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This paper presents convolutional neural network (CNN)-based single object detection and tracking algorithms. CNN-based object detection methods are directly applicable to static images, but not to videos. On the other hand, model-free visual object tracking methods cannot detect an object until a ground truth bounding box of the target is provided. Moreover, many annotated video datasets of the target object are required to train both the object detectors and visual trackers. In this work, three simple yet effective object detection and tracking algorithms for videos are proposed to efficiently combine a state-of-the-art object detector and visual tracker for circumstances in which only a few static images of the target are available for training. The proposed algorithms are tested using a drone detection task and the experimental results demonstrated their effectiveness.

Uveal effusion is a rare disease that is characterized by exudative detachment of the ciliary body and choroid. Herein, we report a rare case of uveal effusion associated with viral encephalitis, which resolved following the treatment of the viral encephalitis and administration of corticosteroids.A 67-year-old man who was hospitalized for viral encephalitis was referred to our clinic. He had been treated for herpes zoster ophthalmicus in his left eye 3 weeks previously. Choroidal detachment and uveal effusion between the ciliary body and sclera were observed. He was prescribed oral and topical steroids and cycloplegics to treat uveal effusion, and an antiviral agent (Acyclovir) to treat viral encephalitis. After 4 weeks, the choroidal detachment resolved completely.Uveal effusion syndrome can develop in association with viral encephalitis and be treated successfully with oral and topical steroids; we suggest that medical treatment should be attempted prior to surgery.ADEM: Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis; BCVA: Best corrected visual acuity; CSF: Cerebrospinal fluid; CT: Computed tomography; MRI: Magnetic resonance imaging; WBC: White blood cell.

This paper aims to replicate 148 anomalies and to examine whether the performance of the Korean market anomalies is statistically and economically significant. First, the authors observe that only 37.8% anomalies in the universe of the KOSPI and the KOSDAQ and value-weighted portfolios have t-statistics that exceed 1.96. When the authors impose a higher threshold (an absolute value of t-statistics of 2.78), only 27.7% of the 148 anomalies survive. Second, microcaps have large impacts. The results vary significantly depending on whether the sample included stocks in the KOSDAQ and whether value-weighted or equal-weighted portfolios are used. The results suggest that data mining explains large portion of abnormal returns. Any tactical asset allocation strategies based on market anomalies should be applied very cautiously.

BackgroundTo investigate the relationship between estimated mean ocular perfusion pressure (MOPP) and peripapillary perfusion density (PD) or vessel density (VD) as measured by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in young healthy eyes.Methods132 healthy participants (264 eyes) under 45 years of age underwent optic disc OCTA scan sized 3×3 mm to acquire PD and VD in the superficial vascular complex (SVC). Optic nerve head (ONH) parameters including retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness, rim area and disc area were measured. MOPP was estimated from systemic blood pressure and intraocular pressure (IOP). A linear mixed model was used to find the systemic and ocular factors associated with PD and VD.ResultsThe average age of the subjects was 25.8±6.5 years. PD and VD showed a significant correlation with RNFL thickness (r=0.224, p0.05).ConclusionPD and VD in the SVC were significantly associated with ONH parameters while showing no association with estimated MOPP. OCTA-derived VD may not represent perfusion pressure, but is rather more dependent on peripapillary structure.

A close association has been reported between depression and migraine. However, information concerning the impacts of migraine on the clinical presentation and prevalence of depression in a population-based study is currently limited.Data from the Korean Headache-Sleep Study, a nationwide survey about headache and sleep for adults aged 19-69 years were used. Depression was defined when Patient Health Questionnaire-9 score ≥ 10.Of 2,695 participants who included in this study, 116 (4.3%), 143 (5.3%), and 1130 (41.9%) had depression, migraine, and non-migraine headache, respectively. Migraine (24/116 [20.5%] vs. 119/2579 [4.7%], p 0.001) and non-migraine headache (67/116 [58.1%] vs. 1063/2579 [41.3%], p 0.001) was more prevalent in the group of participants with depression than among participants without depression. Among participants with depression, there was no statistically differences in total Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scores among migraine, non-migraine headache, and non-headache groups (median with interquartile range, 12.0 [10.2-18.0] vs. 13.0 [11.0-16.0] vs. 12.0 [10.0-15.2], p = 0.514). Among subcomponent scores of PHQ-9, all subcomponent scores did not significantly differ by headache status except feeling tired or having little energy scores (non-migraine headache 2.0 [2.0-3.0] vs. non-headache 2.0 [1.0-2.0], p = 0.010).Diagnosis of depression based on PHQ-9 questionnaire and small sample size in subgroup analyses.Participants with depression exhibit an increased risk of migraine and non-migraine headache compared with participants without depression. Among participants with depression, the severity of depression did not significantly differ on the basis of headache status.

The global burden of bone-related diseases is increasing in the aging society; thus, improved bone targeted imaging for their early identification and treatment are needed. In this study, we screened novel peptide ligands for hydroxyapatite, a major inorganic component of teeth and bones, and identified a peptide enabling in vivo bone targeting and real-time fluorescence bone detection. To isolate peptides highly specific for hydroxyapatite, we used negative and positive selection from a randomized 8-mer peptide phage library and identified hydroxyapatite-specific peptides (HA-pep2, HA-pep3, and HA-pep7). Among these three peptides, HA-pep3 showed the highest binding capacity and superior dissociation constant towards hydroxyapatite surfaces over time (~ 88.3% retained on hydroxyapatite after two weeks). Furthermore, HA-pep3 was highly specific for hydroxyapatite compared to other calcium salt-based materials. Using this superior specificity, HA-pep3 showed higher accumulation in skull, spine, and joints in comparison with scrambled control peptide during real-time whole-body imaging. Ex vivo analysis of the major organs and bone from mice demonstrated that the fluorescence intensity in bone was about 3.32 folds higher in the case of HA-pep3 than the one exhibited by the scrambled control peptide. Our study identified a novel approach for targeting ligands for bone specific imaging and can be useful for drug delivery applications.

Proton exchange membranes with high through-plane proton conductivity are a critical component of high-performance fuel cells, electrolyzers, and batteries. However, isotropically distributed proto...

Background: Candidiasis control should include monitoring the epidemiology and resistance to various antifungal agents. In this study, the researchers investigated the Candida species recovered from clinical specimens at particular geographic areas or hospitals. Objective: The present study is geared toward the evaluation of antifungal drug usage at Korean hospitals in 2016. It is also essential that species distribution and antifungal susceptibilities of Candida isolates should be looked into to provide important data that can help devise therapeutic strategies to control the disease. Methods: Systemic antifungal agent usage over a one-year period was investigated at 10 Korean hospitals. Identification and antifungal susceptibility tests were performed on clinical isolates of the Candida species, which were collected over a three-month period. Results: The total antifungal usage in each hospital ranged from 7.7 to 158.9 defined daily doses (DDDs) per 1,000 patient days. Fluconazole was most commonly used (37.1%), followed by amphotericin B (30.6%), itraconazole (9.7%), echinocandins (8.8%), voriconazole (7.5%), and posaconazole (6.3%), respectively. Among 274 Candida isolates, C. albicans was the most frequently recovered (51.1%), followed by C. glabrata (15.7%), C. tropicalis (15.0%), and C. parapsilosis (13.5%), respectively. Through the application of either species-specific clinical breakpoints or epidemiological cutoff values to Candida isolates, the non-susceptibility rates to fluconazole, voriconazole, amphotericin B, and micafungin were found in 20.7%, 5.6%, 0%, and 0% of isolates, respectively. Conclusion: This nationwide multicenter study showed that total antifungal use varied considerably according to each hospital. Non-susceptibility to fluconazole should be further monitored, considering the drug's frequent use in Korea.

The generation of fines by attrition in fluidized bed reactors can cause problems. Thus, the objective of this study was to examine the amount of fines generated in the cyclone not only by attrition, but also by detachment of fine attached to surface according to time. Using a circulating fluidized bed (0.076 m ID × 3.7 m height), variables including cyclone inlet velocity (20.6–30.9 m/s), solid loading ratio (0.5–1 kg-solid/kg-air), and elapsed time (0.5–13 h) were investigated. The fine generation ratio was analyzed by dividing it into two components: the surface particle detachment ratio and the attrition ratio. The surface particle detachment ratio decreased rapidly with increasing cyclone inlet velocity and solid loading ratio. The attrition ratio was positively affected by the cyclone inlet velocity but negatively affected by the solid loading ratio, as found in previous studies. As the surface particle detachment ratio decreased with elapsed time, its contribution to the amount of fine particles generated decreased over time (73%–91% at 0.5 h and 41% at 5 h). The mass fraction produced by surface particle detachment was approximately 9% for the iron ore and 0.01% for catalyst particles.

In order to promote effective healing of a bone defect, various bone grafts have been widely implanted into defect sites. However, several drawbacks, such as immunologic rejection, insufficient tissue healing, or secondary damage to the donor site, are still concerns. These limitations of the current bone grafts can be overcome by use of a natural ECM that can influence basic cellular behaviors, such as proliferation, migration, and differentiation. Herein, we introduce a novel bone decellularized ECM (bdECM) material extracted from bovine bones via demineralization and decellularization. This sequential process enabled us to prepare raw material possessing higher contents of native BMP-2 and BMP-7, and a fibrous microarchitecture resembling the collagen bundle in the ECM was maintained. Furthermore, residual calcium and phosphate originated from the bovine bone were considerably removed, and contamination by residual DNA was significantly reduced during the fabrication process. These features enabled the scaffold successfully promote mineralization of the cultured primary osteoblasts in vitro, which was significantly better than those from the bone powder or demineralized bone matrix. In a mouse calvarial defect, new bone formation was improved in the bdECM group and the density of those was also higher than other groups.

The utilization of carbon dioxide (CO2) as a sustainable feedstock for chemical products is becoming more interesting topic as the public issue of global warming has been increasingly emphasized. In this study, CO2 was polymerized in the presence of propylene oxide by using a double metal cyanide catalyst, affording poly(ether carbonate) (PEC) polyol. Rigid polyurethane foams (RPUFs) were successfully prepared with a bi-polyol mixture of different compositions containing the CO2-based PEC polyol. Approximately 43 wt% of petroleum-based polyether polyol was successfully substituted by the CO2-based PEC polyol, affording RPUFs with controlled characteristics. The properties of the RPUFs, such as apparent density, compressive strength, thermal conductivity, thermal stability and cell morphology, supported the potential of the RPUFs as thermal insulating materials and CO2 as an eco-friendly sustainable resource.

Water management becomes a more critical issue as the power performance of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) is progressively improved. Herein, we present a ditch-structured microporous layer (MPL) that can prevent water flooding in PEMFCs. In-plane ditch structures are carved on an MPL using a nanosecond-pulse laser ablation technique while preserving the surface porosity of the MPL. When the direction of the ditches is aligned perpendicular to the flow field direction, the power performance is significantly enhanced due to the facilitated mass transport under the rib area. The i–V polarizations and limiting current analysis suggest that not gas transport but water transport is responsible for the power performance enhancement. Compared with a perforated MPL prepared by the same technique, the ditch-structured MPL is more effective in mitigating water flooding. Diagonal and radial ditches exemplify the efficacy in making complex ditch patterns. The delicate structural engineering of the MPL enabled by laser ablation can offer a novel design platform for advanced fuel cells.

Ionomer films even only a few nanometers thick in the catalyst layer of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell are detrimental to the power performance at low Pt loadings due to their large oxygen transport resistance. Therefore, removing the ionomer films on the Pt surface for oxygen transport while preserving them on the carbon surface for proton transport can be an ideal ionomer distribution. Herein, we achieve ionomer-lean Pt surfaces by masking the Pt nanoparticles of the Pt/C catalyst with an alkanethiol. Due to the weakening of the ionomer/Pt interaction by the molecular mask, a low population of ionomers on the Pt surface is achieved while preserving the fast proton transport in the catalyst layer. The alkanethiol is then electrochemically removed from the catalyst layer, recovering the catalytic activity of the Pt. Electrochemical analyses showed a reduced oxygen transport resistance through the ionomer film and a consequent enhancement of the power performance. This molecular masking strategy marks the beginning of the nano-scale control of ionomer distribution in the development of advanced fuel cells.

Background: During the ongoing pandemic of COVID-19, tracheotomy under emergency situation is considered a high-risk procedure that causes probable expose to aerosolized secretion. Summary: We reviewed our case and previous reports, and summarized a detailed protocol that is needed to protect medical staffs who perform tracheotomy under the COVID-19 pandemic, considering the patient’s condition, experience of medical staff members, and available facilities and equipment. Key Messages: For efficient protection of medical staff who perform tracheotomy under the COVID-19 pandemic period, we suggest that the following needs to be considered: assessment of patient’s condition (COVID-19 infection and the airway problem), route (safest route to the operating room), experienced surgical team, negative-pressure isolation facility and appliance (personal protective equipment) availability, and safe and appropriate post-tracheotomy care.

X-ray based radiography, the main modality for diagnostic imaging of bone structures and fractures, provides sensitive images, but it inherently involves potentially harmful X-ray exposure. As non-ionizing alternatives, various optical imaging methods have been explored. Here, we demonstrate non-ionizing, label-free, multispectral photoacoustic (PA) imaging of bones in small animals in vivo. in situ. and ex vivo. Using near-infrared light excitation and acoustic detection, the spine and ribs were successfully visualized in high-resolution PA images. PA 3D volume images of the spine and ribs were clearly visualized together with blood vessels and several organs including the spleen, liver, and cecum, without using any exogenous contrast agent nor ionizing radiation. Quantification results of multispectral PA signals from blood vessels and bones were in good agreement with their absorption coefficients. Further, a rib fracture was photoacoustically imaged. Our results demonstrate PA imaging's potential as a non-ionizing and label-free technique for imaging bone tissues.

Ferroelectricity in fluorite-structure oxides, such as (doped) HfO2 and ZrO2, and their solid solution, nanolaminates, and superlattices has attracted increasing interest for future memory devices. The scalability of film thickness down to only several nm and the availability of matured deposition techniques render these materials highly practical for future high-density memory applications. Significant effort is being made in the community to identify the possible reasons for establishing solid physical backgrounds for the emergence of the (unexpected) ferroelectricity in these materials. Nonetheless, several technical obstacles must be overcome before adopting ferroelectric HfO2 for practical device applications. Among them, understanding the role of various forms of defects in ferroelectric phase formation and evolution of the device performance is crucial. The forms of defects include point defects such as oxygen vacancies, extrinsic defects such as residual carbon, nitrogen, and hydrogen, and two-dimensional defects such as an interfacial layer at the electrode interface and grain boundaries. Numerous previous studies on non-ferroelectric HfO2 or non-fluorite-structure ferroelectrics could form the foundation for the understanding of such thematics. In this review, the influences of various kinds of defects on the formation mechanism of various polymorphisms, and the accompanying ferroelectric and electrical properties are comprehensively studied based on previous literature. This review is expected to contribute to a better understanding of these emerging ferroelectric materials and to provide the community with new insights motivated by the previous studies on non-ferroelectric HfO2 and non-fluorite-structure ferroelectrics.

Post-process (i.e., heat-treatment after washing) is known as an effective way to improve the cycle life of Ni-rich materials. However, most of the studies on the washing and post-heating treatment mainly focus on the relationship between surface properties and electrochemical performances even though the process includes heat treatment. Therefore, to understand the effects of the washing and heat treatment (i.e., post-process) on the Ni-rich layered materials, particularly on a bulk structural point of view, untreated and treated LiNi0.88Co0.11Al0.01O2 (NCA) cathodes were investigated. The details of the crystal and electronic structures of the materials, based on synchrotron-based X-ray analyses, indicate that the treated NCA has a favorable environment for Li ions to diffuse (i.e., a larger inter-slab thickness and lower cations in the Li layer), and it goes through a relatively smooth phase transition with a wider redox range of Ni ion than the untreated NCA material during the first cycle. Furthermore, the treated NCA with a stable activation process has a lower increment in the cation disorder and a better local structural retentivity after 300 cycles, and consequently shows a superior cycle life. In addition, the XAS result underpins that the capacity loss comes from the diminution in the reduction range of Ni ions.

The 2 biotypes of Vibrio cholerae O1 serogroup strains—classical and El Tor—use glucose in distinct ways. Classical biotype strains perform organic acid-producing fermentation and eventually lose viability due to the self-induced creation of an acidic environment, whereas El Tor biotype strains use an alternative neutral fermentation pathway, which confers them with survival advantages. However, we report that the neutral fermentation pathway has only been recruited in prototype Wave 1 El Tor biotype strains, which have not been isolated since the mid-1990s. Current Wave 2 and Wave 3 atypical El Tor strains contain a single-base deletion in a gene that directs bacteria toward neutral fermentation, resulting in the loss of neutral fermentation and an appearance that is similar to classical biotype strains. Moreover, when sufficient glucose was supplied, Wave 1 El Tor strains maintained their use of acid-producing fermentation, in parallel with neutral fermentation, and thus lost viability in the late stationary phase. The global replacement of Wave 1 El Tor strains by Wave 2 and 3 atypical El Tor strains implies that the acidic fermentation pathway may not be disadvantageous to V. cholerae. The characteristics that we have reported might improve oral rehydration in the treatment of cholera.

Significance Current high-throughput cell screening tools do not select cells based on their behavior in production or commercial environments, making it difficult to translate selected cells from the laboratory to commercialization. With PicoShells, we are able to perform high-throughput sorting of cells based on their phenotypic behavior in production-relevant environments, like stirred flasks, and in the presence of background cells, potentially speeding up the development of new biotechnology products by several months to years. In particular, PicoShells enable the selection of clonal colonies based on their overall accumulated growth or production of, for example, chlorophyll over a set period of time, potentially creating a cell selection tool that will improve yields of desired bioproducts., Production of high-energy lipids by microalgae may provide a sustainable energy source that can help tackle climate change. However, microalgae engineered to produce more lipids usually grow slowly, leading to reduced overall yields. Unfortunately, culture vessels used to select cells based on growth while maintaining high biomass production, such as well plates, water-in-oil droplet emulsions, and nanowell arrays, do not provide production-relevant environments that cells experience in scaled-up cultures (e.g., bioreactors or outdoor cultivation farms). As a result, strains that are developed in the laboratory may not exhibit the same beneficial phenotypic behavior when transferred to industrial production. Here, we introduce PicoShells, picoliter-scale porous hydrogel compartments, that enable >100,000 individual cells to be compartmentalized, cultured in production-relevant environments, and selected based on growth and bioproduct accumulation traits using standard flow cytometers. PicoShells consist of a hollow inner cavity where cells are encapsulated and a porous outer shell that allows for continuous solution exchange with the external environment. PicoShells allow for cell growth directly in culture environments, such as shaking flasks and bioreactors. We experimentally demonstrate that Chlorella sp., Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Chinese hamster ovary cells, used for bioproduction, grow to significantly larger colony sizes in PicoShells than in water-in-oil droplet emulsions (P < 0.05). We also demonstrate that PicoShells containing faster dividing and growing Chlorella clonal colonies can be selected using a fluorescence-activated cell sorter and regrown. Using the PicoShell process, we select a Chlorella population that accumulates chlorophyll 8% faster than does an unselected population after a single selection cycle.

Understanding the interaction between nanoparticles and immune cells is essential for the evaluation of nanotoxicity and development of nanomedicines. However, to date, there is little data on the membrane microstructure and biochemical changes in nanoparticle-loaded immune cells. In this study, we observed the microstructure of nanoparticle-loaded macrophages and changes in lipid droplets using holotomography analysis. Quantitatively analyzing the refractive index distribution of nanoparticle-loaded macrophages, we identified the interactions between nanoparticles and macrophages. The results showed that, when nanoparticles were phagocytized by macrophages, the number of lipid droplets and cell volume increased. The volume and mass of the lipid droplets slightly increased, owing to the absorption of nanoparticles. Meanwhile, the number of lipid droplets increased more conspicuously than the other factors. Furthermore, alveolar macrophages are involved in the development and progression of asthma. Studies have shown that macrophages play an essential role in the maintenance of asthma-related inflammation and tissue damage, suggesting that macrophage cells may be applied to asthma target delivery strategies. Therefore, we investigated the target delivery efficiency of gold nanoparticle-loaded macrophages at the biodistribution level, using an ovalbumin-induced asthma mouse model. Normal and severe asthma models were selected to determine the difference in the level of inflammation in the lung. Consequently, macrophages had increased mobility in models of severe asthma, compared to those of normal asthma disease. In this regard, the detection of observable differences in nanoparticle-loaded macrophages may be of primary interest, as an essential endpoint analysis for investigating nanomedical applications and immunotheragnostic strategies.

Correction for ‘Interfacial engineering of a Mo/Hf0.3Zr0.7O2/Si capacitor using the direct scavenging effect of a thin Ti layer’ by Se Hyun Kim et al., Chem. Commun., 2021, 57, 12452–12455, https://doi.org/10.1039/D1CC04966F.

Globally, the demand for masks has increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in 490,201 tons of waste masks disposed of per month. Since masks are used in places with a high risk of virus infection, waste masks retain the risk of virus contamination. In this study, a 1 kg/h lab-scale (diameter: 0.114 m, height: 1 m) bubbling fluidized bed gasifier was used for steam gasification (temperature: 800 °C, steam/carbon (S/C) ratio: 1.5) of waste masks. The use of a downstream reactor with activated carbon (AC) for tar cracking and the enhancement of hydrogen production was examined. Steam gasification with AC produces syngas with H

Background Oxygen supplementation through a high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) is a powerful technique that promotes the absorption of air by delivering high concentrations of oxygen to patients who are not intubated, and may be a viable treatment option for pneumocephalus. Case Report A 75-year-old female presented in a stuporous state. She had received an epidural injection due to back pain 2 hours ago. Non-contrast brain computed tomography revealed a pneumocephalus at the interhemispheric fissure and the prepontine cistern. HFNC oxygen therapy at 60 L/min with a fraction of inspired oxygen of 1 was started. By the next morning, her mental status had recovered and a repeat brain computed tomography 15 hours later revealed complete absorption of the pneumocephalus. Conclusion Supplemental high oxygen via HFNC can be successfully used in patients with pneumocephalus who are not intubated and mechanically ventilated.

Background Cure rates of hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) for patients with active and inactive hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) may differ, but well-controlled studies are limited. We aimed to evaluate DAA outcomes in a large East Asian HCV/HCC population compared with HCV/non-HCC patients. Methods Using data from the Real-World Evidence from the Asia Liver Consortium (REAL-C) registry (Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan), we used propensity score matching (PSM) to match HCC and non-HCC (1:1) groups for age, sex, cirrhosis, prior treatment, HCV genotype, treatment regimen, baseline platelet count, HCV RNA, total bilirubin, alanine aminotransferase, and albumin levels to evaluate DAA treatment outcomes in a large population of HCV/HCC compared with HCV/non-HCC patients. Results We included 6081 patients (HCC, n = 465; non-HCC, n = 5 616) treated with interferon-free DAAs. PSM of the entire study population yielded 436 matched pairs with similar baseline characteristics. There was no statistically significant difference in the overall SVR rate of HCC (92.7%) and non-HCC (95.0%) groups. Rates of treatment discontinuation, adverse effects, and death were also similar between HCC and non-HCC groups. Among patients with HCC, those with active HCC had a lower SVR than inactive HCC cases (85.5% vs 93.7%; P = .03). On multivariable analysis, active HCC, but not inactive HCC, was significantly associated with lower SVR (OR, 0.28; P = .01) when compared with non-HCC. Conclusions Active HCC but not inactive HCC was independently associated with lower SVR compared with non-HCC patients undergoing DAA therapy, although cure rate was still relatively high (85%) in active HCC patients.

Objective: Oblique lumbar interbody fusion (OLIF) involves inserting large cages into the interbody disc space. This expands the spinal canal and neural foramen by stretching the ligament flavum and releasing the facet joint, resulting in indirect neural decompression. Our objective was to investigate the changes in the spinal canal and ligament flavum over time after OLIF.Methods: This was a prospective observational study involving 30 patients who underwent OLIF L4–5 between 2015 and 2018. In total, 27 of the 30 patients underwent preoperative, early follow-up ( < 5 days), and late follow-up (10–14 months) magnetic resonance imaging to measure the area of the spinal canal and ligament flavum. Based on the results, the patients were divided into subsidence and nonsubsidence groups for further analysis.Results: After OLIF, the spinal canal area gradually increased during the preoperative, early postoperative, and late postoperative periods (p < 0.001). The thickness and area of the ligament flavum decreased gradually over the same periods (p < 0.001). Low-grade subsidence (2–4.4 mm) did not influence the effects on the spinal canal and ligament.Conclusion: After OLIF, the spinal canal and ligament flavum gradually change, which is effective for indirect neural decompression. In addition, the effects of low-grade subsidence on the remodeling of the spinal canal and ligament flavum are insignificant.

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD

We have developed a cell penetrating peptide (CPP) system with high selectivity and penetrability at nanomolar concentrations with a combination of an HER2-selective affibody, ZHER2:342 (ZHER2), and a dimeric α-helical leucine- and lysine-rich peptide, LK-2. ZHER2 and LK-2 are linearly fused together and expressed in a prokaryotic system to create the LK-2-ZHER2 protein, which can successfully distinguish and penetrate HER2-overexpressing cancer cells at nanomolar concentrations. LK-2-ZHER2 has the ability to intracellularly deliver doxorubicin as a conjugate form to enhance its anti-cancer effect on HER2-overexpressing breast cancer cells with a great selectivity. The selective penetrability was confirmed in vitro, in 3D spheroids, and in in vivo models. LK-2-ZHER2 has the capability to overcome the weak points of current CPPs, such as poor penetrability at low concentrations and a lack of selectivity, by combining powerful CPP and affibody sequences.

Two-dimensional layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have been investigated intensively as next-generation semiconducting materials. However, conventional TMD-based devices exhibit large contact resistance at the interface between the TMD and the metal electrode because of Fermi level pinning and the Schottky barrier, which results in poor charge injection. Here, we present enhanced charge transport characteristics in molybdenum diselenide (MoSe

(1) Background: To analyze changes in treatment patterns for advanced retinoblastoma over time and differences in globe salvage rates, (2) Methods: Retrospective, observational case-control study of 97 eyes of 91 patients with advanced retinoblastoma (Group D and E)., (3) Results: Patients were divided into two groups based on whether they were treated before or after intraarterial chemotherapy (IAC) was introduced in our center in 2010. Before 2010, primary treatment pattern was enucleation, which was performed in 57.6% of cases, whereas primary treatment pattern after 2010 was IAC combined with intravenous chemotherapy (IVC), which was performed in 78.1%. Intravitreal chemotherapy (IVitC) has been performed to treat vitreous and subretinal seeding since 2015. The 5-year globe salvage rate of IVC alone was 24.0% for Group D and 0% for Group E, whereas that of IVC–IAC was 50.4% for Group D and 49.7% for Group E. Whether IVitC was performed or not did not significantly contribute to globe salvage rate. There was one metastatic death in the IVC alone group., (4) Conclusions: Primary treatment pattern changed from enucleation to IAC-based treatment, which can now save nearly half of eyes with advanced retinoblastoma with excellent safety profile and survival rate.

The development of novel anode materials for high energy density is required. Alloying Si with other metals is a promising approach to utilize the high capacity of Si. In this work, we optimized the composition of a Si–Ti–Al ternary alloy to achieve excellent electrochemical performance in terms of capacity, cyclability, and rate capability. The detailed internal structures of the alloys were characterized through their atomic compositions and diffraction patterns. The lithiation process of the alloy was monitored using real-time scanning electron microscopy, revealing that the mechanical stability of the optimized alloy was strongly enhanced compared to that of the pure silicon material.