Forming-Free, Low-Voltage, and High-Speed Resistive Switching in Ag/Oxygen-Deficient Vanadium Oxide(VO)/Pt Device through Two-Step Resistance Change by Ag Filament Formation.

Forming-free, low-voltage, and high-speed resistive switching is demonstrated in an Ag/oxygen-deficient vanadium oxide (VO)/Pt device via the facilitated formation and rupture of Ag filaments. Direct current (DC) voltage sweep measurements exhibit forming-free switching from a high-resistance state (HRS) to a low-resistance state (LRS), called SET, at an average V of +0.23 V.

Prevention of neointimal hyperplasia after coronary artery bypass graft via local delivery of sirolimus and rosuvastatin: network pharmacology and in vivo validation.

Background: Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) is generally used to treat complex coronary artery disease. Treatment success is affected by neointimal hyperplasia (NIH) of graft and anastomotic sites. Although sirolimus and rosuvastatin individually inhibit NIH progression, the efficacy of combination treatment remains unknown.

Nanoscale Vertical Resolution in Optical Printing of Inorganic Nanoparticles.

Direct optical printing of functional inorganics shows tremendous potential as it enables the creation of intricate two-dimensional (2D) patterns and affordable design and production of various devices. Although there have been recent advancements in printing processes using short-wavelength light or pulsed lasers, the precise control of the vertical thickness in printed 3D structures has received little attention. This control is vital to the diverse functionalities of inorganic thin films and their devices, as they rely heavily on their thicknesses.

Effect of sequential release of sirolimus and rosuvastatin using silk fibroin microneedle to prevent intimal hyperplasia.

Intimal hyperplasia (IH) is a major cause of vascular restenosis after bypass surgery, which progresses as a series of processes from the acute to chronic stage in response to endothelial damage during bypass grafting. A strategic localized drug delivery system that reflects the pathophysiology of IH and minimizes systemic side effects is necessary. In this study, the sequential release of sirolimus, a mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor, and statin, an HMG-COA inhibitor, was realized as a silk fibroin-based microneedle device in vivo.

Sirolimus-Embedded Silk Microneedle Wrap to Prevent Neointimal Hyperplasia in Vein Graft Model.

We investigated the role of a sirolimus-embedded silk microneedle (MN) wrap as an external vascular device for drug delivery efficacy, inhibition of neointimal hyperplasia, and vascular remodeling. Using dogs, a vein graft model was developed to interpose the carotid or femoral artery with the jugular or femoral vein. The control group contained four dogs with only interposed grafts; the intervention group contained four dogs with vein grafts in which sirolimus-embedded silk-MN wraps were applied.

Electroforming-free threshold switching of NbO -based selector devices by controlling conducting phases in the NbO layer for the application to crossbar array architectures.

Bipolar threshold switching characteristics, featuring volatile transition between the high-resistance state (HRS) at lower voltage than threshold voltage ( ) and the low-resistance state (LRS) at higher voltage irrespective of the voltage polarity, are investigated in the Nb(O)/NbO /Nb(O) devices with respect to deposition and post-annealing conditions of NbO layers. The device with NbO deposited by reactive sputtering with 12% of O gas mixed in Ar shows threshold switching behaviors after electroforming operation at around +4 V of forming voltage ( ). On the other hand, electroforming-free threshold switching is achieved from the device with NbO deposited in the reduced fraction of 7% of O gas and subsequently annealed at 250 °C in vacuum, thanks to the increase of the amount of conducting phases within the NbO layer.

Time-dependent pathobiological and physiological changes of implanted vein grafts in a canine model.

Although autologous vein grafting is essential, the high vein failure rate and specific clinical interventions are not clear, so a potential treatment is critically needed; thus, complex analyses of the relationship between pathobiological and physiological processes in preclinical are essential. The interposition of the femoral vein was performed in a canine model. Maximized expansion and velocity were measured at 8 weeks post-implantation, and a relative decrease was observed at 12 weeks.

Effect of Roasting and Brewing on the Antioxidant and Antiproliferative Activities of Tartary Buckwheat.

We evaluated the effect of the roasting and brewing conditions of Tartary buckwheat (TB), which is widely used in infusion teas, on its antioxidant and antiproliferative activities in vitro. TB was roasted at 210 °C for 10 min and brewed at a high temperature for a short time (HTST; 85-90 °C, 3 min) or at room temperature for a long time (RTLT; 25-30 °C, 24 h). Roasted TB (RTB) tea brewed at RTLT had the highest total polyphenol content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) among the four TB teas for different roasting and brewing conditions.

An Immune-Magnetophoretic Device for the Selective and Precise Enrichment of Circulating Tumor Cells from Whole Blood.

Here, we validated the clinical utility of our previously developed microfluidic device, GenoCTC, which is based on bottom magnetophoresis, for the isolation of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from patient whole blood. GenoCTC allowed 90% purity, 77% separation rate, and 80% recovery of circulating tumor cells at a 90 μL/min flow rate when tested on blood spiked with epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM)-positive Michigan Cancer Foundation-7 (MCF7) cells. Clinical studies were performed using blood samples from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.

Spirobifluorene-Based o-Carboranyl Compounds: Insights into the Rotational Effect of Carborane Cages on Photoluminescence.

9,9'-Spirobifluorene-based closo-o-carboranyl (SFC1 and SFC2) compounds and their nido-derivatives (nido-SFC1 and nido-SFC2) were prepared and characterized. The two closo-compounds displayed major absorption bands assignable to π-π* transitions involving the spirobifluorene group, as well as weak intramolecular charge-transfer (ICT) transitions between the o-carboranes and their spirobifluorene moieties. The nido-compounds exhibited slightly blueshifted absorption bands resulting from the absence of the ICT transitions corresponding to the o-carborane moieties due to the anionic character of the nido-o-carboranes.

Changes Over the Fermentation Period in Phenolic Compounds and Antioxidant and Anticancer Activities of Blueberries Fermented by Lactobacillus plantarum.

This study determined the effects of blueberry fermentation by Lactobacillus plantarum on antioxidant and anticancer activities. The fermented blueberries extracted with 80% ethanol (FBE) showed increased superoxide dismutase-like activity, increased scavenging of DPPH and alkyl radicals, and increased antiproliferative activity against human cervical carcinoma HeLa cells by inducing apoptosis. Seven representative phenolic compounds (malvidin 3-O-glucopyranoside, gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, catechol, chlorogenic acid, syringic acid, and epigallocatechin) in FBE were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography at different fermentation times.

Nootkatone, an AMPK activator derived from grapefruit, inhibits KRAS downstream pathway and sensitizes non-small-cell lung cancer A549 cells to adriamycin.

Background: Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for approximately 85% of all lung cancer cases and it is intrinsically resistant to anticancer drugs. Nootkatone (NKT), which is the main fragrant component of grapefruit, has been identified as a bioactive compound with a wide range of beneficial applications. NKT can activate AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in liver and muscle cells, however, little is known about the role of NKT in cancer, particularly its role in NSCLC with high rates of liver kinase B1 (LKB1) and KRAS mutations.

Methanol Extract of Aerial Parts of L. Enhances the Cytotoxic Effect of Doxorubicin and Induces Radiation Sensitization in MDA-MB-231 Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells.

L. is used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases including hemorrhoids, headache, urinary conditions, ulcerated nose, and dropsy. However, no study has evaluated the anticancer effect of L.

Predictors of disclosure management behavior at the end of 1-year follow-up in Korean adults with newly diagnosed epilepsy.

Purpose: Epilepsy is a concealable stigmatizing condition. We investigated the factors predicting disclosure management behavior in Korean adults with newly diagnosed epilepsy.

Methods: This longitudinal multicenter study included Korean adults with newly diagnosed epilepsy.

Highly Expressed Integrin-α8 Induces Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition-Like Features in Multiple Myeloma with Early Relapse.

Despite recent groundbreaking advances in multiple myeloma (MM) treatment, most MM patients ultimately experience relapse, and the relapse biology is not entirely understood. To define altered gene expression in MM relapse, gene expression profiles were examined and compared among 16 MM patients grouped by 12 months progression-free survival (PFS) after autologous stem cell transplantation. To maximize the difference between prognostic groups, patients at each end of the PFS spectrum (the four with the shortest PFS and four with the longest PFS) were chosen for additional analyses.

Factors contributing to the development of perceived stigma in people with newly diagnosed epilepsy: A one-year longitudinal study.

Purpose: We evaluated the course of perceived stigma and the factors associated with perceived stigma over the first year in newly diagnosed people with epilepsy (PWE).

Methods: We recruited newly diagnosed PWE from 12 tertiary hospitals in Korea. The perceived stigma of epilepsy was assessed using the Stigma Scale at baseline and one year later.

Cross-regulation between protein L-isoaspartyl O-methyltransferase and ERK in epithelial mesenchymal transition of MDA-MB-231 cells.

Aim: Protein L-isoaspartyl O-methyltransferase (PIMT) regulates cell adhesion in various cancer cell lines through activation of integrin αv and the PI3K pathway. The epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) enables epithelial cells to acquire the characteristics of mesenchymal cells, and to allow them to migrate for metastasis. Here, we examined the relationship between PIMT and EMT with attached or detached MDA-MB 231 cells.

Protein L-isoaspartyl O-methyltransferase inhibits amyloid beta fibrillogenesis in vitro.

Fibrillar aggregates of beta-amyloid peptide (Abeta) are major constituents of the senile plaques found in the brains of patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease (AD). Previous studies have shown that spontaneous isomerization or racemization of aspartyl residues in Abeta peptides leads to conformational changes in the secondary structure and increased aggregative ability of the peptides. Protein L-isoaspartyl O-methyltransferase (PIMT, EC 2.

Unsuccessful attempts to add alcohols to transient 2-amino-2-siloxy-silenes - leading to a new benign route for base-free alcohol protection.

Thermolytic formation of transient 1,1-bis(trimethylsilyl)-2-dimethylamino-2-trimethylsiloxysilene (2) from N,N-dimethyl(tris(trimethylsilyl)silyl)methaneamide (1) in presence of a series of alcohols was investigated. The products are, however, not the expected alcohol-silene addition adducts but silylethers formed in nearly quantitative yields. Thermolysis of 1 in the presence of both alcohols (MeOH or iPrOH) and 1,3-dienes (1,3-butadiene or 2,3-dimethyl-1,3-butadiene) gives alkyl-tris(trimethylsilyl)silylethers and the [4+2] cycloadducts between the silene and diene, which confirms the presence of 2 and that it is unreactive towards alcohols.

Chemical speciation of individual airborne particles by the combined use of quantitative energy-dispersive electron probe X-ray microanalysis and attenuated total reflection Fourier transform-infrared imaging techniques.

In our previous work, it was demonstrated that the combined use of attenuated total reflectance (ATR) FT-IR imaging and quantitative energy-dispersive electron probe X-ray microanalysis (ED-EPMA), named low-Z particle EPMA, had the potential for characterization of individual aerosol particles. Additionally, the speciation of individual mineral particles was performed on a single particle level by the combined use of the two techniques, demonstrating that simultaneous use of the two single particle analytical techniques is powerful for the detailed characterization of externally heterogeneous mineral particle samples and has great potential for characterization of atmospheric mineral dust aerosols. These single particle analytical techniques provide complementary information on the physicochemical characteristics of the same individual particles, such as low-Z particle EPMA on morphology and elemental concentrations and the ATR-FT-IR imaging on molecular species, crystal structures, functional groups, and physical states.

Speciation of individual mineral particles of micrometer size by the combined use of attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform-infrared imaging and quantitative energy-dispersive electron probe X-ray microanalysis techniques.

Our previous work demonstrated for the first time the potential of the combined use of two techniques, attenuated total reflectance FT-IR (ATR-FT-IR) imaging and a quantitative energy-dispersive electron probe X-ray microanalysis, low-Z particle EPMA, for the characterization of individual aerosol particles. In this work, the speciation of mineral particles was performed on a single particle level for 24 mineral samples, including kaolinite, montmorillonite, vermiculite, talc, quartz, feldspar, calcite, gypsum, and apatite, by the combined use of ATR-FT-IR imaging and low-Z particle EPMA techniques. These two single particle analytical techniques provide complementary information, the ATR-FT-IR imaging on mineral types and low-Z particle EPMA on the morphology and elemental concentrations, on the same individual particles.

Single-particle characterization of summertime arctic aerosols collected at Ny-Alesund, Svalbard.

Single-particle characterization of summertime Arctic aerosols is useful to understand the impact of air pollutants on the polar atmosphere. In the present study, a quantitative single particle analytical technique, low-Z particle electron probe X-ray microanalysis, was used to characterize 8100 individual particles overall in 16 sets of aerosol samples collected at Ny-Alesund, Svalbard, Norway on 25-31 July, 2007. Based on their X-ray spectral and secondary electron image data of individual particles, 13 particle types were identified, in which particles of marine origin were the most abundant, followed by carbonaceous and mineral dust particles.

Attenuated total reflectance FT-IR imaging and quantitative energy dispersive-electron probe X-ray microanalysis techniques for single particle analysis of atmospheric aerosol particles.

This work demonstrates the practical applicability of the combined use of attenuated total reflectance (ATR) FT-IR imaging and low-Z particle electron probe X-ray microanalysis (EPMA) techniques for the characterization of individual aerosol particles. These two single particle analytical techniques provide complementary information on the physicochemical characteristics of the same individual particles, that is, the low-Z particle EPMA for the information on the morphology and elemental concentration and the ATR-FT-IR imaging on the functional group, molecular species, and crystal structure. It was confirmed that the ATR-FT-IR imaging technique can provide sufficient FT-IR absorption signals to perform molecular speciation of individual particles of micrometer size when applied to artificially generated aerosol particles such as ascorbic acid and NaNO(3) aerosols.