Identification and characterization of proteins isolated from microvesicles derived from human lung cancer pleural effusions.

Microvesicles (MVs, also known as exosomes, ectosomes, microparticles) are released by various cancer cells, including lung, colorectal, and prostate carcinoma cells. MVs released from tumor cells and other sources accumulate in the circulation and in pleural effusion. Although recent studies have shown that MVs play multiple roles in tumor progression, the potential pathological roles of MV in pleural effusion, and their protein composition, are still unknown.

Acute epididymitis in children: the role of the urine test.

Purpose: Acute epididymitis is considered to have an important role in children with scrotal pain. Recent reports have shown that urinalysis is not helpful for the diagnosis and treatment of acute epididymitis owing to negative microbiological findings. Therefore, we analyzed clinical and laboratory characteristics to examine the diagnostic yield of urinalysis in children.

Nasolacrimal duct obstruction caused by oncocytic carcinoma.

Here, we report an extremely rare case of acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction caused by oncocytic carcinoma. A 64-year-old man presented to the hospital complaining of epiphora and left-side nasal obstruction. Ophthalmic and otolaryngology examination revealed a left lacrimal duct obstruction caused by a mass in the left nasal cavity and lacrimal drainage system.

Prediction of posttreament significant body weight loss and its correlation with disease-free survival in patients with oral squamous cell carcinomas.

Significant loss of body weight (SLW) by patients treated for squamous cell carcinomas of the oral cavity and oropharynx (OSCC) may affect treatment completion and results. We assessed factors predicting SLW and its correlation with disease-free survival (DFS) in these patients. We evaluated 226 consecutive patients with previously untreated, operable OSCC whose body weight was recorded before, during, and for up to 1 year after treatment.

Penile epidermal cyst in a patient with augmentation penoplasty.

A 44-year-old male patient who had undergone augmentation penoplasty 20 years previously presented with a slowly growing penoscrotal mass. The penile mass was excised totally and the pathologic diagnosis was an epidermal cyst. Epidermal cysts are benign disorders that can occur in any part of the body.

Usefulness of computed tomography in the etiologic evaluation of adult unilateral vocal fold paralysis.

Background: Unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP) may present as an uncommon complication of extralaryngeal neoplasms, requiring diagnostic scrutiny to seek occult tumors or diseases. The aim of this study was to examine the utility of computed tomography (CT) in evaluating adult UVFP of unknown etiology.

Methods: From January 2010 to December 2011, UVFP was diagnosed in 822 patients at our tertiary-care center.

Antimicrobial durability of air filters coated with airborne Sophora flavescens nanoparticles.

Airborne biological particles containing viruses, bacteria, and/or fungi can be toxic and cause infections and allergy symptoms. Recently, natural materials such as tea tree oil and Sophora flavescens have shown promising antimicrobial activity when applied as air filter media. Although many of these studies demonstrated excellent antimicrobial efficacy, only a few of them considered external environmental effects such as the surrounding humidity, temperature, and natural degradation of chemicals, all of which can affect the antimicrobial performance of these natural materials.

Relationships between Prostate-Specific Antigen, Prostate Volume, and Components of Metabolic Syndrome in Healthy Korean Men.

Purpose: Metabolic syndrome (MS) plays a potential role in the etiology of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Recent studies have reported on an association between MS and BPH. However, there has been no consensus on recent results.

Extended pelvic lymph node dissection including internal iliac packet should be performed during robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy for high-risk prostate cancer.

Introduction: The indication and anatomic limits of pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) have not been clearly defined. Therefore, we assessed whether the extent of PLND at robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALP) had any benefit on lymph node yield, staging accuracy, and biochemical recurrence (BCR) in patients with high-risk prostate cancer.

Patients And Methods: Between July 2005 and July 2010, a retrospective analysis was performed on 200 patients with high-risk prostate cancer stratified by D'Amico classification.

A facile route to recover intrinsic graphene over large scale.

The intrinsic properties of initially p-type doped graphene (grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD)) can be recovered by buffered oxide etch (BOE) treatment, and the dominant factor governing p-type doping is identified as the H(2)O/O(2) redox system. Semi-ionic C-F bonding prevents the reaction between the products of the H(2)O/O(2) redox system and graphene. BOE-treated graphene field effect transistors (FETs) subsequently exposed to air, became p-type doped due to recovery of the H(2)O/O(2) redox system.

Effect of jaw size in megavoltage CT on image quality and dose.

Purpose: Recently, the jaw size for the TomoTherapy Hi-Art II(®) (TomoTherapy Inc., Madison, WI) was reduced from 4 mm (J4) to 1 mm (J1) to improve the longitudinal (IEC-Y) resolution in megavoltage computed tomography (MVCT) images. This study evaluated the effect of jaw size on the image quality and dose, as well as the dose delivered to the lens of the eye, which is a highly radiosensitive tissue.

Safety of bevacizumab on extraocular muscle in a rabbit model.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the myotoxicity of bevacizumab on extraocular muscles in a rabbit model.

Methods: Thirty New Zealand white rabbits were used for this study. The animals were evenly divided into two groups.

A rotary microsystem for simple, rapid and automatic RNA purification.

In this work, we demonstrate a novel rotary microsystem for simple, rapid and automatic influenza viral RNA purification. The microdevice consists of a silica sol-gel matrix for RNA capture, and three reservoirs for a RNA sample (R(S)), a washing solution (R(W)) and an elution buffer (R(E)) that were connected with different dimensional microfluidic channels (120 μm for R(S), 40 μm for R(W), and 20 μm for R(E)). The hydrophobic property of PDMS and the narrow microchannel served as a passive capillary microvalve, and the loading of the solutions were controlled by centrifugal force.

Clinical characteristics and outcome in patients with isolated sphenoid sinus aspergilloma.

Objective: Isolated sphenoid sinus aspergilloma (ISSA) is a rare disorder that is difficult to diagnose in a timely manner. These lesions can also extend to adjacent structures and thereby cause severe complications. ISSA patients with orbital complications typically have a poor prognosis even when surgical interventions have been successful.

New aesthetic approach to carotid cavernous sinus fistula for coil embolization.

Purpose: Transvenous embolization has become the treatment of choice for carotid cavernous sinus fistula (CCSF). We report a case of coil embolization of CCSF using a superior ophthalmic vein (SOV) approach.

Methods: We have used the SOV approach on 5 patients with dural arteriovenous fistulas involving the cavernous sinus.

Comparison of preoperative and postoperative anterior segment measurements with Pentacam® in strabismus surgery.

Purpose: This study was intended to evaluate the effect of horizontal muscle surgery on anterior segment measurements in patients with strabismus.

Methods: Forty-two eyes of 28 patients with exotropia undergoing recession or recession combined with resection procedure were included. Consecutive cases were imaged using a Pentacam (Oculus, Inc.

Characterization of calcium carbonate sorbent particle in furnace environment.

The oxy-fuel combustion system is a promising technology to control CO₂ and NO(x) emissions. Furthermore, sulfation reaction mechanism under CO₂-rich atmospheric condition in a furnace may lead to in-furnace desulfurization. In the present study, we evaluated characteristics of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) sorbent particles under different atmospheric conditions.

Clinical extension of corrective malarplasty with tripod osteotomy.

Purpose: Facial asymmetry can be produced by congenital or acquired factors, and surgical correction is one of the very important and difficult fields in plastic surgery. Zygoma plays a key role to keep facial symmetry, and diverse methods have been tried to correct asymmetric face. We used the malarplasty with tripod osteotomy to correct nontraumatic asymmetric face.

3D porous sol-gel matrix incorporated microdevice for effective large volume cell sample pretreatment.

In this study, we demonstrated an effective sample pretreatment microdevice that could perform the capture, purification, and release of pathogenic bacteria with a large-volume sample and at a high speed and high-capture yield. We integrated a sol-gel matrix into the microdevice which forms three-dimensional (3D) micropores for the cell solution to pass through and provides a large surface area for the immobilization of antibodies to capture the target Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) cells.

Acquired Tracheoesophageal Fistula through Esophageal Diverticulum in Patient Who Had a Prolonged Tracheostomy Tube - A Case Report -.

Acquired tracheoesophageal fistula through esophageal diverticulum is infrequent. We report tracheoesophageal fistula through esophageal diverticulum in a 55-year-old male who had a prolonged tracheostomy tube during 6 months, and a NG tube during 18 months. He suffered from recurrent pneumonia.

Regulation of synaptic vesicle docking by different classes of macromolecules in active zone material.

The docking of synaptic vesicles at active zones on the presynaptic plasma membrane of axon terminals is essential for their fusion with the membrane and exocytosis of their neurotransmitter to mediate synaptic impulse transmission. Dense networks of macromolecules, called active zone material, (AZM) are attached to the presynaptic membrane next to docked vesicles. Electron tomography has shown that some AZM macromolecules are connected to docked vesicles, leading to the suggestion that AZM is somehow involved in the docking process.

Ultrafast rotary PCR system for multiple influenza viral RNA detection.

We presented a novel platform for an ultrafast PCR system, called the Rotary PCR Genetic Analyzer, which incorporates a thermal block and resistive temperature detector (RTD) for thermal cycling control, a disposable PCR microchip, and a stepper motor. The influenza viral RNAs from H3N2, H5N1, and H1N1 were simultaneously identified with high sensitivity and speed.

Short-term effect of humid airflow on antimicrobial air filters using Sophora flavescens nanoparticles.

Bioaerosols have received social and scientific attention because they can be hazardous to human health. Recently, antimicrobial treatments using natural products have been used to improve indoor air quality (IAQ) since they are typically less toxic to humans compared to other antimicrobial substances such as silver, carbon nanotubes, and metal oxides. Few studies, however, have examined how environmental conditions such as the relative humidity (RH), surrounding temperature, and retention time of bacteria on filters affect the filtration and antimicrobial characteristics of a filter treated with such natural products.

Initial clinical experience of simultaneous robot-assisted bilateral partial nephrectomy and radical prostatectomy.

A 62-year-old male patient with prostate cancer and bilateral renal cell carcinoma underwent a simultaneous robot-assisted bilateral partial nephrectomy and radical prostatectomy. We describe our initial experience of combined operation with a port strategy allowing reuse of ports and surgical considerations because of prolonged pneumoperitoneum.