Sintilimab combined with bevacizumab in relapsed or persistent ovarian clear cell carcinoma (INOVA): a multicentre, single-arm, phase 2 trial.

BACKGROUND: Ovarian clear cell carcinoma rarely responds to second-line chemotherapy, the recommended treatment for relapsed epithelial ovarian cancer. Here, we report the activity and safety of sintilimab in combination with bevacizumab in patients with relapsed or persistent ovarian clear cell carcinoma. METHODS: In the prospective, multicentre, single-arm, phase 2 INOVA trial, patients aged 18-75 years with histologically confirmed relapsed or persistent ovarian clear cell carcinoma were enrolled from eight tertiary hospitals in China. Eligible patients had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status score of 0-2 and previous exposure to at least one cycle of platinum-containing chemotherapy. Enrolled patients received sintilimab (200 mg) and bevacizumab (15 mg/kg) intravenously every 3 weeks until disease progression. The primary endpoint was objective response rate assessed by independent central review based on Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumours version 1.1. Eligible enrolled patients who received at least one cycle of treatment and had at least one tumour response assessment following the baseline assessment per protocol were included in the activity analysis. Patients who received at least one dose of study drug were included in the safety analysis. The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04735861) and is ongoing. FINDINGS: Between April 8, 2021, and July 3, 2023, 51 patients were screened and 41 patients received at least one dose of sintilimab in combination with bevacizumab. Response evaluation was completed in 37 patients. Objective responses were observed in 15 patients (objective response rate 40·5%; 95% CI 24·8-57·9), of which five (14%) were complete responses and ten (27%) were partial responses. At data cutoff (Jan 29, 2024), the median follow-up was 16·9 months (IQR 7·5-23·4). Three (7%) patients developed grade 3 treatment-related adverse events including one patient with proteinuria, one patient with myocarditis, and one patient with rash. No treatment-related adverse events of worse than grade 3 severity were recorded. Treatment-related serious adverse events occurred in two (5%) patients including one patient with immune-related myocarditis and another with hypertension and renal dysfunction. No treatment-related deaths occurred. INTERPRETATION: Sintilimab in combination with bevacizumab showed promising anti-tumour activity and manageable safety in patients with relapsed or persistent ovarian clear cell carcinoma. Larger, randomised trials are warranted to compare this low-toxicity, chemotherapy-free combinatorial regimen with standard chemotherapy. FUNDING: National Key Technology Research and Development Program of China, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Beijing Xisike Clinical Oncology Research Foundation, and Innovent Biologics. TRANSLATION: For the Chinese translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

Inhibition of porcine origin Klebsiella pneumoniae capsular polysaccharide and immune escape by BY3 compounded traditional Chinese medicine residue fermentation broth.

Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) is a gram-negative conditionally pathogenic bacterium that causes disease primarily in immunocompromised individuals. Recently, highly virulent K. pneumoniae strains have caused severe disease in healthy individuals, posing significant challenges to global infection control. Capsular polysaccharide (CPS), a major virulence determinant of K. pneumoniae, protects the bacteria from being killed by the host immune system, suggesting an urgent need for the development of drugs to prevent or treat K. pneumoniae infections. In this study, BY3 compounded traditional Chinese medicine residue (TCMR) was carried out using Lactobacillus rhamnosus as a fermentation strain, and BY3 compounded TCMR fermentation broth (BY3 fermentation broth) was obtained. The transcription of K. pneumoniae CPS-related biosynthesis genes after treatment with BY3 fermentation broth was detected using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The effects of BY3 fermentation broth on K. pneumoniae serum killing, macrophage phagocytosis, complement deposition and human ß-defensin transcription were investigated. The therapeutic effect of BY3 fermentation broth on K. pneumoniae-infected mice was also observed, and the major active components of BY3 fermentation broth were analysed via LC‒MS analysis, network pharmacology, and molecular docking. The results showed that BY3 fermentation broth inhibited K. pneumoniae CPS production and downregulated transcription of CPS-related biosynthesis genes, which weakened bacterial resistance to serum killing and phagocytosis, while promoting bacterial surface complement C3 deposition and human ß-defensin expression. BY3 fermentation broth demonstrated safety and therapeutic effects in vivo and in vitro, restoring body weight and visceral indices, significantly reducing the organ bacterial load and serum cytokine levels, and alleviating pathological organ damage in mice. In addition, three natural compounds-oleanolic acid, quercetin, and palmitoleic acid-were identified as the major active components in the BY3 fermentation broth. Therefore, BY3 fermentation broth may be a promising strategy for the prevention or treatment of K. pneumoniae infections.

Exploitation of multiple host-derived nutrients by the yellow catfish epidermal environment facilitates Vibrio mimicus to sustain infection potency and susceptibility.

Infection with Vibrio mimicus in the Siluriformes has demonstrated a rapid and high infectivity and mortality rate, distinct from other hosts. Our earlier investigations identified necrosis, an inflammatory storm, and tissue remodeling as crucial pathological responses in yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco) infected with V. mimicus. The objective of this study was to further elucidate the impact linking these pathological responses within the host during V. mimicus infection. Employing metabolomics and transcriptomics, we uncovered infection-induced dense vacuolization of perimysium; Several genes related to nucleosidase and peptidase activities were significantly upregulated in the skin and muscles of infected fish. Concurrently, the translation processes of host cells were impaired. Further investigation revealed that V. mimicus completes its infection process by enhancing its metabolism, including the utilization of oligopeptides and nucleotides. The high susceptibility of yellow catfish to V. mimicus infection was associated with the composition of its body surface, which provided a microenvironment rich in various nucleotides such as dIMP, dAMP, deoxyguanosine, and ADP, in addition to several amino acids and peptides. Some of these metabolites significantly boost V. mimicus growth and motility, thus influencing its biological functions. Furthermore, we uncovered an elevated expression of gangliosides on the surface of yellow catfish, aiding V. mimicus adhesion and increasing its infection risk. Notably, we observed that the skin and muscles of yellow catfish were deficient in over 25 polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as Eicosapentaenoic acid, 12-oxo-ETE, and 13-Oxo-ODE. These substances play a role in anti-inflammatory mechanisms, possibly contributing to the immune dysregulation observed in yellow catfish. In summary, our study reveals a host immune deviation phenomenon that promotes bacterial colonization by increasing nutrient supply. It underscores the crucial factors rendering yellow catfish highly susceptible to V. mimicus, indicating that host nutritional sources not only enable the establishment and maintenance of infection within the host but also aid bacterial survival under immune pressure, ultimately completing its lifecycle.

Correlation between changes in serum YKL-40, LXRs, PPM1A, and TGF-ß1 levels and airway remodeling and lung function in patients with bronchial asthma.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigates the correlation between serum levels of YKL-40, LXRs, PPM1A, and TGF-ß1 and airway remodeling and lung function in bronchial asthma patients. METHODS: The study involved 80 bronchial asthma patients and 92 healthy individuals. Serum cytokines, airway remodeling, and lung function markers were compared across mild, moderate, and severe asthma cases using high-resolution CT, t-tests, ANOVA, and Pearson correlation analysis. RESULTS: Asthmatic patients exhibited higher levels of serum YKL-40, LXRα, LXRß, TGF-ß1, airway wall thickness (T)/outer diameter (D), and WA% of total cross-sectional area compared to controls. Conversely, their serum PPM1A, Peak Expiratory Flow (PEF), and Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 s (FEV1) were lower. Serum YKL-40 and TGF-ß1 levels were positively correlated with T/D and WA%, and negatively correlated with PEF and FEV1. PPM1A levels were strongly associated with T/D, WA%, PEF, and FEV1. CONCLUSION: The severity of bronchial asthma is associated with increased serum levels of YKL-40, LXRα, LXRß, and TGF-ß1 and decreased PPM1A. The levels of YKL-40, PPM1A, and TGF-ß1 have a significant correlation with airway remodeling and lung function.

Occurrence and seasonal variation of Perkinsus sp. Infection in wild mollusk populations from coastal waters of Qingdao, northern China.

Perkinsosis has been recognized as one of the major threats to natural and farmed bivalve populations, many of which are of commercial as well as environmental significance. Three Perkinsus species have been identified in China, and the Manila clam (Ruditapes philippinarum) was the most frequently infected species in northern China. Although the occurrence and seasonal variation of Perkinsus spp. have previously been examined, the pathological characteristics of these infections in wild Manila clams and sympatric species in China have seldom been reported. In the present study, the prevalence and intensity of Perkinsus infection in wild populations of Manila clams and 10 sympatric species from three sites were investigated by Ray's fluid thioglycolate medium (RFTM) assay seasonally across a single year. Perkinsus infection was only identified in Manila clams, with a high prevalence (274/284 = 96.48 %) and low intensity (89.8 % with a Mackin value ≤ 2, suggesting generally low-intensity infections) throughout the year. Heavily infected clams were mainly identified in Tianheng in January, which displayed no macroscopic signs of disease. An overview of the whole visceral mass section showed that the trophozoites mostly aggregated in gills and connective tissue of the digestive tract, to a lesser extent in the mantle and foot, and even less frequently in adductor muscle and connective tissues of the gonad. PCR and ITS-5.8S rRNA sequencing of 93 representative RFTM-positive samples revealed a 99.69 to 100 % DNA sequence identity to Perkinsus olseni. Unexpectedly, significantly higher infection intensities were usually identified in January and April when the Condition Index (CI) was relatively high. We propose that factors associated with the anthropogenic harvesting pressure and irregular disturbances should be responsible for the uncommon seasonal infection dynamics of perkinsosis observed in the present study.

High-mobility and low subthreshold swing amorphous InGaZnO thin-film transistors byin situH2plasma and neutral oxygen beam irradiation treatment.

In this work, staggered bottom-gate structure amorphous In-Ga-Zn-O (a-IGZO) thin film transistors (TFTs) with high-k ZrO2gate dielectric were fabricated using low-cost atmospheric pressure-plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (AP-PECVD) within situhydrogenation to modulate the carrier concentration and improve interface quality. Subsequently, a neutral oxygen beam irradiation (NOBI) technique is applied, demonstrating that a suitable NOBI treatment could successfully enhance electrical characteristics by reducing native defect states and minimize the trap density in the back channel. A reverse retrograde channel (RRGC) with ultra-high/low carrier concentration is also formed to prevent undesired off-state leakage current and achieve a very low subthreshold swing. The resulting a-IGZO TFTs exhibit excellent electrical characteristics, including a low subthreshold swing of 72 mV dec-1and high field-effect mobility of 35 cm2V-1s-1, due to conduction path passivation and stronger carrier confinement in the RRGC. The UV-vis spectroscopy shows optical transmittance above 90% in the visible range of the electromagnetic spectrum. The study confirms the H2plasma with NOBI-treated a-IGZO/ZrO2TFT is a promising candidate for transparent electronic device applications.

Application of microdialysis combined with UHPLC-QTOF/MS to screen for endogenous metabolites in aquatic organisms as biomarkers of exposure to an emerging contaminant, triclosan.

The detection of emerging contaminants (ECs) and understanding their ecotoxicity has brought new challenges to water pollution control. Triclosan (TCS), as an emerging contaminant, is a commonly used antibacterial agent widely present in the environment. Microdialysis (MD), as a sampling technique, can overcome some of the deficiencies of traditional approaches to sampling, using sources such as blood, urine, tissue, and target organs, in terms of invasiveness, time from collection to analysis, and possible changes during sample preparation. In this study, we coupled MD with analysis using UHPLC-QTOF/MS to identify the endogenous metabolites in the liver as biomarkers of the exposure of living crucian carp to TCS. The identified biomarkers were then quantified using UHPLC-MS/MS to continuously monitor the effect of TCS on endogenous metabolites in the liver of living crucian carp, which contributes to a better understanding of the toxicological effect of TCS. The experimental results demonstrated that TCS exposure interfered with the metabolic pathways of amino acids (L-isoleucine and L-histidine), purines (xanthine and hypoxanthine), and small nerve molecules (acetylcholine and choline).

Altered neural mechanisms of deception in individuals with autistic traits.

A successful deception involves making a decision, acting on it, and evaluating results. Here, we investigated deception in a non-clinical sample (n = 36) with varying autism traits using a coin-toss paradigm of active deception. The subjects were asked to react to the instructions by clicking one of the two boxes that could mislead their opponents, followed by feedback on their success or failure. During this reaction, their EEG activity was recorded, and the results suggested that people with high autistic traits exhibited longer reaction times and lower amplitude of P3 in the decision-making stage compared to individuals with low autistic traits. The feedback evaluation stage in the high autistic trait group elicited lower amplitude of FRN and P3. Overall, these results indicated that people with high autistic traits experienced difficulties in deceiving, which could be related to atypical neural mechanisms.

A Putative Receptor for Ferritin in Mollusks: Characterization of the Insulin-like Growth Factor Type 1 Receptor.

The ferritin secreted by mammals has been well documented, with the protein capable of localizing to cell membranes and facilitating the delivery of iron to cells through endocytosis. However, the presence of ferritin in the circulatory fluid of mollusks and its functions remain largely unknown. In this study, we aimed to investigate the potential interacting proteins of ferritin in the ark clam (SbFn) through the use of a pull-down assay. Our findings revealed the presence of an insulin-like growth factor type 1 receptor (IGF-1R) in ark clams, which was capable of binding to SbFn and was named SbIGF-1R. SbIGF-1R was found to be composed of two leucine-rich repeat domains (L domain), a cysteine-rich domain, three fibronectin type III domains, a transmembrane domain, and a tyrosine kinase domain. The ectodomain of SbIGF-1R was observed to form a symmetrical antiparallel homodimer in the shape of the letter 'A', with the fibronectin type III domains serving as its 'legs'. The mRNA expression of SbIGF-1R gene was detected ubiquitously in various tissues of the ark clam, with the highest expression levels found in hemocytes, as determined by qRT-PCR. Using a confocal microscopic and yeast two-hybrid assays, the interaction between SbIGF-1R and SbFn was further verified. The results showed that SbFn co-localized with SbIGF-1R on the cell membrane, and their interaction was expected to occur on the FNIII domains of the SbIGF-1R. In conclusion, our findings highlight the identification of a putative receptor, SbIGF-1R, for SbFn, demonstrating the versatility of IGF-1R in ark clams.

Does preoperative gamma knife treatment affect the result of microresection of vestibular schwannoma?

PURPOSE: We aimed to explore the influence of preoperative gamma knife treatment on the clinical effect of microsurgical resection of vestibular schwannoma. METHODS: The data of patients who underwent vestibular schwannoma resection in our hospital between November 2010 and December 2019 were retrospectively collected. According to the data collected retrospectively and the inclusion and exclusion criteria, we selected these patients and divided them into Group A (with preoperative gamma knife treatment) and Group B (without preoperative gamma knife treatment). The pre/postoperative clinical manifestations, neurological function grade, postoperative complications, tumor recurrence and increase were collected and compared between the two groups. RESULTS: There were 40 and 823 patients enrolled in Groups A and B, respectively. There were no significant differences in the general condition, tumor size and side, or neurological performance of the patients in those two groups before the operation. At the last follow-up, the number of patients with poor facial nerve function was 15 (39.5%) in Group A and 170 (20.7%) in Group B (P = 0.021 < 0.05). In Group A and Group B, disequilibrium occurred in 14 (36.8%) patients and 124 (15.1%) patients, respectively, after the operation (P = 0.012 < 0.05). Seven (17.5%) patients had pneumonia in Group A, and 21 (2.6%) patients had pneumonia in Group B (P = 0.04 < 0.05) after the operation. CONCLUSION: When a patient with vestibular schwannoma undergoes microsurgical surgery, the preoperative history with gamma knife treatment may make recovery from postoperative facial paralysis difficult for the patients, making them more prone to suffer from postoperative disequilibrium and postoperative pneumonia.

Mechanism of the allelopathic effect of macroalgae Gracilaria bailiniae on Nitzschia closterium.

With the rapid development of the seaweed industry in China, the scale and production of its commercial seaweed are ranked among the most significant worldwide. Consequently, the control of algal blooms, especially fouling diatoms, during macroalgae industrialisation is an important issue. Many diatom bloom studies have focused on physical and chemical controls, with limited economic and eco-friendly biological controls reported. In our study, Gracilaria bailiniae fresh thalli and aqueous extract profoundly suppressed Nitzschia closterium growth (50% inhibition concentration of the fourth day (IC50-4 day) was 0.667 × 10-3 g·mL-1 and 3.889 × 10-3 g·mL-1, respectively). The cellular morphology changes of N. closterium exposed to the G. bailiniae aqueous extract were severe atrophies and plasmolysis and dissolution of endocellular structures. To explore more potential allelochemicals to control N. closterium, the intracellular compounds of G. bailiniae were detected and screened. Three organic acids (citrate, hydroxyethanesulfonic acid (HA) and taurine) had allelopathic potential against N. closterium. Our results showed that citrate and HA markedly suppressed N. closterium (IC50-4 day: 1.035 mM and 1.151 mM, respectively); however, taurine poorly suppressed N. closterium (IC50-4 day: 2.500 mM). Therefore, HA is one of the main allelopathic compounds in G. bailiniae. Further, the allelopathic mechanism of HA against the N. closterium photosynthetic system broke its photosynthetic apparatus (oxygen-evolving complex, reaction centres, the effective antenna size and the donor side of photosystem II) and hindered electron transport. The experimental results provide a new and eco-friendly strategy to control diatom blooms.

Low Ca2+ concentration doping enhances the mechanical properties and ionic conductivity of Na3PS4 superionic conductors based on first-principles.

The mechanical strength and ionic conductivity of sulfide solid electrolytes have received widespread attention for their application in solid sodium batteries. Herein, first-principles calculations are used to determine the properties, including the electronic, mechanical and ionic transport properties, of Na3PS4 sulfide solid electrolytes doped with low and high Ca ion concentrations. Our theoretical results demonstrate that low Ca ion concentrations can be easily doped in tetragonal and cubic phases (t-Na3PS4 and c-Na3PS4) and create a suitable number of Na vacancies based on the formation energy analysis. Furthermore, the calculated density of states and charge density differences indicate that the surrounding electronic environment is changed, and Ca-S ionic bonds are formed in Na3PS4 with Ca-doping. In addition, the improved ductility and mechanical strength of c-Na3PS4 and t-Na3PS4 achieved by low-concentration Ca doping may help suppress dendritic growth and electrode deformation. Finally, sodium ion migration in Ca-doped Na3PS4 is described with the aid of the CI-NEB method, and it is found that the migration energy barriers are less than those of pure Na3PS4, which suggests that the sodium ion conductivity can be effectively improved by doping with low Ca2+ concentrations. The present work improves the understanding of the influence of doping on the performance of solid electrolytes and provides a feasible framework for the future design of high-performance solid electrodes.

Influence of temperature on the pathogenicity of Ostreid herpesvirus-1 in ark clam, Scapharca broughtonii.

OsHV-1 is an epidemic pathogen of molluscs, and temperature has been recognized as a decisive environmental factor in its pathogenicity. In recent years, ark clam, Scapharca broughtonii, emerged as a host for OsHV-1. In the north of China, massive summer mortalities of ark clams infected with OsHV-1 have been continuously reported since 2012. However, the interaction between temperature and the pathogenicity of OsHV-1 was unknown in ark clams. In this study, the effect of temperature (10 °C to 18 °C stepped by 2 °C) on the occurrence of OsHV-1 disease in ark clams was analyzed. OsHV-1 infection led to gill erosion but not below the critical low temperature (between 12 °C and 14 °C). However, OsHV-1 persisted for more than 2 weeks at 12 °C post inoculation and replication was reactivated when the temperature was elevated to 18 °C. No significant reduction of OsHV-1 DNA load was found when the temperature descended to 12 °C from 18 °C, while the gill erosion remained unchanged. Ark clams failed to show the capability of effective clearance of OsHV-1 below the critical low temperature. Our results demonstrated that the pathogenicity of OsHV-1 was influenced significantly by temperature. Moreover, high temperature favored infection, which could provide more information to understand summer mortality of ark clams.

Acute obstructive cholangitis due to fishbone in the common bile duct: a case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Choledocholithiasis is an endemic condition in the world. Although rare, foreign body migration with biliary complications needs to be considered in the differential diagnosis for patients presenting with typical symptoms even many years after cholecystectomy, EPCP, war-wound, foreign body ingestion or any other particular history before. It is of great clinical value as the present review may offer some help when dealing with choledocholithiasis caused by foreign bodies. CASE PRESENTATION: We reported a case of choledocholithiasis caused by fishbone from choledochoduodenal anastomosis regurgitation. Moreover, we showed up all the instances of choledocholithiasis caused by foreign bodies published until June 2018 and wrote the world's first literature review of foreign bodies in the bile duct of 144 cases. The findings from this case suggest that the migration of fishbone can cause various consequences, one of these, as we reported here, is as a core of gallstone and a cause of choledocholithiasis. CONCLUSION: The literature review declared the choledocholithiasis caused by foreign bodies prefer the wrinkly and mainly comes from three parts: postoperative complications, foreign body ingestion, and post-war complications such as bullet injury and shrapnel wound. The Jonckheere-Terpstra test indicated the ERCP was currently the treatment of choice. It is a very singular case of choledocholithiasis caused by fishbone, and the present review is the first one concerning choledocholithiasis caused by foreign bodies all over the world.

Molecular dynamics simulations of shock loading of nearly fully dense granular Ni-Al composites.

We used molecular dynamics simulations to study the shock propagation, inhomogeneous deformation, and initiation of the chemical reaction characteristics of nearly fully dense reactive Ni-Al composites. For shocks with piston velocities Up ≤ 2.0 km s-1, particle velocity dispersion was observed at the shock front, which increased on increasing the shock strength. Plastic deformation mainly occurred at the grain boundaries or grain junction during the shock rise and was accompanied by the generation of a potential hot spot in the region where severe plasticity happens. The composite exhibited higher strength and lower reactivity than the mixtures with certain porosity. In addition, the shock-induced premature melting of Al led to the expansion of particle velocity dispersion from the wavefront to the shocked zone and the formation of a heterogeneous velocity field for stronger shocks beyond critical Up (2.5 km s-1). The velocity heterogeneity in the shocked region led to localized shear, strong erosion of Ni, and occurrence of ultrafast chemical reactions. Therefore, the shock-induced premature melting of Al led to the mechanochemical effect and played a role in the shock-induced chemical reaction in the reactive metal system.

Effect of particle packing and density on shock response in ordered arrays of Ni + Al nanoparticles.

We investigate the shock response of Ni + Al reactive nanoparticle systems through molecular dynamics simulations. The powder configurations with varying arrangements and densities are constructed by stacking equal-sized Ni and Al particles based on five typical crystal structures, i.e., zinc-blende, NaCl, CsCl, AuCu and the close-packed. The effects of configuration and shock strength on mechanochemical and diffusion processes in the shock-induced chemical reactions are characterized. A reaction kinetic model is developed to describe these behaviors, assess the extent of mechanochemical effect, and explain the occurrence of ultra-fast reaction. Significant dependence of shock wave velocity, plastic deformation, temperature response, chemistry and microstructure change on particle packing and density is observed under shock loading at the same piston velocity, but we see a relatively weak dependency on the stacking mode with the same density. Our results indicate the important role of particle coordination number and density in shock response of energetic powder materials.

Pressure-Induced Polymerization of CO2 in Lithium-Carbon Dioxide Phases.

We report the discovery of novel CO2-based networks stabilized by Li+ cations in solid-state phases. Our exploration of the energy landscape of the Li-CO2 binary phase diagram using ab initio evolutionary structure searches revealed that in addition to the well-characterized C2O42- oxalate in Li2C2O4 viable covalent CO2-based nets emerge upon compression within the 0-100 GPa pressure range. Novel molecular units are described, such as ethene-like C2O44- in C2/m Li2(CO2), finite C4O86- chains in P1̅ Li3(CO2)2, one-dimensional polymeric forms based on 1,4-dioxane rings in P2/c LiCO2, and the C(O-)2 moieties in Pnma Li2CO2. This investigation shows the oxalate motif is maintained when the concentration of lithium increases from 1 to 2 in LixCO2; this interesting property may have potential in the development of renewable Li-ion batteries. Moreover, a variety of metastable phases were predicted, such as the covalent CO2-based layer in P1̅ Li(CO2)2.

Using KrF ELA to Improve Gate-Stacked LaAlO3/ZrO2 Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide Thin-Film Transistors with Novel Atmospheric Pressure Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition Technique.

Atmospheric pressure plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (AP-PECVD) technique and KrF excimer laser annealing (ELA) were employed for the fabrication of indium gallium zinc oxide thin-film transistors (IGZO-TFTs). Device with a 150 mJ/cm2 laser annealing densities demonstrated excellent electrical characteristics with improved on/off current ratio of 4.7×107, high channel mobility of 10 cm2/V-s, and low subthreshold swing of 0.15 V/dec. The improvements are attributed to the adjustment of oxygen vacancies in the IGZO channel to an appropriate range of around 28.3% and the reduction of traps at the high-k/IGZO interface.

Investigation of Gate-Stacked In-Ga-Zn-O TFTs with Ga-Zn-O Source/Drain Electrodes by Atmospheric Pressure Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition.

Atmospheric pressure plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (AP-PECVD) was employed for the fabrication of indium gallium zinc oxide thin-film transistors (IGZO TFTs) with high transparent gallium zinc oxide (GZO) source/drain electrodes. The influence of post-deposition annealing (PDA) temperature on GZO source/drain and device performance was studied. Device with a 300 °C annealing demonstrated excellent electrical characteristics with on/off current ratio of 2.13 × 108, saturation mobility of 10 cm2/V-s, and low subthreshold swing of 0.2 V/dec. The gate stacked LaAlO3/ZrO2 of AP-IGZO TFTs with highly transparent and conductive AP-GZO source/drain electrode show excellent gate control ability at a low operating voltage.

Validation of housekeeping genes for quantitative mRNA expression analysis in OsHV-1 infected ark clam, Scapharca broughtonii.

Ostreid herpesvirus-1 (OsHV-1) presents interspecies transmission among bivalves. Recently, events of mass mortalities of ark clams (Scapharca broughtonii) infected with OsHV-1 have been recorded. To accurately assess the gene responding patterns of ark clams post OsHV-1 infection, constant stable housekeeping genes (HKGs) are needed as internal control to normalize raw mRNA expression data. In this study, ten candidate HKGs were selected, including 18S rRNA (18S), beta-actin (ACT), Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), NADH dehydrogenase subunit (NADH), Elongation factor-1a (EF-1a), Elongation factor-1ß (EF-1ß), Elongation factor-1γ (EF-1γ), Ribosomal protein L7 (RL7), Ribosomal protein L15 (RL15) and Ribosomal protein S18 (S18). The expression levels of ten candidate HKGs were analyzed by real-time PCR under given experimental conditions, including various tissues, OsHV-1 challenge, temperature stress and OsHV-1 challenge at different temperature. Their expression stability values were further calculated using two different statistical models (geNorm and NormFinder). The results showed that different tissues presented distinct best pair genes combinations for gene expression analysis under OsHV-1 challenge. RL15 was comparatively more stable than other HKGs under various experimental conditions, while commonly used 18s and ACT seemed to be more greatly influenced by most given experimental conditions in ark clams. This study emphasized the necessity of prior validation of HKGs and would facilitate future gene expression analysis in ark clams or other shellfishes.