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Flexible manipulation of the carrier transport behaviors in two-dimensional materials determines their values of practical application in logic circuits. Here, we demonstrated the carrier-type mani...

Recently, researchers have focused on optoelectronics based on two-dimensional van der Waals materials to realize multifunctional memory and neuron applications. Layered indium selenide (InSe) semiconductors satisfy various requirements as photosensitive channel materials, and enable the realization of intriguing optoelectronic applications. Herein, we demonstrate InSe photonic devices with different trends of output currents rooted in the carrier capture/release events under various gate voltages. Furthermore, we reported an increasing/flattening/decreasing synaptic weight change index (∆Wn) via a modulated gate electric field, which we use to imitate medicine-acting metaplasticity with effective/stable/ineffective features analogous to the synaptic weight change in the nervous system of the human brain. Finally, we take advantage of the low-frequency noise (LFN) measurements and the energy-band explanation to verify the rationality of carrier capture-assisted optoelectronics applied to neural simulation at the device level. Utilizing optoelectronics to simulate essential biomedical neurobehaviors, we experimentally demonstrate the feasibility and meaningfulness of combining electronic engineering with biomedical neurology.

OBJECTIVE Tracheostomy in children is a surgical procedure with considerable morbidity and mortality. However, there is still a lack of population-based survey in pediatric tracheostomy. This study analyses population-based data in pediatric tracheostomy among different ages in Taiwan. METHODS This study used National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan. All children (aged

Neuromorphic electronics with two-dimensional van der Waals materials meet the ever-increasing demands of both the semiconductor industry and biological engineering, such as miniaturization, structure flexibility, multifunctionality, and low power consumption. However, the majority of reported electronic devices achieve multifarious memory storage states or synaptic plasticity through regulation of an electrical or an optical signal. Herein, we propose an innovative touch-modulated device based on an indium selenide/hexagonal boron nitride/graphene van der Waals heterostructure coupled with a triboelectric nanogenerator. The device is prepared utilizing a simple copper grid shadow mask instead of the expensive and cumbersome electron beam lithography process, exhibits high mobility of 829 cm2 V−1 s−1, low voltage, and low power consumption. Nonvolatile memory with self-writing power, durability and multibit data storage is achieved through mechanical modulation without an additional gate-voltage supply. Moreover, by adjusting the distance between the two friction layers, essential synaptic plasticity, including short-term and long-term potentiation/depression and paired-pulse facilitation/depression, are successfully imitated in the device. Most importantly, we achieve ultralow power consumption of 165 aJ in tribotronic synapses owing to the ultra-high mobility of InSe. Our tribotronic synapse with self-writing power has great potential to simulate the low-power-consuming neuromorphic bioelectronic devices with multiple functions and lays the foundation for future advanced neuromorphic systems and artificial intelligence.

In the present study, we aim to help improve the design of van der Waals stacking, i.e., vertical 2D electronics, by probing charge transport differences in both parallel and vertical conducting channels of layered molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), with thin graphite acting as source and drain electrodes. To avoid systematic errors and variable contact contributions to the MoS2 channel, parallel and vertical electronics are all fabricated and measured on the same conducting material. Large differences in the on/off current ratio, mobility, and charge fluctuations, between parallel and vertical electronics are evident in electrical performance as well as in charge transport mechanisms. Further insights are drawn from a well-constrained analysis of both temperature-dependent current-voltage characteristics and low-frequency (LF) current fluctuations. This work offers significant insight into the fundamental understanding of charge transport and the development of future layered-materials-based integration technology.

Background/Purpose: Emerging research findings suggest that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are key regulators to fibrosis formation. Nevertheless, the role of lncRNA GAS5-AS1 in the progression of precancerous oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) remains to be elucidated. Methods: Quantitative real-time PCR were used to examine the expression of GAS5-AS1 in OSF tissues. The activities of myofibroblasts, including collagen contractility and cell migration, as well as the marker α-smooth muscle actin (SMA) were assessed following overexpression of GAS5-AS1. Also, we analyzed the expression of Smad activity in order to gain insight into the downstream regulator. Results: The level of GAS5-AS1 was found significantly downregulated in the OSF tissues and fibrotic buccal mucosal fibroblasts (fBMFs). Ectopic expression of GAS5-AS1 significantly reduced the abilities of collagen gel contraction and migration in fBMFs or arecoline-treated BMFs. Moreover, we have shown that overexpression of GAS5-AS1 inhibited the expression of p-Smad and the marker of myofibroblasts. Conclusion: We showed the reduced expression of GAS5-AS1 in OSF tissues and demonstrated its effect on the myofibroblast activities and the level of p-Smad and α-SMA, indicating its potential contribution in OSF pathogenesis. Keywords: lncRNA GAS5-AS1, Myofibroblasts, Oral submucous fibrosis

To assess outcomes of pediatric tracheotomy and duration of associated hospital stay according to indications.In this retrospective study, subjects were 142 consecutive pediatric patients (18 years old) who underwent tracheotomy at a tertiary referral medical center, National Taiwan University Hospital, in 1997-2012. Age, sex, indications, pre-operative status (oxygen demand, number of repeated intubations), and post-operative status (duration of weaning, length of hospital stay, mortality) were analyzed.The indications included craniofacial anomalies (n = 19, 13.4%), upper airway obstruction (n = 41, 28.9%), neurological deficit (n = 58, 40.8%), prolonged ventilation (n = 15, 10.6%), and trauma (n = 9, 6.3%). Ninety-one patients (64.1%) were successfully weaned off ventilation after tracheotomy (40% in the prolonged ventilation group). Total hospital stay and duration of ventilation before tracheotomy were longest in patients with craniofacial anomalies (150.9 ± 98.8 days, p = 0.004; 108.8 ± 88.2, p 0.001). The early tracheotomy group had a shorter duration of post-tracheotomy mechanical ventilation support than the late tracheotomy group (14.4 ± 19.0, n = 49 vs. 34.9 ± 58.6, n = 80, p = 0.004). Decannulation was successful in 20 patients (14.1%), with the highest rate in the upper airway obstruction group (n = 14, 34.1%) and lowest in the prolonged ventilation group (none). Thirteen patients (9.2%) died during admission from causes unrelated to tracheotomy.Outcomes of pediatric tracheotomy and duration of hospitalization depend on indications. Children with craniofacial anomalies had earlier tracheotomy age and longer mechanical ventilation before tracheotomy resulted in longer hospitalization. Earlier tracheotomy can shorten the duration of post-tracheotomy mechanical ventilation in several conditions.

// Che-Yi Lin 1 , Pei-Ling Hsieh 2, * , Yi-Wen Liao 3, * , Chih-Yu Peng 3 , Ming-Yi Lu 3 , Ching-Hsuan Yang 2 , Cheng-Chia Yu 2, 3, 4 and Chia-Ming Liu 3, 4 1 Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Chi Mei Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan 2 Institute of Oral Sciences, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan 3 School of Dentistry, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan 4 Department of Dentistry, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan * These authors have contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Cheng-Chia Yu, email: ccyu@csmu.edu.tw Chia-Ming Liu, email: y337@csmu.edu.tw Keywords: oral squamous cell carcinomas, miR-21, berberine Received: June 16, 2017 Accepted: August 04, 2017 Published: September 08, 2017 ABSTRACT Cancer recurrence and chemoresistance are two major obstacles to the treatment of oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC). And cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been found to possess tumor initiating, self-renewal and metastasis abilities, resulting in the relapse and chemoresistance of OSCC. In the present study, we investigated the anti-CSCs effect of berberine, a phenanthrene alkaloid isolated from the Berberis genus. Our results demonstrated that berberine dose dependently downregulated the oncogenicity in vitro , including ALDH1 activity, self-renewal property, and colony formation and invasion abilities as well as potentiated chemosensitivity of OSCC-CSCs. In addition, tumor growth in mice was attenuated after oral gavage treatment of berberine. We showed that the expression of miR-21 was suppressed following administration of berberine in OSCC-CSCs. And inhibition of endogenous miR-21 reduced the characteristics of CSCs, including self-renewal, migration, invasion capabilities and ALDH1 activity. Taken together, we demonstrated the anti-CSC effect of berberine in oral cancer and its potential to serve as adjuvant to traditional chemotherapy to improve treatment effect.

Limited information is currently available on 24-h ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) changes after adenotonsillectomy (TA) in children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). In this study, the trajectory of 24-h ABP changes after surgery in children with OSA was examined at three-month and six-month follow-up.Children aged 4-16 years with clinical symptoms of OSA and polysomnography (PSG)-diagnosed OSA (apnea-hypopnea index [AHI]1) were included. All the children received TA. PSG was conducted before and after surgery. Twenty four hour ABP was monitored using the linear mixed model before, three months after, and six months after surgery.In total, 122 children were examined (mean age: 7.9 years; 71% were boys). The AHI significantly decreased from 12.7 ± 16.7 to 2.4 ± 3.2 events/h after TA (P 0.001). Overall diastolic blood pressure (DBP; from 65.1 to 63.4 mmHg, P = 0.01) and night-time DBP (from 57.4 to 55.4 mmHg, P = 0.032) decreased nonsignificantly during the six-month postoperative period. The OSA children with presurgical hypertension exhibited significant reductions in overall systolic blood pressure (SBP), overall DBP, daytime DBP, night-time SBP, and night-time DBP at the three-month and six-month postoperative follow-up (all P 0.05). The three-month and six-month ABP data did not differ significantly in the entire cohort, even between children with presurgical hypertension and non-hypertensive children.The 24-h ABP decreased significantly in the OSA children with hypertension at three and six months after surgery. Moreover, ABP findings did not differ significantly between the three- and six-month follow-up.

To investigate 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure changes 6 months after surgery among children with obstructive sleep apnea.Prospective interventional study.Tertiary medical hospital.Children aged 4 to 16 years with symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea (apnea-hypopnea index1) were recruited. All children underwent adenotonsillectomy and postoperative polysomnography overnight. The 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure was measured before and 6 months after surgery.The study cohort enrolled 124 children: mean (SD) age, 7.3 (3.1) years; 73% boys. After surgery, the apnea-hypopnea index significantly decreased from 13.3 (18.1) to 3.3 (7.2) events per hour ( P.001). Overall systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure were not significantly different following surgery, while daytime systolic blood pressure was slightly increased (114.3 to 117.3 mm Hg, P.01) postoperatively. The hypertensive group (n = 43) exhibited significantly decreased levels of overall diastolic, nighttime systolic, and nighttime diastolic blood pressure ( P.05), and 54% of hypertensive children became nonhypertensive after surgery. The nonhypertensive group (n = 81) showed slightly increased levels of nocturnal overall systolic, daytime systolic, and nighttime systolic blood pressure. A generalized linear mixed model revealed that children with hypertension had a greater decrease in systolic and diastolic ambulatory blood pressure during the daytime and nighttime (all P.05) than those without hypertension.Ambulatory blood pressure changes after adenotonsillectomy among children with obstructive sleep apnea are minimal. The decrease in ambulatory blood pressure after surgery is more prominent for hypertensive children than nonhypertensive children.

Power dissipation is a crucial problem as the packing density of transistors increases in modern integrated circuits. Tunnel field-effect transistors (TFETs), which have high energy filtering provided by band-to-band tunneling (BTBT), have been proposed as an alternative electronics architecture to decrease the energy loss in bias operation and to achieve steep switching at room temperature. Very recently, the BTBT behavior has been demonstrated in van der Waals heterostructures by using unintentionally doped semiconductors. The reason of the BTBT formation is attributed to a significant band bending near the heterointerface, resulting in carrier accumulations. In this work, to investigate charge transport in type-III transistors, we adopted the same band-bending concept to fabricate van der Waals BP/MoS2 heterostructures. Through analyzing the temperature dependence of their electrical properties, we carefully ruled out the contribution of metal-semiconductor contact resistances and improved our understanding of carrier injection in 2D type-III transistors. The BP/MoS2 heterostructures showed both negative differential resistance and 1/f 2 current fluctuations, strongly demonstrating the BTBT operation. Finally, we also designed a TFET based on this heterostructure with an ionic liquid gate, and this TFET demonstrated an subthreshold slope can successfully surmount the thermal limit of 60 mV/decade. This work improves our understanding of charge transport in such layered heterostructures and helps to improve the energy efficiency of next-generation nanoscale electronics.

Modern technology allows us to mimic biological functions with artificial devices. The human brain, including numerous neural cells that connect via synapses, enables us to handle complex tasks with ultra-low power consumption, which is one of the most important biological components that eager to emulate. Here, we propose and build a simple indium selenide (InSe)-based photonic synaptic device with unique gate tunable behaviours such as time-varying output current, auto-depression rate, and paired-pulse facilitation (PPF). A new inverse PPF behaviour is observed, characterized by the positive correlations to the time interval, which is opposite of those negative ones in previous studies. To unveil the origin of this new finding, both the substrate-dependent persistent photocurrent examination and low-frequency noise (LFN) measurements are performed to investigate the electric-controlled charge trapping/detrapping processes between the InSe and SiO2 interface. Furthermore, we systematically demonstrate such the specific evolution of the flexible plasticity within a low-operation voltage and a wide range of visible spectra. Interestingly, the inverse PPF can be employed to emulate more detailed characteristics of a biological brain such as the age-related changes of synaptic plasticity in real human brains. Thus, we believed that our findings provide a proof-of-concept for systematically mimicking the brain plasticity and advancing the development of energy-efficient artificial brains.

Importance Adenotonsillar hypertrophy is an important cause of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in children. However, residual OSA and abnormal polysomnographic findings have been reported in up to 75% of cases after adenotonsillectomy. Other anatomical and functional factors that influence upper airway structures, including the lateral pharyngeal wall, have rarely been studied in children with OSA. Objective To determine whether the upper airway structures can be evaluated using head and neck ultrasonography and if there is an association between the ultrasonographic measurements for these structures and severity of OSA seen on polysomnography in children. Design, Setting, and Participants Prospective, single-center, observational study of 82 children younger than 18 years with a diagnosis of sleep-disordered breathing (20 with primary snoring, 62 with OSA, as determined by the apnea-hypopnea index) and admitted to a tertiary teaching hospital for adenotonsillectomy. Exposures Ultrasonography and polysomnography. Main Outcomes and Measures Ultrasonographic measurements of upper airway structures. Results Of the 82 children studied, 62 (76%) were boys; mean (SD) age, 7.7 (6.2). There was no significant difference found in tonsillar dimensions or volume between the children with OSA and those with primary snoring. However, the mean (SD) total lateral pharyngeal wall and the total neck thicknesses at the retropalatal level were both greater in children with OSA than in those with primary snoring at rest (24.9 [4.4] mm vs 21.3 [2.6] mm; difference, 3.61 mm; 95% CI of difference, 1.48-5.74 mm for lateral pharyngeal wall; and 59.9 [14.4] mm vs 49.9 [11.2] mm; difference, 10.9 mm, 95% CI of difference, 3.8-17.9 mm for the total neck). Conclusions and Relevance Estimated tonsillar volume measured using ultrasonography had no relationship with the apnea-hypopnea index in childhood sleep-disordered breathing. However, the lateral pharyngeal wall was significantly thicker in children with OSA than in those with primary snoring at rest.

Multifunctional devices are expected to allow development of low-cost, highly integrated, and energy-efficient electronics for the internet of things (IoT) era. Here, we demonstrate an all-two-dimensional ReSe2/h-BN/graphene heterostructure (ReSe2 HS) consisting of a vertically coupled ReSe2 field-effect transistor and charge storage component, which possesses multifunctional characteristics for use in electronics and optoelectronics. As an electrically controlled non-volatile memory (NVM), the ReSe2 HS delivers high-performance multilevel data storage with a readout on/off current ratio exceeding 105 and excellent durability (>104 s) at an ultralow Vds of 50 mV, which benefits to the development of power saving devices. The ReSe2 HS design and high-photoresponsivity ReSe2 channel also achieve an energy efficient optical NVM with full-visible-spectrum distinction. Besides, the ReSe2 HS displays unique ambipolarity to operate as either an inverter or frequency doubler. We further propose a power-free ReSe2 HS optical memory matrix to simplify imaging systems. The ReSe2 HS shows promise for use in light-programmable information storage systems and neuromorphic computation with low power consumption.

Cancer recurrence and chemoresistance are two major obstacles to the treatment of oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC). And cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been found to possess tumor initiating, self-renewal and metastasis abilities, resulting in the relapse and chemoresistance of OSCC. In the present study, we investigated the anti-CSCs effect of berberine, a phenanthrene alkaloid isolated from the Berberis genus. Our results demonstrated that berberine dose dependently downregulated the oncogenicity in vitro, including ALDH1 activity, self-renewal property, and colony formation and invasion abilities as well as potentiated chemosensitivity of OSCC-CSCs. In addition, tumor growth in mice was attenuated after oral gavage treatment of berberine. We showed that the expression of miR-21 was suppressed following administration of berberine in OSCC-CSCs. And inhibition of endogenous miR-21 reduced the characteristics of CSCs, including self-renewal, migration, invasion capabilities and ALDH1 activity. Taken together, we demonstrated the anti-CSC effect of berberine in oral cancer and its potential to serve as adjuvant to traditional chemotherapy to improve treatment effect.

To assess the effects of adenotonsillectomy (TA) on ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) in childhood obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).From 2012 to 2017, children aged 4-16 years with symptoms and polysomnography-diagnosed OSA (apnea-hypopnea index [AHI]1) underwent TA. PSG studies and 24-hour ABP monitoring were performed before and at 3 months after surgery.In total, 159 children were enrolled (mean age, 7.8 ± 3.3 years; 72% male). TA significantly reduced the AHI from 12.4 ± 15.9 events/hour to 2.7 ± 5.7 events/hour (P .001). A decrease was observed in the children's overall diastolic blood pressure (65.1 ± 6.1 mm Hg to 63.8 ± 7.4 mm Hg, P = .04) after surgery. In subgroup analysis, 100 (63%) patients were classified as nonhypertensive, and 59 (37%) were classified as hypertensive. Linear mixed model analysis revealed that compared with the children without hypertension, those with hypertension had superior improvement in systolic and diastolic blood pressure during daytime and nighttime (all P values .01). The ABP changes after surgery were not correlated with the AHI changes. Finally, preoperative hypertension was an independent risk factor of postoperative hypertension among these children (OR 3.66; 95% CI 1.70-7.86).Overall, in children with OSA, the 24-hour ABP change after TA is small. However, among children with preoperative hypertension, there is significant BP improvement after TA surgery.

Low-frequency current fluctuations are monitored and the mechanism of electric noise investigated in layered 2H-type α-molybdenum ditelluride transistors. The charge transport mechanism of electric noise in atomically thin transition-metal dichalcogenides is studied under different environments; the development of a new sensing functionality may be stimulated.

Early detection of neck lymph node (LN) recurrence is paramount in improving the prognosis of treated head and neck cancer patients. Ultrasound (US) with US-guided fine needle aspiration (FNA) and core needle biopsy (CNB) have been shown to have great accuracy for LN diagnoses in the untreated neck. However, in the treated neck with fibrosis, their roles are not clarified. Here, we retrospectively review 153 treated head and neck cancer patients who had received US and US-guided FNA/CNB. In multivariate logistic regression analyses, size (short-axis diameter >0.8 cm) (odds ratio (OR) 4.19, P = 0.007), round shape (short/long axis ratio >0.5) (OR 3.44, P = 0.03), heterogeneous internal echo (OR 3.92, P = 0.009) and irregular margin (OR 7.32, P

Electrical contacts often dominate charge transport properties at the nanoscale because of considerable differences in nanoelectronic device interfaces arising from unique geometric and electrostatic features. Transistors with a tunable Schottky barrier between the metal and semiconductor interface might simplify circuit design. Here, germanium nanowire (Ge NW) transistors with Cu3 Ge as source/drain contacts formed by both buffered oxide etching treatments and rapid thermal annealing are reported. The transistors based on this Cu3 Ge/Ge/Cu3 Ge heterostructure show ambipolar transistor behavior with a large on/off current ratio of more than 105 and 103 for the hole and electron regimes at room temperature, respectively. Investigations of temperature-dependent transport properties and low-frequency current fluctuations reveal that the tunable effective Schottky barriers of the Ge NW transistors accounted for the ambipolar behaviors. It is further shown that this ambipolarity can be used to realize binary-signal and data-storage functions, which greatly simplify circuit design compared with conventional technologies.

Most cases of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) develop from visible oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs). The latter exhibit heterogeneous subtypes with different transformation potentials, complicating the early detection of OSCC during routine visual oral cancer screenings. To develop clinically applicable biomarkers, we collected saliva samples from 96 healthy controls, 103 low-risk OPMDs, 130 high-risk OPMDs, and 131 OSCC subjects. These individuals were enrolled in Taiwan's Oral Cancer Screening Program. We identified 302 protein biomarkers reported in the literature and/or through in-house studies and prioritized 49 proteins for quantification in the saliva samples using multiple reaction monitoring-MS. Twenty-eight proteins were successfully quantified with high confidence. The quantification data from non-OSCC subjects (healthy controls + low-risk OPMDs) and OSCC subjects in the training set were subjected to classification and regression tree analyses, through which we generated a four-protein panel consisting of MMP1, KNG1, ANXA2, and HSPA5. A risk-score scheme was established, and the panel showed high sensitivity (87.5%) and specificity (80.5%) in the test set to distinguish OSCC samples from non-OSCC samples. The risk score >0.4 detected 84% (42/50) of the stage I OSCCs and a significant portion (42%) of the high-risk OPMDs. Moreover, among 88 high-risk OPMD patients with available follow-up results, 18 developed OSCC within 5 y; of them, 77.8% (14/18) had risk scores >0.4. Our four-protein panel may therefore offer a clinically effective tool for detecting OSCC and monitoring high-risk OPMDs through a readily available biofluid.

BACKGROUND Visible oral and oropharyngeal premalignant lesions may be used to monitor for a second primary oral cancer. To control for bias, we focused on the visible oral and oropharyngeal premalignant lesions of patients with oral cancer with a positive betel-nut chewing habit. Visible oral and oropharyngeal premalignant lesions that can predict second primary oral cancers were studied. METHODS Nine hundred ninety-seven patients with positive betel-nut chewing habits and oral cancer were enrolled in this retrospective cohort study. We analyzed the relevance of their visible oral and oropharyngeal premalignant lesion incidence and relative clinicopathological variables to the development of a second primary oral cancer. RESULTS Second primary oral cancer risk was significantly higher in patients with positive visible oral and oropharyngeal premalignant lesions (P < .0001), especially in younger patients (P = .0023; ≤40 years: adjusted odds ratio [OR] 2.66; 40-60 years: adjusted OR 2.61). The heterogeneous leukoplakia was (adjusted OR 2.17) higher than homogeneous leukoplakia. CONCLUSION The predictive value and practicality of visible oral and oropharyngeal premalignant lesions make it a potentially valuable marker in follow-ups of patients with a positive betel-nut chewing habit with oral cancer, especially young patients with heterogeneous leukoplakia.

Tumors of the supraclavicular fossa (SC) is clinically challenging because of anatomical complexity and tumor pathological diversity. Because of varied diseases entities and treatment choices of SC tumors, making the accurate decision among numerous differential diagnoses is imperative. Sampling by open biopsy (OB) remains the standard procedure for pathological confirmation. However, complicated anatomical structures of SC always render surgical intervention difficult to perform. Ultrasound-guided core biopsy (USCB) is a minimally invasive and office-based procedure for tissue sampling widely applied in many diseases of head and neck. This study aims to evaluate the clinical efficacy and utility of using USCB as the sampling method of SC tumors. From 2009 to 2014, consecutive patients who presented clinical symptoms and signs of supraclavicular tumors and were scheduled to receive sampling procedures for diagnostic confirmation were recruited. The patients received USCB or OB respectively in the initial tissue sampling. The accurate diagnostic rate based on pathological results was 90.2% for USCB, and 93.6% for OB. No significant difference was noted between USCB and OB groups in terms of diagnostic accuracy and the percentage of inadequate specimens. All cases in the USCB group had the sampling procedure completed within 10 minutes, but not in the OB group. No scars larger than 1 cm were found in USCB. Only patients in the OB groups had the need to receive general anesthesia and hospitalization and had scars postoperatively. Accordingly, USCB can serve as the first-line sampling tool for SC tumors with high diagnostic accuracy, minimal invasiveness, and low medical cost.

High-quality m-plane orientated ZnO films have been successfully grown on m-plane sapphire by using radio frequency magnetron sputtering deposition. The introduction of a nanometer-thick, low-temperature-grown ZnO buffer layer effectively eliminates inclusions of other undesirable orientations. The structure characteristics of the ZnO epi-layers were thoroughly studied by synchrotron X-ray scattering and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The in-plane epitaxial relationship between ZnO and sapphire follows (0002)(ZnO) [parallel] (112[overline]0)(sapphire) and (112[overline]0)(ZnO) [parallel] (0006)(sapphire) and the ZnO/sapphire interface structure can be described by the domain matching epitaxy along the [112[overline]0](ZnO) direction. The vibrational properties of the films were investigated by polarization dependent micro-Raman spectroscopy. Both XRD and micro-Raman results reveal that the obtained m-ZnO layers are under an anisotropic biaxial strain but still retains a hexagonal lattice.

The lingual thyroid occurring in the midline of the tongue base is an uncommon congenital anomaly. We report the case of a 43-year-old female who presented with a long-term lumping sensation. Head and neck ultrasonography revealed a solid tumor located in the tongue base without any thyroid tissue identified in the orthotopic position of the thyroid gland. With normal thyroid function and the cytological reports of ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (FNA), the diagnosis of an ectopic thyroid gland was confirmed. The utility of head and neck ultrasound in diagnosing ectopic thyroid glands is emphasized in this report.

Hodgkin's lymphoma is the most common pediatric head and neck malignancy, often presenting as cervical lymphadenopathies. Here, we report a case of a 12-year-old boy with a right painless neck mass for 2 weeks. Sonographic examination revealed ill-defined confluent lymphadenopathies over the right neck. We then applied ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy on the cervical mass under local anesthesia and achieved the final diagnosis of Hodgkin's lymphoma, thus preventing the risks of open excisional biopsy.

Tunability and stability in the electrical properties of 2D semiconductors pave the way for their practical applications in logic devices. A robust layered indium selenide (InSe) field-effect transistor (FET) with superior controlled stability is demonstrated by depositing an indium (In) doping layer. The optimized InSe FETs deliver an unprecedented high electron mobility up to 3700 cm2 V-1 s-1 at room temperature, which can be retained with 60% after 1 month. Further insight into the evolution of the position of the Fermi level and the microscopic device structure with different In thicknesses demonstrates an enhanced electron-doping behavior at the In/InSe interface. Furthermore, the contact resistance is also improved through the In insertion between InSe and Au electrodes, which coincides with the analysis of the low-frequency noise. The carrier fluctuation is attributed to the dominance of the phonon scattering events, which agrees with the observation of the temperature-dependent mobility. Finally, the flexible functionalities of the logic-circuit applications, for instance, inverter and not-and (NAND)/not-or (NOR) gates, are determined with these surface-doping InSe FETs, which establish a paradigm for 2D-based materials to overcome the bottleneck in the development of electronic devices.

Existing therapies for symptoms related to painful clicking of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) have rarely met with complete success and predicting prognosis remains difficult. Few studies have reported the efficacy of maxillary flat occlusal splints (MFOSs) for the treatment of painful clicking of the TMJ, and few studies have evaluated the predisposing factors that influence the clinical outcomes of MFOSs. The aim of this study was to investigate the treatment efficacy of MFOSs for painful clicking of the TMJ, and to determine the factors influencing TMJ therapy with MFOSs. We conducted a retrospective study of 109 patients suffering from unilateral clicking concurrent with preauricular area pain for at least 2 months between 2004 and 2008. Seventy-five patients were treated with an MFOS, while 34 patients did not receive MFOS therapy. Clicking score, pain-free maximal mouth opening, pain score, duration of the clicking sounds, age and bruxism were recorded during treatment and involved into the reviews. The degree of joint clicking was determined by a stethoscope placed in the anterolateral area of the external auditory canal and was divided into four grades. Data were analyzed using a Mann-Whitney U test, Fisher's exact test, and Student's t test. Results showed statistically significant differences in treatment outcomes between the MFOS-treated and control groups in clicking index, maximal mouth opening, pain and complete remission rates of symptoms within 1 year. Furthermore, for patients treated with MFOS, there were statistically significant differences in the clinical outcomes between those with a high clicking index and those with a low index before treatment. Factors significantly correlated with successful outcomes of MFOS included nocturnal bruxism, patient age and duration of clicking. MFOSs can be used to treat patients with painful clicking of the TMJ and related symptoms. The severity of clicking, bruxism, age and duration of clicking are all important factors influencing treatment outcomes with MFOSs.

Precisely controllable and reversible p/n-type electronic doping of molybdenum ditelluride (MoTe2 ) transistors is achieved by electrothermal doping (E-doping) processes. E-doping includes electrothermal annealing induced by an electric field in a vacuum chamber, which results in electron (n-type) doping and exposure to air, which induces hole (p-type) doping. The doping arises from the interaction between oxygen molecules or water vapor and defects of tellurium at the MoTe2 surface, and allows the accurate manipulation of p/n-type electrical doping of MoTe2 transistors. Because no dopant or special gas is used in the E-doping processes of MoTe2 , E-doping is a simple and efficient method. Moreover, through exact manipulation of p/n-type doping of MoTe2 transistors, quasi-complementary metal oxide semiconductor adaptive logic circuits, such as an inverter, not or gate, and not and gate, are successfully fabricated. The simple method, E-doping, adopted in obtaining p/n-type doping of MoTe2 transistors undoubtedly has provided an approach to create the electronic devices with desired performance.

This work proposes a new injection-locked frequency divider (ILFD) based on the differential complementary Hartley VCO topology. At the supply voltage of 1.8 V, the tuning range of the free running ILFD is from 7.54 to 7.94 GHz, about 400 MHz, and the locking range of the ILFD is from 14.94 to 16.05 GHz, about 1.11 GHz, at the injection signal power of 0 dBm. The ILFD dissipates 13.54 mW at the supply voltage of 1.8 V and was fabricated in the 1P6M 0.18 μm CMOS process. The phase noise of the locked ILFD tracks with the low-phase-noise injection source. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 49: 2817–2820, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.22834

Betel quid (BQ) products, with or without tobacco, have been classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as group I human carcinogens that are associated with an elevated risk of oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) and cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx. There are estimated 600 million BQ users worldwide. In Taiwan alone there are 2 million habitual users (approximately 10% of the population). Oral and pharyngeal cancers result from interactions between genes and environmental factors (BQ exposure). Cytochrome p450 (CYP) families are implicated in the metabolic activation of BQ- and areca nut-specific nitrosamines. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge base regardingCYPgenetic variants and related oral disorders. In clinical applications, we focus on cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx and OPMDs associated withCYPgene polymorphisms, includingCYP1A1,CYP2A6,CYP2E1, andCYP26B1. Our discussion ofCYPpolymorphisms provides insight into the importance of screening tests in OPMDs patients for the prevention of oral and pharyngeal cancers. Future studies will establish a strong foundation for the development of chemoprevention strategies, polymorphism-based clinical diagnostic tools (e.g., specific single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) “barcodes”), and effective treatments for BQ-related oral disorders.

In the previous paper we discussed the relationship between blob defect count and the receding angle of a resist surface after development with an alkaline developer solution. This paper summarizes additional test results from our continued efforts in developing next generation embedded barrier layer (EBL) materials that render a resist film with even higher receding angle to further facilitate high speed and high acceleration scanning. How to reach a higher receding angle without sacrificing a low post development receding angle is also discussed in this paper. The ability for an EBL material to switch from a high receding angle to a receding angle of lower than 20° upon development is considered a very important attribute of an EBL, which is the key to reduce blob defect count by ensuring good dynamic wetting of a resist surface to DI water during a post development rinsing step. Resist formulations with different receding angles were studied for lithography performance and defectivity under different process conditions with varying wet processes. Both good lithography performance and low defectivity were obtained for contact hole resists including those with a surface receding angle of 78°.

We present a review of recent developments in the synthesis, thickness identification, electronic properties, and possible applications of layered MoTe2 flakes. Special emphasis is made on two-dimensional (2D) MoTe2 semiconductors and the extensive research in recent years on their applications in electronics. Layered MoTe2 flakes have been the focus of substantial interest in the research community because of their fascinating characteristics, including an appropriate band gap and a simple fabrication method (exfoliation) to form layered nanomaterials. Our aim is to provide the readers an overview of layered MoTe2 flakes and to understand their properties, which may lead to their applications in micro- and nanoelectronics.

This paper presents a switched-inductor dual-band injection locked frequency divider (ILFD) fabricated in a 0.35-um CMOS process. The circuit is made of a differential double cross-coupled CMOS LC oscillator with a switched-inductor LC-tank, which consists of a parallel LC tank in parallel with one switched inductor composite. The dual-band function is obtained by switching the MOS switch in the inductor composite. At the supply voltage of 2.4 V, the measured free-running frequencies of the divide-by-two dual band ILFD are from 2.52 GHz to 2.61 GHz for the low-frequency band and from 4.18 GHz to 4.39 GHz for the high-frequency band. At the incident power of 0 dBm. the locking ranges of low-frequency and high-frequency band are respectively from 4.0 GHz to 5.8 GHz and from 7.1 GHz to 9.3 GHz.

Until recently, it was thought that only embryonic stem cells were pluripotent and that adult stem cells were restricted in their differentiative and regenerative potential to become the tissues in which they reside. However, the discovery that adult stem cells in one tissue can contribute to the formation of other tissues, especially after injury or cell damage, implies that stem cells have developmental plasticity. For example, haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from bone marrow can be used to regenerate diverse tissues at distant sites, including the lung. This article reviews the character of stem cells in the lung parenchyma and focuses on the potential uses of adult stem cells in research of lung injury and lung disease therapies.