Integration scheme of nanoscale resistive switching memory using bottom-up processes at room temperature for high-density memory applications

A facile and versatile scheme is demonstrated to fabricate nanoscale resistive switching memory devices that exhibit reliable bipolar switching behavior. A solution process is used to synthesize the copper oxide layer into 250-nm via-holes that had been patterned in Si wafers. Direct bottom-up filling of copper oxide can facilitate fabrication of nanoscale memory devices without using vacuum deposition and etching processes. In addition, all materials and processes are CMOS compatible, and especially, the devices can be fabricated at room temperature. Nanoscale memory devices synthesized on wafers having 250-nm via-holes showed reproducible resistive switching programmable memory characteristics with reasonable endurance and data retention properties. This integration strategy provides a solution to overcome the scaling limit of current memory device fabrication methods.1165Ysciescopu

Global patient outcomes after elective surgery: prospective cohort study in 27 low-, middle- and high-income countries.

BACKGROUND: As global initiatives increase patient access to surgical treatments, there remains a need to understand the adverse effects of surgery and define appropriate levels of perioperative care. METHODS: We designed a prospective international 7-day cohort study of outcomes following elective adult inpatient surgery in 27 countries. The primary outcome was in-hospital complications. Secondary outcomes were death following a complication (failure to rescue) and death in hospital. Process measures were admission to critical care immediately after surgery or to treat a complication and duration of hospital stay. A single definition of critical care was used for all countries. RESULTS: A total of 474 hospitals in 19 high-, 7 middle- and 1 low-income country were included in the primary analysis. Data included 44 814 patients with a median hospital stay of 4 (range 2-7) days. A total of 7508 patients (16.8%) developed one or more postoperative complication and 207 died (0.5%). The overall mortality among patients who developed complications was 2.8%. Mortality following complications ranged from 2.4% for pulmonary embolism to 43.9% for cardiac arrest. A total of 4360 (9.7%) patients were admitted to a critical care unit as routine immediately after surgery, of whom 2198 (50.4%) developed a complication, with 105 (2.4%) deaths. A total of 1233 patients (16.4%) were admitted to a critical care unit to treat complications, with 119 (9.7%) deaths. Despite lower baseline risk, outcomes were similar in low- and middle-income compared with high-income countries. CONCLUSIONS: Poor patient outcomes are common after inpatient surgery. Global initiatives to increase access to surgical treatments should also address the need for safe perioperative care. STUDY REGISTRATION: ISRCTN5181700

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Solution-Processed Flexible Threshold Switch Devices

Flexible threshold switch devices are essential for low-power and high-speed semiconductor devices. Especially, bidirectional threshold switch has been regarded as the ideal switching device for ultrahigh-density crosspoint memory devices. Here, a flexible Pt/Ag-doped ZnO/Pt switch on the flexible plastic substrate synthesized by electrochemical bottom-up deposition is introduced. The flexible switch has bidirectional threshold switching behavior with ultralow off-current, high selectivity (approximate to 10(7)), and super-steep threshold slope. The bidirectional threshold switching behavior is related to migration of silver ions to form Ag filament. This device shows stable electrical properties, endures constant voltage stress, and retains good reliability under mechanical stress. It is believed that this study would open up new possibilities for high-density flexible memory devices by introducing flexible novel bidirectional, high-performance switching devices for emerging flexible electronics.114sciescopu

Human bloodstream infection caused by Staphylococcus pettenkoferi

Staphylococcus pettenkoferi is a recently isolated human pathogen with only a few reported cases of infection. We report a case of bloodstream infection caused by S. pettenkoferi in a patient with pulmonary tuberculosis.Rintala H, 2008, BMC MICROBIOL, V8, DOI 10.1186/1471-2180-8-56Tang YW, 2008, DIAGN MICR INFEC DIS, V60, P351, DOI 10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2007.11.005Trulzsch K, 2007, INT J SYST EVOL MICR, V57, P1543, DOI 10.1099/ijs.0.64381-0Loiez C, 2007, J CLIN MICROBIOL, V45, P1069, DOI 10.1128/JCM.02328-06Lau SKP, 2006, J CLIN PATHOL, V59, P219, DOI 10.1136/jcp.2004.025247Mellmann A, 2006, EMERG INFECT DIS, V12, P333Fontana C, 2005, J CLIN MICROBIOL, V43, P615, DOI 10.1128/JCM.43.2.615-619.2005Woo PCY, 2003, J CLIN MICROBIOL, V41, P1996, DOI 10.1128/JCM.41.5.1996-2001.2003Trulzsch K, 2002, DIAGN MICR INFEC DIS, V43, P175Drancourt M, 2002, J CLIN MICROBIOL, V40, P1333, DOI 10.1128/JCM.40.4.1333-1338.2002Kim SD, 2000, INFECT CONT HOSP EP, V21, P213Pfaller MA, 1999, DIAGN MICR INFEC DIS, V33, P283Huebner J, 1999, ANNU REV MED, V50, P223

Usefulness of the whole-blood interferon-gamma release assay for diagnosis of extrapulmonary tuberculosis

The whole-blood interferon-gamma enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (QuantiFERON-TB Gold [QFT-G]; Cellestis, Carnegie, Australia) has been studied mainly for diagnosing active pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) or latent TB. We prospectively evaluated its diagnostic usefulness in patients suspected with extrapulmonary TB (EP-TB). Of the 100 adult patients with suspected EP-TB, 43 were classified as "confirmed" EP-TB and 5 as "probable" EP-TB. Of the 48 with EP-TB, 27 (56%) were diagnosed with TB lymphadenitis and 11 (17%) with skeletal TB. The overall sensitivity and specificity of the assay were 69% (95% confidence interval [CI(95)], 53-81%) and 82% (CI(95), 69-91%), respectively. Among 44 patients presented with cervical lymphadenopathy, the QFT-G assay showed 86% (CI(95), 64-97%) sensitivity and 87% (CI(95), 66-97%) specificity, whereas in 28 with skeletal involvement, the sensitivity and specificity of the assay were 45% (CI(95), 17-77%) and 81% (CI(95), 54-96%), respectively. These suboptimal diagnostic performances suggest that the QFT-G assay alone is not sufficient for the diagnosis of EP-TB

Association between dental health and obstructive coronary artery disease: an observational study

Abstract Background The association between dental health and coronary artery disease (CAD) remains a topic of debate. This study aimed to investigate the association between dental health and obstructive CAD using multiple dental indices. Methods Eighty-eight patients (mean age: 65 years, 86% male) were prospectively enrolled before undergoing coronary CT angiography (n = 52) or invasive coronary angiography (n = 36). Obstructive CAD was defined as luminal stenosis of ≥50% for the left main coronary artery or ≥ 70% for the other epicardial coronary arteries. All patients underwent thorough dental examinations to evaluate 7 dental health indices, including the sum of decayed and filled teeth, the ratio of no restoration, the community periodontal index of treatment needs, clinical attachment loss, the total dental index, the panoramic topography index, and number of lost teeth. Results Forty patients (45.4%) had obstructive CAD. Among the 7 dental health indices, only the number of lost teeth was significantly associated with obstructive CAD, with patients who had obstructive CAD having significantly more lost teeth than patients without obstructive CAD (13.08 ± 10.4 vs. 5.44 ± 5.74, p < 0.001). The number of lost teeth was correlated with the number of obstructed coronary arteries (p < 0.001). Multiple binary logistic regression analysis revealed that having ≥10 lost teeth was independently associated with the presence of obstructive CAD (odds ratio: 8.02, 95% confidence interval: 1.80–35.64; p = 0.006). Conclusions Tooth loss was associated with the presence of obstructive CAD in patients undergoing coronary evaluation. Larger longitudinal studies are needed to determine whether there is a causal relationship between tooth loss and CAD

Genetic Variants Within Molecular Targets of Antipsychotic Treatment: Effects on Treatment Response, Schizophrenia Risk, and Psychopathological Features

Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a common and severe mental disorder. Genetic factors likely play a role in its pathophysiology as well as in treatment response. In the present study, we investigated the effects of several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within 9 genes involved with antipsychotic (AP) mechanisms of action. Two independent samples were recruited. The Korean sample included 176 subjects diagnosed with SCZ and 326 healthy controls, while the Italian sample included 83 subjects and 194 controls. AP response as measured by the positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS) was the primary outcome, while the secondary outcome was the SCZ risk. Exploratory analyses were performed on (1) symptom clusters response (as measured by PANSS subscales); (2) age of onset; (3) family history; and (4) suicide history. Associations evidenced in the primary analyses did not survive to the FDR correction. Concerning SCZ risk, we partially confirmed the associations among COMT and MAPK1 genetic variants and SCZ. Finally, our exploratory analysis suggested that CHRNA7 and HTR2A genes may modulate both positive and negative symptoms responses, while PLA2G4A and SIGMAR1 may modulate respectively positive and negative symptoms responses. Moreover, GSK3B, HTR2A, PLA2G4A, and S100B variants may determine an anticipation of SCZ age of onset. Our results did not support a primary role for the genes investigated in AP response as a whole. However, our exploratory findings suggested that these genes may be involved in symptom clusters response

Genetic Variants Within Key Nodes of the Cascade of Antipsychotic Mechanisms: Effects on Antipsychotic Response and Schizophrenia Psychopathology in a Naturalistic Treatment Setting in Two Independent Korean and Italian Samples

Introduction: Schizophrenia (SCZ) is one of the most disabling psychiatric disorders. Genetic factors play an important role in both SCZ liability and its treatment outcome. In the present paper, we investigated the effects of several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within ten strong candidate genes involved with antipsychotics (APs) mechanisms of action. Methods: Two independent samples were investigated in the present study. Totals of 176 SCZ subjects and 326 controls of Korean ancestry, and 83 SCZ subjects and 194 controls of Italian ancestry were recruited and genotyped. SCZ risk and other parameters were also investigated. Results: Concerning APs response, only a nominal association with HOMER1 rs3822568 in the Korean sample was found. In the haplotype analysis, rs9801117 C\ue2\u80\u93rs12668837 C\ue2\u80\u93rs4621754 A haplotype within ESYT2 and NCAPG2 genes was associated with APs response in the same sample. As for secondary outcomes, rs7439 within PKDCC and rs12668837 within NCAPG2 were associated with SCZ risk in the Italian sample. In the haplotype analysis, rs2788478 G\ue2\u80\u93rs2657375 T\ue2\u80\u93rs1039621 A within the region between WDR60 and ESYT genes and rs2013 C (ESYT2)\ue2\u80\u93rs6459896 A (NCAPG2) haplotypes were associated with SCZ in the same sample. No association was found in the Korean sample. Finally, our exploratory data suggest a possible modulation of HOMER1, ARC, BDNF, TXNRD2, WDR60, and ESYT2 genes in the APs response to specific symptom clusters. Conclusion: Our results did not support a primary role for the genes investigated in the APs response. On the other hand, our secondary results suggest a possible involvement of NACPG2 and PKDCC in SCZ liability. Finally, our exploratory findings may deserve further investigations in specific studies