Silver-Organic Complex in Photosensitive Silver Pastes for Enhanced Resolution and Aspect Ratio.

Traditional screen printing is an easy approach commonly used for conductive pattern fabrication of electronics but lacks high resolution. Photolithography offers better resolution but is complex. Photosensitive silver pastes (PSP) combine the benefits of both but suffer from undercut issues, causing uneven etching, decreased interfacial adhesion, and thus poor resolutions.

Sensitive Discrete Frequency Mid-Infrared Absorption Spectroscopy Using Digitally Referenced Detection.

Broadly tunable mid-infrared (IR) lasers, including quantum cascade lasers (QCL), are an asset for vibrational spectroscopy wherein high-intensity, coherent illumination can target specific spectral bands for rapid, direct chemical detection with microscopic localization. These emerging spectrometers are capable of high measurement throughputs with large detector signals from the high-intensity lasers and fast detection speeds as short as a single laser pulse, challenging the decades old benchmarks of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. However, noise in QCL emissions limits the feasible acquisition time for high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) data.

Rapid and Label-Free Histopathology of Oral Lesions Using Deep Learning Applied to Optical and Infrared Spectroscopic Imaging Data.

Oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) are precursors to over 80% of oral cancers. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining, followed by pathologist interpretation of tissue and cellular morphology, is the current gold standard for diagnosis. However, this method is qualitative, can result in errors during the multi-step diagnostic process, and results may have significant inter-observer variability.

Gender- and age-related differences in foveal pit morphology.

Aims: To measure the foveal pit morphology parameters and evaluate their correlations with age and sex.

Settings And Design: A retrospective cross-sectional matched comparison study in a tertiary center.

Methods And Materials: Forty men and 40 age-matched women who had normal macular structures and foveal contours were enrolled.

Infrared spectroscopic laser scanning confocal microscopy for whole-slide chemical imaging.

Chemical imaging, especially mid-infrared spectroscopic microscopy, enables label-free biomedical analyses while achieving expansive molecular sensitivity. However, its slow speed and poor image quality impede widespread adoption. We present a microscope that provides high-throughput recording, low noise, and high spatial resolution where the bottom-up design of its optical train facilitates dual-axis galvo laser scanning of a diffraction-limited focal point over large areas using custom, compound, infinity-corrected refractive objectives.

Ossification of posterior atlantoaxial membrane causing spinal stenosis - A case report.

Background: Ossification of the posterior atlantoaxial membrane (PAAM) is a rare cause of spinal cord compression.

Case Presentation: A 46-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and a 2-year history of slowly progressive gait disturbance underwent surgery for right knee stiffness and right lower limb mild weakness. A neurologic examination revealed brisk deep tendon reflexes (DTR) and spasticity in her four limbs.

Methyltransferase Inhibition Enables Tgf Driven Induction of and in Cancer Cells.

deletion or silencing is common across human cancer, reinforcing the general importance of bypassing its tumor suppression in cancer formation or progression. In rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) and neuroblastoma, two common childhood cancers, the three transcripts are independently expressed to varying degrees, but one, is uniformly silenced. Although TGFβ induces certain transcripts in HeLa cells, it was unable to do so in five tested RMS lines unless the cells were pretreated with a broadly acting methyltransferase inhibitor, DZNep, or one targeting EZH2.

Superior gait performance and balance ability in Latin dancers.

Background: Latin dance consists of various fast and stability-challenging movements that require constant body adjustments to maintain proper posture and balance. Although human gaits are assumed to be symmetrical, several factors can contribute to asymmetrical behavior of the lower extremities in healthy adults. These include lower limb dominance, ground reaction forces, lower limb muscle power, foot placement angle, and range of joint motion.

Revealing the nanometric structural changes in myocardial infarction models by time-lapse intravital imaging.

In the development of bioinspired nanomaterials for therapeutic applications, it is very important to validate the design of nanomaterials in the disease models. Therefore, it is desirable to visualize the change of the cells in the diseased site at the nanoscale. Heart diseases often start with structural, morphological, and functional alterations of cardiomyocyte components at the subcellular level.

Optogenetic manipulation of cell migration with high spatiotemporal resolution using lattice lightsheet microscopy.

Lattice lightsheet microscopy (LLSM) featuring three-dimensional recording is improved to manipulate cellular behavior with subcellular resolution through optogenetic activation (optoLLSM). A position-controllable Bessel beam as a stimulation source is integrated into the LLSM to achieve spatiotemporal photoactivation by changing the spatial light modulator (SLM) patterns. Unlike the point-scanning in a confocal microscope, the lattice beams are capable of wide-field optical sectioning for optogenetic activation along the Bessel beam path.

ASC-J9 Blocks Cell Proliferation and Extracellular Matrix Production of Keloid Fibroblasts through Inhibiting STAT3 Signaling.

Keloids are a fibrotic skin disorder caused by abnormal wound healing and featuring the activation and expansion of fibroblasts beyond the original wound margin. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) has been found to mediate the biological functions of keloid fibroblasts (KFs). Therefore, we aimed to demonstrate whether ASC-J9, an inhibitor of STAT3 phosphorylation, can suppress the activation of KFs.

Quantifying molecular- to cellular-level forces in living cells.

Mechanical cues have been suggested to play an important role in cell functions and cell fate determination, however, such physical quantities are challenging to directly measure in living cells with single molecule sensitivity and resolution. In this review, we focus on two main technologies that are promising in probing forces at the single molecule level. We review their theoretical fundamentals, recent technical advancements, and future directions, tailored specifically for interrogating mechanosensitive molecules in live cells.

Effects of orthopedic insoles on postural balance in patients with chronic stroke: A randomized crossover study.

Background: Orthopedic insoles (OIs) with medial arch support and heel cushion are widely used to manage lower extremity injuries, but their effects on postural balance in patients with chronic stroke have not been adequately explored.

Methods: Design: Double-blinded, sham-controlled, randomized crossover trial.

Participants: A total of 32 ambulatory patients (20 men and 12 women, aged between 30 and 76 years) with more than 6 months since stroke onset.

ATACgraph: Profiling Genome-Wide Chromatin Accessibility From ATAC-seq.

Assay for transposase-accessible chromatin using sequencing data (ATAC-seq) is an efficient and precise method for revealing chromatin accessibility across the genome. Most of the current ATAC-seq tools follow chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) strategies that do not consider ATAC-seq-specific properties. To incorporate specific ATAC-seq quality control and the underlying biology of chromatin accessibility, we developed a bioinformatics software named ATACgraph for analyzing and visualizing ATAC-seq data.

Calcium Silicate-Activated Gelatin Methacrylate Hydrogel for Accelerating Human Dermal Fibroblast Proliferation and Differentiation.

Wound healing is a complex process that requires specific interactions between multiple cells such as fibroblasts, mesenchymal, endothelial, and neural stem cells. Recent studies have shown that calcium silicate (CS)-based biomaterials can enhance the secretion of growth factors from fibroblasts, which further increased wound healing and skin regeneration. In addition, gelatin methacrylate (GelMa) is a compatible biomaterial that is commonly used in tissue engineering.

Microfluidic channel integrated with a lattice lightsheet microscopic system for continuous cell imaging.

In this study, a continuous cell-imaging system with subcellular resolution was developed by integrating a microfluidic platform with lattice lightsheet microscopy (LLSM). To reduce aberrations of the lightsheet propagating into the device, a microfluidic channel sealed with a water refractive index-matched thin film was fabricated. When the lightsheet emerged from the water-immersed objectives and penetrated through the water refractive-matched thin film into the microfluidic channel at an incident angle, less light scattering and fewer aberrations were found.

Graphite Felt Modified by Atomic Layer Deposition with TiO Nanocoating Exhibits Super-Hydrophilicity, Low Charge-Transform Resistance, and High Electrochemical Activity.

Graphite felt (GF) is a multi-functional material and is widely used as electrodes of electrochemical devices for energy and environmental applications. However, due to the inherent hydrophobicity of graphite felt, it must be hydrophilically pretreated to obtain good electrochemical activity. Metal oxides coating is one of the feasible methods to modify the surface of GF, and in order to ensure that the metal oxides have a better conductivity for obtaining higher electrochemical activity, a subsequent H heat-treatment process is usually adopted.

Rapid single-wavelength lightsheet localization microscopy for clarified tissue.

Optical super-resolution microscopy allows nanoscale imaging of protein molecules in intact biological tissues. However, it is still challenging to perform large volume super-resolution imaging for entire animal organs. Here we develop a single-wavelength Bessel lightsheet method, optimized for refractive-index matching with clarified specimens to overcome the aberrations encountered in imaging thick tissues.

Testis-specific Arf promoter expression in a transposase-aided BAC transgenic mouse model.

CDKN2A is an evolutionarily conserved gene encoding proteins implicated in tumor suppression, ocular development, aging, and metabolic diseases. Like the human form, mouse Cdkn2a encodes two distinct proteins-p16, which blocks cyclin-dependent kinase activity, and p19, which is best known as a positive regulator of the p53 tumor suppressor-and their functions have been well-studied in genetically engineered mouse models. Relatively little is known about how expression of the two transcripts is controlled in normal development and in certain disease states.

Liquid Biopsy Detects Relapse Five Months Earlier than Regular Clinical Follow-Up and Guides Targeted Treatment in Breast Cancer.

Genetic alterations in circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) are an emerging biomarker for the early detection of relapse and have the potential to guide targeted treatment. ctDNA analysis is often performed by droplet digital PCR; however, next-generation sequencing (NGS) allows multigene testing without having to access a tumor sample to identify target alterations. Here, we report the case of a stage III hormone receptor-positive breast cancer patient who remained symptomless after receiving surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy.

Identification of Enhancers Activated by TGFβ to Drive Expression of and in HeLa Cells.

Disruption of the () and () genes, which encode three function-independent tumor suppressors, is one of the most common events in human cancer. Because their relative importance in tumor prevention appears to be species- and context-specific, studying their regulation can shed light on mechanisms by which they are bypassed in malignant transformation. We previously unveiled a new pathway in which TGFβ selectively induces at mouse in eye development and cultured fibroblasts.

Substitutions of strontium in bioactive calcium silicate bone cements stimulate osteogenic differentiation in human mesenchymal stem cells.

Calcium silicate cements have been considered as alternative bone substitutes owing to its extraordinary bioactivity and osteogenicity. Unfortunately, the major disadvantage of the cements was the slow degradation rate which may limit the efficiency of bone regeneration. In this study, we proposed a facile method to synthesize degradable calcium silicate cements by incorporating strontium into the cements through solid-state sintering.

Lightsheet localization microscopy enables fast, large-scale, and three-dimensional super-resolution imaging.

Recent advances in super-resolution microscopy allow the localization of single molecules within individual cells but not within multiple whole cells due to weak signals from single molecules and slow acquisition process for point accumulation to reconstruct super-resolution images. Here, we report a fast, large-scale, and three-dimensional super-resolution fluorescence microscope based on single-wavelength Bessel lightsheet to selectively illuminate spontaneous blinking fluorophores tagged to the proteins of interest in space. Critical parameters such as labeling density, excitation power, and exposure time were systematically optimized resulting in a maximum imaging speed of 2.