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Understanding plain radiograph in association with 3-dimensional (3D) morphology of the ankle is essential for treatment about varus ankle osteoarthritis (OA). The aims of this study were to investigate whether the alignment of the tibial plafond as determined on plain radiograph reflected the alignment of the tibial plafond on computed tomography (CT) in varus ankle OA and whether the alignment of the tibial plafond changed as the OA progressed. The 3D CT and plain radiographs from 101 ankles with varus ankle OA were analyzed and compared with 40 ankles in control group. The tibial plafond was assessed in the coronal and sagittal planes using 3D CT. The medial angle between the vertical line and the tibial plafond was measured on 3 different coronal plane CT images which was anterior, middle and posterior area of the tibial plafond. The medial distal tibial angle on plain radiograph reflected the posterior area of the tibial plafond on CT. The amount of varus angulation on CT was larger in anterior and middle area of the tibial plafond than the posterior area. There was a difference in the degree of varus of the tibial plafond between control group and OA patients; however, there was no difference among patients in different stages of varus ankle OA. Weightbearing plain radiographs underestimate the varus deformity in anterior and middle area of the tibial plafond and there is no significant difference in deformity of the tibial plafond among patients in different stages of varus ankle OA.

Although all-inorganic perovskites possess suitable bandgap and thermal stability for photovoltaic applications, the unstable film morphologies, and poor moisture stabilities lag behind the organic-inorganic hybrid counterparts. Herein, we demonstrate that high quality α-CsPbI2Br films with improved phase stability, high crystallinity, and pinhole-free film morphology was achieved by employing tetramethylammonium chloride (TMACl) as an additive. As a result, the TMACl-added CsPbI2Br films exhibited high power conversion efficiency of 14.12% with an open-circuit voltage of 1.19 V, a short-circuit current density of 15.08 mA/cm2, and a fill factor of 0.78. More importantly, the TMACl addition imparts hydrophobicity to the film surface of CsPbI2Br, which delivered excellent stability up to 30 days in the ambient condition and thermal stability at 85 °C for 156 h, respectively. Moreover, the TMACl-added device also exhibited excellent PCE of 27.16% under indoor light source (1000 lux), which presents a promising approach for designing stable but high performance all-inorganic perovskite solar cells.

Background Radial nerve palsy is a common complication associated with humeral shaft fractures. The purposes of this study were 1) to evaluate the status of primary radial nerve palsy in patients with humeral shaft fracture according to injury mechanism, 2) to estimate the risk factors of primary RNP, and 3) to evaluate whether early exploration is helpful for radial nerve recovery. Methods This study analyzed 162 patients with humeral shaft fractures from January 2014 to December 2019. All patients were surgically treated in our hospital. Of these, 109 high-energy injuries were identified and compared with 53 low–energy injuries. The risk factors of radial nerve palsy were analyzed, and the prevalence of radial nerve palsy and status of radial nerve exploration according to injury mechanism were evaluated. Nerve recovery rate according to early nerve exploration was investigated. Results There were 31 cases of radial nerve palsy among 162 patients; 27 in the high-energy humeral shaft fracture group, and four in the low-energy humeral shaft fracture group. Logistic regression analysis for risk factors showed that the injury mechanism was significantly associated with primary radial nerve palsy. Among 31 radial nerve palsy patients, 21 radial nerves were explored and 19 radial nerves were recovered completely (80.6%). In the high-energy humeral shaft fracture group, 18 radial nerves were explored during surgery among 27 radial nerve palsy cases, and 16 cases were recovered (88.9%). The other nine radial nerves were not explored, and only five cases were recovered (55.6%) Conclusions This study confirmed that the incidence of radial nerve paralysis was higher in high-energy humeral shaft fractures than in low-energy fractures. The more common fracture patterns were oblique, transverse, wedge, and comminuted in HE-HSF. This study suggests that these patterns are not directly associated with radial nerve palsy, but that high-energy injury is associated with a specific fracture pattern. Early nerve exploration during surgical treatment in patients with radial nerve palsy associated with humeral shaft fracture was helpful especially after high-energy injury.

We herein report the room temperature synthesis of colloidal SnO2 quantum dots and their application in non-fullerene organic solar cells as an excellent electron transport layer. The thiourea-assisted hydrolysis at room temperature affords the nanocrystalline SnO2 quantum dots with a diameter of 3−4 nm. The utilization of the SnO2 quantum dots as an electron transporting layer effectively reduces the interfacial trap density and charge recombination in the solar cell devices, leading to not only the reduced energy loss but also excellent photocurrent generation. The optimized organic solar cells employing SnO2 quantum dots with polyethylenimine ethoxylated achieves power conversion efficiencies up to 12.023 % with a VOC, a JSC, and a FF of 0.89 V, 18.89 mA cm–2, and 0.72. This work suggest that the SnO2 quantum dot is a promising electron transporting material to construct efficient organic solar cells for practical applications. This work also demonstrates the key strategy for thiourea-assisted hydrolysis to synthesize fine and nanocrystalline SnO2 quantum dots.

A high-quality perovskite film is a key aspect contributing to high photovoltaic performance of all-inorganic perovskite solar cells. We herein demonstrate that the addition of methylammonium iodid...

Benzalkonium chloride (BAC) is a cationic surfactant commonly used as a disinfectant, and is discharged into the aquatic environment by various water sources such as wastewater. BAC may also intera...

The interface engineering plays a key role in controlled optoelectronic properties of perovskite photovoltaic devices, and thus the electron transport layer (ETL) material with tailored optoelectronic properties remains a challenge for achieving high photovoltaic performance of planar perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Here, the fine and crystalline zirconium stanate (ZrSnO4) nanoparticles (NPs) was synthesized at low temperature, and its optoelectronic properties are systematically investigated. Benefiting from the favorable electronic structure of ZrSnO4 NPs for applications in ETL, efficient electron transport and extraction with suppressed charge recombination are achieved at the interface of perovskite layer. As a result, the optimized ZrSnO4 NPs synthesized at room-temperature deliver the optimized power conversion efficiency up to 16.76 % with acceptable stability. This work opens up a new class of ternary metal oxide for the use in ETL of the planar PSCs and should pave the way toward designing new interfacial materials for practical optoelectronic devices.

Soft robotics has proven the capability of robots interacting with their environments including humans by taking advantage of the property of high compliance in recent years. Soft pneumatic actuators are one of the most commonly used actuation systems in soft robotics. However, control of a highly compliant actuation system remains as a challenging issue due to its nonlinearity and hysteresis. Addressing this problem requires integration of a soft sensing mechanism with the actuator for proprioceptive feedback. A soft optical waveguide with a reflective metal coating is a promising sensing mechanism with high compliance and low hysteresis. In this letter, we propose design and fabrication of a soft pneumatic actuator integrated with an optical waveguide that can provide the proprioceptive information of the actuator. We describe the design and fabrication, and present experimental characterization results of the proposed system. We also provide applications of the proposed system.

The energy loss in perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is a key factor that limits the full potential of photovoltaic performance to values below the Shockley–Queisser limit. Herein, we report a bilayer structure of the electron transport layer (ETL) for reducing energy loss in methylammonium lead triiodide (MAPbI3)-based planar heterojunction PSCs. The controlled electronic structure of the bilayer ETL affords suitable energy band matching at the interface of the MAPbI3 layer for electron transport/hole blocking, which effectively suppresses trap-assisted recombination at the interface of PSCs. As a result, the optimized bilayer ETL reduces charge recombination at the interfaces of the perovskite layer, boosting the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the MAPbI3-based PSCs up to 20.43% with an open circuit voltage (VOC) as high as 1.20 V under 1 sun conditions. In addition, the bilayer ETL-based devices retained a high VOC of 0.98 V under illumination from a white light emitting diode (1000 lux), realizing PCEs of up to 37.2% under indoor conditions with good ambient stability for >800 h. These findings suggest the importance and potential of the bilayer ETL for reduced energy loss to generate high power outputs in outdoor/indoor environments of PSCs.

In this study, new donor–acceptor (D–A) conjugated polymers based on 4-(4-((2-ethylhexyl)oxy)phenyl)-4H-dithieno[3,2-b:2′,3′-d]pyrrole (EPDP) and 3,6-bis(5-bromothiophen-2-yl)-2,5-bis(2-ethylhexyl)-2,5-dihydropyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4-dione (BTBP) or 4,7-bis(5-bromothiophen-2-yl)benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole (BT) have been synthesized successfully via direct (hetero)arylation polymerization using Pd(OAc)2 and PCy3·HBF4 as a catalyst system. The obtained D–A conjugated polymers have been characterized via1H NMR, GPC, FTIR, DSC, XRD, PL and UV-Vis methods. Afterward, the D–A conjugated polymers have been applied for the fabrication of organic solar cells based on bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) structures.

In recent years, the utilization of three-dimensional (3D) printing has been expanding due to advances in technology and economic efficiency. One of the 3D printing technologies is fused deposition modeling, which can be used to create different kinds of products or prototypes from various polymer filaments. In this study, the activated carbon (AC) coating was introduced to the 3D outputs printed using recycled polymer materials to impart multi-functions such as adsorption of harmful gas and antimicrobial activities. A filament of uniform diameter (1.75 μm) and a filter template in the form of a 3D fabric shape were prepared through the extrusion and 3D printing processes, respectively, of the recycled polymer. In the next process, the 3D filter was developed by coating the nanoporous AC, produced from the pyrolysis fuel oil and waste PET, on the 3D filter template through direct coating. The 3D filters coated with the nanoporous activated carbon showed the enhanced adsorption capacity of 1038.74 mg of SO2 gas and the antibacterial properties of 49% removal of E. coli bacteria. As a model system, a functional gas mask that has harmful gas adsorption abilities and antibacterial properties has been produced by a 3D printing process.

A robust electron transport layer (ETL) is an essential component in planar-heterojunction perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Herein, a sol-gel-driven ZrSnO4 thin film is synthesized and its optoelectronic properties are systematically investigated. The optimized processing conditions for sol-gel synthesis produce a ZrSnO4 thin film that exhibits high optical transmittance in the UV-Vis-NIR range, a suitable conduction band maximum, and good electrical conductivity, revealing its potential for application in the ETL of planar-heterojunction PSCs. Consequently, the ZrSnO4 ETL-based devices deliver promising power conversion efficiency (PCE) up to 19.05% from CH3NH3PbI3-based planar-heterojunction devices. Furthermore, the optimal ZrSnO4 ETL also contributes to decent long-term stability of the non-encapsulated device for 360 h in an ambient atmosphere (T~25 °C, RH~55%,), suggesting great potential of the sol-gel-driven ZrSnO4 thin film for a robust solution-processed ETL material in high-performance PSCs.

A robust electron transport layer (ETL) is an essential component in planar-heterojunction perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Herein, a sol-gel-driven ZrSnO4 thin film is synthesized and its optoelectronic properties are systematically investigated. The optimized processing conditions for sol-gel synthesis produce a ZrSnO4 thin film that exhibits high optical transmittance in the UV-Vis-NIR range, a suitable conduction band maximum, and good electrical conductivity, revealing its potential for application in the ETL of planar-heterojunction PSCs. Consequently, the ZrSnO4 ETL-based devices deliver promising power conversion efficiency (PCE) up to 19.05% from CH3NH3PbI3-based planar-heterojunction devices. Furthermore, the optimal ZrSnO4 ETL also contributes to decent long-term stability of the non-encapsulated device for 360 h in an ambient atmosphere (T~25 °C, RH~55%,), suggesting great potential of the sol-gel-driven ZrSnO4 thin film for a robust solution-processed ETL material in high-performance PSCs.

Objective : Although radiotherapy (RT) is recommended for multiple myeloma (MM) involving spine, the treatment of choice between reconstructive surgery with RT and RT alone for pathologic vertebral fractures (PVFs) associated with structural instability or neurologic compromises remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacies of reconstructive surgery with adjuvant RT for treatment of MM with PVFs by comparing with matched cohorts treated with RT alone.Methods : Twenty-eight patients underwent reconstructive surgery followed by RT between 2008 and 2015 in a single institution, for management of PVFs associated with structural instability of the spine and/or neurologic compromises (group I). Twentyeight patients were treated with RT alone (group II) after propensity score matching in a 1-to-1 format based on instability of the spine, as well as age and performance. Clinical outcomes including the overall survival rates, duration of independent ambulation, neurological status, and numeric rating scale (NRS) for back pain were compared.Results : Clinical and radiological features before treatment were similar in both groups. The median survival period was similar between the two groups. However, the mean duration of independent ambulation was significantly longer in group I (88.8 months; 95% confidence interval [CI], 66.0–111.5) than in group II (39.4 months; 95% CI, 25.2–53.6) (log rank test; p=0.022). Deterioration of Frankel grade (21.4% vs. 60.7%, p=0.024) and NRS for back pain (2.7±2.2 vs. 5.0±2.7, p=0.000) at the last follow-up were higher in the group II. Treatment-related complications were similar in both groups.Conclusion : In patients with unstable PVFs due to MM, reconstructive surgery may yield superior clinical outcomes compared with RT alone in maintaining independent ambulation and neurological status, as well as pain control despite similar median survival and complications.

Optimal optoelectronic properties of interfacial layers in perovskite solar cells are essential for achieving high power conversion efficiency. We herein demonstrated a solution-processed spinel Cu...

A sandpaper-aided haze film (SAHF) is fabricated by a single-step, facile, and cost-effective soft-imprint lithography technique via commercially available and inexpensive sandpaper master molds. S...

Backgrounds: The concern in the toxicological impact of nanomaterials on aquatic organisms has grown, due to the high adsorption capacity for (in) organic compounds in the aquatic environment. In order to evaluate the toxicity of mixtures composed with metal ion and metal oxide nanoparticles and the interaction between components in binary mixtures, we tested the mixture toxicity of iron oxide nanoparticles (i.e., PVP-Fe3O4 NPs) and zinc sulfate (ZnSCU) on Daphnia magna. Methods: The toxicity of binary mixtures with different concentration-combinations were identified by the effective concentration values (ECxmix) based on the concentration-response curves. Concentration addition index (CAI) and effect addition index (EAI) were applied for examining the interaction between components in binary mixtures. Results: The findings from this study implied the ZnSO4 had a high toxic effect on D. magna more than PVP-Fe3O4 NPs and the synergistic toxicity in binary mixtures were depended on the toxic effects of ZnSO4 and their exposure concentration rather than those of PVP-Fe3O4 NPs. Interestingly, the antagonistic effects between ZnSO4 and PVP-Fe3O4 NPs in binary mixtures showed in the high concentration-combinations suggesting that antagonism in toxicity may be due to the high adsorption capacity of PVP-Fe3O4 NPs for organic compounds. Conclusion: In this study, synergistic- and antagonistic effects in binary mixtures with various concentrationcombinations will provide important information for elucidating the toxicity mechanism of mixtures composed inorganic compounds and metal oxide nanoparticles (MONPs). However, in order to conduct the risk assessment of environmental nanoparticle, further studies regarding the mixture toxicity of nanomaterials with environmentally relevant concentrations and the interaction between components will be required.

A novel small molecular electron donor with an optimized side group was synthesized for solution-processed organic solar cells. In order to extend the conjugation length in 2-dimensional structure, 5-alkylthio-thieno[3,2-b]thiophene was attached onto the central benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b’]dithiophene unit. The small molecule exhibited an optical energy gap of 1.71 eV, low-lying energy levels, strong intermolecular interaction in solid state, which result in promising power conversion efficiency up to 7.15% with ITIC as a non-fullerene electron acceptor. This work demonstrates the potential of optimal side chain of small molecular donor for high performance of solution-processed non-fullerene organic solar cells.

Optimal interfaces play an important role in determining the efficiency of perovskite solar cells. Despite nickel oxide is a promising hole transport material in perovskite solar cells, electrical conductivity and surface properties of pristine nickel oxide are not satisfactory for achieving high efficiency perovskite solar cells. Here, we demonstrate that cobalt doping significantly improves not only the electrical conductivity but also the interfaces of nickel oxide hole transport layer. As a result, the hole extraction, transport and collection properties are significantly improved in the device using cobalt-doped nickel oxide as a hole transport layer. Also, it reveals that cobalt-doped nickel oxide reduces the trap-sites of interfaces of perovskite/hole transport layer, leading to suppressed charge recombination in the devices. As a result, the devices using cobalt-doped nickel oxide achieve as high as 17.52% without severe hysteresis, which is attributed to better band alignment, superior hole extraction and decreased resistance, as compared to pristine nickel oxide-based devices.

We herein report design, synthesis and photovoltaic properties of a small molecular donor composed of bithienyl-substituted benzo [1,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene flanked with diketopyrrolopyrrole. For constructing the 2-dimensional conjugated architecture, it is functionalized with bithienyl side chains onto the benzo [1,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene, resulting in intense absorption in UV–Vis region, a low optical band gap, low-lying energy levels and high crystallinity of the resulting donor molecule. These affirmative properties for photovoltaic applications affords the power conversion efficiency of 5.35% with a fullerene acceptor, while even higher efficiency of 5.95% was achieved using a non-fullerene acceptor. This work suggests a design strategy of 2-dimensional conjugation of small molecular donor for efficient organic solar cells compatible with multiple electron acceptors.

Polymer solar cells (PSCs) have been attracting attention as a promising photovoltaic technology, and power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of over 14% have been demonstrated. However, the state-of-...

The optimal interface of a perovskite solar cell promotes efficient charge transport to achieve high power conversion efficiency. Tin(IV) oxide is one of the most well-known electron transport materials for perovskite solar cells. Despite tin(IV) oxide serves low hysteresis, low defect concentration and low fabrication temperature of perovskite solar cells, low conduction band edge of tin(IV) oxide limits built-in potential of the solar cell device. Here, we design an organic-inorganic double electron transporting layer by coating a 3,9-bis(2-methylene-(3-(1,1-dicyanomethylene)-indanone))-5,5,11,11-tetrakis(4-hexylphenyl)-dithieno[2,3-d:2′,3′-d′]-s-indaceno[1,2-b:5,6-b′]dithiophene on tin(IV) oxide to improve the electron transporting properties perovskite solar cells. The organic-inorganic double electron transporting layer improves the interfaces of perovskite/electron transporting layer, leading to enhancement of efficiency and stability of the solar cell devices up to >16% for 200 h. This work demonstrates the feasibility of organic-inorganic double electron transport layer for high performance perovskite solar cells.

Current–voltage hysteresis is a critical issue that impacts the photovoltaic performance of perovskite solar cells, and thus, it is imperative to develop high-efficiency perovskite solar cells without hysteresis behavior. Herein, we report the fabrication of efficient planar heterojunction perovskite solar cells employing solution-processed NiCo2O4 as the hole transport layer. The spinel NiCo2O4 thin film obtained via a sol–gel process exhibits high optical transparency, well-matched energy bands, smooth film morphology and decent electrical conductivity, much better than NiO, a typical hole transport layer for perovskite solar cells. We herein demonstrated that due to excellent hole extraction, transport, and collection properties of the solution-processed NiCo2O4, the device efficiency of up to 18.16% was achieved for the planar heterojunction perovskite solar cells. More importantly, the devices with NiCo2O4 as the HTL exhibited hysteresis-free behavior regardless of the voltage scan rate, which out-performed NiO-based devices.

Among many strategies to develop high-performance perovskite solar cells, interface engineering is considered as a promising approach for achieving high power conversion efficiency. Specifically, high optical transparency and excellent electrical properties are essential for optimized hole transport materials in inverted-type planar perovskite solar cells. In this study, we demonstrate that the molecular doping of copper thiocyanate (CuSCN) by 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (F4TCNQ) significantly enhances the photovoltaic performance of perovskite solar cells. The incorporation of F4TCNQ into CuSCN leads to successful electron transfer from CuSCN to F4TCNQ, which affords more balanced energy level alignment at the interface of the perovskite layer for hole conduction. Device analyses reveal faster charge transport and less carrier recombination in the F4TCNQ-doped CuSCN-based devices, contributing to not only the improved efficiency but also the hysteresis elimination. At the optimized doping concentration, the doped CuSCN exhibited an ∼35% increased efficiency as high as 15.01% in the inverted-type planar perovskite solar cells.

We herein address the optoelectronic properties of polyaniline composite films with graphene oxide and reduced graphene oxide as a hole transport layer in inverted perovskite solar cells. The composite films exhibited enhanced electrical conductivity and suitable energy level matching with CH3NH3PbI3 for efficient hole extraction/transport than the pristine polyaniline film, which thus can deliver improved photovoltaic properties of device. The composite film-based devices exhibited maximum efficiency of 16.61%, which is enhanced by 21.6% from the device with the pristine polyaniline hole transport layer (efficiency = 13.66%). The reduced graphene oxide-based composite film also achieved improved long-term operative stability as compared to the pristine polyaniline-based device, demonstrating a great potential of reduced graphene oxide/polyaniline composite hole transport layer for high performance perovskite solar cells.

The necessity for the aquatic ecological risk assessment for benzophenone-3 (BP-3) is increasing due to its high toxic potential and high detection frequency in freshwater. The initial step in the ecological risk assessment is to determine predicted no-effect concentration (PNEC). This study derived PNEC of BP-3 in freshwater using a species sensitivity distribution (SSD) approach, whilst existing PNECs are derived using assessment factor (AF) approaches. A total of eight chronic toxicity values, obtained by toxicity testing and a literature survey, covering four taxonomic classes (fish, crustaceans, algae, and cyanobacteria) were used for PNEC derivation. Therefore, the quantity and quality of the toxicity data met the minimum requirements for PNEC derivation using an SSD approach. The PNEC derived in this study (73.3 μg/L) was far higher than the environmental concentration detected in freshwater (up to 10.4 μg/L) as well as existing PNECs (0.67~1.8 μg/L), mainly due to the difference in the PNEC derivation methodology (i.e., AF vs. SSD approach). Since the SSD approach is regarded as more reliable than the AF approach, we recommend applying the PNEC value derived in this study for the aquatic ecological risk assessment of BP-3, as the use of the existing PNEC values seems to unnecessarily overestimate the potential ecological risk of BP-3 in freshwater.

Lift-off is one of the last steps in the production of next-generation flexible electronics. It is important that this step is completed quickly to prevent damage to ultrathin manufactured electronics. This study investigated the chemical structure of polyimide most suitable for the Xe Flash lamp–Lift-Off process, a next-generation lift-off technology that will replace the current dominant laser lift-off process. Based on the characteristics of the peeled-off polyimide films, the Xe Flash lamp based lift-off mechanism was identified as photothermal decomposition. This occurs by thermal conduction via light-to-heat conversion. The synthesized polyimide films treated with the Xe Flash lamp–Lift-Off process exhibited various thermal, optical, dielectric, and surface characteristics depending on their chemical structures. The polyimide molecules with high concentrations of –CF3 functional groups and kinked chemical structures demonstrated the most promising peeling properties, optical transparencies, and dielectric constants. In particular, an ultra-thin polyimide substrate (6 μm) was successfully fabricated and showed potential for use in next-generation flexible electronics.

The methoxy-type silane coupling agents were synthesized via the modification of the hydrolyzable group and characterized to investigate the change in properties of silica/rubber composites based on the different silane coupling agent structures and the masterbatch fabrication methods. The prepared methoxy-type silane coupling agents exhibited higher reactivity towards hydrolysis compared to the conventional ethoxy-type one which led to the superior silanization to the silica filler surface modified for the reinforcement of styrene-butadiene rubber. The silica/rubber composites based on these methoxy-type silane coupling agents had the characteristics of more developed vulcanization and mechanical properties when fabricated as masterbatch products for tread materials of automobile tire surfaces. In particular, the dimethoxy-type silane coupling agent showed more enhanced rubber composite properties than the trimethoxy-type one, and the environmentally friendly wet masterbatch fabrication process was successfully optimized. The reactivity of the synthesized silane coupling agents toward hydrolysis was investigated by FITR spectroscopic analysis, and the mechanical properties of the prepared silica-reinforced rubber polymers were characterized using a moving die rheometer and a universal testing machine.

Benzalkonium chloride (BAC) is a cationic surfactant commonly used as a disinfectant, and is discharged into the aquatic environment by various water sources such as wastewater. BAC may also interact with potentially toxic substances such as persistent organic chemicals. Although studies of BAC contamination toxicity and bioaccumulation have been widely reported, the biochemical responses to BAC toxicity remain incompletely understood, and the detailed molecular mechanisms are largely unknown. In this study, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization tandem time-of-flight mass spectrometry-based proteomic approaches were applied to investigate the protein profiles in