Electrical spin injection and accumulation in CoFe/MgO/Ge contacts at room temperature

We first report the all-electrical spin injection and detection in CoFe/MgO/moderately doped n-Ge contact at room temperature (RT), employing threeterminal Hanle measurements. A sizable spin signal of ~170 k{\Omega} {\mu}m^2 has been observed at RT, and the analysis using a single-step tunneling model gives a spin lifetime of ~120 ps and a spin diffusion length of ~683 nm in Ge. The observed spin signal shows asymmetric bias and temperature dependences which are strongly related to the asymmetry of the tunneling process.Comment: 28 pages, 5 figure

Clinical relevance of ground glass opacity in 105 patients with miliary tuberculosis

SummaryBackgroundAfter the application of chest computed tomography (CT), ground glass opacity (GGO) was introduced as one of major accompanying findings of miliary tuberculosis (MT) in addition to miliary nodules. However, little is known about whether GGO is associated with the clinical manifestations and outcomes of MT. Therefore, the present study examined the clinical relevance of GGO in patients with MT.MethodsChest radiographs and CT scans of MT patients were retrospectively reviewed. Clinical manifestations and outcomes were compared in terms of the extent of GGO revealed by chest CT.ResultsConfirmed 105 MT patients were included. GGO was observed in 70 (67%) patients. MT patients with an extent of GGO >50% (n = 21) had symptoms of shorter duration, more frequent dyspnea, and more pronounced changes in the levels of acute phase reactants. Miliary nodules were less discernible on CT in those with an extent of GGO >50%. MT patients with an extent of GGO >50% were significantly associated with a longer hospital stay (p = 0.02) and with acute respiratory failure (p < 0.001) than those with an extent of GGO ≤50%. However, mortality among MT patients was not associated with the extent of GGO.ConclusionMT patients with an extent of GGO >50% had more rapidly progressive manifestations and a greater potential for delayed diagnosis and poorer prognosis. Nevertheless, mortality was not higher in confirmed MT patients with an extent of GGO >50% than in those with an extent of GGO ≤50%

Trends in Deceased Organ Donation and Utilization in Korea: 2000-2009

Continuous efforts have been made by the organ donation and transplantation community in Korea to increase organ donation by the deceased. The authors detailed trends of organ donation and utilization over the past 10 yr using data provided by the KONOS. The yearly number of deceased donors has grown gradually since 2003. The number and percentage of old donors (≥50 yr) and donors dying from intracranial hemorrhage has increased continuously. Therefore, the percentage of standard criteria donors (SCD) has been declining significantly, from 94% in 2000 to 79.2% in 2009. The number of organs transplanted per donor (OTPD) has also declined slightly since 2007, from 3.28 in 2007 to 2.95 in 2009. This decline may be attributable to increases in the number and percentage of extended criteria donors (ECD) and donors after cardiac death (DCD), since the OTPD was 2.25 for DCD, 2.5 for ECD, and 3.09 for SCD in 2009. In summary, the makeup of donors has changed significantly. There is an urgent need for establishment of an institutional framework including an independent organ procurement organization and for improvement for the National Transplant Act to increase deceased donor pool and to optimize management of ECD and DCD

Partial Trisomy 1q41 Syndrome Delineated by Whole Genomic Array Comparative Genome Hybridization

Partial trisomy 1q syndrome is a rare chromosomal abnormality. We report on a male infant with 46,XY,der(11)t(1;11)(q41;p15.5) due to unbalanced segregation of the maternal reciprocal balanced translocation 46,XX,t(1;11)(q41;p15.5). The baby presented with a mild phenotype, characterized by a triangular face, almond-shaped eyes, low ears, short stature with relatively long legs, and mild psychomotor retardation. We utilized whole genomic array comparative genome hybridization (CGH) with 4,000 selected bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs) to define the chromosomal breakpoints and to delineate the extent of the partial trisomy in more detail. To our knowledge, this is the first case of nearly pure "partial trisomy 1q41" defined by whole genomic array CGH

A Functional Polymorphism on Chromosome 15q25 Associated with Survival of Early Stage Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Introduction:The 15q25 region has been associated with lung-cancer risk and might also be associated with the prognosis of lung cancer. This study was conducted to determine the impact of a functional polymorphism in the CHRNA3 gene on chromosome 15q25 in the survival of patients with early-stage non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).Methods:Five hundred and eighty-three consecutive patients with surgically resected NSCLC were enrolled. The rs6495309C > T polymorphism in the promoter of the CHRNA3 gene was investigated. The association between genotype and overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) was analyzed.Results:Patients with the rs6495309 CT or TT genotype had a significantly better OS and DFS than the rs6495309 CC genotype (adjusted hazard ratio for OS = 0.56, 95% confidence interval = 0.41–0.75, p = 0.0001; and adjusted hazard ratio for DFS = 0.61, 95% confidence interval = 0.48–0.79, p = 0.0001). An association between the rs6495309C > T polymorphism and survival outcome was demonstrated in smokers and never-smokers, and in squamous-cell carcinomas and adenocarcinomas.Conclusion:The CHRNA3 rs6495309C > T polymorphism may affect survival in patients with early-stage NSCLC. Analysis of the rs6495309C > T polymorphism can help identify patients at high risk of a poor disease outcome

Charge and dielectric effects of biomolecules on electrical characteristics of nanowire FET biosensors

The sensing mechanism of nanowire field effect transistor (NWFET) biosensors is investigated by taking into consideration both the charge and dielectric effects of biomolecules. The dielectric effect of the biomolecules is dominantly reflected in the linear regime, whereas the charge property is manifested in the subthreshold regime. The findings are supported by bio-experiments and numerical simulations. This study provides a rudimentary means of understanding interactions between biomolecules and NWFET biosensors

Clinical impact of pleural fluid carcinoembryonic antigen on therapeutic strategy and efficacy in lung adenocarcinoma patients with malignant pleural effusion

Background/Aims Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation is important in determining the treatment strategy for advanced lung cancer patients with malignant pleural effusion (MPE). Contrary to serum carcinoembryonic antigen (S-CEA) levels, the associations between pleural fluid CEA (PF-CEA) levels and EGFR mutation status as well as between PF-CEA levels and treatment efficacy have rarely been investigated in lung adenocarcinoma patients with MPE. Methods This retrospective study enrolled lung adenocarcinoma patients with MPE and available PF-CEA levels and EGFR mutation results. The patients were categorized based on PF-CEA levels: < 10 ng/mL, 10–100 ng/mL, 100–500 ng/mL, and ≥ 500 ng/mL. The association between PF-CEA levels and EGFR mutation status as well as their therapeutic impact on overall survival was compared among the four groups. Results This study included 188 patients. PF-CEA level was found to be an independent predictor of EGFR mutation but not S-CEA level. The EGFR mutation rates were higher as the PF-CEA levels increased, regardless of cytology results or sample types. Among EGFR-mutant lung adenocarcinoma patients receiving EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment, those with high PF-CEA levels had significantly better survival outcomes than those with low PF-CEA levels. Conclusion High PF-CEA levels were associated with high EGFR mutation rate and may lead to a favorable clinical outcome of EGFR-TKI treatment in EGFR-mutant lung adenocarcinoma patients with MPE. These findings highlight the importance of actively investigating EGFR mutation detection in patients with suspected MPE and elevated PF-CEA levels despite negative cytology results