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Background: Epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR‐TKI) acquired resistance was an inevitably events in NSCLC treatment. Aims: Intending to overcome the acquired resistance of EGFR‐TKI. Materials & Methods: A clinical trial was, we enrolled 12 patients who were slowly progressing on first‐generation EGFR‐TKI, and added apatinib when the patients got slow progression. Results: Seven patients were included in the efficacy analysis. The median PFS2 of apatinib combined with EGFR‐TKI was 8.2 months (95% CI, 7.3 m‐NA), and the total PFS reached 20.9 months (95% CI, 17.3 m‐NA) when plus PFS1. All the adverse events were manageable. The median PFS was significantly longer for circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA)‐cleared patients (8.4 months; 95% CI, 8.2‐NA) than for those ctDNA not cleared (7.1 months; 95% CI, 6.9‐NA) (p = 0.0082). Discussion: The addition of apatinib did improve the duration of first‐generation EGFR‐TKI use, and the duration was better than the first‐line use of third‐generation EGFR‐TKI. Conclusion: The addition of apatinib when the patients got slow progression after initial EGFR‐TKI therapy may be a good treatment option and the side effects are controllable. It is possible to monitor treatment efficacy using ctDNA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immune checkpoint blockades are the most promising therapy in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). However, the response rate remains limited, underscoring the urgent need for effective sensitizers. Interleukin 4 induced 1 (IL4I1) is reported to have immunoinhibitory and tumor‐promoting effects in several cancers. However, the targetable value of IL4I1 in sensitizing the immunotherapy is not clear, and there is a lack of effective small molecules that specifically target IL4I1. Here, we show that silencing IL4I1 significantly remodels the immune microenvironment via inhibiting aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) signaling, thereby enhancing the efficacy of anti‐PD‐1 antibody in LUAD, which suggests that IL4I1 is a potential drug target for the combination immunotherapy. We then identify thymol as the first small molecule targeting IL4I1 transcription through a drug screening. Thymol inhibits the IL4I1 expression and blocks AHR signaling in LUAD cells. Thymol treatment restores the antitumor immune response and suppresses the progression of LUAD in an orthotopic mouse model. Strikingly, the combination treatment of thymol with anti‐PD‐1 antibody shows significant tumor regression in LUAD mice. Thus, we demonstrate that thymol is an effective small molecule to sensitize the PD‐1 blockade in LUAD via targeting IL4I1, which provides a novel strategy for the immunotherapy of LUAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Perioperative cisplatin‐based chemotherapy decreases the risk of death over surgery alone and is a standard of care. Here, we examined perioperative chemotherapy indications for stage IB‐III non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients according to lobe‐specific analysis. Methods: Resectable NSCLC patients with stage IB–III who received perioperative chemotherapy with and without radiotherapy after lung resection were identified from the SEER database. Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was performed to reduce the inherent bias of retrospective studies. The Kaplan–Meier method and log‐rank tests were used to assess the differences in overall survival (OS). Results: The study enrolled 23,844 patients before PSM. The perioperative chemotherapy group had better OS than the nonperioperative chemotherapy group in stage IB–III NSCLC patients before and after PSM. However, subgroup analysis according to stage demonstrated that perioperative chemotherapy did not markedly benefit patients with stage IB. Furthermore, lobar subgroup analysis did not show survival advantages in primary tumors located in either the right middle lobe in stages II and III NSCLC or the right lower lobe in stage III NSCLC. Conclusions: Lobe‐specific perioperative chemotherapy is recommended in NSCLC patients. For stage IB NSCLC, right middle lobe NSCLC from stage IB‐III and right lower lobe NSCLC from stage III, perioperative chemotherapy might not confer survival benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Poor prognosis is linked to peripheral blood levels of preoperative platelet‐lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and neutrophil‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in many advanced cancers. Nevertheless, whether the correlation exists in resected early‐stage cases with non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) stays controversial. Consequently, we performed a meta‐analysis to explore the preoperative NLR and PLR's prognostic significance in early‐stage patients with NSCLC undergoing curative surgery. Methods: Relevant studies that validated the link between preoperative NLR or PLR and survival results were found via the proceeding databases: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science. The merged 95% confidence interval (CI) and hazard ratio (HR) was employed to validate the link between the NLR or PLR's index and overall survival (OS) and disease‐free survival (DFS) in resected NSCLC cases. We used sensitivity and subgroup analyses to assess the studies' heterogeneity. Results: An overall of 21 studies were attributed to the meta‐analysis. The findings indicated that great preoperative NLR was considerably correlated with poor DFS (HR = 1.58, 95% CI: 1.37–1.82, p < 0.001) and poor OS (HR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.33–1.72, p < 0.001), respectively. Subgroup analyses were in line with the pooled findings. In aspect of PLR, raised PLR was indicative of inferior DFS (HR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.04–1.58, p = 0.021) and OS (HR = 1.37, 95% CI: 1.18–1.60, p < 0.001). In the subgroup analyses between PLR and DFS, only subgroups with a sample size <300 (HR = 1.67, 95% CI: 1.15–2.43, p = 0.008) and TNM staging of mixed (I‐II) (HR = 1.47, 95% CI: 1.04–2.07, p = 0.028) showed that the link between high PLR and poor DFS was significant. Conclusions: Preoperative elevated NLR and PLR may act as prognostic biomarkers in resected early‐stage NSCLC cases and are therefore valuable for guiding postoperative adjuvant treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoscale localized mechanical stress fields develop unavoidably in microelectronic devices due to structural and processing aspects. Their global average is too small to influence bandgap or mobility, but it is proposed that stress localization can influence defect nucleation sites under radiation. This is investigated on gallium nitride high‐electron‐mobility transistors (GaN HEMTs). Using transmission electron microscopy, we spatially resolved the stress field in the AlGaN layer for both pristine and 10 Mrad gamma‐irradiated HEMTs. The quantitative nanobeam electron diffraction and geometric phase analysis indicate that tensile stressed localizations experience higher radiation‐induced strain. This finding is explained by the tensile stress dependence of the carrier concentration and mobility in the AlGaN layer. Since gamma radiation damage is inflicted by high‐energy electrons only, localized regions of higher tensile stress in the AlGaN layer are expected to be more susceptible to gamma rays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crizotinib showed significant antitumor effect in patients with advanced ROS1‐rearranged non‐small cell lung cancers (NSCLC). Most recently, many studies have explored the feasibility and efficacy of target therapy for perioperative application in NSCLC. Here, we describe a female patient who was diagnosed with stage IIIB lung adenocarcinoma exhibiting a CCDC6‐ROS1 rearrangement by high‐throughput sequencing. The tumor and lymph nodes showed durable response after the treatment of crizotinib. Given that a radiological downstaging was indicated, a right lower lobectomy and systemic lymphadenectomy were successfully performed. The pathological response was 60% and the tumor, nodes, and metastases (TNM) stage was ypT2bN0M0. The PD‐L1 expression and activity of immunological cells were also investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ciliated multinodular papilloma tumor (CMPT), a subtype of proximal bronchiolar adenoma (BA), is a rare mucin‐producing papillary tumor arising in the peripheral lung. The nature of CMPT is so far controversial. The hypothesis that CMPT is a precancerous lesion that can lead to mucinous adenocarcinoma requires further research. A 61‐year‐old man with a ground‐glass opacity (GGO) suspected to be lung adenocarcinoma in the right lower lobe of his lung underwent surgical treatment. Postoperative pathology suggested that the patient had mucinous adenocarcinoma caused by cancerization from CMPT. Targeted next‐generation sequencing (NGS) was utilized to detect driver mutations in tumor DNA. Among the identified mutated genes, there were regrettably no high frequency mutations. This report describes a case of mucinous adenocarcinoma caused by cancerization from CMPT, indicating that CMPT may be a neoplasm rather than a metaplastic process and provides histological evidence for the hypothesis that CMPT is a precancerous lesion of mucinous adenocarcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Acquired resistance of chemotherapy, especially cisplatin, is a major challenge in lung cancer treatment. We conducted this study to examine whether a cyclin D kinase 4/6 (CDK4/6) inhibitor, PD 0332991, could reverse cisplatin resistance in human lung cancer cells. In addition, we explored the underlying mechanisms. Method: We used CCK‐8 assay to got the IC50 of PD‐0332991 and cisplatin in A549 and A549/CDDP respectively. CCK‐8 assay, CalcuSyn 2.0 software, cell cycle distribution and apoptosis used to identify PD‐0332991 could reverse the acquired resistance of cisplatin. At last, western‐blot used to show the mechanism of PD‐0332991 enhances the effects of cisplatin. Results: We found that PD‐0332991 potentiated cisplatin‐induced growth inhibition in both cisplatin‐sensitive (A549) and cisplatin‐resistant (A549/CDDP) cells via downregulation of the proliferation, induction of apoptosis (A549 increased to 7.06%; A549/CDDP increased to 7.03%), and G0/G1 cell cycle arrest (A549 increased to 9.15%; A549/CDDP increased to 49.92%). Western blot analysis revealed that PD‐0332991 enhance the effect of cisplatin through inhibit Rb‐E2Fs pathway. Conclusions: These findings suggest that PD‐0332991 could reverse the acquired resistance of cisplatin in lung cancer cells and provide a novel treatment strategy for lung cancer patients with cisplatin resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To test the hypotheses that (a) the chairside/handheld dental scanner combined with a metrology software will measure clinical wear in vivo in agreement with measurements from X‐ray computed microtomography and; (b) polished monolithic zirconia does not cause accelerated wear of opposing enamel. Materials and methods: Thirty single crowns were randomized to receive a monolithic zirconia or metal‐ceramic crown. Two non‐restored opposing teeth in the same quadrants were identified to serve as enamel controls. After cementation, quadrants were scanned using an intraoral dental scanner. Patients were recalled at 6‐months and 1‐year for re‐scanning. Scanned images were compared using a metrology software to determine maximum vertical wear of teeth. The accuracy of the scanning measurements from this new method was compared with X‐ray computed microtomography (micro‐CT) measurements. Statistical analysis was performed using Mann–Whitney U test to determine significant differences between wear of enamel against zirconia, metal‐ceramic or enamel. Linear regression analysis determined agreement between measurements obtained using intraoral scanning and micro‐CT. Results: Regression analysis demonstrated that there is a quantitative agreement between depth and volume measurements produced using intraoral scanning and the micro‐CT methodologies. There was no significant difference between the wear of enamel against polished monolithic zirconia crowns and enamel against enamel. Conclusions: Intraoral scanning combined with a matching software can accurately quantify clinical wear to verify that monolithic zirconia exhibited comparable wear of enamel compared with metal‐ceramic crowns and control enamel. Agreement between the intraoral scanner and the micro‐CT was 99.8%. Clinical Trials.gov NCT02289781. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The prognostic factors for early‐stage nonsmall cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) are not well defined. This study aimed to investigate the effect of highly frequent mutations on the outcomes patients with early‐stage NSCLC, particularly those with surgically resected stage I disease. Methods: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets for Lung Adenocarcinoma (LUAD), Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma (LUSC), and Pan‐Lung Cancer (PLC) were accessed via cBioportal and searched to identify patients with stage I NSCLC. We identified candidate genes with a high (>10%) frequency of mutations and copy‐number alterations and examined their effect on overall survival (OS) and disease‐free survival (DFS). The details of clinicopathologic features were analyzed with the Fisher's exact， Mann‐Whitney U test and Cox regression analysis. Survival was analyzed with Kaplan‐Meier curves, and differences were compared with the log‐rank and chi‐square test. Results: We identified 408 patients with stage I NSCLC from the PLC dataset. Of the 41 candidate genes with high‐frequency mutation rates, six genes were significantly associated with OS: TP53, LPP, MAP3K13, FGF12, BCL6, and TP63. Further stratified analysis in PLC, LUAD, and LUSC datasets, we only identified that TP53 was significantly associated with OS in patients with surgically resected stage I lung adenocarcinoma. Conclusions: TP53 mutations are potentially markers of poor prognosis for stage I lung adenocarcinoma patients. The mutation status of this gene may contribute to clinical decision‐making with respect to selecting patients who may benefit from adjuvant therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lung cancer is the first cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an independent risk factor for lung cancer. An epidemiological survey discovered that the presence of COPD increases the risk of lung cancer by 4.5‐fold. Lobectomy is considered to be the standard surgical method for early stage non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the influence of lobectomy on the loss of pulmonary function has not been fully investigated in NSCLC patients with COPD. Methods: We searched the PubMed database using the following strategies: COPD and pulmonary function test (MeSH term) and lobectomy (MeSH term) from 01 January 1990 to 01 January 2019. We selected the articles of patients with COPD. A total of six studies, including 195 patients with COPD, provided lung function values before and after surgery. Results: Five out of six studies focused on the short‐term change of pulmonary function (within 3–6 months) after lobectomy, and the average loss of FEV1 was 0.11 L (range: −0.33–0.09 L). One study investigated the long‐term change of pulmonary function (within 1–2 years) after lobectomy, and the average loss of FEV1 was 0.15 L (range: −0.29–0.05 L). Conclusions: A short‐term (3–6 months) loss of pulmonary function after operation is acceptable for lung cancer patients with COPD. However, there may be a high risk of postoperative complications in NSCLC patients with COPD. Therefore, surgical treatment needs to be carefully considered for these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SiO2/SiC coatings were deposited onto ceramics disks using plasma‐enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The effects of deposition pressure and gas‐flow ratio on the refractive index, extinction coefficient, and SiC composition were studied. For the highest studied SiH4 to CH4 gas‐flow ratio of 1.5, the refractive index increased by 17% from 2.53 (at the wavelength of 845 nm) to 2.96 (at the wavelength of 400 nm). For the lowest studied SiH4 to CH4 gas‐flow ratio of 0.5, the refractive index only increased by 4% from 2.11 (at the wavelength of 845 nm) to 2.20 (at the wavelength of 400 nm). At higher deposition pressures, the variation in refractive index of the SiC coatings was significantly lower showing a slight increase from 1.93 (at a wavelength of 845 nm) to 1.96 at a wavelength of 400 nm. Except for the case of a low SiH4 to CH4 gas‐flow ratio of 0.5, for light with wavelengths ≤650 nm, the extinction coefficient of the SiC coatings increased significantly. Light with a wavelength >650 nm had an extinction coefficient near 0 in all cases. After annealing the sample at 400°C for 4 hours, hydrogen‐related bonds broke and the stress of the film was reduced from −245 to −71 MPa. By utilizing different thicknesses of SiC, the full standard dental shade guide was matched with the ΔE of each coated disk being less than 3.3 compared to the shade guide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The formation and characterization of positively surface charged TiN surfaces were investigated for improving dental implant survival. Surface nitrogen atoms of a traditional TiN implant were converted to a positive charge by a quaternization reaction which greatly increased the antibacterial efficiency. Ti, TiN, and quaternized TiN samples were incubated with human patient subgingival bacteria for 4 hours at 37 °C in an anaerobic environment with an approximate 40% reduction in counts on the quaternized surface over traditional Ti and TiN. The samples were challenged with Streptococcus Mutans and fluorescent imaging confirmed significant reduction in the quaternized TiN over the traditional Ti and TiN. Contact angle measurement and X‐Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) were utilized to confirm the surface chemistry changes. The XPS results found the charged quaternized nitrogen peak at 399.75 eV that is unique to the quaternized sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Objectives: The aims of this study were to test the hypotheses that (a) a laserscanner used for measuring maximum depth and volume loss will yield the same results as a surface profilometer; (b) the surface roughness will affect the maximum depth and volume loss measured with the laserscanner; (c) analytical results using the laserscanner from multiple operators have no more than 10% inter‐rater difference and; (d) replicating samples using either stone or impression material is an accurate method for measuring wear using the laserscanner. Materials and Methods: The volume and maximum depth of indentations from fine, medium and rough burs on glass‐ceramic disks were measured using two devices, a surface profilometer (Dektak II, Veeco) and a 3D Laserscanner (LAS‐20, SD Mechatronik). Replicates of the indentations made from polyvinysiloxane impression material and gypsum were also measured. Results: Comparison of profilometer and laserscanner readings using ceramic disks demonstrated a mean error of 13.61% for depth and 25.32% for volume. Replication errors were minimal (2.6% for impression, 2.5% for stone). Surface profilometer data for volume measurements revealed a difference of 6.1% for impression and 6.5% for stone compared with ceramics. However, when measurements for replicates were compared between laserscanner and surface profilometer, depth had a mean error of 74% for impression and 51% for stone. Volume differences of 78% for impression and 44% for stone were recorded. Conclusion: This work demonstrated that the laserscanner was a convenient device for measuring wear but there is a need to validate the accuracy of the measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A review of electron, proton and neutron damage in GaN and AlGaN materials and devices such as high electron mobility transistors and lightemitting diodes is presented. A comparison of theoretical and experimental threshold displacement energies is given, along with a summary of energy levels introduced by different forms of radiation, carrier removal rates and role of existing defects. Many studies have shown that GaN is several orders of magnitude more resistant to radiation damage than GaAs, i.e., it can withstand radiation doses at least two orders of magnitude higher than those degrading GaAs of similar doping level. In terms of heterostructures, the initial data suggests that the radiation hardness decreases in the order AlN/GaN >AlGaN/GaN > InAlN/GaN, consistent with the average bond strengths in the Al-based materials. Many issues still have to be addressed. Among them are the strong asymmetry in carrier removal rates in n-and p-type GaN and interaction of radiation defects with Mg acceptors, and the poor understanding of the interaction of radiation defects in doped nitrides with the dislocations always present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The flame-retardant properties of asphalt for some building applications are very important. In this study, we mainly focused on the influence of organically modified montmorillonite (OMMT) on the flame-retardant and other properties of asphalt in a large content range and explored suitable contents of OMMT for modified asphalts. Modified asphalts with different contents of OMMT from 2 to 15 wt % were prepared by melt blending. The X-ray diffraction results revealed that the intercalated structure was formed in the OMMT-modified asphalt. Rubber processing analysis results indicated the formation of a filler-network structure in the OMMT-modified asphalt. The limiting oxygen index and cone calorimetry results suggested that OMMT could be used as efficient and ideal flame retardants of asphalt. The results also reveal that excess OMMT contents (i.e., >10 wt %) depredated the flame-retardant performance of the modified asphalt. We analyzed the mechanism by taking into account of the features of the modified agent for OMMT. The experimental data showed that the viscosity, softening point, and penetration index of the OMMT-modified asphalt increased with increasing OMMT content, but the ductility decreased slightly when the OMMT content was not beyond 7 wt %. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 10.1002/app.40972. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The flame-retardant properties of asphalt for some building applications are very important. This article is mainly focused on the influence of particle size and content of magnesium hydroxide (MH) on the flame-retardant properties of asphalt. The limit oxygen index and cone calorimeter results indicate that as the MH content and mesh number increase, the flame-retardant properties of MH-filled flame-retardant asphalt show a rising trend. But the role of particle size in smoke suppression is not obvious. Several tests confirm that the dispersion of the MH have some influence on the flame-retarding effect of asphalt. The 3000 mesh MH for the preparation of flame-retardant asphalt shows optimal performance. The experimental data show that the softening point of flame-retardant asphalt increases, but the ductility and penetration decrease with increasing MH content. MH affects the asphalt viscosity, but not affects the adhesion of the asphalt to gravel. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible GaN-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates are demonstrated. The process uses commercial LEDs on patterned sapphire substrates, laser lift-off (LLO), wet etching for additional surface roughening, and mounting of the freestanding LED on a PET substrate. Electrical and optical properties from the free-standing LLO-LEDs mounted on the flexible PET substrates were characterized. The process is scalable to large wafer diameters. (© 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2D materials having a sharp interface and no dangling bonds allow conventional heterojunction devices to overcome their limitations. 2D materials based vertical double heterojunction bipolar transistors are demonstrated by Jihyun Kim and co‐workers in article number 1800745. High current amplification is achieved in a common‐emitter mode. The results are expected to extend the application field of heterojunction electronic devices based on various 2D materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) differs from the classical homojunction bipolar junction transistor in that each emitter‐base‐collector layer is composed of a different semiconductor material. 2D material (2DM)‐based heterojunctions have attracted attention because of their wide range of fundamental physical and electrical properties. Moreover, strain‐free heterostructures formed by van der Waals interaction allows true bandgap engineering regardless of the lattice constant mismatch. These characteristics make it possible to fabricate high‐performance heterojunction devices such as HBTs, which have been difficult to implement in conventional epitaxy. Herein, NPN double HBTs (DHBTs) are constructed from vertically stacked 2DMs (n‐MoS2/p‐WSe2/n‐MoS2) using dry transfer technique. The formation of the two P–N junctions, base‐emitter, and base‐collector junctions, in DHBTs, was experimentally observed. These NPN DHBTs composed of 2DMs showed excellent electrical characteristics with highly amplified current modulation. These results are expected to extend the application field of heterojunction electronic devices based on various 2DMs. Double heterojunction bipolar transistors (DHBTs) are fabricated from vertically stacked 2D materials (2DMs). Vertical DHBTs show excellent electrical characteristics with highly amplified current modulation, which are comparable to those of commercialized III–V semiconductor HBTs. These works can be applied in fields of heterojunction electronic devices based on various 2DMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]