Korean American Patients' and Family Caregivers' Sources of Social Support and Perceptions of Cancer and the Caregiving Role: A Theory-Driven Qualitative Study.

Purpose: To understand the sources of social support and perceptions of cancer and the caregiving role for Korean American patients with cancer and their family caregivers.

Participants & Setting: Using convenience sampling, Korean American patients with cancer and their family caregivers were recruited from Korean American churches and community health agencies.

Methodologic Approach: Semistructured interviews guided by the sociocultural stress and coping model were conducted with 12 dyads (N = 24) of Korean American patients with cancer and their family caregivers.

O variant chip to simulate site-specific skeletogenesis from hypoxic bone marrow.

The stemness of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) is maintained by hypoxia. The oxygen level increases from vessel-free cartilage to hypoxic bone marrow and, furthermore, to vascularized bone, which might direct the chondrogenesis to osteogenesis and regenerate the skeletal system. Hence, oxygen was diffused from relatively low to high levels throughout a three-dimensional chip.

Freestanding epitaxial SrTiO nanomembranes via remote epitaxy using hybrid molecular beam epitaxy.

The epitaxial growth of functional oxides using a substrate with a graphene layer is a highly desirable method for improving structural quality and obtaining freestanding epitaxial nanomembranes for scientific study, applications, and economical reuse of substrates. However, the aggressive oxidizing conditions typically used in growing epitaxial oxides can damage graphene. Here, we demonstrate the successful use of hybrid molecular beam epitaxy for SrTiO growth that does not require an independent oxygen source, thus avoiding graphene damage.

Embedded metallic nanoparticles facilitate metastability of switchable metallic domains in Mott threshold switches.

Mott threshold switching, which is observed in quantum materials featuring an electrically fired insulator-to-metal transition, calls for delicate control of the percolative dynamics of electrically switchable domains on a nanoscale. Here, we demonstrate that embedded metallic nanoparticles (NP) dramatically promote metastability of switchable metallic domains in single-crystal-like VO Mott switches. Using a model system of Pt-NP-VO single-crystal-like films, interestingly, the embedded Pt NPs provide 33.

Sprayable nanomicelle hydrogels and inflammatory bowel disease patient cell chips for development of intestinal lesion-specific therapy.

All-in-one treatments represent a paradigm shift in future medicine. For example, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is mainly diagnosed by endoscopy, which could be applied for not only on-site monitoring but also the intestinal lesion-targeted spray of injectable hydrogels. Furthermore, molecular conjugation to the hydrogels would program both lesion-specific adhesion and drug-free therapy.

Cancer Patient Tissueoid with Self-Homing Nano-Targeting of Metabolic Inhibitor.

The current paradigm of cancer medicine focuses on patient- and/or cancer-specific treatments, which has led to continuous progress in the development of patient representatives (e.g., organoids) and cancer-targeting carriers for drug screening.

Hormone autocrination by vascularized hydrogel delivery of ovary spheroids to rescue ovarian dysfunctions.

The regeneration potential of implantable organ model hydrogels is applied to treat a loss of ovarian endocrine function in women experiencing menopause and/or cancer therapy. A rat ovariectomy model is used to harvest autologous ovary cells while subsequently producing a layer-by-layer form of follicle spheroids. Implantation of a microchannel network hydrogel with cell spheroids [vascularized hydrogel with ovarian spheroids (VHOS)] into an ischemic hindlimb of ovariectomized rats significantly aids the recovery of endocrine function with hormone release, leading to full endometrium regeneration.

Modulation of Cancer Cell Growth and Progression by Caveolin-1 in the Tumor Microenvironment.

Caveolin-1 (Cav-1), a major structural component of cell membrane caveolae, is involved in a variety of intracellular signaling pathways as well as transmembrane transport. Cav-1, as a scaffolding protein, modulates signal transduction associated with cell cycle progression, cellular senescence, cell proliferation and death, lipid homeostasis, etc. Cav-1 is also thought to regulate the expression or activity of oncoproteins, such as Src family kinases, H-Ras, protein kinase C, epidermal growth factor, extracellular signal-regulated kinase, and endothelial nitric oxide synthase.

Reconfigurable all-dielectric Fano metasurfaces for strong full-space intensity modulation of visible light.

Dynamically reconfigurable nanoscale tuning of visible light properties is one of the ultimate goals both in the academic field of nanophotonics and the optics industry demanding compact and high-resolution display devices. Among various efforts incorporating actively reconfigurable optical materials into metamaterial structures, phase-change materials have been in the spotlight owing to their optical tunability in wide spectral regions including the visible spectrum. However, reconfigurable modulation of visible light intensity has been limited with small modulation depth, reflective schemes, and a lack of profound theoretical background for universal design rules.

Metal Nanoparticle Exsolution on a Perovskite Stannate Support with High Electrical Conductivity.

exsolution of metal nanoparticles (NPs) is emerging as an alternative technique to deliver thermally stable and evenly dispersed metal NPs, which exhibit excellent adhesion with conducting perovskite oxide supports. Here we provide the first demonstration that Ni metal NPs with high areal density (∼175 μm) and fine size (∼38.65 nm) are exsolved from an A-site-deficient perovskite stannate support (LaBaSnNiO (LBSNO)).

Accelerated Hydrogen Diffusion and Surface Exchange by Domain Boundaries in Epitaxial VO Thin Films.

Electronic phase modulation based on hydrogen insertion/extraction is kinetically limited by the bulk hydrogen diffusion or surface exchange reaction, so slow hydrogen kinetics has been a fundamental challenge to be solved for realizing faster solid-state electrochemical switching devices. Here we accelerate electronic phase modulation that occurs by hydrogen insertion in VO through vertically aligned 2D defects induced by symmetry mismatch between epitaxial films and substrates. By using domain-matching epitaxial growth of monoclinic VO films with lattice rotation and twinning on hexagonal AlO substrates, the domain boundaries naturally align vertically; they provide a "highway" for hydrogen diffusion and surface exchange in VO films and overcome the limited rates of bulk diffusion and surface reaction.

Direct Probing of Oxygen Loss from the Surface Lattice of Correlated Oxides during Hydrogen Spillover.

Hydrogen spillover is a catalytic process that occurs by surface reaction and subsequent diffusion to reversibly provide a massive amount of hydrogen dopants in correlated oxides, but the mechanism at the surface of correlated oxides with metal catalyst are not well understood. Here we show that a significant amount of oxygen is released from the surface of correlated VO films during hydrogen spillover, contrary to the well-established observation of the formation of hydrogen interstitials in the bulk part of VO films. By using ambient-pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, we prove that the formation of surface oxygen vacancies is a consequence of a favorable reaction for the generation of weakly adsorbed HO from surface O atoms that have low coordination and weak binding strength.

The standardized Korean Red Ginseng extract and its ingredient ginsenoside Rg3 inhibit manifestation of breast cancer stem cell-like properties through modulation of self-renewal signaling.

Background: The ginsenoside Rg3, one of active components of red ginseng, has chemopreventive and anticancer potential. Cancer stem cells retain self-renewal properties which account for cancer recurrence and resistance to anticancer therapy. In our present study, we investigated whether the standardized Korean Red Ginseng extract (RGE) and Rg3 could modulate the manifestation of breast cancer stem cell-like features through regulation of self-renewal activity.

15-Keto prostaglandin E suppresses STAT3 signaling and inhibits breast cancer cell growth and progression.

Overproduction of prostaglandin E (PGE) has been linked to enhanced tumor cell proliferation, invasiveness and metastasis as well as resistance to apoptosis. 15-Keto prostaglandin E (15-keto PGE), a product formed from 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase-catalyzed oxidation of PGE, has recently been shown to have anti-inflammatory and anticarcinogenic activities. In this study, we observed that 15-keto PGE suppressed the phosphorylation, dimerization and nuclear translocation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) in human mammary epithelial cells transfected with H-ras (MCF10A-ras).

Src-mediated phosphorylation, ubiquitination and degradation of Caveolin-1 promotes breast cancer cell stemness.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are responsible for tumor initiation, metastasis and recurrence. Caveolin-1 (Cav-1) is a major protein of caveolae, which participates in various cellular functions, such as vesicle trafficking, cholesterol homeostasis, tumor progression, etc. In the present study, we investigated a role for Cav-1 in regulating the stemness of human breast cancer (MDA-MB-231) cells.

Role of heme oxygenase-1 and its reaction product, carbon monoxide, in manifestation of breast cancer stem cell-like properties: Notch-1 as a putative target.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) constitute a subpopulation of transformed cells that possess intrinsic ability to undergo selfrenewal and differentiation, which drive tumour resistance and cancer recurrence. It has been reported that CSCs possess enhanced protection against oxidative stress induced by reactive oxygen species compared with nonstem-like cancer cells. In the present work, we investigated the role of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), a representative antioxidant enzyme, on the stemness and selfrenewal of human breast CSCs.

Predictors of quality of life and depression among Korean-American cancer patients and their family caregivers.

Objective: This study examined social, cultural, and appraisal factors associated with Korean-American cancer patients' and their family caregivers' quality of life (QOL) and depression.

Methods: Data were from Korean-American cancer patients and their family caregivers (N = 60 dyads) living in the United States. Study aims were examined using descriptive statistics and multiple regression.

Reversible phase modulation and hydrogen storage in multivalent VO2 epitaxial thin films.

Hydrogen, the smallest and the lightest atomic element, is reversibly incorporated into interstitial sites in vanadium dioxide (VO2), a correlated oxide with a 3d(1) electronic configuration, and induces electronic phase modulation. It is widely reported that low hydrogen concentrations stabilize the metallic phase, but the understanding of hydrogen in the high doping regime is limited. Here, we demonstrate that as many as two hydrogen atoms can be incorporated into each VO2 unit cell, and that hydrogen is reversibly absorbed into, and released from, VO2 without destroying its lattice framework.

Factors Affecting Quality of Life for Korean American Cancer Survivors: An Integrative Review.

Problem Identification: Understanding of Korean American cancer survivors' quality of life (QOL) within a cultural context is limited. This article examines factors associated with the QOL of Korean American cancer survivors.
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Implementation of a Psychoeducational Program for Cancer Survivors and Family Caregivers at a Cancer Support Community Affiliate: A Pilot Effectiveness Study.

Background: Psychoeducational interventions, tested for efficacy in randomized clinical trials, are seldom implemented in clinical practice where cancer survivors and their family caregivers can benefit from them.

Objective: This study examined the effectiveness of the FOCUS Program on cancer survivors' and their family caregivers' outcomes when implemented at a Cancer Support Community (CSC) affiliate by agency social workers. Study aims were to (1) test effects of the program on survivor and caregiver outcomes as a unit and (2) determine program feasibility in terms of enrollment, retention, intervention fidelity, and satisfaction.

The Interdependence of Advanced Cancer Patients' and Their Family Caregivers' Mental Health, Physical Health, and Self-Efficacy over Time.

Background: The challenges of advanced cancer have health implications for patients and their family caregivers from diagnosis through end of life. The nature of the patient/caregiver experience suggests that their mental and physical health maybe interdependent, but limited empirical evidence exists.

Purpose: This study used social cognitive theory as a framework to investigate individual and interpersonal influences on patients' and their family caregivers' mental health, physical health, and self-efficacy as individuals to manage the challenges of advanced disease over time.

Measuring appraisal during advanced cancer: psychometric testing of the appraisal of caregiving scale.

Objective: Examine the psychometric properties of the Appraisal of Caregiving Scale (ACS).

Methods: Data were collected as part of the FOCUS Program trial in Michigan (N = 484 caregivers).

Results: Exploratory factor analysis found the ACS measured Threat, General Stress, and Benefit appraisals.

A tailored Web-based psychoeducational intervention for cancer patients and their family caregivers.

Background: Most programs addressing psychosocial concerns of cancer survivors are in-person programs that are expensive to deliver, have limited availability, and seldom deal with caregivers' concerns.

Objective: This study examined the feasibility of translating an efficacious nurse-delivered program (FOCUS Program) for patients and their caregivers to a tailored, dyadic Web-based format. Specific aims were to (1) test the preliminary effects of the Web-based intervention on patient and caregiver outcomes, (2) examine participants' program satisfaction, and (3) determine the feasibility of using a Web-based delivery format.

Bead affinity chromatography in a temperature-controllable microsystem for biomarker detection.

This paper describes a temperature-controllable bead affinity chromatography (BAC) in a microsystem for biomarker detection, and preparing samples for matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) analysis. Cancer marker proteins were captured in the microsystem by BAC with RNA aptamer-immobilized microbeads. The captured proteins were then denatured and released from the microbeads by controlling temperature.