Highly selective etching of SiNxover SiO2using ClF3/Cl2remote plasma.

Highly selective etching of silicon nitride over silicon oxide is one of the most important processes especially for the fabrication of vertical semiconductor devices including 3D NAND (Not And) devices. In this study, isotropic dry etching characteristics of SiNxand SiO2using ClF3/Cl2remote plasmas have been investigated. The increase of Cl2percent in ClF3/Cl2gas mixture increased etch selectivity of SiNxover SiO2while decreasing SiNxetch rate. By addition of 15% Cl to ClF3/Cl2, the etch selectivity higher than 500 could be obtained with the SiNxetch rate of ∼8 nm min-1, and the increase of Cl percent to 20% further increased the etch selectivity to higher than 1000. It was found that SiNxcan be etched through the reaction from Si-N to Si-F and Si-Cl (also from Si-Cl to Si-F) while SiO2can be etched only through the reaction from Si-O to Si-F, and which is also in extremely low reaction at room temperature. When SiNx/SiO2layer stack was etched using ClF3/Cl2(15%), extremely selective removal of SiNxlayer in the SiNx/SiO2layer stack could be obtained without noticeable etching of SiO2layer in the stack and without etch loading effect.

A Genome-Wide Association Study and Machine-Learning Algorithm Analysis on the Prediction of Facial Phenotypes by Genotypes in Korean Women.

Purpose: Changes in facial appearance are affected by various intrinsic and extrinsic factors, which vary from person to person. Therefore, each person needs to determine their skin condition accurately to care for their skin accordingly. Recently, genetic identification by skin-related phenotypes has become possible using genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and machine-learning algorithms. However, because most GWAS have focused on populations with American or European skin pigmentation, large-scale GWAS are needed for Asian populations. This study aimed to evaluate the correlation of facial phenotypes with candidate single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to predict phenotype from genotype using machine learning. Materials and Methods: A total of 749 Korean women aged 30-50 years were enrolled in this study and evaluated for five facial phenotypes (melanin, gloss, hydration, wrinkle, and elasticity). To find highly related SNPs with each phenotype, GWAS analysis was used. In addition, phenotype prediction was performed using three machine-learning algorithms (linear, ridge, and linear support vector regressions) using five-fold cross-validation. Results: Using GWAS analysis, we found 46 novel highly associated SNPs (p < 1×10-05): 3, 20, 12, 6, and 5 SNPs for melanin, gloss, hydration, wrinkle, and elasticity, respectively. On comparing the performance of each model based on phenotypes using five-fold cross-validation, the ridge regression model showed the highest accuracy (r2 = 0.6422-0.7266) in all skin traits. Therefore, the optimal solution for personal skin diagnosis using GWAS was with the ridge regression model. Conclusion: The proposed facial phenotype prediction model in this study provided the optimal solution for accurately predicting the skin condition of an individual by identifying genotype information of target characteristics and machine-learning methods. This model has potential utility for the development of customized cosmetics.

Erratum: Prevalence of germline BRCA mutations among women with carcinoma of the peritoneum or fallopian tube.

This corrects the article on p. e43 in vol. 29, PMID: 29770616.

Prevalence of germline BRCA mutations among women with carcinoma of the peritoneum or fallopian tube.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to assess the frequency of germline mutations in patients with peritoneal carcinoma (PC) or the fallopian tube carcinoma (FTC), using a multi-gene panel. METHODS: Twenty-six patients diagnosed with either PC or FTC between January 2013 and December 2016 were recruited consecutively. Germline DNA was sequenced using a 6-gene next generation sequencing (NGS) panel following genetic counseling. Surgico-medical information was obtained from hospital records. Genetic variations were detected using the panel and were cross-validated by Sanger direct sequencing. RESULTS: Germline BRCA1/2 mutations were identified in 6 patients (23.1%). Four were detected in patients with PC and 2 were in FTC patients. No mutations were detected in TP53, PTEN, CDH1, or PALB2. We identified 11 variant of uncertain significance (VUS) in 9 patients; 2 in BRCA1, 3 in BRCA2, 2 in TP53, and 4 in CDH1. We also detected a CDH1 c.2164+16->A VUS in 3 patients. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of germline BRCA1/2 mutations in patients with PC or FTC is comparable to that of BRCA1/2 mutations in epithelial ovarian cancer patients.

Comparison of Ion Personal Genome Machine Platforms for the Detection of Variants in BRCA1 and BRCA2.

PURPOSE: Transition to next generation sequencing (NGS) for BRCA1/BRCA2 analysis in clinical laboratories is ongoing but different platforms and/or data analysis pipelines give different results resulting in difficulties in implementation. We have evaluated the Ion Personal Genome Machine (PGM) Platforms (Ion PGM, Ion PGM Dx, Thermo Fisher Scientific) for the analysis of BRCA1/2. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The results of Ion PGM with OTG-snpcaller, a pipeline based on Torrent mapping alignment program and Genome Analysis Toolkit, from 75 clinical samples and 14 reference DNA samples were compared with Sanger sequencing for BRCA1/BRCA2. Ten clinical samples and 14 reference DNA samples were additionally sequenced by Ion PGM Dx with Torrent Suite. RESULTS: Fifty types of variants including 18 pathogenic or variants of unknown significance were identified from 75 clinical samples and known variants of the reference samples were confirmed by Sanger sequencing and/or NGS. One false-negative results were present for Ion PGM/OTG-snpcaller for an indel variant misidentified as a single nucleotide variant. However, eight discordant results were present for Ion PGM Dx/Torrent Suite with both false-positive and -negative results. A 40-bp deletion, a 4-bp deletion and a 1-bp deletion variant was not called and a false-positive deletion was identified. Four other variants were misidentified as another variant. CONCLUSION: Ion PGM/OTG-snpcaller showed acceptable performance with good concordance with Sanger sequencing. However, Ion PGM Dx/Torrent Suite showed many discrepant results not suitable for use in a clinical laboratory, requiring further optimization of the data analysis for calling variants.

Characterization of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium and Salmonella enterica serovar 4,[5],12:i:- isolates from pigs presenting with diarrhea in Korea.

Between 2011 and 2012, a total of 896 pig fecal samples were collected from nine provinces in Korea, and 50 salmonella enterica susp. enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) was isolated. The characteristics of the 50 strains were analyzed, and 4 strains were identified as Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar 4,[5],12:i:-. Salmonella 4,[5],12:i:- could not be distinguished from S. Typhimurium through phage typing, antimicrobial resistance testing or multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA). However, among the four Salmonella 4,[5],12:i:- strains, one (KVCC-BA1400078) was identified as a Salmonella 4,[5],12:i:- clone isolated from humans in the United States, and another (KVCC-BA1400080) was identified as DT193, which has been primarily isolated from humans and animals in European countries. The presence of Salmonella 4,[5],12:i:- in Korea poses a significant threat of horizontal transfer between pigs and humans.

Facet fusion in the lumbosacral spine: a 2-year follow-up study.

OBJECTIVE: A clinical and radiological follow-up study was undertaken to assess the safety, efficacy, and complication rate associated with instrumented facet fusion of the lumbar and lumbosacral spine. METHODS: This study involved 99 patients with degenerative lumbar disorders who were treated surgically at the authors' neurosurgical department and followed for more than 2 years. Eighty-two patients underwent one-level fusion for the treatment of Grade I or II degenerative spondylolisthesis and accompanying spinal canal stenosis (44 patients) or recurrent disc herniation (38 patients). Seventeen patients underwent two-level fusion for the treatment of either double instances of the above indications (seven patients) or concurrent stenosis at the adjacent level (10 patients). RESULTS: There were no technique-related complications. The overall 2-year success rate of fusion was 96%; the success rates by fusion type were 99% in one-level fusions and 88% in two-level fusions. Degenerative spondylolisthesis had the highest success rate at 100%, whereas the success rate in patients who had not responded to previous discectomy was 93%. Patients with concurrent stenosis experienced the lowest success rate: 80%. Excellent or good clinical results were obtained for 85% of patients with one-level fusions and for 65% of patients with two-level fusions. CONCLUSION: Instrumented facet fusion alone is a simple, safe, and effective surgical option for the treatment of patients with single-level disorders, especially patients with degenerative spondylolisthesis.

Outcome of postoperative intratumoral bleomycin injection for cystic craniopharyngioma.

Total excision is a treatment of choice in preventing the relapse of craniopharyngioma, but for tumors involving an extensive area, it is often associated with an increased risk of complications. We have performed a partial or subtotal tumor removal followed by repeated injection of bleomycin into the remaining tumor through a subcutaneous reservoir as postoperative adjuvant therapy. A retrospective review of clinical, radiological, and surgical data was performed for 10 patients (5 males and 5 females; age, 3-65 yr; follow-up duration, 12-79 months) with cystic craniopharyngiomas. The measurements of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level at each aspiration were performed. The shrinkage and/or stabilization of tumor was initially noted in all cases. The recurrence of tumor was seen in 4 cases (40%). The decreased or increased level of LDH was interpreted as tumor shrinkage or recurrence, respectively. The transient toxic reactions were observed in 3 patients (30%). Our study demonstrates that postoperative bleo-mycin injection for cystic craniopharyngioma, although does not appear to eradicate the tumor, decreases and stabilizes the tumor size, when used as an adjuvant therapy in young patients.