Ultrahigh-efficiency solution-processed simplified small-molecule organic light-emitting diodes using universal host materials

Although solution processing of small-molecule organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) has been considered as a promising alternative to standard vacuum deposition requiring high material and processing cost, the devices have suffered from low luminous efficiency and difficulty of multilayer solution processing. Therefore, high efficiency should be achieved in simple-structured small-molecule OLEDs fabricated using a solution process. We report very efficient solution-processed simple-structured small-molecule OLEDs that use novel universal electron-transporting host materials based on tetraphenylsilane with pyridine moieties. These materials have wide band gaps, high triplet energy levels, and good solution processabilities; they provide balanced charge transport in a mixed-host emitting layer. Orange-red (similar to 97.5 cd/A, similar to 35.5% photons per electron), green (similar to 101.5 cd/A, similar to 29.0% photons per electron), and white (similar to 74.2 cd/A, similar to 28.5% photons per electron) phosphorescent OLEDs exhibited the highest recorded electroluminescent efficiencies of solution-processed OLEDs reported to date. We also demonstrate a solution-processed flexible solid-state lighting device as a potential application of our devices.

Optimising the management of dysplastic lesions in the oesophagus with photodynamic therapy

The outcome of patients suffering from adeno and squamous carcinoma of the oesophagus remains poor. In the west, the incidence of adenocarcinoma has increased dramatically, with most cases occurring in association with Barrett's oesophagus (BE). Both adeno and squamous carcinoma are believed to progress through worsening degrees of dysplasia. This thesis assesses the role of Elastic Scattering Spectroscopy (ESS) as an objective diagnostic test for dysplasia and Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) with 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) as a less invasive treatment option. It also looks for a better understanding of the factors influencing mucosal healing after PDT. Using ESS, the sensitivity and specificity was 83% for distinguishing HGD/cancer from LGD/non dysplastic BE. Low dose ALA (30mg/kg) PDT eradicated 38% of HGD in BE compared with 67% eradication with a higher dose (60mg/kg). The higher dose also decreased the length of BE. In a study comparing red with green light (fixed light doses) for treating HGD, at 30 mg/kg ALA, 63% and 13 % of patients were clear of HGD with red and green laser respectively. At 60 mg/kg, the corresponding figures were 78% and 33% for the same light dose. 5 of 5 patients with LGD in BE and 4 of 5 patients with HGD in squamous mucosa had their dysplasia eradicated with ALA PDT. Successful PDT involves healing by regeneration of normal squamous mucosa. My in vitro studies created a PDT wound model using malignant oesophageal cell lines to assess the role of different cytokines in healing. Keratinocyte Growth Factor (KGF) was found to promote wound healing after PDT and significantly encouraged (p 0.001) the development of squamous cell lines. In conclusion: 1. ESS can differentiate dysplasia and early cancer from non-dysplastic and normal mucosa (sensitivity and specificity 83%). 2. PDT using high dose (60mg/kg) ALA (but not low dose) is effective in eradicating HGD in BE using red light. 3. The cytokine, KGF may promote healing with squamous mucosa after PDT. 4. Larger scale clinical trials are now required to confirm these results

Differences in Clinical Features According to Boryoung and Karp Genotypes of Orientia tsutsugamushi

Scrub typhus is an infectious disease caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi. The differences in virulence of O. tsutsugamushi prototypes in humans are still unknown. We investigated whether there are any differences in the clinical features of the Boryoung and Karp genotypes.Patients infected with O. tsutsugamushi, as Boryoung and Karp clusters, who had visited 6 different hospitals in southwestern Korea were prospectively compared for clinical features, complications, laboratory parameters, and treatment responses. Infected patients in the Boryoung cluster had significantly more generalized weakness, eschars, skin rashes, conjunctival injection, high albumin levels, and greater ESR and fibrinogen levels compared to the Karp cluster. The treatment response to current antibiotics was significantly slower in the Karp cluster as compared to the Boryoung cluster.The frequency of occurrence of eschars and rashes may depend on the genotype of O. tsutsugamushi

Precore Mutation of Hepatitis B Virus May Contribute to Hepatocellular Carcinoma Risk: Evidence from an Updated Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND: Studies focused on the correlation of mutations in the genome of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) like Pre-S mutation, Basal Core promoter (BCP), Enhancer II (EnhII), especially Precore mutation, with the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have triggered stiff controversies. With an increasing number of studies in this field recently, we conducted this meta-analysis to appraise the correlations. METHODS: We searched the commonly used databases both in English and Chinese till February 1(st), 2012. Meta-analysis was performed in fixed/random-effects models using STATA 10.0. Publication bias was examined through Egger's test and Begg's funnel plot. RESULTS: In total, 85 case-control studies were included involving 16745 HBV-infected patients, of whom 5781 had HCC. Statistically significant correlations were observed in Precore mutation G1896A (OR = 1.46, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.15-1.85, P(OR) = 0.002), G1899A (OR = 3.13, 95%CI = 2.38-4.13, P(OR)<0.001) and Pre-S mutation especially Pre-S1 deletion (OR = 2.94, 95%CI = 2.22 to 3.89) and Pre-S2 deletion (OR = 3.02, 95%CI = 2.03 to 4.50). Similar correlation existed between BCP double mutation A1762T/G1764A, T1753V, C1653T and HCC. In subgroup analysis, the Asians, genotype C or HBeAg positive patients with certain above mutations may be more susceptible to HCC. Besides, the mutations like G1896A and BCP double mutation may be associated with the progression of the liver diseases. CONCLUSIONS: Precore mutation G1896A, G1899A, deletions in Pre-S region as well as the other commonly seen mutations correlated with the increased risk of HCC, especially in Asians and may predict the progression of the liver disease

Active pulmonary tuberculosis and latent tuberculosis infection among homeless people in Seoul, South Korea: a cross-sectional study

Background : The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence rate of latent TB infection (LTBI) and active TB among homeless in Seoul metropolitan city, South Korea, and to compare the TB burden among homeless people with that of a control group. Methods : The homeless participants were recruited from five sites between October 30, 2009 and April 12, 2010. LTBI was diagnosed through the QuantiFERON(R) TB Gold In-Tube(QFT-GIT) assay and a tuberculin skin test(TST) and, and active PTB was diagnosed based on chest radiography. Results : Among 313 participants, the prevalence of LTBI was 75.9% (95% CI, 71.1-80.8%) and 79.8% (95% CI, 74.9-84.7%) based on a QFT-GIT assay and the TST, respectively, and that of active PTB was 5.8% (95% CI, 3.2-8.3%). The prevalence of LTBI among homeless participants was about five times higher than controls. Also, the age-specific prevalence rate ratio of active PTB was as high as 24.86. Conclusions : The prevalence rate of LTBI as well as active PTB among homeless people was much higher than that of the general population in South Korea. Thus, adequate strategies to reduce the TB burden among homeless people are needed.Peer Reviewe

Anticancer Activity of 2α, 3α, 19β, 23β-Tetrahydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic Acid (THA), a Novel Triterpenoid Isolated from Sinojackia sarcocarpa

BACKGROUND: Natural products represent an important source for agents of cancer prevention and cancer treatment. More than 60% of conventional anticancer drugs are derived from natural sources, particularly from plant-derived materials. In this study, 2α, 3α, 19β, 23β-tetrahydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid (THA), a novel triterpenoid from the leaves of Sinojackia sarcocarpa, was isolated, and its anticancer activity was investigated both in vitro and in vivo. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: THA possessed potent tumor selected toxicity in vitro. It exhibited significantly higher cytotoxicity to the cancer cell lines A2780 and HepG2 than to IOSE144 and QSG7701, two noncancerous cell lines derived from ovary epithelium and liver, respectively. Moreover, THA showed a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on A2780 ovary tumor growth in vivo in nude mice. THA induced a dose-dependent apoptosis and G2/M cell cycle arrest in A2780 and HepG2 cells. The THA-induced cell cycle arrest was accompanied by a downregulation of Cdc2. The apoptosis induced by THA was evident by induction of DNA fragmentation, release of cytoplasmic Cytochrome c from mitochondria, activation of caspases, downregulation of Bcl-2 and upregulation of Bax. CONCLUSION: The primary data indicated that THA exhibit a high toxicity toward two cancer cells than their respective non-cancerous counterparts and has a significant anticancer activity both in vitro and in vivo. Thus, THA and/or its derivatives may have great potential in the prevention and treatment of human ovary tumors and other malignancies

Anesthetic Propofol Reduces Endotoxic Inflammation by Inhibiting Reactive Oxygen Species-regulated Akt/IKKβ/NF-κB Signaling

BACKGROUND: Anesthetic propofol has immunomodulatory effects, particularly in the area of anti-inflammation. Bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induces inflammation through toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 signaling. We investigated the molecular actions of propofol against LPS/TLR4-induced inflammatory activation in murine RAW264.7 macrophages. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Non-cytotoxic levels of propofol reduced LPS-induced inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and NO as determined by western blotting and the Griess reaction, respectively. Propofol also reduced the production of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-10 as detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Western blot analysis showed propofol inhibited LPS-induced activation and phosphorylation of IKKβ (Ser180) and nuclear factor (NF)-κB (Ser536); the subsequent nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65 was also reduced. Additionally, propofol inhibited LPS-induced Akt activation and phosphorylation (Ser473) partly by reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation; inter-regulation that ROS regulated Akt followed by NF-κB activation was found to be crucial for LPS-induced inflammatory responses in macrophages. An in vivo study using C57BL/6 mice also demonstrated the anti-inflammatory properties against LPS in peritoneal macrophages. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These results suggest that propofol reduces LPS-induced inflammatory responses in macrophages by inhibiting the interconnected ROS/Akt/IKKβ/NF-κB signaling pathways

Clinical characteristics of the autumn-winter type scrub typhus cases in south of Shandong province, northern China

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Before 1986, scrub typhus was only found endemic in southern China. Because human infections typically occur in the summer, it is called "summer type". During the autumn-winter period of 1986, a new type of scrub typhus was identified in Shandong and northern Jiangsu province of northern China. This newly recognized scrub typhus was subsequently reported in many areas of northern China and was then called "autumn-winter type". However, clinical characteristics of associated cases have not been reported.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>From 1995 to 2006, all suspected scrub typhus cases in five township hospitals of Feixian county, Shandong province were enrolled. Indirect immunofluorescent assay (IFA) was used as confirmatory serodiagnosis test. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) connected with restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and sequence analyses were used for genotyping of <it>O. tsutsugamushi </it>DNAs. Clinical symptoms and demography of confirmed cases were analyzed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 480 scrub typhus cases were confirmed. The cases occurred every year exclusively between September and December with a peak occurrence in October. The case numbers were relatively higher in 1995, 1996, 1997, and 2000 than in other years. 57.9% of cases were in the group aged 21–50. More cases occurred in male (56%) than in female (44%). The predominant occupational group of the cases was farmers (85.0%). Farm work was reported the primary exposure to infection in 67.7% of cases. Fever, rash, and eschar were observed in 100.0%, 90.4%, and 88.5% of cases, respectively. Eschars formed frequently on or around umbilicus, abdomen areas, and front and back of waist (34.1%) in both genders. Normal results were observed in 88.7% (WBC counts), 84.5% (PLT counts), and 89.7% (RBC counts) of cases, respectively. Observations from the five hospitals were compared and no significant differences were found.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The autumn-winter type scrub typhus in northern China occurred exclusively from September to December with a peak occurrence in October, which was different from the summer type in southern China. In comparison with the summer type, complications associated with autumn-winter type scrub typhus were less severe, and abnormalities of routine hematological parameters were less obvious.</p