This reconstruction technique yielded good clinical results and helped to avoid complications associated with harvesting bone from the iliac crest donor site. However, risk factors related to the method should be carefully considered.

Controlled gold nanoparticle (AuNP)-based nonvolatile memory devices were developed based on pentacene organic transistors and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) insulator layers. The memory device had the following configuration: n+Si gate/SiO2 blocking oxide/polyelectrolytes/AuNP/PMMA tunneling dielectric layer/Au source-drain. According to the programming/erasing operations, the memory device showed good programmable memory characteristics with a large memory window. In addition, good reliability was confirmed by the data retention characteristics. The fabrication procedures for the charge trapping and tunneling layers were based on simple solution processes (by dipping and spin-coating) and the maximum processing temperature was <100 °C, so this method has potential applications in plastic/flexible electronics.

A fully feasible and versatile way to fabricate highly reliable organic-transistor memory devices is made possible by a novel design of the charge-trappling layer. Gold@silica (core-shell)-structured nanoparticles are synthesized and used as the charge-trapping layer. Superior electrical reliability is obtained because the silica shell acts as a built-in tunnel potential barrier.

No abstract

In this letter, InGaZnO thin-film transistor (bottomgate (n+Si) and top-contact structure)-based nanofloating gate memory devices were developed. These nonvolatile transistor memory devices contained self-assembled gold nanoparticles (Au NP ) and exhibited good programmable memory characteristics according to the programming/erasing operations with large memory windows. The charge trapping in the Au NP charge storage layers was responsible for the memory operations. The good endurance and data retention capability demonstrated by these memory devices make them suitable for nonvolatile memory applications. As this approach was based on the solution-processed controlled Au NP charge trapping layers and the low-temperature synthesized transparent oxide semiconductors, it has the potential for application in low-temperature-processed transparent nonvolatile memory devices.

Without denying the efficacy of the single-stage surgery, two-stage management can be a reasonable alternative for carefully selected patients who have spinal infection.

The feasibility and reliability of combined use of transcranial and direct cortical motor evoked potential (MEP) monitoring during unruptured aneurysm surgery were evaluated. Forty-eight patients with unruptured cerebral aneurysms underwent craniotomy and neck clipping accompanied by muscle MEP monitoring. MEPs were elicited successfully by transcranial electrical stimulation in all patients. Direct cortical stimulation elicited MEPs in 44 patients. Reduction in MEP amplitude to less than 50% of baseline was considered significant. No postoperative motor paresis occurred in 39 patients in whom transcranial and direct MEPs remained unchanged. Four patients in whom direct MEPs could not be recorded had no intraoperative abnormality in transcranial MEPs and no postoperative motor dysfunction. Four of the other 5 patients manifested significant transient direct MEP changes without transcranial MEP changes. The transient MEP changes were observed in 3 patients during temporary clipping of the parent artery and in one patient with inadequate clipping of an middle cerebral artery aneurysm, and were considered due to insufficiency of blood flow. Decrease or disappearance of direct MEP waves recovered immediately after re-application of the clip and release of the temporary clip. Direct MEP waves disappeared and did not recover until the end of microsurgical procedures in one patient, although transcranial MEP amplitude remained at less than 50% of baseline. She developed hemiparesis postoperatively, which recovered within 6 hours. The duration of temporary occlusion in patients with direct MEP changes was significantly longer than that in patients without (p º 0.05). Direct MEP was sensitive in detecting ischemic stress to descending motor pathways during aneurysm surgery. Transcranial MEPs could be elicited in patients in whom direct MEPs could not be obtained, and during periods such as craniotomy or after dural closure, in which direct MEPs could not be recorded. These findings suggest that combined transcranial and direct cortical MEP recording may improve the feasibility and reliability of MEP monitoring during unruptured aneurysm surgery.

The outcomes of surgical treatment in 80 patients with cervical compressive myelopathy were retrospectively reviewed to examined the correlations between surgical outcomes and the following seven predictive factors: age at surgery, duration of symptoms, severity of myelopathy, number of compressed segments, intramedullary high intensity segments on T 2 weighted magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, surgical method, and the type of disease. The recovery rates were evaluated at 3 months after the surgery. Significant correlations were observed between recovery rate and duration of symptoms, severity of myelopathy, and high intensity segments on T 2 weighted MR imaging. No statistical correlation was observed with the other factors. Multivariate analysis revealed significant correlations between recovery rate and duration of symptoms and number of high intensity segments on T 2 weighted MR imaging. The multiple regression equation was expressed as follows: recovery rate 82.981 { 0.101~(age) | 0.675~(duration) | 1.452~(number of compressed segments) | 1.451( preoperative Neurosurgical Cervical Spine Scale) | 13.826~(number of high intensity segments). Based on this predicted formula, we compared the predicted and actual recovery rates for 17 patients treated recently. The two values were similar except in two patients with long duration of symptoms. We conclude that the surgical outcome can be predicted to a certain extent and this information could be provided to patients considering surgery for cervical compressive myelopathy.