In Situ Study of Twin Boundary Stability in Nanotwinned Copper Pillars under Different Strain Rates.

The nanoscopic deformation of ⟨111⟩ nanotwinned copper nanopillars under strain rates between 10-5/s and 5 × 10-4/s was studied by using in situ transmission electron microscopy. The correlation among dislocation activity, twin boundary instability due to incoherent twin boundary migration and corresponding mechanical responses was investigated. Dislocations piled up in the nanotwinned copper, giving rise to significant hardening at relatively high strain rates of 3-5 × 10-4/s. Lower strain rates resulted in detwinning and reduced hardening, while corresponding deformation mechanisms are proposed based on experimental results. At low/ultralow strain rates below 6 × 10-5/s, dislocation activity almost ceased operating, but the migration of twin boundaries via the 1/4 ⟨101¯ ⟩ kink-like motion of atoms is suggested as the detwinning mechanism. At medium strain rates of 1-2 × 10-4/s, detwinning was decelerated likely due to the interfered kink-like motion of atoms by activated partial dislocations, while dislocation climb may alternatively dominate detwinning. These results indicate that, even for the same nanoscale twin boundary spacing, different nanomechanical deformation mechanisms can operate at different strain rates.

Research progress of the correlation between genotype and phenotype in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is an autosomal dominant genetic disease characterized by left ventricular hypertrophy with prevalence of 1/500-1/200. Up to now, 1500 mutations in more than 30 genes have been found to be related to the disease. Pathogenic gene mutations together with polymorphisms of modifying genes and environmental factors play various roles in the disease processes, resulting in phenotypic heterogeneity of the disease, ranging from no symptoms to sudden cardiac death. The pathological phenotypes of HCM mainly include cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, disordered array, fibrosis, myocardial ischemia, and others. In recent years, many research efforts have been devoted to exploring the influence of HCM genotype on phenotype, and development of treatment methods based on genetics. This article focuses on the correction between HCM genotype and phenotype and summarizes the research progresses on HCM in terms of pathogenic genes, pathogenesis, associated modification factors and treatment methods, thereby providing insights on the future research and development on the genetics of HCM.

Cervical Alignment of Patients with Basilar Invagination: A Radiological Study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the cervical alignment and the relative range of motion (ROM) in patients with basilar invagination (BI). METHODS: A total of 40 BI cases (38.1 years old ± 17.9 years old, 19 male and 21 female) and 80 asymptomatic individuals (33.8 years old ± 10.8 years old, 40 male and 40 female) were included. The Skull-C2 /Skull-BV, Skull-C7 , C2 -C7 /BV-C7 wall angles, C0 -C2 /C0 -BV, C0 -C7 , C1 -C7 , and C2 -C7 /BV-C7 angles were measured in dynamic X-ray images (including neutral, extension, and flexion positions). Correlation between the upper and lower cervical curvatures were analyzed. The total, extension, and flexion ROMs of these angles were calculated, respectively. RESULTS: The BI patients had a smaller C0 -C2 /C0 -BV angle (18.2° ± 16.4° vs 30.9° ± 9.3°), but larger C2 -C7 /BV-C7 (32.2° ± 16.1° vs 19.4° ± 10.6°) and C2 -C7 /BV-C7 wall angles (37.8° ± 17.2° vs 23.6° ± 10.2°) than the control group in neutral position. The upper and lower curvatures correlated negatively in neutral (r = -0.371), extension (r = -0.429), and flexion (r = -0.648) positions among BI patients, as well as in extension position (r = -0.317) among control group. The BI patients presented smaller total ROMs in Skull-C2 /Skull-BV (12.3° ± 16.6° vs 19.7° ± 10.9°), C0 -C2 /C0 -BV (8.1° ± 11.1° vs 17.6° ± 10.5°), and C0 -C7 angles (57.8° ± 14.2° vs 78.3° ± 17.9°), but a larger total ROM in C2 -C7 /BV-C7 wall angle (52.8° ± 13.9° vs 27.0° ± 16.1°) than the control group. The BI patients also presented smaller extension ROMs in Skull-C2 /Skull-BV (6.9° ± 9.4° vs 12.5° ± 9.3°), Skull-C7 (24.5° ± 10.9° vs 30.7° ± 12.5°), and C0 -C2 /C0 -BV angles (4.4° ± 7.8° vs 9.9° ± 8.6°) than the control group. Moreover, the BI patients showed smaller absolute values of flexion ROMs in Skull-C2 /Skull-BV (-5.2° ± 9.4° vs -7.3° ± 8.0°), C0 -C2 /C0 -BV (-3.2° ± 8.8° vs -7.7° ± 8.7°), and C0 -C7 angles (-33.2° ± 13.0° vs -52.8° ± 19.2°), but a larger absolute value of flexion ROM in C2 -C7 /BV-C7 wall angle (-33.9° ± 14.8° vs -8.2° ± 15.1°). CONCLUSION: The cervical spine was stiffer in BI patients than the asymptomatic individuals, especially in the upper cervical curvature. The negative correlation between upper and lower cervical curvatures was more obvious in BI patients.

Electrochemical Assessment of Anticancer Compounds on the Human Tongue Squamous Carcinoma Cells.

The most common oral cancer is squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and its highest occurrence is in the tongue. Almost 30% of patients with one primary head and neck tumor will have a second primary malignancy. In recent studies, two novel plant extracts, andrographolide and cannabidiol (CBD), have been exploited for their anticancer effects. Here, we investigated the cytotoxic effects of these two compounds on SCC-25 cells, a human tongue squamous carcinoma cell line, and compared the outcomes with two chemotherapeutic drugs, cisplatin and fluorouracil. Electric cell substrate impedance sensing (ECIS) system was applied to measure frequency- and time-dependent impedance of SCC-25 cell-covered electrodes and to further assess subtle changes in cell morphology and micromotion in response to different concentrations (0, 10, 30, 100, and 300 µM) of these compounds. AlamarBlue and Annexin V/7-AAD binding assays were used to measure the concentration dependent changes in viability and apoptosis of SCC-25 cells. Our results demonstrate that 24 hours after exposure to 30 µM CBD can significantly decrease the micromotion rate, damage the integrity of cell morphology, reduce cell viability, and induce higher apoptosis in treated SCC-25 cells, while the other three drugs attain similar effects at the concentration of 100 µM or higher. The apoptosis-induced changes in cell morphology and micromotion monitored by ECIS correlate well with biochemical assays. Thus, both frequency- and time-dependent impedance measurements using ECIS can be used to real-time follow cancer cell activities in response to anticancer drugs with different temporal cytotoxicity profiles.

Association between hypertensive pregnancy disorders and future risk of stroke in Taiwan: a Nationwide population-based retrospective case-control study.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of female stroke has increased gradually and has begun occurring at a younger age in recent years. Given that women live longer than men, stroke would cause more negative and longer-term impacts on the rest of the lives of women. There are few related studies on Asian women. We aimed to evaluate stroke risk in Asian women following hypertensive pregnancy disorders. METHODS: Using the Taiwan National Health Insurance database, we designed a retrospective study that included pregnant women between 2000 and 2013. We selected an age-matched control group of women without hypertensive pregnancy disorders at a 1:3 ratio. The endpoint was any episode of stroke; otherwise, the patients were tracked until December 31, 2013. After the index date until the end of 2013, Cox proportional hazards analysis was used to compare the risk of incident stroke. The risk factors for stroke were determined using Cox proportional regression to calculate the hazard ratio (HR) compared with the control group. RESULTS: During the follow-up period, the Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated that patients with hypertensive pregnancy disorders had a significantly higher risk of developing stroke than did patients without hypertensive pregnancy disorders (log-rank test P < 0.001). Multivariate Cox regression analysis demonstrated that the case group had a 2.134-fold increased risk of stroke (HR = 2.134; 95% CI = 1.817-2.505; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Our study provided evidence of an increased risk of stroke in patients with hypertensive pregnancy disorders. Compared with those without such disorders, the patients who had experienced the disorders had a 2.134-fold (P < 0.001) higher risk of developing stroke in the future.

Association of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) with ectopic pregnancy and preterm labor in Taiwan: A nationwide population-based retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is an infectious disease that causes tubal occlusion and other pelvic and abdominal adhesions. The incidence of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) has increased due to the sexually active status of the young population. This leads to a more serious problem and a larger effect than previously observed. However, there have been few studies on this topic in Asian populations. AIM: We aimed to evaluate the risk of preterm labor and/or ectopic pregnancy in Taiwanese women following PID. DESIGN: Using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Database, we designed a retrospective cohort study that included 12- to 55-year-old pregnant women between 2000 and 2010. We selected a 1:3 age-matched control group of non-PID women. The endpoint was any episode of preterm labor or ectopic pregnancy; otherwise, the patients were tracked until 31 December 2010. METHODS: The risk factors for preterm labor or ectopic pregnancy were explored. For cases included from the index date until the end of 2010, we analyzed the risk of incident preterm labor or ectopic pregnancy. With the use of a multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis, we calculated the hazard ratio (HR) with a 95% CI and compared it with that of the control group. RESULTS: This study examined 30,450 patients with PID and 91,350 controls. During the follow-up period, patients in the PID group were more likely to develop preterm labor or ectopic pregnancy than patients in the control group. The cumulative incidence rates for developing preterm labor were 1.84% (561/30,450 individuals) in patients with PID and 1.63% (1492/91,350 individuals) in patients without PID. On the other hand, the cumulative incidence rate for developing ectopic pregnancy in patients with PID was 0.05% (14/30,450 individuals) but was only 0.04% (33/91,350 individuals) in patients without PID. Compared with those without PID, the patients with PID had a 1.864 times (P<0.001) higher risk of developing preterm labor and a 2.121 times (P = 0.003) higher risk of developing ectopic pregnancy. CONCLUSION: Our study provided evidence of an increased risk of preterm labor or ectopic pregnancy in PID patients.

Small-Size-Induced Plasticity and Dislocation Activities on Non-Charge-Balanced Slip System of Ionic MgO Pillars.

We observed the small-size-induced hardening and plasticity of brittle ionic MgO as a result of abnormally triggered dislocation gliding on a non-charge-balanced slip system. The indentation tests of ⟨111⟩ MgO pillars revealed an increased hardness with decreasing pillar size, and the tips of the pillars that were ≤200 nm were plastically deformed. The in situ compression tests of ⟨111⟩ MgO nanopillars in transmission electron microscopy verified aligned dislocation-mediated plasticity on the {111}⟨110⟩ and {100}⟨110⟩ systems rather than the charge-balanced {110}⟨110⟩ slip system.

[Clinical application of VerifyNow-P2Y12 assay in evaluation of platelet inhibition efficacy of clopidogrel].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the platelet inhibition efficacy in patients under regular maintenance dose of clopidogrel by VerifyNow-P2Y12 assay and explore the clinical characteristics of clopidogrel non-responders and related predicting factors. METHODS: A total of 99 patients underwent percutaneous coronary intervention procedure and receiving clopidogrel in regular maintenance dose for at least 1 week were enrolled. Platelet reactivity, including baseline, P2Y12 reaction unit (PRU), and platelet inhibition rate were measured with VeifyNow-P2Y12 assay. The dosage of anti-platelet drugs, combination with any other drugs, clinical characters in baseline of all enrolled patients were analyzed. PRU ≤ 240 was used as cut-off to identify clopidogrel responder and clopidogrel non-responder. In the non-responder group, patients were further separated into 3 sub-groups (types) according to the baseline and platelet inhibition rate: type I with high baseline, high inhibition rate, representing false non-responder; type II with low inhibition rate, representing true non-responder and type III mixed type. RESULTS: In this study, 48 of 99 patients were found to be clopidogrel non-responder (48.5%). The ratio of type I, type II and type III in the non-responder group was 9.1% (n = 9), 27.3% (n = 27), and 12.1% (n = 12), respectively. Baseline platelet value in female patients was significantly higher than in males (P < 0.01), number of females with high PRU also is higher than males (P < 0.01), female gender was a predict factor for type I non-responder (OR = 6.5, 95%CI 2.295 - 18.407, P < 0.01). BMI > 24 kg/m(2) was a risk factor for clopidogrel non-responder (P < 0.05), and may be regarded as a predict factor for type II non-responder (OR = 3.207, 95%CI 1.375 - 7.485, P < 0.01). Age, hypertension, diabetics, smoking, hyperlipidemia, CRP and pantoprazole use do not show significant correlation with baseline and platelet inhibition rate. CONCLUSIONS: Clopidogrel responses could be reliably detected by VerifyNow-P2Y12 assay. Female gender and high body weight are independent risk factors for clopidogrel non-responses.

[Diagnostic value of 320-slice computed tomography coronary angiography to assess in-stent restenosis].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of 320-slice CT coronary angiography (CTA) in the evaluation of in-stent restenosis (ISR, ≥50% luminal narrowing) in comparison with quantitative coronary angiography (CAG). METHODS: A total of 69 patients with previous stent implantation who underwent both CTA and CAG were prospectively included. We assessed diagnostic valve for ISR with CTA in comparison with CAG. RESULTS: A total of 110 stents were implanted in these patients.CAG identified 14 ISR. CTA correctly identified 13 ISR and misdiagnosed 5 ISR in stents without ISR. Besides, 6 stents could not be evaluated by CTA due to unsatisfied image quality. Accordingly, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value of CTA for diagnosing ISR were 93%, 89%, 54% and 99%, respectively. The image quality of CTA was significantly better in larger stents (percentages of good and moderate stent image of ≥3.0 mm and <3.0 mm: 56% vs. 27%, 25% vs. 49%) and which was linked with better diagnostic coincidence rate (95% vs. 78%) for larger stents. The image quality of CTA was significantly better in stents with thinner stent strut thickness (percentages of poor CTA stent image quality of stent strut thickness<140 µm and ≥140 µm: 12% vs. 45%, P<0.01) and which was associated with better diagnostic coincidence rate for stents with thinner stent strut thickness (94% vs. 76%, P<0.05). The image quality of CTA was also significantly better in single stent (percentages of poor CTA stent image quality of single stent vs. overlap and dedicated stent: 17% vs. 36%, P<0.05). However, heart rate (≥65 beats/min vs. <65 beats/min) during CTA acquisition was not associated with image quality and the diagnostic coincidence rate (all P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that 320-slice CTA allows accurate noninvasive assessment of significant in-stent restenosis in selected patients. Stents with a large diameter and thin struts are associated with better image quality and higher diagnostic accuracy.