ZrSnO: A Solution-Processed Robust Electron Transport Layer of Efficient Planar-Heterojunction Perovskite Solar Cells.

A robust electron transport layer (ETL) is an essential component in planar-heterojunction perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Herein, a sol-gel-driven ZrSnO thin film is synthesized and its optoelectronic properties are systematically investigated. The optimized processing conditions for sol-gel synthesis produce a ZrSnO 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.

Facile Post Treatment of Ag Nanowire/Polymer Composites for Flexible Transparent Electrodes and Thin Film Heaters.

Typical polyol-based synthesis of silver nanowire employs insulating polymer as a surfactant for the silver nanowire growth, which limits direct contact between each nanowire and thus its optoelectronic properties. We herein demonstrate that a simple solvent treatment effectively removes the insulating polymer around Ag NWs, leading to significantly decreased sheet resistance (~12 Ω/sq) with an increased transmittance (81% @ ), as compared to other post-treatments. We successfully demonstrate the transparent film heaters using the solvent-treated Ag NWs network, which rapidly exhibited 150 °C under a bias of 5 V.

Colorimetric Textile Sensor for the Simultaneous Detection of NH and HCl Gases.

For the immediate detection of strong gaseous alkalis and acids, colorimetric textile sensors based on halochromic dyes are highly valuable for monitoring gas leakages. To date, colorimetric textile sensors for dual-gas detection have usually been fabricated by electrospinning methods. Although nanofibrous sensors have excellent pH sensitivity, they are difficult to use commercially because of their low durability, low productivity, and high production costs.

Dimerization of Ethylene to Butenes Over Ordered Mesoporous Silica SBA-15 Supported Ni-Al Catalysts with Different Morphologies.

A series of ordered mesoporous silica (OMS) SBA-15 supports with different morphologies were prepared by different synthetic methods to investigate the effect of the characteristics of the morphology of OMS on the ethylene dimerization outcomes. After additions of Ni and Al species into the SBA-15 support, a dimerization reaction of ethylene was performed using a fixed-bed reactor. Rod-type Ni-Al-SBA-15 with a small micron size showed better catalytic performance compared to those of the other catalysts.

Combined effects of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors and vATPase inhibitors in NSCLC cells.

Despite excellent initial clinical responses of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), many patients eventually develop resistance. According to a recent report, vacuolar H+ ATPase (vATPase) is overexpressed and is associated with chemotherapy drug resistance in NSCLC. We investigated the combined effects of EGFR TKIs and vATPase inhibitors and their underlying mechanisms in the regulation of NSCLC cell death.

The utility of the serum heavy/light chain assay as a complementary tool in the monitoring of patients with plasma cell myeloma: a report of three cases.

We report three cases of plasma cell myeloma with obscure and discordant data for a monoclonal component. In this study, the results of serum heavy/light chain (sHLC) were retrospectively compared with those of conventional methods during disease monitoring. All three patients achieved a complete response and experienced a relapse during follow-up, and the sHLC ratio allowed early prediction of disease relapse and correlated well with other electrophoretic methods compared with the free light chain ratio.

Heme oxygenase-1 determines the differential response of breast cancer and normal cells to piperlongumine.

Piperlongumine, a natural alkaloid isolated from the long pepper, selectively increases reactive oxygen species production and apoptotic cell death in cancer cells but not in normal cells. However, the molecular mechanism underlying piperlongumine-induced selective killing of cancer cells remains unclear. In the present study, we observed that human breast cancer MCF-7 cells are sensitive to piperlongumine-induced apoptosis relative to human MCF-10A breast epithelial cells.

Selective inhibition of histone deacetylase 2 induces p53-dependent survivin downregulation through MDM2 proteasomal degradation.

In the present study, we found that selective inhibition of histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2) with small inhibitory RNA (siRNA) induced survivin downregulation in a p53-dependent manner. Interestingly, suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) or knockdown of HDAC2 induced downregulation of Mdm2, a negative regulator of p53, at the protein level. SAHA and/or HDAC2 siRNA increased Mdm2 ubiquitination, and MG132, an inhibitor of proteosome function, prevented HDAC2 inhibition-induced degradation of Mdm2.

Implications of caspase-dependent proteolytic cleavage of cyclin A1 in DNA damage-induced cell death.

Cyclin A1 is an A-type cyclin that directly binds to CDK2 to regulate cell-cycle progression. In the present study, we found that doxorubicin decreased the expression of cyclin A1 at the protein level in A549 lung cancer cells, while markedly downregulating its mRNA levels. Interestingly, doxorubicin upregulated caspase-1 in a concentration-dependent manner, and z-YAVD-fmk, a specific inhibitor of caspase-1, reversed the doxorubicin-induced decrease in cyclin A1 in A549 lung cancer and MCF7 breast cancer cells.

Comparison of the serum fibrin-fibrinogen degradation products with cytokeratin 19 fragment as biomarkers in patients with lung cancer.

Lung cancer is one of the main causes of cancer-related mortality. The identification of early diagnostic biomarkers improved outcomes for lung cancer patients. Serum fibrin-fibrinogen degradation products (FDP) levels are elevated in numerous malignancies due to hemostatic alterations.

Piperlongumine induces cell death through ROS-mediated CHOP activation and potentiates TRAIL-induced cell death in breast cancer cells.

Purpose: Piperlongumine (PL) has been shown to selectively induce apoptotic cell death in cancer cells via reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation. In this study, we characterized a molecular mechanism for PL-induced cell death.

Methods: Cell viability and cell death were assessed by MTT assay and Annexin V-FITC/PI staining, respectively.

Knockdown of TWIST1 enhances arsenic trioxide- and ionizing radiation-induced cell death in lung cancer cells by promoting mitochondrial dysfunction.

TWIST1 is implicated in the process of epithelial mesenchymal transition, metastasis, stemness, and drug resistance in cancer cells, and therefore is a potential target for cancer therapy. In the present study, we found that knockdown of TWIST1 by small interfering RNA (siRNA) enhanced arsenic trioxide (ATO)- and ionizing radiation (IR)-induced cell death in non-small-cell lung cancer cells. Interestingly, intracellular reactive oxygen species levels were increased in cells treated with TWIST1 siRNA and further increased by co-treatment with ATO or IR.

Blockage of Stat3 enhances the sensitivity of NSCLC cells to PI3K/mTOR inhibition.

The PI3K/Akt/mTOR axis in lung cancer is frequently activated and implicated in tumorigenesis. Specific targeting of this pathway is therefore an attractive therapeutic approach for lung cancer. However, non-small cell lung cancer cells are resistant to BEZ235, a dual inhibitor of PI3K and mTOR.

Inhibition of vacuolar H+ ATPase enhances sensitivity to tamoxifen via up-regulation of CHOP in breast cancer cells.

Resistance of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer cells to tamoxifen represents a major barrier to the successful treatment of breast cancer. In the present study, we found that vacuolar H+ ATPase (vATPase) inhibitors, bafilomycin A1 and concanamycin A, sensitize tamoxifen-induced cell death. siRNA targeting ATP6V0C, a 16-kDa hydrophobic proteolipid subunit of vATPase that plays a central role in H+ transport, markedly increased cell death induced by tamoxifen.

Sustained overexpression of Redd1 leads to Akt activation involved in cell survival.

Herein, we show that the constitutive overexpression of Redd1, a negative regulator of mTORC1, induces Akt activation in lung cancer cells. Akt phosphorylation was reduced to basal levels by Rictor siRNA, suggesting the involvement of mTORC2 in this process. Perifosine and PP242, selective inhibitors of Akt and mTORC1/2, respectively, efficiently suppressed the Akt phosphorylation that was induced by the sustained overexpression of Redd1 and increased the sensitivity of the cells to cisplatin.

Clinical utility of the Xpert MRSA assay for early detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is responsible for many nosocomial and community-acquired infections, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. A practical way to limit the spread of MRSA is early detection and proper treatment. However, screening culture for MRSA typically requires 2-3 days.

Histone deacetylase inhibitors sensitize human non-small cell lung cancer cells to ionizing radiation through acetyl p53-mediated c-myc down-regulation.

Introduction: Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACIs) induce growth arrest and apoptosis in cancer cells. In addition to their intrinsic anticancer properties, HDACIs modulate cellular responses to ionizing radiation (IR). We examined the molecular mechanism(s) associated with the radiosensitizing effects of HDACIs in human lung cancer cells.

Sorafenib induces apoptotic cell death in human non-small cell lung cancer cells by down-regulating mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)-dependent survivin expression.

Sorafenib, a multikinase inhibitor, is emerging as a promising targeted agent that may possess antitumor activity against a broad range of cancers. The mechanism by which sorafenib induces lung cancer cell death and apoptosis, however, is not understood. In the present study, we provide evidence that sorafenib acts through inhibition of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) to down-regulate survivin and promote apoptotic cell death in human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells.

Redd1 inhibits the invasiveness of non-small cell lung cancer cells.

Redd1 acts as a negative regulator of mTOR in response to various stress conditions, but its specific physiological role is currently unclear. In the present study, we showed that Redd1 inhibits the invasive activity of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. Interestingly, expression of Redd1 was extremely low in H1299 cells displaying high invasiveness, compared with that in H460 cells with lower invasive activity.

[Late-onset neutropenia following rituximab therapy as a treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: a single institution study].

Background: Late-onset neutropenia (LON) following rituximab therapy has been reported in recent years. However, its incidence has not been reported in Korea. The aim of this study is to investigate the incidence of LON after rituximab therapy in Korean patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

[A case of del(16)(q22) in a patient with acute myeloid leukemia with complex karyotype].

Inversion of chromosome 16 [inv(16)(p13.1q22)] and t(16;16)(p13.1;q22) are associated with acute myelomonocytic leukemia (AMML) with eosinophilia and a favorable prognosis.

Low doses of ionizing radiation suppress doxorubicin-induced senescence-like phenotypes by activation of ERK1/2 and suppression of p38 kinase in MCF7 human breast cancer cells.

Low-dose radiation has a variety of effects on cellular activities, including the cell division cycle, apoptosis, proliferation and senescence. However, the effects of low doses of radiation remain controversial. In this study, we examined the effects of low-dose radiation on cellular senescence.

[HDL cholesterol reduction during rosiglitazone and fenofibrate treatment in a type 2 diabetes mellitus patient with dyslipidemia].

Thiazolidinediones (TZD), which are widely used as insulin sensitizers, and fibrates, which are lipid-lowering drugs, are used in the treatment of dyslipidemia that commonly accompanies diabetes. Several reports suggest elevated levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, but the paradoxical reduction of HDL cholesterol level during single or combined TZD and fibrate therapies has been occasionally reported. Herein, we report a case of paradoxical decrease in HDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein A-1 levels during rosiglitazone and fenofibrate treatment for the first time in Korea.