Phosphoglucose isomerase gene expression as a prognostic biomarker of gastric cancer.

Objective: Tumor heterogeneity renders identification of suitable biomarkers of gastric cancer (GC) challenging. Here, we aimed to identify prognostic genes of GC using computational analysis.

Methods: We first used microarray technology to profile gene expression of GC and paired nontumor tissues from 198 patients.

The novel lncRNA p4516 acts as a prognostic biomarker promoting gastric cancer cell proliferation and metastasis.

Emerging evidence has shown that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) participate in oncogenesis and tumor progression. We previously found a novel lncRNA p4516 which was closely associated with prognosis by preliminary study of lncRNA expression profile from paired tumors and nontumor tissues in 198 gastric cancer (GC) patients. However, the exact biological functions and the underlying molecular mechanisms of p4516 in gastric tumorigenesis still remain unclear.

Design, characterization, and performance of a hard x-ray transmission microscope at the National Synchrotron Light Source II 18-ID beamline.

A transmission X-ray microscope has been designed and commissioned at the 18-ID Full-field X-ray Imaging beamline at the National Synchrotron Light Source II. This instrument operates in the 5-11 keV range, and, with the current set of optics, is capable of 30 nm spatial resolution imaging, with a field of view of about 40 μm. For absorption contrast, the minimum exposure time for a single projection image is about 20 ms and an entire 3D tomography data set can be acquired in under 1 min.

Applying spatial analysis techniques to assess the suitability of multipurpose uses of spring water in the Jiaosi Hot Spring Region, Taiwan.

The Jiaosi Hot Spring Region is one of the most famous tourism destinations in Taiwan. The spring water is processed for various uses, including irrigation, aquaculture, swimming, bathing, foot spas, and recreational tourism. Moreover, the multipurpose uses of spring water can be dictated by the temperature of the water.

In situ fabrication of cleavable peptide arrays on polydimethylsiloxane and applications for kinase activity assays.

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is widely used for microfabrication and bioanalysis; however, its surface functionalization is limited due to the lack of active functional groups and incompatibility with many solvents. We presented a novel approach for in situ fabrication of cleavable peptide arrays on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) viatert-butyloxycarbonyl (t-Boc)/trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) chemistry using gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) as the anchor and a disulfide/amine terminated hetero-polyethylene glycol as the cleavable linker. The method was fine tuned to use reagents compatible with the PDMS.

A compact synchrotron-based transmission X-ray microscope.

A compact transmission X-ray microscope has been designed and implemented based on a cylindrical symmetry around the optical axis that sharply limits the instabilities due to thermal mechanical drift. Identical compact multi-axis closed-loop actuation modules drive different optical components. The design is modular and simplifies the change of individual parts, e.

Design and characterization of a compact nano-positioning system for a portable transmission x-ray microscope.

We have designed and constructed a compact nano-positioning system for a Portable Transmission X-ray Microscope (PTXM). We introduce a concept of PTXM and adopt modular approach which implements identical nano-motion platforms to perform manipulation of PTXM components. Modular design provides higher stiffness of the system and allows for reduction of relative thermal drifts between individual constituents of the PTXM apparatus, ensuring a high degree of stability for nanoscale x-ray imaging.

Detection of total and A1c-glycosylated hemoglobin in human whole blood using sandwich immunoassays on polydimethylsiloxane-based antibody microarrays.

The percentage of glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (%GHbA1c) in human whole blood indicates the average plasma glucose concentration over a prolonged period of time and is used to diagnose diabetes. However, detecting GHbA1c in the whole blood using immunoassays has limited detection sensitivity due to its low percentage in total hemoglobin (tHb) and interference from various glycan moieties in the sample. We have developed a sandwich immunoassay using an antibody microarray on a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate modified with fluorinated compounds to detect tHb and glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (GHbA1c) in human whole blood without sample pretreatment.

Functional fluorinated modifications on a polyelectrolyte coated polydimethylsiloxane substrate for fabricating antibody microarrays.

Fluorinated compounds exhibit hydrophobic, nonstick, and self-cleaning properties, making them attractive for use as the coating material for biochips. In this study, we copolymerized the fluorinated compound 1H,1H,2H-perfluoro-1-decene (FD) with acrylic acid (AA) and bonded the resulting copolymer with protein G on the surface of polyelectrolyte coated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to form a functional surface that captures antibodies. We demonstrated that the modified PDMS surface remained hydrophobic while becoming resistant to nonspecific protein binding.

Functionalized 3D-hydrogel plugs covalently patterned inside hydrophilic poly(dimethylsiloxane) microchannels for flow-through immunoassays.

Integration of a hydrogel and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based microfluidic device can greatly reduce the cost of developing channel-based devices. However, there are technical difficulties including the hydrophobic and inert surface properties associated with PDMS as well as back pressure and fragile material associated with the use of hydrogel in microchannels. In this study, a strategy to covalently photopattern 3-D hydrogel plugs with functionalized protein G inside microfluidic channels on a hydrophilic PDMS substrate coated with polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMS) is presented.

Photopatterning of tough single-walled carbon nanotube composites in microfluidic channels and their application in gel-free separations.

We report on the photopatterning of single carbon nanotube composites with soft hydrogel polymers in glass microchannels. Since the hydrogels by themselves are able to withstand liquid flow within the microchannels, we covalently combined them with single-walled carbon nanotubes to impart mechanical strength. We attempted this approach by patterning the gels within the microchannels without prior surface modifications.