Direct Writing of Functional Layer by Selective Laser Sintering of Nanoparticles for Emerging Applications: A Review.

Selective laser sintering of nanoparticles enables the direct and rapid formation of a functional layer even on heat-sensitive flexible and stretchable substrates, and is rising as a pioneering fabrication technology for future-oriented applications. To date, laser sintering has been successfully applied to various target nanomaterials including a wide range of metal and metal-oxide nanoparticles, and extensive investigation of relevant experimental schemes have not only reduced the minimum feature size but also have further expanded the scalability of the process. In the beginning, the selective laser sintering process was regarded as an alternative method to conventional manufacturing processes, but recent studies have shown that the unique characteristics of the laser-sintered layer may improve device performance or even enable novel functionalities which were not achievable using conventional fabrication techniques. In this regard, we summarize the current developmental status of the selective laser sintering technique for nanoparticles, affording special attention to recent emerging applications that adopt the laser sintering scheme.

Sensory and Volatile Profiles of Korean Commercially Distilled Soju Using Descriptive Analysis and HS-SPME-GC-MS.

Volatile compositions and sensory characteristics of 11 commercially distilled soju samples were investigated using headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and sensory descriptive analysis. A total of 59 major volatile compounds, consisting of 32 esters, 10 alcohols, 2 acids, 5 aldehydes, 3 ketones, 1 hydrocarbon, 1 furan, 2 phenols, and 3 miscellaneous compounds, were identified. From the principal component analysis (PCA) of volatile data, MSJ made by atmospheric distillation showed a clear distinction in volatile compositions compared to that of other samples made by vacuum distillation. Based on PCA of the sensory data determined by a panel of ten judges, MSJ was associated with a large amount of longer chain esters that showed high intensities in bitter taste and yeast/nuruk-related flavor attributes. HYJ, LPJ, and HAJ made with rice as a raw material were associated with lower intensities of the alcohol aroma, while JRJ and OKJ aged in oak barrels were associated with fruit flavor, sweet flavor, and brandy aroma. In the partial least squares regression (PLSR) analysis to see any relationship between volatile and sensory data, longer chain esters like ethyl tetradecanoate, and ethyl hexadecanoate were highly associated with bleach aroma. In contrast, positive correlations were seen with barley aroma and yeast flavor with hexanal, nonanal, benzaldehyde, and 2-methoxy-phenol.

Alpha Particle Effect on Multi-Nanosheet Tunneling Field-Effect Transistor at 3-nm Technology Node.

The radiation effects on a multi-nanosheet tunneling-based field effect transistor (NS-TFET) were investigated for a 3-nm technology node using a three-dimensional (3D) technology computer-aided design (TCAD) simulator. An alpha particle was injected into a field effect transistor (FET), which resulted in a drain current fluctuation and caused the integrated circuit to malfunction as the result of a soft-error-rate (SER) issue. It was subsequently observed that radiation effects on NS-TFET were completely different from a conventional drift-diffusion (DD)-based FET. Unlike a conventional DD-based FET, when an alpha particle enters the source and channel areas in the current scenario, a larger drain current fluctuation occurs due to a tunneling mechanism between the source and the channel, and this has a significant effect on the drain current. In addition, as the temperature increases, the radiation effect increases as a result of a decrease in silicon bandgap energy and a resultant increase in band-to-band generation. Finally, the radiation effect was analyzed according to the energy of the alpha particle. These results can provide a guideline by which to design a robust integrated circuit for radiation that is totally different from the conventional DD-FET approach.

Aging negatively impacts the ability of megakaryocytes to stimulate osteoblast proliferation and bone mass.

Osteoblast number and activity decreases with aging, contributing to the age-associated decline of bone mass, but the mechanisms underlying changes in osteoblast activity are not well understood. Here, we show that the age-associated bone loss critically depends on impairment of the ability of megakaryocytes (MKs) to support osteoblast proliferation. Co-culture of osteoblast precursors with young MKs is known to increase osteoblast proliferation and bone formation. However, co-culture of osteoblast precursors with aged MKs resulted in significantly fewer osteoblasts compared to co-culture with young MKs, and this was associated with the downregulation of transforming growth factor beta. In addition, the ability of MKs to increase bone mass was attenuated during aging as transplantation of GATA1low/low hematopoietic donor cells (which have elevated MKs/MK precursors) from young mice resulted in an increase in bone mass of recipient mice compared to transplantation of young wild-type donor cells, whereas transplantation of GATA1low/low donor cells from old mice failed to enhance bone mass in recipient mice compared to transplantation of old wild-type donor cells. These findings suggest that the preservation or restoration of the MK-mediated induction of osteoblast proliferation during aging may hold the potential to prevent age-associated bone loss and resulting fractures.

Effect of sensor location on regional cerebral oxygen saturation measured by INVOS 5100 in on-pump cardiac surgery.

PURPOSE: Near-infrared spectroscopy sensors often cannot be attached at the commercially recommended locations because combined use of neurological monitoring systems is common during on-pump cardiac surgery. The primary purpose of this study was to compare the incidence of regional cerebral oxygen desaturation and regional cerebral oxygen saturation values detected using near-infrared spectroscopy between the upper and lower forehead during on-pump cardiac surgery. METHODS: A prospective observational study was conducted with 25 adult patients scheduled for elective on-pump cardiac surgery. Regional cerebral oxygen saturations at the left upper and lower forehead and other clinical measurements were monitored intraoperatively. McNemar's test was used to analyze differences in the incidence of cerebral regional oxygen desaturation between the left upper and lower forehead. Two-way repeated measures ANOVA with post hoc Bonferroni correction was used to compare the regional cerebral oxygen saturation at each time point. RESULTS: There was a significantly higher incidence of regional cerebral oxygen desaturation at the upper than lower forehead only at 1 h after initiation of aortic cross-clamping. There were significant differences between the left upper and lower regional cerebral oxygen saturation values throughout the observation period. CONCLUSION: Regional cerebral oxygen saturation was significantly lower at the upper than lower forehead during on-pump cardiac surgery. However, disagreements in detection of cerebral regional oxygen desaturation were only significant at 1 h after initiation of aortic cross-clamping. TRIAL REGISTRATION: WHO-ICTRP, Clinical Research Information Service (CRiS). ID: KCT0000971. URL: https://cris.nih.go.kr/cris/search/search_result_st01_en.jsp?seq=3678&type=my .

Pretreatmet with 5% lidocaine patch reduces cannula-induced and propofol-induced pain: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of 5% lidocaine patch in reducing propofol-induced pain and cannula-induced pain. METHODS: In a randomized, double-blind study, 126 patients were divided into one of three groups: pretreatment with a 5% lidocaine patch (Lidotop®) and premixed 2 ml of normal saline with 1.5 mg/kg of 1% propofol (Group A); pretreatment with a placebo patch and premixed 2 ml of normal saline with 1.5 mg/kg of 1% propofol (Group B); or pretreatment with a placebo patch and premixed 2 ml of 2% lidocaine (40 mg) with 1.5 mg/kg of 1% propofol (Group C) for induction of anesthesia. Pain severity was evaluated on a four-point verbal rating scale during intravenous cannulation, propofol injection, and 24 h after the operation (recall). RESULTS: Eighteen patients (47.4%) in Group A complained of cannula-induced pain compared with 35 (94.6%) in Group B and 36 (94.7%) in Group C (P < 0.001). Group A patients showed significantly lower incidence of propofol-induced pain and recall of propofol-induced pain compared with Group B (P < 0.001 and P = 0.01), whereas there was no difference compared with Group C. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative transdermal administration of 5% lidocaine patch is an effective and simple method in reducing propofol-induced pain as well as cannula-induced pain.

Bronchoscopic concerns in Proteus syndrome: a case report.

Proteus syndrome (PS) is a rare congenital hamartomatous disorder with multisystem involvement. PS shows highly clinical variability due to overgrowth of the affected areas, and several features can make anesthetic management challenging. Little is known about the airway problem associated with anesthesia in PS patients. An 11-year-old girl with PS was scheduled for ear surgery under general anesthesia. She had features complicating intubation including facial asymmetry and disproportion, abnormal teeth, limitation of neck movement due to torticollis, and thoracolumbar scoliosis. This study reports on a case of deformed airway of a PS patient under fiberoptic bronchoscopy.

Carboxypeptidase E is a novel modulator of RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation.

Osteoclasts are large polykaryons that have the unique capacity to degrade bone and are generated by the differentiation of myeloid lineage progenitors. To identify the genes involved in osteoclast development, we performed microarray analysis, and we found that carboxypeptidase E (CPE), a prohormone processing enzyme, was highly upregulated in osteoclasts compared with their precursors, bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMMs). Here, we demonstrate a novel role for CPE in receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL)-induced osteoclast differentiation. The overexpression of CPE in BMMs increases the formation of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP)-positive multinuclear osteoclasts and the expression of c-Fos and nuclear factor of activated T cells c1 (NFATc1), which are key regulators in osteoclastogenesis. Furthermore, employing CPE knockout mice, we show that CPE deficiency attenuates osteoclast formation. Together, our data suggest that CPE might be an important modulator of RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation.

Risk of continuing planned surgery after endovascular repair of subclavian artery injury: a case report.

Endovascular repair with covered stents has been widely used to treat subclavian and axillary artery injuries and has produced promising early results. The possibility of a thromboembolism occurring in cerebral arteries during an endovascular procedure should be a cause for concern. In the case of endovascular management of arterial traumas, a prompt and sufficient period for check-up of the patient's neurological signs is needed, even if it requires postponing elective intervention for the patient's safety. We report a rare case of liver transplantation immediately after endovascular repair of an iatrogenic subclavian arterial injury to describe the risk of continuing planned surgery without neurologic assessment.

The effects of anesthetics on chronic pain after breast cancer surgery.

BACKGROUND: The incidence and predictive factors for chronic pain after breast cancer surgery have been widely studied. Because it negatively affects patients' daily lives, methods to prevent and reduce chronic pain and its severity should be developed. Our previous study showed that propofol anesthesia has an antihyperalgesic effect under remifentanil-induced hyperalgesia and reduced acute pain compared with sevoflurane anesthesia. In this study, we investigated the hypothesis that propofol would prevent the development and severity of chronic pain after breast cancer surgery, as in acute pain. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted with 175 women (n = 86 in the propofol group and n = 89 in the sevoflurane group) aged 20 to 65 years who underwent breast cancer surgery between March 2007 and December 2008. Patients were followed up by telephone in July 2011. Analysis included incidence, severity, and duration of chronic pain between propofol and sevoflurane groups. Severity was categorized into mild, moderate, and severe pain. Duration of chronic pain was also divided into 3 categories by 1-year time interval. Risk factors associated with the incidence and severity of chronic pain after breast cancer surgery were also identified. RESULTS: Chronic pain after breast cancer surgery was more likely to occur in the sevoflurane group compared with the propofol group (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.146-1.809, P = 0.007). Among patients with chronic pain, neither the severity (95% CI 0.516-7.419) nor duration (95% CI 0.106-1.007) differed between patients receiving sevoflurane and propofol. Younger age (95% CI 0.907-0.992, P = 0.021), axillary lymph node dissection (95% CI 1.204-1.898, P = 0.003), 24-hour postoperative morphine consumption (95% CI 1.004-1.116, P = 0.036), and sevoflurane (95% CI 1.146-1.809, P = 0.007) were predictive factors for the development of chronic pain. Higher 24-hour postoperative morphine consumption (95% CI 1.001-1.379, P = 0.049) increased the severity of chronic pain. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that propofol anesthesia was associated with a lower incidence of chronic pain after breast cancer surgery than sevoflurane anesthesia. However, propofol did not have a significant effect on severity and duration of chronic pain. Further prospective studies are needed to confirm the validity of these provocative findings.

Severe airway obstruction in an infant with congenital tracheal stenosis and congenital heart disease -A case report-.

Congenital tracheal stenosis (CTS), though rare, is important because the mortality and morbidity rates are high in infants. Especially, associated congenital heart disease (CHD) in these infants may compound the effects of airway pathology. A 3-week-old patient with long-segmental tracheal stenosis below an anomalous right-upper lobe (RUL) bronchus had undergone a total correction of double outlet right ventricle. On third postoperative day, hypercarbia developed, and severe airway obstruction and atelectasis were detected. An emergency slide tracheoplasty was performed under cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). The patient recovered well after the surgery. Thus, special attention needs to be paid during the postoperative intensive care of patients with congenital tracheal anomalies. Early detection and prompt diagnosis of airway obstruction can help reduce the morbidity and mortality rates. Further, it is important to select the suitable treatment of CTS associated with CHD.

Gymnasterkoreayne F inhibits osteoclast formation by suppressing NFATc1 and DC-STAMP expression.

Osteoclasts are multinucleated cells that have a unique role in bone degradation. Modulation of osteoclast formation and/or its activity is an important approach for the treatment of bone-destructive diseases such as osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis. In this study, Gymnasterkoreayne F (GK-F), a natural compound isolated from Gymnaster koraiensis, was found to inhibit osteoclast differentiation from primary bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMMs) in a dose-dependent manner. The inhibition occurred through the suppression of nuclear factor of activated T cells c1 (NFATc1) expression, which then led to the decreased levels of osteoclastogenic markers, including Cathepsin K and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP). In addition, GK-F abolished pre-osteoclast fusion induced by the receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B ligand (RANKL), lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and TNF-α. Reflecting its inhibitory effects on cell-cell fusion, GK-F attenuated the gene expression of an essential molecule of osteoclast fusion, the dendritic cell-specific transmembrane protein (DC-STAMP). Furthermore, GK-F inhibited the bone resorptive activity of differentiated osteoclasts through its ability to block RANKL-induced actin ring formation. The effect was associated with a significant decrease in the induction of ß3 integrin expression, which is an essential regulator of osteoclast cytoskeletal function. Taken together, these results suggest that GK-F might be useful as a therapeutic agent for bone resorption-related diseases.

A novel PPARgamma agonist, KR62776, suppresses RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation and activity by inhibiting MAP kinase pathways.

We investigated the effects of a novel peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) agonist, KR62776, on osteoclast differentiation and function, and on the underlying signaling pathways. KR62776 markedly suppressed differentiation into osteoclasts in various osteoclast model systems, including bone marrow mononuclear (BMM) cells and a co-culture of calvarial osteoblasts and BMM cells. KR62776 suppressed the activation of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) and the expression of genes associated with osteoclast differentiation, such as TRAP, dendritic cell-specific transmembrane protein (DC-STAMP), and osteoclast-associated receptor (OSCAR). Furthermore, KR62776 reduced resorption pit formation in osteoclasts, and down-regulated genes essential for osteoclast activity, such as Src and alphavbeta3 integrin. An analysis of a signaling pathway showed that KR62776 inhibited the receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappaB ligand (RANKL)-induced activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK), extracellular regulated kinase (ERK), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB). Together, these results demonstrate that KR62776 negatively affects osteoclast differentiation and activity by inhibiting the RANKL-induced activation of MAP kinases and NF-kappaB.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms in bone turnover-related genes in Koreans: ethnic differences in linkage disequilibrium and haplotype.

BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis is defined as the loss of bone mineral density that leads to bone fragility with aging. Population-based case-control studies have identified polymorphisms in many candidate genes that have been associated with bone mass maintenance or osteoporotic fracture. To investigate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are associated with osteoporosis, we examined the genetic variation among Koreans by analyzing 81 genes according to their function in bone formation and resorption during bone remodeling. METHODS: We resequenced all the exons, splice junctions and promoter regions of candidate osteoporosis genes using 24 unrelated Korean individuals. Using the common SNPs from our study and the HapMap database, a statistical analysis of deviation in heterozygosity depicted. RESULTS: We identified 942 variants, including 888 SNPs, 43 insertion/deletion polymorphisms, and 11 microsatellite markers. Of the SNPs, 557 (63%) had been previously identified and 331 (37%) were newly discovered in the Korean population. When compared SNPs in the Korean population with those in HapMap database, 1% (or less) of SNPs in the Japanese and Chinese subpopulations and 20% of those in Caucasian and African subpopulations were significantly differentiated from the Hardy-Weinberg expectations. In addition, an analysis of the genetic diversity showed that there were no significant differences among Korean, Han Chinese and Japanese populations, but African and Caucasian populations were significantly differentiated in selected genes. Nevertheless, in the detailed analysis of genetic properties, the LD and Haplotype block patterns among the five sub-populations were substantially different from one another. CONCLUSION: Through the resequencing of 81 osteoporosis candidate genes, 118 unknown SNPs with a minor allele frequency (MAF) > 0.05 were discovered in the Korean population. In addition, using the common SNPs between our study and HapMap, an analysis of genetic diversity and deviation in heterozygosity was performed and the polymorphisms of the above genes among the five populations were substantially differentiated from one another. Further studies of osteoporosis could utilize the polymorphisms identified in our data since they may have important implications for the selection of highly informative SNPs for future association studies.

Association of FLT3 polymorphisms with low BMD and risk of osteoporotic fracture in postmenopausal women.

UNLABELLED: The genetic effects of FLT3 polymorphisms on BMD and fracture risk in postmenopausal women were studied. We found that FLT3+13348C>T polymorphism and haplotype 2 were significantly associated with low BMD and high risk of fracture. INTRODUCTION: FMS-related tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) has been shown to play a critical role in the development of myelolymphoid progenitors and in the development of osteoclasts, but any possible genetic effect of FLT3 on bone metabolism has not been studied. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To study a possible genetic effect of FLT3, we directly sequenced the FLT3 gene in 24 Korean individuals and identified 23 sequence variants. Seven polymorphisms were selected and genotyped in Korean postmenopausal women (n = 946). RESULTS: We found that FLT3+13348C>T was associated with low BMD at the lumbar spine (p = 0.04) and femoral neck (p = 0.04). Haplotype analysis revealed that FLT3-ht2 (TTCTT) containing the rare allele in the +13348 position also showed significant association with low BMD in the lumbar spine (p = 0.04) and femoral neck (p = 0.05). Consistent with these results, the FLT3+13348C>T polymorphism and FLT3-ht2 were also significantly associated with high risk of fracture in the vertebrae (OR = 1.44-1.58; p = 0.03-0.04 and OR = 1.45-1.59; p = 0.02-0.03, respectively) and in any sites (OR = 1.34-1.81; p = 0.02-0.03 and OR = 1.34-1.81; p = 0.02-0.03, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that FLT3 polymorphisms play a role in determination of BMD and subsequent fractures in postmenopausal women.

Methionine synthase reductase polymorphisms are associated with serum osteocalcin levels in postmenopausal women.

Homocysteine (Hcy) is thought to play an important role in the development of osteoporosis and fracture. Methionine synthase reductase (MTRR) is an enzyme involved in the conversion of Hcy to methionine. We hypothesized that certain genetic polymorphisms of MTRR leading to reduced enzyme activity may cause hyperhomocysteinemia and affect bone metabolism. We therefore examined the associations of the A66G and C524T polymorphisms of the MTRR gene with bone mineral density (BMD) and serum osteocalcin levels in postmenopausal women. Although we did not detect any significant associations between MTRR polymorphisms and BMD or serum osteocalcin levels, we found that the 66G/524C haplotype, which has reduced enzyme activity, was significantly associated with serum osteocalcin levels in a gene-dose dependent manner (P = 0.002). That is, the highest osteocalcin levels (34.5 +/- 16.8 ng/ml) were observed in subjects bearing two copies, intermediate osteocalcin levels (32.6 +/- 14.4 ng/ml) were observed in subjects bearing one copy, and the lowest levels of osteocalcin (28.8 +/- 10.9 ng/ml) were observed in subjects bearing no copies. These results suggest that the 66G/524C haplotype of the MTRR gene affect bone turn over rate.