Dichlorido[(S)-N-(1-phenyl­ethyl­idene)-1-(pyridin-2-yl)ethanamine-κ2 N,N′]zinc(II) dichloro­methane solvate

In the title compound, [ZnCl2(C15H16N2)]·CH2Cl2, the Zn(II) atom has a distorted tetra­hedral coordination by two Cl atoms and two N atoms from the organic ligand [the average Zn—N and Zn—Cl bond lengths are 2.060 (4) Å and Zn—Cl = 2.179 (16) Å, respectively]. The dihedral angle between the N—Zn—N and Cl—Zn—Cl planes is 89.9 (1)°. The phenyl ring forms a dihedral angle of 40.6 (5)° with the imine plane

Cancer-related Fatigue in Patients with Advanced Cancer Treated with Autonomic Nerve Pharmacopuncture

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to observe the effects of autonomic nerve pharmacopuncture (ANP) treatment on cancer-related fatigue (CRF) in patients with advanced cancer. This observational case study was conducted at the East West Cancer Center of Daejeon University's Dunsan Korean Medical Hospital. Two patients were observed. One patient was diagnosed with left thymic cancer metastatic to the left pleura. The other patient had terminal-stage cervical cancer with iliac bone and lumbar 5 metastases. We injected mountain ginseng pharmacopuncture (MGP) into acupoints alongside the spine (Hua-Tuo-Jia-Ji-Xue, EX B2). We examined the patients for CRF using the Korean version of the Revised Piper Fatigue Scale (RPFS-K), which is a self-assessment tool. The scores on the RPFS-K for both patients tended to decrease during the treatment. Laboratory findings, including hematological changes, were also checked. Liver and renal function tests showed that the treatment was safe. Although further large-population studies are necessary, this case study suggests that ANP has a favorable effect on CRF in patients with advanced cancer

Factors associated with the incidence of revision total knee arthroplasty in Korea between 2007 and 2012: an analysis of the National Claim Registry

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.Abstract Background The number of revision total knee arthroplasties (TKAs) in Asian countries is projected to increase with the rapid growth of primary TKA. We investigated the factors associated with the incidence of revision TKA using a nationally representative database. Methods Data collected by the Health Insurance Review Agency of Korea, from 260,068 TKA patients between 2007 and 2012, were used to estimate the incidence rate and cumulative incidence of revision TKA according to age, gender, and hospital TKA and prosthesis manufacturer volume. Age, hospital, and manufacturer volume were categorized into three groups. The incidence rates and cumulative incidences of revision TKA were computed by combining age and gender, and by combining hospital and prosthesis manufacturer volume. Results Incidence rates per 100,000 person-years were as follows: 1) by age: < 65 years, 447.2; 65–74 years, 363.7; ≥ 75 years, 270.9, 2) by gender: male, 537.8; female, 346.1; 3) by hospital volume (procedures/year): < 20, 536.9; 20–199, 432.3; ≥ 200, 300.1; and 4) by manufacturer volume (prostheses/year): < 1500, 772.3; 1500–3999, 453.9; ≥ 4000, 345.6. The revision TKA incidence rate in young males was significantly higher compared to that in elderly females. The difference in cumulative incidence, between hospitals with an annual volume of < 20 procedures and those with a volume of 20–199 procedures, was reduced for manufacturers with an annual volume of ≥ 4000. Similarly, the difference in cumulative incidence between manufacturers with an annual volume of <1500 prostheses and those with a volume of 1500–3999 prostheses was reduced in hospitals with an annual volume of ≥ 200. Conclusion Revision TKA incidence varied according to age, gender, and hospital and manufacturer volume. This data could inform clinical decisions and healthcare strategies

A Pulmonary Nodule due to Pulmonary Infarction Diagnosed by Video-Assisted Thoracoscopy

We report a pulmonary infarction in 68-year-old man who was referred for an asymptomatic pulmonary nodule in chest radiography. Computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET), and transthoracic needle aspiration suggested suspicion for malignancy. Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) was performed for histologic diagnosis. Our case is a pulmonary nodule due to pulmonary infarction diagnosed by VATS in Korea

Growth direction determination of a single RuO2 nanowire by polarized Raman spectroscopy

The dependence of band intensities in the Raman spectrum of individual single-crystal ruthenium dioxide (RuO2) nanowires on the angle between the plane of polarization of the exciting (and collected) light and the long axis of the nanowire, is shown to be a simple, complementary technique to high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) for determining nanowire growth direction. We show that excellent agreement exists between what is observed and what is predicted for the polarization angle dependence of the intensities of the nanowires' E-g (525 cm(-1)) and the B-2g (714 cm(-1)) Raman bands, only by assuming that the nanowires grow along the (001) crystallographic direction, as confirmed by HRTEM.open9

Optimization of a Pretreatment for Copper Electroless Deposition on Ta Substrates

We investigated pretreatment methods for Cu electroless deposition on a Ta substrate. The native oxide on the substrate was effectively etched by the addition of HNO3 to a HF diluted solution and this was confirmed though X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and chronopotentiometry. To form the Pd catalyst for Cu electroless deposition, a two-step Sn sensitization and Pd activation was carried out. The oxide removal enhanced the adsorption of the Sn ions on the Ta substrate and led to well distributed Pd clusters through Pd activation. By measuring the resistivity of the film, the Sn sensitization time and the Pd activation time were optimized through changes in the incubation time, at which the sheet resistance abruptly decreased by the film formation via the coalescence of Cu grains. The resistivity of the Cu electroless film deposited using the optimized pretreatment conditions was 3.59 cm, which was further reduced to 2.7 cm through an annealing process.This work was supported by KOSEF through the Research Center for Energy Conversion and Storage RCECS , Dongbu Electronics, and by the Institute of Chemical Processes ICP

Retroperitoneal Giant Liposarcoma

Retroperitoneal liposarcoma is an infrequent, locally aggressive malignancy. We report two cases of huge retroperitoneal liposarcomas. The presence of a palpable abdominal mass was a common symptom of the two patients. Preoperative imaging study showed huge retroperitoneal tumors. Both patients underwent complete surgical resections, and a negative microscopic margin was achieved in both cases. The histopathologic diagnosis was a well-differentiated retroperitoneal liposarcoma. Neither of the two patients developed a recurring tumor during the 1.5 years of follow-up

Nitric oxide induces MUC5AC mucin in respiratory epithelial cells through PKC and ERK dependent pathways

BACKGROUND: Nitric oxide (NO) is generally increased during inflammatory airway diseases. This increased NO stimulates the secretion of mucin from the goblet cell and submucosal glands but the mechanism is still unknown precisely. In this study, we investigated potential signaling pathways involving protein kinase C (PKC) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) in the NO-induced MUC5AC mucin gene and protein expression in A549 cells. METHODS: Nitric oxide was donated to the A549 cells by NOR-1. MUC5AC mucin levels were assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). MUC5AC promoter activity was determined by measuring luciferase activity after the lysing the transfected cells. Activation of PKC isoforms were measured by assessing the distribution of the enzyme between cytosolic and membrane fractions using immunoblotting. Immunoblotting experiments using a monoclonal antibody specific to PKC isoforms were performed in the cytosol and membrane fractions from A549 cells. Western blot analysis for pERK and p38 were performed using the corresponding antibodies from the cell lysates after donating NO to the A549 cells by NOR-1. RESULTS: The transcriptional activity of MUC5AC promoter was maximal at the concentration of 0.1 mM NOR-1 for 1 hour incubation in transfected A549 cells. (±)-(E)-methyl-2-((E)-hydroxyimino)-5-nitro-6-methoxy-3-hexenamide (NOR-1) markedly displaced the protein kinase C (PKC)α and PKCδ from the cytosol to the membrane. Furthermore, the PKC-α,βinhibitors, GÖ6976 (10 nM) and PKCδ inhibitors, rottlerin (4 μM) inhibited the NOR-1 induced migration of PKCα and PKCδ respectively. NOR-1 also markedly increased the MUC5AC promoter activity and mRNA expression, mucin synthesis and ERK1/2 phosphorylation. The PKC inhibitors also inhibited the NOR-1 induced MUC5AC mRNA and MUC5AC protein synthesis by inhibiting the activation of PKCα and PKCδ with ERK1/2 pathways. CONCLUSION: Exogenous NO induced the MUC5AC mucin gene and protein through the PKCα and PKCδ – ERK pathways in A549 cells. Inhibition of PKC attenuated NO-mediated MUC5AC mucin synthesis. In view of this findings, PKC inhibitors might be useful in the treatment of bronchial asthma and chronic bronchitis patients where NO and mucus are increased in the bronchial airways