New Brush Copolymers as an Effective Dispersant for Stabilizing Concentrated Suspensions of Silver Nanoparticles.

Silver nanopowders (nano-Ag) have extremely high surface energy and are generally difficult to have an effective dispersant for their dispersion stabilization. This study proposes two brush copolymers that show a strong preference for adsorption on the nano-Ag surface their backbone, while their side chains extend into the dispersion solvent for particle stabilization. After adding only 5 wt % (based on the mass of nano-Ag) of the proposed dispersants, the nano-Ag particles can be stably suspended without settling for at least 2 months.

Regular inhaled corticosteroids in adult-onset asthma and the risk for future cancer: a population-based cohort study with proper person-time analysis.

Background: Recent studies have shown that inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) can exert anti-inflammatory effects for chronic airway diseases, and several observational studies suggest that they play a role as cancer chemopreventive agents, particularly against lung cancer. We aimed to examine whether regular ICS use was associated with a reduced risk for future malignancy in patients with newly diagnosed adult-onset asthma.

Methods: We used a population-based cohort study between 2001 and 2008 with appropriate person-time analysis.

Gender differences in colorectal cancer during the past 20 years in Taiwan.

Purpose: Gender differences in colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence have been previously reported. We designed this population-based study to determine if this gender difference was restricted to specific patient subgroups.

Methods: Using the Taiwan Cancer Registry database, we identified a total of 124,314 CRCs registered from 1988 to 2007.