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The authors describe the continuance of the growth of the distracted cranium after the reshaping of the cranium by distraction osteogenesis (DO) in children with simple symmetric and asymmetric craniosynostosis. From 2000 until 2002, 9 children with simple craniosynostosis underwent cranial reshaping by gradual distraction using an external distraction device. Four patients have symmetric deformities caused by bicoronal and sagittal craniosynostosis, and 5 patients have asymmetric deformities caused by unicoronal and unilambdoidal craniosynostosis. The distraction device was developed and applied by the author. Preoperative simulation surgery was done on the three-dimensional rapid prototyped model and on the three-dimensional computerized tomography scan to determine the favorable osteotomy line. The distraction rate was from 1 to 1.5 mm/d, and the latency period was from 1 to 5 days. The extent of distraction was determined on the basis of the results of simulation surgery and the change of external appearance. Evaluation of the growth of reshaped cranium was processed from the data of the reconstructed three-dimensional computerized tomography scans before operation, immediate end of distraction, and the last follow-up time. The anteroposterior length and bitemporal width were measured in symmetric synostosis cases, and the distance from supratrochlear notch to occiput was measured in asymmetric synostosis cases. The results showed that the immediate morphologic changes of cranium after DO were maintained in both symmetric and asymmetric synostosis up to the last follow-up without evidence of relapse. Cases of asymmetric deformity also showed that the affected side and the unaffected side had grown with the maintenance of the symmetry that was corrected at the immediate end of the distraction. The cranium modified by the DO was well maintained with the children's growth without any signs of recurrent restricted growth of the original disease. The corrected symmetry of asymmetric deformity was well maintained during a long-term follow-up period as well.

Purified semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (sc-SWCNTs) have been researched for optoelectronic applications due to their high absorption coefficient from the visible to even the near-infrared (NIR) region. Nevertheless, the insufficient electrical characteristics and incompatibility with conventional CMOS processing have limited their wide utilization in this emerging field. Here, we demonstrate highly detective and wide spectral/dynamic range phototransistors incorporating floated heterojunction active layers which are composed of low-temperature sol-gel processed n-type amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide (a-IGZO) stacked with a purified p-type sc-SWCNT layer. To achieve a high and broad spectral/dynamic range photo-response of the heterogeneous transistors, photochemically functionalized sc-SWCNT layers were carefully implemented onto the a-IGZO channel area with a floating p-n heterojunction active layer, resulting in the suppression of parasitic charge leakage and good bias driven opto-electrical properties. The highest photosensitivity (R) of 9.6 × 10 A W and a photodetectivity (D*) of 4 × 10 Jones along with a dynamic range of 100-180 dB were achieved for our phototransistor in the spectral range of 400-780 nm including continuous and minimal frequency independent behaviors. More importantly, to demonstrate the diverse application of the ultra-flexible hybrid photosensor platform as skin compatible electronics, the sc-SWCNT/a-IGZO phototransistors were fabricated on an ultra-thin (∼1 μm) polyimide film along with a severe static and dynamic electro-mechanical test. The skin-like phototransistors showed excellent mechanical stability such as sustainable good electrical performance and high photosensitivity in a wide dynamic range without any visible cracks or damage and little noise interference after being rolled-up on the 150 μm-thick optical fiber as well as more than 1000 times cycling.

Osteoarticular tuberculosis (OAT) is an extrapulmonary tuberculosis and accounts for 1 to 3% of all tuberculosis cases. We used an rpoB PCR-plasmid TA cloning-sequencing method to detect and identify tubercle bacilli in surgical specimens from patients suspected of having OAT. By comparing the similarities of the rpoB sequences determined with those in GenBank, Mycobacterium tuberculosis was detected in 23 of 43 samples. Three of the 23 positive samples had mutations at codon 531, which are commonly observed in rifampin-resistant M. tuberculosis strains. Our results suggest that the rpoB PCR-TA cloning-sequencing method developed, which detects M. tuberculosis and which simultaneously determines its rifampin susceptibility, can also be used efficiently for the diagnosis of OAT.The World Health Organization reported that nearly a third of the world's population suffers from tuberculosis (TB). Each year 8 million individuals have active disease, and 2 million deaths occur annually (28). With this resurgence, cases of extrapulmonary TB have also shown an increase. Approximately, 10 to 11% of extrapulmonary TB cases involve joints and bones (1 to 3% of all reported TB cases).Thus, the estimated global prevalence of latent joint and bone TB is approximately 19 million to 38 million cases (17). Moreover, since osteoarticular tuberculosis (OAT) can cause functional disability, it should be accurately diagnosed and treated early.As the identification of mycobacterial species from clinical samples usually requires culture (26), the diagnosis of OAT depends upon microbiologic testing (i.e., smear or culture) and the histologic examination of tissue samples. Although culture is the "gold standard," it may take 6 to 8 weeks before a positive culture is detected (22), unless the radiometric BACTEC 460 method or the nonradiometric BACTEC 960/ Mycobacteria Growth Indicator Tube method (4) is used.In recent years, several nucleic acid-based techniques have been developed for the rapid detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in clinical samples. By testing sputa and bronchoalveolar lavage specimens, mycobacteria can be detected and identified by PCR or PCR-linked methods (1, 18). However, unlike pulmonary TB samples, such as sputa and bronchoalveolar lavage specimens, from which tubercle bacilli are concentrated for culture and further testing, joint biopsy samples usually contain only a small number of bacteria. This causes difficulties with culture and staining for acid-fast bacilli (8,17,19) that necessitate the use of molecular biology-based methods.In the present study, rpoB PCR-plasmid TA cloning-sequencing for Mycobacterium species was applied directly to clinical specimens from patients suspected of having OAT without culture. rpoB encodes the ␤ subunit of RNA polymerase (3), and recently, partial rpoB DNA sequences containing the Rif r region, which is related to rifampin resistance, have been used to identify Mycobacterium species (5, 10, 11) and non-Mycobacterium species (12,13,14,15,16).M. tuberculosis is readily dif...