Effects of oxygen vacancies and interfacial strain on the metal-insulator transition of VO2 nanobeams.

The role of oxygen vacancies and interfacial strain on the metal-insulator transition (MIT) behavior of high-quality VO2 nanobeams (NBs) synthesized on SiO2/Si substrates employing V2O5 as a precursor has been investigated in this research. Selective oxygen vacancies have been generated by argon plasma irradiation. The MIT is progressively suppressed as the duration of plasma processing increases; in addition, the temperature of MIT (TMIT) drops by up to 95 K relative to the pristine VO2 NBs. Incorporating oxygen vacancies into VO2 may increase its electron concentration, which might shift the Fermi levels upward, strengthen the electronic orbital overlap of the V-V chains, and further stabilize the metallic phase at lower temperatures, based on first-principles calculations. Furthermore, in order to evaluate the influence of substrate-induced strain in our situation, the MIT in two distinct types of VO2 NB samples is examined without metal contacts by using the distinctive light scattering characteristics of the metal (M) and insulator (I) phases (i.e., M/I domains) by optical microscopy. It is found that the domain structures in the "clamped" NBs persisted up to ∼453 K, while the "released" NBs (transferred to a new substrate) did not exhibit any domain structures and turned into an entirely M phase with a dark contrast above ∼348 K. When combined with first-principles calculations, the electronic orbital occupancy in the rutile phase contributes to explaining the interfacial strain-induced modulation of MIT. The current findings shed light on how interfacial strain and oxygen vacancies impact MIT behavior. It also suggests several types of control strategies for MIT in VO2 NBs, which are essential for a broader spectrum of VO2 NB applications.

High-Responsivity and Broadband MoS2 Photodetector Using Interfacial Engineering.

Combining MoS2 with mature silicon technology is an effective method for preparing high-performance photodetectors. However, the previously studied MoS2/silicon-based heterojunction photodetectors cannot simultaneously demonstrate high responsivity, a fast response time, and broad spectral detection. We constructed a broad spectral n-type MoS2/p-type silicon-based heterojunction photodetector. The SiO2 dielectric layer on the silicon substrate was pretreated with soft plasma to change its thickness and surface state. The pretreated SiO2 dielectric layer and the silicon substrate constitute a multilayer heterostructure with a high carrier concentration and responsiveness. Taking silicon-based and n-type MoS2 heterojunction photodetectors as examples, its responsivity can reach 4.05 × 104 A W1- at 637 nm wavelength with a power density of 2 µW mm-2, and the detectable spectral range is measured from 447 to 1600 nm. This pretreated substrate was proven applicable to other n-type TMDCs, such as MoTe2, ReS2, etc., with certain versatility.

High-performance multilayer WSe2/SnS2p-n heterojunction photodetectors by two step confined space chemical vapor deposition.

Two-dimensional (2D) p-n heterojunctions have attracted great attention due to their outstanding properties in electronic and optoelectronic devices, especially in photodetectors. Various types of heterojunctions have been constituted by mechanical exfoliation and stacking. However, achieving controlled growth of heterojunction structures remains a tremendous challenge. Here, we employed a two-step KI-assisted confined-space chemical vapor deposition method to prepare multilayer WSe2/SnS2p-n heterojunctions. Optical characterization results revealed that the prepared WSe2/SnS2vertical heterostructures have clear interfaces as well as vertical heterostructures. The electrical and optoelectronic properties were investigated by constructing the corresponding heterojunction devices, which exhibited good rectification characteristics and obtained a high detectivity of 7.85 × 1012Jones and a photoresponse of 227.3 A W-1under visible light irradiation, as well as a fast rise/fall time of 166/440µs. These remarkable performances are likely attributed to the ultra-low dark current generated in the depletion region at the junction and the high direct tunneling current during illumination. This work demonstrates the value of multilayer WSe2/SnS2heterojunctions for applications in high-performance photodetectors.

α-Subunit Tyrosine Phosphorylation Is Required for Activation of the Large Conductance Ca2+-Activated Potassium Channel in the Rabbit Sphincter of Oddi.

Large conductance Ca2+-activated potassium (BKCa) channels are regulated by intracellular free Ca2+ concentrations ([Ca2+]i) and channel protein phosphorylation. In hypercholesterolemia (HC), motility impairment of the sphincter of Oddi (SO) is associated with abnormal [Ca2+]i accumulation in smooth muscle cells of the rabbit SO (RSOSMCs), which is closely related to BKCa channel activity. However, the underlying mechanisms regulating channel activity remain unclear. In this study, an HC rabbit model was generated and used to investigate BKCa channel activity of RSOSMCs via SO muscle tone measurement in vitro and manometry in vivo, electrophysiological recording, intracellular calcium measurement, and Western blot analyses. BKCa channel activity was decreased, which correlated with [Ca2+]i overload and reduced tyrosine phosphorylation of the BKCa α-subunit in the HC group. The abnormal [Ca2+]i accumulation and decreased BKCa channel activity were partially restored by Na3VO4 pretreatment but worsened by genistein in RSOSMCs in the HC group. This study suggests that α-subunit tyrosine phosphorylation is required for [Ca2+]i to activate BKCa channels, and there is a negative feedback between the BKCa channel and the L-type voltage-dependent Ca2+ channel that regulates [Ca2+]i. This study provides direct evidence that tyrosine phosphorylation of BKCa α-subunits is required for [Ca2+]i to activate BKCa channels in RSOSMCs, which may be the underlying physiological and pathologic mechanism regulating the activity of BKCa channels in SO cells.

Immunological characteristics of MAV/06 strain of varicella-zoster virus vaccine in an animal model.

BACKGROUND: Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is a pathogen that causes chickenpox and shingles in humans. Different types of the varicella vaccines derived from the Oka and MAV/06 strains are commercially available worldwide. Although the MAV/06 vaccine was introduced in 1990s, little was known about immunological characteristics. RESULTS: Here, we evaluated B and T cell immune response in animals inoculated with the Oka and MAV/06 vaccines as well as a new formulation of the MAV/06 vaccine. A variety of test methods were applied to evaluate T and B cell immune response. Plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT) and fluorescent antibody to membrane antigen (FAMA) assay were conducted to measure the MAV/06 vaccine-induced antibody activity against various VZVs. Glycoprotein enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (gpELISA) was used to compare the degree of the antibody responses induced by the two available commercial VZV vaccines and the MAV/06 vaccine. Interferon-gamma enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot (IFN-γ ELISpot) assays and cytokine bead array (CBA) assays were conducted to investigate T cell immune responses. Antibodies induced by MAV/06 vaccination showed immunogenicity against a variety of varicella-zoster virus and cross-reactivity among the virus clades. CONCLUSIONS: It is indicating the similarity of the antibody responses induced by commercial varicella vaccines and the MAV/06 vaccine. Moreover, VZV-specific T cell immune response from MAV/06 vaccination was increased via Th1 cell response. MAV/06 varicella vaccine induced both humoral and cellular immune response via Th1 cell mediated response.

Optimizing the radiomics-machine-learning model based on non-contrast enhanced CT for the simplified risk categorization of thymic epithelial tumors: A large cohort retrospective study.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to establish and compare the radiomics machine learning (ML) models based on non-contrast enhanced computed tomography (NECT) and clinical features for predicting the simplified risk categorization of thymic epithelial tumors (TETs). EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: A total of 509 patients with pathologically confirmed TETs from January 2009 to May 2018 were retrospectively enrolled, consisting of 238 low-risk thymoma (LRT), 232 high-risk thymoma (HRT), and 39 thymic carcinoma (TC), and were divided into training (n = 433) and testing cohorts (n = 76) according to the admission time. Volumes of interest (VOIs) covering the whole tumor were manually segmented on preoperative NECT images. A total of 1218 radiomic features were extracted from the VOIs, and 4 clinical variables were collected from the hospital database. Fourteen ML models, along with varied feature selection strategies, were used to establish triple-classification models using the radiomic features (radiomic models), while clinical-radiomic models were built after combining with the clinical variables. The diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of radiologist assessment, the radiomic and clinical-radiomic models were evaluated on the testing cohort. RESULTS: The Support Vector Machine (SVM) clinical-radiomic model demonstrated the highest AUC of 0.841 (95% CI 0.820 to 0.861) on the cross-validation result and reached an AUC of 0.844 (95% CI 0.793 to 0.894) in the testing cohort. For the one-vs-rest question of LRT vs HRT + TC, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy reached 80.00%, 63.41%, and 71.05%, respectively. For HRT vs LRT + TC, they reached 60.53%, 78.95%, and 69.74%. For TC vs LRT + HRT they reached 33.33%, 98.63%, and 96.05%, respectively. Compared with the radiomic models, superior diagnostic efficacy was demonstrated for most clinical-radiomics models, and the AUC of the Bernoulli Naive Bayes model was significantly improved. Radiologist2's assessment achieved a higher AUC of 0.813 (95% CI: 0.756-0.8761) than other radiologists, which was slightly lower than the SVM clinical-radiomic model. Combined with other evaluation indicators, SVM, as the best ML model, demonstrated the potential of predicting the simplified risk categorization of TETs with superior predictive performance to that of radiologists' assessment. CONCLUSION: Most of the ML models are promising in predicting the simplified TETs risk categorization with superior efficacy to that of radiologists' assessment, especially the SVM models, demonstrated the integration of ML with NECT may be valuable in aiding the diagnosis and treatment planning.

Lithography-free and high-efficiency preparation of black phosphorous devices by direct evaporation through shadow mask.

Two-dimensional (2D) materials including black phosphorus (BP) have been extensively investigated because of their exotic physical properties and potential applications in nanoelectronics and optoelectronics. Fabricating BP based devices is challenging because BP is extremely sensitive to the external environment, especially to the chemical contamination during the lithography process. The direct evaporation through shadow mask technique is a clean method for lithography-free electrode patterning of 2D materials. Herein, we employ the lithography-free evaporation method for the construction of BP based field-effect transistors and photodetectors and systematically compare their performances with those of BP counterparts fabricated by conventional lithography and transfer electrode methods. The results show that BP devices fabricated by direct evaporation method possess higher mobility, faster response time, and smaller hysteresis than those prepared by the latter two methods. This can be attributed to the clean interface between BP and evaporated-electrodes as well as the lower Schottky barrier height of 20.2 meV, which is given by the temperature-dependent electrical results. Furthermore, the BP photodetectors exhibit a broad-spectrum response and polarization sensitivity. Our work elucidates a universal, low-cost and high-efficiency method to fabricate BP devices for optoelectronic applications.

A case of a 22-year-old man with primary synovial sarcoma of the parapharyngeal space with an AR somatic mutation: A case report and review of the literature.

This case report describes a 22-year-old man with a pharyngeal foreign body sensation arising from the left side of the postpharyngeal wall. Histological examination showed a biphasic pattern of epithelioid and spindle cells including glandular differentiation. The tumour was positive for vimentin and SS18-SSX, and the spindle cells were positive for bcl-2; in contrast, the epithelioid tumour cells were positive for pan-cytokeratin, epithelial membrane antigen and CD99. There was no INI-loss in tumour cells. Then, the presence of the SYT-SSX gene fusion was demonstrated by fluorescence in situ hybridization. In addition, androgen receptor gene somatic mutations were detected by next-generation sequencing. However, 6 months postoperatively, the patient had neither developed a recurrence nor received adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Accurate diagnosis depends on morphological and immunohistochemical examination and a proper molecular analysis, and novel technologies can detect a wide variety of genetic alterations. Although androgen receptor somatic mutations cannot provide addition treatment at present, surgical resection with a clean margin and follow-up is an appropriate approach.

Incidence of Cerebral Infarction in Northwest China From 2009 to 2018.

BACKGROUND: There is a lack of epidemiological analysis of patients with cerebral infarction in northwest China. In the present investigation, we conducted a retrospective analysis to collect information on epidemiological characteristics of patients with cerebral infarction in five provinces of northwest China and the Shanxi Province of patients who were hospitalized in the Tangdu Hospital. This project should provide a scientific basis for active prevention and treatment of cerebral infarction. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of patients with epidemic characteristics of cerebral infarction that were admitted to the Tangdu Hospital of northwest China from January 2009 to December 2018. RESULTS: A total of 18,302 patients (aged 1-97 years) with confirmed cerebral infarction, including 12,201 males and 6,101 females, were retrospectively enrolled in this study. The most common lesion site was the cerebellum (51.5%). The incidence of cerebral infarction was slightly higher in workers and laborers, favoring male patients and those aged 40-70 years. The difference between men and women gradually increased after the age of 30. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, 18,302 hospitalized patients with cerebral infarction from different occupations were included. Those engaged in physical labor were more likely to have a cerebral infarction. The incidence of cerebral infarction in males was higher than in females. Cerebellar and cerebral area infarctions were the most common.

Status and prospects of Ohmic contacts on two-dimensional semiconductors.

In recent years, two-dimensional materials have received more and more attention in the development of semiconductor devices, and their practical applications in optoelectronic devices have also developed rapidly. However, there are still some factors that limit the performance of two-dimensional semiconductor material devices, and one of the most important is Ohmic contact. Here, we elaborate on a variety of approaches to achieve Ohmic contacts on two-dimensional materials and reveal their physical mechanisms. For the work function mismatch problem, we summarize the comparison of barrier heights between different metals and 2D semiconductors. We also examine different methods to solve the problem of Fermi level pinning. For the novel 2D metal-semiconductor contact methods, we analyse their effects on reducing contact resistance from two different perspectives: homojunction and heterojunction. Finally, the challenges of 2D semiconductors in achieving Ohmic contacts are outlined.

Bidirectional doping of two-dimensional thin-layer transition metal dichalcogenides using soft ammonia plasma.

Because of suitable band gap and high mobility, two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) materials are promising in future microelectronic devices. However, controllable p-type and n-type doping of TMDs is still a challenge. Herein, we develop a soft plasma doping concept and demonstrate both n-type and p-type doping for TMDs including MoS2 and WS2 through adjusting the plasma working parameters. In particular, p-type doping of MoS2 can be realized when the radio frequency (RF) power is relatively small and the processing time is short: the off-state current increases from ∼10-10 A to ∼10-8 A, the threshold voltage is positively shifted from -26.2 V to 8.3 V, and the mobility increases from 7.05 cm2 V-1 s-1 to 16.52 cm2 V-1 s-1. Under a relatively large RF power and long processing time, n-type doping was realized for MoS2: the threshold voltage was negatively shifted from 6.8 V to -13.3 V and the mobility is reduced from 10.32 cm2 V-1 s-1 to 3.2 cm2 V-1 s-1. For the former, suitable plasma treatment can promote the substitution of N elements for S vacancies and lead to p-type doping, thus reducing the defect density and increasing the mobility value. For the latter, due to excessive plasma treatment, more S vacancies will be produced, leading to heavier n-type doping as well as a decrease in mobility. We confirm the results by systematically analyzing the optical, compositional, thickness and structural characteristics of the samples before and after such soft plasma treatments via Raman, photoluminescence (PL), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements. Due to its nondestructive and expandable nature and compatibility with the current microelectronics industry, this potentially generic method may be used as a reliable technology for the development of diverse and functional TMD-based devices.

Large-scale MoS2(1-x)Se2xmonolayers synthesized by confined-space CVD.

Alloy engineering is efficient in modulating the electronic structure and physical and chemical properties of Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs). Here, we develop an efficient and simple confined-space CVD strategy by using a smaller quartz boat nested in a larger quartz boat for the preparation of ternary alloy MoS2(1-x)Se2xmonolayers on SiO2/Si substrates with controllable composition. The effect of hydrogen ratio of the mixed carrier gas (Ar/H2) on the resultant flakes are systematically investigated. A hydrogon ratio of 15% is demonstrated to be the most appropriate to synthesize large size (more than 400µm) single crystalline MoS2(1-x)Se2xalloy monolayers. The composition of the alloy can also be changed in a full range (2x= 0-2) by changing the weight ratio of Se and S powder. The as-grown monolayer MoS2(1-x)Se2xalloys present continuously high crystal quality in terms of Raman and PL measurements. Furthermore, to visible light (532 nm), the MoS2(1-x)Se2xbased photodetectors display wonderful photoresponse with a fast response of less than 50 ms. Our work may be usedful in directing the synthesis of TMDs alloys as well as their optoelectronic applications.

Classification of Prostate Transitional Zone Cancer and Hyperplasia Using Deep Transfer Learning From Disease-Related Images.

Purpose The diagnosis of prostate transition zone cancer (PTZC) remains a clinical challenge due to their similarity to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) on MRI. The Deep Convolutional Neural Networks (DCNNs) showed high efficacy in diagnosing PTZC on medical imaging but was limited by the small data size. A transfer learning (TL) method was combined with deep learning to overcome this challenge. Materials and methods A retrospective investigation was conducted on 217 patients enrolled from our hospital database (208 patients) and The Cancer Imaging Archive (nine patients). Using T2-weighted images (T2WIs) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps, DCNN models were trained and compared between different TL databases (ImageNet vs. disease-related images) and protocols (from scratch, fine-tuning, or transductive transferring). Results PTZC and BPH can be classified through traditional DCNN. The efficacy of TL from natural images was limited but improved by transferring knowledge from the disease-related images. Furthermore, transductive TL from disease-related images had comparable efficacy to the fine-tuning method. Limitations include retrospective design and a relatively small sample size. Conclusion Deep TL from disease-related images is a powerful tool for an automated PTZC diagnostic system. In developing regions where only conventional MR scans are available, the accurate diagnosis of PTZC can be achieved via transductive deep TL from disease-related images.

Controllable Epitaxial Growth of Large-Area MoS2 /WS2 Vertical Heterostructures by Confined-Space Chemical Vapor Deposition.

The controllable large-area growth of single-crystal vertical heterostructures based on 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) remains a challenge. Here, large-area vertical MoS2 /WS2 heterostructures are synthesized using single-step confined-space chemical vapor epitaxy. The heterostructures can evolve into two different kinds by switching the H2 flow on and off: MoS2 /WS2 heterostructures with multiple WS2 domains can be achieved without introducing the H2 flow due to the numerous nucleation centers on the bottom MoS2 monolayer during the transition stage between the MoS2 and WS2 monolayer growth. In contrast, isolated MoS2 /WS2 heterostructures with single WS2 domain can be obtained with introducing the H2 flow due to the reduced nucleation centers on the bottom MoS2 monolayer arising from the hydrogen etching effect. Both the two kinds of the vertical MoS2 /WS2 heterostructures feature high quality. The photodetectors based on the isolated MoS2 /WS2 heterostructures exhibit a high responsivity of 68 mA W-1 and a short response time of 35 ms. This single-step chemical vapor epitaxy can be used to synthesize vertical MoS2 /WS2 heterostructures with high production efficiency. The new epitaxial growth approach may open new pathways to fabricate large-area heterostructures made of different 2D TMDs monolayers of interest to electronics, optoelectronics, and other applications.

Differentiation of Pseudoprogression from True Progressionin Glioblastoma Patients after Standard Treatment: A Machine Learning Strategy Combinedwith Radiomics Features from T1-weighted Contrast-enhanced Imaging.

BACKGROUND: Based on conventional MRI images, it is difficult to differentiatepseudoprogression from true progressionin GBM patients after standard treatment, which isa critical issue associated with survival. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of machine learning using radiomics modelfrom T1-weighted contrast enhanced imaging(T1CE) in differentiating pseudoprogression from true progression after standard treatment for GBM. METHODS: Seventy-sevenGBM patients, including 51 with true progression and 26 with pseudoprogression,who underwent standard treatment and T1CE, were retrospectively enrolled.Clinical information, including sex, age, KPS score, resection extent, neurological deficit and mean radiation dose, were also recorded collected for each patient. The whole tumor enhancementwas manually drawn on the T1CE image, and a total of texture 9675 features were extracted and fed to a two-step feature selection scheme. A random forest (RF) classifier was trained to separate the patients by their outcomes.The diagnostic efficacies of the radiomics modeland radiologist assessment were further compared by using theaccuracy (ACC), sensitivity and specificity. RESULTS: No clinical features showed statistically significant differences between true progression and pseudoprogression.The radiomic classifier demonstrated ACC, sensitivity, and specificity of 72.78%(95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.45,0.91), 78.36%(95%CI: 0.56,1.00) and 61.33%(95%CI: 0.20,0.82).The accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of three radiologists' assessment were66.23%(95% CI: 0.55,0.76), 61.50%(95% CI: 0.43,0.78) and 68.62%(95% CI: 0.55,0.80); 55.84%(95% CI: 0.45,0.66),69.25%(95% CI: 0.50,0.84) and 49.13%(95% CI: 0.36,0.62); 55.84%(95% CI: 0.45,0.66), 69.23%(95% CI: 0.50,0.84) and 47.06%(95% CI: 0.34,0.61), respectively. CONCLUSION: T1CE-based radiomics showed better classification performance compared with radiologists' assessment.The radiomics modelwas promising in differentiating pseudoprogression from true progression.

Long non-coding RNA MIR22HG inhibits glioma progression by downregulating microRNA-9/CPEB3.

Glioma is one of the most common and aggressive malignant intracranial tumors worldwide. Recently, non-coding RNAs have been found to play critical roles in the development of glioma. However, the exact mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. In the present study, reverse transcription-quantitative PCR was used to determine the expression level of the long non-coding RNA MIR22HG and microRNA (miR)-9, while western blot analysis was used to detect the protein expression level of CPEB3. The potential binding sites were predicted using the StarBase v2.0 online tool and the hypothesis was verified using a luciferase reporter assay. A Cell Counting Kit-8 assay was used to assess cell viability, while wound healing and Matrigel assays were used to determine the migration and invasion ability of glioma cancer cells. The results showed that MIR22HG expression level was decreased but miR-9 expression level was elevated in glioma tissues and cell lines. Furthermore, MIR22HG was found to sponge miR-9, while CPEB3 was the direct target of miR-9 in the glioma cell line. Functionally, MIR22HG regulated the proliferation, invasion and migration of the glioma cell line by targeting miR-9. CPEB3 may be involved in the progression of the glioma cell line. Taken together, these findings confirmed that MIR22HG suppressed glioma development by inhibiting the miR-9/CPEB3 axis and provides a novel therapeutic strategy for glioma treatment.

High performance IGZO-based phototransistors by BN/BP interface engineering.

Some advances have been achieved in developing heterojunctions consisting of indium-gallium-zinc oxide (a-IGZO) films and two dimensional (2D) van der Waals materials for optoelectronic applications in recent years, however, the improvement of IGZO channel itself via constructing such heterojunctions is rarely reported. Here, we report the huge improvement in photoresponse performances for the IGZO phototransistor devices by introducing boron nitride (BN)/black phosphorus (BP) interface engineering. By creating an appropriate band bending and an efficient photo-generated carrier transfer path between IGZO and BP, the recombination of the photo-generated carriers in the IGZO channel is significantly suppressed. As a result, the corresponding photoresponsivity at a wavelength of 447 nm can be promoted from 0.05 A W-1 to 0.3 A W-1. A corresponding maximum external quantum efficiency of 83.4% was obtained for the BN/BP decorated IGZO phototransistor. The results imply that such interface engineering via 2D materials can be used as a general route to high performance oxide-semiconductor based optoelectronic devices.

Mucopolysaccharidoses I and II: Brief Review of Therapeutic Options and Supportive/Palliative Therapies.

Purpose. Mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS) are group of inherited lysosomal storage diseases caused by mutations of enzymes involved in catalyzing different glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). MPS I and MPS II exhibit both somatic and neurological symptoms with a relatively high disease incidence. Hematopoietic stem cell therapy (HSCT) and intravenous enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) have had a significant impact on the treatment and comprehension of disease. This review is aimed at providing a comprehensive evaluation of the pros and cons of HSCT and ERT, as well as an up-to-date knowledge of new drugs under development. In addition, multiple disease management strategies for the uncontrollable manifestations of MPS I and MPS II to improve patients' quality of life are presented. Findings. Natural history of MPS I and MPS II shows that somatic and neurological symptoms occur earlier in severe forms of MPS I than in MPS II. ERT increases life expectancy and alleviates some of the somatic symptoms, but musculoskeletal, ophthalmological, and central nervous system (CNS) manifestations are not controlled. Additionally, life-long treatment burdens and immunogenicity restriction are unintended consequences of ERT application. HSCT, another treatment method, is effective in controlling the CNS symptoms and hence has been adopted as the standard treatment for severe types of MPS I. However, it is ineffective in MPS II, which can be explained by the relatively late diagnosis. In addition, several factors such as transplant age limits or graft-versus-host disease in HSCT have limited its application for patients. Novel therapies, including BBB-penetrable-ERT, gene therapy, and substrate reduction therapy, are under development to control currently unmanageable manifestations. BBB-penetrable-ERT is being studied comprehensively in the hopes of being used in the near future as a method to effectively control CNS symptoms. Gene therapy has the potential to "cure" the disease with a one-time treatment rather than just alleviate symptoms, which makes it an attractive treatment strategy. Several clinical studies on gene therapy reveal that delivering genes directly into the brain achieves better results than intravenous administration in patients with neurological symptoms. Considering new drugs are still in clinical stage, disease management with close monitoring and supportive/palliative therapy is of great importance for the time being. Proper rehabilitation therapy, including physical and occupational therapy, surgical intervention, or medications, can benefit patients with uncontrolled musculoskeletal, respiratory, ophthalmological, and neurological manifestations.

2D atomic crystal molecular superlattices by soft plasma intercalation.

Two-dimensional (2D) atomic crystal superlattices integrate diverse 2D layered materials enabling adjustable electronic and optical properties. However, tunability of the interlayer gap and interactions remain challenging. Here we report a solution based on soft oxygen plasma intercalation. 2D atomic crystal molecular superlattices (ACMSs) are produced by intercalating O2+ ions into the interlayer space using the plasma electric field. Stable molecular oxygen layer is formed by van der Waals interactions with adjacent transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) monolayers. The resulting interlayer gap expansion can effectively isolate TMD monolayers and impart exotic properties to homo-(MoS2[O2]x) and hetero-(MoS2[O2]x/WS2[O2]x) stacked ACMSs beyond typical capacities of monolayer TMDs, such as 100 times stronger photoluminescence and 100 times higher photocurrent. Our potentially universal approach to tune interlayer stacking and interactions in 2D ACMSs may lead to exotic superlattice properties intrinsic to monolayer materials such as direct bandgap pursued for future optoelectronics.

Perfusion, Diffusion, Or Brain Tumor Barrier Integrity: Which Represents The Glioma Features Best?

PURPOSE: This study aims to incorporate informative histogram indicator analyses and advanced multimodal MRI parameters to differentiate low-grade gliomas (LGGs) from high-grade gliomas (HGGs) and to explore the features associated with patients' survival. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 120 patients with pathologically confirmed LGGs or HGGs receiving conventional and advanced MRI such as three-dimensional arterial spin labeling (3D-ASL), intravoxel incoherent motion-diffusion weighted imaging (IVIM-DWI), and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) were included. The mean and histogram indicators from advanced MRI were calculated from the entire tumor. The efficacies of a single indicator or multiple parameters were tested in distinguishing HGGs from LGGs and predicting patients' survival. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and multivariable stepwise logistic regression were used to evaluate the diagnostic efficacies. Leave-one-out cross-validation was further used to validate the accuracy of the parameter sets in glioma grading. Log-rank test using the Kaplan-Meier curve was utilized to predict patients' survival. RESULTS: Overall, parameters from DCE-MRI performed better than those from 3D-ASL or IVIM-DWI in both glioma grading and survival prediction. The histogram metrics of Ve were demonstrated to have higher accuracies (the accuracies for Extended Tofts_Ve mean and Extended Tofts_Ve median were 68.33% and 71.67%, respectively, while those for the Incremental_Ve mean and Incremental_Ve 75th were 68.33% and 72.50%, respectively) in grading LGGs from HGGs. The combination of Tofts_Ve histogram metrics was the one with the highest accuracy (81.67%) and area under ROC curve (AUC = 0.840). On the other hand, Patlak_Ktrans 95th (AUC = 0.9265) and Extended Tofts_Ve 95th (AUC = 0.9154) performed better than their corresponding means (Patlak_Ktrans mean: AUC = 0.9118 and Extended Tofts_Ve mean: AUC = 0.9044) in predicting patients' overall survival (OS) at 18-month follow-up. CONCLUSION: DCE-MRI-derived histogram features from the entire tumor were promising metrics for glioma grading and OS prediction. Combining single modal histogram features improved glioma grading. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02622620.