Association between quantitative analysis of cerebral edema using CT imaging and neurological outcomes in cardiac arrest survivors.

BACKGROUND: To determine if the density distribution proportion of Hounsfield unit (HUdp) in head computed tomography (HCT) images can be used to quantitatively measure cerebral edema in survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). METHODS: This retrospective observational study included adult comatose OHCA survivors who underwent HCT within 6 h (first) and 72-96 h (second), all performed using the same CT scanner. Semi-automated quantitative analysis was used to identify differences in HUdp at specific HU ranges across the intracranial component based on neurological outcome. Cerebral edema was defined as the increased displacement of the sum of HUdp values (ΔHUdp) at a specific range between two HCT scans. Poor neurological outcome was defined as cerebral performance categories 3-5 at 6 months after OHCA. RESULTS: Twenty-three (42%) out of 55 patients had poor neurological outcome. Significant HUdp differences were observed between good and poor neurological outcomes in the second HCT scan at HU = 1-14, 23-35, and 39-56 (all P < 0.05). Only the ΔHUdp = 23-35 range showed a significant increase and correlation in the poor neurological outcome group (4.90 vs. -0.72, P < 0.001) with the sum of decreases in the other two ranges (r = 0.97, P < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated a significant association between ΔHUdp = 23-35 range and poor neurological outcomes (adjusted OR, 1.12; 95% CI: 1.02-1.24; P = 0.02). CONCLUSION: In this cohort study, the increased displacement in ΔHUdp = 23-35 range is independently associated with poor neurological outcome and provides a quantitative assessment of cerebral edema formation in OHCA survivors.

Grey-to-White Matter Ratio Values in Early Head Computed Tomography (CT) as a Predictor of Neurologic Outcomes in Survivors of Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Based on Severity of Hypoxic-Ischemic Brain Injury.

BACKGROUND: Hypoxic-ischemic brain injury (HIBI) is a common complication of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). OBJECTIVES: We investigated whether grey-to-white matter ratio (GWR) values, measured using early head computed tomography (HCT), were associated with neurologic outcomes based on the severity of HIBI in survivors of OHCA. METHODS: This retrospective multicenter study included adult comatose OHCA survivors who underwent an HCT scan within 2 h after the return of spontaneous circulation. HIBI severity was assessed using the revised post-Cardiac Arrest Syndrome for Therapeutic hypothermia (rCAST) scale (low, moderate, and severe). Poor neurologic outcomes were defined as Cerebral Performance Categories 3 to 5 at 6 months after OHCA. RESULTS: Among 354 patients, 27% were women and 224 (63.3%) had poor neurologic outcomes. The distribution of severity was 19.5% low, 47.5% moderate, and 33.1% severe. The area under the receiver operating curves of the GWR values for predicting rCAST severity (low, moderate, and severe) were 0.52, 0.62, and 0.79, respectively. The severe group had significantly higher predictive performance than the moderate group (p = 0.02). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed a significant association between GWR values and poor neurologic outcomes in the moderate group (adjusted odds ratio = 0.012, 95% CI 0.0-0.54, p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort study, GWR values measured using early HCT demonstrated variations in predicting neurologic outcomes based on HIBI severity. Furthermore, GWR in the moderate group was associated with poor neurologic outcomes.

Graphene/III-V Quantum Dot Mixed-Dimensional Heterostructure for Enhanced Radiative Recombinations via Hole Carrier Transfer.

Fabrication of high quantum efficiency nanoscale device is challenging due to increased carrier loss at surface. Low dimensional materials such 0D quantum dots and 2D materials have been widely studied to mitigate the loss. Here, we demonstrate a strong photoluminescence enhancement from graphene/III-V quantum dot mixed-dimensional heterostructures. The distance between graphene and quantum dots in the 2D/0D hybrid structure determines the degree of radiative carrier recombination enhancement from 80% to 800% compared to the quantum dot only structure. Time-resolved photoluminescence decay also shows increased carrier lifetimes when the distance decreases from 50 to 10 nm. We propose that the optical enhancement is due to energy band bending and hole carrier transfer, which repair the imbalance of electron and hole carrier densities in quantum dots. This 2D graphene/0D quantum dot heterostructure shows promise for high performance nanoscale optoelectronic devices.

Tunable spin injection and detection across a van der Waals interface.

Van der Waals heterostructures with two-dimensional magnets offer a magnetic junction with an atomically sharp and clean interface. This attribute ensures that the magnetic layers maintain their intrinsic spin-polarized electronic states and spin-flipping scattering processes at a minimum level, a trait that can expand spintronic device functionalities. Here, using a van der Waals assembly of ferromagnetic Fe3GeTe2 with non-magnetic hexagonal boron nitride and WSe2 layers, we demonstrate electrically tunable, highly transparent spin injection and detection across the van der Waals interfaces. By varying an electrical bias, the net spin polarization of the injected carriers can be modulated and reversed in polarity, which leads to sign changes of the tunnelling magnetoresistance. We attribute the spin polarization reversals to sizable contributions from high-energy localized spin states in the metallic ferromagnet, so far inaccessible in conventional magnetic junctions. Such tunability of the spin-valve operations opens a promising route for the electronic control of next-generation low-dimensional spintronic device applications.

Association of ultra-early diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging with neurological outcomes after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the association between ultra-early (within 6 h after return of spontaneous circulation [ROSC]) brain diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) and neurological outcomes in comatose survivors after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. METHODS: We conducted a registry-based observational study from May 2018 to February 2022 at a Chungnam national university hospital in Daejeon, Korea. Presence of high-signal intensity (HSI) (PHSI) was defined as a HSI on DW-MRI with corresponding hypoattenuation on the apparent diffusion coefficient map irrespective of volume after hypoxic ischemic brain injury; absence of HSI was defined as AHSI. The primary outcome was the dichotomized cerebral performance category (CPC) at 6 months, defined as good (CPC 1-2) or poor (CPC 3-5). RESULTS: Of the 110 patients (30 women [27.3%]; median (interquartile range [IQR]) age, 58 [38-69] years), 48 (43.6%) had a good neurological outcome, time from ROSC to MRI scan was 2.8 h (IQR 2.0-4.0 h), and the PHSI on DW-MRI was observed in 46 (41.8%) patients. No patients in the PHSI group had a good neurological outcome compared with 48 (75%) patients in the AHSI group. In the AHSI group, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) neuron-specific enolase (NSE) levels were significantly lower in the group with good neurological outcome compared to the group with poor neurological outcome (20.1 [14.4-30.7] ng/mL vs. 84.3 [32.4-167.0] ng/mL, P < 0.001). The area under the curve for PHSI on DW-MRI was 0.87 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.80-0.93), and the specificity and sensitivity for predicting a poor neurological outcome were 100% (95% CI 91.2%-100%) and 74.2% (95% CI 62.0-83.5%), respectively. A higher sensitivity was observed when CSF NSE levels were combined (88.7% [95% CI 77.1-95.1%]; 100% specificity). CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort study, PHSI findings on ultra-early DW-MRI were associated with poor neurological outcomes 6 months following the cardiac arrest. The combined CSF NSE levels showed higher sensitivity at 100% specificity than on DW-MRI alone. Prospective multicenter studies are required to confirm these results.

Quantitative analysis of early apparent diffusion coefficient values from MRIs for predicting neurological prognosis in survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: an observational study.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to quantitatively analyse ultra-early brain diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) findings to determine the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) threshold associated with neurological outcomes in comatose survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). METHODS: This retrospective study included adult survivors of comatose OHCA who underwent DW-MRI imaging scans using a 3-T MRI scanner within 6 h of the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). We investigated the association between neurological outcomes and ADC values obtained through voxel-based analysis on DW-MRI. Additionally, we constructed multivariable logistic regression models with pupillary light reflex (PLR), serum neuron-specific enolase (NSE), and ADC values as independent variables to predict poor neurological outcomes. The primary outcome was poor neurological outcome 6 months after ROSC, determined by the Cerebral Performance Category 3-5. RESULTS: Overall, 131 patients (26% female) were analysed, of whom 74 (57%) showed poor neurological outcomes. The group with a poor neurological outcome had lower mean whole brain ADC values (739.1 vs. 787.1 × 10-6 mm/s) and higher percentages of voxels with ADC below threshold in all ranges (250-1150) (all P < 0.001). The mean whole brain ADC values (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC] 0.83) and the percentage of voxels with ADC below 600 (AUC 0.81) had the highest sensitivity of 51% (95% confidence interval [CI] 39.4-63.1; cut-off value ≤ 739.2 × 10-6 mm2/s and > 17.2%, respectively) when the false positive rate (FPR) was 0%. In the multivariable model, which also included PLR, NSE, and mean whole brain ADC values, poor neurological outcome was predicted with the highest accuracy (AUC 0.91; 51% sensitivity). This model showed more accurate prediction and sensitivity at an FPR of 0% than did the combination of PLR and NSE (AUC 0.86; 30% sensitivity; P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort study, early voxel-based quantitative ADC analysis after ROSC was associated with poor neurological outcomes 6 months after cardiac arrest. The mean whole brain ADC value demonstrated the highest sensitivity when the FPR was 0%, and including it in the multivariable model improved the prediction of poor neurological outcomes.

Machine Learning-Aided Chronic Kidney Disease Diagnosis Based on Ultrasound Imaging Integrated with Computer-Extracted Measurable Features.

Although ultrasound plays an important role in the diagnosis of chronic kidney disease (CKD), image interpretation requires extensive training. High operator variability and limited image quality control of ultrasound images have made the application of computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) challenging. This study assessed the effect of integrating computer-extracted measurable features with the convolutional neural network (CNN) on the ultrasound image CAD accuracy of CKD. Ultrasound images from patients who visited Severance Hospital and Gangnam Severance Hospital in South Korea between 2011 and 2018 were used. A Mask regional CNN model was used for organ segmentation and measurable feature extraction. Data on kidney length and kidney-to-liver echogenicity ratio were extracted. The ResNet18 model classified kidney ultrasound images into CKD and non-CKD. Experiments were conducted with and without the input of the measurable feature data. The performance of each model was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). A total of 909 patients (mean age, 51.4 ± 19.3 years; 414 [49.5%] men and 495 [54.5%] women) were included in the study. The average AUROC from the model trained using ultrasound images achieved a level of 0.81. Image training with the integration of automatically extracted kidney length and echogenicity features revealed an improved average AUROC of 0.88. This value further increased to 0.91 when the clinical information of underlying diabetes was also included in the model trained with CNN and measurable features. The automated step-wise machine learning-aided model segmented, measured, and classified the kidney ultrasound images with high performance. The integration of computer-extracted measurable features into the machine learning model may improve CKD classification.

CRFalign: A Sequence-Structure Alignment of Proteins Based on a Combination of HMM-HMM Comparison and Conditional Random Fields.

Sequence-structure alignment for protein sequences is an important task for the template-based modeling of 3D structures of proteins. Building a reliable sequence-structure alignment is a challenging problem, especially for remote homologue target proteins. We built a method of sequence-structure alignment called CRFalign, which improves upon a base alignment model based on HMM-HMM comparison by employing pairwise conditional random fields in combination with nonlinear scoring functions of structural and sequence features. Nonlinear scoring part is implemented by a set of gradient boosted regression trees. In addition to sequence profile features, various position-dependent structural features are employed including secondary structures and solvent accessibilities. Training is performed on reference alignments at superfamily levels or twilight zone chosen from the SABmark benchmark set. We found that CRFalign method produces relative improvement in terms of average alignment accuracies for validation sets of SABmark benchmark. We also tested CRFalign on 51 sequence-structure pairs involving 15 FM target domains of CASP14, where we could see that CRFalign leads to an improvement in average modeling accuracies in these hard targets (TM-CRFalign ≃42.94%) compared with that of HHalign (TM-HHalign ≃39.05%) and also that of MRFalign (TM-MRFalign ≃36.93%). CRFalign was incorporated to our template search framework called CRFpred and was tested for a random target set of 300 target proteins consisting of Easy, Medium and Hard sets which showed a reasonable template search performance.

Thermotherapy as an alternative to exercise for metabolic health in obese postmenopausal women: focus on circulating irisin level.

Irisin is a myokine caused by exercise that improves insulin resistance and weight loss. However, under unfavorable conditions such as air pollution, and during the pandemic, outdoor activities are uncomfortable. Therefore, in this study, the effect of heat therapy (half bath 42 ± 0.5°C for 30 min) on irisin circulation levels as an exercise alternative for middle-aged obese women after menopause was investigated. Subjects were 33 women aged 49.54 ± 6.04 years, with parameters of height, 160.12 ± 4.33 cm, weight, 69.71 ± 7.52 kg, body surface area 1.73 ± 0.13 m2, body mass index, 27.19 ± 3.40 kg/m2. The results suggest that circulating irisin levels showed a significant increase after one-time thermotherapy (TH-1). However, the increase in circulating irisin levels after 15 treatments (TH-15, 5 days/week, 3 weeks) was significantly varied. The level of adiponectin, which increases fatty oxidation to reduce fatty deposition, increased significantly at TH-1, but further increased at TH-15, which was significantly different from the level of TH-1. In addition, the basic serum free fatty acid (FFA) level was significantly increased at TH-15 compared to TH-1. Significant differences were also found in the lipid profile (body mass index, waist circumference, and % body fat). Thermotherapy can significantly increase the tympanic temperature and induce changes in circulating irisin and adiponectin levels. Thus, it resulted in positive changes in FFA and lipid profiles. Therefore, repeated thermotherapy is effective in increasing circulating irisin levels in postmenopausal obese women.

Measuring global impairment of cerebral perfusion using dynamic susceptibility contrast perfusion-weighted imaging in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survivors: A prospective preliminary study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: This study aimed to assess the global impairment and prognostic performance of cerebral perfusions (CP) measured by dynamic susceptibility contrast perfusion-weighted imaging (DSC-PWI) in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients after sustained restoration of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a single-centre, prospective observational study. OHCA patients performed DSC-PWI within 8 h after ROSC were enrolled. We quantified the CP parameters, such as cerebral blood volume (CBV), cerebral blood flow (CBF), mean transit time (MTT), time to peak (TTP), and time to maximum of the residue function (Tmax) either by normalization or arterial input function (AIF). The primary and secondary outcomes were survival to discharge and comparison of prognostic performance between CP parameters and serum neuron-specific enolase (NSE) using area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) and sensitivity values. RESULTS: Thirty-one patients were included in this study. CBV and TTP quantified by normalization, and MTT and Tmax quantified by AIF showed significantly higher CP values in the non-survival group (p = 0.02, 0.03, 0.02, and <0.01, respectively). Their AUROCs and 100% specific sensitivities were 0.74/25.0%, 0.60/33.3%, 0.75/56.3%, and 0.79/43.8%, respectively. MTT quantified by AIF showed sensitivity in predicting mortality at an early stage of PCA care, comparable with NSE. CONCLUSION: Hyperaemia and delayed CP were generally observed in OHCA patients regardless of outcomes. MTT and Tmax quantified by AIF have prognostic performance in predicting mortality, comparable with NSE. Further prospective multicentre studies are required to confirm our results.

Performance Analysis of Millimeter-Wave UAV Swarm Networks under Blockage Effects.

Due to their high mobility, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can offer better connectivity by complement or replace with the existing terrestrial base stations (BSs) in the mobile cellular networks. In particular, introducing UAV and millimeter wave (mmWave) technologies can better support the future wireless networks with requirements of high data rate, low latency, and seamless connectivity. However, it is widely known that mmWave signals are susceptible to blockages because of their poor diffraction. In this context, we consider macro-diversity achieved by the multiple UAV BSs, which are randomly distributed in a spherical swarm. Using the widely used channel model incorporated with the distance-based random blockage effects, which is proposed based on stochastic geometry and random shape theory, we investigate the outage performance of the mmWave UAV swarm network. Further, based on our analysis, we show how to minimize the outage rate by adjusting various system parameters such as the size of the UAV swarm relative to the distance to the receiver.

Full-coloration based on metallic nanostructures through phase discontinuity in Fabry-Perot resonators.

We demonstrate a flexible full-color plate using Fabry-Perot (FP) resonators with two different types of silver nanostructures, a uniform nanofilm and a layer of nanoislands, for transmissive color elements. Two different nanostructures with deep-subwavelength features are selectively generated according to the layer thickness during vacuum deposition with no patterning process. In the nanofilm case, the primary optical mode accountable for generating the color shifts to blue from the original FP resonance while in the nanoislands case, it shifts to red so that a wide spectrum in the visible range is available through the phase discontinuity in the FP resonators. The peaks in the FP resonance shifted toward the opposite directions are attributed to the opposite signs of the phase retardations by a nanofilm and nanoislands. This approach paves a new way of constructing full-color elements for a variety of display devices and image storage systems.

Selective photonic printing based on anisotropic Fabry-Perot resonators for dual-image holography and anti-counterfeiting.

We present the photonic printing that can display different color images depending on the optical polarization of incident light. The dynamic selection among different images becomes possible by using anisotropic Fabry-Perot resonators that incorporate a layer of liquid crystal molecules aligned by directional molecular registration (DMR) as polarization-dependent color pixels. Using the new device platform, we demonstrate a prototype of an anticounterfeiting label with inherent anti-replicability that results from the molecular-level origin of security images. In addition, this concept is extended to polarization-selective holography. Our molecular-level approach enables to develop a new class of security labels and holographic storage media.

Outcomes of non-high grade serous carcinoma after neoadjuvant chemotherapy for advanced-stage ovarian cancer: a Korean gynecologic oncology group study (OV 1708).

BACKGROUND: Outcomes of patients with ovarian high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC) treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) have been widely studied, but there is limited information on the outcomes of patients with non-HGSC. This study aimed to evaluate the outcomes of NAC in non-HGSC patients with advanced-stage ovarian cancer. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent NAC for advanced stage non-HGSC between 2002 and 2017 in 17 institutions. Demographics, surgical outcomes, and survival rates were evaluated according to histological subtypes. RESULTS: A total of 154 patients were included in this study, comprising 20 cases (13.0%) of mucinous adenocarcinoma, 31 cases (20.1%) of endometrioid adenocarcinoma, 28 (18.2%) cases of clear cell carcinoma, 29 (18.8%) cases of low-grade serous carcinoma and 12 cases (7.8%) of carcinosarcoma. Complete remission/partial remission after the third cycle of NAC was achieved in 100 (64.9%) patients and optimal debulking surgery (residual disease ≤1 cm) at interval debulking surgery was achieved in 103 (66.9%) patients. The most common reason for performing NAC was high tumor burden (n = 106, 68.8%). The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 14.3 months and median overall survival (OS) was 52.9 months. In multivariate analyses, mucinous and clear cell carcinoma were negative prognostic factors for both PFS (p = 0.007 and p = 0.017, respectively) and OS (p = 0.002 and p = 0.013, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, poor survival outcomes were observed in patients with mucinous and clear cell carcinoma undergoing NAC. Different treatment strategies are urgently required to improve survival outcomes for this disease subset.

Real-world effectiveness of bevacizumab based on AURELIA in platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian cancer (REBECA): A Korean Gynecologic Oncology Group study (KGOG 3041).

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effectiveness of bevacizumab with single-agent chemotherapy for platinum-resistant ovarian cancer in a real-world setting. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We enrolled recurrent platinum-resistant ovarian cancer patients from 27 institutions. All had received bevacizumab with single-agent chemotherapy (weekly paclitaxel, pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD), topotecan) between 2015 and 2017 for second- or third-line chemotherapy in routine clinical practice. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) and safety. Secondary endpoints included the objective response rate (ORR), PFS2, overall survival, duration of chemotherapy, and reasons for discontinuing chemotherapy. RESULTS: Of 391 patients, 259 (66.2%) received bevacizumab with PLD, 94 (24.0%) with topotecan, and 38 (9.7%) with weekly paclitaxel. The median PFS was 6.1 months with all forms of bevacizumab-containing therapy. Although the cohort with weekly paclitaxel had a better PFS than the PLD cohort (P = 0.028), this finding was not found in patients with a previous platinum-free interval of less than three months. The median duration of therapy was five cycles (range, one to 20 cycles), and 29 patients (7.4%) discontinued treatment because of adverse events from bevacizumab-containing regimens. The PLD cohort had fewer grade ≥ 3 adverse events than the other regimens (PLD, 35.8%; weekly paclitaxel, 52.6%; topotecan, 51.1%; P = 0.012), especially events of hematologic toxicities. CONCLUSION: In Korean ovarian cancer patients, the safety and effectiveness of chemotherapy with bevacizumab in a real-world setting was consistent with the results from a randomized controlled study. The effectiveness and toxicity profiles varied among the chemotherapy regimens, and this finding should be considered in practice. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: NCT03367182.

Parathyroid carcinoma arising from auto-transplanted parathyroid tissue after Total Parathyroidectomy in chronic kidney disease patient: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Secondary hyperparathyroidism is a common complication in patients with chronic kidney disease that requires vigilant treatment due to its high mortality rate. Pharmacologic therapy is recommended as an initial treatment; if there is no response, a total parathyroidectomy is performed. In some cases, surgery is accompanied by auto-transplantation of parathyroid tissue. CASE PRESENTATION: The patient was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease and received a kidney transplant. However, due to rejection of the transplanted kidney, medical nephrectomy was carried out and routine hemodialysis was initiated and observed. At this time, secondary hyperparathyroidism with elevated parathyroid hormone and hyperphosphatemia developed and pharmacologic treatment was applied. However, there was no response to pharmacologic treatment; therefore, total parathyroidectomy with auto-transplantation was performed. Eight years after surgery, a growing mass was observed in the transplantation site, accompanied by an elevation of parathyroid hormone. A complete resection of the mass was performed, and the patient was diagnosed with parathyroid carcinoma. Additional adjuvant radiation therapy was ordered, and the patient is being monitored. CONCLUSIONS: This is a rare but remarkable case of parathyroid carcinoma arising from auto-transplanted parathyroid tissue after total parathyroidectomy in a patient with secondary hyperparathyroidism. We suggest caution should be taken when choosing to auto- transplant parathyroid tissue and that careful postoperative observation should be performed.

Risk factors of persistent HPV infection after treatment for high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the risk factors associated with persistent high-risk human papillomavirus (HR HPV) infections in patients undergoing cervical excision for treatment of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL). METHODS: A retrospective cohort study included 160 patients who underwent cervical excision for treatment of HSIL between January 2014 and December 2014. The clinical characteristics, cervical cytology, and HPV test results were reviewed. Persistent HR HPV infections were identified within 6 months after treatment. The effects of various factors such as patient age, menopausal status, parity, HPV type, and histopathological results on persistent HR HPV infections were assessed using univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 38.1 ± 11.5 years (range 18‒86 years). Among them 148 (92.5%) had HR HPV infections, and persistent infections after surgical treatment were detected in 48 (32.4%) patients. Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that older age (> 50 years), short follow-up duration (< 3 months), and menopause were associated with persistent HR HPV infections. Multivariate analysis showed that menopausal status was the only significant independent predictor for HR HPV persistence after treatment (odds ratio, 5.08; 95% confidence interval, 1.93-13.36; P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Persistent HR HPV infections were detected in approximately 30% of patients within 6 months after cervical excision for HSIL. Elderly patients with menopause are at increased risk of HR HPV persistence after treatment for HSIL.

Protein structure modeling and refinement by global optimization in CASP12.

For protein structure modeling in the CASP12 experiment, we have developed a new protocol based on our previous CASP11 approach. The global optimization method of conformational space annealing (CSA) was applied to 3 stages of modeling: multiple sequence-structure alignment, three-dimensional (3D) chain building, and side-chain re-modeling. For better template selection and model selection, we updated our model quality assessment (QA) method with the newly developed SVMQA (support vector machine for quality assessment). For 3D chain building, we updated our energy function by including restraints generated from predicted residue-residue contacts. New energy terms for the predicted secondary structure and predicted solvent accessible surface area were also introduced. For difficult targets, we proposed a new method, LEEab, where the template term played a less significant role than it did in LEE, complemented by increased contributions from other terms such as the predicted contact term. For TBM (template-based modeling) targets, LEE performed better than LEEab, but for FM targets, LEEab was better. For model refinement, we modified our CASP11 molecular dynamics (MD) based protocol by using explicit solvents and tuning down restraint weights. Refinement results from MD simulations that used a new augmented statistical energy term in the force field were quite promising. Finally, when using inaccurate information (such as the predicted contacts), it was important to use the Lorentzian function for which the maximal penalty arising from wrong information is always bounded.

Generation of intensity-tunable structural color from helical photonic crystals for full color reflective-type display.

A new concept of intensity-tunable structural coloration is proposed on the basis of a helical photonic crystal (HPC). The HPCs are constructed from a mixture of chiral reactive mesogens by spin-coating, followed by the photo-polymerization. A liquid crystal (LC) layer, being homogeneously aligned, is prepared on the HPCs to serve as a tunable waveplate. The electrical modulation of the phase retardation through the LC layer directly leads to the intensity-tunable Bragg reflection from the HPCs upon the incidence of the polarized light. The bandwidths of the structural colors are found to be well preserved regardless of the applied voltage. A prototype of a full color reflective-type display, incorporated with three primary color units, is demonstrated. Our concept of decoupling two mutually independent functions, the intensity modulation by the tunable waveplate and the color reflection by the HPCs provides a simple and powerful way of producing a full color reflective-type display which possesses high color purity, high optical efficiency, the cycling durability, and the design flexibility.

Superconducting Open-Framework Allotrope of Silicon at Ambient Pressure.

Diamond Si is a semiconductor with an indirect band gap that is the basis of modern semiconductor technology. Although many metastable forms of Si were observed using diamond anvil cells for compression and chemical precursors for synthesis, no metallic phase at ambient conditions has been reported thus far. Here we report the prediction of pure metallic Si allotropes with open channels at ambient pressure, unlike a cubic diamond structure in covalent bonding networks. The metallic phase termed P6/m-Si_{6} can be obtained by removing Na after pressure release from a novel Na-Si clathrate called P6/m-NaSi_{6}, which is predicted through first-principles study at high pressure. We identify that both P6/m-NaSi_{6} and P6/m-Si_{6} are stable and superconducting with the critical temperatures of about 13 and 12 K at ambient pressure, respectively. The prediction of new Na-Si and Si clathrate structures presents the possibility of exploring new exotic allotropes useful for Si-based devices.