Artefacts at a glance: differentiating features of artefactual stenosis from true stenosis at the genu of the petrous internal carotid artery on TOF MRA

AIM

To investigate the distinguishing features of artefactual stenosis from true stenosis at the genu of the petrous internal carotid artery (ICA) on time of flight (TOF) magnetic resonance angiography (MRA).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Both TOF MRA and digital subtraction angiography (DSA) were performed in 65 patients with 74 vessels who demonstrated artefactual stenosis in 43 patients with 50 vessels and true stenosis in 22 patients with 24 vessels. The following findings of the signal loss were compared between the two groups: (1) margin, (2) darkness, (3) the presence of bilaterality, (4) the presence of tandem arterial stenosis, (5) the location of the epicentre, and (6) length.

RESULTS

In five out of the six evaluated items, statistically significant differences were present between the two groups (p<0.00 in all five items). Artefactual stenosis more frequently showed signal loss with ill-defined margins (47/50), less darkness compared to the background darkness (46/50), the absence of tandem arterial stenosis (35/50), epicentre at the genu (34/50), and shorter length (2.57 ± 0.68 mm). No significant difference was noted in the presence of bilaterality of signal loss between the two groups (p=0.706).

CONCLUSION

Several MRA features can be useful for suggesting artefactual stenosis rather than true stenosis at the genu of the petrous ICA on TOF MRA.

Modified anterograde pedicle advancement flap in fingertip injury

Soft tissue reconstruction is needed to maintain the maximum length of the fingers in fingertip injury. The purpose of this study was to present an anterograde pedicle advancement flap technique, for the treatment of fingertip injuries, which involved a modification to the anterograde advancement flap by the dissection of the digital nerve and artery with a pedicle to advance the flap. This technique was used in 12 fingers in patients who had undergone soft tissue reconstruction of fingertip injuries between January 2012 and October 2013. The sizes of the flaps ranged from 8 × 7 mm to 14 × 10 mm. The mean length of advancement was 9.7 mm (range 7-13). The mean value of the static two-point discrimination test of the healed flaps was 5.1 mm (range 4-6) and the flaps survived in all the 12 cases. The modified anterograde pedicle advancement flap provides a reliable coverage of sensate soft tissue without bone shortening in fingertip injuries.Level II.

Incidence of infection according to intravenous immunoglobulin use in autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients with multiple myeloma

BACKGROUND

Although intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is not routinely recommended, many centers still use IVIG during the post-hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) period.

METHOD

A total of 162 multiple myeloma (MM) patients who underwent autologous (auto-) HSCT between January 2008 and June 2013 were retrospectively reviewed. Primary objective was determination of the impact of IVIG on post-transplant infection, and secondary objectives included identification of overall incidence of infection, type of infection, and risk factors for infection after auto-HSCT in MM patients.

RESULTS

After auto-HSCT, 53 of 162 patients (32.7%) experienced 104 infectious events. Upper respiratory infection was most common (n = 31, 29.8%) and pneumonia (n = 27, 26.0%) and herpes zoster (n = 15, 14.4%) came next. Among the identifiable organisms causing respiratory infection, influenza virus (n = 10) and Pneumococcus (n = 9) were predominant. Incidence of infection was not statistically different according to IVIG use (34.8% in IVIG (-) vs. 31.3% in IVIG (+), P = 0.631). Incidence of infection requiring hospitalization and multiple episodes of infection showed no difference between the groups (P = 0.147, P = 0.156). In a Cox proportional hazard model, none of the factors including age, gender, type of disease, stage, tandem (vs. single) transplantation,and IVIG was prognostic for infectious event after auto-HSCT (P = 0.955, hazard ratio 0.980 with 95% confidence interval 0.481-1.997 for IVIG).

CONCLUSION

In auto-HSCT recipients with MM, incidence of post-transplant infection was not different according to prophylactic IVIG use.

Sub-0.5 V Highly Stable Aqueous Salt Gated Metal Oxide Electronics

Recently, growing interest in implantable bionics and biochemical sensors spurred the research for developing non-conventional electronics with excellent device characteristics at low operation voltages and prolonged device stability under physiological conditions. Herein, we report high-performance aqueous electrolyte-gated thin-film transistors using a sol-gel amorphous metal oxide semiconductor and aqueous electrolyte dielectrics based on small ionic salts. The proper selection of channel material (i.e., indium-gallium-zinc-oxide) and precautious passivation of non-channel areas enabled the development of simple but highly stable metal oxide transistors manifested by low operation voltages within 0.5 V, high transconductance of ~1.0 mS, large current on-off ratios over 10(7), and fast inverter responses up to several hundred hertz without device degradation even in physiologically-relevant ionic solutions. In conjunction with excellent transistor characteristics, investigation of the electrochemical nature of the metal oxide-electrolyte interface may contribute to the development of a viable bio-electronic platform directly interfacing with biological entities in vivo.

Graphene oxide-phosphor hybrid nanoscrolls with high luminescent quantum yield: synthesis, structural, and X-ray absorption studies

Highly luminescent graphene oxide (GO)-phosphor hybrid thin films with a maximum quantum yield of 9.6% were synthesized via a simple chemical method. An intense luminescence emission peak at 537 nm and a broad emission peak at 400 nm were observed from the GO-phosphor hybrid films. The maximum quantum yield of the emissions from the hybrid films was found to be 9.6%, which is 48 times higher than that of pristine GO films. The GO-phosphor hybrids were prepared via spin-coating and subsequent postannealing of the films, resulting in scrolling of the GO sheets. The resulting GO nanoscrolls exhibited a length of ∼2 μm with nanoscale interior cavities. Transmission electron microscopy and selected-area electron diffraction analyses revealed that the lattice structure of the tubular scrolls is similar to that of carbon nanotubes. While pristine GO films are p-type, in the GO-phosphor hybrids, the Fermi level shifted upward and fell between the HOMO-LUMO gap due to phosphor attachment via C-N bonding. The highly luminescent GO-phosphor hybrids will find important applications in graphene-based optoelectronic devices.

Electrospun nanofibers as versatile interfaces for efficient gene delivery

The integration of gene delivery technologies with electrospun nanofibers is a versatile strategy to increase the potential of gene therapy as a key platform technology that can be readily utilized for numerous biomedical applications, including cancer therapy, stem cell therapy, and tissue engineering. As a spatial template for gene delivery, electrospun nanofibers possess highly advantageous characteristics, such as their ease of production, their ECM-analogue nature, the broad range of choices for materials, the feasibility of producing structures with varied physical and chemical properties, and their large surface-to-volume ratios. Thus, electrospun fiber-mediated gene delivery exhibits a great capacity to modulate the spatial and temporal release kinetics of gene vectors and enhance gene delivery efficiency. This review discusses the powerful characteristics of electrospun nanofibers, which can function as spatial interfaces capable of promoting controlled and efficient gene delivery.

A new HLA-A*30 allele, A*30:81, identified by sequence-based typing

The new allele, HLA-A*30:81, differs from A*30:01:01 by one nucleotide substitution at codon 272 (CTG→ATG).

Acetylation changes at lysine 5 of histone H4 associated with lytic gene promoters during reactivation of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is a pathogenic agent of Kaposi's sarcoma, primary effusion lymphoma and multicentric Castleman's disease in humans. Similarly to other gammaherpesviruses such as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and herpesvirus saimiri (HVS), KSHV displays two alternative life cycles, latent and lytic one. The transactivation from latency to the lytic phase is the result of transcriptional changes in the KSHV genome caused by the replication and transcriptional activator (RTA). During KSHV reactivation, epigenetic modifications of histone protein on the viral genome occur, which regulate the transcriptional activation of a number of lytic genes. The reactivation of EBV from latency to lytic cycle, induced by an immediate-early Zta protein, was shown to be accompanied by acetylation of specific lysines in histone H4. Accordingly, we hypothesized that the RTA-induced transactivation of KSHV could also be accompanied by histone acetylation. To validate this hypothesis, we assayed alterations of acetyl-histone H4-lysine 5 (acH4K5) during the RTA-mediated KSHV reactivation. While the modified histone protein in a total cell lysate was not distinguished between control and RTA-expressed cells, upregulated acH4K5 was detected on several lytic gene promoter regions during KSHV reactivation. Our results clearly indicate that this epigenetic change is related to transcription of genes expressed in the lytic cycle of KSHV.

Advanced biomatrix designs for regenerative therapy of periodontal tissues

Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease that causes loss of the tooth-supporting apparatus, including periodontal ligament, cementum, and alveolar bone. A broad range of treatment options is currently available to restore the structure and function of the periodontal tissues. A regenerative approach, among others, is now considered the most promising paradigm for this purpose, harnessing the unique properties of stem cells. How to make full use of the body's innate regenerative capacity is thus a key issue. While stem cells and bioactive factors are essential components in the regenerative processes, matrices play pivotal roles in recapitulating stem cell functions and potentiating therapeutic actions of bioactive molecules. Moreover, the positions of appropriate bioactive matrices relative to the injury site may stimulate the innate regenerative stem cell populations, removing the need to deliver cells that have been manipulated outside of the body. In this topical review, we update views on advanced designs of biomatrices-including mimicking of the native extracellular matrix, providing mechanical stimulation, activating cell-driven matrices, and delivering bioactive factors in a controllable manner-which are ultimately useful for the regenerative therapy of periodontal tissues.

Propagation effects of THz waves in InAs-based heterostructures

We have investigated THz radiation characteristics along different directions, either reflective or along lateral by using InAs-based heterostructures. Firstly, we demonstrate the phase shift with InAs layer thickness, revealing the change of dominant THz wave generation mechanism along both directions. Along the lateral direction, the time-domain signals in thin InAs epilayers showed an abrupt phase and amplitude change at certain time delays which suggest the interference between two rays at the photoconductive switch. This behavior was further substantiated by the multiple cavity modes in Fourier-transformed spectra and by the amplitude variation with excitation spot displacement.

Sticky "delivering-from" strategies using viral vectors for efficient human neural stem cell infection by bioinspired catecholamines

Controlled release of biosuprastructures, such as viruses, from surfaces has been a challenging task in providing efficient ex vivo gene delivery. Conventional controlled viral release approaches have demonstrated low viral immobilization and burst release, inhibiting delivery efficiency. Here, a highly powerful substrate-mediated viral delivery system was designed by combining two key components that have demonstrated great potential in the fields of gene therapy and surface chemistry, respectively: adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors and adhesive catecholamine surfaces. The introduction of a nanoscale thin coating of catecholamines, poly(norepinephrine) (pNE) or poly(dopamine) (pDA) to provide AAV adhesion followed by human neural stem cell (hNSC) culture on sticky solid surfaces exhibited unprecedented results: approximately 90% loading vs 25% (AAV_bare surface), no burst release, sustained release at constant rates, approximately 70% infection vs 20% (AAV_bare surface), and rapid internalization. Importantly, the sticky catecholamine-mediated AAV delivery system successfully induced a physiological response from hNSCs, cellular proliferation by a single-shot of AAV encoding fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2), which is typically achieved by multiple treatments with expensive FGF-2 proteins. By combining the adhesive material-independent surface functionalization characters of pNE and pDA, this new sticky "delivering-from" gene delivery platform will make a significant contribution to numerous fields, including tissue engineering, gene therapy, and stem cell therapy.

Low-loss flexible bilayer metamaterials in THz regime

Low insertion-loss single-layer and bilayer metamaterial filters in terahertz (THz) frequency regime were demonstrated on top of low cost flexible Scotch tape by utilizing pattern transfer method. The transmittance of the flexible 51-μm-thick Scotch tape was found out to be higher than 0.85 in the range of 0.2 to 3 THz, which is excellent for the substrate materials for THz applications. Free standing filters exhibited record low insertion loss of 0.6 dB and band rejection ratio as high as 30 dB. The resonance reflection characteristics of the bilayer filters were maintained when they were attached on top of curved PET bottle or metallic surfaces, providing promising application in THz identifications.

Highly moldable electrospun clay-like fluffy nanofibers for three-dimensional scaffolds

The development of three-dimensional polymeric systems capable of mimicking the extracellular matrix is critical for advancing tissue engineering. To achieve these objectives, three-dimensional fibrous scaffolds with "clay"-like properties were successfully developed by coaxially electrospinning polystyrene (PS) and poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and selective leaching. As PS is known to be nonbiodegradable and vulnerable to mechanical stress, PS layers present at the outer surface were removed using a "selective leaching" process. The fibrous PCL scaffolds that remained after the leaching step exhibited highly advantageous characteristics as a tissue engineering scaffold, including moldability (i.e., clay-like), flexibility, and three-dimensional structure (i.e., cotton-like). More so, the "clay-like" PCL fibrous scaffolds could be shaped into any desired form, and the microenvironment within the clay scaffolds was highly favorable for cell expansion both in vitro and in vivo. These "electrospun-clay" scaffolds overcome the current limitations of conventional electrospun, sheet-like scaffolds, which are structurally inflexible. Therefore, this work extends the scope of electrospun fibrous scaffolds toward a variety of tissue engineering applications.

Gene delivery from polymer scaffolds for tissue engineering

The combination of gene therapy with tissue engineering offers the potential to direct progenitor cell proliferation and differentiation into functional tissue replacements. Many approaches to engineering tissue replacements feature a polymer scaffold to create and maintain a space, support cell adhesion, and organize tissue formation. Polymer scaffolds, either natural, synthetic, or a combination of the two, have also been adapted to serve as delivery vehicles for viral and nonviral vectors, which can induce the expression of tissue inductive factors. Gene delivery is a versatile approach, capable of targeting any cellular process through localized expression of tissue inductive factors. The design and application of tissue engineering scaffolds for localized gene transfer are reviewed. Scaffolds are designed either to release the vector into the local tissue environment or maintain the vector at the polymer surface, which is regulated by the effective affinity of the vector for the polymer. Polymeric delivery can enhance gene transfer locally, promote and extend transgene expression, avoid vector distribution to distant tissues, and reduce the immune response to the vector. Scaffolds capable of controlled DNA delivery can provide a fundamental tool for directing progenitor cell function, which has applications with the engineering of numerous types of tissue. The utility of this approach will increase with the development of design parameters that correlate release and transgene expression, and with continued research into the biology of tissue formation.

Enhanced cellular transfection by ternary non-viral gene vectors coupled with adeno-associated virus-derived peptides

The establishment of efficient and safe gene delivery systems is crucial for biomedical applications. To address this objective, novel, ternary hybrid gene vectors are designed with viral capsid peptides in non-viral gene carriers. The viral peptide, TQVGQKT, is coupled with a membrane active peptide, LK15. Which acts as a linker to tag peptide with plasmid DNA. Additionally, polyethylenimine (PEI) is employed to condense the complexes further, thereby forming ternary DNA/TQVGQKT-LK15/PEI complexes. The ternary complexes result in rapid internalization leading to significantly enhanced cellular transfection. The new moiety, TQVGQKT, as well as enhanced cellular transfection, will certainly provide crucial insights for the design of novel non-viral gene carriers with efficient and safe properties.

A nanoscale conical polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) sub-wavelength structure with a high aspect ratio realized by a stamping method

A high aspect ratio conical sub-wavelength structure (SWS) was designed by using rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) method and was realized on polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) film using a stamping technique. The silicon template containing a hexagonal array of conical holes with a period of 350 nm and an aspect ratio of 2.8 was fabricated by electron-beam (e-beam) lithography followed by a two-step etching process. The SWS with a high aspect ratio was easily transferred from the fabricated silicon template to PMMA film using the stamping method. The replicated PMMA SWS has an array of cones with nanoscale tips and an aspect ratio higher than 2.8. The average reflectance and transmittance of the PMMA film with the conical SWS in the wavelength ranging from 500 and 1500 nm was improved from 7.1 and 91.1% to 4.3 and 94.2%, respectively, as compared to flat PMMA film.

Nanometer-scale fabrication of hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ) films with post exposure baking

A nanometer-scale grating structure with a 60-nm-wide gap and 200-nm-wide ridge has been successfully demonstrated on a silicon-on-insulator substrate by using a 220-nm-thick hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ) negative tone electron beam resist. A post exposure baking (PEB) process and hot development process with low concentration (3.5 wt%) of tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) solution were introduced to realize the grating pattern. To study the effects of post exposure baking on the HSQ resist, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses were carried out. From the FT-IR and XPS analyses, it was verified that a thin SiO2 with high cross-linked network structure was formed on the HSQ surface during the PEB step. This SiO2 layer prevents the formation of unwanted bonds on the HSQ surface, which results in clearly defined grating structures with a 60-nm-gap and 200-nm-wide-ridge on the 220-nm-thick HSQ resist. The nanometer-scale grating pattern was successfully transfered to the 280-nm-thick silicon layer of a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate by using inductively-coupled-plasma-reactive-ion-etching (ICP-RIE).

Characterization and optimization of vascular endothelial growth factor(165) (rhVEGF(165)) expression in Escherichia coli

Vascular endothelial growth factors(165) (VEGF(165)) is the most potent and widely used pro-angiogenic factor. Here we determined optimal culture condition of recombinant human VEGF(165) (rhVEGF(165)) in Escherichia coli (E. coli). rhVEGF(165) expression was the highest in 0.25% of L-arabinose induction concentration, at 20 °C induction temperature, and for 5 h induction time under the control of araBAD promoter using pBADHisA vector. In biological activity test, rhVEGF(165) significantly increased the proliferative activity of CPAE cells (p<0.001) and upregulated the expressions of endothelial cell growth-related genes, such as platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule (PECAM-1), endothelial-specific receptor tyrosine kinase (TEK), kinase insert domain protein receptor (KDR), and tyrosine kinase with immunoglobulin-like and EGF-like domains 1 (TIE1) in calf pulmonary artery endothelial (CPAE) cells.

Simple fabrication of an antireflective hemispherical surface structure using a self-assembly method for the terahertz frequency range

A hemispherical surface structure was fabricated on a sapphire substrate by utilizing a self-assembly and spin-coating process for a terahertz (THz) antireflection coating. The self-assembled glass spheres and spin-coated material led to a gradual change in the effective refractive index. The aspect ratio of the hemispherical surface structure was controlled easily by adjusting the thickness of the B-staged bisbenzocyclobutene used as a coating. The reflectance of the fabricated hemispherical surface structure, having a period of 140 μm, exhibited low reflectance and low Fabry-Perot resonance in a THz spectral range from 0.1 to 1.9 THz.

Broadband terahertz absorber realized by self-assembled multilayer glass spheres

A broadband terahertz (THz) absorber consisting of multilayer glass spheres and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was realized. The multilayer glass spheres were deposited by repeating a self-assembly method used to form monolayer glass spheres and by the spin-coating of PDMS to fill the gaps between the glass spheres. The average reflection at the surface of the absorber was 0.8% and the absorbance was higher than 98% in the frequency range between 0.7 to 2.0 THz.