Spin dependent transport in organic light-emitting diodes

Electrically Detected Magnetic Resonance (EDMR) was used to study a series of multilayer organic devices based on aluminum (III) 8-hydroxyquinoline. These devices were designed to identify the micoscopic origin of different spin dependent process, i.e. hopping and exciton formation. EDMR is demonstrated to probe molecular orbitals of charge, and thus indirectly explore interfaces, exciton formation, charge accumalation and electric fields in operating organic based devices

Vesicular Egress of Non-Enveloped Lytic Parvoviruses Depends on Gelsolin Functioning

The autonomous parvovirus Minute Virus of Mice (MVM) induces specific changes in the cytoskeleton filaments of infected permissive cells, causing in particular the degradation of actin fibers and the generation of “actin patches.” This is attributed to a virus-induced imbalance between the polymerization factor N-WASP (Wiscott-Aldrich syndrome protein) and gelsolin, a multifunctional protein cleaving actin filaments. Here, the focus is on the involvement of gelsolin in parvovirus propagation and virus-induced actin processing. Gelsolin activity was knocked-down, and consequences thereof were determined for virus replication and egress and for actin network integrity. Though not required for virus replication or progeny particle assembly, gelsolin was found to control MVM (and related H1-PV) transport from the nucleus to the cell periphery and release into the culture medium. Gelsolin-dependent actin degradation and progeny virus release were both controlled by (NS1)/CKIIα, a recently identified complex between a cellular protein kinase and a MVM non-structural protein. Furthermore, the export of newly synthesized virions through the cytoplasm appeared to be mediated by (virus-modified) lysomal/late endosomal vesicles. By showing that MVM release, like entry, is guided by the cytoskeleton and mediated by vesicles, these results challenge the current view that egress of non-enveloped lytic viruses is a passive process

Enhanced cyanine solar cell performance upon oxygen doping

The effect of exposing cyanine–fullerene C60 bilayer solar cells to ambient atmosphere is investigated. For exposure times of a few hours and concomitant light soaking, the device performance experiences a drastic power efficiency increase going from 0.14% to 1.2% measured at 30 mW/cm2 simulated solar irradiation. The 10-fold enhancement is attributed to the photoinduced doping involving oxygen and water leading to the formation of reactive superoxide anions and mobile holes in the cyanine layer. The influence of water and dry oxygen are investigated separately. While water deteriorates the device performance, dry oxygen leads only to a partial increase of efficiency. Annealing does not ameliorate the performance of doped devices. Although then the cyanine layer features more crystallinity, the considerable morphological changes cause diffusional loss in charge carrier collection. Doping of not annealed devices brings a sizeable efficiency enhancement that highlights the importance of charge carrier transport in cyanine dye based solar cells

Changes in metabolic toxicity after switching from stavudine/didanosine to tenofovir/lamivudine—a Staccato trial substudy

Objectives Stavudine is widely used in Thailand and is associated with mitochondrial toxicity. Here, we evaluated the effect of switching from stavudine/didanosine to tenofovir/lamivudine on measures of metabolic and mitochondrial toxicity in Thai patients. Methods Thirty-five Thai patients with full HIV RNA suppression were switched from stavudine/didanosine to tenofovir/lamivudine while receiving saquinavir/ritonavir 1600/100 mg once daily. Patients were assessed at the time of switch and 24 and 48 weeks after for lipids, liver enzymes, lactate, mitochondrial DNA content and limb/total fat mass by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scanning. Results Forty-eight weeks after the switch, there were significant reductions in lipids and lactate, but no change in liver enzymes. There was reversal of lipoatrophy, as shown by rises in limb fat mass (+0.38 kg, P = 0.006) and total fat mass (+0.69 kg, P = 0.02) on DEXA scan. Patients perceived weight improvement, but did not report reversal of lipoatrophy of individual body parts. The mitochondrial DNA/nuclear DNA ratio rose (+1.06, P < 0.0001). Conclusions After the nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor switch, reversal of mitochondrial toxicity was consistent with switch studies of mainly Caucasian patients, although the peripheral mononuclear cell mitochondrial DNA rise exceeded previous report

Flexible Indium-Tin Oxide Crystal on Plastic Substrates Supported by Graphene Monolayer

Flexible and crystallized indium-tin oxide (ITO) thin films were successfully obtained on plastic polyethylene terephthalate (PET) films with monolayered graphene as a platform. The highly crystalline ITO (c-ITO) was first fabricated on a rigid substrate of graphene on copper foil and it was subsequently transferred onto a PET substrate by a well-established technique. Despite the plasma damage during ITO deposition, the graphene layer effectively acted as a Cu-diffusion barrier. The c-ITO/graphene/ PET electrode with the 60-nm-thick ITO exhibited a reasonable sheet resistance of similar to 45 Omega sq(-1) and a transmittance of similar to 92% at a wavelength of 550 nm. The c-ITO on the monolayered graphene support showed significant enhancement in flexibility compared with the ITO/PET film without graphene because the atomically controlled monolayered graphene acted as a mechanically robust support. The prepared flexible transparent c-ITO/graphene/PET electrode was applied as the anode in a bulk heterojunction polymer solar cell (PSC) to evaluate its performance, which was comparable with that of the commonly used c-ITO/glass electrode. These results represent important progress in the fabrication of flexible transparent electrodes for future optoelectronics applications

The relationship between retinal vessel calibre and knee cartilage and BMLs

10.1186/1471-2474-13-255BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders13

Autoimmune inflammatory disorders, systemic corticosteroids and pneumocystis pneumonia: A strategy for prevention

BACKGROUND: Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) is an increasing problem amongst patients on immunosuppression with autoimmune inflammatory disorders (AID). The disease presents acutely and its diagnosis requires bronchoalveolar lavage in most cases. Despite treatment with intravenous antibiotics, PCP carries a worse prognosis in AID patients than HIV positive patients. The overall incidence of PCP in patients with AID remains low, although patients with Wegener's granulomatosis are at particular risk. DISCUSSION: In adults with AID, the risk of PCP is related to treatment with systemic steroid, ill-defined individual variation in steroid sensitivity and CD4+ lymphocyte count. Rather than opting for PCP prophylaxis on the basis of disease or treatment with cyclophosphamide, we argue the case for carrying out CD4+ lymphocyte counts on selected patients as a means of identifying individuals who are most likely to benefit from PCP prophylaxis. SUMMARY: Corticosteroids, lymphopenia and a low CD4+ count in particular, have been identified as risk factors for the development of PCP in adults with AID. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (co-trimoxazole) is an effective prophylactic agent, but indications for its use remain ill-defined. Further prospective trials are required to validate our proposed prevention strategy

Pre-referral rectal artesunate in severe malaria: flawed trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Immediate injectable treatment is essential for severe malaria. Otherwise, the afflicted risk lifelong impairment or death. In rural areas of Africa and Asia, appropriate care is often miles away. In 2009, Melba Gomes and her colleagues published the findings of a randomized, placebo-controlled trial of rectal artesunate for suspected severe malaria in such remote areas. Enrolling nearly 18,000 cases, the aim was to evaluate whether, as patients were in transit to a health facility, a pre-referral artesunate suppository blocked disease progression sufficiently to reduce these risks. The affirmative findings of this, the only trial on the issue thus far, have led the WHO to endorse rectal artesunate as a pre-referral treatment for severe malaria. In the light of its public health importance and because its scientific quality has not been assessed for a systematic review, our paper provides a detailed evaluation of the design, conduct, analysis, reporting, and practical features of this trial.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We performed a checklist-based and an in-depth evaluation of the trial. The evaluation criteria were based on the CONSORT statement for reporting clinical trials, the clinical trial methodology literature, and practice in malaria research. Our main findings are: The inclusion and exclusion criteria and the sample size justification are not stated. Many clearly ineligible subjects were enrolled. The training of the recruiters does not appear to have been satisfactory. There was excessive between center heterogeneity in design and conduct. Outcome evaluation schedule was not defined, and in practice, became too wide. Large gaps in the collection of key data were evident. Primary endpoints were inconsistently utilized and reported; an overall analysis of the outcomes was not done; analyses of time to event data had major flaws; the stated intent-to-treat analysis excluded a third of the randomized subjects; the design-indicated stratified or multi-variate analysis was not done; many improper subgroups were analyzed in a post-hoc fashion; the analysis and reporting metric was deficient. There are concerns relating to patient welfare at some centers. Exclusion of many cases from data analysis compromised external validity. A bias-controlled reanalysis of available data does not lend support to the conclusions drawn by the authors.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This trial has numerous serious deficiencies in design, implementation, and methods of data analysis. Interpretation and manner of reporting are wanting, and the applicability of the findings is unclear. The trial conduct could have been improved to better protect patient welfare. The totality of these problems make it a flawed study whose conclusions remain subject to appreciable doubt.</p

Ulnar-sided wrist pain. II. Clinical imaging and treatment

Pain at the ulnar aspect of the wrist is a diagnostic challenge for hand surgeons and radiologists due to the small and complex anatomical structures involved. In this article, imaging modalities including radiography, arthrography, ultrasound (US), computed tomography (CT), CT arthrography, magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, and MR arthrography are compared with regard to differential diagnosis. Clinical imaging findings are reviewed for a more comprehensive understanding of this disorder. Treatments for the common diseases that cause the ulnar-sided wrist pain including extensor carpi ulnaris (ECU) tendonitis, flexor carpi ulnaris (FCU) tendonitis, pisotriquetral arthritis, triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) lesions, ulnar impaction, lunotriquetral (LT) instability, and distal radioulnar joint (DRUJ) instability are reviewed

The genetic epidemiology of joint shape and the development of osteoarthritis

Congruent, low-friction relative movement between the articulating elements of a synovial joint is an essential pre-requisite for sustained, efficient, function. Where disorders of joint formation or maintenance exist, mechanical overloading and osteoarthritis (OA) follow. The heritable component of OA accounts for ~ 50% of susceptible risk. Although almost 100 genetic risk loci for OA have now been identified, and the epidemiological relationship between joint development, joint shape and osteoarthritis is well established, we still have only a limited understanding of the contribution that genetic variation makes to joint shape and how this modulates OA risk. In this article, a brief overview of synovial joint development and its genetic regulation is followed by a review of current knowledge on the genetic epidemiology of established joint shape disorders and common shape variation. A summary of current genetic epidemiology of OA is also given, together with current evidence on the genetic overlap between shape variation and OA. Finally, the established genetic risk loci for both joint shape and osteoarthritis are discussed