Multi-jet electrospinning of polystyrene/polyamide 6 blend: thermal and mechanical properties

Citation: Yoon, J. W., Park, Y., Kim, J., & Park, C. H. (2017). Multi-jet electrospinning of polystyrene/polyamide 6 blend: thermal and mechanical properties. Fashion and Textiles, 4, 12. doi:10.1186/s40691-017-0090-4Polystyrene (PS) has high thermal resistance thus can be applied as thermally comfortable textile. However, the application is limited due its low mechanical strength. In this study, polyamide 6 (PA6) was blended with PS to improve the mechanical strength of PS, by means of a multi-jet electrospinning. Content ratio of the blend web was measured by chemical immersion test and confocal microscopy analysis. Fiber content was in accordance with the number of syringes used for PS and PA6 respectively. The effects of content ratio on the web morphology, thermal resistance, tensile behavior, air and water vapor permeability, and surface hydrophilicity were investigated. The influence of environmental humidity during electrospinning process on three dimensional (3D) web structure was also reported. PS web produced from higher humidity had more pores and corrugations at the surface. The increased surface roughness and porosity led to the increased hydrophobicity and thermal resistance. Though the blending of PA6 with PS enhanced the mechanical strength, the added PA6 decreased air/water vapor permeability and thermal resistance. The lowered thermal resistance by the addition of PA6 was mainly attributed to higher thermal conductivity of PA6 material and lowered air content with PA6 fibers

A Case Report of Breast Cancer with Extensive Pulmonary Lymphovascular Tumor Emboli

We describe a patient with breast cancer who relapsed with an extensive pulmonary lymphovascular tumor embolism. A 38-year-old female, who previously received neoadjuvant chemotherapy and curative resection of breast cancer, underwent adjuvant chemotherapy and was referred to the emergency room because of sudden-onset pleuritic chest pain lasting for 10 days. Despite a trial of empirical antibiotics, the chest pain and the extent of consolidative lung lesion on chest radiographs rapidly aggravated. We performed an open lung biopsy to confirm the etiology. The histopathological review revealed a hemorrhagic infarction caused by lymphovascular tumor emboli from a metastatic breast carcinoma. Palliative first-line chemotherapy was administered, consisting of ixabepilone and capecitabine, and the lung lesion improved markedly

Genomic profile of metastatic breast cancer patient-derived xenografts established using percutaneous biopsy.

BACKGROUND: Metastatic breast cancer (mBC) is a complex and life-threatening disease and although it is difficult to cure, patients can benefit from sequential anticancer treatment, including endocrine therapy, targeted therapy and cytotoxic chemotherapy. The patient-derived xenograft (PDX) model is suggested as a practical tool to predict the clinical outcome of this disease as well as to screen novel drugs. This study aimed to establish PDX models in Korean patients and analyze their genomic profiles and utility for translational research. METHODS: Percutaneous core needle biopsy or punch biopsy samples were used for xenotransplantation. Whole exome sequencing and transcriptome analysis were performed to assess the genomic and RNA expression profiles, respectively. Copy number variation and mutational burden were analyzed and compared with other metastatic breast cancer genomic results. Mutational signatures were also analyzed. The antitumor effect of an ATR inhibitor was tested in the relevant PDX model. RESULTS: Of the 151 cases studied, 40 (26%) PDX models were established. Notably, the take rate of all subtypes, including the hormone receptor-positive (HR +) subtype, exceeded 20%. The PDX model had genomic fidelity and copy number variation that represented the pattern of its donor sample. TP53, PIK3CA, ESR1, and GATA3 mutations were frequently found in our samples, with TP53 being the most frequently mutated, and the somatic mutations in these genes strengthened their frequency in the PDX model. The ESR1 mutation, CCND1 amplification, and the APOBEC signature were significant features in our HR + HER2- PDX model. Fulvestrant in combination with palbociclib showed a partial response to the relevant patient\u27s tumor harboring the ESR1 mutation, and CCND1 amplification was found in the PDX model. AZD6738, an ATR inhibitor, delayed tumor growth in a relevant PDX model. CONCLUSIONS: Our PDX model was established using core needle biopsy samples from primary and metastatic tissues. Genomic profiles of the samples reflected their original tissue characteristics and could be used for the interpretation of clinical outcomes

Prognostic impact of AJCC response criteria for neoadjuvant chemotherapy in stage II/III breast cancer patients: breast cancer subtype analyses

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.Background Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is a standard treatment for stage II/III breast cancer patients, and response to NAC is a useful prognostic marker. Since its introduction, 6–8 cycles of NAC has become the standard regimen to improve the outcome of these patients. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the prognostic impact of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) response criteria and this tools usefulness in four different breast cancer subtypes. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study of clinical stage II/III breast cancer patients who received NAC of more than 6 cycles. Response after NAC and the clinicopathological factors were reviewed. AJCC response criteria for NAC were adopted from the AJCC Manual, 7th edition: complete response (CR), partial response (PR), and no response (NR). Results A total of 183 patients were enrolled; 22 (12.0 %), 123 (67.2 %), and 38 (20.8 %) patients showed CR, PR, and NR, respectively. The AJCC response was significantly associated with relapse-free survival (RFS) (P < 0.001), whereas pathologic CR (pCR), the current gold standard for response evaluation for NAC, was not (P = 0.140). AJCC response was a significant prognostic factor for RFS in all four breast cancer subtypes, namely luminal A (P = 0.006), luminal B (P = 0.001), HER-2 enriched (P = 0.039), and triple-negative breast cancer (P = 0.035). Conclusions The AJCC response criteria represent a simple and easily reproducible tool for response evaluation of NAC patients and a useful clinical prognostic marker for RFS. These criteria also have a prognostic impact in all four breast cancer subtypes, including luminal A in which pCR has a limited role

Assessment of the Impact of Spatial Variability on Streamflow Predictions Using High-Resolution Modeling and Parameter Estimation: Case Study of Geumho River Catchment, South Korea

In this study, we analyzed the impact of model spatial resolution on streamflow predictions, focusing on high-resolution scenarios (NSE values of 0.8 or higher were demonstrated at lower gauging locations. Also, at a 250 m resolution, the changes in the calibrated parameter values (REFKDT) were minimized between Rainfall Events 1 and 2, implicating more effective calibration compared to the other resolutions. At resolutions of 100 m and 500 m, the optimal parameter values for the two events were distinctively different while more computational resources were required for calibration in Event 2 with drier antecedent conditions

Parallelized Ligand Screening Using Dissolution Dynamic Nuclear Polarization

Protein–ligand interactions are frequently screened using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The dissociation constant (<i>K</i>_D) of a ligand of interest can be determined via a spin–spin relaxation measurement of a reporter ligand in a single scan when using hyperpolarization by means of dissolution dynamic nuclear polarization (D-DNP). Despite nearly instantaneous signal acquisition, a limitation of D-DNP for the screening of protein–ligand interactions is the required polarization time on the order of tens of minutes. Here, we introduce a multiplexed NMR experiment, where a single hyperpolarized ligand sample is rapidly mixed with protein injected into two flow cells. NMR detection is achieved simultaneously on both channels, resulting in a chemical shift resolved spin relaxation measurement. Spectral resolution allows the use of reference compounds for accurate quantification of concentrations. Simultaneous use of two concentration ratios between protein and ligand broadens the range of <i>K</i>_D that is accurately measurable in a single experiment to at least an order of magnitude. In a comparison of inhibitors for the protein trypsin, the average <i>K</i>_D values of benzamidine and benzylamine were found to be 12.6 ± 1.4 μM and 207 ± 22 μM from three measurements, based on <i>K</i>_D = 142 μM assumed known for the reporter ligand 4-(trifluoromethyl)­benzene-1-carboximidamide. Typical confidence ranges at 95% evaluated for single experiments were (8.3 μM, 20 μM) and (151 μM, 328 μM). The multiplexed detection of two or more hyperpolarized samples increases throughput of D-DNP by the same factor, improving the applicability to most multipoint measurements that would traditionally be achieved using titrations

Characterization of Chemical Exchange Using Relaxation Dispersion of Hyperpolarized Nuclear Spins

Chemical exchange phenomena are ubiquitous in macromolecules, which undergo conformational change or ligand complexation. NMR relaxation dispersion (RD) spectroscopy based on a Carr–Purcell–Meiboom–Gill pulse sequence is widely applied to identify the exchange and measure the lifetime of intermediate states on the millisecond time scale. Advances in hyperpolarization methods improve the applicability of NMR spectroscopy when rapid acquisitions or low concentrations are required, through an increase in signal strength by several orders of magnitude. Here, we demonstrate the measurement of chemical exchange from a single aliquot of a ligand hyperpolarized by dissolution dynamic nuclear polarization (D-DNP). Transverse relaxation rates are measured simultaneously at different pulsing delays by dual-channel ¹⁹F NMR spectroscopy. This two-point measurement is shown to allow the determination of the exchange term in the relaxation rate expression. For the ligand 4-(trifluoromethyl)­benzene-1-carboximidamide binding to the protein trypsin, the exchange term is found to be equal within error limits in neutral and acidic environments from D-DNP NMR spectroscopy, corresponding to a pre-equilibrium of trypsin deprotonation. This finding illustrates the capability for determination of binding mechanisms using D-DNP RD. Taking advantage of hyperpolarization, the ligand concentration in the exchange measurements can reach on the order of tens of μM and protein concentration can be below 1 μM, i.e., conditions typically accessible in drug discovery

Stretchable High-Resolution User-Interactive Synesthesia Displays for Visual-Acoustic Encryption

Multifunctional displays, which have various functions in single-device systems without external circuits, are actively investigated as future human-machine interfaces owing to performability of unprecedented functions in compact design. However, their application is limited to visualize the mechanical/electrical signals in light. Herein, stretchable high-resolution multicolor synesthesia display, which can generate synchronized sound and light as input/output sources, is presented by transfer-printing. Transfer-printed emissive composite leads to display with enhanced optical performance and fine sound pressure level. Owing to inherent stretchability of the device, the synesthesia display can stably operate under static and dynamic deformation without distortion in sound relative to the input waveform. User-interactive synesthesia displays are demonstrated for visual-acoustic encryption, which facilitate advanced encryption, as well as multiplex quick response code that bridges multiple domains with a single device. This approach provides new directions for multifunctional displays, with potential applications in reinforced authentication