Risk of urolithiasis associated with allopurinol versus benzbromarone among patients with gout: a population-based cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the risk of urolithiasis in gout patients initiating allopurinol, a xanthine oxidase inhibitor, vs benzbromarone, a uricosuric. METHODS: Using the 2011-2020 Korea National Health Insurance Service database, we conducted a cohort study on gout patients initiating allopurinol vs benzbromarone as the 1st-line urate-lowering treatment (ULT). The primary outcome was a new onset urinary stone. The secondary outcome was a stone requiring intervention. We estimated hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using Cox proportional hazard models with a 5:1 ratio propensity-score matching on > 80 variables. Subgroup analyses were done by age, sex, thiazide use, and cardiovascular (CV) risk. RESULTS: 61 300 allopurinol initiators PS-matched on 12 260 benzbromarone initiators were included (mean age 59 years, 79% male). During a mean follow-up of 322 days, 619 urolithiasis cases occurred with an incidence rate of 0.87 per 100 person-years in allopurinol and 1.39 in benzbromarone initiators, showing a HR of 0.64 (95% CI, 0.51-0.80). ∼44% of urinary stones required intervention with a HR of 0.61 (95% CI 0.43-0.88). The lower risk associated with allopurinol compared with benzbromarone persisted across subgroups but was greater in the high than non-high CV risk subgroup (p for interaction = 0.02). CONCLUSION: This population-based cohort study found that allopurinol compared with benzbromarone was associated with a substantially lower risk of urolithiasis particularly in the presence of the high CV risk. This finding provides important safety information for clinicians' decision-making on ULTs of different mechanisms of action.

Strong Room-Temperature Ferromagnetism of MoS2 Compound Produced by Defect Generation.

Ferromagnetic materials have been attracting great interest in the last two decades due to their application in spintronics devices. One of the hot research areas in magnetism is currently the two-dimensional materials, transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), which have unique physical properties. The origins and mechanisms of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), especially the correlation between magnetism and defects, have been studied recently. We investigate the changes in magnetic properties with a variation in annealing temperature for the nanoscale compound MoS2. The pristine MoS2 exhibits diamagnetic properties from low-to-room temperature. However, MoS2 compounds annealed at different temperatures showed that the controllable magnetism and the strongest ferromagnetic results were obtained for the 700 °C-annealed sample. These magnetizations are attributed to the unpaired electrons of vacancy defects that are induced by annealing, which are confirmed using Raman spectroscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR).

Manipulating the Cathodic Modification Effect on Corrosion Resistance of High Corrosion-Resistant Titanium Alloy.

Further improving the corrosion resistance of the ASTM Grade 13 (Gr13) titanium alloy was achieved by manipulating the cathodic modification effect. The cathodic modification of Gr13 was mainly related to the Ti2Ni precipitate, where minor Ru was contained and controlled the precipitate in terms of size and distribution, which could manipulate the cathodic modification effect. Parameters such as temperature and cooling rate during the recrystallization process were designed to control precipitation behavior, where the temperature at 850 °C was selected to allow the full dissolution of the Ti2Ni precipitate. The cooling rate, as high as 160.9 °C/min, was still enough for precipitation to occur during the cooling stage, leading to the formation of the Ti2Ni precipitate along with a grain boundary. The cooling rate of water quenching was too fast to cause the diffusion process, resulting in a large amount of the ß-Ti phase without the precipitate, which was pre-formed while heated at 850 °C. Aging at 600 °C caused the re-precipitation of Ti2Ni, and, at that moment, the precipitate was refined and separated, as a good aspect of the catalyst for HER. Therefore, the aged sample after water quenching showed the lowest onset potential for HER with the highest corrosion potential, indicating that its passivation ability was improved by the strengthened cathodic modification effect. This improvement was confirmed by the OCP results, where passivation survival was observed for the aged sample due to the highest cathodic modification effect. Therefore, the aged sample, which had refined and separate precipitates, showed the lowest corrosion rate.

Effects of Thermal Annealing on Optical and Microscopic Ferromagnetic Properties in InZnP:Ag Nano-Rods.

InZnP:Ag nano-rods fabricated by the ion milling method were thermally annealed in the 250~350 °C temperature range and investigated the optimum thermal annealing conditions to further understand the mutual correlation between the optical properties and the microscopic magnetic properties. The formation of InZnP:Ag nano-rods was determined from transmission electron microscopy (TEM), total reflectivity and Raman scattering analyses. The downward shifts of peak position for LO and TO modes in the Raman spectrum are indicative of the production of Ag ion-induced strain during the annealing process of the InZnP:Ag nano-rod samples. The appearance of two emission peaks of both (A0 X) and (e, Ag) in the PL spectrum indicated that acceptor states by Ag diffusion are visible due to the effective incorporation of Ag-creating acceptor states. The binding energy between the acceptor and the exciton measured as a function of temperature was found to be 21.2 meV for the sample annealed at 300 °C. The noticeable MFM image contrast and the clear change in the MFM phase with the scanning distance indicate the formation of the ferromagnetic spin coupling interaction on the surface of InZnP:Ag nano-rods by Ag diffusion. This study suggests that the InZnP:Ag nano-rods should be a potential candidate for the application of spintronic devices.

Design of Microdisk-Shaped Ge on Si Photodetector with Recess Structure for Refractive-Index Sensing.

In this paper, we introduce a disk-shaped Ge-on-Si photodetector for refractive-index difference sensing at an operating wavelength of 1550 nm. For the implementation of a small-scale sensor, a Ge layer was formed on top of a Si layer to increase the absorption coefficient at the expense of the light-detection area. Additionally, the sensor had a ring waveguide structure along the edge of the disk formed by a recess into the inner part of the disk. This increased the interaction between the dominant optical mode traveling along the edge waveguide and the refractive index of the cladding material to be sensed, and conclusively increased detection sensitivity. The simulation results show that the proposed sensor exhibited a detection sensitivity of >50 nm/RIU (Refractive Index Unit), a quality factor of approximately 3000, and a minimum detectable refractive index change of 0.95 × 10-2 RIU with a small disk radius of 3 µm. This corresponds to 1.67 times the sensitivity without a recess (>30 nm/RIU).

Characteristics of p-Type Conduction in P-Doped MoS2 by Phosphorous Pentoxide during Chemical Vapor Deposition.

We demonstrated p-type conduction in MoS2 grown with phosphorous pentoxide via chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Monolayer MoS2 with a triangular shape and 15-µm grains was confirmed by atomic force microscopy. The difference between the Raman signals of the A1g and E12g modes for both the pristine and P-doped samples was 19.4 cm-1. In the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results, the main core level peaks of P-doped MoS2 downshifted by about 0.5 eV to a lower binding energy compared to the pristine material. Field-effect transistors (FETs) fabricated with the P-doped monolayer MoS2 showed p-type conduction with a field-effect mobility of 0.023 cm2/V⋅s and an on/off current ratio of 103, while FETs with the pristine MoS2 showed n-type behavior with a field-effect mobility of 29.7 cm2/V⋅s and an on/off current ratio of 105. The carriers in the FET channel were identified as holes with a concentration of 1.01 × 1011 cm-2 in P-doped MoS2, while the pristine material had an electron concentration of 6.47 × 1011 cm-2.

Microbiology of smegma: Prospective comparative control study.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to investigate the common bacteria found in the smegma in the subpreputial space of asymptomatic boys prospectively, and to determine the difference of those bacteria according to the presence of smegma. Materials and Methods: In our institution, 40 boys who performed penoplasty were recruited into the study. Swab was done using aseptic techniques on smegma and glans in the operation room. According to the presence of smegma in the subpreputial space, we classified glans as a group S (with smegma, n=20) and group C (without smegma, n=20). The swabs were immediately sent to microbiology laboratory for microscopy, culture, and sensitivity tests. Results: The mean age was 30.4±26.4 months. Thirty-one bacteria were isolated from smegma, comprising 15 gram-positive species (48.4%) and 16 gram-negative species (51.6%). The most commonly isolated gram-negative bacterium was Escherichia coli (25.8%), while the commonly isolated gram-positive bacteria were Enterococcus faecalis (19.4%) and Enterococcus avium (12.9%). Most of the bacterial isolates were multi-drug-resistant (61.3%). In group S, 12 boys had 22 bacterial isolates in the glans. The commonly isolated bacteria were E. coli (27.3%), E. avium (22.7%) and E. faecalis (18.2%). In group C, 13 boys had 21 bacterial isolates in the glans. The most commonly isolated bacterium was E. faecalis (28.6%). Conclusions: Smegma in the subpreputial space of children was colonized by many kinds of uropathogen.

New Surgical Instruction Method for Homium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate, "Hand-Grab Navigated Technique," to Shorten the Learning Curve: The Results of Multicenter Analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To introduce a new surgical mentorship, the "hand-grab navigated technique," to shorten the learning curve for Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate. METHODS: Patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia were managed at six institutions with Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate. An analysis was done in the 200 of these patients (the set of first 20 patients treated with Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate by 10 surgeons) who were sorted into two groups depending on the surgeon's instructional group. Surgeons in group I learned Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate by self-study by using videos and written information, whereas those in group II were instructed by "the hand-grab navigated technique" along with the self-study. To evaluate the efficiency of hand-grab navigated technique, enucleation and morcellation efficiencies between the two groups were compared. RESULTS: The mean prostate volume was 49.5 ± 23.8 and 51.1 ± 25.2 g in group I and II, respectively, showing no significant difference. The enucleation efficiency was significantly greater (P = 0.01) in group II (0.35 ± 0.20 g/min) than in group I (0.21 ± 0.12 g/min). Morcellation efficiency was also significantly greater (P = 0.03) in group II (3.08 ± 3.27 g/min) than in group I (2.43 ± 2.68 g/min). CONCLUSION: The learning curve for Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate can be shortened with the "hand-grab navigated technique" when combined with the self-study.

Cytologic features of primary monophasic synovial sarcoma of the thyroid gland.

Synovial sarcoma (SS) is a rare soft tissue tumor, commonly arising in para-articular areas of extremities, but can also present in the head and neck area. However, primary SS of the thyroid gland is an extremely rare tumor which has been reported only five times in previous English literatures. This report presents fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology of primary monophasic SS of the thyroid gland. A 47-year- old woman incidentally detected thyroid nodule in the isthmus of right thyroid gland on an ultrasonography by regular health check-up. Because the possibility of malignancy could not be ruled out, FNA and surgical resection were performed. The cytological, histopathological, immunohistochemical, and molecular genetic study of SYT-SSX transcript were discussed. For the past 3 years of follow-up after surgery, no recurrence or metastasis has been identified.

A case of large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the uterine cervix misdiagnosed as adenocarcinoma in Thinprep cytology test.

Large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) of uterine cervix is a rare malignancy with aggressive behavior and poor clinical outcome even in its early stage. Few cytopathologic features of cervical LCNEC have been reported previously. A 57-year-old postmenopausal African American female, presented to the local health department with a chief complaint of heavy vaginal bleeding. A 45-year-old female presented with 20 months of vaginal pruritus and foul odor. Cervical malignancy was suspected by pelvis magnetic resonance imaging. Thinprep cytology test demonstrated ball-like tumor cell clusters in a necrotic background. Cytologic diagnosis of adenocarcinoma was rendered. However, the histologic and immunohistochemical examination of cervical biopsy revealed the LCNEC of the uterine cervix. Due to its rarity, LCNEC may pose a diagnostic challenge in cervical cytology. Cytopathologists should pay attention to the cytological features of cervical LCNEC, such as rosettoid pattern, nuclear molding, and thin nuclear membrane for differentiation from other mimics.

Formation and magnetic properties of InFeP:Ag nanorods fabricated with noble metal Ag using an ion milling method.

The formation, including the density and height of the InFeP:Ag nanorods doped with noble metal Ag using an ion milling method, was preponderantly determined from transmission electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction analyses. We investigate, in particular, the enhanced ferromagnetism of the well-aligned InFeP:Ag nanorods. Auger electron spectroscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements were carried out in order to investigate the incorporation of Ag and to verify the local chemical bonding of the InFeP:Ag nanorods. The variation of FWHM for the double-crystal x-ray rocking curve and triple-axis diffraction peaks demonstrates that noble metal Ag is incorporated into the InFeP:Ag nanorods. The noticeable ferromagnetic signature (M-H curve) of the InFeP:Ag nanorods is observed and T c persists up to almost 350 K (3.9 × 10-4 emu g-1), as determined by temperature-dependence magnetization (M-T curve) measurements. This study suggests that the InFeP:Ag nanorods should be a potential candidate for the application of spintronic devices.

Mesonephric Adenocarcinoma of the Uterine Corpus: A Case Report and Diagnostic Pitfall.

Mesonephric adenocarcinoma is a rare tumor type that is usually found in areas where the Wolffian duct was present during the fetal period. We report a case of mesonephric adenocarcinoma of the uterine corpus in a 66-year-old woman who presented with vaginal bleeding. Pelvic magnetic resonance imaging revealed a 2.7-cm-sized irregular thickening and enhancement of the uterine body. The diagnosis following endometrial curettage biopsy was endometrioid adenocarcinoma, and the patient underwent a total hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. The tumor was composed of small tubular and ductal components, and a retiform appearance was also observed in the deeper areas. The tumor cells were immunopositive for cytokeratin, vimentin, CD10 with a luminal staining pattern, PAX2, and PAX8, and immunonegative for estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor, which was consistent with tumor of mesonephric origin. Mesonephric neoplasms reveal relatively low-grade nuclear feature, characteristic immunoprofiles (immunonegative for ER and PR, and immunopositive for CD10, PAX2, PAX8, and GATA3), and unique tumor location (myometrium), whereas Müllerian neoplasms such as endometrial adenocarcinoma show various morphology, immunopositivity for ER and PR, and primarily endometrial location. As described above, an integration of the clinical features, morphologic characteristics, and immunohistochemical profiles is needed to make a diagnosis.

Cost-effective TCM-based WDM-PON for highly asymmetric traffic conditions.

A time compression multiplexing (TCM)-based wavelength division multiplexing passive optical network (WDM-PON) using a reflective semiconductor optical amplifier (RSOA) is proposed, and its feasibility is experimentally demonstrated. In the proposed system, the RSOA pre-amplifies a 10 Gb/s downstream signal and modulates the RSOA output, wavelength-locked to the downstream signal, with a 1.25 Gb/s upstream signal simultaneously. The sensitivity of the downstream signal is improved by about 3 dB through the RSOA. The downstream and upstream signals have power penalties of about 0.1 dB and 1.1 dB, respectively, at bit error rates (BERs) of 10(-9) after 20 km transmission.

Transport properties of unrestricted carriers in bridge-channel MoS2 field-effect transistors.

Unsuppressed carrier scattering from the underlying substrate in a layered two-dimensional material system is extensively observed, which degrades significantly the performance of devices. Beyond the material itself, understanding the intrinsic interfacial and surficial properties is an important issue for the analysis of a high-κ/MoS2 heterostructure. Here, we report on the electronic transport properties of bridge-channel MoS2 field-effect transistors fabricated by a contamination-free transfer method. After neglecting all the surrounding perturbations, it is possible to reveal the significant improvement of room-temperature mobility and subthreshold slope. A systematic study on variable-temperature transport measurements has quantified the trap density of states both in free-standing and SiO2-supported MoS2 systems. Compared to the bridge-channel MoS2 devices with an ideal interface, the unsuspended devices have a large amount of band tail states, and then the impact of their electronic states on the device performance is also discussed.

Postoperative ureteral obstruction after endoscopic treatment for vesicoureteral reflux.

PURPOSE: We undertook this study to evaluate the incidence, risk factors, management, and outcome of postoperative ureteral obstruction after endoscopic treatment for vesicoureteral reflux (VUR). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ninety patients undergoing endoscopic treatment for VUR were retrospectively reviewed and classified into two groups according to ureteral obstruction: the nonobstruction group (83 cases, 122 ureters; mean age, 7.0 ± 2.8 years) and the obstruction group (7 cases, 10 ureters; mean age, 6.2 ± 8.1 years). We analyzed the following factors: age, sex, injection material, laterality, voiding dysfunction, constipation, renal scarring, preoperative and postoperative ultrasound findings, endoscopic findings, injection number, and injection volume. Additionally, we reviewed the clinical manifestations, natural course, management, and outcome of ureteral obstruction after endoscopic treatment. RESULTS: The incidence of ureteral obstruction after endoscopic treatment was 7.6% (10/132 ureters). The type of bulking agent used and injection volume tended to be associated with ureteral obstruction. However, no significant risk factors for obstruction were identified between the two groups. Three patients showed no symptoms or signs after the onset of ureteral obstruction. Most of the patients with ureteral obstruction experienced spontaneous resolution within 1 month with conservative therapy. Two patients required temporary ureteral stents to release the ureteral obstruction. CONCLUSIONS: In our experience, the incidence of ureteral obstruction was slightly higher than in previous reports. Our study identified no predictive risk factors for developing ureteral obstruction after endoscopic treatment. Although most of the ureteral obstructions resolved spontaneously within 1 month, some cases required drainage to relieve symptoms or to prevent renal function deterioration.

Stable p-type properties of single walled carbon nanotubes by electrochemical doping.

We report a highly stable p-type doping for single walled carbon nanotubes using an electrochemical method. The Raman spectroscopy showed the upshift of the G-band when the applied potential increased. Furthermore, the carbon core level shifted as much as 0.14 eV in binding energy of XPS measurement, which is an evidence of p-type doping with a Fermi level change. The highly doped SWCNTs at an applied potential of 1.5 V during the electrochemical doping process showed long time stability, as long as 28 days.

A Monte Carlo study of an energy-weighted algorithm for radionuclide analysis with a plastic scintillation detector.

Nuisance and false alarms due to naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) are major problems facing radiation portal monitors (RPMs) for the screening of illicit radioactive materials in airports and ports. Based on energy-weighted counts, we suggest an algorithm that distinguishes radioactive nuclides with a plastic scintillation detector that has poor energy resolution. Our simulation study, using a Monte Carlo method, demonstrated that man-made radionuclides can be separated from NORM by using a conventional RPM.

Resistivity peaks and magnetic properties of an annealed graphene.

We report on the transport and magnetic properties of graphene annealed at 800 °C under an Ar atmosphere. Temperature dependence of resistivity of the annealed graphene shows that the ferromagnetic Curie temperature can be observed from the magnetoimpurity model. The Curie temperature is 220 K for the annealed graphene.