Flexible Low-Loss Thin Flimsy Stripline for High-Speed Connections.

Increasing numbers of antennas are being placed inside laptop screen bezels. Connections between antennas and laptop bases have become challenging owing to space limitations. Thus, this paper proposes a flexible low-loss thin flimsy stripline structure for high-speed applications. The cable should be sufficiently thin to avoid causing a water ripple effect while under the screen panel. Furthermore, the cable should be sufficiently flexible to traverse the hinges between the laptop screen and base. This study aims to design a cable with a total thickness of less than 0.6 mm and an insertion loss of less than 10 dB/m at a frequency of 6 GHz. Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), a flexible material, can be used to meet these requirements. We simulate the characteristics of various PTFE layer thicknesses. The trend shows a thicker PTFE layer and lower insertion loss. Finally, we fabricate and test two structures with different thicknesses. Both thicknesses are less than 0.6 mm, and the insertion losses are less than 10 dB/m at 6 GHz. We demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed design and fabrication process for these applications through simulations and measurements.

An Adapted Hybrid Model for Hands-On Practice on Disaster and Military Medicine Education in Undergraduate Medical Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in substantial impacts on all aspects of medical education. Modern health systems must prepare for a wide variety of catastrophic scenarios, including emerging infectious disease outbreaks and human and natural disasters. During the COVID-19 pandemic, while the use of traditional teaching methods has decreased, the use of online-based teaching methods has increased. COVID-19 itself and the accompanying infection control measures have restricted full-scale practice. Therefore, we developed an adapted hybrid model that retained adequate hands-on practice and educational equality, and we applied it with a group of undergraduate medical students participating in a mandatory disaster education course in a military medical school. Methods: The course covered the acquisition of skills used in emergency and trauma scenarios through designated interdisciplinary modules on disaster responses. Several asynchronous and synchronous online webinars were used in this one-credit mandatory disaster and military medicine education course. To allow opportunities for hands-on practice and ensure education equality, the students were divided into 15 groups, with 12 students in each group. The hands-on practice exercises were also recorded and disseminated to the students in the designated area for online learning. Results: A total of 164 3rd-year medical students participated in this mandatory disaster and military medicine course during the COVID-19 pandemic. The satisfaction survey response rate was 96.5%. The students were satisfied with the whole curriculum (3.8/5). Most of the free-text comments regarding the course represented a high level of appreciation. The students felt more confident in the knowledge and skills they gained in hands-on exercises than they did in the knowledge and skills they gained in online exercises. The students showed significant improvements in knowledge after the course. Conclusions: We demonstrated that this adapted hybrid arrangement provided an enhanced learning experience, but we also found that medical students were more confident in their knowledge and skills when they had real hands-on practice.

Pilot study of a longitudinal integrated disaster and military medicine education program for undergraduate medical students.

Disaster medicine education in medical curricula is scarce and frequently nonexistent. It is reasonable to initiate educational approaches for physicians in this field at the medical school level. An understanding of disaster medicine and the health care system during massive casualty incidents has been recommended as an integral part of the medical curriculum in the United States and Germany.The goal of the reformed curriculum was to develop a longitudinal integrated disaster and military medicine education program extending from the first year to the sixth year based on previously separated clinical and military medicine topics. Emergency medicine physicians, military emergency medical technicians, and Tactical Combat Casualty Care instructors formed an interprofessional faculty group and designed a learning curriculum.A total of 230 medical students participated in the revised disaster preparedness curriculum. Satisfaction survey response rates were high (201/230, 87.4%). Most of the free-text comments on the program were highly appreciative. The students considered the number of teaching hours for the whole program to be adequate. The students showed significant improvements in knowledge and judgment regarding disaster medicine after the program.We found that medical students were highly interested, were appreciative of, and actively participated in this longitudinal integrated disaster and military medicine education program, but gaps existed between the students' scores and the educators' expectations. The educators believed that the students needed more disaster preparedness knowledge and skills.

Increased risk of aortic aneurysm and dissection in patients with Sjögren's syndrome: a nationwide population-based cohort study in Taiwan.

OBJECTIVES: Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is a systemic autoimmune disorder. Several molecular pathways and the activation of matrix metalloproteinases associated with the pathogenesis of SS participate in the initiation and progression of aortic aneurysm (AA) and aortic dissection (AD). In this study, we aimed to evaluate whether patients with SS exhibit an increased risk of AA or AD. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using a database extracted from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. All medical conditions for each case and control were categorised using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision. HRs and 95% CIs for associations between SS and AA/AD were estimated using Cox regression and adjusted for comorbidities. RESULTS: Our analyses included 10 941 SS cases and 43 764 propensity score-matched controls. Compared with the controls, the patients with SS exhibited a significantly increased risk of developing an AA or AD (adjusted HR=3.642, p<0.001). Subgroup analysis revealed that compared with patients without SS, patients with primary and secondary SS both exhibited a significantly increased risk of developing AA or AD (adjusted HR=1.753, p=0.042; adjusted HR=3.693, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Patients with SS exhibit increased risks of developing AA or AD, and healthcare professionals should be aware of this risk when treating patients with SS. Increased aortic surveillance may be required for patients with SS.

Paraplegia caused by aortic coarctation complicated with spinal epidural hemorrhage.

Aortic coarctation complicated with spinal artery aneurysm rupture is exceptionally rare and can be source of intraspinal hemorrhage with markedly poor prognosis. A 21-year-old man visited the emergency department because of chest and back pain along with immobility of bilateral lower limbs immediately after he woke up in the morning. Complete flaccid paraplegia and hypoesthesia in dermatome below bilateral T3 level and pain over axial region from neck to lumbar region were noted. A computed tomography excluded aortic dissection. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a fusiform lesion involving the anterior epidural space from C7 to T2 level suspected of epidural hemorrhage, causing compression of spinal cord. He started intravenous corticosteroid but refused operation concerning the surgical benefits. Severe chest pain occurred with newly onset right bundle branch block that developed the other day. Coronary artery angiography revealed myocardial bridge of left anterior descending coronary artery at middle third and coarctation of aorta. He underwent thoracic endovascular aortic repair uneventfully. The patient was hemodynamically stable but with slow improvement in neurologic recovery of lower limbs. Aortic coarcation can cause paralysis by ruptured vascular aneurysms with spinal hemorrhage and chest pain that mimics acute aortic dissection. A history of hypertension at young age and aortic regurgitated murmurs may serve as clues for further diagnostic studies. Cautious and prudent evaluation and cross disciplines cares are essential for diagnosis and successful management of the disease.

Inhibition of human bladder cancer growth by a suicide gene delivered by JC polyomavirus virus-like particles in a mouse model.

PURPOSE: Bladder cancer is one of the most common cancers of the urinary tract. The poor 5-year survival rate of invasive bladder cancer represents a challenge for bladder cancer treatment. Previous studies demonstrated that human urothelial carcinoma is susceptible to infection by JC polyomavirus. We used JC polyomavirus virus-like particles to deliver genes into human urothelial carcinoma cells for possible therapeutic investigation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Reporter plasmids (pEGFP-N3) for expressing green fluorescent protein, LacZ expression plasmids bearing cytomegalovirus or Muc1 promoter and a functional plasmid (pUMVC1-tk) for expressing thymidine kinase were packaged into JC polyomavirus virus-like particles. Plasmid DNAs were transduced via the JC polyomavirus virus-like particles into human urothelial carcinoma cells in vitro and into xenografted human bladder tumor nodules in vivo. RESULTS: pEGFP-N3 DNA was delivered and green fluorescent protein was expressed in human urothelial carcinoma cells in vitro and in the tumor nodules of mice in vivo. The thymidine kinase transgene also functioned in vitro and in vivo after JC polyomavirus virus-like particle transduction. The thymidine kinase gene transduced urothelial carcinoma nodules were drastically reduced in the presence of acyclovir. In addition, we noted selective Muc1-LacZ expression in human urothelial carcinoma cells transduced by JC polyomavirus virus-like particles. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide a possible future approach to human urothelial carcinoma gene therapy using JC polyomavirus virus-like particles.

Wogonin, a bioactive flavonoid in herbal tea, inhibits inflammatory cyclooxygenase-2 gene expression in human lung epithelial cancer cells.

Wogonin, a naturally occurring plant flavonoid, is isolated from Chinese herbal plants Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi and S. barbata D. Don. The extract of S. baicalensis Georgi has been added to an assortment of health drinks or food supplements. Wogonin has been reported to exhibit anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is a key enzyme in the production of prostaglandins in inflammatory conditions. In this study, the effect of wogonin on phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-induced COX-2 expression was investigated. It showed that wogonin inhibited PMA-induced COX-2 protein and mRNA levels in human lung epithelial cancer cells, and the mechanism of this inhibition was at the transcriptional level by using COX-2 gene promoter assay. Among various signal inhibitors, the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1/2 (MEK1/2) inhibitor U0126 also inhibited PMA-induced COX-2 expression and COX-2 promoter activation. The activity of AP-1-driven promoter, but not nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB), was inhibited by U0126. The data indicated that MEK1/2-AP-1 is very important for PMA-induced COX-2 expression. Wogonin also inhibited PMA-induced AP-1 activation and the expression of c-Jun, a key component of AP-1. Taken together, it is suggested that wogonin inhibits PMA-induced COX-2 gene expression by inhibiting c-Jun expression and AP-1 activation in A549 cells.