Suture looping technique for coracoclavicular fixation biomechanically outperforms fixation constructs utilizing either a metallic anchor or an all-suture anchor.

BackgroundThe utilization of all-suture anchors in coracoclavicular (CC) suture fixations offers satisfactory clinical advantages. This study aimed to compare the biomechanical properties of suture looping, conventional metallic anchors, and all-suture anchors in CC suture fixation in a synthetic bone model.HypothesisSuture looping for CC fixation would result in smaller cyclic elongation and greater ultimate pull-out strength than suture anchor techniques.

Passively Q-switched 976-nm monolithic ytterbium fiber laser with 4-W power.

We developed a 915-nm pumped, passively Q-switched 976-nm ytterbium all-fiber laser with an average output power of 4.3 W. The laser utilizes a 16-cm Yb gain fiber, passively Q-switched by a 1.

Streptococcus taoyuanensis sp. nov., a Novel Species Isolated from a Patient with Bacteremia.

Streptococcus spp. are important opportunistic pathogen of bacteremia in both immunocompetent and immunosuppressed patients. A streptococcal strain, designated ST2, was isolated from the blood specimen of a bacteremic patient.

Realization of a compact 10-W 976-nm ytterbium-doped all-fiber laser.

We have demonstrated a compact and cost-effective ytterbium-doped all-fiber laser operating at 976 nm. By utilizing a commercially available ytterbium-doped fiber with a length of only 18 cm, we achieved a lasing power of 10.3 W, with a slope efficiency of 25.

sp. nov., isolated from the gut of honeybee ().

A Gram-positive, facultatively anaerobic, catalase-negative, fructose-dependent strain (W13) was isolated from the gut of honeybee (). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing indicated that strain W13 represents a distinct line of descent within the genus , with the closest neighbours being BCRC 81240 (98.9 % sequence similarity) and DSM 19113 (96.

Opioid-Modulated Receptor Localization and Erk1/2 Phosphorylation in Cells Coexpressing μ-Opioid and Nociceptin Receptors.

We attempted to examine the alterations elicited by opioids via coexpressed μ-opioid (MOP) and nociceptin/orphanin FQ (NOP) receptors for receptor localization and Erk1/2 (p44/42 MAPK) in human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells. Through two-photon microscopy, the proximity of MOP and NOP receptors was verified by fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), and morphine but not buprenorphine facilitated the process of MOP-NOP heterodimerization. Single-particle tracking (SPT) further revealed that morphine or buprenorphine hindered the movement of the MOP-NOP heterodimers.

BPR0C261, An Analogous of Microtubule Disrupting Agent D-24851 Enhances the Radiosensitivity of Human Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cells via p53-Dependent and p53-Independent Pathways.

(1) Destabilization of microtubule dynamics is a primary strategy to inhibit fast growing tumor cells. The low cytotoxic derivative of microtubule inhibitor D-24851, named BPR0C261 exhibits antitumor activity via oral administration. In this study, we investigated if BPR0C261 could modulate the radiation response of human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells with or without p53 expression.

Vibrio salinus sp. nov., a marine nitrogen-fixing bacterium isolated from the lagoon sediment of an islet inside an atoll in the western Pacific Ocean.

A marine, facultatively anaerobic, nitrogen-fixing bacterium, designated strain DNF-1, was isolated from the lagoon sediment of Dongsha Island, Taiwan. Cells grown in broth cultures were Gram-negative rods that were motile by means of monotrichous flagella. Cells grown on plate medium produced prosthecae and vesicle-like structures.

Streptococcus vulneris sp. nov., isolated from wound of patient with diabetic foot ulcer (DFU).

A new α-haemolytic streptococcal strain, designated DM3B3, was isolated from the wound of a diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) patient. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA full-gene sequencing (1563 bp) revealed highest sequence similarity to Streptococcus mitis (99.7%), followed by "Streptococcus gwangjuense" (99.

sp. nov., sp. nov., sp. nov. and sp. nov., isolated from paper mulberry in Taiwan.

Five Gram-stain-positive strains (M1-10, M1-13, M1-21, M2-14 and S1-1) were isolated from paper mulberry () in Taiwan. Cells were rod-shaped, non-motile, non-haemolytic, asporogenous, facultatively anaerobic, heterofermentative, and did not exhibit catalase and oxidase activities. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that these novel strains belonged to the genus .

Label-Free Characterization of Collagen Crosslinking in Bone-Engineered Materials Using Nonlinear Optical Microscopy.

Engineered biomaterials provide unique functions to overcome the bottlenecks seen in biomedicine. Hence, a technique for rapid and routine tests of collagen is required, in which the test items commonly include molecular weight, crosslinking degree, purity, and sterilization induced structural change. Among them, the crosslinking degree mainly influences collagen properties.

Simulation for efficiency improvement of a thuilium Q-switched ytterbium-doped all-fiber laser.

We theoretically explore the mechanism in a thulium -switched ytterbium-doped all-fiber fiber laser using a set of rate equations to model the correlations between the photons and the five energy levels of thulium involved in the switching mechanism. We demonstrate that by coupling with a gain-switched resonator, the -switched laser is stabilized up to the maximum pulsing rate that is limited by the lifetime of level . To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that revealed that level plays an essential role in reinitialization, achieving sequential pulses, and limiting the maximum repetition rate.

Label-free characterization of collagen fibers in cancerous esophagus tissues using ratiometric nonlinear optical microscopy.

The issue of classifying esophageal cancer at various developmental stages is crucial for determining the optimized treatment protocol for the patients, as well as the prognosis. Precision improvement in staging esophageal cancer keeps seeking quantitative and analytical imaging methods that could augment histopathological techniques. In this work, we used nonlinear optical microscopy for ratiometric analysis on the intrinsic signal of two-photon excited fluorescence (TPEF) and second harmonic generation (SHG) from single collagen fibers only in submucosa of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

Glaciimonas soli sp. nov., a soil bacterium isolated from the forest of a high elevation mountain.

A Gram-negative, psychrophilic bacterium, designated strain GS1, was isolated from a forest soil sample collected from the West Peak of Mt. Yushan, Yushan National Park, Taiwan. Cells grown in broth cultures were mostly non-motile and non-flagellated, whereas motile cells with monotrichous, subpolar flagella were also observed.

sp. nov., isolated from faeces of Formosan barking deer ().

A Gram-stain-positive strain, 8 H-2, was isolated from faeces of Reeves' muntjac () barking deer in Taiwan. Cells of the strain were short rod-shaped, non-motile, non-haemolytic, asporogenous, facultatively anaerobic, heterofermentative and did not exhibit catalase and oxidase activities. Comparative analyses of 16S rRNA, and gene sequences demonstrated that the novel strain was a member of the genus .

sp. nov., isolated from brewer's grain used to make silage in Taiwan.

A Gram-stain-positive, coccus- or oval-shaped, non-motile, haemolytic, asporogenous, catalase- and oxidase-negative, and facultatively anaerobic strain, 2B-2, was isolated from a brewer's grain used to make silage in Taiwan. Comparative analyses of 16S rRNA, and gene sequences demonstrated that strain 2B-2 was a member of the genus . On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, the type strains of (98.

sp. nov. and sp. nov., isolated from suan-tsai, a traditional fermented mustard green product of Taiwan.

Four Gram-stain-positive strains, R7, R11, R19 and R27, were isolated from suan-tsai, a traditional fermented mustard green product of Taiwan. Cells were rod-shaped, non-motile, non-haemolytic, asporogenous, facultatively anaerobic, heterofermentative, and did not exhibit catalase and oxidase activities. Comparative analyses of 16S rRNA, and gene sequences demonstrated that these novel strains were members of the genus .

Minimization of Fresnel reflection by anti-reflection fiber Bragg grating inscribed at the fiber ends.

In this paper, we proposed and numerically demonstrated a novel method to effectively minimize Fresnel reflection from a perpendicularly cleaved fiber using a uniform fiber Bragg grating (FBG) inscribed at the fiber end. By matching the reflectivity of an in-line FBG with the reflectivity caused by the glass-air boundary, the FBG acts as a virtual boundary, which provides destructive interference and suppresses Fresnel reflection. We achieved an anti-reflection FBG with a return loss of more than 80 dB by ensuring that the product of the index contrast and grating period number is almost constant, with a value of 0.

Design and In Vivo Verification of a CMOS Bone-Guided Cochlear Implant Microsystem.

Objective: To develop and verify a CMOS bone-guided cochlear implant (BGCI) microsystem with electrodes placed on the bone surface of the cochlea and the outside of round window for treating high-frequency hearing loss.

Methods: The BGCI microsystem consists of an external unit and an implanted unit. The external system-on-chip is designed to process acoustic signals through an acquisition circuit and an acoustic DSP processor to generate stimulation patterns and commands that are transmitted to the implanted unit through a 13.

gen. nov., sp. nov., a facultatively anaerobic marine bacterium that ferments glucose with gas production.

Two isolates of heterotrophic, facultatively anaerobic, marine bacteria, designated DM1 and DM2, were recovered from a lagoon sediment sample of Dongsha Island, Taiwan. Cells were Gram-reaction-negative rods. Nearly all of the cells were non-motile and non-flagellated during the late exponential to early stationary phase of growth, while a few of the cells exhibited motility with monotrichous flagellation.

Effects of Alkali Cations and Halide Anions on the Self-Assembly of Phosphatidylcholine in Oils.

The interactions between ions and phospholipids are closely associated with the structures and functions of cell membrane. Instead of conventional aqueous systems, we systematically investigated the effects of inorganic ions on the self-assembly of lecithin, a zwitterionic phosphatidylcholine, in cyclohexane. Previous studies have shown that addition of inorganic salts with specific divalent and trivalent cations can transform lecithin organosols into organogels.

Lensless intracavity focusing in a passively Q-switched all-fiber laser using the mode-field-area mismatch.

Intense lensless intracavity focusing in a saturable absorber Q-switched all-fiber laser resonator by use of loss arrangement and mode-field-area mismatch between the fibers is investigated for the first time. The intracavity power distribution was related to the locations and values of the cavity losses as the saturable absorption loss, the reflection loss of the output coupler, and the splicing loss between the gain fiber and the absorber fiber. With a mode-field-area mismatch and a reduced splicing loss with the gain fiber, a power density in the absorber fiber was achieved that was 11.