ambient temperature () and ozone concentration (~100 ppb), and were driven by photochemistry of . As a result, the pattern of variations in relation to wind direction, and concentrations, and the strong correlation between and ($R^2