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To achieve highly efficient electromagnetic wave absorber, elaborately designing magnetic–dielectric Co@TiO2 microspheres with core–shell configuration are successfully constructed through a facile sequential process of liquid phase reduction–sol–gel–annealing. Owing to the core–shell configuration and the synergistic effect among magnetic and dielectric components, the annealed sample shows outstanding electromagnetic wave absorption (EMA) in X and Ku band. Impressively, a maximum reflection loss (RLmax) is reached –56.6 dB at a coating thickness of 2.3 mm with corresponding effective absorption bandwidth (EAB10) of 7.2 GHz (including 65% of Ku band and 82.5% of X band), much stronger than those of as-prepared Co (EAB10 of 1.6 GHz, RLmax of 14.6 dB) and pristine Co@TiO2 (EAB10 of 2.9 GHz, RLmax of 16.3 dB). An EAB10 covering completely the whole X and Ku band could be obtained by controlling the thickness only from 2.0 mm to 2.5 mm. The composites have both outstanding RL and wide EAB10 with the thin coating thickness, reinforcing that fabricating core–shell configuration composites is an efficient strategy to boost the EMA efficiency.

Air-stable ambipolar organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) are fabricated from the active layers of π-conjugated polymer and elastomer composites. Compared to the p-channel dominant charge transport behavior of pure donor–acceptor-type copolymer semiconductors, the polymer composites exhibited superior ambipolar charge transport characteristics with well-balanced and high electron and hole mobilities, both of more than 1.0 cm2/Vs. Moreover, these OFETs exhibited significantly improved air stabilities, particularly in the n-channel regime, which is because the encapsulation effect of the nanofibril conjugated polymers surrounded by the elastomer matrix efficiently suppressed electron trapping. At the optimal composition, spinodal decomposition of the constituent polymers is induced, forming fibrillar network structures during the solution casting and thermal annealing processes. These anisotropic polymer aggregates embedded in the elastomer matrix are induced to align in a direction parallel to the channel by directional printing techniques, such as off-centered spin coating and bar coating. This strategy of controlling the semiconductor film morphology is beneficial for the fabrication of high-performance and air-stable complementary-like electronic circuits. Furthermore, the embedded nanofibril morphology in a deformable elastomer can be widely used to realize stretchable optoelectronic devices.

With technical development and evolution of endoscopic instruments, endoscopic spinal surgery has become one of the standard treatments for various lumbar spinal diseases ranging from a simple contained disc to complicated cases such as highly migrated disc herniation and other pathology combined with bony degeneration to produce foraminal and canal stenosis. Favorable clinical results of endoscopic decompression for lumbar stenotic disease were reported by several authors. However, studies have also reported limitations, such as steep learning curves and a relatively high complication rate compared with conventional techniques. The endoscopic lumbar decompression technique consists of many essential skills to manage different endoscopic anatomic structures of the spine. From the perspective of surgical completion and safety, this article discusses issues related to technical considerations in endoscopic lumbar decompression.

Here, we study an efficient reduction treatment for improving the electron transport properties in n-type organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) based on solution-processed polymer semiconductors. If complementary-type printed electronic circuits are to be enabled, equivalently high-performance p-type and n-type organic semiconductors have to develop. Most organic semiconductors have p-type performance superior to the n-type performance. Therefore, high-performance n-type organic semiconductors and their doping process are essential. Reduced-state viologen is known to be a powerful molecular dopant via donating electrons to the conjugated polymer semiconductors. However, the reduced-state viologen readily converts to its initial ionic species under ambient conditions, which leads to insufficient n-doping performance, especially for low electron affinity organic semiconductors. N-doped polymer semiconductors using pristine viologen molecular dopants show inadequate n-channel OFET behavior. For enhancing the electron transfer doping process, solution-based reduction treatment is used to improve remarkably the performance of n-channel OFETs based on initially p-type dominant donor-acceptor-type ambipolar polymer semiconductors. This solution-processed organic active channel layer can be produced at low cost and can be applied to flexible electronic and optoelectronic devices by using various graphic art printing techniques.

Hot dry rocks are important resource for geothermal energy development. In this study, a novel technique to exploit hot dry rocks with circulating working fluid through a closed-loop in a horizontal well has been presented. A comprehensive wellbore pressure-temperature model has been established. Two typical heat transmission fluids, water and isobutane, are selected for comparison. The effects of the flow rate, the horizontal well length and the wellbore size on heat mining rate are analyzed. The power generation systems suitable for these two heat transmission fluids are compared. The simulation results indicate that a long horizontal well with a moderate mass flow rate can be applied for geothermal exploitation, and isobutane via a direct power plant has a better power generation performance than water through a binary power plant. In the case with water circulation at a mass flow rate of 3 kg/s, a net power of 143.5 kW can be obtained, while it can be increased to 258.1 kW with isobutane at a mass flow rate of 5 kg/s. Under different cost scenarios, the generalized unit cost of electricity generation can be reduced to 0.187 $/kW h when using isobutane with a reasonable low well cost and longer operation time.

Purpose. The purpose of our study is to compare the results of spinal decompression using the full-endoscopic interlaminar technique, tubular retractor, and a conventional microsurgical laminotomy technique and evaluate the advantages and clinical feasibility of minimally invasive spinal (MIS) lumbar decompression technique in the lumbar canal and lateral recess stenosis. Methods. The authors retrospectively reviewed clinical and radiological data from 270 patients who received microsurgical (group E: 72 patients), tubular (group T: 34 patients), or full-endoscopic decompression surgery (group E: 164 patients) for their lumbar canal and lateral recess stenosis from June 2016 to August 2017. Clinical (VAS, ODI, and Mcnab criteria), radiologic (spinal canal diameter, segmental dynamic angle, and disc height), and surgical outcome parameters (CPK level, Operative time, blood loss, and hospital stay) were evaluated pre- and postoperatively and compared among the three groups by means of statistical analysis. Failed cases and complications were reviewed in all groups. Results. The mean follow-up period was 6.38 months. The Overall clinical success rate was 89.4%. All groups showed favorable clinical outcome. The clinical and radiologic results were similar in all groups. Regarding surgical outcome, group E showed longer operation time than group M and T (group E: 84.17 minutes/level, group M: 52.22 minutes/level, and group T: 66.12 minutes/level) (p Conclusions. MIS decompression technique is clinically feasible and safe to treat the lumbar canal and lateral recess stenosis, and it has many surgical advantages such as less muscle trauma, minimal postoperative back pain, and fast recovery of the patient compared to traditional open microscopic technique.

Solution-processed nonvolatile organic transistor memory devices are fabricated by employing semiconductor blends of p-channel 6,13-bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl)pentacene and n-channel poly{[ N, N'-bis(2-octyldodecyl)-naphthalene-1,4,5,8-bis(dicarboximide)-2,6-diyl]- alt-5,5'-(2,2'-bithiophene)} (P(NDI2OD-2T); N2200) on polystyrene-brush as a polymer electret. Electret-based memory characteristics are significantly changed depending on the frontier molecular orbitals of the active semiconductors because the charge-trapping efficiency is mainly determined by the energy barrier to transfer electrons and holes from the active channel to the electret layer. A semiconductor mixture with an optimized blending ratio results in an efficient programming and erasing process. Thus, we obtained a remarkably high ratio of ON/OFF current (memory ratio) about 107 and a large amount of shifts in the threshold voltage (memory window) between the programmed and erased states of 55 V, while single-component N2200 showed only writing-once-read-many (WORM)-type memory. Especially, the programmed data can be stably retained more than 10 years with a sufficient memory ratio of 103. Furthermore, our semiconductor blend system leads to preferable vertical phase separation, which affords good reliability under a sequential memory operation condition as well as stability in ambient air. It is expected that our memory devices can be applied for versatile data storage in printed and flexible electronic applications.

In order to address the stability problems and the lack of inertial, the control strategy based on the concept of virtual synchronous generator (VSG) is applied to wind turbine system (WTS) to realize the grid-forming WTS. Question remains that whether potential stability risk will be caused if the grid-forming WTS accesses to the power grid in parallel with the traditional grid-following WTS. In this paper, a 2*2 admittance matrix model is novelly developed for the grid-forming type-IV WTS, based on which the impedance characteristics between the grid-forming and grid-following modes are compared. Impedance-based analysis reveals that the grid-forming type-IV WTS matches the grid-following type-IV WTS, while potential stability risk can be caused when it operates in parallel with the type-III WTS in grid-following mode. It is also found that this mismatch lies below the fundamental frequency where the connected grid is inductive, the type-IV WTS is capacitive in grid-forming mode and the type-III WTS has negative damp in grid-following mode. The developed impedance models and theoretical analysis are verified by experiments.

We demonstrate 3-D self-aligned stacked NMOS-on-PMOS multiple Si nanoribbon transistors with successful integration of vertically stacked dual source/drain EPI process and vertically stacked dual metal gate process. Both top NMOS and bottom PMOS show high on-state performance and superior short channel control. A functional CMOS inverter is also demonstrated with well-balanced voltage transfer characteristics. The 3-D self-aligned stacked CMOS nanoribbon transistor is demonstrated as a promising transistor architecture to continue Moore’s law scaling.

Purpose: To investigate the correlation between nitric oxide (NO) and urodynamics in men with bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) by analyzing nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in the urothelium.Methods: We prospectively enrolled 25 men who planned to undergo surgical treatment for benign prostatic obstruction and identified as BOO in the preoperative urodynamics. Bladder tissue was taken during surgical prostate resection. Expressions of endothelial NOS (eNOS), inducible NOS (iNOS), and neuronal NOS (nNOS) in the urothelium were analyzed, and their correlation with urodynamic parameters was also assessed in all patients. We also compared the expressions of eNOS, iNOS, and nNOS between BOO with detrusor underactivity (DU) group and BOO without DU group.Results: In all patients, the level of eNOS positively correlated with maximal flow rate and with maximum cystometric capacity (MCC). The level of iNOS positively correlated with MCC. nNOS levels were positively correlated with detrusor pressure at maximal flow and with bladder contractility index in all patients. The level of eNOS, iNOS, and nNOS did not significantly differ between BOO without DU group and BOO with DU group.Conclusions: This study suggests that NO was correlated with bladder dysfunction in men with BOO. Particularly, nNOS may reflect the change in detrusor function.

Studies about social functioning in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are lacking, even though neuroimaging studies and metacognition evaluation results suggest abnormal neural responses during social interactions. This study examined neural responses of OCD patients during handshakes with a virtual avatar. Because of the nature of the handshaking task, we expected that OCD patients with predominantly contamination/washing symptoms (CON) would show different neural responses compared to healthy controls (HCs) and to disease-controlled (NCON) patients. Thirteen CON, 13 NCON, and 18 HC participants performed handshake tasks with clean or dirty virtual avatars while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging. During handshakes with a clean avatar, deactivation in the left anterior cingulate cortex was found in CON patients compared to NCON and HC subjects. This cortical deactivation also occurred with dirty-avatar handshakes, but the difference was significant only between the two OCD groups and HC patients. Deactivation in the left anterior cingulate cortex was correlated with both OCD symptom severity and social anxiety traits. This cortical deactivation in OCD, especially in CON patients, suggests that social dysfunction in OCD may be due to interactions between OCD symptoms and impairment in social cognition, including emotional processing.

Purpose To investigate factors associated with early recovery of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) following holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) in patients with benign prostatic enlargement (BPE). Methods The medical records of 393 patients who underwent HoLEP for BPE were retrospectively reviewed. Patients with SUI following HoLEP were selected and divided into 2 groups: those who experienced early recovery of SUI and those who experienced persistent SUI. Recovery of SUI within 1 month after HoLEP was defined as early, and SUI that remained present after 1 month was defined as persistent. Preoperative clinical and urodynamic factors, as well as perioperative factors, were compared between groups. Results SUI following HoLEP was detected in 86 patients. Thirty-three patients exhibited recovery of SUI within 1 month, and SUI remained present in 53 patients after 1 month. Multivariate analysis showed that the transition zone prostate volume (odds ratio [OR], 5.354; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.911–14.999; P=0.001) and the enucleation ratio (OR, 8.253; 95% CI, 1.786–38.126; P=0.007) were significantly associated with early recovery of SUI. Conclusions Early recovery of SUI within 1 month following HoLEP was associated with transition zone prostate volume and the enucleation ratio.

We aim to investigate the role of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), a novel endogenous pro-inflammatory cytokine, in the development of ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI). Moreover, the protective effect of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) on VILI through inhibiting local mtDNA release was examined.From March 2015 to March 2016, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) from 36 patients with VILI and well-matched 36 patients without VILI after major surgery were consecutively collected. The expression levels of mtDNA and inflammatory cytokines in BALF were tested. SD rats were divided into five groups: control, low tidal volume (7 ml/kg) group, high tidal volume (HTV, 40 ml/kg) group, HTV+low dose EGCG and HTV+high dose EGCG groups. BALF were collected to examine the expression levels of mtDNA and several inflammatory cytokines and the lung tissue was harvested for pathological examinations. In addition, cyclic stretch cell culture was used and culture media was collected to analyze expressions of inflammatory cytokines. Administration of mtDNA in a rat model and in vitro cell culturing were used to confirm its pro-inflammatory properties in the development of inflammatory lung injury.A Significant elevation of mtDNA was detected in BALF from patients with VILI (581 ± 193 vs. 311 ± 137, p 0.05) and also in rats ventilated with HTV. EGCG could significantly inhibit HTV-induced local mtDNA release and attenuate the level of inflammatory lung injuries (reduced infiltration of local inflammatory cells, lower lung wet/dry ratio and expression levels of inflammatory cytokines). The beneficial effects of EGCG on preventing inflammatory lung injuries were in a concentration-dependent manner. Meanwhile, higher expression levels of mtDNA and inflammatory cytokines were observed in the media of cyclic stretched cell culture compared to those in the control group (p 0.05). Furthermore, intra-tracheal administration of mtDNA in rats could lead to a marked increase of local inflammatory cytokines and subsequent inflammatory lung injuries (p 0.05). And by adding mtDNA into the cell culture, higher level of inflammatory cytokines in the media was detected (p 0.05). EGCG also showed preventive effects on inflammatory responses on a concentration-dependent manner (p 0.05).The increased expression level of mtDNA and subsequent inflammatory cytokines overproduction may play an important role in the development of VILI. EGCG may be a potential novel therapeutic candidate for protection against VILI by inhibiting the local release of mtDNA.

BACKGROUND: Many studies have reported not only that depression and antidepressant medications can cause erectile dysfunction (ED), but also that having ED may increase the risk of depression. We investigated the effect of a daily low dose of a phosphodiesterase (PDE) type 5 inhibitor (tadalafil, 5 mg) on depression and levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in patients with ED. METHODS: Ten male patients with at least a 3-month history of ED [International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF)-5 score ≤21] and depression [the Korean version of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9 score ≥5] were analyzed in this study. The subjects were prescribed a low dose of a PDE5 inhibitor (tadalafil 5 mg) once daily for 8 weeks. The survey questionnaires were performed using the PHQ-15 and the PHQ-9 before and after administration of 8 weeks of tadalafil. Blood samples used for measuring serum BDNF levels were taken and measured at baseline and after 8 weeks of treatment. RESULTS: The mean changes in the PHQ-9 and PHQ-15 scores were 3.60±3.27 and 2.00±2.98, respectively. Analyses of the mean changes in the PHQ-9 scores revealed that the depressive symptoms of the subjects were significantly improved after administration of eight weeks of tadalafil (P

The analysis based on spatio-temporal data has become a hot topic in the field of machine learning. Urban traffic trajectory clustering is one of the key points of urban traffic data mining, and trajectory similarity calculation is the basis of traffic trajectory clustering. In the light of the weakness of current mainstream similarity calculation method under complex roads that proposed one segmentation-based trajectory similarity calculation method(SDTW*). The algorithm fully considers the shape of the trajectory and has good performance. The experimental part uses different similarity algorithms, and combines the hierarchical clustering algorithm to cluster the actual vehicle trajectory, and selects the average contour coefficient and the cluster success rate as the evaluation indicators. The results show that the average contour coefficient of the proposed algorithm is 33.86% and 12.94% higher than that of DTW and SDTW, respectively, and the clustering success rate is also improved to some extent.

We report on controllable ambipolar charge transport in polymeric semiconductors by the incorporation of viologen-based molecular additives. The viologen dopants selectively contribute to an increase in the charge carrier density of the electrons while enhancing the fibril-like crystalline thin-film morphology of the polymers to provide favourable charge transport in staggered-structure organic field-effect transistors. A well-balanced ambipolar behaviour is obtained at the optimised viologen concentration in donor-acceptor conjugated polymers by conversely modulating the p- and n-channel carrier mobilities within a given active layer. Complementary-like inverter circuits are demonstrated through the application of a simple blanket coating of a viologen-doped ambipolar semiconductor, which exhibits high ideal voltage switching at around half of the applied bias, a high gain of more than 50, and sufficient noise immunity to enable various applications for printed electronics and optoelectronics.

Purpose We evaluated changes in the expression of uroplakin (UP) in the urothelium of patients with ulcerative interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS). Materials and methods Bladder samples were collected from 19 patients with ulcerative IC/BPS who were treated with augmentation ileocystoplasty and from 5 control patients. Frequency-volume charts, the pain visual analogue scale (VAS), and the O'Leary-Sant interstitial cystitis symptom index (ICSI) and problem index (ICPI) were used to evaluate the patients' symptoms preoperatively. The expression levels of UP-Ib and UP-III in the urothelium were compared between the IC/BPS patients and control patients. Results Sixteen women and three men with IC/BPS were evaluated. Their values for preoperative mean voiding frequency, number of nocturia episodes, and functional bladder capacity as recorded in frequency-volume charts were 21.1±12.8, 5.9±4.2, and 151.1±62.7 mL, respectively. The mean pain VAS, ICSI, and ICPI scores were 8.4±1.3, 17.7±2.2, and 14.7±1.8, respectively. Immunofluorescence staining showed that UP-Ib and UP-III were localized in the urothelium. Upon Western blot analysis, the expression of UP-III was significantly increased in the IC/BPS group compared with the control group. However, expression of UP-Ib did not differ significantly between the IC/BPS and control groups. Conclusions UP-III was significantly upregulated in patients with ulcerative IC/BPS. UP-III is a potential biomarker for the diagnosis of ulcerative IC/BPS.

Expandability of organic electronics has stimulated ongoing research for the development of a variety of flexible and/or large-area optoelectronic applications. Among these electronic devices, organic non-volatile memories are emerging as suitable components for solid-state data storage because of their low-cost fabrication, large storage capacity, light weight, and conformable mechanical properties. To fully integrate organic memories with wearable and flexible/stretchable electronic systems, it is important to develop a device in which the properties such as threshold voltage and operating regime are controllable. This leads to improvement in the adaptability of the device to peripheral circuitry and encourages the development of multi-functional organic electronic components. Here, we investigate the tunable electrical properties of charge-trap (electret) memory devices based on organic field-effect transistors, obtained by the doping of an ambipolar polymer semiconductor. The electret memory devices using the doped semiconductor showed a remarkable enhancement in the charge-storage capacity, an excellent charge retention time of more than 107 s, and four-fold increase in charge carrier mobility. The improved memory characteristics associated with the controllable molecular doping could pave the way for the development of next-generation memory devices that are compatible with flexible and printed electronic technology.

Objectives To assess Asian data from Global Prevalence Study on Infections in Urology (GPIU study) which has been performed more than 10 years. Methods Seventeen Asian countries participated in the GPIU study between 2004 and 2013. Data for these countries were collected from the web-based GPIU database. The point prevalence of urinary tract infections (UTI) and antimicrobial susceptibility of representative pathogens were analysed for Asian geographic regions. Results A total of 6706 patients (5271 male, 1435 female) were assessed during the study period, and 659 patients were diagnosed with a UTI (9.8%). Of these UTI patients, 436 were male and 223 were female. Mean patient age was 54.9 ± 19.3 years. Pyelonephritis and cystitis were the most common clinical diagnoses, representing 30.7% and 29.9% of patients, respectively. Escherichia coli was the most frequently identified uropathogen (38.7%). For the patients with urinary tract infection, cephalosporins were the most frequently used antibiotics (34.4%), followed by fluoroquinolones (24.1%), aminoglycosides (16.8%). Fluoroquinolone resistance was relatively high (ciprofloxacin 54.9%, levofloxacin 39.0%), and cephalosporin resistance 42% (42.5–49.4%). Of the antibiotics evaluated, uropathogens had maintained the highest level of susceptibility to amikacin and imipenem (24.9% and 11.3% resistance rates, respectively). Conclusion Uropathogens in many Asian countries had high resistance to broad-spectrum antibiotics. Knowledge of regional and local resistance data and prudent use of antibiotics are important for proper management of UTI in Asian countries.

Background Aortoesophageal fistula (AEF) and arch pseudoaneurysm are rare complications induced by a foreign body, and considerable controversy remains regarding the appropriate management strategies. We herein report a successful one-stage hybrid treatment in a patient with AEF and arch pseudoaneurysm. Case presentation The patient, a 40-year-old man, presented to the emergency room because of intense retrosternal discomfort for 3 days and hematemesis for 3 h. The esophagoscopy and thoracic enhanced computed tomography (CT) showed two irregular mural ulcers in the esophagus and a large saccular pseudoaneurysm at the aortic isthmus, respectively. The laboratory examinations confirmed no widespread inflammation and infection. We have successfully performed a successful one-stage hybrid treatment for this patient. Six-month follow-up shows the patient is in good condition and the esophagoscopy reveals the two mural ulcers had completely healed. Conclusion The treatment decision-making process should depend upon the patients’ specific situations. Our case suggest the one-stage hybrid treatment could be an valuable alternative in some selected patients. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12893-018-0335-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Flexible organic field-effect-transistor (OFET) memory is one of the promising candidates for next-generation wearable nonvolatile data storage due to its low price, solution-processability, light-weight, mechanically flexibility, and tunable energy level via molecular tailoring. In this paper, we report flexible nonvolatile OFET memory devices fabricated with solution-processed polystyrene-brush electret and organic semiconductor blends of p-channel 6, 13-bis-(triisopropylsilylethynyl)pentacene (TIPS-PEN) and n-channel poly-{[N,N′-bis(2- octyldodecyl)-naphthalene-1,4,5,8-bis-(dicarboximide)-2,6-diyl]-alt-5,5′-(2,2′-bithiophene)} (P-(NDI2OD-2T); N2200). Fabricated flexible OFET memory devices exhibited high memory window (30 V) and ON/OFF current ratio (memory ratio) over 103. Furthermore, we obtained reliable memory ratio (~103) over retention time of 108 s, 100 times of repeated programming/erasing cycles, and 1000 times of bending tests at a radius of 3 mm.

Background This study investigated changes in the expression of cannabinoid (CB) receptors and the effects of CB1 and CB2 agonists on detrusor overactivity (DO) associated with bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) in rats. Methods Male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly assigned to four groups (n = 10) in each group. The control group comprised sham-operated rats. A animals in the BOO, CB1 agonist and CB2 agonist groups all underwent BOO surgery. Three weeks postoperatively, cystometrography (CMG) was performed on all rats. After confirming the presence of DO in the CB1 and CB2 agonist groups, a CB1 agonist (WIN 55,212–2) and a CB2 agonist (CB65) were instilled intravesically, and CMG was repeated. CMG parameters, including the contraction interval (CI) and contraction pressure (CP) were then analyzed. The bladders of rats in all four groups were excised following CMG. Immunofluorescence staining and Western blotting were performed to localize CB1 and CB2 and measure their expression levels in the urothelium and detrusor muscle. Results The CI was significantly longer and the CP was significantly lower in the CB1 agonist group than in the BOO group. CI and CP in the CB2 agonist group showed the same results. CB1 receptor immunofluorescence staining signals and immunoreactive bands in Western blotting were increased in the BOO group compared with results in the control group. Similarly, results for the CB2 receptor were also increased in the BOO group, although this difference was not significant. The CMG parameters in the BOO group were significantly improved by the inhibitory effects of CB1 and CB2 agonists on BOO-associated DO. The expression of CB1 was significantly increased in the urothelium and detrusor muscle in BOO-associated DO, but no significant change in CB2 expression was observed. Conclusions CB1 and CB2 receptors, especially CB1, play a role in the pathophysiology of BOO-associated DO, and could serve as therapeutic targets.

Objective The purpose of this study was to compare radiologic and clinical outcomes in patients with L4-5 lumbar spondylolisthesis who have undergone either instrumented anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF), lateral lumbar interbody fusion (LLIF), or posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF), especially with regard to the development of adjacent segment disease (ASD). Methods Eighty-two patients with preoperative L4-5 spondylolisthesis and minimal ASD who underwent instrumented L4–5 fusion were divided into 3 groups according to the surgical approach used for treatment (ALIF: 27 patients, LLIF: 24 patients, PLIF: 31 patients). Radiographic measurements including preoperative and postoperative foraminal and disk height, segmental and lumbar lordosis, percentage of vertebral slippage, and reduction rate were reviewed. The incidence of ASD and clinical outcomes were evaluated and compared between the 3 groups. Results ASD was found in 37.0% (10/27), 41.7% (10/24), and 64.5% (20/31) of the patients in the ALIF, LLIF, and PLIF groups, respectively (mean follow-up duration: 35.42 ± 9.35 months). The ALIF and LLIF groups had significantly increased disk and foraminal height compared with the PLIF group. The ALIF group had significantly improved lordosis compared with the PLIF and LLIF groups. There were no statistically significant intergroup differences in clinical outcomes assessed by visual analog scale and Oswestry Disability Index. Conclusion The 3 different fusion techniques investigated can all produce good outcomes in treating lumbar spondylolisthesis in L4-5, but ALIF and LLIF are more advantageous in preventing the development of ASD.

// Shuo Wang 1, 2, * , Ying-Ying Chen 3, 4, * , Yu-Peng Li 5 , Jun Gu 6 , Shu-Dong Gu 4 , Hai Shi 7 , Xue-Song Li 3 , Xiao-Ning Lu 1, 2 , Xiang Li 8 , Shuang-Long Zhang 1 , Kang-Jun Yu 1 , Kun Liu 1 and Li-Li Ji 2 1 Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, China 2 Department of Pathology, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, China 3 Department of Immunology, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, China 4 Department of Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, China 5 Department of Pediatrics, The People’s Hospital of Rizhao, Rizhao, China 6 Department of Respiratory, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, China 7 Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, The Third People's Hospital of Nantong, Nantong, China 8 Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital of Nantong, Nantong, China * These authors have contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Kun Liu, email: ntliukun@163.com Li-Li Ji, email: kevin08lily@163.com Keywords: non-small cell lung cancer, DISC1, GSK3β, β-catenin, proliferation Received: February 15, 2017 Accepted: April 27, 2017 Published: May 22, 2017 ABSTRACT Neuropsychiatric disorder-associated disrupted-in-schizophrenia-1 (DISC1) activates Wnt/β-catenin signaling by inhibiting glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK3β) phosphorylation, and may promote neural progenitor cell and pancreatic β-cell proliferation. The present study found that DISC1 promotes non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell growth. Western blotting and immunohistochemistry analyses showed that DISC1 was highly expressed in NSCLC cell lines and patient tissues. DISC1 expression was negatively associated with phosphorylated (p-) GSK3β, but positively correlated with a more invasive tumor phenotype and predicted poor NSCLC patient prognosis. siRNA-mediated DISC1 silencing increased p-GSK3β expression and decreased expression of β-catenin and Cyclin D1, while DISC1 upregulation produced the opposite results. DISC1 knockdown also reduced NSCLC cell proliferation rates in vitro . These results suggest that DISC1 promotes NSCLC growth, likely through GSK3β/β-catenin signaling, and that DISC1 may function as an oncogene and novel anti-NSCLC therapeutic target.

Semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (semi-SWNTs) are attractive as they can be used enable high-performance nano-electronic devices. We report the enhanced ambipolar charge transport characteristics of the semi-SWNT field-effect transistors (FETs) based on a top-gated staggered device structure. SWNTs were selectively dispersed in non-polar organic solvents and sorted by a π-conjugated polymer wrapping method. The sorted semi-SWNTs solution was used simply to form a well-percolated CNT-network, and the top-gate and bottom-contact FETs showed relatively high and equivalent electron and hole mobilities with very high on/off-current ratios and steep subthreshold slopes. The equivalent ambipolar charge transport behavior of semi-SWNTs was used to demonstrate a reliable complementary-like electronic circuits. The inverters showed a good switching threshold near the ideal point at half the driving bias, high gain, low hysteresis, and stability under repeatable operating conditions. They can thus be broadly applied as a fundamental circuit element in printed and flexible electronics.

We investigated the efficacy and safety of desmopressin add-on therapy for men with persistent nocturia on α-blocker for lower urinary tract symptoms in this placebo controlled study.The study included men 40 to 65 years old with lower urinary tract symptoms and persistent nocturia despite α-blocker therapy for at least 8 weeks. Patients were randomized to once daily placebo or desmopressin 0.2 mg for 8 weeks. The primary end point was to assess changes in the mean number of nocturia episodes from baseline to the final assessment. Other secondary end points and adverse events were evaluated.A total of 86 patients were randomized to treatment, including placebo in 39 and desmopressin 0.2 mg in 47. Baseline characteristics were similar in the 2 groups. The desmopressin add-on group was significantly superior to placebo in terms of the change from baseline in the mean number of nocturia episodes (-1.13 ± 0.92 vs -0.68 ± 0.79, p = 0.034), the changes in nocturnal urine volume (p0.001), total I-PSS (International Prostate Symptom Score) (p = 0.041), the nocturnal polyuria index (p = 0.001) and ICIQ-N (International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Nocturia) (p = 0.001), and the willingness to continue (p = 0.025). The incidence of adverse events in the desmopressin add-on group was similar to that in the placebo group. Most adverse events were mild.Desmopressin add-on therapy in men 40 to 65 years old with persistent nocturia on α-blocker monotherapy for lower urinary tract symptoms is effective and well tolerated.

Neuroinflammation has been raised as a candidate of unifying pathogenesis and a target of a disease-modifying strategy for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase complex (ARS)-interacting multifunctional protein 1 (AIMP1) is a cytokine that is known to amplify the actions of tumor necrosis factor-α and to be involved in microglial activation and neuronal death. In this respect, AIMP1 could be a plausible target for the treatment of AD. Therefore, we aimed to examine whether anti-AIMP1 antibody could exert therapeutic effects against cognitive impairment using 3xTg-AD mice. Through the passive avoidance test, we found that an intraperitoneal injection of anti-AIMP1 antibody over 4 weeks was effective in protecting memory function in 3xTg-AD mice (16 weeks old). In addition, to address the translational implications of AIMP1, we measured blood AIMP1 levels in patients with AD (n=22), mild cognitive impairment (n=25), and normal cognition (n=23). Blood AIMP1 levels were associated negatively with global cognitive function and were significantly higher in individuals with a higher degree of medial temporal lobe atrophy, which is one of the representative clinical markers of AD. Our results suggested a possible association of AIMP1 with AD pathogenesis, as well as the potential of the anti-AIMP1 antibody as a novel therapeutic option for AD.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study is to characterize the learning curve of endoscopic lumbar decompression based on peri- and postoperative parameters and to suggest the potential of full endoscopic decompression as a primary treatment option for lumbar canal and lateral recess stenosis. METHODS The records of 223 consecutive patients who underwent percutaneous endoscopic decompression by a single surgeon for their lumbar canal and lateral recess stenosis were reviewed. Patients were stratified into group 1 (n=100) and group 2 (n=123), depending on their case number. After the 100th case, the procedural time reached a plateau and subsequent patients were assigned to the second group. Demographics and surgical outcomes, including operative times, change in dural sac dimensions, length of hospital stay, and intraoperative complication rates were compared between the 2 groups. Postoperative clinical outcomes, including the visual analogue scale (VAS), the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and reoperation rates were compared between the 2 groups (group 1, n=90; group 2, n=110) by follow-up evaluation. RESULTS Procedural times were greater in group 1 than group 2 (group 1, 105.26 minutes; group 2, 67.65 minutes; p

We study the problem of region-semantics preserving (RSP) image synthesis. Given a reference image and a region specification R, our goal is to train a model that is able to generate realistic and diverse images, each preserving the same semantics as that of the reference image within the region R. This problem is challenging because the model needs to (1) understand and preserve the marginal semantics of the reference region; i.e., the semantics excluding that of any subregion; and (2) maintain the compatibility of any synthesized region with the marginal semantics of the reference region. In this paper, we propose a novel model, called the fast region-semantics preserver (Fast-RSPer), for the RSP image synthesis problem. The Fast-RSPer uses a pre-trained GAN generator and a pre-trained deep feature extractor to generate images without undergoing a dedicated training phase. This makes it particularly useful for the interactive applications. We conduct extensive experiments using the real-world datasets and the results show that Fast-PSPer can synthesize realistic, diverse RSP images efficiently.

Introduction. The multifocal lumbar pathology including disc herniation and stenosis in the spinal canal or foramen has been considered the most difficult to approach surgically. It often requires mandatory dual approaches and/or fusion techniques. Traditional percutaneous endoscopic lumbar transforaminal and interlaminar approach has been focused on unifocal disc herniation. However, the development of endoscopic spinal instruments and surgical technique has broadened surgical indication and therapeutic boundary in endoscopic spine surgery. Cases Presentation. The authors present outcomes of four patients with multilumbar pathology including highly inferior migrated disc combined with lateral recess stenosis, multifocal disc herniation, bilateral disc herniations in spinal canal and foraminal disc herniation combined with central canal stenosis. They were successfully treated by percutaneous uniportal full endoscopic approach with single incision. Conclusion. Percutaneous endoscopic spine surgery is a safe and effective tool to figure out multilumbar pathology in a minimal invasive way.

Background: Spinocerebellar ataxias are rare dominantly inherited neurodegenerative diseases that lead to severe disability and premature death. Objective: To quantify the impact of disease progression measured by the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia on survival, and to identify different profiles of disease progression and survival. Methods: Four hundred sixty-two spinocerebellar ataxia patients from the EUROSCA prospective cohort study, suffering from spinocerebellar ataxia type 1, spinocerebellar ataxia type 2, spinocerebellar ataxia type 3, and spinocerebellar ataxia type 6, and who had at least two measurements of Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia score, were analyzed. Outcomes were change over time in Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia score and time to death. Joint model was used to analyze disease progression and survival. Results: Disease progression was the strongest predictor for death in all genotypes: An increase of 1 standard deviation in total Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia score increased the risk of death by 1.28 times (95% confidence interval: 1.18–1.38) for patients with spinocerebellar ataxia type 1; 1.19 times (1.12–1.26) for spinocerebellar ataxia type 2; 1.30 times (1.19–1.42) for spinocerebellar ataxia type 3; and 1.26 times (1.11–1.43) for spinocerebellar ataxia type 6. Three subgroups of disease progression and survival were identified for patients with spinocerebellar ataxia type 1: “severe” (n = 13; 12%), “intermediate” (n = 31; 29%), and “moderate” (n = 62; 58%). Patients in the severe group were more severely affected at baseline with higher Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia scores and frequency of nonataxia signs compared to those in the other groups. Conclusion: Rapid ataxia progression is associated with poor survival of the most common spinocerebellar ataxia. Theses current results have implications for the design of future interventional studies of spinocerebellar ataxia. © 2019 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society., SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

Objective The aims of this study were to investigate the effects of daily low-dose tadalafil on cognitive function and to examine whether there was a change in cerebral blood flow (CBF) in patients with erectile dysfunction (ED) and mild cognitive impairment. Methods Male patients aged 50 to 75 years with at least three months of ED (International Index of Erectile Function [IIEF]-5 score ≤ 21) and mild cognitive impairment (Montreal Cognitive Assessment [MoCA] score ≤ 22) were included in the study. The subjects were prescribed a low-dose PDE5 inhibitor (tadalafil 5 mg) to be taken once daily for eight weeks. Changes in MoCA score and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) study between the two time-points were assessed by paired t tests. Results Overall, 30 male patients were assigned to the treatment group in this study and 25 patients completed the eight-week treatment course. Five patients were withdrawn due to adverse events such as myalgia and dizziness. Mean baseline IIEF and MoCA scores were 7.52 ± 4.84 and 18.92 ± 1.78. After the eight-week treatment, mean IIEF and MoCA scores were increased to 12.92 ± 7.27 (p < 0.05) and 21.8 ± 1.71 (p < 0.05), respectively. Patients showed increased relative regional CBF in the postcentral gyrus, precuneus, and brainstem after tadalafil administration versus at baseline (p < 0.001). Conclusion The results of this prospective clinical study suggest that daily use of tadalafil 5 mg increases some regional CBF and improves cognitive function in patients with ED and mild cognitive impairment.

The effects of a stressor nitride oxide layer on device performance and reliability are investigated. Impact of tensile and compressive stress contact etch stop layer (CESL) and shallow trench isolation(STI) mechanical stress on performance and mobility enhancement of /(100) Fully Depleted Sillicon On Insulator(FD-SOI) MOSFETs (ultrathin film, short length, metal-gate/high-K stack, thin BOX) were studied in detail. By thoroughly evaluating their impact on current, mobility, and threshold voltage, the performance gain of CESL is quantified at CMOS with mobility enhancement identified as the major source. It is also experimentally demonstrated that advantageous Length of Diffusion. In the Compress CESL(cCESL) strain , PMOS show 34% performance enhancement with LOD increase 0.1nm to 1um. On the ather hand, NMOS show 3.41%. In the Tensile CESL(tCESL) strain , NMOS show 11.72% performance enhancement with same LOD condition. On the ather hand , PMOS has changed 3.72%.

Purpose To investigate the change in urinary urgency and predictors of urgency improvement after holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Materials and methods We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of patients who were treated with HoLEP for BPH and had preoperative urgency measuring ≥3 on a 5-point urinary sensation scale. Those with prostate cancer diagnosed prior to or after HoLEP, a history of other prostatic and/or urethral surgery, moderate to severe postoperative complications, and neurogenic causes were excluded. Patients who had improved urgency with antimuscarinic medication after HoLEP were excluded. We divided the patients into 2 groups based on urgency symptoms 3 months after HoLEP: improved and unimproved urgency. Improved urgency was defined as a reduction of 2 or more points on the 5-point urinary sensation scale. Preoperative clinical and urodynamic factors as well as perioperative factors were compared between groups. Results In total, 139 patients were included in this study. Voiding parameters in all patients improved significantly after HoLEP. Seventy-one patients (51.1%) had improved urgency, while 68 (48.9%) did not show any improvement. A history of acute urinary retention (AUR) and postvoid residual were associated with postoperative urgency improvement in univariate analysis. In multivariate analysis, a history of AUR was an independent factor affecting urgency improvement. Conclusions A preoperative history of AUR could influence the change in urgency after HoLEP surgery in patients with BPH.

A specific design for solution-processed doping of active semiconducting materials would be a powerful strategy in order to improve device performance in flexible and/or printed electronics. Tetrabutylammonium fluoride and tetrabutylammonium hydroxide contain Lewis base anions, F− and OH−, respectively, which are considered as organic dopants for efficient and cost-effective n-doping processes both in n-type organic and nanocarbon-based semiconductors, such as poly[[N,N′-bis(2-octyldodecyl)-naphthalene-1,4,5,8-bis(dicarboximide)-2,6-diyl]-alt-5,5′-(2,2′-bithiophene)] (P(NDI2OD-T2)) and selectively dispersed semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes by π-conjugated polymers. The dramatic enhancement of electron transport properties in field-effect transistors is confirmed by the effective electron transfer from the dopants to the semiconductors as well as controllable onset and threshold voltages, convertible charge-transport polarity, and simultaneously showing excellent device stabilities under ambient air and bias stress conditions. This simple solution-processed chemical doping approach could facilitate the understanding of both intrinsic and extrinsic charge transport characteristics in organic semiconductors and nanocarbon-based materials, and is thus widely applicable for developing high-performance organic and printed electronics and optoelectronics devices.