Detection of Circulating Tumor Cell-Related Markers in Gynecologic Cancer Using Microfluidic Devices: A Pilot Study.

The detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is an emerging strategy for the early detection, prognostication, and identification of recurrent cancer. The clinical utility of CTC detection has been established, but few studies have employed this strategy for the detection of gynecologic cancers. Here, we present a novel, biochip-based microfluidic device for the detection of CTCs in gynecologic cancers.

Density-Controlled Growth of ZnO Nanowalls for High-Performance Photocatalysts.

ZnO nanowires and nanowalls can be fabricated on the glass substrate with a ZnO seed film and low-cost aluminum (Al) foil by the aqueous solution method (ASM), respectively. The different concentrations of ZnO precursors can use to control the densities of ZnO nanowalls. In addition, FESEM, FETEM, EDS, XRD, XPS, and CL were used to evaluate the characteristics of ZnO nanowalls.

Isolation of TTF-1 Positive Circulating Tumor Cells for Single-Cell Sequencing by Using an Automatic Platform Based on Microfluidic Devices.

Single-cell sequencing provides promising information in tumor evolution and heterogeneity. Even with the recent advances in circulating tumor cell (CTC) technologies, it remains a big challenge to precisely and effectively isolate CTCs for downstream analysis. The Cell Reveal system integrates an automatic CTC enrichment and staining machine, an AI-assisted automatic CTC scanning and identification system, and an automatic cell picking machine for CTC isolation.

Neuronal paxillin and drebrin mediate BDNF-induced force transduction and growth cone turning in a soft-tissue-like environment.

Soft tissue environments govern neuronal morphogenesis. However, the precise molecular mechanisms underlying chemotropism-directed axonal growth cone movement in extremely soft environments remain unclear. Here, we show that drebrin, a growth cone T-zone protein, modulates growth cone turning in response to brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) coated on a soft substrate.

Retrospective study of the differences in patient characteristics and revenue between male and female surgeons in Taiwan.

Surgery is traditionally a male-dominated field, and gender differences exist despite the growing numbers of female surgeons. A handful of studies have evaluated the condition in Asian societies. We aimed to examine the difference between female and male surgeons in urology, general surgery, and gynecology by analyzing a nationwide, population-based database.

Risks of forgotten double-J ureteric stents after ureterorenoscopic lithotripsy in Taiwan: a nationwide population-based study.

Delayed double-J ureteric stent (DJ) removal may cause severe morbidity. We aimed to identify high-risk patients for forgotten DJs to prevent iatrogenic injury and improve safety. Data of patients with DJs placed after ureterorenoscopic lithotripsy (URSL) between 2000 and 2013 from the National Health Insurance Database in Taiwan were included.

Loss of the seipin gene perturbs eggshell formation in .

Seipin, an evolutionary conserved protein, plays pivotal roles during lipid droplet (LD) biogenesis and is associated with various human diseases with unclear mechanisms. Here, we analyzed mutants deleted of the sole gene, Homozygous mutants displayed penetrant embryonic lethality, which is caused by the disruption of the lipid-rich permeability barrier, the innermost layer of the embryonic eggshell. In oocytes and embryos, SEIP-1 is associated with LDs and is crucial for controlling LD size and lipid homeostasis.

Acidified water impairs the lateral line system of zebrafish embryos.

Acidification of freshwater ecosystems is recognized as a global environmental problem. However, the influence of acidic water on the early stages of freshwater fish is still unclear. This study focused on the sublethal effects of acidic water on the lateral line system of zebrafish embryos.

The chemical states and atomic structure evolution of ultralow-energy high-dose Boron implanted Si(110) via laser annealing.

Further scale down the dimension of silicon-based integrated circuit is a crucial trend in semiconductor fabrication. One of the most critical issues in the nano-device fabrication is to confirm the atomic structure evolution of the ultrathin shallow junction. In this report, UV Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) and reflective second harmonic generation (RSHG) are utilized to monitor the pulse laser induced atomic structure evolution of ultralow-energy high-dose Boron implanted Si(110) at room and cold substrate temperature.

Anion exchanger 1b in stereocilia is required for the functioning of mechanotransducer channels in lateral-line hair cells of zebrafish.

The anion exchanger (AE) plays critical roles in physiological processes including CO2 transport and volume regulation in erythrocytes and acid-base regulation in renal tubules. Although expression of the AE in inner-ear hair cells was reported, its specific localization and function are still unclear. Using in situ hybridization, we found that the AE1b transcript is expressed in lateral-line hair cells of zebrafish larvae.

A Study of Trimethylsilane (3MS) and Tetramethylsilane (4MS) Based α-SiCN:H/α-SiCO:H Diffusion Barrier Films.

Amorphous nitrogen-doped silicon carbide (α-SiCN:H) films have been used as a Cu penetration diffusion barrier and interconnect etch stop layer in the below 90-nanometer ultra-large scale integration (ULSI) manufacturing technology. In this study, the etching stop layers were deposited by using trimethylsilane (3MS) or tetramethylsilane (4MS) with ammonia by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) followed by a procedure for tetra-ethoxyl silane (TEOS) oxide. The depth profile of Cu distribution examined by second ion mass spectroscopy (SIMs) showed that 3MS α-SiCN:H exhibited a better barrier performance than the 4MS film, which was revealed by the Cu signal.

The effects of oxygen content on bonding configurations and properties of low-k organosilicate glass dielectric films.

The low dielectric constant SiOC:H films of plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition method have been developed with various precursor ratio. The reduction of the dielectric constant has been achieved by increasing the porosity in the films through the change of precursor ratio. In order to clarify the relation between dielectric constant and film porosity, the small angle X-ray scattering technique has been applied for characterizing pore size in the porous low-k dielectric films.

Effects of cyclodextrins on hydrolysis of malathion.

Cyclodextrins (CDs), with hydrophobic interior cavity and hydrophilic external surface, are capable of accelerating or inhibiting chemical degradation of organophosphorus pesticides through forming inclusion complexes between CDs and pesticides. This work evaluated the effects of CDs on hydrolysis of malathion in an attempt to assess their potential application in environmental approach. beta-CD and its two derivatives, randomly methylated beta-CD (RAMEB) and hydroxypropyl beta-CD (HP-beta-CD), were tested.

[Characterization of napropamide enantiomers by CD and determination of the enantiomeric ratios in water].

The enantiomers of napropamide were separated by normal phase HPLC (HPLC: high performance liquid Chromatography) with Chiralpak OJ-H column and charactered by circular dichroism. On this basis, a method for the chiral separation and micro-determination of napropamide in water was established. The linearity of calibration curve for racemic mixture was 10-100 ng x mL(-1) and the correlation coefficient was 0.

[Enantioselective degradation of 2, 4-dichlorprop methyl ester by sediment bacteria].

Enantioselective Degradation of 2,4-Dichlorprop methyl ester was studied by sediment bacteria. One DCPPM-degrading bacteria stain was isolated from contaminated sediments. The EF values were determined by chiral GC.

Investigation of layered structure SAW devices fabricated using low temperature grown AlN thin film on GaN/sapphire.

Epitaxial AlN films have been grown on GaN/sapphire using helicon sputtering at 300 degrees C. The surface acoustic wave (SAW) filters fabricated on AlN/GaN/sapphire exhibit more superior characteristics than those made on GaN/sapphire. This composite structure of AlN on GaN may bring about the development of high-frequency components, which integrate and use their semiconducting, optoelectronic, and piezoelectric properties.