50-nm Nano-Scaled Vertical-Transistor with NiSi2 Seed-Induced Vertically Crystallized Poly-Silicon Channel for Very-Large-Scale-Integration.

Vertical-channel MOSFETs are hard to demonstrate a high electrical performance than the planar MOSFETs because of its polycrystalline-silicon (poly-Si) channel for 3-D CMOS ICs. In this paper, we have demonstrated a vertical poly-silicon-channel (VPSC) transistor NiSi2 seed-induced vertical crystallization (SIVC) and compared with the typical SG-VPC MOSFETs with solid-phase crystallization (SPC). The SIVC poly-Si showed large longitudinal grains with low defect trap sites, while the SPC poly-Si showed small spherical grains with large defect trap sites. Therefore, the electrical performance of SG-VPC MOSFETs with SIVC was superior to the SG-VPC MOSFETs with SPC in all aspects.

Sub-kT/q Subthreshold-Slope Using Negative Capacitance in Low-Temperature Polycrystalline-Silicon Thin-Film Transistor.

Realizing a low-temperature polycrystalline-silicon (LTPS) thin-film transistor (TFT) with sub-kT/q subthreshold slope (SS) is significantly important to the development of next generation active-matrix organic-light emitting diode displays. This is the first time a sub-kT/q SS (31.44 mV/dec) incorporated with a LTPS-TFT with polycrystalline-Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 (PZT)/ZrTiO4 (ZTO) gate dielectrics has been demonstrated. The sub-kT/q SS was observed in the weak inversion region at -0.5 V showing ultra-low operating voltage with the highest mobility (250.5 cm(2)/Vsec) reported so far. In addition, the reliability of DC negative bias stress, hot carrier stress and self-heating stress in LTPS-TFT with negative capacitance was investigated for the first time. It was found that the self-heating stress showed accelerated SS degradation due to the PZT Curie temperature.

Integrating Epitaxial-Like Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 Thin-Film into Silicon for Next-Generation Ferroelectric Field-Effect Transistor.

The development of ferroelectric random-access memory (FeRAM) technology with control of grain boundaries would result in a breakthrough for new nonvolatile memory devices. The excellent piezoelectric and electrical properties of bulk ferroelectrics are degraded when the ferroelectric is processed into thin films because the grain boundaries then form randomly. Controlling the nature of nucleation and growth are the keys to achieving a good crystalline thin-film. However, the sought after high-quality ferroelectric thin-film has so far been thought to be impossible to make, and research has been restricted to atomic-layer deposition which is extremely expensive and has poor reproducibility. Here we demonstrate a novel epitaxial-like growth technique to achieve extremely uniform and large rectangular-shaped grains in thin-film ferroelectrics by dividing the nucleation and growth phases. With this technique, it is possible to achieve 100-µm large uniform grains, even made available on Si, which is large enough to fabricate a field-effect transistor in each grain. The electrical and reliability test results, including endurance and retention test results, were superior to other FeRAMs reported so far and thus the results presented here constitute the first step toward the development of FeRAM using epitaxial-like ferroelectric thin-films.

The effect of trunk stabilization exercises using a sling on the balance of patients with hemiplegia.

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of trunk stabilization exercise using a saing on the balance ability of patients with hemiplegia. [Subjects] Forty patients with hemiplegia resulting from stroke were divided into a sling exercise group (SEG, n=20) and a mat exercise group (MEG, n=20). [Methods] The SEG conducted the trunk stabilization exercise using a sling, and the MEG performed the trunk stabilization exercise on a mat. [Results] The balance ability of both groups significantly improved. Although there were no significant differences between the groups, the SEG showed a greater reduction in the sway area (SA) and the sway length (SL) of the center of the pressure compared to the MEG. [Conclusion] We recommend trunk stabilization exercise using a sling as a clinical intervention to improve the balance ability of patients with hemiplegia.

The Effect of Treadmill-based Incremental Leg Weight Loading Training on the Balance of Stroke Patients.

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of treadmill-based gait training using incremental weight loading on the ankle of the affected side on hemiplegic stroke patients' balance. [Subjects] In this study, 30 hemiplegic stroke patients were randomly divided into an incremental weight load group (IWLG, n=15) and a no-load group (NLG, n=15). [Methods] The IWLG performed gait training on treadmills for four weeks wearing a sandbag weighing 3% of the body weight on the affected side ankle, followed by wearing a sandbag weighing 5% of the body weight from the 5th week. The NLG performed similar training without sandbags. [Results] Both the IWLG and the NLG showed significant improvements in balance ability. The IWLG showed a larger decrease in the area and length of movement of the center of pressure in static standing positions after the experiment although the difference was not significant. [Conclusion] We recommend, utilizing the treadmill-based gait training using incremental weight loading on the affected side ankle as a clinical intervention for improving hemiplegic stroke patients' balance ability.

Clinical Characteristics of Bilateral versus Unilateral Chronic Subdural Hematoma.

OBJECTIVE: Chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) is a common intracranial hemorrhage that is associated with significant morbidity. Bilateral lesions are occasionally found in neurosurgical practice. The purpose of this study is to analyze clinical characteristics of bilateral CSDH compared with unilateral CSDH. METHODS: Between January 2005 and January 2013, the authors treated 114 surgical patients with CSDH. Clinical presentations, precipitating factors, computed tomography (CT) findings, postoperative complications, and outcomes of patients were retrospectively analyzed in the bilateral and unilateral CSDH groups. RESULTS: Bilateral CSDH was identified in 28 (24.6%) of the 114 CSDH patients. The mean age was 77.85 years in the bilateral CSDH group. The frequency of altered consciousness as a presenting symptom was significantly higher in the bilateral CSDH, and that of hemiparesis was significantly higher in the unilateral CSDH (p=0.015). Diabetes mellitus was more common in the bilateral CSDH (p=0.001). CT scans revealed significant differences in the degree of midline shift (p=0.001). The mean modified Rankin scale at discharge was 1.5 in the bilateral CSDH group and 0.6 in the unilateral group (p=0.019). CONCLUSION: Bilateral CSDH showed different clinical characteristics from unilateral CSDH. Bilateral CSDH is prone to occurrence in the patient of old and diabetics. The patients of bilateral CSDH seem to reveal worse mental status and neurologic sign than unilateral CSDH in both baseline and postoperative state.

Tilted back exposure for lightly doped drain structure in metal induced lateral crystallization poly Si thin film transistors.

It has been known that LDD is essential to reduce the leakage current in poly TFTs, which has been regarded as one of the most important issues in poly TFT characteristics. However, according to the conventional process, an extra mask is needed solely for the LDD formation, which is not only complicated but also difficult to maintain the reproducibility. In this work, a simple method has been introduced for formation of LDD structure in poly Si TFTs, Tilted Back Exposure (TBE) technique. It has been found that asymmetry patterns can be realized with TBE process and submicron accuracy can be easily achieved by adjusting the angle between the substrate and light source. The LDD TFTs using TBE process shows almost the same electrical properties as the LDD TFTs using an additional separate LDD Mask.

Charge retention characteristics of silicide-induced crystallized polycrystalline silicon floating gate thin-film transistors for active matrix organic light-emitting diode.

In this work, non-volatile memory thin-film transistor (NVM-TFT) was fabricated by nickel silicide-induced laterally crystallized (SILC) polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) as the active layer. The nickel seed silicide-induced crystallized (SIC) poly-Si was used as storage layer which is embedded in the gate insulator. The novel unit pixel of active matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) using NVM-TFT is proposed and investigated the electrical and optical performance. The threshold voltage shift showed 17.2 V and the high reliability of retention characteristic was demonstrated until 10 years. The retention time can modulate the recharge refresh time of the unit pixel of AMOLED up to 5000 sec.

Comparative characterization of direct and indirect substrate probes for on-chip transamidating activity assay of transglutaminases.

The development of molecular probes is a prerequisite for activity-based protein profiling. This strategy helps in characterizing the catalytic activity and function of proteins, and how these proteins and protein complexes control biological processes of interest. These probes are composed of a reactive functional group and a reporter tag. The reactive group of these substrate probes has been considered to be important to their design, while the significance of the reporter tag is relatively underestimated. In this study we compare TAMRA-cadaverine and biotin-cadaverine, two substrate probes that have different reporter tags but an identical reactive functional group. We assess the on-chip transamidating activity of two transglutaminases; transglutaminase 2 and blood coagulation factor XIII. Activity assays were more easily executed when using the direct probe TAMRA-cadaverine. However the indirect probe, biotin-cadaverine, provided a wider dynamic range, higher signal-to-noise ratio, and lower limit of detection compared to TAMRA-cadaverine. Additionally, we successfully used the on-chip activity assay using the indirect probe to determine TG2 and FXIII activities in Hela cell lysates and human plasma samples, respectively. These results demonstrate that the reporter tag of the substrate probe is critical for protocol execution, sensitivity, and dynamic range of enzyme activity assays. Furthermore, this study provides a helpful guide for development of new probes, which is necessary for the identification of potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for treating enzyme-related diseases.

Prediction of outcome after traumatic brain injury using clinical and neuroimaging variables.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The functional outcome of traumatic brain injury (TBI) varies widely. The aim of this study was to identify the factors predicting outcome following TBI. METHODS: We prospectively enrolled acute TBI patients, and assessed them clinically and radiologically using brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Functional outcome was measured using the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) at 3 months after TBI. A GOS score of ≤4 was regarded as an unfavorable outcome. We performed multivariate analysis to investigate the association between clinicoradiological variables and outcome. RESULTS: Forty-two patients completed the clinical evaluation in the acute phase and outcome measurement at 3 months. Motorcycle accident was associated with unfavorable outcome [odds ratio (OR)=38.3, p=0.022]. If the patients were the victims of the accident, they were more likely to have an unfavorable outcome (OR=21.3, p=0.037). All seven patients with a low Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score (i.e., ≤8) at 24 or 48 h after TBI were also found to have an unfavorable outcome. The presence of diffuse axonal injury (DAI) was a significant predicting factor of an unfavorable outcome (OR=8.48, p=0.042). CONCLUSIONS: Motorcycle accident, being an accident victim, and a lower GCS score at 24 hours or more after the accident were found to be unfavorable prognostic variables. DAI was the only radiologic variable predicting an unfavorable outcome. Thus, it is important to identify DAI by applying MRI in the acute phase.

Molecular imaging of membrane proteins and microfilaments using atomic force microscopy.

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is an emerging technique for a variety of uses involving the analysis of cells. AFM is widely applied to obtain information about both cellular structural and subcellular events. In particular, a variety of investigations into membrane proteins and microfilaments were performed with AFM. Here, we introduce applications of AFM to molecular imaging of membrane proteins, and various approaches for observation and identification of intracellular microfilaments at the molecular level. These approaches can contribute to many applications of AFM in cell imaging.

Muslinoma and muslin-induced foreign body inflammatory reactions after surgical clipping and wrapping for intracranial aneurysms: imaging findings and clinical features.

OBJECT: Reinforcement of aneurysms with additional wrapping is an alternative procedure if the aneurysm cannot be completely clipped. Wrapping with muslin (cotton gauze) rarely incites foreign body inflammatory reactions. In this study, the authors describe the clinical and radiological features of muslinomas or muslin-induced foreign body reactions that can develop after treatment of intracranial aneurysms. METHODS: Over a 3-year period, 5 patients with muslinomas underwent treatment at the authors' institution. All patients underwent aneursym clipping and wrapping, and were subsequently readmitted with acute or subacute neurological symptoms. Clinical and imaging features on diffusion weighted MR images and cerebral angiography images were retrospectively reviewed. The patients' clinical course and follow-up imaging studies were also evaluated. RESULTS: In all 5 cases, muslinomas were seen as rim-enhancing inflammatory masses around the clipped aneurysms with perilesional edema visible on MR images at the time of clinical deterioration. The MR images also demonstrated adhesive arachnoiditis with a sterile intracranial abscess in 3 patients, optic neuropathy in 2, parent artery narrowing in 2, and a resultant acute ischemic infarction in 1 patient. Follow-up imaging revealed resolution of both the perilesional edema and adhesive arachnoiditis but no significant changes in the muslinomas. All patients underwent conservative management and fully recovered, but during the follow-up period, 2 patients experienced clinical and radiological relapses. CONCLUSIONS: When a patient with a history of wrapping of an aneurysm presents with acute neurological symptoms and an enhancing intracranial mass in the region of the surgical site on MR imaging, a muslin-induced foreign body inflammatory reaction should be considered in the differential diagnosis, and careful clinical and radiological follow-up is advised.

Radiosurgery for large cerebral arteriovenous malformations.

BACKGROUND: Radiosurgery is an effective treatment option for patients with small to medium sized arteriovenous malformations. However, it is not generally accepted as an effective tool for larger (>14 cm(3)) arteriovenous malformations because of low obliteration rates. The authors assessed the applicability and effectiveness of radiosurgery for large arteriovenous malformations. METHOD: We performed a retrospective study of 46 consecutive patients with more than 14 ml of arteriovenous malformations who were treated with radiosurgery using a linear accelerator and gamma knife (GK). They were grouped according to their initial clinical presentation-17 presented with and 29 without haemorrhage. To assess the effect of embolization, these 46 patients were also regrouped into two subgroups-25 with and 21 without preradiosurgical embolization. Arteriovenous malformations found to have been incompletely obliterated after 3-year follow-up neuroimaging studies were re-treated using a GK. FINDINGS: The mean treatment volume was 29.5 ml (range, 14.0-65.0) and the mean marginal dose was 14.1 Gy (range, 10.0-20.0). The mean clinical follow-up periods after initial radiosurgery was 78.1 months (range, 34.0-166.4). Depending on the results of the angiography, 11 of 33 patients after the first radiosurgery and three of four patients after the second radiosurgery showed complete obliteration. Twenty patients received the second radiosurgery and their mean volume was significantly smaller than their initial volume (P = 0.017). The annual haemorrhage rate after radiosurgery was 2.9% in the haemorrhage group (mean follow-up 73.3 months) and 3.1% in the nonhaemorrhage group (mean follow-up 66.5 months) (P = 0.941). Preradiosurgical embolization increased the risk of haemorrhage for the nonhaemorrhage group (HR, 28.03; 95% CI, 1.08-6,759.64; P = 0.039), whereas it had no effect on the haemorrhage group. Latency period haemorrhage occurred in eight patients in the embolization group, but in no patient in the nonembolization group (P = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: Radiosurgery may be a safe and effective arteriovenous malformation treatment method that is worth considering as an alternative treatment option for a large arteriovenous malformation.

Enhancing box sign : enhancement pattern of acute osteoprotic compression fracture.

OBJECTIVE: Although gadolinium enhancement of compression fractures is well known, the enhancement pattern of the acute stage of a fracture is not completely understood. Here, we investigated the enhancement pattern of acute vertebral compression fractures (VCFs). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of patients with acute osteoporotic VCFs admitted to hospital between January 2004 and December 2005. The demographic details, stage of the fracture, management data, and results were analyzed. There were nine men and 22 women, and the mean age was 71 years (range, 53-92 years). According to the onset of pain, patients were divided into the following four groups : Group I (less than 3 days), Group II (4-7 days), Group III (8-14 days), and Group IV (14-30 days). RESULTS: All patients had central low-signal intensity of the nonenhancing part of vertebral bodies on T1 images. Enhancing box sign (EBS) was seen 7 days of VCF development. After 7 days of onset (Groups III and IV), patch or Kummell's enhancements occurred. EBS has been statistically correlated with stage of compression fracture (Pearson's correlation = -0.774). However, EBS had no statistically significant correlation with prognosis in our study (Pearson's correlation = 0.059). CONCLUSION: EBS represents a characteristic sign 7 days of VCF development.

Intraarterial abciximab for treatment of thromboembolism during coil embolization of intracranial aneurysms: outcome and fatal hemorrhagic complications.

OBJECT: Experience with intraarterial abciximab for the treatment of thromboembolism during endovascular coil embolization is limited. The authors report the outcome of intraarterial abciximab use, with an emphasis on fatal hemorrhagic complications. METHODS: Between March 2003 and May 2006, the authors treated 606 aneurysms by using endovascular coil embolization, and in 32 (5.3%) of these aneurysms (31 patients) an intraarterial thrombus developed. Sixteen of these aneurysms were ruptured and the other 16 were unruptured. Arterial thrombi were totally occlusive in 3 and partially occlusive in the remaining 29 cases. Intraarterial abciximab was administered at a concentration of 0.2 mg/ml as a bolus of 4-15 mg over a period of 15-30 minutes. RESULTS: Complete thrombolysis was achieved in 17 (53%) and partial thrombolysis in 15 (47%) of 32 lesions. Twenty-eight patients (90.3%) were asymptomatic after abciximab thrombolysis, but 3 had postprocedural rebleeding that occurred after abciximab treatment; all of these patients had recently experienced an aneurysm rupture. Of these patients, 1 displayed severe thrombocytopenia and the other 2 showed a > 25% reduction in platelet count after abciximab treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Intraarterial abciximab is effective for the treatment of thromboembolic complications that occur during intracranial aneurysm coil insertion. Nevertheless, attention should be paid to prevent potentially fatal complications such as thrombocytopenia and hemorrhage, especially in patients with a ruptured aneurysm.

Noninvasive real-time imaging of tumors and metastases using tumor-targeting light-emitting Escherichia coli.

PURPOSE: A number of bacteria types are known to preferentially grow in tumors. We have taken advantage of this phenomenon to target luciferase-expressing Escherichia coli to tumors and metastases in mouse models to image them noninvasively. METHODS AND RESULTS: After intravenous injection of pLux-expressing E. coli (10(8) CFU), bioluminescence signals from the bacteria were detected exclusively in tumor tissue after 24 hours. The balanced-lethal host-vector system using the gene encoding aspartate beta-semialdehyde dehydrogenase (asd) enabled stable maintenance of the pLux in the tumor-targeting E. coli. This phenomenon of selective tumor targeting and proliferation of E. coli was observed in a diverse range of tumors implanted in nude mice. More importantly, E. coli was capable of targeting both primary tumors and metastases, enabling them to be imaged noninvasively in both nude and immunocompetent mice. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest the potential clinical use of this technology for tumor targeting.

Endovascular treatment of blood blister-like aneurysms of the internal carotid artery.

OBJECT: Because of its thin wall, an aneurysm arising from the posterior wall of the internal carotid artery (ICA), the so-called blood blister-like aneurysm (BBA), is difficult to manage surgically and is often associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. The authors treated these aneurysms endovascularly. In this paper, they present angiographic and clinical results obtained in patients with ICA BBAs treated endovascularly. METHODS: In seven patients with ICA BBAs who presented with subarachnoid hemorrhage, a total number of 12 endovascular treatments were performed, including seven endosaccular coil embolizations (four conventional, two stent-assisted and one balloon-assisted procedure) in four patients and five endovascular ICA trapping procedures in five patients. Repeated endovascular treatments were undertaken in four patients. In two patients, the endovascular treatment was performed after failure of surgical treatment (one case of rebleeding after clip placement and one aneurysmal regrowth after wrapping). A balloon occlusion test (BOT) was performed in all patients prior to ICA trapping. All four patients treated by endosaccular coil embolization showed aneurysmal regrowth. Neither stents nor balloons helpfully prevented aneurysmal regrowth. Of these four patients, two experienced rebleeding. These two patients remained vegetative at the last follow-up examination. After the BOT, ICA trapping was performed with coils and balloons without complication in five patients; excellent outcomes were achieved in all cases but one in which the patient had been in poor neurological condition due to rebleeding after surgical clip therapy. CONCLUSIONS: All ICA BBAs that were treated by endosaccular coil embolization exhibited regrowth of the aneurysm. Some of the lesions rebled. The majority of patients who underwent ICA trapping experienced excellent outcomes. Based on the authors' experiences, they suggest that ICA trapping including the lesion segment should be considered as a first option for definitive treatment if a BOT reveals satisfactory results. Regarding trapping methods, endovascular treatment may be preferred because of its convenience and safety.

Modified encephaloduroarteriosynangiosis with bifrontal encephalogaleoperiosteal synangiosis for the treatment of pediatric moyamoya disease. Technical note.

The authors describe a modified technique of encephaloduroarteriosynangiosis (EDAS) with bifrontal encephalogaleoperiosteal synangiosis (EGPS) and present the preliminary results of the procedure. Between January 2004 and June 2005 the authors performed modified EDAS with bifrontal EGPS in 17 patients with moyamoya disease. Surgical results were evaluated in terms of clinical outcomes, changes visible on neuroimages, extent of revascularization noted on angiograms, and hemodynamic changes demonstrated on single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scans. The follow-up period ranged from 6 to 21 months (mean 11.5 months). The overall clinical outcomes were excellent or good in 15 patients (88.2%) and poor in two (11.8%). The overall morbidity rate was 5.9% (one of 17 patients). Based on changes in the anterior cerebral artery (ACA) and middle cerebral artery (MCA) territories after surgery, as shown on SPECT scans following administration of acetazolamide, 14 patients (82.4%) exhibited an improved vascular reserve capacity in both the ACA and MCA territories. It is the authors' opinion that wide covering of the cortex is necessary for sufficient revascularization. In the present study they demonstrate that modified EDAS with bifrontal EGPS is a safe and efficient surgical approach that covers not only the MCA territory but also the ACA territory.

Overexpressed LEF-1 proteins display different nuclear localization patterns of beta-catenin in normal versus tumor cells.

Beta-catenin not only plays a role in cadherin-dependent cell adhesion, but also interacts with T-cell factor (TCF)/lymphoid enhancer factor-1 (LEF-1) to affect gene expression. In this report, we describe the effects of exogenous LEF-1 and of treatment with leptomycin B (LMB), a specific inhibitor of CRM1-medicated nuclear export, on the nuclear localization and export of beta-catenin. Normal epithelial cells overexpressing LEF-1 accumulate nuclear beta-catenin in a LEF-1 concentration-dependent manner. Nuclear beta-catenin, once imported from the cytoplasm, is rapidly removed from the nucleus. Treatment with LMB results in dramatic retention of nuclear beta-catenin in normal epithelial cells transfected with LEF-1, and this effect is intensified by treatment of N-Acetyl-leucyl-leucyl-norleucinal together with LMB. Colon carcinoma cells containing an adenomatous polyposis coli mutation retain significant amounts of LEF-1 induced nuclear beta-catenin considerably after the time-point when beta-catenin disappears from the nuclei of LEF-1 transfected normal epithelial cells. beta-Catenin binds directly to CRM1, and overexpression of CRM1 reduces nuclear beta-catenin-mediated transactivation function.