Determination of Volatile Organic Compounds by a Novel Polymer Spin-Coated Thin Film and Surface Plasmon Resonance

Here is reported the synthesis, characterization, and volatile organic compound (VOCs) sensing of a 1, 3-dimethyl polyphenylene vinylene polymer. The synthesis was performed by a Witting condensation through the reaction of 1, 4-terphthaldehyde with the phosphonium chloride of meta-xylene. The material was characterized by infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and thermogravimetric analyses. Thin films of the polymer were prepared by spin coating at speeds from 1000 to 5000 rpm. Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and surface plasmon resonance were used to characterize the spin coated films. The thicknesses of the films were estimated by fitting the curves and were between 4.5 to 24.5 nm depending on the speed. The refractive index of the new polymer was 1.72. The polymer spin coated films were exposed to volatile organic vapors in order to characterize their sensing properties by surface plasmon resonance as a function of time. The results showed that the new material responded rapidly, sensitively, and reversibly to volatile organic compounds

Pontine anosognosia for hemiplegia

WOS: 000081906400040PubMed ID: 10449140Four patients had anosognosia for hemiplegia (AHP) as a manifestation of pontine infarction in the mediolateral region. Patients with AHP syndrome had no mental and neuropsychologic disturbances, and all had involvement of the medial or lateral part of the pens (medial or lateral pontine reticular nuclei). Brainstem lesions, which activate frontoparietosubcortical areas, may be a critical factor in the development of AHP syndrome

Transient hemineglect syndrome

PubMed ID: 7671992[No abstract available

Visuospatial stimulus-bound automatic writing behavior: A right hemispheric stroke syndrome

WOS: 000166461900019PubMed ID: 11160963Three cases of visuospatial stimulus-bound automatic writing behavior were identified among 80 patients (4%) with acute right cerebral hemispheric stroke. All cases had similar clinical characteristics and writing behavior, and visuospatial stimulus-bound automatic writing was related to visually perceived letters. This syndrome might be specific for right hemispheric stroke and might be included among other hypergraphic syndromes attributable to right hemispheric damage

Cerebral hemorrhage with transient signs [1]

PubMed ID: 11070383[No abstract available

Acute caudate vascular lesions

WOS: 000077934200018PubMed ID: 9880396Background and Purpose-We sought to evaluate demographic features, risk factors, clinical profiles, and behavioral abnormalities in patients with caudate lesion, either with infarct or with hemorrhage involving the caudate nucleus. Methods-We studied all patients with acute caudate stroke confirmed by CT or MRI who were admitted to our stroke unit over a 5-year period. A database containing risk factors, clinical features, type and mechanism of stroke, and caudate vascular territories was analyzed. Results-Thirty-one patients had acute caudate stroke (24 men and 7 women; mean age, 62.3 years). Caudate infaret was present in 25 patients and caudate hemorrhage in 6. The main risk factors for caudate infarct were hypertension (64%), hypercholesterolemia (32%), diabetes mellitus (28%), and previous myocardial infaret (20%). Hypertension was present in 4 patients (67%) with caudate hemorrhage, and arteriovenous malformation was present in 1 patient (17%). Small-artery disease was diagnosed in 14 patients (59%), cardiac embolism in 5 patients (20%), and large-artery disease in 2 patients (8%), and 2 patients (8%) had mixed etiology. The most frequent neurological abnormalities were abulia and psychic akinesia (48%), frontal system abnormalities (26%), speech deficits in patients with left-sided lesions (23%), and neglect syndromes in those with right-sided lesions (10%). Fifteen patients with caudate infarct (60%) and 3 patients with hemorrhage (50%) were able to return to normal daily life. Patients with infarct in the territory of the lateral lenticulostriate arteries extending to neighboring structures showed more frequent motor and neuropsychological deficits than those with infarct in the territory of the anterior lenticulostriate arteries. Conclusions The clinical presentation of patients with caudate hemorrhage mimicked subarachnoid hemorrhage with or without motor and neuropsychological signs. Caudate vascular lesions with concomitant neighboring structure involvement represent a specific stroke syndrome, usually caused by small-artery disease and in one fifth of the patients caused by cardiac embolism. The behavioral abnormalities were mostly due to medial, lateral, and ventral caudate subnuclei damage and coexisting lesion of the anterior limb of the internal capsule

Reversible cerebral venulitis in a patient with neuro-Behçet disease

PubMed ID: 22805643[No abstract available