Mini-Open Approach for Direct Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion

Study DesignRetrospective analysis.PurposesTo introduce the mini-open lateral approach for the anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF), and to investigate the advantages, technical pitfalls and complications by providing basic knowledge on extreme lateral interbody fusion (XLIF) or direct lumbar interbody fusion (DLIF).Overview of LiteratureRecently, minimally invasive lateral approach for the lumbar spine is revived and receiving popularity under the name of XLIF or DLIF by modification of mini-open method when using the sequential tubular dilator and special expandable retractor system.MethodsSeventy-four patients who underwent surgery by the mini-open lateral approach from September 2000 to April 2008 with various disease entities were included. Blood losses, operation times, incision sizes, postoperative time to mobilization, length of hospital stays, technical problems and complications were all analyzed.ResultsThe blood losses and operation times of patients who underwent simple ALIF were 61.2 mL and 86 minutes for one level, 107 mL and 106 minutes for two levels, 250 mL and 142.8 minutes for three levels, and 400 mL and 190 minutes for four levels of fusion. The incision sizes were on average 4.5 cm for one level, 6.3 cm for two levels, 8.5 cm for three levels and 10.0 cm for four levels of fusion. The complications were retroperitoneal hematoma (2 cases), pneumonia (1 case) and transient lumbosacral plexus palsy (3 cases).ConclusionsTrials of mini-open lateral approach would be helpful before the trial of XLIF or DLIF. However, special attention is required for complications such as transient lumbosacral plexus palsy

A highly efficient wide-band-gap host material for blue electrophosphorescent light-emitting devices

We report on an efficient wide-band-gap host material for blue electrophosphorescence devices, namely, 1,2-trans-di-9-carbazolylcyclobutane (DCz). Photophysical studies show that lower-energy excimer formation between the carbazole units can be efficiently suppressed in a DCz film, thus maintaining its high triplet-state energy and inducing an exothermic energy transfer from DCz to iridium(III)bis[(4,6-difluorophenyl)-pyridinato-N,C2]picolinate (FIrpic). Electrophosphorescent devices comprising a FIrpic:DCz emitting layer exhibit a superior performance with a maximum external quantum efficiency of 9.8%, a maximum luminance efficiency of 21.5 cd/A, and a maximum power efficiency of 15.0 lm/W at 0.01 mA/cm2.This work was partly supported by the Korea Science and Engineering Foundation (KOSEF) through the National Research Laboratory Program funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology (No. 2006-03246), and by Dongwoo FineChem Co

Detection of Single Nanoparticles inside a Single Terahertz Resonator

With the rapid advancement of 5G/6G communications using millimeter wavelengths, the concomitant usage of these long wavelength radiation for remote sensing and monitoring of biological and chemical agents is anticipated. However, the ability to detect and identify these agents with sizes ranging from nanometers to microns is hampered by its millimeter wavelength, which drastically reduces the interaction cross-section. Herein, it is reported that single gold nanoparticles (NPs) drop-casted on the nanoresonator can be observed by monitoring the far-field transmitting spectra of individual terahertz (THz) nanoresonators, which enhance the electric field hundreds of times on the nanoscale. Despite the enormous mismatch in length scales, full-wave 3D numerical modeling of the single THz nanoresonator is also performed to interpret the experimental results, indicating the possibility to turn off the resonance using only one NP embedded in the hotspot of the nanoresonator. Such NP detection becomes the most sensitive when the particle, whose size is comparable to the gap width, is tightly fitted into the nanoresonator. This work unveils the potential associated with refractive index sensing and hyperspectral absorption spectroscopy for detecting and fingerprinting ultra-low density of bio/chemical molecules such as viruses, lipid vesicles, and explosives

Genetic Variations Mir-10Aa\u3eT, Mir-30Ca\u3eG, Mir-181At\u3eC, and Mir-499Ba\u3eG and the Risk of Recurrent Pregnancy Loss in Korean Women

This study investigated the genetic association between recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) and microRNA (miRNA) polymorphisms in miR-10aA\u3eT, miR-30cA\u3eG, miR-181aT\u3eC, and miR-499bA\u3eG in Korean women. Blood samples were collected from 381 RPL patients and 281 control participants, and genotyping of miR-10aA\u3eT, miR-30cA\u3eG, miR-181aT\u3eC, and miR-499bA\u3eG was carried out by TaqMan miRNA RT-Real Time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Four polymorphisms were identified, including miR-10aA\u3eT, miR-30cA\u3eG, miR-181aT\u3eC, and miR-499bA\u3eG. MiR-10a dominant model (AA vs. AT + TT) and miR-499bGG genotypes were associated with increased RPL risk (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.520, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.038−2.227, p = 0.032; AOR = 2.956, 95% CI = 1.168−7.482, p = 0.022, respectively). Additionally, both miR-499 dominant (AA vs. AG + GG) and recessive (AA + AG vs. GG) models were significantly associated with increased RPL risk (AOR = 1.465, 95% CI = 1.062−2.020, p = 0.020; AOR = 2.677, 95% CI = 1.066−6.725, p = 0.036, respectively). We further propose that miR-10aA\u3eT, miR-30cA\u3eG, and miR-499bA\u3eG polymorphisms effects could contribute to RPL and should be considered during RPL patient evaluation

Evaluating the Allergic Risk of Genetically Modified Soybean

Genetically modified (GM) soybean (carrying the EPSPS transgene) is the most common GM food in Korea. In order to assess whether genetic modification increases the allergenic risk of soybeans, the allergenicity and IgE-reactive components of wild-type and GM soybean extracts were compared in allergic adults who had been sensitized to soybeans. We enrolled 1,716 adult allergy patients and 40 healthy, non-atopic controls. Skin prick tests and IgE enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) were performed using wild-type and GM soybean extracts, along with other common inhaled allergens. The specificities of serum IgE antibodies from allergic patients and the identities of the IgE-reactive components of the soybean extracts were compared using ELISA inhibition testing, 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis, and IgE immunoblotting. To evaluate the effects of digestive enzymes and heat treatment, the soybean extracts were heated or pre- incubated with or without simulated gastric and intestinal fluids. The IgE sensitization rates to wild-type and GM soybeans were identical (3.8% of allergic adults), and circulating IgE antibodies specific for the two extracts were comparable. The results of the ELISA inhibition test, SDS-PAGE, and IgE immunoblotting showed a similar composition of IgE-binding components within the wild-type and GM extracts, which was confirmed using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, IgE immunoblotting, and amino acid sequencing. None of the subjects had a positive response to purified EPSPS protein in the skin prick test, ELISA, or IgE immunoblot analysis. These findings suggest that the IgE sensitization rate to GM soybean extracts is identical to that of wild-type soybean extracts in adult allergy patients. In addition, based on both in vivo and in vitro methods, the allergenicity of wild type and GM soybean extracts was identical

Inorganic Arsenite Potentiates Vasoconstriction through Calcium Sensitization in Vascular Smooth Muscle

Chronic exposure to arsenic is well known as the cause of cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension. To investigate the effect of arsenic on blood vessels, we examined whether arsenic affected the contraction of aortic rings in an isolated organ bath system. Treatment with arsenite, a trivalent inorganic species, increased vasoconstriction induced by phenylephrine or serotonin in a concentration-dependent manner. Among the arsenic species tested—arsenite, pentavalent inorganic species (arsenate), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA(V)), and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA(V))—arsenite was the most potent. Similar effects were also observed in aortic rings without endothelium, suggesting that vascular smooth muscle plays a key role in enhancing vasoconstriction induced by arsenite. This hypercontraction by arsenite was well correlated with the extent of myosin light chain (MLC) phosphorylation stimulated by phenylephrine. Direct Ca(2+) measurement using fura-2 dye in aortic strips revealed that arsenite enhanced vasoconstriction induced by high K(+) without concomitant increase in intracellular Ca(2+) elevation, suggesting that, rather than direct Ca(2+) elevation, Ca(2+) sensitization may be a major contributor to the enhanced vasoconstriction by arsenite. Consistent with these in vitro results, 2-hr pretreatment of 1.0 mg/kg intravenous arsenite augmented phenylephrine-induced blood pressure increase in conscious rats. All these results suggest that arsenite increases agonist-induced vasoconstriction mediated by MLC phosphorylation in smooth muscles and that calcium sensitization is one of the key mechanisms for the hypercontraction induced by arsenite in blood vessels

High sensitivity bolometers based on metal nanoantenna dimers with a nanogap filled with vanadium dioxide

One critical factor for bolometer sensitivity is efficient electromagnetic heating of thermistor materials, which plasmonic nanogap structures can provide through the electric field enhancement. In this report, using finite element method simulation, electromagnetic heating of nanorod dimer antennas with a nanogap filled with vanadium dioxide (VO2) was studied for long-wavelength infrared detection. Because VO2 is a thermistor material, the electrical resistance between the two dimer ends depends on the dimer's temperature. The simulation results show that, due to the high heating ability of the nanogap, the temperature rise is several times higher than expected from the areal coverage. This excellent performance is observed over various nanorod lengths and gap widths, ensuring wavelength tunability and ultrafast operating speed, thereby making the dimer structures a promising candidate for high sensitivity bolometers

Dialysis specialist care and patient survival in hemodialysis facilities: a Korean nationwide cohort study

Background It is important for the dialysis specialist to provide essential and safe care to hemodialysis (HD) patients. However, little is known about the actual effect of dialysis specialist care on the survival of HD patients. We therefore investigated the influence of dialysis specialist care on patient mortality in a nationwide Korean dialysis cohort. Methods We used an HD quality assessment and National Health Insurance Service claims data from October to December 2015. A total of 34,408 patients were divided into two groups according to the proportion of dialysis specialists in their HD unit, as follows: 0%, no dialysis specialist care group, and ≥50%, dialysis specialist care group. We analyzed the mortality risk of these groups using the Cox proportional hazards model after matching propensity scores. Results After propensity score matching, 18,344 patients were enrolled. The ratio of patients from the groups with and without dialysis specialist care was 86.7% to 13.3%. The dialysis specialist care group showed a shorter dialysis vintage, higher levels of hemoglobin, higher single-pool Kt/V values, lower levels of phosphorus, and lower systolic and diastolic blood pressures than the no dialysis specialist care group. After adjusting demographic and clinical parameters, the absence of dialysis specialist care was a significant independent risk factor for all-cause mortality (hazard ratio, 1.10; 95% confidence interval, 1.03–1.18; p = 0.004). Conclusion Dialysis specialist care is an important determinant of overall patient survival among HD patients. Appropriate care given by dialysis specialists may improve clinical outcomes of patients undergoing HD