Concurrent self-assembly of RGB microLEDs for next-generation displays.

MicroLED displays have been in the spotlight as the next-generation displays owing to their various advantages, including long lifetime and high brightness compared with organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays. As a result, microLED technology1,2 is being commercialized for large-screen displays such as digital signage and active R&D programmes are being carried out for other applications, such as augmented reality3, flexible displays4 and biological imaging5. However, substantial obstacles in transfer technology, namely, high throughput, high yield and production scalability up to Generation 10+ (2,940 × 3,370 mm2) glass sizes, need to be overcome so that microLEDs can enter mainstream product markets and compete with liquid-crystal displays and OLED displays. Here we present a new transfer method based on fluidic self-assembly (FSA) technology, named magnetic-force-assisted dielectrophoretic self-assembly technology (MDSAT), which combines magnetic and dielectrophoresis (DEP) forces to achieve a simultaneous red, green and blue (RGB) LED transfer yield of 99.99% within 15 min. By embedding nickel, a ferromagnetic material, in the microLEDs, their movements were controlled by using magnets, and by applying localized DEP force centred around the receptor holes, these microLEDs were effectively captured and assembled in the receptor site. Furthermore, concurrent assembly of RGB LEDs were demonstrated through shape matching between microLEDs and receptors. Finally, a light-emitting panel was fabricated, showing damage-free transfer characteristics and uniform RGB electroluminescence emission, demonstrating our MDSAT method to be an excellent transfer technology candidate for high-volume production of mainstream commercial products.

Fluidic self-assembly for MicroLED displays by controlled viscosity.

Displays in which arrays of microscopic 'particles', or chiplets, of inorganic light-emitting diodes (LEDs) constitute the pixels, termed MicroLED displays, have received considerable attention1,2 because they can potentially outperform commercially available displays based on organic LEDs3,4 in terms of power consumption, colour saturation, brightness and stability and without image burn-in issues1,2,5-7. To manufacture these displays, LED chiplets must be epitaxially grown on separate wafers for maximum device performance and then transferred onto the display substrate. Given that the number of LEDs needed for transfer is tremendous-for example, more than 24 million chiplets smaller than 100 µm are required for a 50-inch, ultra-high-definition display-a technique capable of assembling tens of millions of individual LEDs at low cost and high throughput is needed to commercialize MicroLED displays. Here we demonstrate a MicroLED lighting panel consisting of more than 19,000 disk-shaped GaN chiplets, 45 µm in diameter and 5 µm in thickness, assembled in 60 s by a simple agitation-based, surface-tension-driven fluidic self-assembly (FSA) technique with a yield of 99.88%. The creation of this level of large-scale, high-yield FSA of sub-100-µm chiplets was considered a significant challenge because of the low inertia of the chiplets. Our key finding in overcoming this difficulty is that the addition of a small amount of poloxamer to the assembly solution increases its viscosity which, in turn, increases liquid-to-chiplet momentum transfer. Our results represent significant progress towards the ultimate goal of low-cost, high-throughput manufacture of full-colour MicroLED displays by FSA.

Systematic expression profiling of neuropathy-related aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases in zebrafish during development.

Aminoacyl tRNA synthetases (ARSs) are a group of proteins, acting as transporters to transfer and attach the appropriate amino acids onto their cognate tRNAs for translation. So far, 18 out of 20 cytoplasmic ARSs are reported to be connected to different neuropathy disorders with multi-organ defects that are often accompanied with developmental delays. Thus, it is important to understand functions and impacts of ARSs at the whole organism level. Here, we systematically analyzed the spatiotemporal expression of 14 ars and 2 aimp genes during development in zebrafish that have not be previously reported. Not only in the brain, their dynamic expression patterns in several tissues such as in the muscles, liver and intestine suggest diverse roles in a wide range of development processes in addition to neuronal function, which is consistent with potential involvement in multiple syndrome diseases associated with ARS mutations. In particular, hinted by its robust expression pattern in the brain, we confirmed that aimp1 is required for the formation of cerebrovasculature by a loss-of-function approach. Overall, our systematic profiling data provides a useful basis for studying roles of ARSs during development and understanding their potential functions in the etiology of related diseases.

Non-Rodent Genetic Animal Models for Studying Tauopathy: Review of Drosophila, Zebrafish, and C. elegans Models.

Tauopathy refers to a group of progressive neurodegenerative diseases, including frontotemporal lobar degeneration and Alzheimer's disease, which correlate with the malfunction of microtubule-associated protein Tau (MAPT) due to abnormal hyperphosphorylation, leading to the formation of intracellular aggregates in the brain. Despite extensive efforts to understand tauopathy and develop an efficient therapy, our knowledge is still far from complete. To find a solution for this group of devastating diseases, several animal models that mimic diverse disease phenotypes of tauopathy have been developed. Rodents are the dominating tauopathy models because of their similarity to humans and established disease lines, as well as experimental approaches. However, powerful genetic animal models using Drosophila, zebrafish, and C. elegans have also been developed for modeling tauopathy and have contributed to understanding the pathophysiology of tauopathy. The success of these models stems from the short lifespans, versatile genetic tools, real-time in-vivo imaging, low maintenance costs, and the capability for high-throughput screening. In this review, we summarize the main findings on mechanisms of tauopathy and discuss the current tauopathy models of these non-rodent genetic animals, highlighting their key advantages and limitations in tauopathy research.

Differential Clearance of Aß Species from the Brain by Brain Lymphatic Endothelial Cells in Zebrafish.

The failure of amyloid beta (Aß) clearance is a major cause of Alzheimer's disease, and the brain lymphatic systems play a crucial role in clearing toxic proteins. Recently, brain lymphatic endothelial cells (BLECs), a non-lumenized lymphatic cell in the vertebrate brain, was identified, but Aß clearance via this novel cell is not fully understood. We established an in vivo zebrafish model using fluorescently labeled Aß42 to investigate the role of BLECs in Aß clearance. We discovered the efficient clearance of monomeric Aß42 (mAß42) compared to oligomeric Aß42 (oAß42), which was illustrated by the selective uptake of mAß42 by BLECs and peripheral transport. The genetic depletion, pharmacological inhibition via the blocking of the mannose receptor, or the laser ablation of BLECs resulted in the defective clearance of mAß42. The treatment with an Aß disaggregating agent facilitated the internalization of oAß42 into BLECs and improved the peripheral transport. Our findings reveal a new role of BLECs in the differential clearance of mAß42 from the brain and provide a novel therapeutic strategy based on promoting Aß clearance.

Optogenetic Manipulation of Olfactory Responses in Transgenic Zebrafish: A Neurobiological and Behavioral Study.

Olfaction is an important neural system for survival and fundamental behaviors such as predator avoidance, food finding, memory formation, reproduction, and social communication. However, the neural circuits and pathways associated with the olfactory system in various behaviors are not fully understood. Recent advances in optogenetics, high-resolution in vivo imaging, and reconstructions of neuronal circuits have created new opportunities to understand such neural circuits. Here, we generated a transgenic zebrafish to manipulate olfactory signal optically, expressing the Channelrhodopsin (ChR2) under the control of the olfactory specific promoter, omp. We observed light-induced neuronal activity of olfactory system in the transgenic fish by examining c-fos expression, and a calcium indicator suggesting that blue light stimulation caused activation of olfactory neurons in a non-invasive manner. To examine whether the photo-activation of olfactory sensory neurons affect behavior of zebrafish larvae, we devised a behavioral choice paradigm and tested how zebrafish larvae choose between two conflicting sensory cues, an aversive odor or the naturally preferred phototaxis. We found that when the conflicting cues (the preferred light and aversive odor) were presented together simultaneously, zebrafish larvae swam away from the aversive odor. However, the transgenic fish with photo-activation were insensitive to the aversive odor and exhibited olfactory desensitization upon optical stimulation of ChR2. These results show that an aversive olfactory stimulus can override phototaxis, and that olfaction is important in decision making in zebrafish. This new transgenic model will be useful for the analysis of olfaction related behaviors and for the dissection of underlying neural circuits.

Prospective, Randomized Comparison of the i-gel and the Self-Pressurized air-Q Intubating Laryngeal Airway in Elderly Anesthetized Patients.

BACKGROUND: Age-related changes in upper airway anatomy may affect the overall performance of supraglottic airways significantly. The clinical performance of the i-gel and the self-pressurized air-Q intubating laryngeal airways with noninflatable cuffs for elderly populations remains unknown, unlike in children. Thus, we performed a prospective, randomized comparison of these 2 supraglottic airways in elderly patients undergoing general anesthesia. METHODS: We recruited 100 patients, 65-90 years of age, who were scheduled for elective surgery under general anesthesia with muscle relaxation. The enrolled patients were allocated to the i-gel or self-pressurized air-Q group. We assessed oropharyngeal leak pressure as the primary outcome and fiberoptic view after placement and fixation of the airway and at 10 minutes after the initial assessment. The fiberoptic view was scored using a 5-point scale as follows: vocal cords not visible; vocal cords and anterior epiglottis visible, >50% visual obstruction of epiglottis to vocal cords; vocal cords and anterior epiglottis visible, <50% visual obstruction of epiglottis to vocal cords; vocal cords and posterior epiglottis visible; and vocal cords visible. We also investigated success rate and ease of insertion, insertion time, and manipulations during insertion as insertion variables, complications during maintenance and emergence periods, and postoperative pharyngolaryngeal complications including sore throat, dysphagia, and dysphonia. RESULTS: After assessing for eligibility, 48 patients were allocated to each group. Oropharyngeal leak pressures were significantly higher in the i-gel group than in the self-pressurized air-Q group (P < .001) at the 2 measurement points. The raw mean difference at initial assessment and the median difference after 10 minutes were 5.5 cm H2O (95% confidence interval, 3.3-7.6 cm H2O) and 5.0 (95% confidence interval, 2.0-7.0 cm H2O), respectively. The initial scores of fiberoptic view were similar in the 2 groups. However, the self-pressurized air-Q supraglottic airway provided a significantly improved fiberoptic view at 10 minutes after initial assessment (P = .030). We found no statistically significant differences in insertion variables and complications between the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: The i-gel provided better sealing function than the self-pressurized air-Q supraglottic airway according to the high oropharyngeal leak pressures in elderly patients during general anesthesia. The self-pressurized air-Q supraglottic airway had improved fiberoptic views in elderly patients during general anesthesia.

Identification of novel immunogenic proteins against Streptococcus parauberis in a zebrafish model by reverse vaccinology.

Streptococcus parauberis is the major infectious agent of streptococcosis in the olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus), causing serious economic damage. In this study, we identified potential vaccine candidates against S. parauberis by reverse vaccinology. In total, the 2 out of 21 proteins were identified as vaccine candidates from two available S. parauberis genomes. The membrane-anchored protein SEC10/PgrA and the metal ABC transporter substrate-binding lipoprotein mtsA were potent antigenic proteins based on western blotting with mouse-derived antiserum against whole bacteria of S. parauberis serotypes I and II. In particular, metal ABC transporter substrate-binding lipoprotein (mtsA) showed similar protective immunity to that of whole-cell bacterins against S. parauberis in a zebrafish model. These results suggest that mtsA may be considered as a novel candidate in the development of vaccines against S. parauberis.

Efficacy of Single-Dose Dexmedetomidine Combined with Low-Dose Remifentanil Infusion for Cough Suppression Compared to High-Dose Remifentanil Infusion: A Randomized, Controlled, Non-Inferiority Trial.

Background: Combination of dexmedetomidine and opioid may be an alternative to high-dose opioid in attenuating cough during emergence from anesthesia, while also reducing the adverse effects of high-dose opioid. We tested the hypothesis that a single-dose of dexmedetomidine combined with low-dose remifentanil infusion during emergence would not be inferior to high-dose remifentanil infusion alone in attenuating cough after thyroidectomy. Methods: One hundred sixty-nine patients undergoing thyroidectomy were enrolled and randomized in a 1:1 ratio into group DR or group R. Each patient received an infusion of dexmedetomidine (0.5 µg/kg) and low-dose remifentanil infusion of effect-site concentration (Ce) at 1 ng/mL or normal saline and high-dose remifentanil infusion of Ce at 2 ng/mL for 10 min at the end of surgery. Remifentanil was maintained until tracheal extubation. Primary endpoint was the severity of coughing, which was assessed for non-inferiority using a four-point scale at the time of extubation. For comparison of coughing incidence during emergence, coughing grade was also measured at three times: before extubation, at extubation, and after extubation. Time to awakening, hemodynamic and respiratory profile, pain, and postoperative nausea and vomiting were also evaluated for superiority. Results: The 95% confidence intervals for differences in cough grade during tracheal extubation were <0.9, indicating non-inferiority of the single dose of dexmedetomidine combined with low-dose remifentanil infusion. The incidence of coughing was similar in the two groups. Hemodynamic changes during tracheal extubation were attenuated, but emergence from anesthesia was delayed, in group DR. Use of rescue antiemetic was similar in both groups, but the incidence of vomiting was less in group DR. Conclusion: A single-dose of dexmedetomidine (0.5 µg/kg) combined with low-dose remifentanil infusion at 1 ng/mL of Ce during emergence from sevoflurane-remifentanil anesthesia was not inferior to high-dose remifentanil infusion alone at 2 ng/mL of Ce with regard to suppressing cough.

Prdm4 induction by the small molecule butein promotes white adipose tissue browning.

Increasing the thermogenic activity of adipocytes holds promise as an approach to combating human obesity and related metabolic diseases. We identified induction of mouse PR domain containing 4 (Prdm4) by the small molecule butein as a means to induce expression of uncoupling protein 1 (Ucp1), increase energy expenditure, and stimulate the generation of thermogenic adipocytes. This study highlights a Prdm4-dependent pathway, modulated by small molecules, that stimulates browning of white adipose tissue.

Effects of Preoperative Oral Carbohydrates on Quality of Recovery in Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: A Randomized, Double Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: While carbohydrate loading is an important component of enhanced patient recovery after surgery, no study has evaluated the effects of preoperative carbohydrate loading after laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) on patient satisfaction and overall recovery. Thus, we aimed to investigate the impact of preoperative oral carbohydrates on scores from the quality of recovery 40-item (QoR-40) questionnaire after LC. METHODS: A total of 153 adults who underwent LC were randomized into three groups. Group MN-NPO was fasted from midnight until surgery. Group No-NPO received 400 mL of a carbohydrate beverage on the evening before surgery, and a morning dose of 400 mL was ingested at least 2 h before surgery. Group Placebo received the same quantity of flavored water as for group No-NPO. The quality of recovery after general anesthesia was evaluated using QoR-40 questionnaire. Intraoperative hemodynamics were also evaluated. RESULTS: There were no significant differences among the groups in terms of the pre- and postoperative global QoR-40 scores (P = 0.257). Group MN-NPO had an elevated heart rate compared to patients who ingested a preoperative beverage (groups No-NPO and Placebo; P = 0.0412). CONCLUSIONS: The preoperative carbohydrate beverage did not improve quality of recovery using the QoR-40 questionnaire after general anesthesia for laparoscopic cholecystectomy compared to placebo or conventional fasting. However, the preoperative fasting group had a consistently increased heart rate during changes in body position that induced hypotension, which is likely a result of depletion of effective intravascular volume caused by traditional fasting over 8 h. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical trial.gov identifier: NCT02555020.

Analog Figure-of-Merits Comparison of Gate Workfunction Variability and Random Discrete Dopant Between Inversion-Mode and Junctionless Nanowire FETs.

The analog figure-of-merits (FOMs) of conventional inversion-mode (IM) and junctionless (JL) NanoWire Field Effect Transistor (NWFET) have been investigated, considering the gate Work-Function Variability (WFV) and Random Discrete Dopant (RDD) using 3-dimensional (3D) TCAD simulation. While the JL-NWFET shows higher immune to WFV on analog FOMs, it can be easily affected by RDD due to higher channel doping level. On the other hand, the IM-NWFET shows stronger correlation between transconductance (gm) and gate capacitance (Cgg), leading to similar variation in cut-off frequency (ft) even though it shows larger gm and Cgg variation compared to JL-NWFET.

Electrical Characteristics and pH Response of a Parylene-H Sensing Membrane in a Si-Nanonet Ion-Sensitive Field-Effect Transistor.

We report the electrical characteristics and pH responses of a Si-nanonet ion-sensitive field-effect transistor with ultra-thin parylene-H as a gate sensing membrane. The fabricated device shows excellent DC characteristics: a low subthreshold swing of 85 mV/dec, a high current on/off ratio of ~107 and a low gate leakage current of ~10-10 A. The low interface trap density of 1.04 × 1012 cm-2 and high field-effect mobility of 510 cm²V-1s-1 were obtained. The pH responses of the devices were evaluated in various pH buffer solutions. A high pH sensitivity of 48.1 ± 0.5 mV/pH with a device-to-device variation of ~6.1% was achieved. From the low-frequency noise characterization, the signal-to-noise ratio was extracted as high as ~3400 A/A with the lowest noise equivalent pH value of ~0.002 pH. These excellent intrinsic electrical and pH sensing performances suggest that parylene-H can be promising as a sensing membrane in an ISFET-based biosensor platform.

ABA-HYPERSENSITIVE BTB/POZ PROTEIN 1 functions as a negative regulator in ABA-mediated inhibition of germination in Arabidopsis.

To elucidate the contribution of CRL3-ABA-mediated responses, we attempted to find CRL3 substrate receptors involved in ABA signaling. One gene named ABA-HYPERSENSITIVE BTB/POZ PROTEIN 1 (AHT1) was upregulated more than 2.5 times by ABA, and its coding region possessed a BTB/POZ domain, which is the common feature of CRL3 substrate receptors. Loss of AHT1 led to retardation of the germination process, not inhibition of root growth. AHT1 transcripts also increased in response to mannitol, NaCl and drought treatments at the seedling stage and in dry seeds. High expression of AHT1 in dry seeds was inhibited by the defect of ABA signaling components such as ABI1, ABI3 and SRKs indicating that the expression of AHT1 is dependent on ABA signaling. Among bZIP transcription factors participating in ABA signaling, the losses of ABI5/DPBF1, AREB1/ABF2, EEL/DPBF4 and DPBF2/bZIP67 resulted in reduced AHT1 expression, showing that these transcription factors play a positive role in ABA-induced AHT1 expression. While loss of AHT1 did not affect the expression pattern of NCED3, ABI2, SRKs and AREB/ABF genes, it led to hyperinduction of ABI5/DPBF genes such as ABI5/DPBF1, EEL/DPBF4 and AREB3/DPBF3, which are mainly involved in seed development and germination, as well as ABA-inducible genes transactivated by ABI5. Overall, these findings indicate that AHT1 negatively regulates ABA-mediated inhibition of germination, possibly by repressing the expression of a subset of ABI5/DPBF subfamily genes, and that AHT1 may be regulated by a negative feedback process through its linkage with a part of ABI5/DPBF proteins.

Graphene Oxide Monolayer as a Compatibilizer at the Polymer-Polymer Interface for Stabilizing Polymer Bilayer Films against Dewetting.

We investigate the effect of adding graphene oxide (GO) sheets at the polymer-polymer interface on the dewetting dynamics and compatibility of immiscible polymer bilayer films. GO monolayers are deposited at the poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)-polystyrene (PS) interface by the Langmuir-Schaefer technique. GO monolayers are found to significantly inhibit the dewetting behavior of both PMMA films (on PS substrates) and PS films (on PMMA substrates). This can be interpreted in terms of an interfacial interaction between the GO sheets and these polymers, which is evidenced by the reduced contact angle of the dewet droplets. The favorable interaction of GO with both PS and PMMA facilitates compatibilization of the immiscible polymer bilayer films, thereby stabilizing their bilayer films against dewetting. This compatibilization effect is verified by neutron reflectivity measurements, which reveal that the addition of GO monolayers broadens the interface between PS and the deuterated PMMA films by 2.2 times over that of the bilayer in the absence of GO.

Aprepitant for antiemesis after laparoscopic gynaecological surgery: A randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Ondansetron, a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist, and aprepitant, a neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist, block the emetic effect of serotonin and neurokinin, respectively. Aprepitant combined with ondansetron can be more effective for preventing emesis in patients at high risk of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prophylactic effect of combining aprepitant with ondansetron compared with ondansetron alone on PONV in patients with fentanyl-based patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) after laparoscopic gynaecological surgery. DESIGN: Single-centre, double-blinded randomised controlled trial. SETTING: A major university hospital in Seoul, Korea, between July 2012 and April 2013. PATIENTS: One hundred and twenty-five female patients (American Society of Anesthesiologists' physical status 1 or 2) with fentanyl-based intravenous PCA after gynaecological laparoscopy were recruited to the study, and 110 completed the protocol. INTERVENTIONS: Oral aprepitant 80 mg or placebo was given 1 h before anaesthesia. In all patients, ondansetron 4 mg was administered intravenously at the end of surgery and 12 mg was added to the PCA solution. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome measure was complete response (no PONV and no rescue antiemetics) up to 48 h postoperatively. RESULTS: There was no difference in the proportion of complete responses to 48 h between the groups (P = 0.05), but in the post-anaesthesia care unit and up to 24 h postoperatively, the proportion was significantly higher in the aprepitant and ondansetron group than in the ondansetron only group (76 vs. 50%, P = 0.004 and 38 vs. 16%, P = 0.011, respectively). In the aprepitant and ondansetron group, the time to first PONV was delayed (P = 0.014) and the incidence of nausea up to 24 h postoperatively was lower (P = 0.014). However, there were no differences in the incidences of retching or vomiting, the severity of nausea, use of rescue antiemetics or the incidence of side-effects. CONCLUSION: Aprepitant 80 mg orally with ondansetron is effective in suppressing early PONV up to 24 h postoperatively and delays the time to first PONV in patients with fentanyl-based intravenous PCA after gynaecological laparoscopy. However, the combination prophylaxis with aprepitant and ondansetron failed to reach the predefined primary study outcome when compared with ondansetron alone. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrial.gov identifier: NCT01897337.

Sulfuretin induces osteoblast differentiation through activation of TGF-ß signaling.

The identification and examination of potential determinants controlling the progression of cell fate toward osteoblasts can be intriguing subjects. In this study, the effects of sulfuretin, a major compound isolated from Rhus verniciflua Stokes, on osteoblast differentiation were investigated. Treatments of sulfuretin induced alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in mesenchymal C3H10T1/2 cells and mineralization in preosteoblast MC3T3-E1 cells. Pro-osteogenic effects of sulfuretin were consistently observed in freshly isolated primary bone marrow cells. In mechanical studies, sulfuretin specifically induced expression of TGF-ß target genes, such as SMAD7 and PAI-1, but not other signaling pathway-related genes. Similar to the results of gene expression analysis, reporter assays further demonstrated TGF-ß-specific induction by sulfuretin. Furthermore, disruption of TGF-ß signaling using treatment with TGF-ß-specific inhibitor, SB-431542, and introduction of SMAD2/3 small interfering RNA impaired the effects of sulfuretin in inducing ALP activity and expression of ALP mRNA. Together, these data indicate that the pro-osteogenic effects of sulfuretin are mediated through activation of TGF-ß signaling, further supporting the potential of sulfuretin in the prevention of bone-related diseases such as bone fracture and osteoporosis.

Stable n-type doping of graphene via high-molecular-weight ethylene amines.

We demonstrate a stable and strong n-type doping method to tune the electrical properties of graphene via vapor phase chemical doping with various high-molecular-weight ethylene amines. The resulting carrier concentration after doping with pentaethylenehexamine (PEHA) is as high as -1.01 × 10(13) cm(-2), which reduces the sheet resistance of graphene by up to ∼400% compared to pristine graphene. Our study suggests that the branched structure of the dopant molecules is another important factor that determines the actual doping degree of graphene.

Efficacy of a single dose of dexmedetomidine for cough suppression during anesthetic emergence: a randomized controlled trial.

PURPOSE: Maintenance of a remifentanil infusion during anesthetic emergence has been reported to decrease the incidence of coughing and thereby help to ensure a smooth emergence. It may, however, cause respiratory depression and possibly delay emergence. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a single dose of dexmedetomidine combined with a low-dose remifentanil infusion on cough suppression during emergence from general anesthesia. METHODS: American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I-II adults undergoing elective thyroidectomy under sevoflurane anesthesia were recruited and randomly allocated to receive either dexmedetomidine 0.5 µg·kg(-1) iv (Group D, n = 70) or saline (Group S, n = 71), each combined with a low-dose remifentanil infusion ten minutes before the end of surgery. Coughing was assessed using a four-point scale. The respiratory rate (RR), heart rate (HR), and mean arterial pressure were also recorded. RESULTS: The incidence of coughing was lower in Group D than in Group S (64% vs 91%, respectively; mean difference 27%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 13 to 41; P < 0.001). The median cough grade at extubation was also lower in Group D. Mean arterial pressure and HR were elevated in Group S during tracheal extubation but were similar to baseline values in Group D. There was no difference in RR between the two groups throughout the study. A small delay in extubation was observed in Group D (3 minutes longer than Group S; 95% CI 2 to 4; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Compared with an infusion of low-dose remifentanil alone, the addition of a single dose (0.5 µg·kg(-1)) of dexmedetomidine during emergence from sevoflurane-remifentanil anesthesia was effective in attenuating coughing and hemodynamic changes and did not exacerbate respiratory depression after thyroid surgery. This trial was registered at Clinicaltrial.gov, identifier: NCT01774305.

Reading single DNA with DNA polymerase followed by atomic force microscopy.

The importance of DNA sequencing in the life sciences and personalized medicine is continually increasing. Single-molecule sequencing methods have been developed to analyze DNA directly without the need for amplification. Here, we present a new approach to sequencing single DNA molecules using atomic force microscopy (AFM). In our approach, four surface-conjugated nucleotides were examined sequentially with a DNA polymerase-immobilized AFM tip. By observing the specific rupture events upon examination of a matching nucleotide, we could determine the template base bound in the polymerase's active site. The subsequent incorporation of the complementary base in solution enabled the next base to be read. Additionally, we observed that the DNA polymerase could incorporate the surface-conjugated dGTP when the applied force was controlled by employing the force-clamp mode.