These findings suggest that activin A overexpression in oral squamous cell carcinomas is associated with patients' survival and may contribute to tumor progression and metastasis.

We are the first group to use a simple direct ultraviolet light (UV, λ=365 nm, I=76 mW cm(-2)) in a decomposition process to fabricate ZnO nanowires on a flexible substrate using a zinc acetylacetonate hydrate precursor in ambient air. ZnO nanocrystal (or nanowire) production only requires three to ten minutes. A field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) image reveals a high aspect ratio of the ZnO nanowires, which are grown on a substrate with a diameter of ∼50-100 nm, and a length of up to several hundred microns. High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) images reveal that the nanowires consist of many single crystalline ZnO nanoparticles that grow along the c axis, which suggests an oriented attachment process. A potential application for flexible UV photodetectors was investigated using a UV lamp (λ=365 nm, I=2.34 mW cm(-2)). A significant ratio of photocurrent to dark current--around 11,300%--was achieved.

This study explores the possibility of growing lung cells on poly-DL-lactic acid (PDLLA) scaffolds, with a view to in future engineer pulmonary tissue for human implantation. As a first step in this process, the ability of PDLLA to maintain the growth of lung epithelium is tested using a robust cell line. Poly-DL-lactic acid has been investigated in two forms, as planar discs and as 3-D foams, and it has been demonstrated that PDLLA is not only nontoxic to pneumocytes but it also actively supports their growth. The initial findings suggest that the material is an appropriate matrix for engineering of distal lung tissue.

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We have previously differentiated lung epithelium from human and murine embryonic stem cells (mESCs) and are now exploring the potential applications of these cells, including in the engineering of lung tissue constructs. In this study, we hypothesized that the differentiation and maintenance of lung epithelium derived from mESCs can be enhanced by extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. Our established differentiation protocol was applied to mESCs grown on a range of ECMs: collagen I, laminin 332, fibronectin, Matrigel, and, as an experimental control, gelatin. The ECMs were coated onto tissue culture plastic (TCP) and poly-DL-lactic acid (PDLLA), a biodegradable polymer we have previously shown to support the growth of mature pneumocytes. Matrigel or Laminin-332 coating of either TCP or PDLLA film resulted in enhanced surfactant protein C gene expression in differentiating mESCs, a direct indication of the upregulation of lung epithelial differentiation. For each combination, changes in the contact angle and zeta potential of protein-coated TCP and PDLLA film confirmed protein adsorption. We conclude that the choice of the coating protein can greatly affect the differentiation of ESCs, and laminin-332-coated PDLLA provided an ECM-degradable scaffold combination that is suitable for engineering of lung tissue constructs.

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p -type ZnO thin films have been realized by the In–N codoping method. Secondary ion mass spectroscopy revealed that the nitrogen incorporation was enhanced by the presence of indium in ZnO. The as-grown In–N codoped ZnO film shows acceptable p-type behavior at room temperature with high film quality. A conversion from p-type conduction to n type in a range of temperature was confirmed by Hall effect measurement. The lowest reliable room-temperature resistivity was found to be 3.12Ωcm with a carrier concentration of 2.04×1018cm−3 and a Hall mobility of 0.979cm2V−1S−1. The p-type behavior is stable.