Standardization and quantification of backscattered electron imaging in scanning electron microscopy.

Backscattered electron (BSE) imaging based on scanning electron microscopy (SEM) has been widely used in scientific and industrial disciplines. However, achieving consistent standards and precise quantification in BSE images has proven to be a long-standing challenge. Previous methods incorporating dedicated calibration processes and Monte Carlo simulations have still posed practical limitations for widespread adoption.

First Report of Tomato Leaf Curl Cebu Virus Associated with Stachytarpheta jamaicensis Golden Yellow Mosaic Disease in Taiwan.

Stachytarpheta jamaicensis (L.) Vahl, also known as snack weed, is an exotic plant in Taiwan. In April 2021, severe golden yellow mosaic leaves (Fig.

High-resolution monochromator using a high-efficiency single-mode x-ray resonator at Laue incidence.

We report a high-resolution and high-efficiency monochromator with energy resolution, ΔE/E∼2.08*10, utilizing a hard x-ray single-mode Fabry-Perot (FP) resonator at Laue incidence at 14.4388 keV.

Sentinel Artery in Double Eyelid Blepharoplasty: Identification, Prevention, Management.

In double eyelid blepharoplasty, unexpected bleeding may cause intraoperative hematoma, swelling, and temporary ptosis, which could cause asymmetry and prolong recovery time. In 1725 patients (3450 eyes), double eyelid blepharoplasties were performed on Chinese patients from January 2014 to July 2016 by our senior author. In 36 eyes, the authors identified a variant artery, which the authors named the "sentinel artery," located in the inferolateral superficial orbital septum.

The effect of cranioplasty in cognitive and functional improvement: Experience of post traumatic brain injury inpatient rehabilitation.

To investigate the effect of cranioplasty on rehabilitation of post-traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients, 37 patients with TBI were arranged by retrospectively assessment study. Those TBI patients receiving in-hospital rehabilitation in the Department of Rehabilitation in a medical center of South Taiwan from 2010 to 2015 were assigned into two groups: A and B. All patients entered the multidisciplinary holistic in-patient rehabilitation training for about 1 month.

Regulation of miR-21 expression in human melanoma via UV-ray-induced melanin pigmentation.

Excessive environmental ultraviolet (UV) radiation produces genetic mutations that can lead to skin cancer. This study was designed to assess the potential inhibitory activity of microRNA-21 (miR-21) on the UV irradiation-stimulated melanogenesis signal pathway in melanoma cells. The molecular mechanism of miR-21-induced inhibitory activity on UV-ray-stimulated melanogenesis-regulating proteins was examined in A375.

High-resolution interference-monochromator for hard X-rays.

An X-ray interference-monochromator combining a Fabry-Perot resonator (FPR) and a double-crystal monochromator (DCM) is proposed and realized for obtaining single-mode X-rays with 3.45 meV energy resolution. The monochromator is based on the generation of cavity interference fringes from a FPR and single-mode selection of the transmission spectrum by a DCM of a nearly backward symmetric reflection geometry.

Evaluation of antibiotic pressurized pulse lavage for contaminated retromuscular abdominal wall reconstruction.

Background: Despite patient risk factors such as diabetes and obesity, contamination during surgery remains a significant cause of infections and subsequent wound morbidity. Pressurized pulse lavage (PPL) has been utilized as a method to reduce bacterial bioburden with promising results in many fields. Although existing methods of lavage have been utilized during abdominal operations, no studies have examined the use of PPL during complex hernia repair.

RISK OF NEW ONSET TYPE II DM IN MDD PATIENTS RECEIVING SECOND-GENERATION ANTIPSYCHOTICS TREATMENT: A NATIONWIDE COHORT STUDY.

Background: Second-generation antipsychotics (SGA) augmentation treatment has showed better efficacy in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). However, the association between SGA and diabetes mellitus (DM) in MDD patients deserves further investigation. The study aimed to examine the risk of new onset type II DM in MDD patients receiving SGA treatment.

Adjunctive sarcosine plus benzoate improved cognitive function in chronic schizophrenia patients with constant clinical symptoms: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Objectives Hypofunction of NMDA receptor is implicated in the pathophysiology, particularly cognitive impairment, of schizophrenia. Sarcosine, a glycine transporter I (GlyT-1) inhibitor, and sodium benzoate, a d-amino acid oxidase (DAAO) inhibitor, can both enhance NMDA receptor-mediated neurotransmission. We proposed simultaneously inhibiting DAAO and GlyT-1 may be more effective than inhibition of either in improving the cognitive and global functioning of schizophrenia patients.

Single-mode selection for hard x-ray cavity resonance.

Single-mode selection is realized for hard x-ray cavity resonance using a three-mirror crystal device. The developed device consists of two coupled Si Fabry-Perot resonators (FPRs) and uses (12 4 0) backward diffraction to reflect back and forth the incident 14.4388 keV x-ray beam.

Effectiveness of aripiprazole, olanzapine, quetiapine, and risperidone augmentation treatment for major depressive disorder: a nationwide population-based study.

Objective: Previous studies suggested that antidepressants augmented with second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs), including aripiprazole, olanzapine, quetiapine, and risperidone, resulted in better treatment response or higher rates of remission in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). However, population-based study on SGA augmentation for patients with MDD remains limited. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of SGA augmentation for treatment of MDD using the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan.

Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) leads to similar results in patients with and without prior endoscopic or surgical therapy.

Introduction: Traditional treatment for the esophageal motility disorder, achalasia, ranges from endoscopic botulinum toxin (Botox) injections or balloon dilatation, to laparoscopic or open surgical myotomy. Recent advances in endoscopic therapy have led to peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) as a viable alternative to traditional techniques for myotomy. Uncertainty exists as to whether the procedure is feasible for patients who have already received prior endoscopic or surgical procedures for therapy, as these groups experience higher failure rates as well as intraoperative mucosal perforations and technical difficulty during Heller myotomy.

Commercially available biological mesh does not prevent stricture after esophageal mucosectomy.

Background And Study Aims: Endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) offers a minimally invasive therapy for advanced esophageal dysplasia and early cancers but stricture formation limits its applicability. We aimed at assessing the efficacy of placement of a commercially available biological mesh for preventing stricture formation following esophageal EMR.

Methods: 25 swine were submitted to circumferential esophageal EMR with 10-cm extent and divided in five groups: one group with EMR only (control); one receiving an uncovered stent (stent-only group); and three groups receiving a stent covered with one of three extracellular matrices, namely small intestine submucosa (SIS group), acellular dermal matrix (ADM group), or urinary bladder matrix (UBM group).

Preliminary results of antiscarring therapy in the prevention of postendoscopic esophageal mucosectomy strictures.

Background: Esophageal endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is an effective minimally invasive therapy for early esophageal cancer and high-grade Barrett dysplasia. However, esophageal stricture formation after circumferential or large ESD has limited its wide adoption. Mitomycin C (MMC), halofuginone (Hal), and transforming growth factor β3 (TGF-β3) exhibits antiscarring effects that may prevent post-ESD stricture formation.

Inverse association between cancer risks and age in schizophrenic patients: a 12-year nationwide cohort study.

The association between schizophrenia and cancer risk is contentious in the clinical and epidemiological literature. Studies from different populations, tumor sites, or health care systems have provided inconsistent findings. In the present study, we examined a less well-investigated hypothesis that age plays a crucial role in cancer risk in schizophrenia.

Restoration of C/EBPα in dedifferentiated liposarcoma induces G2/M cell cycle arrest and apoptosis.

Well-differentiated liposarcoma (WDLS) and dedifferentiated liposarcoma (DDLS) represent the most common biological group of liposarcoma, and there is a pressing need to develop targeted therapies for patients with advanced disease. To identify potential therapeutic targets, we sought to identify differences in the adipogenic pathways between DDLS, WDLS, and normal adipose tissue. In a microarray analysis of DDLS (n = 84), WDLS (n = 79), and normal fat (n = 23), C/EBPα, a transcription factor involved in cell cycle regulation and differentiation, was underexpressed in DDLS when compared to both WDLS and normal fat (15.

Tumor necrosis factor-α induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition of renal cell carcinoma cells via a nuclear factor kappa B-independent mechanism.

Chronic low dose of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) stimulation promotes tumorigenesis by facilitating tumor proliferation and metastasis. The plasma levels of TNF-α are increased in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Furthermore, high-grade clear cell RCC cell lines secrete more TNF-α than low-grade ones, and allow low-grade cell lines' gain of invasive ability.

Bile duct injuries in the era of laparoscopic cholecystectomies.

Bile duct injuries incurred during laparoscopic cholecystectomies remain a major complication in an otherwise safe surgery. These injuries are potentially avoidable with proper techniques and correct interpretation of the anatomy. The scope of the injury can range from a simple cystic duct leak to the injury of the left and right hepatic duct confluence.

Resolution of creatine and phosphocreatine 1H signals in isolated human skeletal muscle using HR-MAS 1H NMR.

Proton NMR spectra of freshly isolated human skeletal muscle samples contain creatine and phosphocreatine resonances with distinct chemical shifts that are easily visualized with magic angle spinning (MAS, spinning the sample rapidly at 54.7 degrees with respect to the magnetic field) methods. The identification of the phosphocreatine resonance was based on two findings: that (i) the possible small dipolar coupling does not contribute to line splitting under rapid MAS, and (ii) the 1H signal decreases concurrently with the phosphocreatine resonance observed in 31P NMR experiments.

Tumor-derived tumor necrosis factor-alpha promotes progression and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in renal cell carcinoma cells.

Pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines are involved in promoting tumorigenesis by facilitating tumor proliferation and metastasis. The serum levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1 beta, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) are significantly elevated in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). However, the mechanisms of how these cytokines participate in the progression of RCC remains unknown.

Gene expression profiling of liposarcoma identifies distinct biological types/subtypes and potential therapeutic targets in well-differentiated and dedifferentiated liposarcoma.

Classification of liposarcoma into three biological types encompassing five subtypes, (a) well-differentiated/dedifferentiated, (b) myxoid/round cell, and (c) pleomorphic, based on morphologic features and cytogenetic aberrations, is widely accepted. However, diagnostic discordance remains even among expert sarcoma pathologists. We sought to develop a more systematic approach to liposarcoma classification based on gene expression analysis and to identify subtype-specific differentially expressed genes that may be involved in liposarcoma genesis/progression and serve as potential therapeutic targets.