Fabrication of flexible UV nanoimprint mold with fluorinated polymer-coated PET film

UV curing nanoimprint lithography is one of the most promising techniques for the fabrication of micro- to nano-sized patterns on various substrates with high throughput and a low production cost. The UV nanoimprint process requires a transparent template with micro- to nano-sized surface protrusions, having a low surface energy and good flexibility. Therefore, the development of low-cost, transparent, and flexible templates is essential. In this study, a flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film coated with a fluorinated polymer material was used as an imprinting mold. Micro- and nano-sized surface protrusion patterns were formed on the fluorinated polymer layer by the hot embossing process from a Si master template. Then, the replicated pattern of the fluorinated polymer, coated on the flexible PET film, was used as a template for the UV nanoimprint process without any anti-stiction coating process. In this way, the micro- to nano-sized patterns of the original master Si template were replicated on various substrates, including a flat Si substrate and curved acryl substrate, with high fidelity using UV nanoimprint lithography

G-protein-coupled receptor 81 promotes a malignant phenotype in breast cancer through angiogenic factor secretion

G-protein-coupled receptor 81 (GPR81) functions as a receptor for lactate and plays an important role in the regulation of anti-lipolytic effects in adipocytes. However, to data, a role for GPR81 in the tumor microenvironment has not been clearly defined. Here, GPR81 expression in breast cancer patients and several breast cancer cell lines was significantly increased compared with normal mammary tissues and cells. GPR81 knockdown resulted in impaired breast cancer growth and led to apoptosis both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, the inhibition of GPR81 signaling suppressed angiogenesis through a phosphoinositide 3-OH kinase (PI3K)/Akt-cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) pathway, which led to decreased production of the pro-angiogenic mediator amphiregulin (AREG). Overall, these findings identify GPR81 as a tumor-promoting receptor in breast cancer progression and suggest a novel mechanism that regulates GPR81-dependent activation of the PI3K/Akt signaling axis in tumor microenvironment.open

A simple and accurate SNP scoring strategy based on typeIIS restriction endonuclease cleavage and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We describe the development of a novel matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF)-based single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) scoring strategy, termed Restriction Fragment Mass Polymorphism (RFMP) that is suitable for genotyping variations in a simple, accurate, and high-throughput manner. The assay is based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and mass measurement of oligonucleotides containing a polymorphic base, to which a typeIIS restriction endonuclease recognition was introduced by PCR amplification. Enzymatic cleavage of the products leads to excision of oligonucleotide fragments representing base variation of the polymorphic site whose masses were determined by MALDI-TOF MS.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The assay represents an improvement over previous methods because it relies on the direct mass determination of PCR products rather than on an indirect analysis, where a base-extended or fluorescent report tag is interpreted. The RFMP strategy is simple and straightforward, requiring one restriction digestion reaction following target amplification in a single vessel. With this technology, genotypes are generated with a high call rate (99.6%) and high accuracy (99.8%) as determined by independent sequencing.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The simplicity, accuracy and amenability to high-throughput screening analysis should make the RFMP assay suitable for large-scale genotype association study as well as clinical genotyping in laboratories.</p

A Case Report of Sweet’s Syndrome with Parotitis

Sweet’s syndrome is characterized by clinical symptoms, physical features, and pathologicfindings which include fever, neutrophilia, tender erythematous skin lesions, and a diffuseinfiltrate of mature neutrophils. This is a report of our experience of Sweet’s syndrome withparotitis. A 57-year-old man initially presented with tender swelling on the right cheeksimilar to parotitis. His symptoms relapsed despite the use of an oral antibiotic agent for 3weeks. He additionally presented with erythematous papules and plaques on the perioculararea and dorsum of both hands. Histiopathologic findings on punch biopsy of the rightdorsum of the hand showed superficial perivenular histiocytic infiltration without vasculitis.We confirmed this as histiocytoid Sweet’s syndrome and used systemic corticosteroid. Afterinitiation of treatment with systemic corticosteroids, there was a prompt recovery from boththe dermatosis-releated symptoms and skin lesions. Sweet’s syndrome should be consideredin patients with therapy-refractory parotitis and unclear infiltrated nodules. We present aconfusing case who initially appeared to have parotitis but turned out to have histiocytoidSweet’s syndrome

Reversible Splenium Lesion of the Corpus Callosum in Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Failure Syndrome

This is the first case of virus-associated encephalitis/encephalopathy in which the pathogen was Hantaan virus. A 53-yr-old man presented fever, renal failure and a hemorrhagic tendency and he was diagnosed with hemorrhagic fever with renal failure syndrome (HFRS). In the course of his illness, mild neurologic symptoms such as dizziness and confusion developed and magnetic resonance images revealed a reversible lesion in the splenium of the corpus callosum. This case suggests that HFRS patients with neurologic symptoms like dizziness and mental slowing should be considered to have structural brain lesions and to require brain imaging studies