Dual-mode liquid crystal grating based on photo- and nanoparticle-induced alignment effects.

A silica-nanoparticle-and-azo-dye-doped liquid crystal (LC) phase grating with multistable and dynamic modes based on photo- and nanoparticle-induced alignments was demonstrated. The photoalignment suppressed the electrophoretic movement of the silica nanoparticles in the hybrid aligned nematic (HAN) LC cell to maintain the vertical orientation of LCs during the electrical operation process by means of the azo dyes adsorbed on the silica networks in the homogeneously aligned side of the sample, and contributed two LC structures to form a grating. Through the excitation of a DC pulse with proper polarity and an AC voltage, the multistable and dynamic diffraction efficiencies of the grating were achieved, respectively, by electrophoretically controlled silica nanoparticles and the electrically controlled birefringence effect of LCs.

Quality of Life in Patients with Dementia with Lewy Bodies.

Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is a complex, multisymptom disorder. When making decisions regarding the treatment of DLB, the patient's quality of life (QoL) should always be the main consideration. To our knowledge, this is the first review article focusing on the QoL in DLB patients. We searched the PubMed database using the keywords "quality of life" and "dementia with Lewy bodies." Previously, no specific instrument had been developed for assessing the QoL in DLB patients. Patients with DLB have a decreased QoL compared to patients with Alzheimer's disease, which is reportedly caused by several factors including level of independence in instrumental activities of daily living, whether the patient is living with the caregiver, apathy, delusion, and dysautonomia. The direct effect of visual hallucination, sleep, and movement disorders on the QoL in DLB patients has not been previously studied. The role of cognitive function on the QoL is still controversial. In a randomized controlled study, memantine may improve the QoL in PDD or DLB patients. We concluded that it is important to develop a specific instrument to assess the QoL in DLB patients. Furthermore, there is an urgent need for large clinical trials to identify factors associated with the QoL and how they can be managed.

Risk Factors for the Progression of Mild Cognitive Impairment in Different Types of Neurodegenerative Disorders.

OBJECTIVE: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a transitional state between normal aging and early dementia. It has a heterogeneous etiology and clinical course. This study aimed to examine the factors associated with the progression of MCI in different types of dementia disorders. METHOD: A retrospective, longitudinal, observational study of outpatients with MCI was conducted at a medical center in northern Taiwan. Patient medical records were reviewed, and risk factors were analyzed by multivariate analysis. RESULTS: Among 279 patients with MCI, 163 (58.4%), 68 (24.4%), and 48 (17.2%) were diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, vascular cognitive impairment, and Lewy body diseases, respectively. During the observation period, 37.2% of patients progressed to dementia. Older age and a higher Clinical Dementia Rating Scale-Sum of Boxes were associated with the risk of progression. Hyperlipidemia was associated with a decreased risk. Converters were more likely to receive an antidementia prescription. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests the importance of comprehensive clinical profiling, risk factor assessment, and detailed drug history evaluations in improving our understanding and management of dementia subtypes.

Fast Response and Spontaneous Alignment in Liquid Crystals Doped with 12-Hydroxystearic Acid Gelators.

The spontaneous vertical alignment of liquid crystals (LCs) in gelator (12-hydroxystearic acid)-doped LC cells was studied. Gelator-induced alignment can be used in both positive and negative LC cells. The electro-optical characteristics of the gelator-doped negative LC cell were similar to those of an LC cell that contained a vertically aligned (VA) host. The rise time of the gelator-doped LC cell was two orders of magnitude shorter than that of the VA host LC cell. The experimental results indicate that the gelator-induced vertical alignment of LC molecules occurred not only on the surface of the indium tin oxide (ITO) but also on the homogeneous alignment layer. Various LC alignments (planar, hybrid, multistable hybrid, and vertical alignments) were achieved by modulating the doped gelator concentrations. The multistable characteristic of LCs doped with the gelator is also presented. The alignment by doping with a gelator reduces the manufacturing costs and provides a means of fabricating fast-responding, flexible LC displays using a low-temperature process.

Intrafamilial phenotypic heterogeneity in a Taiwanese family with a MAPT p.R5H mutation: a case report and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Frontotemporal degeneration (FTD) is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous neurodegenerative disorder characterized by deficits in executive function that frequently overlaps with parkinsonism and motor neuron disorders. Several genes have been identified to cause autosomal dominant forms of FTD, including the gene coding for the protein associated with microtubule tau (MAPT). While most reported pathogenic mutations in MAPT occur in exons 9-13, few families have been reported with mutations outside of this region. Herein, we report a first Taiwanese family having the exon 1 p.Arg5His mutation in MAPT with intrafamilial phenotype heterogeneity. CASE PRESENTATION: A 63-year-old man presented with progressive non-fluent speech and impaired memory for 3 years. He then developed apraxia, myoclonus and parkinsonism feature at his right hand. Extensive neurologic and neurocognitive examination lead to a diagnosis of FTD mixed with corticobasal syndrome. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed asymmetric atrophy in the left frontal and temporal lobes and single-photon emission computed tomography indicated decreased metabolism in the same areas as well as the left basal ganglia. The patient's mother had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at the age of 60 and was deceased 10 years later due to respiratory failure. The patient's younger sister had persistent depressive disorder in her early forties and did not have any prominent cognitive or motor dysfunctions. We performed genetic analysis applying a targeted next generation sequencing (NGS) panel covering MAPT, GRN, VCP, FUS, CHMP2B, and TARDBP on the proband, followed by Sanger sequencing of candidate genes in eight family members. Hexanucleotide repeat expansion of C9Orf72 was determined by repeat-primed PCR. We identified a missense mutation in exon 1 of MAPT gene, c.14G > A (p.R5H), which was previously reported in only two Japanese patients in a literature review. This substitution co-segregated with the disease phenotypes in the family. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report of the occurrence of the MAPT p.R5H mutation in the Taiwanese population. Our findings extend the current knowledge of phenotypic heterogeneity among family members carrying the MAPT p.R5H mutation.

A Web-Based, Hospital-Wide Health Care-Associated Bloodstream Infection Surveillance and Classification System: Development and Evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Surveillance of health care-associated infections is an essential component of infection prevention programs, but conventional systems are labor intensive and performance dependent. OBJECTIVE: To develop an automatic surveillance and classification system for health care-associated bloodstream infection (HABSI), and to evaluate its performance by comparing it with a conventional infection control personnel (ICP)-based surveillance system. METHODS: We developed a Web-based system that was integrated into the medical information system of a 2200-bed teaching hospital in Taiwan. The system automatically detects and classifies HABSIs. RESULTS: In this study, the number of computer-detected HABSIs correlated closely with the number of HABSIs detected by ICP by department (n=20; r=.999 P<.001) and by time (n=14; r=.941; P<.001). Compared with reference standards, this system performed excellently with regard to sensitivity (98.16%), specificity (99.96%), positive predictive value (95.81%), and negative predictive value (99.98%). The system enabled decreasing the delay in confirmation of HABSI cases, on average, by 29 days. CONCLUSIONS: This system provides reliable and objective HABSI data for quality indicators, improving the delay caused by a conventional surveillance system.

Sensitivity enhancement of electro-optic polymer probing system using photo-isomerization and Fabry-Pérot effects.

A sensitivity enhancement method for an external electro-optic (EO) probing system using a poled polymer as an EO sensor is proposed. A pumping laser, which induces the photo-isomerization effect in a prepoled EO polymer, and a tunable probing laser, which induces Fabry-Pérot effect, are combined to enhance the polymer EO sensor sensitivity. Results of an experiment with an EO sensor made of Disperse Red 1 poly(methy1 methacrylate) that demonstrates this combined effect are reported.

Rule-based healthcare-associated bloodstream infection classification and surveillance system.

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are a major patient safety issue. These adverse events add to the burden of resource use, promote resistance to antibiotics, and contribute to patient deaths and disability. A rule-based HAI classification and surveillance system was developed for automatic integration, analysis, and interpretation of HAIs and related pathogens. Rule-based classification system was design and implement to facilitate healthcare-associated bloodstream infection (HABSI) surveillance. Electronic medical records from a 2200-bed teaching hospital in Taiwan were classified according to predefined criteria of HABSI. The detailed information in each HABSI was presented systematically to support infection control personnel decision. The accuracy of HABSI classification was 0.94, and the square of the sample correlation coefficient was 0.99.

Clinical and microbiological characteristics of perianal infections in adult patients with acute leukemia.

BACKGROUND: Perianal infection is a common problem for patients with acute leukemia. However, neutropenia and bleeding tendency are relatively contraindicated to surgical intervention. The epidemiology, microbiology, clinical manifestations and outcomes of perianal infection in leukemic patients are also rarely discussed. METHOD: The medical records of 1102 adult patients with acute leukemia at a tertiary medical center in Taiwan between 2001 and 2010 were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed. RESULT: The prevalence of perianal infection was 6.7% (74 of 1102) in adult patients with acute leukemia. Twenty-three (31%) of the 74 patients had recurrent episodes of perianal infections. Patients with acute myeloid leukemia had higher recurrent rates than acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients (p = 0.028). More than half (n = 61, 53%) of the perianal infections were caused by gram-negative bacilli, followed by gram-positive cocci (n = 36, 31%), anaerobes (n = 18, 15%) and Candida (n = 1, 1%) from pus culture. Eighteen patients experienced bacteremia (n = 24) or candidemia (n = 1). Overall 41 (68%) of 60 patients had polymicrobial infection. Escherichia coli (25%) was the most common micro-organism isolated, followed by Enterococcus species (22%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (13%), and Bacteroides species (11%). Twenty-five (34%) of 74 patients received surgical intervention. Acute leukemia patients with surgically managed anal fistulas tended to have fewer recurrences (p = 0.067). Four (5%) patients died within 30 days after diagnosis of perianal infection. Univariate analysis of 30-day survival revealed the elderly (≧ 65 years) (p = 0.015) and patients with shock (p<0.001) had worse outcome. Multivariate analysis showed septic shock to be the independent predictive factor of 30-day crude mortality of perianal infections (p = 0.016). CONCLUSION: Perianal infections were common and had high recurrence rate in adult patients with acute leukemia. Empirical broad-spectrum antibiotics with anaerobic coverage should be considered. Shock independently predicted 30-day crude mortality. Surgical intervention for perianal infection remains challenging in patients with acute leukemia.

A Web-based multidrug-resistant organisms surveillance and outbreak detection system with rule-based classification and clustering.

BACKGROUND: The emergence and spread of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) are causing a global crisis. Combating antimicrobial resistance requires prevention of transmission of resistant organisms and improved use of antimicrobials. OBJECTIVES: To develop a Web-based information system for automatic integration, analysis, and interpretation of the antimicrobial susceptibility of all clinical isolates that incorporates rule-based classification and cluster analysis of MDROs and implements control chart analysis to facilitate outbreak detection. METHODS: Electronic microbiological data from a 2200-bed teaching hospital in Taiwan were classified according to predefined criteria of MDROs. The numbers of organisms, patients, and incident patients in each MDRO pattern were presented graphically to describe spatial and time information in a Web-based user interface. Hierarchical clustering with 7 upper control limits (UCL) was used to detect suspicious outbreaks. The system's performance in outbreak detection was evaluated based on vancomycin-resistant enterococcal outbreaks determined by a hospital-wide prospective active surveillance database compiled by infection control personnel. RESULTS: The optimal UCL for MDRO outbreak detection was the upper 90% confidence interval (CI) using germ criterion with clustering (area under ROC curve (AUC) 0.93, 95% CI 0.91 to 0.95), upper 85% CI using patient criterion (AUC 0.87, 95% CI 0.80 to 0.93), and one standard deviation using incident patient criterion (AUC 0.84, 95% CI 0.75 to 0.92). The performance indicators of each UCL were statistically significantly higher with clustering than those without clustering in germ criterion (P < .001), patient criterion (P = .04), and incident patient criterion (P < .001). CONCLUSION: This system automatically identifies MDROs and accurately detects suspicious outbreaks of MDROs based on the antimicrobial susceptibility of all clinical isolates.

Effectiveness and limitations of hand hygiene promotion on decreasing healthcare-associated infections.

BACKGROUND: Limited data describe the sustained impact of hand hygiene programs (HHPs) implemented in teaching hospitals, where the burden of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) is high. We use a quasi-experimental, before and after, study design with prospective hospital-wide surveillance of HAIs to assess the cost effectiveness of HHPs. METHODS AND FINDINGS: A 4-year hospital-wide HHP, with particular emphasis on using an alcohol-based hand rub, was implemented in April 2004 at a 2,200-bed teaching hospital in Taiwan. Compliance was measured by direct observation and the use of hand rub products. Poisson regression analyses were employed to evaluate the densities and trends of HAIs during the preintervention (January 1999 to March 2004) and intervention (April 2004 to December 2007) periods. The economic impact was estimated based on a case-control study in Taiwan. We observed 8,420 opportunities for hand hygiene during the study period. Compliance improved from 43.3% in April 2004 to 95.6% in 2007 (p<.001), and was closely correlated with increased consumption of the alcohol-based hand rub (r = 0.9399). The disease severity score (Charlson comorbidity index) increased (p = .002) during the intervention period. Nevertheless, we observed an 8.9% decrease in HAIs and a decline in the occurrence of bloodstream, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, extensively drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, and intensive care unit infections. The intervention had no discernable impact on HAI rates in the hematology/oncology wards. The net benefit of the HHP was US$5,289,364, and the benefit-cost ratio was 23.7 with a 3% discount rate. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of a HHP reduces preventable HAIs and is cost effective.

Optically enhanced sensitivity of external electro-optic polymer probing system.

We propose an optical-sensitivity-enhanced external electro-optic (EO) measurement system using a poled polymer as an EO sensor. A pumping laser is used to induce the photoisomerization effect in a prepoled EO polymer to both enhance and maintain the noncentrosymmetric molecular orientation. This approach increases the EO coefficient and, hence, enhances the EO measurement sensitivity. Experimental results of an EO sensor made of DR1/PMMA show that this method can improve the sensitivity by at least a factor of 2.

Biphotonic-induced reorientation inversion in azo-dye-doped liquid crystal films.

The reorientation inversion of liquid crystal molecules in azo-dye-doped liquid crystal (ADDLC) films irradiated by biphotonic (green and red light) lasers is studied using the self-phase-modulation method. The results show that the induced change of refractive index (∆n) in an ADDLC cell illuminated with a fixed intensity of green light increases with the red-light intensity. Notably, the value of ∆n is initially negative, and becomes positive when the intensity of the red laser is increasing. It is due to the fact that an extra positive torque is exerted on the LCs, which is produced by cis-isomers upon absorbing red light to compensate the negative torque induced by the excitation of the green light.

Fabrication of an asymmetric Bragg coupler-based polymeric filter with a single-grating waveguide.

In this work, a first report on fabricating an asymmetric Bragg coupler-based filter on polymeric waveguides without input-waveguide grating was revealed. The fabrication process we developed was using holographic interference techniques, capillary effect, soft lithography, and micro molding process. The transmission dip of about -9.2 dB and the 3 dB transmission bandwidth of about 0.125 nm were obtained from a filter.

Novel azulene-based derivatives as potent multi-receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

A series of azulene-based derivatives were synthesized as potent inhibitors for receptor tyrosine kinases such as FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT-3). Systematic side chain modification of prototype 1a was carried out through SAR studies. Analogue 22 was identified from this series and found to be one of the most potent FLT-3 inhibitors, with good pharmaceutical properties, superior efficacy, and tolerability in a tumor xenograft model.

Synthesis and structure-activity relationship of 6-arylureido-3-pyrrol-2-ylmethylideneindolin-2-one derivatives as potent receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

A series of new ureidoindolin-2-one derivatives were synthesized and evaluated as inhibitors of receptor tyrosine kinases. Investigation of structure-activity relationships at positions 5, 6, and 7 of the oxindole skeleton led to the identification of 6-ureido-substituted 3-pyrrolemethylidene-2-oxindole derivatives that potently inhibited both the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) and platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR) families of receptor tyrosine kinases. Several derivatives showed potency against the PDGFR inhibiting both its enzymatic and cellular functions in the single-digit nanomolar range. Among them, compound 35 was a potent inhibitor against tyrosine kinases, including VEGFR and PDGFR families, as well as Aurora kinases. Inhibitor 36 (non-substituted on the pyrrole or phenyl ring) had a moderate pharmacokinetic profile and completely inhibited tumor growth initiated with the myeloid leukemia cell line, MV4-11, in a subcutaneous xenograft model in BALB/c nude mice.

Control of an outbreak of pandrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii colonization and infection in a neonatal intensive care unit.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the potential reservoir and mode of transmission of pandrug-resistant (PDR) Acinetobacter baumannii in a 7-day-old neonate who developed PDR A. baumannii bacteremia that was presumed to be the iceberg of a potential outbreak. DESIGN: Outbreak investigation based on a program of prospective hospital-wide surveillance for nosocomial infection. SETTING: A 24-bed neonatal intensive care unit in a 2,200-bed major teaching hospital in Taiwan that provides care for critically ill neonates born in this hospital and those transferred from other hospitals. INTERVENTIONS: Samples from 33 healthcare workers' hands and 40 samples from the environment were cultured. Surveillance cultures of anal swab specimens and sputum samples were performed for neonates on admission to the neonatal intensive care unit and every 2 weeks until discharge. The PDR A. baumannii isolates, defined as isolates resistant to all currently available systemic antimicrobials except polymyxin B, were analyzed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Control measures consisted of implementing contact isolation, reinforcing hand hygiene adherence, cohorting of nurses, and environmental cleaning. RESULTS: One culture of an environmental sample and no cultures of samples from healthcare workers' hands grew PDR A. baumannii. The positive culture result involved a sample obtained from a ventilation tube used by the index patient. During the following 2 months, active surveillance identified PDR A. baumannii in 8 additional neonates, and isolates from 7 had the same electrokaryotype. Of the 9 neonates colonized or infected with PDR A. baumannii, 1 died from an unrelated condition. Reinforcement of infection control measures resulted in 100% adherence to proper hand hygiene protocol. The outbreak was stopped without compromising patient care. CONCLUSIONS: In the absence of environmental contamination, transient hand carriage by personnel who cared for neonates colonized or infected with PDR A. baumannii was suspected to be the mode of transmission. Vigilance, prompt intervention and strict adherence to hand hygiene protocol were the key factors that led to the successful control of this outbreak. Active surveillance appears to be an effective measure to identify potential transmitters and reservoirs of PDR A. baumannii.

Nonlinear optical property of azo-dye doped liquid crystals determined by biphotonic Z-scan technique.

This work investigates the optical Kerr property of azo-dye doped nematic liquid crystal films using the biphotonic Z-scan technique. The results indicate that the nonlinear effect measured using the Z-scan technique with a red light can be modulated or switched with the simultaneous application of a green light, because of photoisomerization and thermal effects, as determined by dynamic measurements. The former dominates in the early stage when the green light is applied, while the latter dominates in the later stage.