Numerical simulation of the twist-grain-boundary phase of chiral liquid crystals

We study the core structure of the twist-grain-boundary (TGB) phase of chiral liquid crystals by numerically minimizing the Landau-de Gennes free energy. We analyze the morphology of layers at the grain boundary, to better understand the mechanism of frustration between the smectic layer order and chirality. As the chirality increases, the effective bending rigidity of layers is reduced due to unlocking of the layer orientation and the director. This results in large deviation of the layer morphology from that of Scherk's first minimal surface and linear stack of screw dislocations (LSD).Comment: 4 pages and 6 figure

Synthesis and Resist Properties of Calixarene Polymers with Pendant Haloalkyl Groups

We examined the condensation polymerization of t-butylcalix[8]arene (BCA[8]), p-t-butylcalix[4]arene (BCA[4]), and C-(4-t-butylbenz)calix[4]resorcinarene (BCRA[4]) with 1,3-adamantane dibromoacetate (ADB), yielding soluble polymers poly(BCA[8]-co-ADB), poly(BCA[4]-co-ADB), and poly(BCRA[4]-co-ADB), respectively. These polymers had good solubility, good film forming ability, and good thermal stability. It was anticipated that these polymers were applicable to positive-type resist materials. However, by the examination on the resist sensitivity using EUV exposure system, these polymers were applicable to negative type resist materials using THF as a developer. Furthermore, a negative clear resist pattern with 100nm resolution could be obtained by EB exposure system. These results indicated that poly(BCA[8]-co-ADB) and poly(BCRA[4]-co-ADB) have high potential to offer higher resolution negative pattern using EUV lithography system

Myocardial sympathetic denervation prevents chamber-specific alteration of beta-adrenergic transmembrane signaling in rabbits with heart failure

Objectives.The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of myocardial sympathetic denervation on the chamber-specific alteration of beta-adrenergic signaling in left ventricular failure in rabbits.Background.Local abnormalities in sympathetic nerve terminals, including the neuronal reuptake of norepinephrine, are thought to be responsible for the chamber-specific regulation of beta-adrenergic signaling in heart failure.Methods.Sixteen rabbits were given 6-hydroxydopamine, 25 mg/kg body weight intravenously on days 1 and 2 and 50 mg/kg intravenously on days 7 and 8. Another 16 rabbits received vehicle. Aortic regurgitation was induced in eight of the 6-hydroxydopamine—treated and eight of the vehicle-treated rabbits on day 14. Another eight of the 6-hydroxydopamine—treated and eight of the vehicletreated rabbits underwent a sham operation. The hearts were excised for biochemical analysis on day 21.Results.Hemodynamic characteristics on day 21 showed left ventricular failure in both the aortic regurgitation groups. The plasma norepinephrine concentration on day 21 was higher in both the aortic regurgitation groups than in the sham groups. The beta-adrenoceptor densities and isoproterenol plus 5′guanylylimidodiphosphate-, 5′-guanylylimidodiphosphate- and sodium fluoride-stimulated adenylyl cyclase activities were decreased only in the failing left ventricle of the vehicle-pretreated aortic regurgitation group, but in both ventricles of the 6-hydroxydopamine-pretreated aortic regurgitation group. The basal and forskolin-stimulated adenylyl cyclase activities were similar in both the aortic regurgitation groups and in the sham groups.Conclusions.Sympathetic denervation prevented chamberspecific alterations in beta-adrenergic signaling in acute left ventricular failure. Local loss of sympathetic nerve endings, and especially the defective neuronal norepinephrine reuptake, are likely to be responsible for the chamber-specific alteration of the beta-adrenoceptor-G protein-adenylyl cyclase system in heart failure in rabbits

Efficacy of osimertinib in epidermal growth factor receptor-mutated non-small-cell lung cancer patients with pleural effusion

Background: Osimertinib is a standard first-line treatment for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations. Although malignant pleural effusion (PE) is a common clinical problem in NSCLC, information about the efficacy of osimertinib in patients with PE is limited, especially regarding its efficacy in EGFR T790M-negative patients with PE remains unclear. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients with NSCLC harboring EGFR mutations who were treated with osimertinib in our institution between May 2016 and December 2020. Results: A total of 63 patients with EGFR mutated NSCLC were treated with osimertinib; 33 (12 with PE) had no EGFR T790M mutation, while 30 (12 with PE) had EGFR T790M mutation. In EGFR T790M-negative NSCLC, the progression-free survival (PFS) of the patients with PE was comparable to that of the patients without PE (median PFS 19.8 vs. 19.8 months, p = 0.693). In EGFR T790M- positive NSCLC, the PFS and overall survival (OS) of the patients with PE were significantly shorter than those of the patients without PE (median PFS 16.8 vs. 8.3 months, p = 0.003; median OS 44.9 vs. 14.2 months, p = 0.007). In the multivariate analysis, the presence of PE was independently associated with shorter PFS and OS in EGFR T790M-positive NSCLC patients, but not EGFR T790M-negative patients. Conclusions: These data suggest the efficacy of osimertinib may differ between EGFR T790M-positive and -negative NSCLC patients with PE

Serial Assessment of Immune Status by Circulating CD8+ Effector T Cell Frequencies for Posttransplant Infectious Complications

To clarify the role of CD8+ effector T cells for infectious complications, 92 recipients were classified according to the hierarchical clustering of preoperative CD8+CD45 isoforms: Group I was naive, Group II was effector memory, and Group III was effector (E) T cell-dominant. The posttransplant infection rates progressively increased from 29% in Group I to 64.3% in Group III recipients. The posttransplant immune status was compared with the pretransplant status, based on the measure (% difference) and its graphical form (scatter plot). In Groups I and II, both approaches showed a strong upward deviation from pretransplant status upon posttransplant infection, indicating an enhanced clearance of pathogens. In Group III, in contrast, both approaches showed a clear downward deviation from preoperative status, indicating deficient cytotoxicity. The % E difference and scatter plot can be used as a useful indicator of a posttransplant infectious complication

Usefulness of Preoperative 18F-FDG PET/CT for Patients with Thymic Epithelial Tumors

[Background] The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between preoperative FDG-PET parameters and the World Health Organization (WHO) classification or Masaoka staging system of thymic epithelial tumors. [Methods] We retrospectively reviewed 32 patients with histologically proven thymic epithelial tumors who underwent FDG-PET/CT before surgical resection. FDG-PET parameters, including the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), metabolic tumor volume (MTV), and total lesion glycolytic activity (TLG), were measured. These PET parameters were compared in the Masaoka staging system and WHO classification. A receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis was performed to identify the cut-off values of PET parameters for the accurate differentiation of early and advanced stages in the Masaoka staging system. [Results] There were 17 low-risk thymomas (1 type A, 9 type AB, and 7 type B1), 8 high-risk thymomas (4 type B2 and 4 type B3), and 7 thymic carcinomas (7 squamous cell carcinoma). Their Masaoka stages were as follows: 24 in the early stage (stages I and II) and 8 in the advanced stage (stage III). Regarding the WHO classification, only SUVmax showed a significant difference (P < 0.05). In the Masaoka stage, all PET parameters were significantly higher in the advanced stage than in the early stage (P < 0.05). In the ROC analysis to predict the early and advanced stages in thymic epithelial tumors, the area under the curve was the highest for TLG among the PET parameters examined and the cut-off value of TLG for discriminating the early from advanced stage with maximal sensitivity and specificity was 30.735. [Conclusion] Although volumetric PET parameters, such as MTV and TLG, did not correlate with the WHO classification, a significant correlation was observed between SUVmax and the WHO classification. In the Masaoka staging system, volumetric PET parameters may achieve more precise staging than SUVmax

Synthesis and Property of Tannic Acid Derivatives and Their Application for Extreme Ultraviolet Laser Lithography System

We synthesized tannic acid derivatives with pendant cyclohexyl acetal moieties (TA-CVEn), butyl acetal moieties (TA-BVEn), and adamantyl ester moieties (TA-ADn) by the reaction of tannnic acid (TA) with cyclohexyl vinyl ether (CVE), butyl vinyl ether (BVE), and adamantyl bromo acetate (AD) in various feeds ratios. The synthesized TA-CVEn, TA-BVEn, and TA-ADn had good solubility, good film-forming ability, and high thermal stability relevant to application of photolithography materials. However, only TA-BVE97 and TA-AD74 can be used as positive-type photo-resist materials using 2.38 wt% TMAH aq. as developer due to the result of thickness loss property. Furthermore, their resist-sensitivity upon EUV exposure tool and etching durability were adequate and they have high potential as next-generation resist material for EUV lithography