In order to shield the electronic circuits on a transparent polyimide (PI) substrate, an anti-reflection (AR) layer was deposited on a PI film
via
DC reactive magnetron sputtering. The effects of ...sputtering power and thickness of AR layer on the optical property and adhesion strength of the PI were investigated. The composition of the AR layer influences the bonding between layers. Sufficient thickness of the AR layer is essential to strengthen the adhesion between the PI and copper (Cu) layers. The sputtered AR layer on the PI also improves the barrier property for water vapor. The AR layer-sputtered PI substrates remain transparent and exhibit high peel strength to the Cu layer, suggesting their potential applications as reliable transparent substrates for modern electronic devices.
In order to shield the electronic circuits on a transparent polyimide (PI) substrate, an anti-reflection (AR) layer was deposited on a PI film
via
DC reactive magnetron sputtering.
This study explores the deposition of copper (Cu) films onto colorless polyimides (PIs) using the High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (HiPIMS) technique. The impact of varying operating duty ...cycles and frequencies on sheet resistance, the deposition rate of Cu films, and the adhesion strength between Cu and PI is examined. Adjusting the HiPIMS parameters aims to achieve superior film quality with reduced sheet resistance. Furthermore, post-thermal treatment significantly improves the adhesion of the Cu layer to the PI substrate due to the mechanical interlocking mechanism created by the surface roughness of the PI and the chemical bonding between the two components.
•Cu layers were deposited on colorless polyimide (PI) by High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering.•The peak power density and heat treatment affect the adhesion of Cu layer to PI substrate.•Mechanical interlocking and chemical bonding lead to the enhancement of adhesion.
This study designed an asymmetric, interference-free and excellent heat dissipation performance CPU cooler. Due to the increasing size of the motherboard cooler, the heat pipes or aluminum fins of ...the CPU cooler may interfere with the motherboard or the graphics card, thus preventing smooth installation. The proposed tower-type cooler avoids this problem by offsetting the aluminum fins and bending the heat pipes away from the motherboard, ensuring compatibility with the motherboard, memory, graphics card, and other components. Combining the heat pipes, copper base, and aluminum base requires careful consideration of tolerance. The heat pipes are composed of copper tubes, copper powder, and pure water, then vacuum treated. The copper tubes are filled with copper powder and sintered (900 °C–1000 °C) to inject pure water and vacuum seal once more, then bent according to the design. The aluminum fins are stamped from sheet metal. After nickel plating, they facilitate welding between copper and aluminum materials. The CPU cooler developed in this study includes the design, drawing, fabrication, and assembly of each component (finning, tubing, soldering). It demonstrates successful installation on most commercial motherboards. Compared with commercially available coolers, the temperature of the cooler developed in this study is reduced by about 1∼2 °C.
Parameters of DC-reactive magnetron sputtering are optimized to deposit anti-reflection (AR) layers on transparent polyimide (PI) substrates, followed by the deposition of the conductive copper ...layer, to fabricate practically reliable composite films as advanced flexible circuits. When the deposition thickness is controlled and the gas composition during sputtering is adjusted, the resultant AR layer-coated PI film exhibits low reflectance and reveals improved adhesion strength to the copper layer. The adhesion reliability tests confirm that the peel strength between the PI film and the deposited layers could be further improved after thermal processing due to the formation of a worm-like morphology for better mechanical interlocking with layers. The facile sputtering process successfully fabricates a reliable substrate material with low reflectance and sufficient adhesion strength to copper for application as flexible printed circuits.
The hierarchical structure of AZO/ZnO nanowires were prepared on ITO glass using a hydrothermal method. To fabricate the electrochromic electrode, amorphous WO 3 film was deposited on AZO/ZnO ...nanowires through sputtering. The WO 3 /AZO/ZnO exhibited a high optical contrast of 32.7% at a wavelength of 650 nm. Compared with WO 3 /ZnO, the WO 3 /AZO/ZnO exhibited a faster bleaching process (reduced from 1.7 s to 1.1 s) and higher stability (improving by 32% in i_{\mathrm{a}} and 18.7% in i_{\mathrm{c}} |),
Constitutive activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling pathway is implicated in the initiation and progression of lung cancer. EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)‐targeted ...therapy has become the standard treatment for nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. However, acquired resistance to these agents remains a major obstacle for managing NSCLC. Here, we investigated a novel strategy to overcome EGFR TKI resistance by targeting the stanniocalcin 2 (STC2)‐JUN‐AXL pathway. We revealed that STC2 was expressed at significantly higher levels in EGFR TKI‐resistant cells. Further, clinical analysis showed that STC2 expression was increased after the development of EGFR TKI resistance and that higher levels were correlated with shorter progression‐free survival in EGFR TKI‐treated lung cancer patients. Moreover, STC2 overexpression in EGFR TKI‐sensitive cells resulted in EGFR TKI resistance. Conversely, genetic silencing of STC2 rendered EGFR TKI‐resistant cells more sensitive to EGFR TKIs. Mechanically, STC2 enhanced AXL promoter activity by increasing the phosphorylation of c‐Jun, which is an indispensable transcription factor that transactivates AXL. STC2 promoted activation of the JUN‐AXL‐extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK) signaling axis in lung cancer cells. Pharmacological or genetic inhibition of AXL‐ERK activity inhibited STC2‐mediated EGFR TKI resistance. We also demonstrated that PE2988 cells, a C797S‐independent osimertinib‐resistant primary cancer cell line from a lung cancer patient, responded to combined AXL inhibitor and osimertinib treatment. In conclusion, our research indicates that STC2 overexpression is important for acquired resistance to EGFR TKIs and that STC2‐JUN‐AXL‐ERK signaling might be a potential therapeutic target to overcome resistance to EGFR TKIs.
What's new?
EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)‐targeted therapy has become the standard treatment for non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but acquired resistance remains a major obstacle. Although several mechanisms of resistance have been identified, much additional information is needed to understand and overcome resistance to EGFR‐TKIs. Here, the authors show that STC2 expression is upregulated in lung adenocarcinomas following the acquisition of resistance, and that its expression is inversely correlated with progression‐free survival. Moreover, the data show that STC2 modulates the activation of c‐Jun/AXL/ERK signaling to confer resistance, highlighting STC2 as a potential therapeutic target in NSCLC.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with a high risk of osteoporosis and fracture. Interleukin (IL)-6 inhibitors may suppress osteoclast activation. Anticitrullinated protein antibody (ACPA) ...titers are inversely associated with bone mineral density (BMD). However, the differential effect of ACPA on bone turnover marker (BTM) and BMD changes after IL-6 inhibition remains unclear. This prospective study recruited patients with active RA with inadequate response to methotrexate or biologics. BMD was measured before and after 2-year tocilizumab (TCZ) treatment. Serum osteocalcin, N-terminal propeptide of type I collagen (P1NP), and C-terminal cross-linking telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX) levels were assessed at the baseline and after treatment. We enrolled 76 patients with RA (89.5% women, age: 57.2 ± 13.3 years) receiving TCZ. The 28-joint disease activity score was negatively correlated with BMD and T-scores of the lumbar spine and bilateral femoral neck. ACPA-positive patients had lower lumbar spine and femoral neck T-scores. After 2-year TCZ treatment, CTX levels significantly decreased (0.32 ± 0.21 vs. 0.26 ± 0.17, p = 0.038). Femoral neck BMD increased significantly (0.71 ± 0.22 vs. 0.69 ± 0.55, p = 0.008). Decreased CTX levels and improved BMD were observed only in ACPA-positive patients. After treatment, femoral neck BMD significantly increased only in patients receiving a glucocorticoid dose of ≥5 mg/day. Two-year TCZ treatment reduced bone resorption and increased femoral BMD in ACPA-positive patients. The net effects of glucocorticoids and IL-6 inhibition on BMD imply that strict inflammation control might affect bone metabolism.
•Adequate surgical margin for OSCC needs to be re-evaluated.•The study enrolled 15,654 patients with OSCC from the TCR database.•Advanced N stage and positive margin are major risk factors for poor ...CSS and OS.•Surgical margins <4 mm and <5 mm predict poor CSS and OS, respectively.
Margin status and lymph node metastasis are the most important prognostic factors for oral cancers. However, while adequate surgical resection is crucial for local control and prognosis, the definition of clear margins has long been a subject of debate. In this study, we analyzed data from a nationwide population-based cancer registry database and evaluated the impact of surgical margins on cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) as well as the optimal cutoff of adequate surgical margins.
This analysis included all cases of oral cancer diagnosed from 2011 to 2017 that were reported to the Taiwan Cancer Registry database. The staging system was converted from American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) version 7 to AJCC version 8. Kaplan–Meier analysis and Cox proportional-hazards regression were performed to identify covariates that were significantly associated with CSS and OS.
Between 2011 and 2017, 15,654 of a total of 36,091 cases diagnosed with oral cancers were included in the final analyses. Advanced N stage, positive margins, and advanced T stage are the leading risk factors for poor CSS and OS. When surgical margins were subdivided into 1-mm intervals from 5 mm to positive margin, we found that surgical margins <4 mm and <5 mm predict poor CSS and OS, respectively.
This is the first nationwide, population-based cohort to revisit the question of the adequate surgical margins for oral cancers. We conclude that surgical margins ≥4 mm and ≥5 mm are adequate for good CSS and OS, respectively.
Abstract The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) regulator, Slug, plays multifaceted roles in controlling lung cancer progression, but its downstream targets and mechanisms in promoting lung ...cancer progression have not been well defined. In particular, the miRNAs downstream of Slug in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remain undetermined. Here, we report that miR-137 is downstream of the EMT regulator, Slug, in lung cancer cells. Slug binds directly to the E-box of the miR-137 promoter and up-regulates its expression in lung cancer cells. Knockdown of miR-137 abolished Slug-induced cancer invasion and migration, whereas upregulation of miR-137 was found to trigger lung cancer cell invasion and progression by direct suppressing TFAP2C (transcription factor AP-2 gamma). Clinical data showed that lung adenocarcinoma patients with low-level expression of Slug and miR-137 but high-level expression of TFAP2C experienced significantly better survival. miR-137 is a Slug-induced miRNA that relays the pro-metastatic effects of Slug by targeting TFAP2C. Our findings add new components to the Slug-mediated regulatory network in lung cancer, and suggest that Slug, miR-137, and TFAP2C may be useful prognostic markers in lung adenocarcinoma.
Summary
Background
While direct‐acting antivirals have been approved for treating hepatitis C, the guidelines highlight the importance of considering potential drug‐drug interactions between DAAs and ...concomitant medications.
Aim
To assess comorbidity prevalence, concomitant medication use and potential drug‐drug interactions between DAAs and concomitant medications for hepatitis C patients in Taiwan.
Methods
This cross‐sectional study enrolled 822 patients from May to August 2016 in Taiwan. Patient demographics, comorbidities and concomitant medications were evaluated by physician surveys.
Results
A total of 709 (86.3%) patients had ≥1 comorbidity; the most prevalent comorbidity categories were diseases of the digestive system (40.1%), circulatory system (38.7%) and endocrine/nutritional/metabolic diseases (35.2%). Elderly patients had more comorbidities. A total of 622 (75.7%) patients received ≥1 concomitant medication; the average number of concomitant medications was 3.2. The most common concomitant medication classes were cardiovascular (34.4%), gastrointestinal (25.7%) and central nervous system drugs (22.7%). Among patients without cirrhosis or with compensated cirrhosis, contraindications were most prevalent with paritaprevir/ritonavir/ombitasvir plus dasabuvir, daclatasvir/asunaprevir and glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (13.3%, 6.0% and 5.4% respectively), and least prevalent with sofosbuvir, sofosbuvir/daclatasvir, sofosbuvir/ledipasvir and sofosbuvir/velpatasvir (0.8%, 1.3%, 1.4% and 2.1% respectively). Sofosbuvir‐based regimens had no contraindications in patients with decompensated cirrhosis.
Conclusion
Our population represented an elderly demographic, with a high prevalence of comorbidities and widespread use of concomitant medications. The potential drug‐drug interactions between these concomitant medications and DAA regimens differed, with the fewest potential interactions with sofosbuvir‐based regimens.
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