Production of an EP/PDMS/SA/AlZnO Coated Superhydrophobic Surface through an Aerosol-Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition Process

In this study, a superhydrophobic coating on glass has been prepared through a single-step aerosol-assisted chemical vapor deposition (AACVD) process. During the process, an aerosolized precursor containing polydimethylsiloxane, epoxy resin, and stearic acid functionalized Al-doped ZnO nanoparticles was deposited onto the glass at 350 °C. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy showed that the precursor was successfully coated and formed a nano/microstructure (surface roughness: 378.0 ± 46.1 nm) on the glass surface. The coated surface had a water contact angle of 159.1 ± 1.2°, contact angle hysteresis of 2.2 ± 1.7°, and rolling off-angle of 1°, indicating that it was superhydrophobic. In the self-cleaning test of the coated surface at a tilted angle of 20°, it was shown that water droplets rolled and washed out dirt on the surface. The stability tests showed that the surface remained superhydrophobic after 120 h of exposure to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation and even after heat exposure at 350 °C. In addition, the surface was highly repellent to water solutions of pH 1–13. The results showed that the addition of the functionalized nanoparticles into the precursor allowed for the control of surface roughness and provided a simplified single-step fabrication process of the superhydrophobic surface. This provides valuable information for developing the manufacturing process for superhydrophobic surfaces

The prognostic factors of resected non-small cell lung cancer with chest wall invasion

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We retrospectively reviewed the clinical features and surgical outcomes of patients with a surgically resected NSCLC invading chest wall in order to identify prognostic factors that impact long term survival.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Between January 1990 and December 2009, 107 patients who underwent surgical resection for chest wall invading NSCLC were reviewed. Tumors invading only the parietal pleura were defined as superficial invasions, and those involving the soft tissue or ribs were defined as deep invasions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There were 91 men and 16 women; median age was 64 years (range 30 to 80 years). Overall 5 year survival rate was 26.3%. The univariate prognostic factors for survival included gender, extent of resection (pneumonectomy vs lobectomy), tumor size(> 5 cm vs ≤ 5 cm), nodal status (N0 or N1 vs N2), completeness of resection (complete vs incomplete) and completeness of adjuvant chemotherapy. At multivariate analysis, five independent prognostic factors were shown; depth of invasion (superficial vs deep), tumor size, nodal status, completeness of resection, and completeness of adjuvant chemotherapy. In patients with completely resected T3N0 NSCLC, completion of chemotherapy is the only prognostic factor for long term survival.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Completeness of resection, nodal status, depth of invasion, tumor size, and adjuvant chemotherapy were prognostic factors for long-term survival in NSCLC patients with chest wall invasion. Because of poor prognosis in cases with chest wall invasion that have N2 positive LN, that is difficult to achieve complete resection and that need pneumonectomy, definite chemoradiotherapy or neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy should be considered first in these cases.</p

A Case Report of Reiter's Syndrome with Progressive Myelopathy

Reiter's syndrome belongs to the family of spondyloarthropathies that usually present with a triad of arthritis, urethritis, and uveitis. The diagnostic criteria include clinical, radiological, and genetic findings, and the response to treatment. Nervous system involvement in Reiter's syndrome is extremely rare. We report here on a 36-year-old man who initially presented with progressive cervical myelopathy and was diagnosed as Reiter's syndrome 2 years later. The myelopathy was stable after treatment with methotrexate and sulfasalazine. This case suggests that Reiter's syndrome can present as progressive myelopathy and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of treatable myelopathies

Acute phase response in bovine coronavirus positive post-weaned calves with diarrhea

Bovine coronavirus (BCoV) is associated with severe diarrhea in calves, winter dysentery in adult cattle, and respiratory diseases in cattle of all ages. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between white blood cell counts and haptoglobin (Hp) and serum amyloid A (SAA) levels in post-weaned calves with diarrhea caused by BCoV and those that recovered from diarrhea. Blood and fecal samples were collected twice from the same animals; 17 post-weaned calves with diarrhea (first) and 15 post-weaned calves that recovered from diarrhea (second). Real-time polymerase chain reaction revealed that all 17 fecal samples from post-weaned calves with diarrhea and one out of 15 from diarrhea-recovered calves were positive for BCoV and negative for Cryptosporidium spp., Escherichia coli K99, Salmonella spp., bovine rotavirus, and bovine viral diarrhea virus. No Eimeria oocysts were detected using the flotation method. In comparison with post-weaned calves with diarrhea, in diarrhea-recovered calves, the lymphocyte count was significantly higher (P = 0.018), and the monocyte count was significantly lower (P = 0.001); however, the number of monocytes was still high. Post-weaned calves with diarrhea had a significantly higher Hp concentration (P < 0.001) compared with diarrhea-recovered calves. The results indicated that increased Hp concentration and monocytosis but not SAA may be associated with diarrhea caused by BCoV. The present study suggests that the monitoring of Hp concentration and monocyte count is useful in the diagnosis of post-weaned calves with diarrhea caused by BCoV in this field.This study was supported by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea and the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2017R1A2B2005685)

Biological Profiles of Korean Atomic Bomb Survivors in Residence at Daegu and Kyungbuk, Republic of Korea

In 1945, many Koreans, in addition to Japanese, were killed or injured by the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. This study compared the biological profiles of Korean atomic bomb survivors in residence at Daegu and Kyungbuk, Republic of Korea with those of a representative sample of Koreans obtained during a similar period. We evaluated anthropometric measurements, blood pressure, blood cell counts, blood chemistry, and urinalysis of survivors (n=414) and age- and sex-matched controls (n=414) recruited from the third Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted in 2005. Univariate analyses revealed significantly higher systolic blood pressure, white blood cell count, and serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, and aspartate aminotransferase levels (p<0.01) in the survivors. Conversely, hemoglobin concentration, hematocrit, red blood cell count, and the proportion of positive urine occult blood (p<0.01) were lower in the survivors. Our findings suggest that biological profiles of Korean atomic bomb survivors were adversely affected by radiation exposure

Early detection of cardiac involvement in Miyoshi myopathy: 2D strain echocardiography and late gadolinium enhancement cardiovascular magnetic resonance

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Miyoshi myopathy (MM) is an autosomal recessive distal myopathy characterized by early adult onset. Cardiomyopathy is a major clinical manifestation in other muscular dystrophies and an important prognostic factor. Although dysferlin is highly expressed in cardiac muscle, the effect of dysferlin deficiency in cardiac muscle has not been studied. We hypothesized that early myocardial dysfunction could be detected by 2D strain echocardiography and late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR).</p> <p>Method</p> <p>Five consecutive MM patients (3 male) in whom we detected the DYSF gene mutation and age-matched healthy control subjects were included. None of the patients had history of cardiac disease or signs and symptoms of overt heart failure. Patients were studied using 2D strain echocardiography and CMR, with 2D strain being obtained using the Automated Function Imaging technique.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>All patients had preserved left ventricular systolic function. However, segmental Peak Systolic Longitudinal Strain (PSLS) was decreased in 3 patients. Global PSLS was significantly lower in patients with MM than in control subjects (p = 0.005). Basal anterior septum, basal inferior septum, mid anterior, and mid inferior septum PSLS were significantly lower in patients with MM than in control subjects (P < 0.0001, < 0.0001, 0.038 and 0.003, respectively). Four patients showed fibrosis by LGE. The reduced PSLS lesion detected by 2D strain tended to be in the same area as that which showed fibrosis by LGE.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Patients with MM showed subclinical involvement of the heart. 2D strain and LGE are sensitive methods for detecting myocardial dysfunction prior to the development of cardiovascular symptoms. The prognostic significance of these findings warrants further longitudinal follow-up.</p

Evaluation of the efficacy of ivermectin against Theileria orientalis infection in grazing cattle

Background Raising cattle on pastures is known to be beneficial for animal welfare and cost reduction. However, grazing is associated with the risk of contracting tick-borne diseases, such as theileriosis. Here, the efficacy of ivermectin against these diseases and associated clinical symptoms were evaluated. Results A total of 68 cattle from a grazing cattle farm were selected and divided into two groups: the control group (17 cattle) with no preventive treatment and the ivermectin-treated group (51 cattle) in which cattle were treated with pour-on ivermectin prior to grazing. The infection rates of Theileria orientalis and the red blood cell (RBC) profile (e.g., RBC count, hematocrit value, and hemoglobin concentration) were compared in the spring (before grazing) and summer (during grazing) between the two groups. Based on PCR amplification of the major piroplasm surface protein (MPSP) gene, 12 cattle were positive for T. orientalis infection. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the isolates identified in this study consisted of three MPSP types (1, 2, and 7). The T. orientalis infection rate in the control group during grazing was 3-fold higher than that in the ivermectin-treated group. Moreover, differences in RBC parameters during grazing were greater in the control group than in the ivermectin-treated group. In particular, the hematocrit value was significantly reduced in the control group. Conclusions The results of this study demonstrated that ivermectin had protective effects against T. orientalis infection and RBC hemolysis in grazing cattle.This work was supported by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea and the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF2017R1A2B2005685). This research was partially supported by Technology Development Program (Project No. 1116043–1) for Bio-industry, Ministry for Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Republic of Korea. The funders had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, interpretation of results, writing of the report, decision to submit the paper for publication