Three-dimensional reconstruction of the luminal structure of human seminal vesicle.

The seminal vesicles are the glands of male reproductive organs that produce the fluid and nutrient constituents of semen. It has been believed for a long time that the lumen of a seminal vesicle was a single-coiled tubular structure with irregular diverticula. There are several previous reports on the symmetry, differences in morphological sizes and classification of the seminal vesicles. However, a three-dimensional-coiled tubular structure is difficult to understand using a classical anatomical methodology, and hence, three-dimensional reconstruction is needed to understand the structure of the lumen. Thirty-one seminal vesicles harvested from 21 formalin-embalmed cadavers were investigated. The seminal vesicle along with the ampulla of the ductus deferens was separated, and the length and width of each seminal vesicle were measured. The vesicles were then embedded in coloured paraffin, and the resulting paraffin block was sectioned transversely and photographed at an interval of 500 µm, with the sectioned surfaces then utilized in three-dimensional reconstruction performed by 'Reconstruct' software. The mean length and width of the seminal vesicles were 39.4 mm and 13.4 mm, respectively, and the right seminal vesicle was a little larger than the one on the left. The size differed from previous reports, while the luminal structure was similar to the classification of Aboul-azm (Archives of Andrology, 3, 1979, 287-292) but differed from that of Pereira (AJR. American Journal of Roentgenology, 69, 1953, 361-379). The seminal vesicles typically comprised about 9 curls and had about 12 diverticula. The seminal vesicles resembled a skein of coral rather than comprising a single strand. These findings will help in improving the understanding of pathophysiologies of the seminal vesicles, such as recurrent inflammation of the gland.

Using the zygomatic arch as a reference line for clinical applications and anthropological studies.

PURPOSE: The Frankfurt line is the most frequently and widely used reference line in cephalometric analysis, but has shortcomings including the difficulty of landmark identification. This study investigated using the superior border of the zygomatic arch as a new external bony landmark, including measuring the angle between the new reference line and the Frankfurt line. METHODS: Facial computed tomography scans were obtained from 170 patients (100 males and 70 females) hospitalized at Konkuk University Chungju Hospital. After three-dimensional reconstruction, the locations of the porion and the inferior orbital rim and the superior border of the zygomatic arch were identified twice by two observers using software. A horizontal line parallel to the superior border of the zygomatic arch was established. The angle between the Frankfurt line and new reference line was then measured on each side. RESULTS: There was no significant intraobserver or interobserver bias. The angle between the Frankfurt line and the superior border of the zygomatic arch was 4.5° ± 2.5° (mean ± SD), and it was somewhat larger in females than males, but the difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated the good reproducibility of the location of the superior border of the zygomatic arch and found that the angle between the new reference line and the Frankfurt line is relatively constant. The superior border of the zygomatic arch therefore has potential as an alternative reference line to the Frankfurt line in specific clinical applications and anthropological studies, since it is a more accessible bony landmark on the external skull.

AGEs Blocker™ (Goji Berry, Fig, and Korean Mint Mixed Extract) Inhibits Skin Aging Caused by Streptozotocin-Induced Glycation in Hairless Mice.

Glycation is a cause of skin aging. This study investigated in a glycation-induced skin aging mouse model the effects on skin and mechanism of action of AGEs Blocker™ (AB), which contains goji berry, fig, and Korean mint mixed extract. This study sought to demonstrate the antiglycation effect of streptozotocin, thereby improving skin aging, by measuring advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and various skin parameters, including collagen; matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs); inflammatory cytokines; activities of oxidative enzymes; and skin wrinkles, elasticity, and hydration. This study found that skin wrinkles, elasticity, and hydration improved with AB. Particularly, the oral administration of AB suppressed AGEs, receptors of AGEs, and carboxymethyl lysine in blood and skin tissue. In addition, AB increased the activities of antioxidative enzymes, reduced inflammatory cytokines, suppressed MMP-9 expression, and increased the contents of collagen and hyaluronic acid, ultimately suppressing skin wrinkles and increasing skin elasticity and hydration. Therefore, AB can inhibit skin aging through its antiglycation effect and is thus considered a good ingredient for skin care products.

Stability of Graphene and Influence of AlN Surface Pits on GaN Remote Heteroepitaxy for Exfoliation.

Remote epitaxy is a promising technology that has recently attracted considerable attention, which enables the growth of thin films that copy the crystallographic characteristics of the substrate through two-dimensional material interlayers. The grown films can be exfoliated to form freestanding membranes, although it is often challenging to apply this technique if the substrate materials are prone to damage under harsh epitaxy conditions. For example, remote epitaxy of GaN thin films on graphene/GaN templates has not been achieved by a standard metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) method due to such damages. Here, we report GaN remote heteroepitaxy on graphene/AlN templates by MOCVD and investigate the influence of surface pits in AlN on the growth and exfoliation of GaN thin films. We first show the thermal stability of graphene before GaN growth, based on which two-step growth of GaN on graphene/AlN is developed. The GaN samples are successfully exfoliated after the first step of the growth at 750 °C, whereas the exfoliation failed after the second step at 1050 °C. In-depth analysis confirms that the pits in AlN templates lead to the degradation of graphene near the area and thus the alteration of growth modes and the failure of exfoliation. These results exemplify the importance of chemical and topographic properties of growth templates for successful remote epitaxy. It is one of the key factors for III-nitride-based remote epitaxy, and these results are expected to be of great help in realizing complete remote epitaxy using only MOCVD.

2D-Material-Assisted GaN Growth on GaN Template by MOCVD and Its Exfoliation Strategy.

The production of freestanding membranes using two-dimensional (2D) materials often involves techniques such as van der Waals (vdW) epitaxy, quasi-vdW epitaxy, and remote epitaxy. However, a challenge arises when attempting to manufacture freestanding GaN by using these 2D-material-assisted growth techniques. The issue lies in securing stability, as high-temperature growth conditions under metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) can cause damage to the 2D materials due to GaN decomposition of the substrate. Even when GaN is successfully grown using this method, damage to the 2D material leads to direct bonding with the substrate, making the exfoliation of the grown GaN nearly impossible. This study introduces an approach for GaN growth and exfoliation on 2D material/GaN templates. First, graphene and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) were transferred onto the GaN template, creating stable conditions under high temperatures and various gases in MOCVD. GaN was grown in a two-step process at 750 and 900 °C, ensuring exfoliation in cases where the 2D materials remained intact. Essentially, while it is challenging to grow GaN on 2D material/GaN using only MOCVD, this study demonstrates that with effective protection of the 2D material, the grown GaN can endure high temperatures and still be exfoliated. Furthermore, these results support that vdW epitaxy and remote epitaxy principle are not only possible with specific equipment but also applicable generally.

Use of the orbito-occipital line as an alternative to the Frankfort line.

Frankfort horizontal line, the line passing through the orbitale and porion, is one of the most widely used intracranial landmarks in cephalometric analysis. This study investigated the use of the orbito-occipital line extending from the orbitale to the external occipital protuberance as a novel horizontal line of the skull for substituting the Frankfort horizontal line. We evaluated the reproducibility of the new landmark and measured the angle between the orbito-occipital line and the Frankfort line. This study was conducted on 170 facial computed tomography (CT) scans of living adults from the Department of Plastic Surgery. After three-dimensionally reconstructed images were obtained from facial CT, the porion, orbitale, and external occipital protuberance were indicated by two observers twice. The angles between the orbito-meatal line (inferior orbital rim to porion; the Frankfort line) and the orbito-occipital line (inferior orbital rim to external occipital protuberance) were measured. There was no significant intraobserver or interobserver bias. The overall angle between the Frankfort line and orbito-occipital line was -0.5°±2.2° (mean±standard deviation). There was no statistically significant difference among side and sex. This study demonstrated good reproducibility of a new landmark-the external occipital protuberance-tested to replace the porion. The orbito-occipital line is a reliable, reproducible, and easily identifiable line, and has potential as a novel standard horizontal line to replace or at least supplement the Frankfort line in anthropological studies and certain clinical applications.

Impact of Na Doping on the Carrier Transport Path in Polycrystalline Flexible Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 Solar Cells.

It is well-known that the alkali doping of polycrystalline Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) and Cu(In,Ga)(Se,S)2 has a beneficial influence on the device performance and there are various hypotheses about the principles of performance improvement. This work clearly explains the effect of Na doping on the fill factor (FF) rather than on all of the solar cell parameters (open-circuit voltage, FF, and sometimes short circuit current) for overall performance improvement. When doping is optimized, the fabricated device shows sufficient built-in potential and selects a better carrier transport path by the high potential difference between the intragrains and the grain boundaries. On the other hand, when doping is excessive, the device shows low contact potential difference and FF and selects a worse carrier transport path even though the built-in potential becomes stronger. The fabricated CZTSSe solar cell on a flexible metal foil optimized with a 25 nm thick NaF doping layer achieves an FF of 62.63%, thereby clearly showing the enhancing effect of Na doping.

Flexible High-Efficiency CZTSSe Solar Cells on Diverse Flexible Substrates via an Adhesive-Bonding Transfer Method.

Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) thin-film solar cells are showing great promise due to using earth-abundant and nontoxic materials and tuning the band gap through the amount of S and Se. Flexible high-efficiency CZTSSe solar cells are one of the outstanding research challenges because they currently require the use of thick glass substrates due to the high-temperature heat treatment process, and for this reason, few flexible CZTSSe solar cells have been reported. Furthermore, most researchers have used thin glass and metal substrates with little flexibility; the power conversion efficiency (PCE or η) values of the solar cells made with them have been slightly lower. To overcome these hurdles, we transferred high-efficiency CZTSSe solar cells formed on a soda-lime glass substrate to flexible substrates via an adhesive-bonding transfer method. Through this method, we were able to achieve the PCE of 5.8-7.1% on completely flexible substrates such as cloth, paper, and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET). In particular, we were able to produce a CZTSSe solar cell on a PET substrate with a PCE of 7.1%, which is the highest among fully flexible CZTSSe solar cells currently known to us. In addition, we deeply analyzed the PCE degradation of the flexible CZTSSe solar cell fabricated by the transfer method through a panoramic focused ion-beam image and nanoindentation. From the results of our work, we provide an insight into the possibility of making flexible high-efficiency CZTSSe solar cells using our transfer method.

Location of the split line of the deep temporal fascia when reducing a zygomatic arch fracture.

BACKGROUND: The deep temporal fascia (DTF) is known to separate into two layers that descend to attach to the zygomatic arch. When surgeons reduce an isolated fracture of the zygomatic arch through a temporal approach, the temporal incision site needs to be superior to the split line of the DTF. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-seven hemifacial cadavers were investigated after removing the skin, subcutaneous tissue, and superficial temporal fascia. The superficial layer of the DTF was exposed. We cut the superficial layer along the line along, which it adhered to the deep layer inseparably. The heights of the split line of the DTF from the superior border of the zygomatic arch and from the top of the helix were measured at three points: at the jugale, zygion, and 3 cm from the tragus. RESULTS: In all cases there were thick identifiable deep layers of the DTF. The mean heights of the split line of the DTF from the superior border of the zygomatic arch were 49.8, 46.7, and 42.6 mm at the jugale, zygion, and 3 cm from the tragus, respectively; the corresponding mean heights of the split line from the top of the helix were 19.1, 15.6, and 11.4 mm. CONCLUSIONS: Knowledge of the mean height of the split line of the DTF will be helpful for surgeons to determine the temporal incision site for ensuring the safe reduction of a zygomatic arch fracture.

Topography of the Central Retinal Artery Relevant to Retrobulbar Reperfusion in Filler Complications.

BACKGROUND: Vision loss caused by retrograde occlusion of the central retinal artery is a serious complication of cosmetic filler injections. Salvage methods that involve applying hyaluronidases in the retrobulbar space to degrade filler materials have been proposed recently for rescuing the retinal circulation in an ophthalmic emergency. METHODS: Sixty-six eyeballs and orbital contents were extracted from formalin-embalmed cadavers and dissected carefully to examine the topographic relationship of the central retinal artery and optic nerve. To observe the three-dimensional course of a central retinal artery that invaginates into the optic nerve, serial sections reconstructed at 100-µm intervals using software were visualized in 11 specimens. RESULTS: The central retinal artery ramified from the ophthalmic artery and entered the optic nerve inferiorly at 8.7 ± 1.7 mm (mean ± SD) from the posterior margin of the eyeball. The intraneural course of a central retinal artery changed acutely between the periorbital environment of the fibrous optic nerve sheath, intermediate subarachnoid spaces, and center of the optic nerve stroma. CONCLUSION: When applying a retrobulbar approach for central retinal artery reperfusion with hyaluronidases, the reliable access route is suggested to be at a depth of 3.0 to 3.5 cm from the border of the inferolateral orbital rim, based on consideration of the entry point of the central retinal artery into the optic nerve.