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IntroductionThere are animal models associating dopamine dysfunction with behavioral impairments that model attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Erythropoietin (EPO) has trophic effects on dopaminergic neurons.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to examine the Erythropoietin (EPO) plasma levels and determine whether there was any correlation between plasma EPO levels and clinical characteristics of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder(ADHD).MethodsPlasma EPO levels were measured in 78 drug naïve children with ADHD and in 81 healthy children. The severity of ADHD symptoms was determined by scores on the Korean ADHD Rating Scale (K-ARS) in children and healthy controls.ResultsThe ADHD group consisted of 64 boys and 14 girls, and the healthy control group of 31 boys and 50 girls. The median plasma EPO levels in ADHD children was 12.9 mIU/mL, whereas it was 12.0 mIU/mL in the healthy controls. This difference was not statistically significant. Participants in the highest tertiles of plasma EPO had a 1.49 times higher risk of ADHD than those in the lowest tertile, and those in the second highest tertile had a 2.39 times higher risk of ADHD than those in the lowest tertile. Plasma EPO levels correlated positively with some K-ARS scores, including hyperactivity-impulsivity score and total score. The significant difference in hyperactivity-impulsivity score comparing participants in the second highest with those in the lowest tertile. total K-ARS score was significantly higher in the second highest tertile of plasma EPO compared to those in the lowest tertile.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that plasma EPO levels were related to some ADHD symptoms, which could be used in the monitoring of the disorder. Further studies are required to clearly understand the source and role of EPO in ADHD.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

A bstract We report a search for the lepton-flavor-violating decays τ ± → ℓ ± α ( ℓ = e , μ ), where α is an undetected spin-0 particle, such as an axion-like particle using 736 × 10 6 tau lepton pairs collected by the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e + e − collider. We find no evidence of signal and obtain the most stringent upper limits on the branching fractions at 95% confidence level: ( τ ± → e ± α ) < (0.4–6.4) × 10 − 4 and ( τ ± → μ ± α ) < (0.2–3.5) × 10 − 4 at 95% confidence level for an α mass in the range 0.0 ≤ m α ≤ 1.6 GeV/ c 2 .

Direct band-gap semiconductors play the central role in optoelectronics. In this regard, monolayer (ML) MX 2 (M = Mo, W; X = S, Se) has drawn increasing attention due to its novel optoelectronic properties stemming from the direct band-gap and valley degeneracy. Unfortunately, the more practically usable bulk and multilayer MX 2 have indirect-gaps. It is thus highly desired to turn bulk and multilayer MX 2 into direct band-gap semiconductors by controlling external parameters. Here, we report angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) results from Rb dosed MoSe 2 that suggest possibility for electric field induced indirect to direct band-gap transition in bulk MoSe 2 . The Rb concentration dependent data show detailed evolution of the band-gap, approaching a direct band-gap state. As ionized Rb layer on the surface provides a strong electric field perpendicular to the surface within a few surface layers of MoSe 2 , our data suggest that direct band-gap in MoSe 2 can be achieved if a strong electric field is applied, which is a step towards optoelectronic application of bulk materials.

The structural integrity of teeth under stress is vital to functional longevity. We tested the hypothesis that this integrity is limited by fracture of the enamel. Experiments were conducted on molar teeth, with a metal rod loaded onto individual cusps. Fracture during testing was tracked with a video camera. Two longitudinal modes of cracking were observed: median cracking from the contact zone, and margin cracking along side walls. Median cracks initiated from plastic damage at the contact site, at first growing slowly and then accelerating to the tooth margin. Margin cracks appeared to originate from the cemento-enamel junction, and traversed the tooth wall adjacent to the loaded cusp from the gingival to the occlusal surface. All cracks remained confined within the enamel shell up to about 550 N. At higher loads, additional crack modes—such as enamel chipping and delamination—began to manifest themselves, leading to more comprehensive failure of the tooth structure.

Background/Objectives: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) risk factors are well established for Caucasians, but not for Asians. We hypothesized that nutrient intakes, plasma adipokines and/or gestational hormones might be linked to GDM development among pregnant Korean women. This study sought to identify new risk factors for GDM and adverse pregnancy outcomes according to body weight at prepregnancy. Subjects/Methods: All subjects were pregnant women visiting the Cheil General Hospital and Women’s Healthcare Center between June 2006 and March 2009. Non-GDM ( n =531) and GDM ( n =215) participants were divided into normal-weight and overweight groups according to prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) above or below 23 kg/m 2 at 24–28th week of gestation. At that time, glucose tolerance, insulin resistance as homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance, insulin secretory capacity as homeostatic model assessment for β-cell function, anthropometric measurement, nutrient intakes, and plasma levels of adipokines and gestational hormones were determined. Results: GDM women gained more weight in early pregnancy than non-GDM among normal-weight women. GDM was mainly associated with increased insulin resistance in overweight women and decreased insulin secretory capacity in normal-weight women. Plasma visfatin and adiponectin were lower and progesterone levels higher in GDM than non-GDM independent of BMI while plasma resistin levels were higher in non-GDM, but not GDM, overweight women. Energy and saturated fat intakes were higher in GDM independent of body weight, whereas taurine intakes were lower in GDM than non-GDM only in normal-weight women. Conclusions: Low visfatin and adiponectin and high progesterone levels in the circulation and high energy and saturated fat intakes were common risk factors for GDM and pregnancy outcome such as large for gestational age. Daily reference intakes for energy and fat during pregnancy need to be re-evaluated according to prepregnancy BMI.

We propose the use of amorphous-carbon indium zinc oxide (a-CIZO) as a channel material for thin-film transistor (TFT) fabrication. This study chose a carbon dopant as a carrier suppressor and strong oxygen binder in amorphous-indium zinc oxide (a-IZO) channel material. a-CIZO thin films were deposited using radiofrequency (RF) sputtering and postannealed at 150°C. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed that the film remained amorphous even after postannealing. The a-CIZO TFT postannealed at 150°C exhibited saturation field-effect mobility of 16.5 cm 2  V −1  s −1 and on–off current ratio of ∼4.3 × 10 7 .

Amorphous oxide semiconductors have gained significant attention in the past few decades and have emerged as a promising material for thin-film transistors (TFTs) because they offer high carrier mobility (> 10–50 cm2/V s) and uniformity. In particular, amorphous indium-gallium-zinc-oxide (a-IGZO) has been widely employed as an active channel material in TFTs owing to its high mobility. However, indium-based TFTs suffer from stability problems under positive, negative, and illumination bias stress conditions, which limits their applications in flat-panel displays. Moreover, the limited supply of indium and growing demand for high-stability TFTs with better electrical performance has led to the introduction of tin oxide as a promising solution to replace indium in TFTs. This review provides an overview on the progress and recent developments in indium-free tin oxide-based TFTs for large-area electronics, with special emphasis on the sputtering technique. In addition, the source of the dual conductivity of tin oxide is addressed, which will be helpful in designing complementary metal oxide semiconductor devices. The instability problems and approaches to improve the electrical performance of tin oxide TFTs are also discussed.

Four hundred and sixty-seven hematopoietic stem cell transplantations (HSCTs) (217 autologous and 250 allogeneic HSCT) were performed in 374 children at four pediatric HSCT centers in Korea from January 2005 to December 2007. Among 467 transplants, veno-occlusive disease (VOD) developed in 72 transplants (15.4%) at a median of 10 days after HSCT. Multivariate analysis showed that BU or TBI-containing regimen ( P =0.002), VOD prophylaxis without lipo-prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) ( P =0.012), number of previous HSCT ( P =0.014), and pretransplant serum ferritin ( P =0.018) were independent risk factors for developing VOD. Mean serum ferritin levels were significantly higher in HSCT with VOD (2109.6±2842.5 ng/ml) than in HSCT without VOD (1315.9±1094.4 ng/ml) ( P <0.001). The relative risk of death within 100 days of HSCT in transplants with VOD compared with transplants without VOD was 3.39 (confidence interval: 1.78–6.45). Our results suggest that lipo-PGE1 might have a protective effect against the development of VOD, and pretransplant serum ferritin could act as a risk factor for VOD. A larger prospective study is needed to confirm a possible role of lipo-PGE1 and iron chelation therapy in reducing the incidence of VOD.

Objective: To study the expression of laminin and type IV collagen as biomarkers of the organisation of the basal lamina of acini and ducts in labial salivary glands from patients with Sjögren’s syndrome, and to relate this organisation to inflammatory cell invasion of acini and ducts. Methods: Immunohistochemistry for laminin and type IV collagen was undertaken on sections of labial salivary glands from 30 patients with Sjögren’s syndrome, 10 control subjects, and 24 controls with chronic sialoadenitis. Immunohistochemistry reaction, alterations to cell morphology, and the presence of inflammatory cells in acini and ducts were evaluated and scored using a semiquantitative method. Results: Changes in the expression of laminin and type IV collagen in the basal lamina of acini and ducts of labial salivary glands from patients with Sjögren’s syndrome were more pronounced than in labial salivary glands from control groups. A remarkable characteristic was the disorganisation of the basal lamina in the labial salivary glands in Sjögren’s syndrome. The pattern of immunoreactivity of the basal lamina of other structures (for example, blood vessels) did not change. In Sjögren’s syndrome, invasion of cytotoxic T lymphocytes was only observed in acini and ducts which had a disorganised basal lamina. Conclusions: The high state of disorganisation of the basal lamina of acini and ducts could allow invasion of cytotoxic T lymphocytes in Sjögren’s syndrome, contributing to cell death and ductal hyperplasia.

SummaryChronic kidney disease (CKD)-mineral and bone disorder suggests that fragile bone and vascular disorder might be connected closely in CKD patients. In this study, fracture event was significantly associated with myocardial infarction (MI) in end-stage renal disease patients on hemodialysis (HD), especially for vertebral fractures.IntroductionCKD-mineral and bone disorder is characterized by biochemical abnormalities, bone disorders, and vascular calcification. We aimed to verify the association between fracture and MI in CKD patients.MethodsRecords for incident CKD stage 3 to 5 patients and patients who initiated HD between July 2014 and June 2018 were retrieved from the Korean Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service Database. Fractures were defined using diagnostic codes and were classified into vertebral, femoral, and other site fractures. MI was defined using a combination of MI diagnostic codes and related procedure codes. Multiple logistic regressions and 1:1 propensity score matching analysis were conducted.ResultsA total of 38,935 patients (HD, 11,379; pre-dialysis CKD, 27,556) were included in this study. A total of 5,057 (13.0%) patients experienced fracture, and 1,431 (3.7%) patients had MI. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that fracture was significantly associated with MI in the HD group (odds ratio (OR) 1.34, P = 0.024), but not in the pre-dialysis CKD group (OR 1.04, P = 0.701). After propensity score matching for age, gender, and diabetes mellitus between patients with and without fracture, fracture still significantly correlated with MI in HD patients (OR 1.47, P = 0.034) but not in patients with pre-dialysis CKD (OR 1.04, P = 0.751). Subgroup analysis by fracture site found that vertebral fracture was associated with MI in HD patients (OR 2.11, P = 0.024), but femoral or other site fractures were not.ConclusionIn HD patients, fracture was significantly associated with MI, especially for vertebral fractures patients.