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Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the failure of trochanteric fracture fixation according to the quality of fracture reduction on the anteroposterior (AP) and lateral views. Methods: Data from 340 female and 152 male patients ≥ 60 years of age who underwent intramedullary nailing for a trochanteric fracture between 2016 and 2020 were analysed retrospectively. The quality of fracture reduction was classified as type A, type E, and type I on the AP view and type N, type A, and type P on the lateral view according to the relative position of the proximal and distal fragments. The failure rate was evaluated and compared according to the quality of fracture reduction. The risk factors of the fixation failure were investigated by comparison of variables between patients with and without failure and by regression analysis. Results: Patients with poor reduction, type I and type P had higher failure rates. However, a statistically significant difference was found only for patients with poor reduction (type P) on the lateral view (p < 0.001). Patients with failure showed significantly higher rates of poor reduction on the lateral view and AO/OTA type A3 fractures. The regression analysis also showed that poor reduction on the lateral view (odds ratio [OR] 12.70; 95% confidence interval [CI] 4.0–40.6; p < 0.001) and AO/OTA type A3 fractures (OR 5.40; 95% CI 1.24–23.49, p = 0.025) were risk factors for failure. Conclusion: Poor reduction such as type P reduction was associated with failure after intramedullary nailing for trochanteric fractures. Surgeons should check the quality of fracture reduction carefully with the proper fluoroscopic view to prevent failure in geriatric patients with trochanteric fractures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Inserting a straight (piriformis fossa entry) nail through the tip of the greater trochanter has been used for treating atypical femoral fractures (AFFs) with bowing. This study aimed to determine what degree of bowing can be successfully treated using a laterally shifted entry technique.Methods: Twenty-three complete and six incomplete diaphyseal AFFs treated using the shifted entry technique were retrospectively analysed. Radiologic parameters and complications were evaluated. The complete AFFs were divided into two groups based on the severity of preoperative bowing: grade 0-II bowing and < 20° lateral bowing (minimal/moderate) and grade III bowing or ≥ 20° lateral bowing (severe). Comparison according to postoperative malalignment, a change of lateral or anterior bowing ≥ 5° was also performed.Results: Three complete AFFs in the minimal/moderate group showed malalignment, as did all in the severe group (p < 0.001). The change of bowing was greater for the severe group in lateral and anterior bowing (p = 0.004 and 0.001, respectively). A greater fracture gap was found on AP and lateral radiographs in the severe group (p = 0.044 and 0.026, respectively). In the comparison according to postoperative malalignment, a significant difference was found for the percentage of severe deformity (p < 0.001). All incomplete AFFs were united without complication.Conclusion: Diaphyseal AFFs with grade 0-II bowing and < 20° anterior bowing were treated successfully by the shifted entry technique. However, postoperative malalignment was found in all cases of AFFs with severe bowing. Therefore, other techniques should be considered for AFFs with grade III bowing or ≥ 20° anterior bowing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research proposes the present porous polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) layer for the skin trouble reduced daily life skin attachable devices. The present research proposes the new pores forming method in the PDMS by crystallization and dissolution of the citric acid in the PDMS for fabricating high uniform and small size pores. The present porous PDMS layer (i) decreases the pore size 93.2%p and increases the pore size uniformity 425%p compared to the conventional porous PDMS layer of mixing sugars and PDMS; (ii) is able to be fabricated in the thickness of 21–101 µm by spin-coating; (iii) has the 2.2 times higher water vapor transmission rate (947 ± 10.8 g/day•m2) compared to the human skin water vapor transmission rate. The present porous PDMS layer reduces the skin trouble effectively by having the high water vapor permeability, therefore is applicable to the human daily-life skin attachable devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous studies evaluating association between circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and clinical outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have shown inconsistent results due to suboptimal detection methods and patient heterogeneity. Methods: Patients undergoing surgery for early-stage HCC were prospectively enrolled. The CTC numbers were determined using a tapered slit platform, which detects CTCs based on the cell size and morphology. Survival and recurrence were evaluated, and Cox proportional hazards models were used to demonstrate the prognostic significance of CTC. Results: Of 105 patients, 25 had increased CTC numbers after surgery (ΔCTC > 0, defined as positive) and a significantly higher level of recurrence (p = 0.042). A positive ΔCTC was seen to be an independent predictor of recurrence (hazard ratio 2.28), along with hepatitis B virus infection, alanine aminotransferase level, and the presence of satellite nodules (all p < 0.05). Subgroup analyses showed that a positive ΔCTC was associated with lower survival and higher recurrence among patients with low alpha-fetoprotein levels and cirrhosis (all p < 0.05). Conclusion: Calculation of ΔCTC based on the physical properties of the cells is predictive of recurrence in patients with early HCC undergoing surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a method for sub-population analysis of deformability distribution using single-cell microchamber array (SiCMA) technology. It is a unique method allowing the correlation of overall cellular characteristics with surface and cytosolic characteristics to define the distribution of individual cellular characteristics in heterogeneous cell populations. As a proof of principle, reticulocytes, the immature sub-population of red blood cells (RBC), were recognized from RBC population by a surface marker and different characteristics on deformability between these populations were characterized. The proposed technology can be used in a variety of applications that would benefit from the ability to measure the distribution of cellular characteristics in complex populations, especially important to define hematologic disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the design, fabrication, and testing of a compact electromagnetic micro-actuator using meander springs that are partially exposed to the magnetic field. The previous electromagnetic micro-actuators using cantilever springs require large electromagnetic force for large displacement actuation and therefore require high-current input and a large magnet. The previous electromagnetic actuators using low-stiffness meander springs are limited in large displacement actuation because actuation forces cancelled each other due to changes in the current path under the magnetic field. In this paper, we compare two prototypes: a conventional prototype F with the meander springs exposed fully to the magnetic field and the present prototype P with the meander springs partially exposed to the magnetic field. In the experimental study, the amplitude of prototype P is measured as 30.49 ± 0.36 µm at the 40 mA square input current, while the amplitude of prototype F is measured as 26.02 ± 0.65 µm. The amplitude of prototype P is 17.2 % larger than that of prototype F, verifying the effect of partial exposure of the meander springs to the magnetic field. Therefore, we experimentally demonstrate the large-displacement actuation performance of the present actuator using the partial exposure of the meander springs to the magnetic field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a cell electroporation characterization chip using a single tapered channel for a continuous gradient of electric fields. In the cell electroporation study, it is required to find the optimal electric field strength for obtaining the maximum number of both viable and electroporated cells possible. The previous electroporation chip with a single stepwise channel generated a limited number of electric fields. However, the present chip, where continuous electric fields (0.3-.5 kV/cm) are generated by a pair of external electrodes across a tapered single channel, provides a more finely tuned electric field for stable cell electroporation with high viability. In the experimental study, we characterize H23 non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. In the previous electroporation chip, the percentages of viable electroporated H23 cells were 51.4% and 44.5% at 0.4 and 0.45 kV/cm, respectively. The present chip was measured to have an electric field of 0.44 kV/cm with a maximum percentage of viable electroporated cells of 54.7±4.8%. The present cell electroporation characterization chip has potential for use in integrated cell chips to find fine optimal electric field conditions for the study of electroporation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) was selectively expressed in human colorectal carcinoma. Treatment with plant-derived anti-EpCAM mAb (mAb CO17-1A) and RAW264.7 cells inhibited cell growth in the human colorectal cancer cell line SW620. In SW620 treated with mAb CO17-1A and RAW264.7 cells, expression of p53 and p21 increased, whereas the expression of G1 phase-related proteins, cyclin D1, CDK4, cyclin E, and CDK2, decreased, similar to mammalian-derived mAb (mAb) CO17-1A. Similar to mAb CO17-1A, treatment with mAb CO17-1A and RAW264.7 cell decreased the expression of anti-apoptotic protein, Bcl-2, but the expression of pro-apoptotic proteins Bax, TNF-α, caspase-3, caspase-6, caspase-8 and caspase-9, increased. Cells treated with mAb CO17-1A and RAW264.7 cells expressed metastasis-related gangliosides, GM1 and GD1a, similar to mAb CO17-1A. These results suggest that mAb CO17-1A is as effective on anti-cancer activity as mAb CO17-1A. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are generated by UV irradiation, may cause serious injury to skin cell membranes, DNA and functional proteins. In addition, these agents stimulate the expressions of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), which can degrade most components of the extracellular matrix (ECM), including collagen. In order to develop new anti-photoaging agents, five major components from the extract of Fraxinus chinensis extract (FCE) were identified. Two of the major components of FCE were found to be esculin (11.2%) and esculetin (1.9%). FCE (IC50: 50.0 μg/mL 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH); 19.8 μg/mL, Superoxide anion radical) and esculetin (IC50: 2.1 μg/mL DPPH; 0.6 μg/mL, superoxide anion radical) showed strong antioxidative activities. Of the compounds tested, esculetin showed the strongest scavenging activity against DPPH radicals, followed by Superoxide anions from the xanthine/xanthine oxidase system. The intracellular ROS scavenging activity showed that oxidation of 5-(6-)-chloromethyl-2′, 7′-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (CM-H2DCFDA) was effectively inhibited by esculetin, with potent free radical scavenging activity was also shown in UVB-irradiated human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs). Moreover, treatment of UVA-irradiated HDFs with esculetin resulted in dose-dependent decreases in the expression levels of MMP-1 mRNA and protein. From these results, FCE and one of its components, esculetin, were predicted to be potentially useful as ingredients in cosmetics for protecting against photoaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are receiving a great amount of scientific interest as a diagnostic biomarker for various types of cancer. Despite the recent progress in the development of highly sensitive CTC isolation devices, post-capture analysis of CTCs is still hindered by technical challenges associated with their rarity. Herein, we present a multi-modal CTC screening platform which is capable to analyze CTCs and CTC-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs), simultaneously from a single sample. Cytochalasin B (CB) treatment promotes cells to release large number of EVs from their surface, as demonstrated by CB-treated cells (5 µg/mL for 3 h) secreting 3.5-fold more EVs, compared to the non-treated cells. CB further generates 1.7-fold more EVs from the cells captured on our CTC filtration device (the fabric filter), compared to those from the cell culture flasks, owing to its multiple pore structure design which reduces the non-specific binding of EVs. Both CB-treated cancer cells and CB-induced EVs are found to overexpress tumor-associated markers, demonstrating a potential for the development of CTC dual-screening platform. Collectively, the results presented in this study reveal that our multi-modal cancer screening platform can synergistically improve the reliability and efficacy of the current CTC analysis systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is the first ever proposal to use skin hardness as a physiological sign by which to estimate human thermal status and to verify its effectiveness and independence in relation to the two conventional signs: skin temperature and skin conductance. We propose a novel TSV model adding skin hardness to the conventional TSV model for better estimation of human thermal status with higher accuracy and lower error. We survey individual thermal sensation from 30 subjects under four different thermal conditions (normal, warm, hot, and cold); while measuring skin hardness along with the two conventional physiological signs. The novel model for estimation of thermal status from all three signs increases R2 by 17.4% and decreases error by 23.5%, compared to the conventional model using two signs. The novel TSV model has potential for applications to human-machine interaction systems for better estimation of human thermal status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]