Cobalt and Carbon Complex as Counter Electrodes in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

We developed cobalt and carbon complex materials as counter electrodes (CEs) for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) to replace conventional platinum (Pt) CEs. Co12 and Co15, both of which are basic cobalt derivatives, showed good redox potential with a suitable open-circuit voltage (VOC); however, their poor electrical conductivity engendered a low short-circuit current (JSC) and fill factor (FF). Mixing them with carbon black (CB) improved the electrical conductivity of the CE; in particular, JSC and FF were considerably improved. Further improvement was achieved by combining cobalt derivatives and CB through thermal sintering to produce a novel CoCB material as a CE. CoCB had good electrical conductivity and electrocatalytic capability, and this further enhanced both JSC and VOC. The optimized device exhibited a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 7.44%, which was higher than the value of 7.16% for a device with a conventional Pt CE. The conductivity of CoCB could be further increased by mixing it with PEDOT:PSS, a conducting polymer. The device’s JSC increased to 18.65 mA/cm2, which was considerably higher than the value of 14.24 mA/cm2 for the device with Pt CEs. The results demonstrate the potential of the cobalt and carbon complex as a CE for DSSCs

Abnormal ADAM17 expression causes airway fibrosis in chronic obstructive asthma

Patients with chronic obstructive asthma (COA) develop airflow obstruction caused by subepithelial fibrosis. Although a disintegrin and metalloproteinase 17 (ADAM17) has been implicated in lung inflammation and tissue fibrosis, its role in airway fibrosis in COA has not been explored. Here, we found marked overexpression of ADAM17, phosphorylated ADAM17, and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) in human airway fibroblasts from COA patients, compared with those of normal subjects. Similarly, levels of ADAM17, CTGF, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), and collagen were increased in endobronchial biopsies from COA patients, but not in controls. In an ovalbumin-challenge asthma model, airway fibrosis was inhibited in ADAM17f/f/Cre+ mice compared to control mice. TGF-β- and thrombin-induced fibrotic protein expression was reduced by ADAM17 small interfering (si)RNA, TAPI-0 (an ADAM17 inhibitor), and EGFR siRNA. In addition, exogenous HB-EGF reversed fibrotic response in ADAM17 knockdown human lung fibroblasts. ADAM17 causes subepithelial fibrosis through regulation of enhanced extracellular matrix production and fibroblast differentiation and is the common pathway for airway fibrosis mediated by TGF-β and thrombin through an aberrant ADAM17/EGFR signalling pathway

Efficacy of Intermediate-Dose Oral Erythromycin on Very Low Birth Weight Infants With Feeding Intolerance

Erythromycin is generally used as a prokinetic agent for the treatment of feeding intolerance in preterm infants; however, results from previous studies significantly vary due to different medication dosages, routes of administration, and therapy durations. The effectiveness and safety of intermediate-dose oral erythromycin in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants with feeding intolerance was examined in this study. Methods: Between November 2007 and August 2009, 45 VLBW infants with feeding intolerance, who were all at least 14 days old, were randomly allocated to a treatment group and administered 5 mg/kg oral erythromycin every 6 hours for 14 days (n=19). Another set of randomly selected infants was allocated to the control group, which was not administered erythromycin (n=26). Results: The number of days required to achieve full enteral feeding (36.5±7.4 vs. 54.7±23.3 days, respectively; p=0.01), the duration of parenteral nutrition (p<0.05), and the time required to achieve a body weight ≥2500 g (p<0.05) were significantly shorter in the erythromycin group compared with the control group. The incidence of parenteral nutrition-associated cholestasis (PNAC) and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) ≥ stage II after 14 days of treatment were significantly lower (p<0.05) in the erythromycin group. No significant differences were observed in terms of the incidences of sepsis, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, or retinopathy of prematurity. No adverse effects were associated with erythromycin treatment. Conclusions: Intermediate-dose oral erythromycin is effective and safe for the treatment of feeding intolerance in VLBW infants. The incidences of PNAC and ≥ stage II NEC were significant lower in the erythromycin group

groESL Sequence Determination, Phylogenetic Analysis, and Species Differentiation for Viridans Group Streptococci

The full-length sequences of the groESL genes (also known as cpn10/60) of Streptococcus anginosus, Streptococcus constellatus, Streptococcus gordonii, and Streptococcus sanguis and the near full-length sequence of the groESL genes of Streptococcus intermedius, Streptococcus bovis, Streptococcus mitis, Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus oralis, and Streptococcus salivarius were determined. The lengths of the groES genes from the 10 species listed above ranged from 282 to 288 bp, and the full-length sequences of groEL determined for 4 species (S. anginosus, S. constellatus, S. gordonii, and S. sanguis) revealed that each was 1,623 bp. The intergenic region (spacer) between the groES and groEL genes varies in size (15 to 111 bp) and sequence between species. The variation of the groES sequences among the species tested was greater (62.1 to 95.1% nucleotide sequence identities) than that of the groEL sequences (77.2 to 95.2% nucleotide sequence identities). Phylogenetic analysis of the groES and groEL genes yielded evolutionary trees similar to the tree constructed by use of the 16S rRNA gene. The intraspecies variation of the spacer was minimal for clinical isolates of some species. The groESL sequence data provide an additional parameter for identification of viridans group streptococcal species

Primary Small Cell Carcinoma of the Stomach Successfully Treated With Cisplatin and Etoposide

We report a 44-year-old man with primary gastric small cell carcinoma who showed a remarkable response to chemotherapy specific for pulmonary small cell carcinoma. The patient had been admitted to another local hospital because of intermittent epigastralgia. An upper gastrointestinal examination there revealed an ulcerative tumor, 5 cm in diameter, on the lesser curvature side of the cardia, and endoscopic biopsy reported adenocarcinoma. Computed tomography revealed a mass over the lesser curvature of the stomach and some enlarged regional lymph nodes. Radical total gastrectomy, lymph node dissection, Roux-en-Y esophagojejunostomy and splenectomy were performed at our hospital. Pathology revealed gastric mucosa infiltrated by small-sized tumor cells with scanty cytoplasm and hyperchromatic nuclei. Immunohisto- chemically, the tumor cells were positive for synaptophysin, chromogranin A, and CD56. Primary gastric small cell carcinoma was diagnosed. The postoperative course, complicated by shock due to bleeding, wound infection and intra-abdominal abscess, took more than 2 months to resolve. Follow-up computed tomography showed tumor recurrence with multiple enlarged lymph nodes in the aortocaval region and hepatic hilum. The patient received palliative chemotherapy consisting of cisplatin 80 mg/m2 on day 1 and etoposide 80 mg/m2 on days 1–3 every 28 days, and had partial response to the chemotherapy, with a progression-free survival of 10 months. Chemotherapy with cisplatin and etoposide used for small cell carcinoma of the lung is a good treatment for gastric small cell carcinoma

Association between Exosomal miRNAs and Coronary Artery Disease by Next-Generation Sequencing

Background: Among various bio-informative molecules transferred by exosomes between cells, micro RNAs (miRNAs), which remain remarkably stable even after freeze-and-thaw cycles, are excellent candidates for potential biomarkers for coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods: Blood samples were collected from the coronary arteries of 214 patients diagnosed with three-vessel CAD and 140 without CAD. After precipitation extraction, the amounts of exosomes were found to decrease with increased age and three-vessel CAD. Next-generation sequencing was performed to further explore the possible relationship between exosomal miRNAs and CAD. Results: Eight exosomal miRNAs showed altered expression associated with CAD. The up-regulated miRNAs in CAD were miRNA-382-3p, miRNA-432-5p, miRNA-200a-3p, and miRNA-3613-3p. The down-regulated miRNAs were miRNA-125a-5p, miRNA-185-5p, miRNA-151a-3p, and miRNA-328-3p. Conclusion: We successfully demonstrated particular exosomal miRNAs that may serve as future biomarkers for CAD