Harnessing photochemical internalization with dual degradable nanoparticles for combinatorial photo-chemotherapy.

Light-controlled drug delivery systems constitute an appealing means to direct and confine drug release spatiotemporally at the site of interest with high specificity. However, the utilization of light-activatable systems is hampered by the lack of suitable drug carriers that respond sharply to visible light stimuli at clinically relevant wavelengths. Here, a new class of self-assembling, photo- and pH-degradable polymers of the polyacetal family is reported, which is combined with photochemical internalization to control the intracellular trafficking and release of anticancer compounds. The polymers are synthesized by simple and scalable chemistries and exhibit remarkably low photolysis rates at tunable wavelengths over a large range of the spectrum up to the visible and near infrared regime. The combinational pH and light mediated degradation facilitates increased therapeutic potency and specificity against model cancer cell lines in vitro. Increased cell death is achieved by the synergistic activity of nanoparticle-loaded anticancer compounds and reactive oxygen species accumulation in the cytosol by simultaneous activation of porphyrin molecules and particle photolysis

Gefäßchirurgische Ausbildung in endovaskulärer Technik in Lausanne

Zusammenfassung: Zwischen 1995 und 2005 wuchs die Anzahl der jährlich von uns mit endovaskulären Techniken versorgten Aortenaneurysmen (EVAR) von 0 auf 50, und dies auf allen Stufen der Aorta. Zu unserer Organisation gehören ein breites Team von Chirurgen, ein Lager mit 3kompletten Familien von Endoprothesen (gerade Endoprothesen, konische Endoprothesen, und Bifurkationen), ein mobiler Wagen mit Zubehör (Einführungsbestecke, Führungsdrähte, Katheter, Ballone etc.) und ein Apparat auf Rädern für die intravaskuläre Ultraschalluntersuchung (IVUS). Letzterer erlaubt es zusammen mit einer mobilen Durchleuchtungsanlage (C-Bogen), in jedem Operationssaal unserer Institution endovaskulär Aneurysmen zu analysieren, und dies in der Regel ohne Angiographie bzw. Kontrastmittel. Deshalb sind wir nicht mehr auf eine ausgiebige bildgebende präoperative Abklärung potenzieller Kandidaten für eine endovaskuläre Sanierung von Aneurysmen angewiesen und können rupturierte Aneurysmen der Bauchaorta oder der thorakalen Aorta ohne Verzug behandeln. Bei der endovaskulären Sanierung von Aortenaneurysmen unterscheiden wir zwischen Prozessschritten (Indikationsstellung, Darstellung der Zugangsgefäße, Ausmessen mittels IVUS und Roadmapping mittels Durchleuchtung, Implantatwahl, Implantatinsertion, Positionierung, Implantatabwurf, Erfolgsbeurteilung, Rekonstruktion der Zugangsgefäße und Nachkontrolle) und Kompetenzstufen (Assistent, Oberarzt, Leitender Arzt). Unsere ultraschallgestützte Technik zur endovaskulären Sanierung von Aneurysmen wurde mittels IVUS-Transporter und Telementoring erfolgreich auch anderen Institutionen zur Verfügung gestell

Efficient and stable air-processed ternary organic solar cells incorporating gallium-porphyrin as electron cascade material

Two gallium porphyrins, a tetraphenyl GaCl porphyrin, termed as (TPP)GaCl, and an octaethylporphyrin GaCl porphyrin, termed as (OEP)GaCl, were synthesized to use as an electron cascade in ternary organic bulk heterojunction films. A perfect matching of both gallium porphyrins’ energy levels with that of poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) or poly[N-9′-heptadecanyl-2,7-carbazole-alt-5,5-(4′,7′-di-2-thienyl-2′,1′,3′-benzothiadiazole)] (PCDTBT) polymer donor and the 6,6-phenyl C71 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) fullerene acceptor, forming an efficient cascade system that could facilitate electron transfer between donor and acceptor, was demonstrated. Therefore, ternary organic solar cells (OSCs) using the two porphyrins in various concentrations were fabricated where a performance enhancement was obtained. In particular, (TPP)GaCl-based ternary OSCs of low concentration (1:0.05 vv%) exhibited a ~17% increase in the power conversion efficiency (PCE) compared with the binary device due to improved exciton dissociation, electron transport and reduced recombination. On the other hand, ternary OSCs with a high concentration of (TPP)GaCl (1:0.1 vv%) and (OEP)GaCl (1:0.05 and 1:0.1 vv%) showed the poorest efficiencies due to very rough nanomorphology and suppressed crystallinity of ternary films when the GaCl porphyrin was introduced to the blend, as revealed from X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The best performing devices also exhibited improved photostability when exposed to sunlight illumination for a period of 8 h than the binary OSCs, attributed to the suppressed photodegradation of the ternary (TPP)GaCl 1:0.05-based photoactive film

Core-shell carbon-polymer quantum dot passivation for near infrared perovskite light emitting diodes

High-performance perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) require a high quality perovskite emitter and appropriate charge transport layers to facilitate charge injection and transport within the device. Solution-processed n-type metal oxides represent a judicious choice for the electron transport layer (ETL); however, they don't always present suitable surface properties and energetics in order to be compatible with the perovskite emitter. Moreover, the emitter itself exhibits poor nanomorphology and defect traps that compromise the device performance. Here we modulate the surface properties and interface energetics of the tin oxide (SnO2) ETL with the perovskite emitter by using an amino functionalized difluoro{2-[1-(3,5-dimethyl-2H-pyrrol-2-ylidene-N)ethyl]-3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrrolato-N}boron (BDP) compound and passivate the defects present in the perovskite with carbon-polymer core-shell quantum dots (PCDs) inserted into the perovskite precursor. Both these approaches synergistically improve the perovskite layer nanomorphology and enhance the radiative recombination. These properties resulted in the fabrication of near infrared (NIR) PeLEDs based on formamidinium lead iodide (FAPbI3) with a high radiance of 92 W sr-1 m-2, an external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 14% and reduced efficiency roll-off

The financial fragility and the crisis of the Greek government sector

The purpose of this paper is to develop Minskyan financial fragility indices for the government sector and to examine the financial structure of the Greek government before and after the onset of the sovereign debt crisis in 2009. We provide empirical evidence that clearly shows the growing financial fragility of the Greek public sector in the 2000s. We also assess the effectiveness of the implemented bailout adjustment programmes in Greece and claim that the conducted austerity measures and fiscal consolidation have not significantly improved the financial posture of the Greek government sector. We argue that the implementation of fiscal and wage austerity in an economy that lacks structural competitiveness produces prolonged recession and unemployment with adverse feedback effects on the financial fragility of the government