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ABSTRACT Objective The type of atlantodental space tissue in patients with atlantoaxial dislocation (AAD) can help doctors understand the possibility of reduction before surgery. However, relevant research on this topic is lacking. This study aimed to summarize cases of AAD, classified based on the atlantodental space using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and preliminarily explore its impact on the degree of reduction. Methods Preoperative T2‐weighted MRIs and dynamic digital radiographs of patients who underwent posterior reduction and fixation surgery for congenital AAD between September 2012 and February 2023 were collected. The patients were classified into flexible and inflexible tissue sign groups based on T2‐weighted imaging. Patients with an atlantodental interval

Objective When implanting the Zero‐P device, the screws of Zero‐P form a bone wedge with a 40 ± 5° cranial and caudal angle (CCA). However, no study has been performed in the optimal CCA of the Zero‐P implant. To investigate whether the cranial/caudal angles (CCA) of the screws affect the clinical and radiological outcomes in patients undergoing ACDF with the Zero‐P implant. Methods From January 2016 to December 2023, we retrospectively analyzed 186 patients who underwent 1‐level ACDF with the Zero‐P device. The patients were divided into four groups: group A (cranial angle ≤40°, caudal angle ≤40°); group B (cranial angle ≤40°, caudal angle >40°); group C (cranial angle >40°, caudal angle ≤40°); and group D (cranial angle >40°, caudal angle >40°). The clinical outcomes, including Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA), neck disability index (NDI), and visual analogue scale (VAS) scores, the radiological parameters, including cervical lordosis (CL), cervical lordosis of operated segments (OPCL), intervertebral space height (ISH) and fusion rate (FR), and the complications, were evaluated and compared. Parametric tests, non‐parametric tests, and chi‐square tests were conducted to analyze the data. Results The OPCL of group A was significantly less than that of the other groups at the final follow‐up (p 0.05). Conclusion A larger CCA of the screws (cranial angle >40°, caudal angle >40°) was better for maintaining OPCL and reducing the incidence of ASD. A smaller CCA of the screws (cranial angle ≤40°, caudal angle ≤40°) was better for maintaining ISH and reducing the rate of subsidence.

Abstract Background Anus preservation has been a challenge in the treatment of patients with low rectal adenocarcinoma (within 5 cm from the anal verge) because it is difficult to spare the anus with its functioning sphincter complex under the safe margin of tumour resection. Patients with dMMR/MSI-H can achieve a favourable complete response (CR) rate by using a single immune checkpoint inhibitor. For patients with pMMR/MSS/MSI-L, intensified neoadjuvant three-drug chemotherapy may be the preferred option for anal preservation. In addition, the watch and wait (W&W) strategy has been proven safe and feasible for patients with rectal cancer who achieve a clinical complete response (cCR). Therefore, we initiated this clinical trial to explore the optimal neoadjuvant treatment pattern for patients with low locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) with different MMR/MSI statuses, aiming to achieve a higher cCR rate with the W&W strategy and ultimately provide more patients with a chance of anus preservation. Methods This is a randomised, controlled, open-label, multicentre phase III trial. Patients with clinical stage T2-4 and/or N + tumours located within 5 cm from the anal verge are considered eligible. Based on the results of pathological biopsy, the patients are divided into two groups: dMMR/MSI-H and pMMR/MSS. Patients in the dMMR/MSI-H group will be randomly allocated in a 1:1 ratio to either arm A (monoimmunotherapy) or arm B (short-course radiotherapy followed by monoimmunotherapy). Patients in the pMMR/MSS group will be initially treated with long-term pelvic radiation with concurrent capecitabine combined with irinotecan. Two weeks after the completion of chemoradiotherapy (CRT), the patients will be randomly allocated in a 1:1 ratio to arm C (XELIRI six cycle regime) or arm D (FOLFIRINOX nine cycle regime). The irinotecan dose will be adjusted according to the UGT1A1-genotype. After treatment, a comprehensive assessment will be performed to determine whether a cCR has been achieved. If achieved, the W&W strategy will be adopted; otherwise, total mesorectal excision (TME) will be performed. The primary endpoint is cCR with the maintenance of 12 months at least, determined using digital rectal examination, endoscopy, and rectal MRI or PET/CT as a supplementary method. Discussion APRAM will explore the best anus preservation model for low LARC, combining the strategies of consolidation chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and short-course radiotherapy, and aims to preserve the anus of more patients using W&W. Our study provides an accurate individual treatment mode based on the MMR/MSI status for patients with low LARC, and more patients will receive the opportunity for anus preservation under our therapeutic strategy, which would transform into long-term benefits. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov NCT05669092 (Registered 28th Nov 2022).

Abstract Proposed mechanisms for large intrinsic anomalous Hall effect (AHE) in magnetic topological semimetals include diverging Berry curvatures of Weyl nodes, anticrossing nodal rings or points of non-trivial bands. Here we demonstrate that a half-topological semimetal (HTS) state near a topological critical point can provide an alternative mechanism for a large AHE via systematic studies on an antiferromagnetic (AFM) half-Heusler compound TbPdBi. We not only observe a large AHE with tanΘH ≈ 2 in its field-driven ferromagnetic (FM) phase, but also find a distinct Hall resistivity peak in its canted AFM phase. Moreover, we observe a large negative magnetoresistance with a value of ~98%. Our in-depth theoretical modelling indicates that these exotic transport properties originate from the HTS state which exhibits Berry curvature cancellation between the trivial spin-up and nontrivial spin-down bands. Our study offers alternative strategies for improved materials design for spintronics and other applications.

Abstract Aims To determine the effect of design thinking approach in interprofessional education programme of human sexuality course. Design A pre‐test and post‐test of single‐group quasi‐experimental study. Methods The 35 nursing students and seven psychology students in their third year were selected by the computer randomly sampling through the lottery method. The course proceeded between September 2019 and January 2020. The participants had received an 8‐week, 16‐hr design thinking approach in interprofessional education programme of human sexuality course (one section per week, 2 hr per section). We used the nursing attitude toward sexual healthcare scale, nursing intervention toward sexual healthcare scale to assess students' attitude and behaviour intention toward sexual health care and competence of interprofessional education scale to assess students' competence of cooperation before and after the teaching programme. Data analysis used descriptive statistics and t‐tests. A qualitative reflection log was also provided and analysed for themes. The SQUIRE‐EDU checklist was followed. Results The students' attitude and behavioural intention dimension score in the post‐test is higher than those in the pre‐test and reach statistically significant differences both in total and subscale. Interprofessional core competence score of Observation Experience, Reflective Feedback, Interprofessional Cooperation, Innovative Design, and Applied Technology score in the post‐test is higher than those in the pre‐test and reach statistically significant differences both in total and subscale. Design thinking in interprofessional education programme of human sexuality course could significantly improve both nursing and psychology students' attitude, behaviour intention of providing sexual health care and competence of interprofessional cooperation.

Abstract Nontrivial band topologies in semimetals lead to robust surface states that can contribute dominantly to the total conduction. This may result in reduced resistivity with decreasing feature size contrary to conventional metals, which may highly impact the semiconductor industry. Here we study the resistivity scaling of a representative topological semimetal CoSi using realistic band structures and Green’s function methods. We show that there exists a critical thickness d c dividing different scaling trends. Above d c , when the defect density is low such that surface conduction dominates, resistivity reduces with decreasing thickness; when the defect density is high such that bulk conduction dominates, resistivity increases as in conventional metals. Below d c where bulk states are depopulated, the persistent Fermi-arc remnant states give rise to decreasing resistivity down to the ultrathin limit, unlike topological insulators. The observed CoSi scaling can apply to broad classes of topological semimetals, providing guidelines for materials screening in back-end-of-line interconnect applications.

Abstract Background It is difficult for orthodontists to accurately predict the growth trend of the mandible in children with anterior crossbite. This study aims to develop a deep learning model to automatically predict the mandibular growth result into normal or overdeveloped using cephalometric radiographs. Methods A deep convolutional neural network (CNN) model was constructed based on the algorithm ResNet50 and trained on the basis of 256 cephalometric radiographs. The prediction behavior of the model was tested on 40 cephalograms and visualized by equipped with Grad-CAM. The prediction performance of the CNN model was compared with that of three junior orthodontists. Results The deep-learning model showed a good prediction accuracy about 85%, much higher when compared with the 54.2% of the junior orthodontists. The sensitivity and specificity of the model was 0.95 and 0.75 respectively, higher than that of the junior orthodontists (0.62 and 0.47 respectively). The area under the curve value of the deep-learning model was 0.9775. Visual inspection showed that the model mainly focused on the characteristics of special regions including chin, lower edge of the mandible, incisor teeth, airway and condyle to conduct the prediction. Conclusions The deep-learning CNN model could predict the growth trend of the mandible in anterior crossbite children with relatively high accuracy using cephalometric images. The deep learning model made the prediction decision mainly by identifying the characteristics of the regions of chin, lower edge of the mandible, incisor teeth area, airway and condyle in cephalometric images.

Hericium erinaceus, a consumable mushroom, has shown a potential to enhance the production of neuroprotective bioactive metabolites. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) often leads to cognitive, physical, and psychosocial impairments, resulting in neuroinflammation and the loss of cortical neurons. In this research, the effects of H. erinaceus mycelium, its derivative erinacine C, along with the underlying mechanisms, were examined in terms of oxidative stress modulation and neurological improvement in a rat model of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Male Sprague-Dawley rats were administered diets containing H. erinaceus mycelium and erinacine C following experimental brain injury; these supplements were continued throughout the recovery phase. The binding activity of NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) near antioxidant genes in mixed glial cells was measured by chromatin immunoprecipitation-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (ChIP-qPCR). The motor beam walking test revealed that dietary supplementation of H. erinaceus mycelium resulted in modest improvements in spatial memory while inhibiting neuron cell death and microglial activation according to brain histological examination. These findings were further corroborated by the upregulation of several antioxidant enzymes (catalase, glutathione reductase, thioredoxin reductase, and superoxide dismutase) and phospho-CAMP-response element-binding (p-CREB) levels in the mTBI model treated with H. erinaceus mycelium. Erinacine C treatment led to significantly reduced brain inflammation and normalization of mTBI-induced deficits through the modulation of the Nrf2 activation pathway and upregulated expression of numerous Nrf2-binding antioxidant genes such as catalase, thioredoxin reductase, superoxide dismutase, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor. This study demonstrates the potential of H. erinaceus mycelium and erinacine C in facilitating recovery following mTBI, including the prevention of neuronal injury and inactivation of microglia through the Nrf2-mediated antioxidant pathway in vivo.

In one-dimensional systems, electronic interactions lead to a breakdown of Fermi liquid theory and the formation of a Tomonaga Luttinger Liquid (TLL), as recently reported in the helical edge states of quantum spin Hall insulators. Here, the authors show that the many-body interactions in the helical TLL of 1T’- WTe2 can be effectively controlled by the dielectric screening via the substrate.

Grasslands are the main land use types in China, but their reclamation into croplands can influence the terrestrial carbon and, consequently, impact the global carbon balance. The long-term reclamation of alpine-cold grasslands to croplands are expected to decrease the soil organic carbon (SOC) and its fractions. Here, we conducted an in situ systematic study to measure the SOC and its fraction in soils sampled in an alpine-cold grassland with a gradient of cultivation history from 0 to 40 years. The SOC and its fractions significantly decreased after reclamation (P < 0.05), and the changes in the 0-20 cm soil layer were the greatest among the three sampling depths. After 40 years of reclamation, the SOC content and storage at 0-20 cm decreased by 74 and 60%, respectively. The decreases in the soil labile carbon fractions were more rapid and apparent than the SOC, especially the particular organic carbon (POC), which decreased by 82%. The soil humus carbon fractions also decreased, particularly the humic acid carbon (HAC), which decreased by 81%. The reduction rates of SOC and its fractions gradually decreased with an increase in the cultivation history. Besides, the ratios of the optical densities or absorbances of humic acid (HA) and fulvic acid (FA) solutions at 465 and 665 nm (E4/E6 ratios) and the hue coefficient (Δlog K values), which is the logarithm disparity between the 400 and 600 nm absorbance of the HA (FA) substance, in the solution gradually decreased, indicating that the quality of the soil humus decreased. The reclamation significantly decreased the SOC and its fractions in the alpine-cold soils, which should not be underestimated in the impact on the terrestrial carbon cycles and balance in the long run.

Abstract Most topological insulators (TIs) discovered today in spinful systems can be transformed from topological semimetals (TSMs) with vanishing bulk gap via introducing the spin-orbit coupling (SOC), which manifests the intrinsic links between the gapped topological insulator phases and the gapless TSMs. Recently, we have discovered a family of TSMs in time-reversal invariant spinless systems, which host butterfly-like nodal-lines (NLs) consisting of a pair of identical concentric intersecting coplanar ellipses (CICE). In this Communication, we unveil the intrinsic link between this exotic class of nodal-line semimetals (NLSMs) and a $${{\mathbb{Z}}}_{4}$$ Z 4 = 2 topological crystalline insulator (TCI), by including substantial SOC. We demonstrate that in three space groups (i.e., P b a m (No.55), P4/m b m (No.127), and P42/m b c (No.135)), the TCI supports a fourfold Dirac fermion on the (001) surface protected by two glide symmetries, which originates from the intertwined drumhead surface states of the CICE NLs. The higher order topology is further demonstrated by the emergence of one-dimensional helical hinge states, indicating the discovery of a higher order topological insulator protected by a glide symmetry.

This study intended to develop and assess the psychometric properties of a caring behavior scale on healthcare students and providers (CBS-HSP) in a Taiwanese population. After a literature review was conducted and an expert panel was consulted for item generation, 104 items for the CBS-HSP scale were derived on a nine-point Likert scale, with 9 indicating ‘extremely important’ and 1 indicating ‘extremely unimportant.’ A pilot study was then conducted with seven hundred forty-eight healthcare students and providers in Taiwan for further data analysis. The statistic software used in the study was SPSS for the exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and AMOS for the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Also, to examine the psychometric properties of the scale, internal consistency, convergent validities, discriminant validities, and model fit indices were calculated in the study. The EFA results derived 31 items in four factors, with 65.742% of the total variance explained: ‘support and attentiveness’ (11 items; 48.714% of the variance explained), ‘professional knowledge and skills’ (8 items; 8.226% of the variance explained), ‘gratifying needs and responsiveness’ (7 items; 5.236% of the variance explained), and ‘confidentiality and trust’ (5 items; 3.566% of the variance explained). The Cronbach’s alphas for the four subscales and the overall scale ranged from 0.894 to 0.964. The CFA results yielded the same 31 items, with the same four factors. The CFA results demonstrated good to excellent model fit in the χ2/df ratio (1.242), GFI (0.988), CFI (0.988), TFI (0.985), and RMSEA (0.031). The Cronbach’s alphas ranged between 0.866 and 0.971; the composite alphas ranged between 0.854 and 0.964. The convergent and discriminant validities also proved the stability of the CBS-HSP scale. The research results indicated that the developed CBS-HSP appeared to be a reliable instrument to measure healthcare students’ and providers’ caring behaviors.

Abstract Aim This study evaluated the correlation between learning needs and behavioural intention of sexual health care in female Registered Nurses and to assess the moderating effect of gender role on this relationship. Design In this cross‐sectional questionnaire‐based survey, a convenience sampling of female Registered Nurses was included from Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taiwan. Methods Three questionnaires were used to obtain self‐reported data on learning needs, behavioural intention and gender role. Results Based on gender role scores, 11.8% of participants were feminine, 10.0% were masculine, 31.0% were androgynous and 47.2% were undifferentiated. Significant positive correlations between learning needs and behaviour intention were observed in the total population as well as in undifferentiated, feminine and androgynous nurses (all p

Abstract Background This is a retrospective study that compares mandibular growth changes in skeletal Class II patients treated by rapid maxillary expansion (RME) and following fixed appliance with those patients treated by Twin-Block (TB) and following fixed appliance. Methods Fourteen patients treated by RME and following fixed appliance were included into the RME group. Fifteen patients treated by Twin-Block and following fixed appliance were included into the TB group. Lateral cephalometric radiographs taken before treatment and immediately after fixed appliance treatment were used to evaluate mandibular growth effects. Results The starting forms of the patients in the two groups were examined to be of good comparability. The mandibular length increased significantly in both groups as measured by Co-Gn, Go-Gn and Ar-Gn, but the TB group didn’t show more mandibular growth than the RME group (P > 0.05). Skeletal changes of the mandible in vertical dimension were different in the two groups. The change in FMA was 0.35° in the RME group, while the change was 2.65° in the TB group (P

Introduction: Infertility may negatively impact sexual function. Women with fertility problems usually prioritize treatment for infertility, but their sexual function in each trimester of pregnancy is poorly researched. Aim: To compare the sexual function and sexual healthcare needs of women who underwent successful in vitro fertilization (IVF group) and women who conceived naturally (CN group) during each trimester. Methods: Longitudinal prospective cohort study was conducted from August 2016 to July 2018. The IVF group (n = 100) was recruited from a leading reproductive treatment center; the CN group (n = 100), at the prenatal clinic of a medical center in central Taiwan. Questionnaires were mailed to women in the 10th–11th gestational week; 70 women in the IVF group and 75 in the CN group completed all 3 questionnaires, during the 10th–11th, 20th–21st, and 30th–31st gestational weeks. Main Outcome Measures: Female Sexual Function Index and Nursing Intervention on Sexual Healthcare needs were compared between groups in each trimester. Results: Most participants reported sexual dysfunction concerns during pregnancy. In the first trimester, the Female Sexual Function Index score was significantly lower in the IVF group than in the CN group (18.13 ± 6.27 vs 20.34 ± 5.87, respectively; P

Abstract Objectives To investigate the effect of the difference in C2–7 angle on dysphagia after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) with the Zero-P Implant System. Methods A retrospective analysis of 181 patients who underwent ACDF with the Zero-P Implant System and had at least one year of follow-up from January 2011 to November 2018 was performed. All patients were divided into a non-dysphagia group and a dysphagia group to explore the effect of the difference between postoperative and preoperative C2–7 angle (dC2–7A) on postoperative dysphagia. At the same time, other possible related factors including the difference between postoperative and preoperative O-C2 angle (dO-C2A), sex, age, body mass index (BMI), intraoperative time, estimated blood loss, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, smoking, alcohol consumption, prevertebral soft-tissue swelling (PSTS), the highest segment involved in the surgery and the levels of surgery segments were analyzed. Results In total, the non-dysphagia group comprised 139 patients and the dysphagia group comprised 42 patients. The single-factor analysis showed that smoking, PSTS and dC2–7A were significantly different between the two groups (P 0.05). The results of the multiple-factor analysis with an ordinal logistic regression model showed that smoking, PSTS and dC2–7A were significantly associated with the incidence of dysphagia (P

Introduction: Patients’ sexual concerns are private, sensitive issues, and providing sexual health care (SHC) is a legitimate area of concern for the nursing practice. Aims: This study tests a structural equation model for factors that affect SHC among Taiwanese nurses. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed between August 2014 and July 2015. A total of 471 registered nurses from a medical center in Taiwan were enrolled in this study. All nurses participated anonymously and completed 3 questionnaires: Nursing Attitude in Sexual Health Care scale, Nursing Intervention in Sexual Health scale, and Gender Role Orientation scale. The Permission-Limited Information-Specific Suggestions-Intensive Therapy model based on scale was application, and theory of planned behavior was used to examine the relationship of these 3 scales in nurses. Main Outcome Measures: SHC surveys were developed for nurses. These valid and reliable instruments included Nursing Attitude in Sexual Health Care, Nursing Intervention in Sexual Health, and Gender Role Orientation. Results: The fitted structural equation model was valid. The construct reliability of latent variables ranged from 0.730 to 0.942, which met the requirement of 0.70. The attitude about SHC (β = 0.182, P

Background: Antrodin C, a maleimide derivative compound isolated from the ethanol extract of the mycelium of Antrodia cinnamomea, is an endemic fungus of Taiwan and a potential chemoprotective agent. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the mode of action of antrodin C on cancer cells, especially in human colorectal cancer (CRC), remain unclear. Methods: The cell death and ROS of the antrodin-C-treated HCT-116 cells were measured by annexin V–FITC/propidium iodide staining, DCFDA, and Fluo-3 fluorescence staining assays. Moreover, signaling molecules regulating TNFα cell death pathways and ROS/AKT/ERK/P38 pathways were also detected in cells treated with antrodin C by Western blotting and chromatin immunoprecipitation. The effects of antrodin C were determined in HCT-116 cell xenograft animal models in terms of tumor volumes and histopathological evaluation. Results: Treatment with antrodin C triggered the activation of extrinsic apoptosis pathways (TNFα, Bax, caspase-3, and -9), and also suppressed the expression of anti-apoptotic molecules Bcl-2 in HCT-116 cells in a time-dependent manner. Antrodin C also decreased cell proliferation and growth through the inactivation of cyclin D1/cyclin for the arrest of the cell cycle at the G1 phase. The activation of the ROS/AKT/ERK/P38 pathways was involved in antrodin-C-induced transcriptional activation, which implicates the role of the histone H3K9K14ac (Acetyl Lys9/Lys14) of the TNFα promoters. Immunohistochemical analyses revealed that antrodin C treatment significantly induced TNFα levels, whereas it decreased the levels of PCNA, cyclin D1, cyclin E, and MMP-9 in an in vivo xenograft mouse model. Thus, antrodin C induces cell apoptosis via the activation of the ROS/AKT/ERK/P38 signaling modules, indicating a new mechanism for antrodin C to treat CRC in vitro and in vivo.

This paper presents a low complexity chip design supporting dual-mode beamforming, i.e. sampling matrix inversion (SMI) and the minimum variance distortionless response (MVDR), for wireless Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) communication systems. The auto-correlation matrix inversion is the critical computing kernel shared by the two beamforming schemes. To alleviate the computing complexity, the auto-correlation matrix is approximated by a Toeplitz counterpart, which can be decomposed efficiently by applying the Cholesky decomposition and the Schur algorithm. This leads to an O (N3) to O (N2) complexity reduction, where N is the matrix size, while preserving computing parallelism for the hardware design. In addition, a diagonal loading technique is employed to mitigate the stability problem when the matrix is ill-conditioned. Simulation results indicate that no performance loss is observed due to the algorithm simplification measures. A systolic array based mapping procedure converts the two beamforming algorithms to a unified hardware accelerator design with 80% shared circuitry. Complex-valued divisions are achieved by adopting a hardware efficient coordinate rotation digital computer (CORDIC) scheme. In chip implementation, a TSMC 90nm UTM process technology is used and the design specs largely follow the requirements of IEEE 802.11ac standard. The core size of the chip design is 0.68mm2. The measurement results show that the chip can operate up to 200MHz with a power consumption of 49.03mW. It can complete the computation of a new beamforming vector (of size 8) every 0.64us and exhibits the highest throughput among the 6 compared designs.

By enhancing the differential gain and reducing the capacitance of the 850-nm multi-mode vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) with an analog bandwidth beyond 25 GHz via the use of InGaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells and multiple oxide confinement layers, the transmission of directly encoded 4-level pulse amplitude modulation (PAM-4) data at 42 GBaud and 16-quadrature amplitude modulation orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (16-QAM OFDM) data at 35 GBaud are demonstrated. After passing through 100-m OM5 multimode fiber (MMF), the detailed comparison between the VCSELs designed with different aperture sizes of 5.5/7.5 μm is performed. The 7.5-μm-aperture VCSEL provides the higher power with larger quantum efficiency but exhibits the narrower 3-dB bandwidth and higher noise level than those of the 5.5-μm-aperture VCSEL. Shrinking the oxide-confined aperture to 5.5 μm assists the VCSEL to expand its 3-dB bandwidth to 25.2 GHz and suppresses its relative intensity noise to -135 dBc/Hz, which contributes to support the highest data rate up to 84 and 140 Gbit/s, respectively, for PAM-4 and 16-QAM OFDM data under forward error correction criterion at optical back-to-back condition. Even after transmitting through 100-m-long OM5-MMF, the allowable data transmission rate still remains at 80 Gbit/s for PAM-4 and 120 Gbit/s for 16-QAM OFDM with their receiving power penalty of 3.24 and 3.1 dB, respectively, when the data is carried by the 5.5-μm-aperture VCSEL. Such a newly designed VCSEL structure promotes its allowable bandwidth to manifest the feasibility toward 50-GBaud per channel capacity for future data center applications.

Abstract Background Current advancements in neoadjuvant therapy and total mesorectal excision have engendered increased local control. However, the survival benefit of preoperative radiotherapy (RT; 5 × 5 Gy) in rectal cancer patients remains inadequate, primarily because of systemic recurrence. In this retrospective single-center study, the effects of monthly tegafur–uracil maintenance (≥6 cycles) after 12 fluorouracil-based adjuvant chemotherapy cycles on 3-year relapse-free survival (RFS) was estimated in ypStage III rectal cancer patients. Methods Of ypStage III rectal cancer patients who received preoperative RT (5 × 5 Gy) in January 2006–December 2015, those who had ypStage III cancer after preoperative radiation, radical resection, and postoperative chemotherapy were enrolled; excluded patients had ypStage I and II rectal cancer, had double cancer, had synchronous distant metastasis, had local excision, received preoperative chemoradiation, and were lost to follow-up within 1 year after cancer treatment. Included patients received either maintenance therapy or observation after postoperative chemotherapy. The primary endpoint was the effect of maintenance therapy on 3-year RFS. We set the median follow-up duration to be 69.7 (range, 15.4–148.3) months. Results Of 259 ypStage III rectal cancer patients, 102 (59 men and 43 women) were enrolled based on the inclusion criteria. The maintenance and observation groups comprised 55 and 57 patients, respectively (mean age = 62.2 and 65.7 years, respectively; p = 0.185). The 3-year RFS observed in the maintenance group (85.1%) was longer than that observed in the observation group (67.5%; p = 0.039). Multivariate analysis proved the following to be independent prognostic factors for RFS: higher metastatic lymph node ratio (LNR ≥0.3), tegafur–uracil maintenance (≥6 cycles), and lower rectal cancer (

Abstract Objective To compare tooth movement rate and histological responses with three different force magnitude designs under osteoperforation in rabbit models. Methodology 48 rabbits were divided into three groups: Group A, Group B, and Group C, with traction force of 50 g, 100 g, 150 g, respectively. Osteoperforation was performed at the mesial of the right mandibular first premolar, the left side was not affected. One mini-screw was inserted into bones between two central incisors. Coil springs were fixed to the first premolars and the mini-screw. Tooth movement distance was calculated, and immunohistochemical staining of PCNA, OCN, VEGF, and TGF-β1 was analyzed. Results The tooth movement distance on the surgical side was larger than the control side in all groups (P0.05). For the control side, tooth movement distance in Group A was significantly smaller than Groups B and C (P0.05). On the tension area of the moving premolar, labeling of PCNA, OCN, VEGF and TGF-β1 were confirmed in alveolar bone and periodontal ligament in all groups. PCNA, OCN, VEGF and TGF-β1 on the surgical side was larger than the control side in all groups (P

Background/Aims: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common type of cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. PRDXs are antioxidant enzymes that play an important role in cell differentiation, proliferation and apoptosis and have diverse functions in malignancy development. However, the mechanism of aberrant overexpression of PRDX6 in CRC remains unclear. Methods: Boyden chamber assay, flow cytometry and a lentiviral shRNA targeting PRDX6 and transient transfection with pCMV-6-PRDX6 plasmid were used to examine the role of PRDX6 in the proliferation capacity and invasiveness of CRC cells. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) with tissue array containing 40 paraffin- embedded CRC tissue specimens and Western blot assays were used to detect target proteins. Results: PRDX6 was significantly up-expressed in different comparisons of metastasis of colorectal adenomas in node-positive CRC (P = 0.03). In in vitro HCT-116, PRDX6 silencing markedly suppressed CRC cell migration and invasiveness while also inducing cell cycle arrest as well as the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS); specific overexpression of PRDX6 had the opposite effect. Mechanistically, the PRDX6 inactivation displayed decreased levels of PRDX6, N-cadherin, β-catenin, Vimentin, Slug, Snail and Twist-1 through the activation of the PI3K/ AKT/p38/p50 pathways, but they were also significantly inhibited by PRDX6 transfectants. There was also increased transcriptional activation of dimethylation of histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4me3) of PRDX6 promoter via the activation of the PI3K/Akt/NFkB pathways. Conclusion: Our findings demonstrated that PRDX6 expression plays a characteristic growth-promoting role in CRC metastasis. This study suggests that PRDX6 may serve as a biomarker of node-positive status and may have a role as an important endogenous regulator of cancer cell tumorigenicity in CRC. PRDX6 may also be an effective therapeutic target.

A new type of surface state has recently been reported in ZrSiSe but its physical properties remain unclear. Here, Zhu, Chang, Huang, et al. report rotational symmetry breaking, healing effect and anomalous Umklapp scattering arising from the nonsymmorphic effect of the floating band state on ZrSiSe (001) surface.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate practicable predictors of 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) and impact of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-based adjuvant chemotherapy in stage IIa and IIb colon cancer. Materials and Methods: A total of 1474 patients with stage II colon cancer were enrolled in study. The independent predictors of 5-year DFS and the benefits of adjuvant chemotherapy were analyzed for patients with stage IIa (n = 771) and IIb (n = 703). Results: The incidences of pretreatment anemia, hypoalbuminemia, emergent surgery, and lymphovascular invasion (LVI) corresponded significantly to an advanced T-stage in patients with stage II colon cancer. Although the incidence of surgical morbidity was not different between stage IIa and IIb, stage II patients with hypoalbuminemia had a higher incidence of surgical morbidity than did those with normal serum albumin (17.2% vs. 9.6%, P < 0.001). The co-independent survival predictors in patients with stage IIa and IIb colon cancer were carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA < 5 ng/mL, P = 0.007 and 0.043), serum albumin (≥3.5 g/dL, P < 0.001 and P = 0.025), and nonsurgical morbidity (P < 0.001, both). Suboptimal lymph node harvest (

CIL-102 (1-[4-(furo[2,3-b]quinolin-4-ylamino) phenyl]ethanone) is a major active agent of Camptotheca acuminata’s alkaloid derivative, and its anti-tumorigenic activity, a valuable biological property of the agent, has been reported in many types of cancer. In this study, we researched the novel CIL-102-induced protein for either the induction of cell apoptosis or the inhibition of cell migration/invasiveness in colorectal cancer cells (CRC) and their molecular mechanism. Firstly, our data showed that CIL-102 treatment not only increased the cytotoxicity of cells and the production of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), but it also decreased cell migration and invasiveness in DLD-1 cells. In addition, many cellular death-related proteins (cleavage caspase 9, cleavage caspase 3, Bcl-2, and TNFR1 and TRAIL) and JNK MAPK/p300 pathways were increased in a time-dependent manner. Using the proteomic approach with a MALDI-TOF-TOF analysis, CIL-102-regulated differentially expressed proteins were identified, including eight downregulated and 11 upregulated proteins. Among them, upregulated Endoplasmic Reticulum resident Protein 29 (ERP29) and Fumarate Hydratase (FUMH) by CIL-102 were blocked by the inhibition of ROS production, JNK activity, and p300/CBP (CREB binding protein) signaling pathways. Importantly, the knockdown of ERP29 and FUMH expression by shRNA abolished the inhibition of cell migration and invasion by CIL-102 in DLD-1 cells. Together, our findings demonstrate that ERP29 and FUMH were upregulated by CIL102 via ROS production, JNK activity, and p300/CBP pathways, and that they were involved in the inhibition of the aggressive status of colorectal cancer cells.

Background / Aims: Erinacine A, isolated from the ethanol extract of the Hericium erinaceus mycelium, has been demonstrated as a new alternative anticancer medicine. Drawing upon current research, this study presents an investigation of the molecular mechanism of erinacine A inhibition associated with gastric cancer cell growth. Methods: Cell viability was determined by Annexin V–FITC/propidium iodide staining and migration using a Boyden chamber assay to determine the effects of erinacine A treatment on the proliferation capacity and invasiveness of gastric cancer cells. A proteomic assay provided information that was used to identify the differentially-expressed proteins following erinacine A treatment, as well as the mechanism of its targets in the apoptotic induction of erinacine A. Results: Our results demonstrate that erinacine A treatment of TSGH 9201 cells increased cytotoxicity and the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), as well as decreased the invasiveness. Treatment of TSGH 9201 cells with erinacine A resulted in the activation of caspases and the expression of TRAIL. Erinacine A induction of apoptosis was accompanied by sustained phosphorylation of FAK/AKT/p70S6K and the PAK1 pathways, as well as the generation of ROS. Furthermore, the induction of apoptosis and anti-invasion properties by erinacine A could involve the differential expression of the 14-3-3 sigma protein (1433S) and microtubule-associated tumor suppressor candidate 2 (MTUS2), with the activation of the FAK/AKT/p70S6K and PAK1 signaling pathways. Conclusions: These results lead us to speculate that erinacine A may generate an apoptotic cascade in TSGH 9201 cells by activating the FAK/AKT/p70S6K/PAK1 pathway and upregulating proteins 1433S and MTUS2, providing a new mechanism underlying the anti-cancer effects of erinacine A in human gastric cancer cells.

Recent reports of a large anomalous Hall effect (AHE) in ferromagnetic Weyl semimetals (FM WSMs) have led to a resurgence of interest in this enigmatic phenomenon. However, due to a lack of tunable materials, the interplay between the intrinsic mechanism caused by Berry curvature and extrinsic mechanisms due to scattering remains unclear in FM WSMs. In this contribution, we present a thorough investigation of both the extrinsic and intrinsic AHEs in a new family of FM WSMs, PrAlGe1−xSix, where x can be tuned continuously. Based on the first-principles calculations, we show that the two end members, PrAlGe and PrAlSi, have different Fermi surfaces, but similar Weyl node structures. Experimentally, we observe moderate changes in the anomalous Hall coefficient (RS), but significant changes in the ordinary Hall coefficient (R0) in PrAlGe1−xSix as a function of x. By comparing the magnitude of R0 and RS, we identify two regimes: |R0| < |RS| for x ≤ 0.5 and |R0| > |RS| for x > 0.5. Through a detailed scaling analysis, we uncover a universal anomalous Hall conductivity (AHC) from intrinsic contribution when x ≤ 0.5. Such a universal AHC is absent for x > 0.5. Our study, thus, reveals the significance of extrinsic mechanisms in FM WSMs and reports the first observation of the transition from the intrinsic to extrinsic AHE in PrAlGe1−xSix.

Topological Dirac and Weyl semimetals are currently attracting intense interest due to their exotic physical properties. Transition metal diarsenides such as MoAs_{2} and WAs_{2} have been reported to harbor very high magnetoresistance suggesting the possible existence of a topological quantum state, although this conclusion remains dubious. Here, using systematic angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) measurements and parallel first-principles calculations, we discuss the electronic structures of TAs_{2} (T = Mo, W). Two different cleavage planes of MoAs_{2} are found to harbor distinctly different surface states. Our experiments show the presence of Dirac-like dispersions on the (001) plane, which our first-principles calculations ascribe to trivial surface states. Our in-depth study also finds WAs_{2} to possess a trivial electronic structure. Our study emphasizes the importance of identifying the cleavage plane in low-symmetry systems and indicates that topological semimetallic states are not the key for generating high magnetoresistance in MoAs_{2} and WAs_{2}.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the adding value of MRI over CT for preoperative cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapies (CRS/HIPEC). Methods: Imaging and intraoperative peritoneal cancer index (PCI) were calculated in 62 patients with peritoneal metastasis. Predictive models for the completeness of cytoreductive score using PCI data were established using decision tree algorithms. Results: In gastric cancer patients, a large discrepancy and poor agreement was appreciated between CT and surgical PCI, and a nonsignificant difference was noted between MRI and surgical PCI. In colon cancer patients, a better agreement and higher correlation with a smaller error was observed in PCI score using MRI than in that using CT. However, the addition of MRI to CT was limited for appendiceal and ovarian cancer patients. For predicting incomplete cytoreduction, CT models yielded inadequate accuracy while MRI models were more accurate with fair discrimination ability. Conclusions: CT was suitable for estimating PCI and surgery outcome in appendiceal and ovarian cancer patients, while further MRI in addition to CT was recommended for colon and gastric cancer patients. However, for classifying patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis into complete and incomplete cytoreduction, MRI was more effective than CT.

Hericium erinaceus is a well-known edible mushroom with valuable biological properties. Erinacine A is the major active agent of the diterpenoid compounds of the cultured mycelia of H. erinaceus. This agent has multiple physiological activities, including anti-tumourigenic activity. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms by which erinacine A mediated the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and we performed cell cycle arrest to clarify molecular changes in colorectal cancer cells (CRC). Treatment of DLD-1 cells with erinacine A resulted in the phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p70S6K, the activation of p50 and p-IKB-β protein levels, the downregulation of cell-cycle-related proteins (cyclin A, cdk2, cyclin E, cdk4, and cyclin D1), and the induction of p21. Furthermore, treatment with the N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) and mTOR inhibitor (rapamycin) abolished erinacine A-induced cell cycle G1 arrest and reversed the association of CDK2 with Cyclin E and CDK4 with Cyclin D1. Therefore, when DLD-1 cells were grown as xenografts in nude mice, treatment with erinacine A induced a significant dose-dependent decrease in tumour growth. Histochemical and immunohistochemical analysis revealed that erinacine A treatment significantly reduced the number of mitotic cells. These results suggest that erinacine A presents an antitumour potential for CRC by inhibiting the growth of tumour cells in vitro and in vivo. Thus, we have identified a novel erinacine A-inhibited proliferation by activating p70S6K and ROS production, cell-cycle-related p21 proteins that provide a new mechanism for erinacine A-inhibited cell growth in human CRC.

Hericium erinaceus, a valuable pharmaceutical and edible mushroom, contains potent bioactive compounds such as H. erinaceus mycelium (HEM) and its derived ethanol extraction of erinacine A, which have been found to regulate physiological functions in our previous study. However, HEM or erinacine A with post-treatment regimens also shows effects on 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced neurotoxicity, but its mechanisms remain unknown. By using annexin-V−fluorescein-isothiocyanate (FITC)/propidium iodide staining and a 2’,7’ −dichlorofluorescin diacetate (DCFDA) staining assay, the cell death, cell viability, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) of 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MMP+)-treated Neuro-2a (N2a) cells with or without erinacine A addition were measured, respectively. Furthermore, signaling molecules for regulating the p21/GADD45 cell death pathways and PAKalpha, p21 (RAC1) activated kinase 1 (PAK1) survival pathways were also detected in the cells treated with MPP+ and erinacine A by Western blots. In neurotoxic animal models of MPTP induction, the effects of HEM or erinacine A and its mechanism in vivo were determined by measuring the TH-positive cell numbers and the protein level of the substantia nigra through a brain histological examination. Our results demonstrated that post-treatment with erinacine A was capable of preventing the cytotoxicity of neuronal cells and the production of ROS in vitro and in vivo through the neuroprotective mechanism for erinacine A to rescue the neurotoxicity through the disruption of the IRE1α/TRAF2 interaction and the reduction of p21 and GADD45 expression. In addition, erinacine A treatment activated the conserved signaling pathways for neuronal survival via the phosphorylation of PAK1, AKT, LIM domain kinase 2 (LIMK2), extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK), and Cofilin. Similar changes in the signal molecules also were found in the substantia nigra of the MPTP, which caused TH+ neuron damage after being treated with erinacine A in the post-treatment regimens in a dose-dependent manner. Taken together, our data indicated a novel mechanism for post-treatment with erinacine A to protect from neurotoxicity through regulating neuronal survival and cell death pathways.

CIL-102 (1-[4-(furo[2,3-b]quinolin-4-ylamino)phenyl]ethanone) is a well-known, major active agent of the alkaloid derivative of Camptotheca acuminata with valuable biological properties, including anti-tumorigenic activity. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms by which CIL-102 mediated the induction of cell death, and we performed cell cycle G2/M arrest to clarify molecular changes in colorectal cancer cells (CRC). Treatment of DLD-1 cells with CIL-102 resulted in triggering the extrinsic apoptosis pathway through the activation of Fas-L, caspase-8 and the induction of Bid cleavage and cytochrome c release in a time-dependent manner. In addition, CIL-102 mediated apoptosis and G2/M arrest by phosphorylation of the Jun N-terminus kinase (JNK1/2) signaling pathway. This resulted in the expression of NFκB p50, p300 and CREB-binding protein (CBP) levels, and in the induction of p21 and GADD45 as well as the decreased association of cdc2/cyclin B. Furthermore, treatment with the JNK1/2 (SP600125), NFκB (PDTI) or the p300/CBP (C646) inhibitors abolished CIL-102-induced cell cycle G2/M arrest and reversed the association of cdc2 with cyclin B. Therefore, we demonstrated that there was an increase in the cellular levels of p21 and GADD45 by CIL-102 reduction in cell viability and cell cycle arrest via the activation of the JNK1/2, NFκB p50, p300 and CBP signaling modules. Collectively, our results demonstrated that CIL-102 induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of colon cancer cells by upregulating p21 and GADD45 expression and by activating JNK1/2, NFκB p50 and p300 to provide a new mechanism for CIL-102 treatment.

The stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1)/CXC receptor 4 (CXCR4) axis plays an important role in tumor angiogenesis and invasiveness in colorectal cancer (CRC) progression. In addition, metastatic CRC remains one of the most difficult human malignancies to treat because of its chemoresistant behavior. However, the mechanism by which correlation occurs between CXCR4 and the clinical response of CRC to chemotherapy remains unknown. We generated chemoresistant cells with increasing doses of oxaliplatin (OXA) and 5-Fluorouracil (5FU) to develop resistance at a clinical dose. We found that the putative markers did not change in the parental cells, but HCT-116/OxR and HCT-116/5-FUR were more aggressive and had higher tumor growth (demonstrated by wound healing, chemotaxis assay, and a nude mice xenograft model) with the use of oxaliplatin. Apoptosis induced by oxaliplatin treatment was significantly decreased in HCT-116/OxR compared to the parental cells. Moreover, HCT-116/OxR cells displayed increased levels of p-gp, p-Akt p-ERK, p-IKBβ, CXCR4, and Bcl-2, but they also significantly inhibited the apoptotic pathways when compared to the parental strain. We evaluated the molecular mechanism governing the signaling pathway associated with anti-apoptosis activity and the aggressive status of chemoresistant cells. Experiments involving specific inhibitors demonstrated that the activation of the pathways associated with CXCR4, ERK1/2 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt is critical to the functioning of the HCT-116/OxR and HCT-116/5-FUR characteristics of chemosensitivity. These findings elucidate the mechanism of CXCR4/PI3K/Akt downstream signaling and provide strategies to inhibit CXCR4 mediated signaling pathway in order to overcome CRC's resistance to chemotherapy.

Substance misuse is associated with cognitive dysfunction. We used a stop signal task to examine deficits in cognitive control in individuals with opioid dependence (OD). We examined how response inhibition and post-error slowing are compromised and whether methadone maintenance treatment (MMT), abstinence duration, and psychiatric comorbidity are related to these measures in individuals with OD.Two-hundred-and-sixty-four men with OD who were incarcerated at a detention center and abstinent for up to 2 months (n = 108) or at a correctional facility and abstinent for approximately 6 months (n = 156), 65 OD men under MMT at a psychiatric clinic, and 64 age and education matched healthy control (HC) participants were assessed. We computed the stop signal reaction time (SSRT) to index the capacity of response inhibition and post-error slowing (PES) to represent error-related behavioral adjustment, as in our previous work. We examined group effects with analyses of variance and covariance analyses, followed by planned comparisons. Specifically, we compared OD and HC participants to examine the effects of opioid dependence and MMT and compared OD sub-groups to examine the effects of abstinence duration and psychiatric comorbidity.The SSRT was significantly prolonged in OD but not MMT individuals, as compared to HC. The extent of post-error slowing diminished in OD and MMT, as compared to HC (trend; p = 0.061), and there was no difference between the OD and MMT groups. Individuals in longer abstinence were no less impaired in these measures. Furthermore, these results remained when psychiatric comorbidities including misuse of other substances were accounted for.Methadone treatment appears to be associated with relatively intact cognitive control in opioid dependent individuals. MMT may facilitate public health by augmenting cognitive control and thereby mitigating risky behaviors in heroin addicts.